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It has been such a long time since I've been to Cruise Critic...I barely recognize the site, and I wonder if my post will get moderated out-of-site since I don't see many mere ramblings like the one I intend to post here.

I have been on numerous Princess cruises (so am Elite) but haven't cruised in so long I almost can't believe it.

I hear rumors that July will be the month back for cruise lines, but we shall see.

Looking forward to discussions of west coast departures (Los Angeles guy here), but I'd go pretty much anywhere on a ship. 🙂 

That's great! You know how to find those deals!

I want a balcony this time. So...for me this is a great price.

LOL! That's way too pricey for me. I can stack up quite a bit of OBC with Princess so I only cruise on NCL (or any other cruise line) when I can get a 7 day Inside for under $300...Oh, yeah...That's for a single.

Thanks all, for your thoughtful replies. And, yes, I expect differences...even though I am Elite on Princess I've barely ever used the drycleaning...but, yes...the internet minutes are nice.

Any sacrifices are made up for by the price though. 1099/pp for a 7 day in a MiniSuite? I mean...c'mon. Hard to pass that up.

I can't wait.

I'm excited to be on my first NCL cruise after having been on more than 15 Princess Cruises.

Any tips or differences any of you NCL experts can tell me about?

I'll be in a mini-suite (guarantee-not yet assigned) on the Getaway Feb 12th from NYC.

Especially interested in things about the ship (or room) that I can share with the first time cruiser who'll be traveling with me. :-)

...if however you do want to change the automatic gratuity then do it nearly at the end of the cruise.

That way you are off the ship before the dastardly deed is uncovered.

Wow. Just, wow.

I feel as though there was a time when I would go on the Princess website and check rates, then realize that I hadn't "signed in" to Princess.com, and once I did so...the rates would be lower. I'm talking YEARS ago.

It seems that is never the case anymore.

Or, am I dreaming that was EVER the case?

I've been wrong before...I can take it. ;-)

I agree with Pam..."asking" is going too far, but friendly notice that their contract is ending is fine.

I usually gauge how attentive the steward is on embarkation day, and if he seems particularly attentive I slip him a twenty that first day and I clarify that this is in addition to the auto-tip.

Generally speaking I will always need to ask him for something above and beyond (like asking for an additional outdoor ottoman, or asking for ice often) and I feel better knowing that he feels that I compensated him in advance for extra care.

As far as "whether a steward knows about auto-tip removal"...I, frankly, can't believe someone would remove it. It's such a meager amount of money in tips per day when you think of all the people who help us at every turn.

I don't care what someone's old-fashioned procedure of the envelope and cash on the last day is...I think anyone who turns off the auto-tip is plain rude. If you want to feel magnanimous on the last day...make the envelope an ADDITIONAL tip.

The only upsell offers I've gotten over the years have not been that heavily discounted from what that category was selling for at that time. Like if I paid 1000 for a week in a balc and a Mini is selling for 1500 at that moment, my upsell offer to a mini would be like 350 additional. Maybe I haven't been that lucky...or maybe that's the usual discount for Upsells.

Princess made a video of our October Halloween cruise of the Cruise Critic group....Its worth a look on YouTube.

 

Merry Christmas

Have a link to the video?

Is this TA you chose available nights and weekends? Because the micromanager-that-considers-agents-unnecessary-middlemen inside you will not be very pleasant to be around when it inevitably spots the ideal cabin to move to...on a Friday right after closing time.

See, Fishywood is in my brain. THAT'S the math I'm trying to do.

To be honest, since this will be a cold weather solo trip for me, I think I'm going to end up doing an obstructed oceanview (Star), so I probably won't have as many tempting room moves, since I know which "obstructeds" have decent views...and even THAT isn't crucial.

I might flip a coin. ;-)

If it had been close I wouldn't have but I got free gratuities and OBC which added up to almost $600 so I had to tell her and really did feel sad but...

That's exactly why I haven't gone back to a TA, I felt obligated. I have even avoided one of the Princess Travel Specialists (or whatever they call them) because, I can usually do most of the Rez myself, then call to give them deposit and split the fare with whoever I'm going with...solo this time though.

Thanks for your reply.

I always like booking directly with Princess. I used to use a TA, but I can be a bit of a micro-manager...seeing if an aft "extended-balcony" room comes avail for example...and it seems like when I booked directly with Princess they could move me quickly, shows up on the personalizer, easy-peezy.

Now, though...for the sailing I'm doing, I see a specific TA (who shall remain nameless, worry not) who is offering an OBC for this sailing...and it appears Princess direct is NOT offering the same.

So...am I silly to think that changes are easier (faster) to make happen when I book directly with Princess?

TA's always feel like a middleman to me because part of what I love about cruisng is this research stuff beforehand...so, with the help of these boards, usually I know more than most TA's. ;-)

So...would you risk going with a TA to get the OBC?

