alli7784

1 hour ago, SuiteTraveler said:

In your case, if your husband's company is requiring him to work over previously scheduled vacation, then they should be willing to reimburse your husband for any extra costs associated with the cancellation.  If they are (and ethically they should be willing), then you can cancel him off the reservation and they should pay whatever extra cost you wind up with.

Thank you - that would be ideal. But. He's actually the head butcher at a local restaurant/butcher shop. It's a fairly small place, fully staffed when they have 16 total employees. Which means that when they lose employees, it leaves a big gap. And two of the three butchers have been fired recently and new ones have not been fully trained yet. It's much more like a family-owned small business than a large company. 

I'm self-employed - my company was generous enough to send us both on a 10-day cruise! 😉🤣

But it's all going to work out. Princess reports that I'll get 100% credit on a future cruise and would actually get a small refund for the difference in the fares for both of us vs. just me. 🤷‍♀️ So if he has to cancel, we'll at least not be out anything. I can also substitute a friend if I decide to go that route, though there are few people with whom I would want to share a cabin for 10 days!

Thank y'all! 

It's definitely not a covered reason, but the insurance has a "cancel for any reason" provision. We're traveling with my parents and another couple, so I'm going to go without him. It certainly won't be the first time!

I just need to determine if it's better to file a claim on the insurance and risk having to pay double for my own cruise, or just let him be a no-show and eat the cost of his fare. 

I remember reading a post ages ago with this exact situation but cannot find it now. It seems like the end decision was for the other party to just be a no-show, but I  can't remember for sure.

My husband and I are scheduled to sail on Oct. 31. It looks like he may not be able to go because of issues at work. We have travel insurance.

If he cancels and we file a claim for future credit, will I end up having to pay the single occupancy fare in addition to the fare already paid?

If so, what happens if he just doesn't show up for the cruise on departure day and we never file a claim?

Any experience, advice, or information would be so appreciated! 

It must have shown up in the last couple of hours. I had already checked earlier today! Thanks for updating us!

30 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Thank you!  I will be on the Royal and for the first time ever we booked an interior guarantee cabin. Still no assignment but I only booked a few days ago. 

When they were building the Royal, they had a photo contest to decorate the ship. My dad was a finalist. Last year, we were finally able to sail on her and ended up in a cabin just down the hall, purely by accident! 

It's really neat to see all of the passenger photos. There are some amazing shots! Here's a picture of his picture - sorry about the glare!

5 hours ago, silversneakers said:

We also enjoy inside cabins that is until my husband became ill and the odor from the regurgitation was almost unbearable.  I always carry a small can of lysol with me and that really came in handy but of course getting fresh air in the room would have been most ideal.

That's where having my parents along would come in handy. I'd leave him all to himself and go bunk with them! 🤣

6 hours ago, MJSailors said:

alli7784

       My DH and I took that repositioning cruise three years ago. We enjoyed it very much!   Now that I think about it,we were given an upgrade from a balcony to a mini suite for that cruise. I do like the Regal  class mini suites because they have a curtain that can be drawn to separate the bed from the sitting area. Good when one of us wants to nap while the other is reading or watching a movie on low volume.

        I think that it is great you have a balcony to watch the NYC sailaway. Hoping you did get starboard cabins because you will have a view of lower Manhattan skyline, the Brooklyn bridge to the North and once underway,you will see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty  before sailing  under the Verrazano Bridge out of the harbor to the open sea. I may be a bit predudiced,but as a native of NYC, I think the sailaway is one of the best in the world!

         I do understand about not opening up your balconies. I thought that it might not be the best suggestion considering a privacy issue! 😉

         I do hope you and your family enjoys the cruise!

Enjoy the balcony cabin. Perhaps you will return to CC to report your experiences on the cruise.

Bon Voyage !🛳

 

This cruise sails out of Brooklyn. I've been trying to find out what to expect as far as what we might be able to see - is that where yours sailed from, or was it Manhattan. 

About ten years ago, we talked about sailing into NYC but changed our minds. Apparently my sweet daddy was disappointed and has wanted to start or end in NYC ever since. He's not a beach person but patiently goes along wherever my mom and I drag him. As long as he's got his camera, he's happy. I'm attaching a pic he took of Lady Liberty on our last NYC trip, I think shot from the ferry - thought you might appreciate it as a New Yorker!

9 hours ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

For me, I had issues with an inside cabin.  First cruise  I booked was an inside.  It was my first and last time booking an inside.  With  30 + cruises, never again.  Made me claustrophobic, and like I was in a sensory deprivation room.  Or in a large coffin.  Or in solitary confinement.  😱  Always dark, no sense of time.  JMO.

