dchan865

13 hours ago, jabrown40 said:

Sorry, I realize I wrote that in a way that led to misunderstanding!  I saw that the cost had decreased in a President sale email from Celebrity.  I called them to arrange for the decrease.

np. thanks for clarifying.

1 hour ago, jabrown40 said:

Today, I noticed a 100.00pp decrease in a cruise I booked in December for May 2025.  I had booked it with Celebrity - they applied the 200.00 to my balance.

That must be a nice surprise. If they did it automatically without telling you, that's nice. 

8 minutes ago, LB_NJ said:

From celebrity's website:

 

For a request submitted on or before the due date of final payment, the following applies:

Request for a Lower Cruise Fare:

Celebrity will reduce cruise fare to available prevailing cruise fare. If full payment has been made, a refund will be issued.

Nice. I like. 

Thanks.

Thanks everyone! Appreciate the quick feedback.

I just booked the Edge. If I don't get credit/refund from fare drop, that's okay. And if I do, that would be sweet.

Hi Cruisers, I am thinking of trying Celebrity cruise for the 1st time. Since so many things are going on in the cruising business since covid, many cruising companies have changed the ways they operate. Just wondering what to expect if Celebrity has a lower price for my room category before I make final payment before Feb 2025.  We're planning an Alaska cruise next year on the Edge, thinking of picking a non refundable fare and book it from a big box store travel agency.  Will Celebrity give me onboard credit or a CC refund?   

And after I make final payment, do they provide credit/refund? 

Thanks.

1 hour ago, stevenr597 said:

We cruise on July 10th.

My bad. Thought you sailed several days ago.

Thanks.

On 5/7/2022 at 6:03 PM, stevenr597 said:

We are sailing Seattle to Seattle with our only stop in Victoria.  The Princess Website says for fully vaccinated passengers (which includes a booster) it is three days before sailing, obtaining either an antigen or PCR. 

We will be flying out of Orlando on Friday, boarding on a Sunday, and intend to get the Antigen test through a local pharmacy on Thursday.  

Hope that they will let us on the ship!!!

Did you make it to the ship without problem at Seattle port?

I don't think that's allowed but want to double check here. Can you use onboard credit given by travel agency and pay for the daily gratitude($15.50) per person?

Thanks guys! We'll buy the multiple device plan before sailing. We don't have princess plus package and  dont have Elite or Platinum status. 

Its been 15 years ago since we cruised on Princess ship so I  don't know what any time dining is like at the MDR. Specifically I am curious to know if all the MDRs(Skagway, Ketchikan and Juneau on Discovery Princess) have the same dinner menu  during an evening meal? 

Thanks.

3 hours ago, Buckeye10640 said:

So thankfully I went ahead and ordered some last week. I ordered 4 for 4 us so hopefully none are faulty. The lack of clarity  and inconsistency by Princess on both pre  and post cruise testing has me stressed. And I am not talking about government rules they have no control over and must follow,  these are their own policies and posted guidelines they keep changing.

It  may be a good idea to order few extra kits just in case(bad network connection, accidentally dropped it, faulty kit etc...). I saw a poster on a separate thread mentioned that due to problematic network connection at their hotel, they couldn't complete the proctored test within the time allowed. Luckily he/she had a spare kit to redo the test and passed.   

Got a Alaska cruise coming up on Discovery. I see that the Medallion Net plan shows $70 for 7 day cruise for 1 device. And multiple devices would cost $140.

Just wondering if I should get it before the cruise or hold out for a better/promotional prices when onboard. What do you guys think?

On 4/16/2022 at 12:58 PM, southerngirl4777 said:

I've been waiting for my $250 refundable deposit on the Discovery cruise that Princess canceled last September.  I have been promised a refund to my CC after several conversations with my TA.  I just spoke to him on the phone and he says that hopefully he recently was in contact with the right person, so maybe in a couple of weeks I will have my refund. Not very hopeful.

Wow, that's a long time. You've got patience.  In the last couple of years I had  several Princess cruises cancelled(all were deposit before full payment and one was for full payment for a British isle cruise), they have dragged their feet on refund for many months. I understood their situation so gave them a little extra time. But after waiting a long time I went ahead and disputed it on my CC and eventually they were all settled in my favor. I just made sure I saved all the cancellation email and Princess public announcement in cases related to my cancelled cruise. So if CC company need evidence to support my dispute, I have it.

