kamelia

@CruisingSandgroper - were you outfitted with boots or waders for the floatplane trips? TIA!

On 6/25/2024 at 8:45 AM, jean-lynd said:

I found the attached pdf. It is from 2021 but I doubt much has changed

Thanks for this! Great information

Thank you for this great overview, @CruisingSandgroper! Your information is immensely helpful! We are booked on this landtour on Sunday and I’ve been very disappointed by the lack of details from Princess!

7 hours ago, kstaffen said:

Does anyone know who the ED is on Grand? 

If I see Drew, I’ll ask him if he knows.

For next edit, Drew Raitch is on Sapphire, not Grand.

9 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

I just checked a few cruises, I still show Premier at $80 per day and Plus at $60 per day.  🤷‍♂️

Hopefully what I ran into was unique to Sun Princess given the number of other issues I've read about here that seem to be specific to that ship. 🤷‍♂️

Also apparently increased the price of Princess Plus...

3 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

I commented a few pages back, questioning Princess IT ability to handle this promotion.

We shall see...  I'm not highly optimistic 🙄

12 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

For those of you that are after this offer, it would be worth accessing your cruise history/future cruises list by logging into your Captain's Circle account on Princess' website and checking to see if you are being credited what's being promised during the promotion's duration after July 1.  This list is accurate (as least in showing extra cruise credits if sailing on a multi segment sailing sold as one sailing) in terms of showing how many credits you will earn on a particular future sailing.  I'd assume it the list would update accordingly with this promotion.  

I have Princess Plus on upcoming September cruise and my Captain's Circle account still lists it as a single cruise credit and 16 days, not doubled to 32.  More likely that the promotion won't be recorded until after the cruise has been completed, just in case I should decide to cancel the Princess Plus promotion before sailing?

1 hour ago, PacnGoNow said:

Are you okay?  Haven’t heard from you in a while?  Best wishes!  

I was wondering what highfalutin word @Steelers36 might have used this time that resulted in an extended penalty box stint. 😉

Both propellers are currently operating and tests will continue for the next couple of hours before we resume course into Prince William Sound with an anticipated arrival at Harvard Glacier around 4:30p.  DH noticed a significant decrease in the cavitation when he went up to Horizon Court for coffee early this morning, which we take as another positive indication that things are on the improve.

32 minutes ago, zanzibargirl said:

Does anyone know the name of the naturalist? Thanks!

Sandra Schemp

2 minutes ago, dizgal64 said:

Oh I am sorry. I meant how did I miss this post. I’m on the 25th sailing so I am really paying attention to what happens with this next week’s sailing but I had missed that person posting that they had a communication from Princess. 
 

No apology necessary. 😊  This may help someone else who’s concerned they missed the email to know that there are alternative sources to confirm the Important Information specific to their itinerary.

12 minutes ago, Derfman60 said:

Just curious if anyone on board now could upload a copy of the Patter (or whatever it is called now). Would like to see what types of things are going on.

26 minutes ago, dizgal64 said:

How did I miss this?!

You should also be able to see it in your reservation under “Itinerary” as well as “Travel Summary.”

Just a quick heads-up for my fellow passengers currently on the ship: be sure to keep the compensation letter until after you have applied the Future Cruise Credit.  There was some pushback when I tried to apply it towards final payment for an upcoming cruise.  Usually, FCC can only be applied to new bookings made after final payment for the itinerary that the FCC was issued for, but there is no such stipulation attached to the FCC we were given and you may need the letter to show that.  If you don’t still have it, ask for a copy at Guest Services before you disembark.

6 minutes ago, that said:

@Boatharbour

thank you 

 

but

 

i was asking the question of KentheCruiser

Still not @KenTheCruiser, but I can tell you there were no propulsion issues on Sapphire Jan 4 to Feb 5 of 2024.

SO glad to see Troy's still an entertainer on Princess Cruises!  Thanks for posting that picture!

12 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

So an FCD is an FCC, but not every FCC is an FCD.

I absolutely understand the point you're making and agree that it's yet another Princess-ism that confuses everyone.  (Maybe someone should start a thread of Princess speak to help others understand the difference between FCD and FCC, and include other things like "Reserve Class Dining" is not for passengers with dining reservations, MedallionClass App is not the same as MedallionNet, etc.) 

