cruise4mom

Please realize you need to decide if the policy provides the coverage you need. Princess is not the insurance company. If you file a claim please remember that they are company in business to make and keep as much money as possible. Just like any other insurance company. You will have to Submit paperwork, receipts,

perhaps drs records, etc. Princess is not responsible for payment, reimbursement, or denial. AON is the company the policy is thru.

I have sailed with Celebrity in the past and had amazing cruises. My friend and I wanted to go to Hawaii and I talked her into a

celebrity cruise. This was May of 23 on Eclipse. Let me start off of

with the cost was double that of any other cruise line but we did it based on my previous experiences. Let’s say the trip was the 2nd worst cruise in over 40 years. Staff never smiled. Half of the bars were closed on the ship.

Those that were open had no servers and if you wanted a drink it was a 20-30 min wait. That is if the. Sr tender acknowledged you. The food was barely edible! Dinner took 3.5 hours nightly. To even get out water refilled was a feat. We

met many many others who take this same cruise yearly state the food and service was horrible. The entertainment was appalling. To be honest I have been to better middle school performances then what we were subjected to. Speciality dining was $75 a meal.

at Murano’s our waiter was rude and non existent. Once he took our order we could not find him.’we had to flag down other waiters for assistance and upon leaving he finally appeared.

i also ordered a dish with lobster and in the entire dish there was one quarter size piece of lobster. Then we had many sea days. On Princess there is always something to do however on this ship the activities consisted of trivia. One day they did offer for painting. We arrived and waited. Finally a staff member came in, dropped off supplies, and stayed I have to be somewhere else and walked away. Thankfully, another passenger knew what to do and taught the class. Our room steward was horrible! Our room was never made up until after 3pm. We ask for a set of extra towels in the beginning and inform them that we like them to be refreshed during the cruise. We also request ice daily. Our steward did none of that. He didn’t even remove dirty dishes. Hawaii was beautiful and we had an aft balcony however the service, food, entertainment And activities left much to be desired. Another thing, when making a complaint or addressing any issue on Princess the staff go out of their way to correct or rectify the issue. Not on Celebrity. No real real response except we will look into it. Completed the survey, submitted a complaint thru proper channels and even wrote to the CEO and not one person responded. We will stay with Princess! They provide  great product, at a fair price,

and you can’t beat the service! 

It will all depend on where and what you wish to see. We researched these for about a year. We were stuck between Uniworld and Amawaterways, We went to a travel fair and ended up getting additional brochures and discovered Scenic, we found an amazing itinerary however the trip was out of prince range. Spoke with our travel agent and discovered that Emerald did the same itinerary as Scenic (they are sisters) for half the price and we booked the cruise. 
 

I would suggest sitting down with a travel agent and telling them what you want to do. What you want to see. Do you need a butler? Unlimited drinks? Active activities? They can narrow down what lines are best for your needs. 

Doing a rough total on your drinks you are going to spend roughly $40-$45 a day. Then you need to add in crew appreciation of $16-$18 bringing hour daily total to about $56-$63. That doesn’t count any premium desserts. 
 

This will depend on several things. First do you want the kids to have WiFi, casual dining, beverage package and the other inclusions? 
 

you can just purchase a beverage package such as:

Classic soda package which allows sodas, Juice (not the juice bar), mocktails and smoothies where available. This package  is $17.69 a day and then you would have to add the crew appreciation of $16-$18 a day. Your total for these two options would be $33.69-$35.69.

The zero alcohol package would give the kids  all specialty or premium coffees and teas, hot chocolate, fountain sodas, cans of soda, fresh juices and healthy smoothies (from the juice bar), bottled water, Frappes at Coffee & Cones, mocktails, and smoothies as per the menu, Red Bull, sparkling bottles of water, Energy Drink and Milk Shakes (if available). This package is $ 35.39 a day. With crew appreciation hour total cost would be $51.39-$53.39.

 
The plus package is $60 and includes 

crew appreciation $16-$18

wifi for one device $24.99

2 fitness classes $10 each 

2 premium desserts a day $12 each

2 casual dining meals $14.99 each plus an 18% service charge.

