azbirdmom

Thanks again for all of the details you've provided and for taking the time to summarize it all. I really do hope you've mentioned everything on the survey, especially about the smoke issues. I had heard that they were upping the ventilation game so that the smoke in the casino wasn't as much of an issue but that clearly isn't the case and that is very disappointing. But I'm glad you had a good time despite all of the little things that were off during your cruise.

Please do! Very glad you were able to get an appointment so quickly. Six months ago it may not have been possible.

Is your room adjacent to the Suite Concierge Lounge on Riviera deck? If so it's open 24 X 7 and there is hot water available there so you could slip over there to get it.

I hope you do too. Here's a link to info about the port https://www.mahoganybaycc.com/

We've been to Mahogany Bay 4 times and it's a private area owned by Carnival Corp. There's shops and a beach that you can either walk to or take the chair lift to within the complex. The beach there isn't as nice as Tabyana or other beaches we've visited on Roatan but it will do and is free (unless you need the chair lift). Coxen Hole is more of a city with no beach so you have to pay to reach one. It would have been our first time to Coxen Hole.

Roatan port bingo continues! We had previously been notified that our port stop in Roatan was moving from Mahogany Bay to Coxen Hole on May 1st. The excuse was port congestion which meant the newer larger Carnival Jubilee had first dibs on the spot and adding the Enchanted to the mix would put the port over capacity so we had to move. Well this morning Princess issued a notice that we are moving back to Mahogany Bay. A check of the port schedule reveals that we will be in port with the slightly lower capacity Mardi Gras and the Jubilee has been moved to April 30th. So it seems like this shuffling of ships in Roatan affects Carnival too. I'm just glad that we are back in Mahogany Bay but gee....

Yes, you will get port taxes / fees back regardless of when you cancel. The full details are in section 7 of the passage contract which can be found here: https://www.princess.com/en-us/legal/passage-contract/pcl

Glad it worked out for you. And thank you for coming back here to tell us all that Princess ultimately did the right thing. So many don't and just leave the initial complaints out there unresolved. Happy future cruising!

The only time this may come into play is if you've paid to upgrade to a higher category than the one they've comped and then earn an offer that comps an even higher category. Unless you plan to play significantly more than you do now this is unlikely especially when the offers aren't as good as they used to be. So at least for me this isn't a concern.

It depends on how far in advance of the embarkation date that you cancel and the length of the cruise. For example this is the current cancellation schedule from the Princess website that would apply to most casino "comped" cruises too:

Looks like you are coming back in style! Safe smooth travels back and thanks again for all you've shared.

Yes you pay everything when you book. I was referring to what happens if you cancel.

It absolutely is under the cancellation policy and is noted as such on the booking confirmation (screenshot is for an upcoming April 27th cruise). I have had to cancel two of these offers and got the full refund on the upcharge to the higher category as well as the port fees on both cancelled before the "normal" final payment date. On both I had Princess insurance and had the option of getting a refund on the insurance OR keeping the insurance and using cancel for any reason to get the deposit back. In both cases the insurance cost was slightly higher than the deposit so I opted to get the insurance refund. And for one of the cruises I had the deposit forfeiture waived because they royally messed up a new reservation so I've only had to lose the deposit once. If you haven't been able to get $$ back according to the cancellation schedule on a cancelled casino cruise I would definitely escalate it.

My casino offers definitely improved during the Covid pause and continued after. Since I hadn't had such good offers pre-Covid I rightly assumed that this was a temporary situation that would not continue after the restart of cruising. The offers that I receive aren't as good as they were but I am still getting them. As for paying upfront that's less of an inconvenience if you're taking only the "free" category in which case you are paying the $200 non refundable deposit (which turns into OBC once you board) and port fees. If you buy up to a higher category as we do it's a bigger financial outlay but still the amount in excess of the deposit is subject to the normal Princess cancellation schedule. So I still don't think it's a bad deal. I haven't used a CBS offer in quite a while since the email / snail mail offers tend to be better and more flexible. By the way I am still seeing that the true high rollers are getting great offers but I totally understand that it's a business and they now can pivot to focusing on enticing these folks to book more cruises.

We've done a couple of Princess cruise tours and did DIY a couple of times before our southbound Alaska cruises as well. Immensely enjoyed them all. The Princess lodge accommodations are OK but the draw is 100% Alaska. We loved all that there is to see and it has never gotten old for us. And while the train ride from Denali to Whittier is quite long just watching the scenery change was incredible and the train was comfortable. It sounds like it's not for you but for a lot of us it's still a worthwhile vacation.

Go for it! 🙂

Yes, the domain is incorrect. However, that address has mysteriously been removed from the elliott,org contact page for Princess and it had been there for quite a long time. You might want to try instead filling out this query on the Princess website: https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/customerCare.page

I hope you are enjoying your last day on the cruise. I know I've enjoyed all of the information that you've provided about this brand spanking new ship. Thank you so much for taking us along on your journey. And special thanks to your wife who put up with all of the errands that you've been running to answer all of the questions from all of us following along. Safe travels home!

Yes, on the Enchanted in December 2022. Our upgrade offer on a PH suite was accepted a week before the cruise. Ditto with our neighboring cabin. Suite categories had been sold out for months and the cruise itself had shown as sold out for at least a month.

Ah you are right Frank! Didn't catch the fine print.

I was wondering the same thing. The upcharge isn't bad at all but by the same token there has been enough that looks good on these dinner menus that I probably wouldn't feel the need to pay for something more.

For our last couple of cruises Princess has been giving one color luggage tag to Suite passengers and allowing them to disembark at any time within the debark timeframe. That actually saved us when we had a last minute cancelled flight and had to rush to FLL to make a super early replacement flight.

You're welcome. By the way while not stated these offers generally protect port fees and Princess Vacation Protection as well. That would be another question to ask if you are confronted with this option. Decisions need to be made quickly when these deals are offered.

I'm guessing no if you used EZAir and then paid United directly to upgrade. However, if Princess really needs your cabin, they may just work with you on that if United won't refund it to you directly. That would definitely be a question to ask in your response to the offer. By the way I've been able to successfully get United to refund the upgrade amounts that I've paid for flights that I cancelled (most recently in January). Technically United's answer is no to these refunds but I'm happy that they've been more generous than their written policy - and I hope it stays that way!

I have seen a few reports about moveover offers for your cruise. I wonder if they have another group of people that they are trying to accommodate on that sailing? In any event it's perfectly fine to say ignore it / say no. Hope you enjoy your special trip!