good news and bad news live from grand princess

[west coast cruiser]

Thanks so much everyone for all of your updates. I hope you will be able to keep them coming. There are a lot of us on the main land sending good thoughts your way.

 

WCC

[tml1230]

we woke up to a beautiful sunny morning, seas are rolling a little and we seem to be at speed…will check my GPS for speed later…all is well but found myself carrying my little blackhawk super flashlight with me last evening just in case (check amazon, it would make a great Christmas gift )and they are the best made in the world).

please let us know if you get any updates on 12/10 cruise.

[twindaddy]

.

 

to the poster who had an IN N Out burger for me…your are the wind beneath my wings….

 

Thanks for all the info. I am sailing out on her on 12/20, I am hopeful everything will be good to go. But honestly they could park in SF for 10 days and I would be happy.

 

BTW, every day I drive by two In and Outs on my way to work, I promise to eat once at each in your honor, before my cruise on 12/20.

[Cuizer2]

It is going to be a stress on her going from Ensenada to San Francisco.

 

Why, because it is up hill?

[cr8tiv1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tml1230 View Post

.

 

to the poster who had an IN N Out burger for me…your are the wind beneath my wings….

Thanks for all the info. I am sailing out on her on 12/20, I am hopeful everything will be good to go. But honestly they could park in SF for 10 days and I would be happy.

 

BTW, every day I drive by two In and Outs on my way to work, I promise to eat once at each in your honor, before my cruise on 12/20.

 

Here's a Grand solution: Why doesn't twindaddy pick up tml1230's order and deliver it to the ship. Two ships...passing in the night/day...

[cr8tiv1]

Why, because it is up hill?

 

Lots of reason for the stresses. Current flows north to south. Sometimes it takes a really, really, really, long time to get from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Once you pass Point Conception (near Santa Barbara), you start to encounter rough seas. Add in any weather and you have slow going.

 

Good luck to all on the ship.

[twindaddy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tml1230 View Post

.

 

to the poster who had an IN N Out burger for me…your are the wind beneath my wings….

Thanks for all the info. I am sailing out on her on 12/20, I am hopeful everything will be good to go. But honestly they could park in SF for 10 days and I would be happy.

 

BTW, every day I drive by two In and Outs on my way to work, I promise to eat once at each in your honor, before my cruise on 12/20.

 

Here's a Grand solution: Why doesn't twindaddy pick up tml1230's order and deliver it to the ship. Two ships...passing in the night/day...

 

Actually, driving to the ship that morning, I will pass by five In and Outs

 

Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Petaluma, Novato, and San Francisco.

 

How many burgers do I need to get? I like this plan....

[cr8tiv1]

I wouldn't call it a loss - I would prefer a week in Hawaii to sailing back as soon as I got here (we're on Kauai now for a week:D), even if I had to pay my own way back home using the very generous refund/FCC that Princess gave the passengers. To each her own.:)

 

Yes, to each her own. I am also in the Islands until the end of the year. I would still have jumped on the ship from Oahu to San Francisco if I could. I love sea days. I do understand the disappointment for those that have looked forward to 4 days here.

 

Somebody....please bring back cruising from the west coast to Hawaii. I'd much prefer this to flying (not flying phobic).

 

Regardless of modes of transportation, I am so glad that the nay sayers left the ship. The rest of you are going to have an absolutely marvelous time cruising "home".

[MTJSR]

Just for fun, and I consider myself quite the connoisseur (or can a sewer?) of burgers and even thought I live just walking distance from an In-N-Out, I still drive to Five Guys for a much better burger. Honestly what is it about a gooey greasy child's size burger that attracts so many followers?

 

 

.

Edited December 3, 2015 by MTJSR

[Go-Bucks!]

What a glorious sunny day! We are indeed traveling at 17 kts but the starboard wake is much smaller than on the port side. We've had a windy (rocky) night and morning but my Seabands work miracles.

 

At least 2 suite passengers left cuz they came into Sabitini's yesterday morning to say goodbye to the staff. Today the purser staff told us that they're not upgrading anyone because of the work of moving people, changing stuff in computer and now they'll have clean rooms for next cruise.