Medallion shipping $10

Ocean now delivery which includes room service a one time fee of $14.99

the kids would receive the zero alcohol package $35.69.

i would recommend sitting down and figuring out what inclusions you would want the kids to have. Total them up and add in the beverage package you choose and see which makes more financial sense. 
 

42 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

The information online is outdated. Sodas in cans have been included at no charge for the past year. 

Not on all ships. Our last cruise last May was only glasses no cans.

Yea it has to be added in the first two days. 

Bring your own. Some hair dryers are old and slow. The newer ships

have better ones but I have found that when I bring my own I know exactly what I am getting versus praying that it will perform the way I need. 

When reading fine print it states that not all excursions would be discounted. 
 

we did book several excursions for our trip next year and each one was discounted. 
 

again, fine print stated that not all

would be. 

Casual dining cannot be reserved until you are on board. 

With the Plus fare package you will receive 2 casual dining meals. These meals are a 3 course prix fixe meal in specific restaurants which can vary by ship. Some

rea such as Vines, Salty Dog, Alfredo’s/Gigi’s have permanent locations others are considered pop ups. These pop ups will be held in a partitioned  off area in the buffet. You need to make reservations however this cannot be done until you board 

The only limit on any beverage is alcohol. You are allowed 15 alcoholic beverages a day. Everything else is unlimited. 
 

also, check your package as glasses of soda and cans are too separate issues. It states that glasses of soda are included and cans receive a 25% discount. Others have said they received can at no additional charge. Just be careful so you do not incur extra expenses. 

Casual dining is a 3 course prix fixe meal offered at specific restaurants which can vary by ship. Some restaurants have permanent locations such as Vines, Salty Dog, Alfredo’s/gigis whereas others are considered pop ups. These pop ups will be held in a partitioned off place in the buffet area. You need reservations for these however they can not be made until you board the ship. 

It seems that some people that have the package it is being recognized whereas the 1/2 it does not. Some people have had to pay for the specialty dining and then are reimbursed once on board. Again it is hit and miss and it has been chalked up

to an app issue. 

Casual dining meal is outlined: on Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages will enjoy savory prix fixe dining options in the ship's casual restaurants, including Vines, Salty Dog Pub, O’Malleys, Ocean Terrace, Planks, Steamers, Alfredo’s, and GiGi’s. The addition of new three-course, pre-fixed menus gives Plus and Premier guests more food options than ever before without any extra charges. For those who prefer sailing on Princess Standard, the casual prix fixe dining will be $14.99 and individual selections will continue with a la carte pricing.

its a 3 course meal….you would get 2 meals, total, with Plus. Unlimited with Premier 

I have sailed Carnival, Royal Caribbean, HAL, Celebrity, and Princess. I found Carnival and Royal to be way too crowded for me. Our last Celebrity cruise last year was

crowded. It also seemed that they placed all the activities in the smallest bar area. Princess seems to be able to spread things out.

if there is something in the Atrium it can get a bit tight. 

I have used the attachment below. You can add it to your watch band. I have a crossbody phone case and I place it on the strap holding the phone. It works amazing and it is cheap. 

On 2/19/2024 at 2:36 PM, mamafun said:

I've tried searching the forum, but having trouble collecting the info I'm looking for.  I am currently booking our first cruise in 24(!) years, on Ruby Princess in November.  I am 90% sure we will be taking advantage of the Plus or Premium packages, but I want to price everything out to make the final decision.  Is there anywhere I can find the ala carte pricing for the individual components?  The Princess website doesn't seem to have a place where you can clearly compare costs, or I'm missing it. 

 

Looking for prices on wifi, casual dining, and specialty dining, I think I have the info I need on crew appreciation, OceanNow, beverages, and room service.  Thanks in advance!

1. Wi-Fi is $24.99 per person per             day for one device.

2. casual dining is $14.99 plus 18%service charge per person per meal. 
3. Crew appreciation is charged at $16-$18 per person per room depending on cabin. 
4. Ocean now requires a $14.99 one time fee plus service charge. 
5. Room service has a fee of $5 per item If ordered on your stateroom

phone.

