dreaminofcruisin

17 hours ago, mattR said:

Trying to catch a 11:15am flight out of Anchorage at 11:15am.  I will arrange for a private transfer to get me from the ship can I get off the ship at 5:45 or 6:45? According to the Alaska department of Transportation the tunnel opens outbound at 6am during the summer. I am willing to handle my own luggage.

I have no current experience. However, I am also going to be on the Royal disembarking in Whittier this summer. I am using EZ Air and Princess says the flight has to be after 11 am. If Princess thinks 11 is late enough, I would think you should be fine, as I have found they are usually pretty conservative in their estimates. My cruise is on 7/13...just based on the tunnel, I don't know if the times Princess requires vary based on the date. You could do a mock booking and check.

Just now, Ken the cruiser said:

When I click on the Refer-a-Friend link as you suggested, it simply took me back to the top of the page. However, when I click on the Military Appreciation link right above it, that link worked fine.

Interesting....but not totally surprising with Princess....

It works for me.

I'm in Chrome on a laptop.

Are you on a phone or something?

Go here:

https://www.princess.com/en-us

Go to the bottom.

On the left in the middle section under "Cruise Deals" is Refer-a-Friend

Click on that and it brings up a pop-up box.

22 hours ago, TxTeach79 said:

Princess Live. As a lapsed Princess cruiser who previously had sailed on nothing newer than Ruby, I’ll give the hot opinion that Explorers > Princess Live

 

 

Since you are  considering Sky for a future cruise, you'll be happy to hear that Princess Live on Sky is more similar to Explorers than Regal with comfy chairs and little tables.

DS wants to purchase a Spa Massage to give his DW for Christmas for their upcoming February Cruise. He wants to book it now so he can get the time he wants. If he does this and she logs onto her account, I'm guessing she might see it.

Suggestions for how to do this without her finding out?

I will be on the cruise also. One thought I had was if I booked it for myself. Does anyone know if it's transferable?

TIA

20 minutes ago, Musky Ike said:

Not sure when or if on all ships but at least for our last two cruises on Regal and Sapphire.

and I can confirm cans included with Plus on Enchanted and Sky in the last few months.

With Princess, though they might say "Kids" in some ads, I believe usually it is 3rd and 4th guests sail free during those types of sails. So, as long as they are in your stateroom, they could actually be an adult....Now....this is in the U.S., so I guess since you aren't in the U.S. YMMV.

The current Black Friday sale in the U.S. indicates 3rd & 4th guests sail free for select sailings.

39 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

There are two "special" evenings on a 7-day cruise.

 

Some Princess ships do this as two formal evenings and some as one formal evening and one "dress-to-impress".

 

No matter which the ship does, the Personalizer will list it as two formal evenings.

 

The "dress-to-impress" concept is an attempt to balance the desire of many passengers not to be dressed up a second time and the ship's desire to provide another opportunity to take portraits of dressed up passengers to sell. Of course anyone who wants to wear fancy clothing every evening of the cruise may do so no matter what Princess calls the evening.

On the Enchanted in October, there was only 1 formal night. There was a Gold and White night, but it was a Smart Casual night. Only 1 night designated as Formal attire. Oddly enough, "Land and Sea" (steak and lobster) in the dining room was on a NON-formal night. This happened both of the 2 7-day back-to-backs that we were on. We asked our waiter in MDR about it. He said "Sometimes Princess likes to mix things up a bit". Hmmmm....never had I seen that before!

3 hours ago, SCX22 said:

As of recent, Princess' service has taken a dive.  Crew that interacts with passengers does their jobs, but there's no passion in what they are doing and rarely do they go out of their way.  Lots of newbies on their first or second contract.  The ones that have returned are managers or supervisors.  Many of the crew with seniority but in low positions have expressed the desire to move on to greener pastures and take contracts with Disney/RCCL/X because they pay more.  On the Enchanted in the Med currently and there was a group of servers that were sent home because they didn't make the cut.  No replacement crew until ship reaches Fort Lauderdale.  Lido managers have had to have room service folks brought up to the buffet in the evening because there is no one else to do the job.  Mini bar swap is handled by room service on this ship but didn't happen for 2 days because they are short staffed.

