LIVE / Sky Princess / June 17th / Land of the Midnight Sun & Summer Solstice 14 Day Cruise

[dunscrimpin]

Really enjoyed reading about your cruise. I will be doing this cruise on19th August with my adult children and grandchildren.  Just a couple of questions,  in Olden was it a tender? On the white and gold night is this a formal night or can you wear smart casual if it isn't ? Did many ladies wear white and gold ? Thanks and enjoy your Alaska trip.

[MWcruiser]

Thanks so much Jeter2 for your most enjoyable review.  We did a Norway cruise last year on the Sky Princess and loved it.  I got to relive these ports through your narratives and pictures.  Your love of cruising was apparent throughout your posts and it was a joy for me to read such a positive review. Those food pictures made me more excited for our September British Isles cruise.  I'll be on the lookout for your Alaskan adventure posts.  Thanks again for taking the time and energy to do this live review!  Safe travels!

[Jeter02]

22 hours ago, dunscrimpin said:

Really enjoyed reading about your cruise. I will be doing this cruise on19th August with my adult children and grandchildren.  Just a couple of questions,  in Olden was it a tender? On the white and gold night is this a formal night or can you wear smart casual if it isn't ? Did many ladies wear white and gold ? Thanks and enjoy your Alaska trip.

You and your family are going to have a great time on this trip, as it will be a memorable one! Olden we did not need to tender, they are always set to dock, as typically get priority over the other ship(s) in port for the day. The white and gold night is a dress to impress night. Most people were not trust in white and gold, as it's only a suggestion. It's just all about having a fun time in the piazza with some couples games and dancing with the party band for the evening.

[Jeter02]

19 hours ago, MWcruiser said:

Thanks so much Jeter2 for your most enjoyable review.  We did a Norway cruise last year on the Sky Princess and loved it.  I got to relive these ports through your narratives and pictures.  Your love of cruising was apparent throughout your posts and it was a joy for me to read such a positive review. Those food pictures made me more excited for our September British Isles cruise.  I'll be on the lookout for your Alaskan adventure posts.  Thanks again for taking the time and energy to do this live review!  Safe travels!

Awe. Thank you so much! I will say it was nice to see a much different variety of food offerings on the menu for dinner that I typically don't see when I do the Caribbean or Alaskan sailings. I'm really glad you enjoyed following me and better yet reliving this amazing vacation. 

[edspec]

On 6/26/2023 at 4:46 PM, TenneSea said:

Edspec: "For anyone wondering about Virgin Premium Economy we were impressed, not much of a difference between AA first class."

 

Did Virgin weigh your luggage?  We're travelling Upper Class our of Atlanta to Heathrow in August and I'm afraid my luggage will be over by about 1 lb.  

Sorry for delay in replying. Yes, Virgin weighed the luggage and I had to move some of my clothes to my husband’s bag on the flight over. 

[Jeter02]

As many know, especially those who followed my daily blog posts here, Norway has indeed captured my heart in so many ways. I am officially booked for another visit back. Slightly different itinerary, as I decided on an Icelandic and Norwegian Fjord cruise June 2025. Super excited for this.one, as I'll have new places to explore, and yet keep some favorites from this past cruise such as Àlesund, and Olden.

 

I am also temporarily booked for a June 2024 sailing, with different stops along the way. However, not sure if I can swing it as I am already pretty booked up for the 24' summer cruise season. We shall see and play if by ear. 

[jinpasco]

A bit off topic but Jeter02 and those that have been following his adventure,.........anyone use EZAir lately ? We  are a little over 40 days out and still not ticketed. My T A called and got the runaround. She is climbing the ladder to find out why.  I wanted to ask here if anyone  had issues with ticketing? I don't want to post yet another similar question on the site as looking more for recent experiences. Princess service of today isn't the Princess of yesterday ! Travel is a mess. No way am I going to go on the trip with no actual ticket number. So far it's still on Virgin Atlantics site. Princess has not paid. We are scheduled to leave here Aug 16.

