HMSDingy

Last time we sailed was in 2019 and are have booked on a Europe cruise on the Oosterdam in September of 2024. Our last cruise in 2019 was with HAL and I don't recall if there was a formal night. Is there one and how strict are they on the type of clothing?

We booked a Europe cruise for September 2024 with this promo and got a midship balcony for a pretty good price. Worse case scenario, if we cancel, we lose a whole $2.

19 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Sorry, but not exactly as the Plus costs almost $77.  Crew Incentive is $16 for most cabins.

 

PASS 1        $77 + $16 = $93

PASS 2         $16          = $16

TOTAL                          = $109

 

PLUS for PASS 1 & 2 = $120

 

So, I do disagree with your proposition.  Are you seriously suggesting $11 is enough to make the choice you suggest?  There really is no circumstance the standalone beverage package is a good idea.  It is highly unlikely such a scenario exists that it is not worth consideration IMO.   If one is also a savvy cruiser, they will be booking with a TA that discounts the cruise fare in some manner and that $120 ought to cost under $109.

 

 

 

I appreciate all of the info but DW and I are Italian and we always have a bottle of wine with our meals. Our next cruise is for 20 days & if we factor in a bottle a day with the current average price of $50 per bottle that's a cool $1000 not including any cocktails we will probably have. We're still thinking about it.  But although booked, we have a plan B with HAL and they offer wine packages at affordable prices. We have a refundable deposit so no worries there as we might have a family do we can't get out of at the time of our cruise with Princess.  The HAL cruise we MIGHT change to is for 18 days and their wine packages would cost us $500 for 16 bottles. There's always the fact that we're allowed to bring a bottle each onboard & pay the corkage fee, Then maybe buy a bottle at each port we visit and just pay the corkage. I know that decent wines are fairly inexpensive in Europe as I have family there. I realize that this might seem to be apples to oranges for some and I apologize for going on & on.

Just now, Steelers36 said:

The point was not whether to have an all-inclusive package or not. Your original post discussed purchasing the standalone beverage package - not the Plus fare option.

 

The point was it would be wrong to purchase the stand-alone beverage packages over the Cruise Fare Plus package due to simple cost effectiveness.

 

We don't purchase the Plus or Premier option as it doesn't work for us.  Sounds like you are the same, but were at least looking into it.

Right you are sir. Most of the extras in these options we wouldn't use so its a mute option for us. Too bad Princess doesn't have wine packages as some of the other lines do. Our last cruise was with HAL and they offer a wine package. 

2 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Sure.

Sorry if I didn't ask this before or even searched it, but how much is the corkage fee?

13 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Probably a typo as the free limit is 1 bottle per guest.  You can also bring another one or two bottles on at a port stop and they don't bat and eye.

Does that mean I can pick up bottles at each port we stop at? 

13 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

You do NOT!!! want to be doing this!!!  

 

Are you aware of the Cruise Fare options of Plus Fare and Premier Fare?  These are the ways to go because you are just throwing money away to buy the separate beverage package.

 

You can add the Plus or Premier FARE package to your booking pre-cruise or purchase it on-board on Day 1. 

 

PLUS is $60/pp/day and Premier is $80/pp/day.  The Cruise Fare package includes Crew Appreciation and MedallionNet (internet access for 1-device each at a time).

 

Don't even think about purchasing the standalone drink packages.

Ok but my booked cruise would go up by about $2000 CAD at $60 US per day. The cruise we're booked is for 20 days. I'm just interested in having bottled wine with my supper, as we did in the past on our other Princess cruises.

If I understand it correctly, the Premier Package at $84.99/day for a 20 day cruise would total $1700. What if you only want a wine package, does Princess have one?

1 minute ago, marazul said:

I  hope you meant you are staying in Rome one day ahead of the cruise. One day after the cruise will not help you getting to the ship on the first day of the cruise. Your arrival plan relies on a lot of wishful thinking and luck. 

Yes, sorry, typed too fast.

14 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I will answer your question with a question.  What will you do if your flight is 3 hours late?  Assuming your flight is from Canada, it is not that unusual for flight to be delayed, sometimes for many hours.  Another issue is your luggage?  If your luggage misses your flight and shows up on the next flight....hmm.  To put this in perspective, even if your flight is exactly on time you may not get your luggage until about 11:30.  You will than need to get to the port and that takes up to an hour.  So, if things go almost perfectly, you should arrive at your ship around 12:30.  

 

There is a reason why most seasoned cruisers fly-in at least one day early (when going to Europe we generally go several days early.  You are leaving yourself almost no margin for error.  Another reason we like to fly-in days early is for the peace of mind (and lack of any anxiety).  And flying into Rome a few days early is not a bad thing as Rome is worthy of at least a few pre-cruise days.

 

So my advice is that you should have a "Plan B" in your mind just in case you do miss your cruise.  Plan B will be how (and when you will catch up to your ship at one of the following ports.  

 

Hank

As usual your answers are spot on. We'll fly in a day earlier and stay in Rome pre-cruise. That's what we do for all of our cruises regardless of the departure port. I was just curious and apologize for wasting people's time. Thanks Hank, much appreciated..

