ceilidh1

FYI Cal Coast.pdf Panama Canal.pdf

Does the 3rd person have the Plus package? Since the new packages were introduced, only guests 1 and 2 get assigned the Plus package, whereas it normally got assigned to all guests. If that is the case for your booking, it would make sense that you are being told you can't "upgrade"...if the 3rd person DOES have the Plus package, then I would suspect the wonderful IT minds at Princess haven't factored in the algorithms correctly that would account for the fact that past bookings were required to have all guests purchase Plus while current bookings do not...OR that the 3/4 upgrade code is just that - a code that is a price for BOTH guests 3 and 4 and doesn't factor in that there may only be 3 guests on a booking? Keep us posted!

This is a bonus for those on Plus package who aren't getting charged overages or are getting drinks no longer covered by their package, but a downer for those who paid for the upgrade, I guess...Not really surprised that the onboard folks were/are unprepared for this - seems like those who make the decisions these days have never actually been on the front lines (the medallion roll out showed that...)

I have to wonder if the non-specific wine list for Plus is a means for them to use whatever is on hand at the closest bar? Bearing in mind that many of the wines not covered on Plus USED to be covered by it, who is to say that if I order a "non-specific" white with my Plus and the guy next to me orders a "brand name" white with his Premier that we don't actually end up with the same wine????

You forgot Princess Prizes! Opening your door will be sooooooo boring if you don't buy the Premier package...

Wait until they introduce their primo dining package - buy the package and you choose between steak, chicken, pork, and lamb. No package, you get "meat"....😜

Dang!

I'm finally able to see everything again - completely cleared cookies, browsing history, etc (this has had no effect for the past 5 days or so but worked today - coincidence?)

The Princess site is still a mess. It's been 3 days for me now. I can easily see availability/pricing/book a cabin on Polar (TA booking site) but can't get past cabin selection on the consumer site. As a TA I generally look at the consumer site first as it is far more searchable/user friendly than the booking engine. Once I narrow down the sailings, I then go into Polar...does no one at Princess realise this is a problem?

Excellent. Very smart decision!

Weird - I'm seeing the resident rates without an issue in Polar (unless this is for a sailing they aren't applicable for...I've come across one or two of those). Good luck!

Is this a Princess rep or independent TA? In Polar (booking system) the resident fares are only showing if you type in a Calfornia airport (eg LAX) or if the patron's captain circle number is entered prior to searching...If I look it up using YVR there are no resident fares showing. Same cruise using LAX populates resident fares.

Probably NCL...😜

This is not a good sign - what happens if you buy the premiere package which includes specialty dining and then can't get in?

It looks as if there are two resident promo codes - as you pointed out, the one is a slightly lower price but with less OBC. The promo you want applied (your TA can do this in Polar) is RLD as this one applies the higher OBC. The FCC should not affect offers, etc...

Polar is the back-end Princess booking site - used by TAs, Princess reps, etc.

Yup - Polar is working just fine. It's an issue with the consumer site...

I just logged in to Polar (Princess TA/booking site). All pricing is showing up on there and all sailings can be booked - including with new resident rates, so it's definitely some IT glitch with the consumer site. I had feared more cancellations were coming initially, but doesn't seem so...(hope I haven't jinxed it now).

For me, personally, it's less about "cost" and more about "value". I have no idea of the package on RCI but on NCL you have no limit on number of drinks and can get two per transaction (essentially allowing a double highball or a BIG glass of wine...). I recently upgraded to the NCL premium package and this included almost everything (top shelf liquor, Starbucks, bottles of wine at dinner, etc). I didn't have to think about what was included or what wasn't and wasn't hit with any surprise overage charges at the end - that, to me, was worth the cost of the package and upgrade. I would happily (well, maybe not happily) pay for the new Princess package if it had no limitations, but it seems with some of the new pricing that even the higher charged package won't cover it all and the original package is looking to cover much less. I guess we will find out soon once all this kicks in...

I, too, suspected this would happen...I'm trying REALLY hard to stick with Princess, but they are making it tough!

For me, on this particular sailing, ports and excursions are not important at all. As long as it begins and ends in Vancouver, that is the only important piece (this is not Alaska - it's a coastal and we have done all the ports many, many times and usually don't even get off the ship). BUT I can't imagine this is the case for everyone and I'm intrigued why so many are booking/paying the prices they are asking right now...

I have been "watching" a sailing on the Crown for a couple of months now, hoping/waiting for a price drop due to all the bad reviews and people jumping ship. Surprisingly, all I'm seeing are price increases and less availability. This is a 10 day roundtrip Vancouver Coastal (I think the last sailing before drydock when, hopefully, the engine issues will be taken care of). For this sailing I don't care about the ports - just want to avoid flying and be on a ship so even if we just toodle about in the harbour I would be ok with it. That being said, I'm not willing to pay the price they are asking to do so just yet...how are they still able to keep selling at this price when there are so many problems?

I usually have FCDs on hand so the $1 deposit doesn't matter to me. However, on the rare occasion I don't have them I am often reluctant to put out the crazy deposits since I couldn't care less what room I have - I would prefer that money stay in MY account rather than theirs. As an example, I was looking at a sailing later this year and for four people the deposit was $1000. Sure, I have the money or I wouldn't be booking the cruise...I would just rather keep that $1000 and book closer to sailing and just pay in full. If it was $1 deposit that sailing would have been booked without a second thought.

I will attempt a live from, internet and CC permitting! If you are on this sailing, please feel free to add your posts! Background Sailing this time is myself and DS (10). Just 6 days ago we got off NCL Bliss doing this exact itinerary. We live in Vancouver, so these coastal s are faves for us. We haven’t been on Princess since pre Covid- sept 2019. This was one of our best sailings, marking the 4th trip in a year with Matt O! I’m not sure how much we will enjoy princess without Matt, but going in with an open mind and hoping to have a blast! Pre Cruise This was not ideal! We have sailed medallion class many times before the app and loved it. Sadly, the app has taken away much of the pre cruise excitement and replaced it with frustration! First off, my perfectly good iPhone 6 was not compatible with the app. At that time, there was no web version to use and I reluctantly upgraded my phone (much to my teens delight as she now has the brand new iPhone 12 which also didn’t work well with the app). I was able to get to the green lane after many hours of switching between app and web. However I was never able to choose an arrival time or complete the health questionnaire. It was made even more infuriating with all the emails from princess reminding me to complete these steps! I gave up and will just roll with it. Originally, I went with this sailing as the departure time from LA was 11pm. I’m not one to fly in day of but with this late time I felt confident in doing so. I booked EZAir at a decent price and was ready to roll. Then they changed departure time to 5pm and my flight was just not going to cut it! Four hours on hold and I had a flight the day before and now needed to pay for a hotel. I booked Crowne Plaza again - we just stayed there two weeks ago and it suited us fine. Testing We still need negative tests to fly to US as well as to board, so I booked a proctored session through azova.com and used my own free rapid tests. Went off without a hitch and both negative! Completed ArriveCAN easily and checked in for air Canada flight, uploading proof of vax and proof of negative test. Ready to roll! We are very familiar with transportation in Vancouver, living downtown so we hopped on the Canada line to the airport and breezed through security and US CBP. Currently having dinner at the Canucks Bat and Grill!