bandp407

3 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

This issue is specific to the Deluxe Guarantee cabins on Royal class ships.

It is just ridiculous.  

One booking we have, it IS showing these available for two...

Other bookings we are looking at...  ONLY shows available for selection when you have entered 3  or more guests.

We are considering booking during the 3 Day Sale...  And, our TA has been agreeable to the 'booking for 3, cancel one later' work-around.  This is what we plan to do.   We have selected a very specific area/cabin for some important reasons...  and, if we can't get that, we might not choose to book.

 

Remember, if somebody did call Princess and were able to select a Deluxe Balcony, this is LUCK.  

And, if one is using a TA, like the agency with the 3 Day Sale, then you can't call Princess directly, as they will refer you back to your TA.

What a mess & a time consuming process! 

16 minutes ago, JGmf said:

 

I have a guarantee mini-suite on a 10-day Island Princess Med cruise this summer.  I had no choice, even using my PVP.

 

I'm assuming the reason that most don't want a guarantee room is not knowing where it will be located, that it may be too far, too close, too loud, or whatever.

 

In addition to the relative location of the cabin, is there any other reason that a guarantee room brings worry or risk?

In my opinion, the greatest concern is the location . Could be forward rather than our preferred aft. Could be a deck we don’t want, etc… 

I think Princess is loosing business over this issue but as TAW1963 noted Princess has been doing this for quite some time. 

10 minutes ago, TAW1963 said:

I share your frustration for I too like to book far out so that I can get the best choice for cabins.  I think it is crazy for Princess to do this, but they have done this since before I started booking with them over a year and a half ago.  

 

The price is higher initially for the third person, but after they are dropped the price would come back down accordingly.  You can try getting a Princess agent to book you without the third person option, but their ability to do so will depend on how experienced the agent is.    Perhaps the experience ones know the third person trick and do it without even mentioning it, who knows.  Lately the chances of getting an experienced agent are minimal.  The online agent can do the three person option, immediately cancel the third, and then update your booking without ever charging you for a deposit on the third person.  They just may need a little education from you when you talk to them.

Agreed- chances of getting an experienced agent are minimal!! I am waiting to hear about next week’s sale and then will give this all a shot. 

6 minutes ago, rjack22 said:

I have dealt with this issue.   In my case I was able to call Princess and the representative was able to book the two of us in a Deluxe Balcony.   I didn't have to do the "book for 3" trick.   My advice is to call Princess and see if you can't get them to book what you want.

Thank you , I will try that. Hopefully they will then be able to release to my “ big box agency”.

3 hours ago, TAW1963 said:

I personally wouldn't accept a Guarantee.  If you don't want to use a PVP, or you cannot find a PVP that can book them for you, you can also book one of the Deluxe, or Premium Deluxe, cabins by booking for three people and then having the third passenger dropped. This is easily done by booking online and then calling Princess to have the third passenger dropped.  You can do the full booking by calling Princess, but you may have to educate the agent about doing the booking with three people first and then dropping one. 

Thank you for the third person suggestion. I’ve tried that and naturally the price is higher. Even then, only 1 or 2 cabins in the very aft of the ship show available. Like you, we don’t want to accept a Guarantee. This is quite frustrating , given we book pretty far out.  As much as we enjoyed the Enchanted, this difficulty booking will present an issue for us. Fortunately I booked the Sun for next January several months ago. The service onboard Enchanted was very good, however the frustration with booking leaves a lot to be considered. 
 

thank you both for your input!

We just returned from our 1st Princess sailing and enjoyed it very much! 
 

Why is it that every date I check for next June - August, or any date even beyond for that matter shows guarantee only for the deluxe balcony.  We sail almost exclusively with Celebrity & HAL and they don’t operate this way. Can always see the available cabins in each category. When onboard last week we spoke with a future cruise agent and she showed cabins that we couldn’t see. If not , said she could call . Very surprised to hear what I was telling her. We did an open passage and I would like to book during the sale ( ?) next week. However, I want to be able to select my cabin. This is crazy!! I work with a big box agency and they called and still nothing. 

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This is a real put off. Many thanks. 

 

Thank you so very much for clarifying & the info on the shows! Quick question - are the shows 7 & 9 as I remember them to be in the past? We have selected 8pm ( main seating) for dinner. If the BB King bands are as great as we remember them to be, we will be all set! 
 

Hope you are enjoying your Cruise & that it has met your expectations! 

23 minutes ago, fusion927 said:

We got off the NS last month.  They did have an hour of ballroom dancing in the early evening in the BB Kings lounge.  It was recorded music with a DJ, but at least it was available!

 

I didn't notice any pre dinner music, but wasn't looking!

Thank you . Did you happen to notice if there was a DJ in the BB Kings Lounge once the band played their last set? 