Thanks.

[Jeter02]

11 minutes ago, jinpasco said:

A bit off topic but Jeter02 and those that have been following his adventure,.........anyone use EZAir lately ? We  are a little over 40 days out and still not ticketed. My T A called and got the runaround. She is climbing the ladder to find out why.  I wanted to ask here if anyone  had issues with ticketing? I don't want to post yet another similar question on the site as looking more for recent experiences. Princess service of today isn't the Princess of yesterday ! Travel is a mess. No way am I going to go on the trip with no actual ticket number. So far it's still on Virgin Atlantics site. Princess has not paid. We are scheduled to leave here Aug 16.

Thanks.

Yes, I always use EZair anytime I have a cruise that involves needing a flight. I would recommend calling the EZair department to see if he can get it sorted out. You should definitely have been given a ticket number by now, so I understand your concerns.

 

Unfortunately I think you're stuck having to call the 1-800 Princess number. If easier is not on the menu then I would ask to be directed to the easier department to speak to a rep.

 

Just out of curiosity when you go to manage your booking in your princess account online, and when you go under travel,  to see your flight information.... Is there no confirmation number listed? 

Edited July 7, 2023 by Jeter02

[jinpasco]

42 minutes ago, Jeter02 said:

Yes, I always use EZair anytime I have a cruise that involves needing a flight. I would recommend calling the EZair department to see if he can get it sorted out. You should definitely have been given a ticket number by now, so I understand your concerns.

 

Unfortunately I think you're stuck having to call the 1-800 Princess number. If easier is not on the menu then I would ask to be directed to the easier department to speak to a rep.

 

Just out of curiosity when you go to manage your booking in your princess account online, and when you go under travel,  to see your flight information.... Is there no confirmation number listed? 

It's on my travel papers under the summary but after  " ticket number" it's blank. My TA was on yesterday afternoon  with no plausible explanation. She was just told that Princess has not sent payment. I think since its booked thru a TA they talk to them before they would give me any information. These days getting basically no credible information is the new normal. She will keep trying. Are you back in Florida...it's ridiculously hot!!!!

[Jeter02]

8 minutes ago, jinpasco said:

It's on my travel papers under the summary but after  " ticket number" it's blank. My TA was on yesterday afternoon  with no plausible explanation. She was just told that Princess has not sent payment. I think since its booked thru a TA they talk to them before they would give me any information. These days getting basically no credible information is the new normal. She will keep trying. Are you back in Florida...it's ridiculously hot!!!!

Ugh! I'm so sorry you are going through this. Hoping and praying it gets resolved soon. The only other recommendation is if you call Princess and demand to speak to a guest relations rep. I use a personal travel agent as well, but sometimes just to help them out I don't mind being proactive to make a phone caller or two to try to expedite and rectify an issue for my own peace of mind.

 

Yes I'm back in Florida! I'm not sure exactly how steamy and hot it is, as I've been staying indoors in the AC. 😂 Avoiding the heat at all costs, as the countdown to Alaska is on to resume my more pleasant temperatures of choice. 

Edited July 7, 2023 by Jeter02

[coo359a2]

2 hours ago, jinpasco said:

A bit off topic but Jeter02 and those that have been following his adventure,.........anyone use EZAir lately ? We  are a little over 40 days out and still not ticketed. My T A called and got the runaround. She is climbing the ladder to find out why.  I wanted to ask here if anyone  had issues with ticketing? I don't want to post yet another similar question on the site as looking more for recent experiences. Princess service of today isn't the Princess of yesterday ! Travel is a mess. No way am I going to go on the trip with no actual ticket number. So far it's still on Virgin Atlantics site. Princess has not paid. We are scheduled to leave here Aug 16.

Thanks.