The cost savings between an inside and balcony, or above, is not an issue for me.   Life is short.  YMMV.  😃

We've sailed in inside cabins lots of times. That's some of the best sleep I've ever had! One of the things I love is the ability to totally lose track of time. But I am looking forward to experiencing the balcony, even if it's a one-time thing for me!

9 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Congratulations!  Which cruise?  My fingers are crossed 😊

The Regal's repo cruise sailing out of NYC on 10/31. Good luck! 😊

11 hours ago, FloaterBoat said:

Congrats. You'll love it!! Wheres the sailing headed? If it's Caribbean or Europe or Alaska, you will fall in love with the views. 

 

I'm happy for you. It will be tough to go back to interior. The rooms are a bit larger and more spacious.  It's amazing how much time one can spend on the balcony just watching the ocean go by. All of the sun rises and sunsets you'll now get. You're going to have a blast. 

Thank you! It's actually the Regal's repo out of NYC down to the Caribbean and back to Ft. Lauderdale. Probably the best one to get a surprise balcony gift since there are six sea days! My dad is excited about the sunset photo opportunities and only asked to make sure it was a starboard cabin!

I'll be fine going back to an interior - I'd rather cruise in an interior than not at all! My mom, however, will be spoiled, but they can afford the balconies if they want them! 

11 hours ago, MJSailors said:

alli7784

What ship will you be on ?

    The ships of the Royal class, ncluding the Royal Princess,the Regal, the Majestic and the newest ship, the Sky Princess ,all have rather small balconies.

Not saying this to disappoint you,but be aware of the square footage. 

On the Regal Princess, my DH and I had to sit facing each other instead of having the chairs facing the railing and the sea so we could fit on the balcony. ( We are not very large people).

    On the Grand Class ships,the Crown,Ruby,Sapphire and Caribbean to name a few,the balconies are significantly larger especially those on Caribe deck.

     Regardless of the size, the balcony is great to see and hear the sea, and watch the stars at night.  My DH and I have enjoyed many room service breakfasts on the balcony as well as late night snacks. 

      If you have a cabin next door to your parents, if you wish,you could ask your steward to open the divider between your balconies so that you share a more expansive balcony .

       Keep in mind that balcony doors should not be left open per the notice posted near the door. Also closing the balcony door quietly is appreciated by those in the cabins in your area.

Bon voyage !

It's the Regal. I know they're small - I'd probably NEVER pay for a balcony cabin, especially on a Royal class ship, but will certainly take it if it's given! I won't feel shortchanged because I wasn't expecting it and didn't pay for it, but it will be nice to be able to see out.

I probably won't ask for the connecting door to be opened - my mom is a super nosey neighbor! 🤣🤣🤣

12 hours ago, Kingofcool1947 said:

 

How much money you will pay for the up sell?

Not a thing. Got an email that we had gotten an upgrade. I went online to see and they'd moved both couples into neighboring balcony cabins! They actually then moved us again into balcony cabins in a better location! 

I've gotten upsell offers several times before, but never a flat out upgrade and certainly not one this big!

I'm traveling with my husband, my parents, and another couple. We all have several cruises under our belts - my parents and I are all platinum. But. We have always sailed in interior cabins because we never spend much time in there anyway. The upgrade fairy came and gifted both my parents and my husband and me with balcony cabins! I'm excited, but know that there might be some things that I need to know. So, any advice specific to balcony cabins would be much appreciated - what to bring, tips and tricks, etc! 

Thanks in advance! 

My family was on this cruise as well. We have sailed Princess several times...I got a chuckle from your review because our bunch actually commented on how there were more young people and kids onboard than is typical! 🙂

We too had a great cruise. So glad you enjoyed your first Princess experience!  We've never done club class; in fact, we get interior rooms because we like the total darkness at night. And our rooms have been ready upon boarding on all but one cruise. (That ship was having to be deep cleaned.) That's just one of the perks about the line, that your room is ready when you board.

It would probably be worth applying for global entry if you have time. Anything to save time where you can. When we travel - to just about anywhere - we fly from Memphis, TN to ATL and then on from there. Coming home to Mississippi from Hawaii we had a layover at LAX, flew over Memphis for a layover at ATL and then back to MEM!

I never go through ATL without at least a two hour layover, but I typically travel with four folks who aren't able to run easily. I cannot imagine attempting that airport, with customs, in an hour and a half. You'll need lots of luck and good running shoes. I hope it works out for you!