After several years of not sailing with HAL , we are considering a Caribbean sailing next winter on either of the two Pinnacle ships. We are confident that the service, food, ambiance and cabins will be great. Our concern- will there be music around the ship in the evening, besides BB King and the Rolling Stone Band? We enjoy good music and dancing and don’t think the Rolling Stone Band will do much other than play rock. What happens when BB king ( which we almost always love) are not playing?   I seem to remember a DJ Onboard in previous years ? We just recently sailed on the Enchanted Princess and there was great music everywhere. We also find Celebrity quite alive, although lately it’s been all about Silent Disco and headline the band! 
 

‘I’ve read that HAL is adding production shows to the main stage which is great and very much needed! My concerns are with the music and dancing options. Also enjoy music while having a pre dinner cocktail. Does this exist? 
 

My fellow cruisers, I would greatly appreciate whatever first hand information you can provide. Many thanks! 

1 hour ago, Robkat said:

Well, you've definitely chosen a beauty of a ship for your first Princess cruise. 

As you can see by our sign off, we've been on many cruises on many cruise lines, and for now at least, we're finding that we're most satisfied with Princess.

No cruise or cruise line "has it all" or is perfect, so as long as you aren't looking for those, we think you'll enjoy yourselves!

Have a great upcoming cruise!

Thanks much for all of your comments and good wishes! So true, a pros and cons list for all cruises and cruise lines! Happy Cruising to you as well! 

4 hours ago, Robkat said:

Hi @2 to Sea,

Enjoyed your Live From, as we just got off the beautiful Enchanted this morning as well!  So interesting to get someone else's perspective!  

Our experience was quite a bit different from yours, as we've cruised the Caribbean so much over the years, and we live at the beach in Florida, so for us, the ship is the destination and we don't get off at all.  Hearing about your excursions was interesting.

We also loved Take Five, and ended up there most nights.

Thanks for this fun review!  

 

We will be taking our first Princess Cruise ( our 41st cruise ) on the Enchanted on May 18. For us too, the ship is our destination. We rarely get off. It’s been great to hear so many lovely reviews. We are truly looking forward to it! Take Five could be our favorite too! 

 Following along - we sail her in 3 weeks! 

Have a great cruise!!

4 hours ago, MarcsSharon said:

Just got off this morning. This cruise was one of the best we’ve been on. Service, entertainment and food were all fantastic. I feel Princess has turned it up a notch. Enjoy!!!

So happy to hear how much you enjoyed it & reasons why. DH & I board in 27 days. It will be our 41st cruise , but first with Princess! Your comments made our day! Thank you!! 

5 hours ago, Grego said:

Car is loaded and will be leaving at 7:00 to drive down. Another lovely day in south Florida.

Will be following. We sail her in 4 weeks ! 
 

Have a fabulous cruise! 🥂🥂

39 minutes ago, jeromep said:

A full entertainment schedule is only fully available when on board.  Music and entertainment is everywhere throughout the day.  Music and activities in the Piazza most of the day and into the evening.  You'll have music in Take 5 in the evening.  Also piano singer in Crooners.  There will be at least a couple of shows each evening in the Vista Lounge, along with a couple of production shows or larger band and singer acts in the theater, also every evening.  Game shows and television productions will be done in Princes Live a number of times each day.  Up on Lido at the central pool you have both live band entertainment along with music videos and Moves Under The Stars in the evening.  I'm sure I missed something.  There is activity going on all the time on board.  You will not be without entertainment options.

WOW & WOW & WOW!! Thank you so much for detailing all of this! It’s what we expected and a huge reason for trying Princess. 

1 minute ago, jean-lynd said:

It will be awhile before they load all of the entertainment. In fact, some things may not show up until you are on board. I hope this helps!

Thank you! Yes, I did a bit of research & that seems to be the case. Actually someone who is currently onboard, references the music events. Thank goodness! I just couldn’t imagine! 
 

Happy Cruising! 

Well guess what - my perseverance paid off!! Apparently the “ tech” support that the agent reached out to corrected the problem. The app for both sailings is working! The web version that jean-lynd suggested is great too! 
 

HOWEVER - in reading the daily ship schedule I don’t see any LIVE MUSIC, PARTY BANDS, ETC… The only thing it shows is the DJ at 11:00pm. Is this possible?? All I ever heard is that there is lots of live music on the Princess ships, namely the Enchanted. I may create another post asking for input from those who have recently sailed on her. If this is correct, we will be canceling our Aug 3rd sailing. I have a short window to do so. 
 

many thanks in advance. 

5 hours ago, jean-lynd said:

I have had much better luck using the "web version" of the app that is in cruise personalizer on the Princess website. I have been able to do everything in there when nothing worked in the app. i don't plan to log into the app again until I get on the ship. I have attached a screen shot that shows how to get to the "web version" if you want to give it a try. I hope this helps!

Thank you very much for this! Yes, it works!! Please read below.