6. speciality dining runs $30-$39 per person per night. 
7. beverages packages run from 

   A.  Soda package is $14.99 plus 

         Service charge 

   B. Zero alcohol package is $29.99.  

        Plus service charge

   C. Plus drink package is $64.99 

        Plus service charge. 
   D. Premier drink package is 

        $84.99 plus service charge. 
8. Premium desserts are $12.00

9. Fitness classes are $10.00 each 

10. The juice bar runs $8-$10 

this is all US funds. 
 

We have done 3 back to backs and have no problem. Sometimes the guarantee cabins are the best. 

On 2/19/2024 at 4:06 PM, gertz said:

My husband and I did 30 cruises on Princess and he died of cancer. I'm thinking of booking a shorter cruise and test the water since I really enjoyed cruising and listening to the water while sitting on the balcony. The only drawback is Princess doesn't have any single rooms you have to pay double. I'm concerned about feeling alone in a pond of doubles. I've heard go on tours get active on the ship. Any suggestions out there. Thanks appreciate any help

Princess’ ew ship the Sun has 4 solo cabins. Look up the cruises for that boat and see if you can get one. You will also have the advantage of sailing on a brand new ship. 

Let me just this…crew appreciation is $16-$18 per person per day. A zero alcohol package would cost $35.39 per day per person. The total cost would be $51.39-$53.39 just for those two. If you were to add WiFi you would save money by buying the Plus package for him. That would also give him the 2 casual dining and some other things he might like. 
 

If you are not going to buy your son any beverage package then perhaps the package isn’t worth it. You will have to sit down and think about what options he would use. A lot of people are happy with the included food and drinks and do not wish to pay extra for packages. It truly is a personal decision. 

This may be long so I will apologize in advance. 
 

As far as household duties go bills, pets, house security etc can all be handled. The bills can be placed on auto pay or paid in advance. You could also pay them on a sea day if you wished. For the let’s I would ask a family member or friend to keep the pets during this time. As far as household security you can have a neighbor family member etc stop by and keep an eye on it. Stop your mail during the sailing. I saw that your son assisted during your previous tours so perhaps you could enlist some other people to help. If not perhaps a pet sitter could address the issue of pets and house security at the same time. 
 

As far as parking and the costs, I would spend the money on a flight and transfers instead of the fees for parking. 
 

I fully understand your head spinning  due to all the planning but as you said it is a once in a lifetime trip. If you just wait for the perfect or better time it will never happen. Good luck! 

On 1/24/2024 at 11:12 AM, CrazyTrain2 said:

I'm onboard the Discovery Princess in April.  I signed up for the Premier package and I usually don't drink that much.  What top shelf (at least on board) cocktails/brands should be on the list to sip and toss overboard (I know overboard is a No-No)?

 

If Princess would offer an alcohol free package, I would have chosen it. The basic package makes no sense for anybody unless you are stiffing the crew, it's simply being used as marketing eye candy.

Princess does offer a Zero Alcohol package however it is not an option with the Plus and Premier packages. The Zero alcohol package is $35.39 per day with fees. When adding that prices with the Crew Appreciation of $16-$18 per day totaling $51.39-$53.39 per day per person. When you see those figure just for tips and non alcoholic drinks taking a package can be more cost effective. I think people see sticker shock when they see the additional $60-$80 a day in addition to the cruise fare. It is all a personal decision and there are those who don’t use WiFi, want anything but basic coffee, tea, tap water and whatever flavored drink in the buffet and prefer just to eat the MDR and buffet meals. I am not a big drinker but I like to experiment and not feel bad if I order something and don’t drink it. 

From my understanding the first two passengers in the cabin have to purchase the same package (Plus or Premier) if one does. Since she is underage her drink package will be changed to the Zero Alcohol Package. If it just the two of you then yes she would. 

Medallion shipping is included if you have purchased the Plus or Premier package. The medallion is only shipped to US passengers with a physical address no PO Boxes.