We were lucky and no issues.   We had EZair for our 3 cruises  -booked as a one way flight for going over and then coming back   Our flight to Heathrow on 31 May was ticketed in January.  I nor TA requested this -it just showed up one day on my Travel Summary and also on Delta’s website. The return flight (for tomorrow) was ticketed about 50 days before we flew over on the 31 May. It was booked on Delta but will be a Virgin Atlantic plane.  Didn’t like that but my only choice. I was already making plans to contact princess when it was finally ticketed.  Good luck getting it all ticketed. 

[SusieCruiser2]

Can someone tell me the scheduled times for the main shows in the evening please?  We prefer to attend a later show, and are looking to reserve our dining time to accommodate this. We will be traveling on the Sky in February.   Thanks for your help.

[Jeter02]

Just now, SusieCruiser2 said:

Can someone tell me the scheduled times for the main shows in the evening please?  We prefer to attend a later show, and are looking to reserve our dining time to accommodate this. We will be traveling on the Sky in February.   Thanks for your help.

The shows while in Europe where scheduled at 8:00 and 10:00 p.m. but please be advised normally when it's in the Caribbean as I'm usually on the ship quite frequently including the Sky they tend to be earlier at 7:30 and 9:30pm.

[Cobber76]

3 hours ago, jinpasco said:

A bit off topic but Jeter02 and those that have been following his adventure,.........anyone use EZAir lately ? We  are a little over 40 days out and still not ticketed. My T A called and got the runaround. She is climbing the ladder to find out why.  I wanted to ask here if anyone  had issues with ticketing? I don't want to post yet another similar question on the site as looking more for recent experiences. Princess service of today isn't the Princess of yesterday ! Travel is a mess. No way am I going to go on the trip with no actual ticket number. So far it's still on Virgin Atlantics site. Princess has not paid. We are scheduled to leave here Aug 16.

Thanks.

@jinpasco  As of today (July 7), we also have NOT be ticketed.  We are on Delta out of Minneapolis and also leave on August 16.  I'll send my TA a message today.

[nini]

4 hours ago, jinpasco said:

A bit off topic but Jeter02 and those that have been following his adventure,.........anyone use EZAir lately ? We  are a little over 40 days out and still not ticketed. My T A called and got the runaround. She is climbing the ladder to find out why.  I wanted to ask here if anyone  had issues with ticketing? I don't want to post yet another similar question on the site as looking more for recent experiences. Princess service of today isn't the Princess of yesterday ! Travel is a mess. No way am I going to go on the trip with no actual ticket number. So far it's still on Virgin Atlantics site. Princess has not paid. We are scheduled to leave here Aug 16.

Thanks.

It also took us quite a while to be ticketed. Booking through a TA has nothing to do with it. We were also on Virgin Atlantic for the flight from SeaTac to LHR. We were in Premium Economy and would book with them again and did not care for BA for our return flight.

[nini]

2 hours ago, coo359a2 said:

We were lucky and no issues.   We had EZair for our 3 cruises  -booked as a one way flight for going over and then coming back   Our flight to Heathrow on 31 May was ticketed in January.  I nor TA requested this -it just showed up one day on my Travel Summary and also on Delta’s website. The return flight (for tomorrow) was ticketed about 50 days before we flew over on the 31 May. It was booked on Delta but will be a Virgin Atlantic plane.  Didn’t like that but my only choice. I was already making plans to contact princess when it was finally ticketed.  Good luck getting it all ticketed. 

our Virgin Atlantic flight was also a "code share" and booked through Delta but was on Virgin Atlantic metal.

[jinpasco]

2 hours ago, Cobber76 said:

@jinpasco  As of today (July 7), we also have NOT be ticketed.  We are on Delta out of Minneapolis and also leave on August 16.  I'll send my TA a message today.

Misery loves company, lol. At least I am not the only one. We have not had issues in the past but after the close during covid we must have lost all the good employees. We are on Virgin out of Tampa. Thank you for letting me know.