 

Interesting. It really shows how we all have different experiences.

We were just on Enchanted for 14 days in October and the crew was the BEST I have ever had on 14 cruises! I had so many people to write glowing reviews for in the survey, I had to have a list.....

We've never had so many crew know us and know our names (without their ipads) on any other cruise.

8 hours ago, IndyKid said:

I guess it means ordering my next drink when I start on my previous one...

 Or just order 2 at a time.....

Princess is much more laid back about it than Carnival. No 5 minute limit.

You can even order a 'double' wine and if you are getting one for a partner who also has the package, you can even order 2 'double' wines. They will charge you 2 off your package for each.

On 11/12/2023 at 1:36 PM, dlh015 said:

Thanks...yeah the rep spelled out and confirmed my email before she sent it.

 

Everything was fine before I left...always got the email. The cruises have shown up on the website/app, so no problem there...and I always get the 'Prepare for your cruise' email the next day. 

Yup. I booked a cruise last week and never got the confirmation. I was pretty surprised too. Then I made a change to it (added a transfer) and still no confirmation. Seemed very odd as any change used to send a confirmation. This week, I added flights and for that I GOT the confirmation. Very weird.

...and my email address is NOT a gmail address.....

On the Sky last summer out of Southampton, DH wore a button shirt with a tie. No jacket. I actually think Great Britain is MORE "formal" than sailings out of the U.S. There was a wide variety of apparel. DH was NOT alone in being without a jacket.

On the Enchanted in October - a B2B in the Med. DH ditched the tie also and just wore a nice button shirt and nice pants. I dressed "nice" in pants and a top. Neither of us felt uncomfortable. Interesting on each of those 2 cruises, there was only ONE formal night each week. Also, the normal "formal night" menu of lobster and steak was on a smart casual night, so watch the menus if that's important to you. Things keep changing.

Wear what you are comfortable with on a formal night and you will be fine as long as you look 'nice'.

🙂

2 hours ago, chubbypiggy said:

I need to use about 21 cards ($500 each) for my final payment.  I wonder if it is okay to do just 7 cards, then log off,  then maybe an hour later, log in again to do another 7 cards, then log off again, and an hour later, log in again and do the remaining the 7 cards to pay off all the remaining balance? 

I think I would try it that way. It sounds like the issue people were having is that it couldn't keep up. As long as you do them slowly, it would be worth a try. I know some people are really good with a 10-key and probably type them in really quickly. It takes me longer to type numbers, so I'm guessing that's why I haven't had any problems....

1 hour ago, chubbypiggy said:

I usually called my Princess CVP to apply the gift cards.  This time I am thinking of doing it myself online.  I read on CC that if applying more than 10 cards at a time, there might be a problem.  Did you apply more than 10 cards at one time?   Thanks.

I used about 5 at a time. I just would always dawdle a bit between each one....just don't be using lightening fast keying skills and you should be fine!

13 hours ago, chubbypiggy said:

I hope Princess will fix the problem soon because I need to make final payment in 2 weeks and I bought a lot of gift cards for that cruise.  

I had this error trying to check the gift card balance. However, I did apply a bunch of gift cards to my balance online last week as my final payment is coming up and I had no problems. As long as you know what the amounts are, you should be ok...hopefully.... 🤪

33 minutes ago, Dive Girl said:

Hi all, the last 2 times we sailed with Princess, earlier this year, even though we had reservations in the MDR, the wait to be seated was over 1/2 hour. Lines extended up the stair wells!

 

Is this still the case?

 

Thank you for your replies!

It really depends on the itinerary, the time you go to dinner, and sometimes the makeup of the passengers.

Just off the Enchanted in October. We had early dinner reservations-- 5:30 or 6. Walked right into the dining room each night. We noticed there were lines later in the evening, though still not excessively long. It was in  the Mediterranean and Europeans tend to eat later. The average age also skewed younger than most Princess cruises we've been on .... I'd say a lot of people in their 40s and 50s. I think if they are younger, they aren't as inclined to go to the MDR.

On an itinerary with a lot more Americans and/or more older people, I think the early dining times are busier than the late times. 