14 hours ago, marazul said:

That's nuts.

Yes it is, that's why we plan on staying in Rome for one day after our cruise.

On 6/9/2023 at 1:18 PM, Rick&Jeannie said:

Not on board right now but we sailed on her a couple of months ago and had a great cruise. Note that you can always find people who like to complain or point out things that are not quite up to par. Take these reports with a big grain of salt. If you enjoy cruising and start with a good attitude you'll probably have a great trip!

My take exactly. I've been on marvelous cruises where I've read horrible reviews. To each their own, I guess.

Does Princess have wine packages by the bottle like they used to? I can't seem to find any.

Are upgrades only given when a ship is not full? Or are their other circumstances?

Are upgrades only given when a ship is not full? Or are their other circumstances?

1 minute ago, rodndonna said:

 

I'm a "day-of-er" when it comes to pre cruise flights .. but would not be comfortable with that one. 

 

Quite a lot of potential extra delays in addition to potential flight delays -  baggage claim, customs and transport to the port. 

Then I go to plan B & fly in the night before & book a room.

Would I be cutting it too close if I book a flight out of Athens at 2:20 PM with the cruise arriving in port at 6 AM?

Am I cutting too close if I book a flight arriving at 10:25 AM in Rome for a cruise leaving at 3 PM?

Thanks to all for your responses & advice. I checked the price list on this website; https://rogerjett-photography.com/ and choosing 8 bottles that I would normally order, I find that the cost for the wine package would be beneficial in that I would be saving approximately $100. The cruise we will most probably book is 18 days and I would probably buy 2 packages. DW and I are Italian & we always have wine with our supper.

Although we've cruised before, we've never had a guaranteed cabin. Now looking at a European cruise in 2024, we may go that route. I know the basics of guaranteed cabins but can you get an upgrade even with this category?

7 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We will sit back at hope that Cruisemom sees this thread and jumps in with her hotel suggestions.  We have yet to find the "perfect" Rome hotel although we do favor places in the Piazza Navona/Campo de Fiori part of town.  Like most major cities, frequent travelers all seem to have their favorite neighborhoods.  I do like to find locations that are convenient for walking to local eating venues and some nightlife.  In Rome, we worry less about tourist sites since we can always use public transit and our feet to get to those areas in daytime.

 

Hank

Same here about the touristy places. We've been to Italy several times and pretty much know our way around but since we have family there and I have my grandfather's place to stay at, unless it's pre-cruise, we rarely rent. 

2 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

Then you are in big trouble :).  As confirmed DIY folks, are knowledge of private tour/transfer companies is limited.   When going from Rome to Civitavecchia we hardly ever use a transfer company  If we do not have a lot of luggage we may just take the train.  Otherwise, we just have our hotel get us a taxi.  We have also had a lot of experience with rental cars and have often dropped or picked up a car in Civitavecchia pre/post cruise. Our personal knowledge of Rome In Limo and Rome Cabs primarily comes from using transfer companies to get from the port to FCO for an early flight.  

 

One warning about recommendations.  The travel world has changed because of COVID.  Many companies (around the world) have either changed ownership or simply disappeared.  And those that survived have often been forced to replace experienced folks with new hires.  It is almost like we are starting all over again...with a clean slate and many companies have employee shortages.  We recently saw this, first hand, while cruising in Asia where quite a few private tours and ship excursions were cancelled (we think it was mostly due to skilled labor shortages).

 

In Europe the changes are sometimes surprising.  Shortly after travel reopened in Greece, DW and I took a ferry to Naxos (from Pireaus).  We had booked a rental car from a Europcar office, located a few blocks from the ferry port.  When we got to that Europcar office it had become a motorcycle rental shop.  The local Europcar franchisee had closed that office over 6 months earlier, and Europcar (normally an excellent company) had failed to update their web site (and they kept taking reservations for an office that did not exist).  A minor bump in the road of independent travel, but also a heads-up that many things have changed as the result of COVID.

 

Hank

Wow, I did get an earful or rather read full.😆 Thanks. Our last Med cruise was pre-COVID and as always, we booked a stay in Rome pre-cruise but I don't recall the transfer company we used to get to the hotel in Rome. DW and I are Italian & we speak our language fluently so getting around is easy peasy. The transfer companies I listed seem to have decent reviews elsewhere and their prices are competitive although I find Rome Cabs a tad more expensive. BTW, can you suggest a decent moderately priced stay in Rome? We're looking at a HAL cruise in 2024 out of Civitavecchia and we plan to stay in Rome.

Just now, Hlitner said:

Sir?  OMG...it has come to that :).  Sorry, but I have no personal knowledge of either of those sites/companies. 

 

Hank

With all of your knowledge & input, it's the best I can do😎

14 hours ago, Hlitner said:

If you want a private transfer company we would add "Rome Cabs" (Romecabs.com) to the list.  Another option (assuming you can easily handle all your luggage) is to take a train to Civitavecchia and than grab a shuttle bus to the port.

 

Hank

Morning sir, what do you think of welcomepickups.com & booktaxi.com?

The HAL website won't allow me to see their wine packages if I don't have a booking number. Does anybody have access to current packages?