Maui Girl

I booked a cruise about a month ago directly because my old travel agent retired during Covid.  Is there any advantage to transferring it to a TA now?    Would they still receive a commission?   I don't imagine I would get any extra perks if they didn't get a commission.  It seems like there is an upside and downside to having a TA.  

6 hours ago, nho9504 said:

 Princess has  done the POOREST job - have anyone ever thought WHY all big problems are from a Princess ship?   Why would Grand's crews be transferred to Regal when it was already known there were cases on Grand?  What Ruby has told Australian officials so the ship was allowed to disembark all passengers to Sydney without any precaution, that resulted to almost 700 cases and near 2 doz deaths, with countless cases traced back to Ruby? 

 

Aside from the lying on processing refunds, personally I dont feel comfortable on how Princess top management is managing its business as demonstrated by the disasters after disasters all carried a Princess name.

I understand your opinion, but I was on the Ruby and would like to clarify your inaccurate comments.   Less than 24 hours before we docked in Sydney on March 8th,  there were 36 people that had reported to the medical center with "flu like" symptoms.  That was .094 percent of the people on that ship, passengers and crew.  At that point we were considered low risk by the health department.  HOWEVER, we were only 2 sick people short of the 1 percent threshold that would have classified us as medium risk and required the NSW health department team to board the ship before anyone disembarked.  In light of C19 virus being in Australia and the world, you would think that someone in the health department would have been on top of the situation and perhaps "assumed" that we would have more people in the last 17-20 hours and they needed to check us out.   And we did have a few more by the morning of the 8th, however the NSW health department did not reassess us, just gave us clearance to disembark.  Out of those 38-40 people that were sick, the medical center had swabbed 13 of them for possible C19, however they had no way to process the tests, so they were turned over to the health department.  Ultimately, 4 of those swabs were positive but they had already let everyone go home.  These are all FACTS from my personal experience and from the testimony that is going on right now in the investigation in Australia.   The health department official even testified that,  "we knew it was the last cruise and, well, 2800 people.  They didn't want to deal with quarantining or medical care for a bunch of people, they just wanted us off the ship and OUT of there.   Thats not to say that Princess handled everything perfect either, but ultimately most of the blame for that tragedy is going to fall on the shoulders of the NSW health departments mistakes.  

16 hours ago, tonit964 said:

I knew it. 😊

Uggh 😔.  I’m glad they corrected this OBC issue but I think we are still screwed.  Our cruise is tomorrow March 8th but our cruisetour started March 2nd! 

Hi Coral.   I’m curious about your statement—

I am usually this way. This is an expensive cruise for me and marking a landmark. I have to say that I can't depend on Princess to do the right thing based on the Diamond Princess. ”.  
Why do you think that Princess didn’t do the right thing?   They were doing exactly what the Japanese Health Ministry told them to do as far as I have read.   It sounds like the Japanese were caught flat footed, although this still an evolving complicated issue.  

On 2/21/2020 at 1:39 PM, cruisingbarb said:

We are sailing 3/8 from Sydney for a cruise around New Zealand. For those of you currently on a ship or just off a ship, what was the weather like! We’ve been looking at the webcam and see overcast and raindrops on the camera lens at some of the ports. I’m in a quandary as to what to pack other than my rain jacket. I am planning on layers but should I pack shorts or is it too cool? Any help would be appreciated. 

 

I’m glad you asked this question, I’m packing for this cruise also!  Sounds like we don’t need much in the shorts/swimsuit department.  I have a rain jacket and wind shirt, now I’m thinking I’ll throw in a fleece vest also.  

1 hour ago, Dandylyon said:

 

I have the same issue. I have a pretty constant cough and sometimes runny nose due to allergies. I also cough, sometimes severely, because I often swallow something (food or beverage) the "wrong way." This leads to a coughing fit where I usually have to leave the room for a few minutes to go cough my head off outside or in the restroom.

I’m sure we aren’t the only ones!   I’m guessing people at this point will be a little extra sensitive to the sound of coughing,  hopefully they will also be extra sensitive to their own hygiene too.  I’m pretty OCD about hand washing and sanitizer.  

We are boarding the Ruby in Sydney on March 8,  so far things look good down under, hopefully we will be fine.  Will take extra precautions anyway.   
I’ve noticed a few people on here talking about people with colds should stay in their cabins.  I have allergies that cause me to cough, sometimes frequently, although I still cough into my elbow or a Kleenex.  My DH has COPD which causes him to cough also. I hope we aren’t banished to our cabin because people think we are “ sick” 😳🤔

7 hours ago, vampiress said:

well i called that post and run. 

