wallyj

40 minutes ago, verizon said:

I am just thinking if he or she(Zenith ) never show up during the Welcoming party.will the captain honor Pinnacle as top cruiser or the honor will goes to Top Elite+ ?

Only if that Pinnacle has the ‘Celebrity’ points to qualify. If a Pinnacle sails Celebrity, they are matched to Zenith, but if they have never sailed on Celebrity, they would have zero Celebrity ‘points’. Same when Zenith sail on Royal, amenities based on ‘points’ such as DP340 and goodies like wine, truffles will only be awarded ‘if’ that Zenith member has ‘earned’ the required C&A points.

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

NO NO NO NO NO

 

Just because you are doing a triangle with an unflown leg does NOT make it an open jaw.  For a routing to be an open jaw, the unflown leg must be the shortest of the three segments.  FCO to FLL is not the shortest.

 

Then, for the second NO NO NO.

 

An open jaw is not "basically 2 one-way tickets".  And open jaw, when the routing rules and distances are applicable, is the combination of:

 

1/2 of the round-trip price for the first flown segment (in this case YYZ-FCO-YYZ)

plus

1/2 of the round-trip price for the second flown segment (in this case FLL-YYZ-FLL)

 

It is not just adding one-way prices together.  However, in the OP situation, the unflown leg is NOT the shortest, thus open-jaw pricing does not apply.  (It's actually the longest)

 

For reference: 

YYZ FCO = 4415 mi

FCO FLL = 5167 mi

FLL YYZ = 1214 mi

Thank you for the education, I have previously in my mind labeled a triangle trip with an unflown segment as an ‘open jaw’ route. I assume the algorithm at the airline websites do the calculation to determine if the fare qualifies for ‘open jaw’ pricing when you do a search for what most passengers consider 2 one way flights?

@2326nanapa, be aware some crew may be leaving. I was on Enchanted from May 4-18 and HGM Raffeale said he will be leaving in June, so you still have not got confirmation if Mr.  Nicola will still be on board July 6.

3 hours ago, envy4u said:

Thanks!
 

I’m confused if you don’t pay in full how do you know that the airline does not fill up the plane with others booking directly. 

When u book EZAir flexible fare, you pay in full when final payment is due, but you have till 45 days before flight or sailing,  whichever is sooner to cancel/change without penalty or fees.

@envy4u, have you looked at EZAir for booking the departure only Toronto to Rome. As posted by others earlier, when booking direct with many airlines, a one way international fare is sometimes almost the same fare as roundtrip. EZAir has had very good one way international fares. Then you should look to see if  booking the FLL to Toronto leg in EZAir is reasonable or just book Air Canada using points or $.Yes, I know FLL to Toronto is an international flight, but that route one way is usually not so outrageous as booking NA to Europe, one way.

When you are checking EZAir, there is a drop down box to select, departure AND return,  departure only or return only. If you book departure only or return only, you cannot later change to departure and return.

6 minutes ago, envy4u said:

I am from Canada and I tried to book a return flight, NON STOP, with Air Canada online and by phone with no success. I need a flight from Toronto to Rome in November and then Fort Lauderdale to Toronto in December. I’m doing a transatlantic cruise. It will not let me book a return ticket from FLL. Travel agent confirmed this. So I’m stuck booking 2 one way flights, book EZair or use my points, the latter my least favorite choice. Any other suggestions appreciated! 

I don’t quite understand your question. Because or your itinerary, your trip is known as an ‘open jaw’ ticket which is basically 2 one way tickets? Do not understand your statement cannot book ‘return’ ticket from FLL, which many people use to mean a roundtrip , which you are not doing, as you only need one way FLL to Toronto.
 

You also do not need to use EZAir to book both segments. You can book departure only or return only. So if EZAir has a good fare for Toronto to Rome, just book that departure only and you have option to book Air Canada with $ or points for FLL to Toronto. EzAir does not always have ‘every’ flight available for you routes.

4 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

International cafe, and MDR on sea days.

There will be a MDR serving sit down breakfast ‘every’ day, it is sea days that lunch will also be available in a MDR. Location and times will be listed in patter/events listing.

5 minutes ago, Shippy said:

I think the fact he had the 'Premium' package was the reason for the dessert.

We only get the 'Plus package'

For clarification it is called the ‘Premier’ package and Jamielogical also had the Premier package and was charged for her one scoop. Since it is a ‘swap’ for the ‘Premium Dessert’, plus package should be allowed 2x day opposed to unlimited for ‘Premier’.

5 hours ago, Pajay1962 said:

We're booked on an upcoming Princess Cruise, and when I booked I told them we wanted the Princess Plus package for all 3 of us in the cabin, assuming that it had to be that way. I just looked at my booking and see that Princess Plus was only applied to 2 people in the cabin, not the 3rd one. What would prevent a person from getting a bar drink and passing it to the other person that is not on the package? I thought it was odd for it to not be applied as every other cruise line applied the drink package to everyone in the room.

The Princess website states only the first 2 passengers on a booking are required to have the same package, if one is buying a package.
 