10 hours ago, TxChick51 said:

Prior to our Alaska cruise last year, I found some things easier to navigate by going to the Princess website and logging into my cruise account. The closer it got to the cruise, it seemed like more was available on the app, but I understand your frustration.  This was our first cruise in 25 years, first ever on Princess. Despite the hiccups, we had a great experience on the ship & app worked really well.  I’m ready to go again!

Despite all the issues we are looking forward to our upcoming cruises on Princess! Before even experiencing Princess , we booked a May & Aug on Enchanted & end January on the SUN. I am optimistic! 
 

Go ahead and book it!

1 minute ago, WisCruiser2 said:

@bandp407 if you booked a "Deluxe Balcony" apparently those are all Guarantee rooms for some reason. You said you booked through a big box agency - if you wanted a "non-Deluxe" stateroom, you should have been able to choose it. We were on Enchanted in February for a B2B - had booked a regular balcony initially the year before. When we decided to add the other leg last fall (due to cancellation of another cruise) the only available option was Deluxe Guaranteed (with a good fare) so we took it. Ended up for that leg with a Deluxe on Dolphin deck, with the bigger balcony! 

I hear you , but their system is quite frustrating! 

13 minutes ago, Alaska05 said:

You said they made dining reservations for you but you can’t see them.

 

I couldn’t find mine either until someone pointed out how to do it.

 

once you are on the app, click on the “Book Dining” tab underneath the number of days until embarkation. Then in the upper right hand corner there should be a calendar icon with a red heart. Click on that.  See if your reservations show.

 

I know lots of people report having problems with the app, but for us it has always worked fine. Guess we are lucky.

Thank you very much - it worked!!! Now, they just need to figure out why my account doesn’t show final payment on my end and I needed to call. I am done with this ! Thanks much for your help! 

3 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

It sounds like you are calling the call center. This is not what you want. Most feedback here is they are nearly useless.

You're looking to speak with an Ocean Navigator for your App concerns. 

If you decide Princess is for you. Then in the future, book through a Princess Cruise Vacation Planner (CVP), or a pro TA. That way, if issues come up, they.are your direct liason to the system.

For your dining, when aboard, call the Dine Line, a number you can get onboard.

You can select your own cabin by number, if available, and choose if you are willing to accept upgrade or not.  Unless that cabin catagory is near sold out.

I'm sure there are are things to learn for dealing with issues for any cruise line, for first timers. 

Thank you for your suggestions. Yes, I am aware dinner reservations are not necessary. We just find it easier to set in advance. 
 

perhaps booking directly with a CVP would eliminate these issues. On the other hand I would not receive my big box agency perk. 

8 hours ago, DrSea said:

My most helpful tip is to just give up on app. It never works. One step forward and 10 steps back. 

👍👍

10 hours ago, walkingsoon said:

Welcome to MedallionClass cruising </sarc>

 

Not exactly sure what you mean by a "dedicated desk", but you might try calling Princess and ask, as a seasoned cruiser considering shifting allegiance, for your own personal CVP (cruise vacation planner). That person should be able to see (and assign) a specific room that might not be available to you if you are booking by yourself online. Before you call, perhaps do some room availability research by doing a mock booking in which you plug in "3" or "4" as the "number of guests". 

 

If you can't (or you've simply maxed out the time you're willing to try to) get the dining reservations you want, realize that you can simply show up at the ship and wander to one of the MDRs on your own schedule. You don't need reservations, you don't need the app. You might even find life more relaxing ignoring both.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Walkingsoon

Thank you for your welcoming and suggestions. As to the dedicated desk, it’s often the loyalty desk for the respective cruise lines. I’ve called and asked for the Ocean Ready line and have not had much better luck. I generally book with the big box agency, so establishing with a CVP won’t really work , unless I book and release. 

Thank you for the suggestion to do the mock booking. As I am sure you can understand it’s very frustrating not to be able to search for “Real” Availability. 
 

yes

Fellow Cruisers, 

We are seasoned cruisers , but our first with Princess in May & August on the Enchanted. I have had nothing but issues with the app attempting to book dining . Several here have noted they were able to book their dining prior to final payment. I was not able to do so. Even after final payment, the app has told me I have not made final payment!! This was for the August cruise. I tried signing out and it then says my info not recognized. I try a password reset & get they are having technical difficulties. I could get in by using my booking number & did our check-in. I am Ocean Ready!! Still can’t view my dining that their rep had to book. 
 

i have phoned Princess numerous times and end up overseas. The majority have had no clue & claim they will report it. . I finally got an agent at Ocean Ready to make the dinner reservations. Now I am unable to see them. This has been so frustrating for both bookings. I can honestly say that my experience with their app & customer service has left much to be desired. 
 

my other peeve is that even when booking well in advance, the system shows no cabins available- basically all are a “ guarantee” . It’s not my preferred way of booking- never take a guarantee. Is this how Princess operates? 

I would be most appreciative of any feedback you can provide. What am I doing wrong? Also, I am accustomed to having a dedicated desk at Celebrity, HAL , RCCL for special services. Does this exist at Princess? 

Many thanks!