Yes you did.  I hate that when someone who doesn't even participate in CC jumps on just to raise hell.  Princess has put out a lot of information on what is happening and what they are doing about it.  It's taking some time to get everything figured out, but this is an unprecedented event.   And not only is Princess not going to "rip people off" and "make a lot of money",   they are going to lose a LOT of money.   Some of these people are not only getting full refunds but a 50-100 percent future credit.  Not to mention the cost of trying to reschedule these 3 ships that were supposed to be in Asia!!

7 minutes ago, cruiserchuck said:

 

I just read through the fine print, and also did not see an exclusion.  I usually purchase insurance from a third party company, and the one I have been using lately excludes epidemics/pandemics.  I guess there is a reason they are usually less expensive.l

In the past we have always used other travel insurance, but as we get older and go on longer more expensive trips it has become ridiculously high.  We are going to Australia in a couple weeks and this time I did the Princess insurance because we can get platinum coverage for the lower price.  I then purchased a medical/medical evacuation policy to supplement that, it was under 200 dollars.  Doing it that way saved us more than a grand, but you just have to hope for the best.  Just like this corona virus thing, it’s impossible to anticipate everything 😔

If you have time, order the plastic sleeves from Amazon, they have wires to attach.  Be sure to look for ones that say they are for Princess because they have different sizes.  
Otherwise, only because you are flying in the day of the cruise, I would (and have) use the clear shipping tape method and put them on before you leave.  And print off a couple extras just in case.   Enjoy your cruise!  

14 minutes ago, shepp said:

 

I was under the strong impression that PVP platinum gives you the right to cancel for any reason whatsoever before the ship actually sails, even getting assigned at the last minute to a cabin you hate. If you say "I'm cancelling because my cat is sick," who's going to check up?

 

You do, of course, only get credit toward a future cruise and not cash, though.

I think you are correct, I scanned through all the fine print on PVP platinum, and didn’t see any mention of epidemics or pandemics for excuses not to pay.   Someone had mentioned a problem with another insurance company so I was curious.   As you mentioned though, cancel for any reason is going to be a credit not a refund! 

19 minutes ago, pink845 said:

MauiGirl, Good to hear you made your 11:15 am flight.  We have an Air Canada one at 11:15 am are arriving at 6:30 am as well in March.  Do you recall there being any vans outside the terminal when you grabbed your taxi.  We will be four people with four suitcases, etc.. would need a vehicle larger than the standard cab.  Still considering however taking the train.  Avoids all traffic that way and Air Canada tells us we must check in two hours prior.   

Sorry, we have not taken our flight yet.  This current information is from royal29, hopefully he or she can answer your questions about vans. Good luck! 

royal29-  thank you, that’s helpful.   I’m just getting used to checking in on my phone, and haven’t done it for an international flight yet.  Sounds like the airport is well organized even though it’s a little different.  We are used to just zipping through the airport in the US because we have TSA precheck 😊, but that will be meaningless in Sydney! 
Your advice has given me a plan of attack, so hopefully it works smoothly. If not, then we will stay over and be rebooked on something.   I thought about calling Delta now, but they aren’t going to switch me over to a later flight on Quantas or United now, because I’m “nervous “.   They would say okay, buy yourself a one way ticket!  

3 hours ago, royal29 said:

Conditions certainly can be different for every disembarkation, yet here's what we experienced just one week ago on the Celebrity Solstice (a happy result I will say before I begin). Flights by Celebrity booked us on an 11:15 a.m. flight on American to Los Angeles (and then a connecting flight home to Chicago). I, too, worried quite a bit about the timing, but was assured by many from Celebrity this would be fine.

 

I already planned to self-disembark with our luggage with us as soon as we arrived at 6:30 a.m. at the Circular Quay and take a cab to the airport. Went to the gangway area around 6 a.m. and we were first in the line! (Many passengers quickly joined us). We docked right on time and I was expecting we would get off the ship around 6:45 a.m. But right then the captain informed us there would be at least a 45 minute delay as Australian customs officials were taking extra health precautions. (I figured due to the virus crisis, but now I was starting to get stressed.) Actually, it was an hour. However, once the door opened, we scurried down the gangway. Fortunately, we went through customs in mere seconds. Had to take two elevators to the cab area. There, in the pouring rain, was grabbed a cab immediately and despite it being rush hour, arrived at the airport around 8:30 a.m. Obviously, plenty of time.

 

Yes, we were fortunate -- and thankful. I believe being one of the first ones off the ship was extremely helpful.

