BabySarge

"I'm not against people making fashion statements, but beat-the-Joneses is not one of them." 

Trust me, wearing our medals is NOT making a fu%^ing fashion statement or about beat the Joneses.  At least not for me it isn't.  

Wear them, hold your head high, and walk tall.  You earned those!! 

The only reason I don't wear my medals is because I have never been able to figure out how to do so on the specific types of evening gowns/material I wear.   As stated, it's easy for the gentlemen as they wear tuxedos, dinner jackets, or suits with jackets but with a gown or even fancy blouse and long skirt the material is so much thinner and less structured.

Island Princess is one of the ships that has only recently (within the last two months or so) come back into service after being in floating storage since May 2020 +/- and I am sure there are some kinks with the ship and crew that need to be worked out before everyone finds their groove again.  Is she a ship with all the new bells and whistles - no; do I miss the International Cafe and Vines which she does not have - absolutely; but she's still a nice, little ship that can go to some fantastic ports and itineraries that other, larger ships cannot.  Travel, cruising, touring, life, etc are what you make them and after the last 2.5 years I'm going to make the most of every opportunity I can get to travel, cruise, tour, etc. and food is soooooo subjective I won't even comment on it. 

DH and I have done a total of 88 days onboard the Island Princess since 2015 with the most recent being 58 days around South America in 2020 just before the shutdown.  Is she my "favorite" ship to sail?  No, unless you ask me that question when I am sailing on her then of course she is 🙂  Does she have her flaws - absolutely, but are they things I can ignore because I am on a cruise and getting to go to fantastic places, meet wonderful and interesting people, eat food I don't have to cook or clean up from?  You bet they are.  No two people are always going to like the same things.  Maybe our standard are lower than others but I can honestly say that we have never had a bad or subpar meal on Princess.  Now, is the beef stroganoff as good as I make or the clams with linguini as good as my sister in law Joan makes it - hell no, but I certainly have never gone hungry or not been able to find something to eat on any cruise I have ever been on.

Worth the read.

They dropped us at a hotel and left: What happened when I tested positive for COVID-19 at the end of my cruise (msn.com)

My secret packing tip is to use dry cleaning bags.  I fold our clothes rather than roll them and I save my dry-cleaning bags to layer between the clothes when I pack them.  Sort of like making a sandwich - first I put a dry-cleaning bag inside the case, then a layer of folded clothes, then a dry-cleaning bag, another layer of clothes, and so on.  I stuff the socks, knickers, and other small, assorted things along with the shoes around the sides.  If we are taking tuxes/suits/gowns I will leave them in the dry-cleaning bags and layer them in that way.  I also avail myself of the irons and ironing boards if needed.  Make sure to check the bottom of the irons first and do a few test swipes on the board before you use them on your clothing though as they are used by many and not always cared for.

Your best bet may be to not cruise if you have these types of concerns regarding the room stewards.

If my memory is working this morning, and there is no guarantee on that, each little box of detergent from the machine in the laundromat is $1.25 and you have to use a token to get it and that token is not the same as the $3.00 token you need for each load of laundry and each load in the dryer.

4 minutes ago, voljeep said:

what is a courtesy wait time before removing clothes ( not your own ) from a non-attended washer or dryer ? 5-10 minutes max??? - or as soon as the buzzer goes off if noone is there?

I would have to say that it really depends on how busy the laundromat is to be honest.  In the pre-COVID days when the ships were sailing full and you could have two or three people waiting for one machine to free up I would think that waiting 15 - 20 minutes would be more than reasonable before removing someone's clothes from a washer and setting them aside.  If the laundromat isn't super busy you might want to wait a bit more but I wouldn't feel bad about not waiting longer than 15 - 20 minutes to take someone's things out if they had not returned and the machine was needed.  Probably same time frame for the dryer, maybe a little bit shorter actually say 10 minutes, with the only difference being once I removed the items from the dryer I would fold them and not leave them in a heap, but that's just me.

The reason the Purex all in one sheets were discontinued is that there were tons of complaints from consumers about the product leaving grease type stains on the clothing after using.  Which is why I stopped using them myself although I did think the idea was brilliant.  Now I just take my own laundry pods and dryer sheets in double zip locked baggies.  