Nothing baffling about my post. Read it again. I wasn't directing this to your cruise specifically, but of practices of some people in general as a reply to St Paul Girl's post.

If they need to cancel the fake rez's by the final payment date, what's the advantage of making them? To leave empty cabins in categories above them or something in the hopes of an upgrade or something?

Some people even brag on these boards that they book several cruises all in the same time frame and cancel all but one when final payment arrives. This is even across different cruise lines, not just Princess. These people must cause the cruise lines heartburn since they have no intention on completing the bookings of most cruises they hold rooms for. This also accounts for staterooms in prime locations that get grabbed early then suddenly becoming available.

Well I find that baffling. If the cruise departs in 4 weeks, and Final Payment was due over a month ago...how could these people have KEPT a reservation active without having paid for it?

There is a downside to a Promenade deck. Passengers in cabins directly below often experience early morning noises from people walking (maybe even running) above their bedroom.

I'm not sure which ships have cabins on the deck below Promenade...but not the Star. You might be thinking of cabins below the old "Running Track", now gone.

Read my post...

Great, thanks. Makes sense. I knew it was something I'd find oddly interesting. ;-)

Possibly people decided to cancel before their final payment was due and the room they had booked is now available b/c they didn't make the final payment.

But, we are WEEKS past the final payment date for this sailing.

Now this is one of those threads that might feel like minutia to some, but I find it curious.

I've been keeping an eye on a cruise leaving in about a month. It's local to me, and I've done many cruises, so I'm watching to see if they lower fares in the last four weeks...but HERE'S my curiosity:

For the past five days or so, the "available cabins" showing in the two categories (Interior and Obstructed) I've been monitoring have increased almost daily.

When five days ago there were 20 available, the next day there were 21, then 23, then 26 available.

Since we're after final payment and only "balconies" are available above, I suppose some of the passengers could have chosen to move up to a balcony cabin. Or does Princess begin to reveal previously blocked cabins closer to departure.

I know this may feel "in the weeds", but this kind of stuff fascinates me.

Won't even consider the Island.

Why won't you consider the Island? Isn't it a sister ship to the Coral, the ship you like?

We were just on the Star for a 15 day cruise to Hawaii. Returned on Dec 20. I thought the ship was in fine condition. My only complaint was the mattress. We were in C 703. The mattress was horrid. I had a hard time sleeping. Other than that, the cruise was great.

Interesting.

I thought mattresses were one of those things that the steward would just be able to tell maintenance to swap-out with a different one.

Did you complain about the mattress to your room steward?

After more than 25 cruises on Princess I can honestly say that I have had only TWO issues that involved an "aging room"...one was a few years ago on the Grand, where they asked me at the last minute if I had any interest in moving to a handicapped cabin--I suppose because no one with special needs had booked it. I took it because it was larger...but due to the flat surface between the bathroom and the room itself (for wheelchair access) water would leak regularly onto the rooms carpet, and it created some rust in the door jam. It was an annoyance, but it didn't ruin our cruise. The other, on the Dawn (about to be retired) was a "wonky" drawer, which just didn't roll out properly...so we just decided to not use that one. Also not a problem.

For the most part I'm impressed with how Princess keeps the rolling maintenance, like varnishing the promenade handrails constantly even while at sea.

From horror stories I've heard about other lines, like Carnival (and while it's under the same umbrella, they are run VERY differently) I think Princess is good at keeping it's older ships feeling pretty refreshed.

I think the more monochromatic color schemes of the new ships carpets and upholstery should be added to the older ships. That would do a lot to brighten the rooms up. IMHO.

Since I haven't gone as a "single" before...I don't even know what a single supplement "Deal" would be. Just a lower percentage of the "second fare"?

Thanks CruiseRaider. I may be going solo this time, so...since I'll be paying double I'm trying to be pretty frugal. ;-)

First let me say that I understand that none of these things are set in stone, and patterns can change. But I've been looking at possibly booking a 4 day cruise from Los Angeles departing Jan 19th, 2017.

Since I'm after Final Payment (obviously), I was curious if anyone has noticed how far prior to departure are the Drop & Go specials...the, ummmm...MOST special?

I seem to recall Tuesdays being the day fares seemed to change (back when I would sail more frequently), but that also may have changed.

Any insight anyone may have would be welcomed. :)

And, I have searched this, but haven't been able to find any helpful info.

The photo gallery on the Royal is on deck 6, port side, above the Piazza. You will not have to walk through it to get to different attractions. Despite many of the disappointments in the changes from Grand Class ships we did enjoy ourselves the 48 days we spent on the Royal.

Thanks for the info.

45 Days! Wow...not sure if I could stand that much relaxation. Or that much FOOD! ;-)