 

We asked the Captain Circle gal how the 50% credit will work. We will get 50% off the next cruise up to the full value of what we paid for this cruise. So, say you paid $2,000 for this cruise and next time you book a fare of $3,000. 50% of that is $1,500 off. But if you book one for $4,000 or more, you get $2,000 off. Very cool! We're so happy that we got a suite this time. :D

[twindaddy]

What a glorious sunny day! We are indeed traveling at 17 kts but the starboard wake is much smaller than on the port side. We've had a windy (rocky) night and morning but my Seabands work miracles.

 

At least 2 suite passengers left cuz they came into Sabitini's yesterday morning to say goodbye to the staff. Today the purser staff told us that they're not upgrading anyone because of the work of moving people, changing stuff in computer and now they'll have clean rooms for next cruise.

 

We asked the Captain Circle gal how the 50% credit will work. We will get 50% off the next cruise up to the full value of what we paid for this cruise. So, say you paid $2,000 for this cruise and next time you book a fare of $3,000. 50% of that is $1,500 off. But if you book one for $4,000 or more, you get $2,000 off. Very cool! We're so happy that we got a suite this time. :D

 

Any word / rumors / speculation how this will affect future sailings?

[cr8tiv1]

What a glorious sunny day! We are indeed traveling at 17 kts but the starboard wake is much smaller than on the port side. We've had a windy (rocky) night and morning but my Seabands work miracles.

 

At least 2 suite passengers left cuz they came into Sabitini's yesterday morning to say goodbye to the staff. Today the purser staff told us that they're not upgrading anyone because of the work of moving people, changing stuff in computer and now they'll have clean rooms for next cruise.

 

We asked the Captain Circle gal how the 50% credit will work. We will get 50% off the next cruise up to the full value of what we paid for this cruise. So, say you paid $2,000 for this cruise and next time you book a fare of $3,000. 50% of that is $1,500 off. But if you book one for $4,000 or more, you get $2,000 off. Very cool! We're so happy that we got a suite this time. :D

 

Thanks for the detailed explanation. As a suite passenger on this cruise, you sure lucked out big time. You do know that they are doing this JUST to get you hooked into booking suites from now on.

 

Are there chocolate strawberries for suite passengers?

[sajlm045]

Just for fun, and I consider myself quite the connoisseur (or can a sewer?) of burgers and even thought I live just walking distance from an In-N-Out, I still drive to Five Guys for a much better burger. Honestly what is it about a gooey greasy child's size burger that attracts so many followers?

 

 

.

 

 

I myself am a common sewer of burgers and yes, In N Out are good but 5 guys is better.

[Cuizer2]

Just for fun, and I consider myself quite the connoisseur (or can a sewer?) of burgers and even thought I live just walking distance from an In-N-Out, I still drive to Five Guys for a much better burger. Honestly what is it about a gooey greasy child's size burger that attracts so many followers?

 

 

.

 

I myself am a common sewer of burgers and yes, In N Out are good but 5 guys is better.

 

What if you are allergic to peanuts? :eek:

[likeadisguise]

We asked the Captain Circle gal how the 50% credit will work. We will get 50% off the next cruise up to the full value of what we paid for this cruise. So, say you paid $2,000 for this cruise and next time you book a fare of $3,000. 50% of that is $1,500 off. But if you book one for $4,000 or more, you get $2,000 off. Very cool! We're so happy that we got a suite this time. :D

 

That's a little more complicated than how it actually works. You'll get a future cruise credit for 50% of the cruise fare you paid for this voyage. You can apply that to any future cruise you book before whatever the deadline they gave you is (end of 2016?). It doesn't matter how much you pay for the future cruise -- if your credit is $2,000 and you book a cruise for $3,000, you only have to pay the other $1K, plus the port taxes, etc.

 

Future Cruise Credits have to be created in specific amounts, there's really no way to do it as a percentage of a future, unknown fare.

Edited December 3, 2015 by likeadisguise

[twindaddy]

I myself am a common sewer of burgers and yes, In N Out are good but 5 guys is better.

 

Hard to compare the two, both are good in their own ways. Five guys has so many more topping choices, and the fries are much better at Five Guys. But the animal fries at In and Out are awesome.