I was just trying to help @PastryPal - and by extension, the dad who inadvertently got caught up in the Princess Promotions obfuscation - understand how it might have happened.  Most importantly, I'd like to reassure both OP and "dad" that he wasn't the victim of a scam, and it was NOT the result of poor decision-making on his part! 

Princess Promotions is a legitimate program, and I have no doubt that there are people who might benefit from it.  We got snookered into it ourselves last fall, so I know how convincing the sales pitch can sound.  Hindsight being 20/20, we never would have signed up for it, but now six months later, I am somewhat mollified knowing that although we may not come out money ahead - certainly NOTHING like the potential savings we were led to expect (travel-related discounts with AAA, AARP and Costco are greater than those offered by O.N.E., for instance) - at least we are nearing a breakeven with our initial "investment." 

All that said, I'm sorry for Princess that we are among a growing number of people who resent being made to feel that we were hoodwinked by Princess employees/ representatives/ contractors associated with Princess Promotions.  It cannot help Princess Cruises' reputation in the long run, and I certainly hope that someone in Corporate is keenly aware of the perils and cares enough to be concerned.

Late September is likely to be rather chilly, so I definitely recommend packing in layers with an emphasis on woollies.  It may get warmer during the day, especially if you're on an excursion with vigorous activity, so you may want to shed some layers for a while but keep them handy for later in the day.  Whales will be sparse by then as the majority of humpbacks will have started their migration to mating/birthing grounds, but you could still see the elusive orcas.  This may also be better timing for an opportunity to see Northern Lights, and you can do a search for University of Alaska Fairbanks aurora forecast that should lead you to a link with more information about the expected activity whilst you're there.  Bookmark it so you can check the KP Index when you're actually in Alaska.

With regards to ship facilities, a lot will depend upon which ship you're on.  Check the ship deck maps to see which might have covered pool areas if that's what you're interested in.  As far as whether to choose Princess or NCL, for your first time in Alaska, either one will do a good job of introducing you to The Great Land.  My personal preference is for Princess because they do a good job of not only taking you to Alaska, but also bringing Alaska onboard to share with you.  By that I mean that there will be an onboard naturalist giving lectures and telling you what to expect along the way, as well as Alaska-themed food and activities, and local Alaskans who'll share their stories and experiences with you.  NCL isn't quite as immersive, but we're booked on NCL later this summer, so I wouldn't rule them out either.

One aspect that you might take into consideration is an itinerary that includes a day of scenic cruising in Glacier Bay.  The ship will pick up a team of National Park Rangers as you sail into the bay who provide educational programs and commentary over the public address system, and it gives you a glimpse at not only some spectacular scenery but also geological and natural history.  Again, not a deal breaker if it's not included, but I would consider it a tie-breaker if you've got two itineraries you're considering and one goes to Glacier Bay but the other doesn't.

HTH!

On 5/5/2024 at 12:55 AM, PastryPal said:

While they were onboard, they booked a European cruise.

It's not a scam per se, but definitely very shady and questionable business practices, for sure!  Based on our experience, I would suggest that your dad look at the cruise reservation they made to see if the Future Cruise Credit that would have part of the Princess Promotions package has been applied to the cruise they booked (substantially more than the $100 per person Future Cruise Deposit).  If so, it will likely have to be removed before the credit card company can process the cancellation.  If push comes to shove with Princess, your dad has every right to stand firm on having purchased Future Cruise Deposits to be used for the cruise, and NOT Future Cruise Credits from the Princess Promotions package.  ONE employees are very savvy about playing loosey-goosey with those two terms, so I hope this clarity will help your dad in making his case that he did NOT authorize the Princess Promotions transaction!  Best of luck!

@suzyed  Checked the Living Wine Labels app out earlier today and the mechanics are a bit different, but it does still work.  😊

@suzyed, I tried using the app a couple of years ago and got a response something along the lines of the interactive aspect no longer being available, so I haven't used it since.  If I think of it, I'll try again the next time I see 19 Crimes in my local store.