Laundromat Courtesies:

1.  Empty the lint filter in the dryer after your clothes are done.

2.  Don't put your things in the washer or dryer and then leave for an hour or more to lay by the pool, play bingo, or go to the movie.  

It's been a few years (2019) since we were in Alaska but if memory serves me correctly we had virtually no coverage/no signal with Verizon when we were there.  

After 26 years in the Army and way too many years of having to get up at zero dark thirty the number one item I don't leave home without is my 20 oz insulated coffee mug and that includes when I go on a Princess cruise.  In our 30+ cruises I have never had a problem getting it filled at the International Cafe or Le Patisserie on the smaller ships.  On our most recent cruise in Jan/Feb of this year aboard Emerald Princess, which was still observing fairly strict COVID protocols they, at least for brewed coffee, still filled my mug and added the "fixin's" per my instructions.  

Would like to believe the individual was not being "unethical", sounds like he was more likely just "inept" than anything else.  Have had good PVP's and bad PVP's as in responsive and non-responsive over the years with Princess but never had one apply FCD's when just holding a cabin/booking for me.  As others have said I would be willing to bet this individual is probably new or newer and as with so many of the people working for Princess now just not trained very well or experienced enough yet.  It really is sad when the customer knows more than the agent.

The two links below should provide the answers you are looking for regarding Medicare and foreign travel.   Also look at the Medicare & You 2022 Handbook (PDF download from https://www.medicare.gov) specifically pages 7, 52, and 76.  Basically, the answer is no.

Travel Medical Coverage (medicare.gov)

Medicare & You: Traveling Abroad - YouTube

As to United Health Care, Plan N, I have no access to their plans so can't provide a definitive answer but would very much doubt it which is why most of us end up taking out separate, private travel insurance and/or the Princess offered insurance.

I do have a background and experience in this as I was a HR Benefits Specialist for a good number of years for the US Gov't prior to my retirement just so you know I'm not talking out the side of my mouth.

Been using the ships wi-fi to pay bills thru my bank for years now from all over whilst sailing around South America, thru the Suez Canal, from India, Australia, Japan, etc and knock wood have never had an issue other than one created by myself such as not putting the decimal point in the correct place when paying $100 to the electric company and the payment request went thru as $10,000.   Didn't realize it until I looked at the bank account to make sure everything processed and then had a huge HOLY SH*T moment right in the middle of the Wheelhouse Bar that made a bunch of people turn around and look at me.  Got it all sorted out in the end, but the bank still hit me with a $35 charge for overdraft even after I tried explaining what had happened which in and of itself wasn't easy to do with trying to do it all via e-mail and message/chat with the bank because of course we did not have $10,000 plus in our bank account to cover that.  Can just imagine what the electric co-op would have thought if that payment had actually gone thru...🤣

Moral of the story, we too will be paying our bills while on the 2023 WC via the ships w-fi but I will be dang careful of where I put my decimal points!!

2 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Why do I feel like Princess is losing its way?

IMHO not losing, but most definitely lost!  

Not excusing the fact that you have not received a response from Princess to the letter you sent them "a few weeks ago", however, I just want to ask how do you know the letter even reached Princess?  Did you send it certified mail, return receipt requested and have proof it did in fact reach its destination or did you just send it regular mail? 

I only ask because on Thursday, April 21, 2022, I received a Christmas card in my mailbox that was postmarked 11/12/2021 and had been sent regular mail.  The envelope was not damaged, dirty, torn, etc. and the address was 100% correct.  Mail delay is a real thing so it may simply be you haven't received a response because the letter hasn't reached its destination yet.

@PescadoAmarillo so sorry to read of your pneumonia diagnosis but at least now you know it isn't Covid and you have a definitive diagnosis so you can receive the proper, and hopefully, best antibiotics/medications to treat it.  Wishing you all the best and hoping you are on the road to a full recovery quickly. 

Thanks all.   Think I'll just upgrade to a new Paperwhite and continue doing what I've been doing which is downloading lots and lots of books prior to sailing and then utilizing free wi-fi in ports, when possible, to download more if needed.  I don't know exactly what "tethering" to my phone means so am going to look into that and see if it would be a viable option but might need to find a neighbor's grandchild to help me out 🙂

Happy sailing everyone - stay safe.