 

If forced as gun point, I would take In N Out, their burgers are just out of this world. Given the lines I see at INO vs. Five Guys, I think many would tend to agree.

[julie3fan]

Have any of you burger lovers tried Smash Burger? Yet another interesting casual burger chain to add to your list. I love their Smash Fries. Thin cut fries drizzled with olive oil, and rosemary and garlic. Yummy!

[knittinggirl]

I think if I'd been on the ship, and we missed three Hawaiian ports but kept Ensenada, they'd lose points on the evaluation. But w/ the lawyers having too much free time writing PVSAs, they couldn't omit Ensenada. I still think they should have reallocated the port charges, skipped Ensenada and given you back Kauai.

 

They'd also lose points for not reallocating the suites. Doesn't bode well for their computer system if they can't move a few people around. But w/ 300 passengers leaving, they may have been more worried about moving people from Inside to Balcony, etc.

 

Still, we had about 800 people step off a ship that had 3200 passengers due to fog, and it made a much calmer and quieter cruise. No more waiting at the elevator, and extra entrees and desserts at meals.

 

The staff would be happy I'm not on the cruise, I'd probably give the food and housekeeping top marks, and the officers poor marks for the itinerary change.

Edited December 3, 2015 by knittinggirl

[Cuizer2]

I think if I'd been on the ship, and we missed three Hawaiian ports but kept Ensenada, they'd lose points on the evaluation. But w/ the lawyers having too much free time writing PVSAs, they couldn't omit Ensenada.

 

The PVSA legislation is from 1886. Nobody has spend much time writing the PVSAs in the last 100+ years.

[likeadisguise]

I think if I'd been on the ship, and we missed three Hawaiian ports but kept Ensenada, they'd lose points on the evaluation. But w/ the lawyers having too much free time writing PVSAs, they couldn't omit Ensenada. I still think they should have reallocated the port charges, skipped Ensenada and given you back Kauai.

 

No matter what we think of the PVSA, they cannot purposely plot an itinerary that violates the law. The fee isn't the issue, really.

[srpilo]

Hard to compare the two, both are good in their own ways. Five guys has so many more topping choices, and the fries are much better at Five Guys. But the animal fries at In and Out are awesome.

 

If forced as gun point, I would take In N Out, their burgers are just out of this world. Given the lines I see at INO vs. Five Guys, I think many would tend to agree.

 

+1

 

Srpilo

[knittinggirl]

PVSA had enough busy lawyers to recently raise the fee for non-compliance, sometime after 2000.

 

Also, it's called a Hawaiian Island Cruise, not a Hawaii and Mexico cruise. They altered the cruise to remove 3/4 of the Hawaiian Islands. But they keep Ensenada Mexico. Also, Ensenada really isn't a far distant port they say must fulfill their rules. But I heard they wrote an exception into the PVSA for Ensenada and Vancouver.

 

NCL found a way to make a Hawaiian cruise w/o forcing the passengers to pay a foreign port fee. Why not Princess? Because they don't want to hire all US citizens and get the ship built here.

Edited December 3, 2015 by knittinggirl

[knittinggirl]

Just curious. How much did they end up refunding you in Hawaiian Port Charges? Did they split them out by port?

 

We just finished a wonderful cruise that had us boarding in a tent in Quebec City, and midway though the cruise, we each got a port charge refund. Probably boarding from a tent, and hauling our carry-ons up in the elements.

[cruiselvr1]

Thanks for the detailed explanation. As a suite passenger on this cruise, you sure lucked out big time. You do know that they are doing this JUST to get you hooked into booking suites from now on.

 

Are there chocolate strawberries for suite passengers?

I can't tell you what Princess is doing for this cruise, but we were on the cruise before and we received chocolate strawberries twice. The first time was embarkation night sent by our TA, the second was on the first formal night, sent by Princess. We ordered one on the last night of the cruise from room service.

[Nancyquilts]

As a passenger on this cruise, I give the officers, staff and crew an A for the way this problem was handled. Yes, it was a disappointment to miss 3 ports. Ship happens. We're still having a great time.:D