22 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

I've exchanged large for smaller bills for tips at Passenger Services. Didn't know there was an ATM. Learned something new today.

20 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

ATM fees on a cruise ship are very high.  Unless you have a card that will reimburse you for fees, it is best to bring large bills with you.  Guest Services usually will have smaller bills that they will exchange for you.  They have run out....They do not carry much foreign currency.  (I think...I recall... they helped me out with some YEN).

YMMV trying to get smaller bills from Guest Services.

Recently on a B2B on the Enchanted.

The first week I had a 50 Euro note and asked if they could break it into smaller bills for me.

No problem. What would you like?

The 2nd week I again ended up with a 50 Euro note to break down. 

Guest Services told me ..... No they never do that....

🤷‍♀️

On 10/29/2023 at 12:04 PM, Cruise Raider said:

Then, I saw a mimosa and Bloody Mary bar set up in the piazza.  Such a great idea!  
I couldn’t resist that because of all the beautiful extras.  
I am all in when it comes to Bloody Caesar but only if they have horseradish available.  So, I went with the Bloody Mary and wow, this kid made one that is so good.  It’s half the alcohol and double the spice!  Yummmmm

 

LOVE THIS! I would love to see this on a cruise.

Was it announced in the daily event listing?

We were just at the Acropolis a couple of weeks ago. We also had a 9-10 am time slot. We got there about 8:15 and did have to wait until 8:45 to enter. However, when we arrived, there was NO line. We watched some groups come and go and gradually more groups were in the line. We waited until about 8:40 and got in line as we knew it was going to take us about 5 minutes in the line. I think you'll be able to watch the line and determine when the best time is to get in line. Even if we had waited until 8:45 to get in line, it moved pretty quickly and doubt it would have been more than 10-15 minutes.

YMMV

On 10/17/2023 at 5:24 PM, Hydro ergo said:

Hi Everyone,

 

I'm trying to find out what types of bags/backpacks are permitted at the Acropolis.  I've seen "small backpacks" listed as a guide on several sites.  Anyone have actual experience?  I had hoped to carry my Camelback pack with me really for the purpose of water but now I'm wondering if that's not going to be allowed.  The thought of walking around Athens all day with the one bottle of water I could fit in my "purse" sized bag is frustrating.  Yes, I realize I can keep buying bottles of water/refilling my reusable, but that gets annoying...I drink about 3 liters a day.  If not permitted inside the Acropolis, do they have any type of secure bag check area or anything? Then I could at least have it for the rest of the day.  

And I know---pickpockets...and having a backpack makes me a target. It would literally only contain a water bladder, couple granola bars, and possibly a jacket/umbrella depending on the weather the day we visit. 

 

I did see that Pompeii has a bag policy but there's is quite clear about size and that they have onsite lockers for anything larger.

 

Thank you!

 

I think you'll be fine. We were just there a couple weeks ago. We saw many people with small to average-sized backpacks. We did see one person turned away with a backpack, but it was HUGE....looked like he had a big box on his back. 

9 hours ago, Generator515 said:

 

1) Have read about ability to have case of water delivered to room if ordered in advance. Where can I order this? Have looked on app and Princess.con and can’t find the option. Do you need to be paid in full perhaps?

 

 

You should be able to find the water package by logging onto your account.

Select the cruise.

Click on "Onboard Services"

Scroll down to "Beverage Packages". Click "View Options".

It should be at the bottom of the list. $7.08 for 12 bottles.

Have a wonderful cruise!

We haven't been in that precise location on the Sapphire, but have on other Grand Class ships.

IMO that's a great location for cabins! Those Caribe deck large balconies are much loved by many on CC. You should be able to have the dividers between the balconies opened to enjoy a lot of room for your group. Sounds like a great trip! Princess does Alaska better than anyone and the Sapphire will be a good viewing choice.

On the Enchanted B2B in October, both times White and Gold night were NOT on formal nights. There was more participation than I had seen on past cruises, but still a minority.

Also, lobster was in the MDR on a night that was NOT a formal night....so check the menus on your app if you care.

Coke zero was available by the can on both of our last cruises--one on the Enchanted and one on the Sky. Cans are now included in the Plus package.