Thanks all who have responded so far.  I am a voracious and extremely fast reader, often reading two to three books a day especially when cruising with lots of sea days and rarely buy or pay more than 1.99 per book if I do buy one (I use Book Bub and get a daily e-mail with books in the various genres I read).  My Kindle is always loaded with lots and lots of books (currently sitting with 600+ in the unread section and I will have those finished before the end of the year if I don't add anymore).  

As I said, I'm going to get a new device and the Oasis is more expensive but does have a different type of wi-fi connection and I wonder if it works better for connecting that the Kindle?

In the past when I have attempted to connect my Kindle, which has what they call the "Experimental Browser" all other devices have been disconnected from the net/wi-fi but it just doesn't work.  I can always get the books using my laptop and the Kindle app and then do the sync step when I get to a port with free wi-fi that I can connect my Kindle to, just was hoping to eliminate a step and having to waste time in port doing that.  Just as I didn't want to have to buy "another" device like the iPad or the Kindle Fire.  

I currently have a Kindle Paperwhite and have never been able to connect it to the WiFi whilst on board ship despite being able to do so at home, at many hotels, and even at various ports with free wi-fi around the world.  As my current Kindle is several years old and starting to have some glitches, I am looking to get a new one and hoping one of the more technology minded people here can advise if the following information on Kindle Paperwhite or the Kindle Oasis would make either of them potentially compatible with the Madallion Net WiFi currently available on Princess.  Any help is greatly appreciated.

Kindle Paperwhite:  

Kindle Oasis:  

Probably the same thing hotels do between guests - nothing other than change the pillowcases.  

Sometimes it's better to just not think about things.

Sending nothing but good thoughts your way for a smooth and easy journey home and that G will be fully recovered soon and also able to return home.  

Take care of yourselves.  We, your avid readers and followers, will be here waiting for your return and the happy news you both are once again enjoying your cruise and have returned to being 100%.

Wishing you all the best.

12 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

If I may ask as we will be on a 18 day PC cruise next month, how many times have you been tested once you arrived at the terminal on embarkation day after, of course, providing a negative antigen/PCR test certificate upon arrival? I’ve read on other threads folks are tested at the terminal as well as 2 days afterwards. Did this happen on your cruise?

We did a B2B full transit of the Panama Canal on the Emerald Princess (January 28 - February 27) this year and had the following tests:

Jan 27 - Tested on our own prior to embarkation to meet Princess requirements

Jan 28 - Tested by Princess at the pier prior to embarkation (no charge)

Jan 30 - Tested by Princess on board required by Panama for transiting the Canal (no charge)

Feb 11 - Tested by Princess on board prior to arrival in LA on Feb 12 because we were B2B (no charge)

Feb 13 - Tested by Princess on board required by Panama for transiting the Canal (no charge)

Hope that helps.

11 hours ago, AZjohn said:

don’t want to sound disrespectful to you but, this is exactly why we are glad we don’t have to deal with traditional dinning.

Not disrespectful at all and no worries on my part :).  I understand that not everyone likes traditional dining with its set times, tables, and tablemates for the entire cruise which is why Anytime Dining and even Dine My Way work very well for many, many cruisers.  For me personally, however, I find it excruciatingly uncomfortable to sit with strangers every night for dinner (truthfully, I find it the same way for any meal, gathering, or social situation) and introduce myself over and over and try to make small talk so the meal isn't awkwardly silent.  I do like meeting new people though which is why a set table in traditional dining with the same smaller number of people over the course of the cruise isn't so overwhelming for me. 

I'm not saying everyone should do or love/like Traditional Dining but there, I believe, is still a goodly number of us that cruise with Princess that DO still like and want Traditional Dining and simply wish that Princess would continue to recognize that and provide a more clear and concise way either within the Dine My Way app for us to select that option or within the booking process someway.

I also wish I would win Mega Millions or Powerball but that hasn't happened yet either so not holding my breath with Princess and them figuring out a way for me to select Traditional Dining, Late Seating at a table for 8 within the Dine My Way app.  Cheers.