Thanks for taking the time to give me recent specific information, it’s very helpful!  
So, it can be done, with foresight and planning and luck.  Our schedule is about 20 minutes tighter than yours, but it’s Saturday so we don’t have to worry about rush hour.  We will plan to do the self walkoff as early as possible, and I think a taxi is the right choice, since they are there and ready to go.  Taking a Princess transfer would just slow us down.   I’m hoping (for everyone’s sake) that in 5 1/2 weeks from now, the extra health precautions at the port won’t be necessary, but I’m going to leave that factored in anyway!     One question-  did you check in online prior to going to the airport, so you only had to deal with bag check and security?   You indicated that arriving 2 hrs and 45 minutes ahead gave you plenty of time.  

1 hour ago, The_Big_M said:

I've done domestic at that time (well, a fraction earlier) in the past, but I wouldn't attempt international either.

 

Hope they can just transfer you instead of having to spend another night.

There’s not much to transfer to, Quantas has a flight at 11:15 or Air New Zealand flights that have stops in Brisbane or Auckland etc.   So, talked to Princess today and she went over everything and thinks we might be okay, EZAir should have red flagged it, if it was a problem.  Of course, we all know that we can get a different answer every time we call 🙄.   We should be able to disembark by 6:30am with the first group, and we may opt for an Uber instead of the Princess transfer.  Shouldn’t be a lot of traffic at 6:30-7:00 on a Saturday morning.  I guess we are going to wing it and hope for the best, if we don’t make it, it’s EZairs problem and we haven’t lost anything but stress.    I’m assuming that security at the airport will be the biggest potential bottle neck.   Thanks for all your input, wish me luck. Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve run through an airport 😁

Thanks everyone, I think I will call today and see what they have to say.  I had thought it could be a squeaker, but now thinking about health checks 🤔 ugg

On 1/30/2020 at 3:43 AM, MicCanberra said:

Glad it worked well for you.

Okay, now I’m starting to get jumpy!   The Ruby is supposed to dock at 6am on the 21st of March which is a Saturday.   Our original flight through EZAir was 11:30ish, so that gave us the 5 hour Princess recommended window.  At some point we were notified by Delta and EZAir that the flight was changed to 10:20.   I made the assumption then that EZAir would talk to me if that was a problem.  I looked on Delta’s website and it shows 3 hours ahead for a international flight.   So— we are scheduled to have a Princess transfer, and we are in a suite this time, so we should be able to be one of the first off the ship after it’s cleared.   But, now I’m thinking about needing to go through Australian customs and the possibility of extra medical screenings at the port and/or the airport because of corona virus.    😳.  Delta doesn’t have any flights to LA later that day, so if me miss it would be an overnight.   I could check us in on my phone app though, as soon as we are docked.   Any thoughts?? 

5 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Exactly. Although I think I am getting weaker. 😂

Yes!  Depending on how many cocktails I’ve had also 😂

Sometimes it’s hard for ME to get the balcony door open, it takes both hands because it’s heavy!  I don’t think a toddler size child could open it.  

The recent reports that I’ve seen from the Ruby in Australia are good as far as food and service etc.  We were on a short west coast cruise on the Ruby, last year over Valentines, I like the ship but I didn’t like that cruise.  Being a Thursday-Sunday type thing from LA it was just jammed packed everywhere!  I bet every pull out couch and extra berth was full 😝.  We go on Ruby again from Sydney in early March, I expect that to be much better. 

28 minutes ago, lissie said:

Cunard, Queen Elizabeth - so coffee and tea bags in room with an electric  jug. So I doubt it is the same as the buffet - but may be wrong. If I don't like the instant I'll bring some coffee bags on board. 

 

On QE the drinks package is US$69!  For drinks up to US$12.  We like a wine for dinner - but think it will work out cheaper to buy bottles on board. Plus we can bring unlimited booze on board so will board with some  wine as we have a wine tour before the cruise. The corkage is US$25 - but that's still a lot cheaper than  drinking by the glass. 

 

My big drinking days are over - I'm sadly unlikely to manage more than a couple of pre-dinner cocktails  a glass of wine with dinner and maybe a nightcap. Pathetic I know! I think I could break even with the package on sea days - but with 6 port days I don't think its worth it.  Particularly as its tropical I  really can't drink much after a day  in the sun!  

 

We're going to drink what we want but do an analysis afterwards to see how it washes out. 

 

 

Ahhh, so Cunard is a lot different than Princess!  I would like to have a pot in the cabin but room service works fine, it’s my wake up call!  I did just recently discover that some Princess ships in some markets (Japan and UK) do put a pot/tea making supplies in the cabin. On our British Isles cruise, we did not have any of that.  But you would think, if it’s really a fire hazard it would be the same anywhere in the world.  
I think you are right about the beverage package on Cunard,  with the daily price and drink price.  87 AUD is only about 59-60 US and the per drink limit is 16 dollars on Princess . I thought what we drink would average 13-14 per. 