If there are 3rd or 4th passengers in the same cabin, it is optional and you need to call Princess or your TA to get it added to the additional passengers.

In your case, yes, one passenger with package can order a drink and pass to passenger3 who does not have drink package. It is breaking the rules and getting caught could mean the package is voided without refund. 

Other cruise line DO have a policy that ALL occupants need to have the same package, but currently Princess only requires passenger 1 and 2.

8 minutes ago, mya603 said:

Well, I don't see why not.  They can't hold you prisoner.  Hopefully.

@Ellipooh, Yes, you can decide to disembark, but there may be consequences. Since this ship originated in the US, disembarking in another US port would cause a PVSA violation, which the fine would be charged to the passenger as they are voluntarily leaving the ship.

I believe the OP has decided to stay and rough it out for the remainder of the sailing. It appears most of the plumbing issues have been resolved. 

25 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

I’m a bit confused by the question. My comment was that the Beekman products are a big upgrade from what used to be provided. The picture I posted is definitely what used to be provided. I never suggested that that was current. My most recent cruise was exactly one year ago and the picture I posted represents what we had then. Hope that clears things up. 

I just wanted to clarify for others that your picture is not what is currently on many other Princess ships. As far as I know, the Beekman products are only available on the new Sun Princess. 
 

I am assuming some ships may have the old ‘sea foam’ colored products, but am thinking when they run out, it will be the clear product that is on most ships now.

@adams1216, I did a quick ‘search’ and Wikipedia results say Taiwan passport holders require a visa to visit Uruguay. As I posted earlier, if the cruise line is offering to do this for you, it would be noted in the travel summary for Princess.

You should easily see what countries a Taiwan passport holder can visit, and if visa is required.

1 hour ago, Torquer said:

Yikes!  If the Uruguay consulate doesn't know what their own visa requirements are, I don't know who would know.  You might try one of the visa services that supposedly get all the required visa for individual cruise passengers, but again, I am shocked that the Uruguay consulate doesn't know or can't investigate what their own requirements are.  @wallyjWhy do you mention Princess, since the OP didn't say what cruise line, or am I missing something?

This post was moved from the Princess board, so I replied before it was moved, I assume the OP is on a Princess ship?

37 minutes ago, suekel said:

Their promise is to get you to the next port.  Doesn't matter how the cruise is booked...they get you to the next port.  

As @cr8tiv1stated, they will book you to the next ‘port’ that will allow you to embark, which may not necessarily be the next port on the itinerary.

3 minutes ago, SCX22 said:

Not trying to be smart and I understand people's schedules and time off doesn't always jive. 

My point is even if EZAir is going to get you to the next port, you're not getting a refund of the missed days of your cruise, so it money lost.  And it's really not worth the stress and aggravation. 

A few years ago I was booked on a Transatlantic, FLL to Southampton. I used EZAir for my flight to FLL from LAX and booked the redeye connecting in ATL. Unfortunately, weather caused ATL to shut down and I did not find till out till I arrived at LAX. At first, EZAir offered to just get me to FLL, I shared no, that will not work as the cruise is going to Europe and the next stop is Bermuda and there is limited service from FLL to Bermuda.

Finally, EZAir offered to get me to Bermuda , fly tomorrow and wait for ship in 2 more days or fly in 2 days when ship should arrive, but if you miss ship again, you are on your own. I decided to fly to Bermuda early and wait for ship. Since I did not have travel insurance, hotel cost in Bermuda was my expense.

When I boarded, I was informed, and received OBC for the missed 3 days of the cruise.

12 minutes ago, suekel said:

Their promise is to get you to the next port.  Doesn't matter how the cruise is booked...they get you to the next port.  

I believe the OP is concerned about possible PVSA violations. IIRC, Princess would get a waiver or pay the fine?

@JimmyVWine, have you been on a Princess ship lately? Your picture does not represent what I have had on my sailings this year on Discovery, Sapphire, Ruby and Enchanted. The product is now clear for both, so I would not be surprised if it is the same. I bring my own now as the clear stuff has an unpleasant smell to me.

I will try to remember to ask if the Beekman products may be coming to the other ships when I board Enchanted again this weekend.

On 5/17/2024 at 6:52 AM, Riemercruisin said:

I'm used to paying for my cruises with gift cards.

First time trying this on RC, I purchased a Royal Caribbean virtual gift card. 

My travel advisor is not able to apply it in the booking engine. He called in and RC does not know how to assist. The CS rep kept saying that gift cards can only be applied to bookings made directly with the cruise line.

Does anyone have experience with this?

Hi @Riemercruisin, did you get your gift cards applied to your booking? My TA told me Royal and Celebrity now require them to have a picture of your gift card whereas I know with Princess, you can just supply your TA with the gift card and pin number. 
 

With Royal and Celebrity, the agent has to send the gift card info to them to get them ‘processed’ opposed to Princess, where your TA can apply thru the cruise line booking portal.

The FAQ’s on Royals website say it can take up to 10 business days to process. It also says your TA can apply them to your booking, so you do not have to use on bookings ONLY made directly with cruise line.