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My family is headed to Alaska on the Grand this May. I always get the soda and more sticker because I prefer fountain drinks to canned. I know I'll want lots of hot tea on this trip, something I haven't been interested in on trips to warmer destinations. I know you can get unlimited premium tea with the coffee card, but I was wondering if it might be possible to get it with the soda and more sticker?

I have read what seems to be conflicting information in various places and was wondering if anyone had experience. I know I can get hot chocolate, but prefer tea. Just hate to have to buy a coffee card on top of the soda sticker!

My parents and I have shared an interior lots of times, all of them since I reached adulthood. We are a close family and usually stay together most of the time, so we're frequently all in the room at the same time. We never even felt really crowded. And that's with two women having toiletries plus Dad's sleep machine, laptop, etc lying around. The key is definitely organization and staying neat. If you keep the clutter down, it will feel less crowded.

Since you'll have two teenage boys, you might prefer to have the steward leave the bunks down during the day so that everyone will have a spot to be in when all four are in the room.

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I have seen a couple of people comment that unlimited hot chocolate is available with the coffee card. We're headed to Alaska on the Grand in May and had been wondering about that. I see plenty of places stating that tea and brewed coffee are available. I have two questions.

1.) Can anyone confirm for certain that hot chocolate is included?

2.) My travel mug holds 16 oz and will keep tea hot for hours. Anyone have any idea whether they'll give me two teas and enough hot water for my mug in a single trip? They'd definitely both be for me as I am the only hot tea lover in the bunch!

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I'm a Mississippi girl and a pretty good cook. Sorry to disappoint you, but the answer is no. There are only a few offerings that are even considered traditional southern food and (as others have noted) those are done poorly. I would truly hate for anyone to eat any of those things and think that all southern food is comparable! You'd certainly be left wondering what everyone thinks is so good about southern cooking!

I second the suggestion to go to a Sephora. They have both freestanding stores and some inside JCPenney stores. I recommend them because they'll have many brands to choose from unlike dept store counters, which each sell only one brand. Find a girl whose makeup you find appealing and ask her for a lesson. You can purchase some, all, or none of the products she uses. I would suggest purchasing at least the foundation as it will be a good match for your skin. I also HIGHLY recommend Benefit brand's "They're Real" mascara. Expensive, but an amazing result. Sephora is great about giving samples, so you may be able to get a couple of those that will be enough for a couple of uses. For other products you don't think you'll use often, find similar shades at drugstores to save some money, as buying everything from Sephora will add up quickly! Just yesterday I ordered foundation, powder, lip gloss, mascara, and a face scrub. The total was around $160 US. Could have gotten similar products at a drug store for around $60, but I happen to like the better products and use most of them daily. If you are only going to do makeup occasionally, there's no reason to have that kind of money tied up in it. You can get decent brushes at Target, the drugstores or even walmart. Just pay close attention to the sizes used during the lesson.

Good luck and have fun with it - you may even find you enjoy playing around with the stuff! Let us know what you end up deciding to do!

I will take an inside near the back deck and use that area all the way aft as my personal balcony....yooohooo!

We had the last inside cabin on that deck for Alaska and did exactly that. We loved it. I think one time we had one other family out there. Every other time we went, it was just us. Sometimes our cabin steward would be there, but he would go back inside when we came out there, despite us telling him he was welcome to stay.

I said it's the only one "we'd" ever have, not the only one I'd ever have...but I like to think our odds are good. After dating for almost thirteen years before the wedding, it's not like we rushed into this whole marriage gig - definitely disproved the theory that you never really know someone until you marry them or live with them! :-D

Thanks for the info, everyone. I was really hoping for a port day so that it wouldn't be a formal night - ah well. We'll enjoy the day anyway! Since we aren't really formal night people and have no balcony for UBD, guess it's a good time to try out one if the specialty restaurants. I've never tried either of them and he's never cruised at all. Suggestions?

We're booked on the 4/26/2013 Western Caribbean out of Houston. The itinerary in my cruise personalizer indicates that we sail on Saturday, are at sea on Sunday, and are docking in Cozumel on Monday. However, there is a notice buried in the "Important Notices" section that there has been an itinerary change and we will be calling at Coz on day two, followed by Roatan on day three. It states that an updated itinerary will be available shortly, though nothing has changed for several days now.

DH and my first anniversary is that Sunday. I am trying to determine whether that will be a sea day or port day - since it's the only first anniversary we'll ever have, I'd like to be able to plan the day! I guess what I am asking is whether Princess considers imbarkation day to be day one of the cruise or if day one is the first day we wake up on the ship.

Any information anyone can offer would be much appreciated!

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