The per drink price is higher probably because they don’t add an automatic tip like they do in most markets.  
It’s exciting that you are going on your first cruise! I bet you will love it ❤️  

8 minutes ago, lissie said:

Frist time cruiser here -going in a few weeks - very exciting! 

 

Far from first time traveller though - very, very experienced traveller here , last trip was solo 3 weeks in Sichuan, China.  It never occurred to me to use Cunards excursions, found the relevant FB group for the destinations, identified the recommended local tour providers - booked them direct.  

 

We have enough OBC to cover the tips - not the drinks.  Given neither of us need to put on a whole lot of weight, and my partner has health issues which suggests that drinking 15 alcoholic drinks a day would be a VERY bad idea - we will just drink what we want and evaluate what the cost was at the end.  I believe there is coffee available in the cabin - if its a horrible brand -I'll buy some of my preferred brand at the first port.   We do like speciality coffee -but our experience is that few non-Kiwis can make a decent flat white so I've almost given up when overseas - tend to switch to tea. 

I don’t know what cruise line you are going on, so I could be wrong. On Princess you can get coffee from room service (free) but there isn’t any kind of pot in your room to make your own.   Of course the same coffee is available in the dining room and buffet and specialty coffee somewhere on board.  Since pots are considered a fire hazard, I guess most lines have similar arrangements.  
I was looking at the drink prices on the Ruby Princess where we will be soon, and it looks like the package there is $87 AUD, that calculates out to about 6 drinks per day for us, to balance out.   But it depends a lot on what you are drinking, a beer is a lot cheaper than a martini. If I drink 6 martinis I may fall overboard 🤣

27 minutes ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

You can step onto a P&O or Princess ship and not spend a cent until you disembark. That makes them all inclusive.

 

Drinks, pay restaurants and ship excursions are not required to enjoy the cruise, they are extras. Free alternatives are available for all of them.

😂😂.  You are correct! But I don’t know how anyone would disembark with a zero bill?  
I’ve got to have drinks, excursions, a couple of photos!  Much more self control than I have 

3 hours ago, Brisbane41 said:

Not sure what it is like in other parts of the world but in Australia regular families on regular incomes can afford to go on cruises. Regular people like retail assistants, bartenders, hairdressers, receptionists, cleaners, mechanics, miners, military personnel, teachers, truck drivers, gardeners. The list is endless. To these people they pay for what they have to and are on tight budgets that don't include tipping. When posts come up it is those type of people that think that cruising is for the lawyer or brain surgeon who has the money to throw around and they think cruising is not for them.

I think it’s very similar, at least in the US.  I know lots of couples and families that go on cruises and consider it to be affordable, and these are people with regular jobs, not doctors and lawyers.  There’s a lot of variation in cruise lines and how “fancy” they are, but there really is something for everyone, in my opinion.  In the US, I think they mostly all have some kind of automatic tip added to the account, so I assume most Americans that are used to tipping go along with that, and include it in their budget, although again, it’s a private matter so who knows 🤔.    I don’t know if there are as many cruise lines sailing from Australia??   We mostly cruise Princess because it’s reasonable and generally not many children ( because we are old and retired 😊) 

36 minutes ago, Brisbane41 said:

If its "discreet" why mention it at all. 

 

You see out here in Australia they sell these cruise packages to families and regular workers, people who have ordinary jobs and the like. What they are told is that it is all inclusive. What you could be doing by mentioning this is making those types of people feel uncomfortable by "tip shaming" them or placing yourself on a threshold above them that are only going to alienate them and make them feel that cruising is not for them. This is the demographic and market that cruise lines have targeted. They have made it clear in their brochures, literature and pre-cruise information that it is all electronic and not necessary to carry cash. Even then there are allocated tip nominations on the pay dockets when signing for things to alleviate the use of cash and make it discreet.

 

You should really consider what you post on here and how it effects other people and consider will this be culturally insensitive, am i writing this to brag and big note myself or is my intention to shame others and make them feel inferior.

I “mentioned it “ because the OP asked a legitimate question and I thought you came down on her rather harshly!   Tipping is a personal matter and if you write in a couple bucks on the ticket or put a little cash in the folder, no one should even notice.  I don’t know about others but we only do it occasionally anyway, since it is already added in.  
Cruises are marketed everywhere to regular people, not just to Australians.  Although, there are luxury cruise lines for people that really like to throw money around 😂😂

We are retired so we have a budget just like a family would.