[trvlwrld]

Just had our October cruise ticketed….on the website pull up your booking, click on flights, click on “view/change flights.   You will see “request ticketing” ..click on that…it should give you ticket numbers after midnight when the system reboots

[jinpasco]

3 hours ago, trvlwrld said:

Just had our October cruise ticketed….on the website pull up your booking, click on flights, click on “view/change flights.   You will see “request ticketing” ..click on that…it should give you ticket numbers after midnight when the system reboots

Tried it..I got a message saying "request received, try again later." So I will check again tomorrow. 

[jinpasco]

17 hours ago, jinpasco said:

Misery loves company, lol. At least I am not the only one. We have not had issues in the past but after the close during covid we must have lost all the good employees. We are on Virgin out of Tampa. Thank you for letting me know.

 Cobber76, Please let me know how you do with your tickets. My TA is off on Saturday and I will call tomorrow though not sure EZAir answers anything on the weekends. 

[mrmarklin]

20 hours ago, Cobber76 said:

@jinpasco  As of today (July 7), we also have NOT be ticketed.  We are on Delta out of Minneapolis and also leave on August 16.  I'll send my TA a message today.

We are leaving for London the 23d of July. Still not ticketed. Return on August 12 is ticketed. I called Princess and they said not to worry. But I’ll call again soon. 

[jinpasco]

5 minutes ago, mrmarklin said:

We are leaving for London the 23d of July. Still not ticketed. Return on August 12 is ticketed. I called Princess and they said not to worry. But I’ll call again soon. 

Wow, what is going on with Princess and EZ Air ? Telling me not to worry would not work for me.  😵 I worry even when it's ticketed. A while back that similar scenario in reverse happened to a blogger as she didn't notice it was not ticketed on the return and I believe she had to buy another ticket then fight for reimbursement.  I would not trust anyone but ourselves these days. Good luck and let us know. I have learned some of my best lessons from others on CC. 

[Jeter02]

11 minutes ago, jinpasco said:

Wow, what is going on with Princess and EZ Air ? Telling me not to worry would not work for me.  😵 I worry even when it's ticketed. A while back that similar scenario in reverse happened to a blogger as she didn't notice it was not ticketed on the return and I believe she had to buy another ticket then fight for reimbursement.  I would not trust anyone but ourselves these days. Good luck and let us know. I have learned some of my best lessons from others on CC. 

I know for myself, I like the option of pre-picking a seat. I don't mind paying an extra $40 to hand select where I wanted to sit. Even though it was within economy, at least I  had the comfort of knowing I was up front within the economy section, which I prefer over being in the back of the plane. I'm sure having a ticket number would be helpful in whether to do that type of transaction.

 

The matter of the fact is simple, from a customer standpoint we just like to have peace of mind everything is taken care of, especially for something we paid for.

[jinpasco]

2 minutes ago, Jeter02 said:

I know for myself, I like the option of pre-picking a seat. I don't mind paying an extra $40 to hand select where I wanted to sit. Even though it was within economy, at least I  had the comfort of knowing I was up front within the economy section, which I prefer over being in the back of the plane. I'm sure having a ticket number would be helpful in whether to do that type of transaction.

 

The matter of the fact is simple, from a customer standpoint we just like to have peace of mind everything is taken care of, especially for something we paid for.

Peace of mind, exactly. It's a vacation. 

We have our seats picked from day one. On the longer flight it's nice to have the 2 seats instead of the 3 where it never fails, I am  the one stuck in the middle. The Virgin site is still showing our flight and seats , it's on Princess to come thru now.

[Jeter02]

9 minutes ago, jinpasco said:

Peace of mind, exactly. It's a vacation. 

We have our seats picked from day one. On the longer flight it's nice to have the 2 seats instead of the 3 where it never fails, I am  the one stuck in the middle. The Virgin site is still showing our flight and seats , it's on Princess to come thru now.

I'm happy knowing yhat part at least is taken care of. Oh no, the dread at middle seat. I applaud the people who sat in that middle seat on the 8.5 - 9 hour flight each way. They were true troopers and surprisingly never got up once. That's why I like the hand select I personally need an aisle seat just a stretch my leg for my knees sake.