@Hobby3333, be aware, this is only on the Sun Princess, as I believe on all other Princess ships they use a combo shampoo/conditioner and a separate body wash.
 

This was on my recent sailings this year on Discovery, Sapphire, Ruby and Enchanted and they were a generic clear product with what I considered an ‘industrial’ smell so I knew to bring my own products.

@latebloomer56, I believe the ‘chefs table’ menu is being standardized across the fleet. I believe in the past, the on board chef had many more options.

Try and search to see if the standardized menu will be acceptable for your tastes.

I agree suite breakfast is worth the visit, but some may value sleeping in more of a priority.

I also heard Princess was supposed to be creating a ‘new’ book, but I have heard no news regarding this, so I believe no book will be given.

1 hour ago, adams1216 said:

Hello all

I have a Taiwanese passport, and I have been researched online and called consulate. Uruguay consulate told me to check with cruise line, but in the Uruguay official website saying cruise will apply special travel permit for those who needs a via. Has anyone had experiences?  Thank you

It is the passengers responsibility to make sure they have necessary documents to travel to another country. 
 

‘IF’ Princess will be providing a ‘permit’ it would be listed in your ‘travel summary’.

You access your travel summary thru the cruise Personalizer through the boarding pass and travel summary link at the upper right area on first page when you go into your booking. Click on this link, then scroll to print travel summary, click this link, and review.

I would think most countries have entry requirements on their official home website, but, they might not be updated or apply to ‘all’ cruise lines. I am not familiar with Uruguay’s entry requirements.

One time in the past, for Vietnam, some cruise ships could get a ‘cruise ship’ visa for only $5 and provided to passengers once on board. Unfortunately at the time, Princess,  for whatever reasons, did not participate in this arrangement, so you either got your visa on your own, or Princess did state they would obtain for you, but the cost was quite a bit more. 
 

Calling Princess these days is hit and miss since I believe the call center has been moved off shore and many have reported agents that are lacking knowledge and training.

20 hours ago, nelblu said:

As a D+ with 340+ points never been invited.  However, I do attend Cheers with Officers luncheon. 

I believe @workingboyis getting D+ from his Celebrity ‘match’ and I believe any amenities for being D+ which are based on your C&A ‘points’ apply. Since some Celebrity passengers sailing on Royal using their ‘match’ status, will not have a lot of C&A points, they would not get invited to Cheers w/Officers.

You would not get invitation to Chops breakfast as it is a benefit for Pinnacles and guests in suites.

3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Well, it wasn't according to the guy working at the Gelateria on Enchanted in May.

Hi @JamieLogical, I was on the May sailing with you and the first time I visited the Gelateria, I asked if I could get any flavor gelato by itself instead of a premium dessert and was told I would be charged. When I was on Discovery earlier this year, they had no problem allowing me any flavor gelato by itself as a substitute, which is why I asked.

Later, I happen to sit with the HGM at the MTG(most traveled guest) luncheon and mentioned this to him. He said, I am allowed ‘any’ gelato by itself with the Premier package and to mention his name if I had any problems. So, it seems to be a matter of training on the Enchanted, but the policy does seem to vary on different ships.

I am back on the Enchanted next week, so I will see if I have any issues getting just gelato. I only went back one time last May and the crew member gave me just gelato without charge.

FYI, getting a little off topic, O’Malley’s towards the end of my B2B started serving ‘real’ onion rings instead of what seemed like the frozen reconstituted powered onion rings from a supermarket. You only get 6 now, but they were a great improvement. Was my first time on a ship with O’Malleys so I do not know what has been previously served. Looking forward to next week to find out if the swap to real onion rings is permanent. I am feeling this is a ‘new’ change since the holder for the ‘tower’ is designed to hold a lot more than just 6 rings and previously the tower of rings was filled to the top with the smaller ones.

Hi @flhokie, I did not see you mention visiting the concierge lounge that suite passengers get access and I have heard they usually have an evening gathering with alcoholic drinks and sometimes different ‘themes’. Did the suites experience manager not organize these evening events on your sailing or you were not interested in attending?

You review mentions having dinner in the Capri dining room, but I assume you were seated in the ‘reserve class’ section which should have had more personalized service and an extra entree/special?

I was on Enchanted last month and also had the Premier package. At Ocean Terrace they had no problem substituting the spicy tuna roll for California roll, which is just imitation crab, avocado and cucumber. If you are on another ship, with Ocean Terrace, ask if they will do this. Unfortunately on Sapphire, they do not do substitutions because the sushi is not made to order in front of you like on most Royal class ships. 

I enjoy Princess, but can only dream of booking the Sky suite.

Thank you for your review.

16 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Hmmm....someone.on IP said they were free.  I'll ask him directly.

Yes @geoherbwho is currently doing a live on the IP posted BECAUSE the token machine is broken, the washer and dryers are free and you still need to purchase detergent if you did not bring your own. I imagine once the token machines have been repaired, you will need to obtain tokens, $3 wash and $3 dry, using your medallion.

It has been reported on some other ships, the washer and dryers were free and detergent and fabric softener were stacked on a shelf to take as needed. This is NOT the normal situation on most Princess ships.