14 hours ago, kml246 said:

We've been on seven cruises (four sailings) leaving from the US since return to sailing. The last one was this month on Emerald Princess. We were not boosted for the first two sailings but did get our first booster in December. On all of the embarkations, they checked that we were fully vaccinated but did not check for a booster. Current Princess protocols for sailings from the US is that a booster is recommended but not required. From the UK and EU, they are requiring a booster if the last vaccination dose is more than nine months prior to sailing. This, from what I understand, is because of EU regulations. We're sailing from Southampton UK in July and looks like our booster in December will be sufficient. What is a PITA is the requirement to test ONE day before sailing. 

 

Kevin 

Thanks Kevin for sharing your experience. We are more at ease now. Really appreciate this. 

22 hours ago, san diego sue said:

Thank you so much for posting that there is a server problem on their end. I will stop trying to do anything with the application. My Medallion appl on some of my tries also said no journeys a few times.

no problem.

I think their server is working again. I don't have my problem on my iPad  and Android phone anymore.  But problem persists on the web one.   https://oceanready-personalinfo-ui.prod.ocean.com/

Still getting user name and password is incorrect. Hope that they fix that so others who prefer to use the web version can get their planning done. 

Hi folks, just want to get a little reassurance before cruising in several weeks. Hate to be denied boarding and be left at port while the ship leaves.  We are fully vaccinated and received 1 booster  and is qualified for a 2nd booster several weeks ago. 

As of April 27th, in regards to booster shot requirement for USA and entry to Canada on an Alaskan cruise, my understanding/interpretation from Princess rule is as long as one is Fully Vaccinated per CDC guidance, we can cruise. And its NOT mandatory to get a booster shot(s).   Right?  

If you cruise recently on USA cruise and had no issue, would love to hear from you.

Thanks.

I too is experiencing problem last night and this morning.  When I load the app on 3 different platforms(web browser, ipad iOS, Android based phone) and try to change personal info and documents  in "Travel Checklist", I see a white screen and the loading message and then the app tells me "you do not have any journeys. select booking to add one". When trying to link booking by inputting name, booking# and Bday info, I get "username or password is incorrect". 

I called Princess Ocean Ready support and the rep told me that this is a server issue on their end that stated last night and its in processing of getting fixed.  She said since I am already in the green lane, there is nothing to worry about when I check in for the cruise. They will just take care of the incomplete health questionnaire portion at port.  Hopefully they will fix the server glitch soon.

After reviewing this a bit more, I am either going to put the Ogden port address in Victoria or a hotel/airbnb in Victoria that  supports guests that have to do quarantine, even though i do not intent to get off the ship for a 5 hour stop at Ogden port. I came across a poster on CC forum put in a Vancover hotel address(that's when he/she docked) for their quarantine plan and he/she had no issue boarding their ship.

1 hour ago, Fluoroman11 said:

I have a cruise in May (7 days Seattle to Seattle), and the last stop (day 6) is in Victoria. So, would I need to complete the ArivCAN info on the cruise ship due to the 72 hrs deal? Can this be done in the Alaska ports? How's the data/phone coverage in the usual Alaska ports? Thanks for any help/experience you all have - I've never been to any Alaska ports.

Good question. I am also trying to understand how ArriveCan works. My princess cruise is in May and is similar to yours, will be stopping at Victoria on day 6. 

On princess FAQ site, it recommends us to submit all the necessary info in ArriveCan within 72hrs of embarkation for the cruise. So Holland America may be the same but I'd check with them to be sure.

Voyages that include Canada:
In addition to your health questionnaire, within 72 hours of embarkation the Canadian government requires guests to sign into ArriveCAN^ from a computer or download the mobile app to enter your proof of vaccination and travel information. You will receive an ArriveCAN receipt. Please bring a digital copy of the email or print your receipt to bring with you when you travel.

Its really annoying that vendor takes your money and take them forever to refund you. I had to wait for many months to get refund back for my deposits and paid in full cruise from Princess during 2020. 

On couple of cancelled cruises, it took them forever too, so I file disputes with citicard and one was resolved 1 month later. However my 2nd one that disputed in April 2020 took a long time, it did not get  resolved in my favor until recently March 2022.  Now I have to wait for them to refund me for another cruise that was cancelled a month ago. We'll wait a little longer before doing another dispute.

Thanks for the info. 

Cheers!

This Medallion is new for me just want to make sure we get it right. For my itinerary shown in "Reservation and Purchases" on Princess site,  it show a $29  complimentary gift for "Specialty Restaurant cover charge, Message: "big box store TRAVEL"" .

So if I booked a restaurant like the Crown Grill from Medallion app, will it automatically deduct the $29 gift from my account or charge it to my onboard account then credit me back later?

My memory isn't clear on this. I think I read something here long time ago, few folks did not do it right(can't remember if they booked the restaurant from the Medallion app or physically there) and ended up paying for it at the end of  the cruise and they couldn't use this special dining promotion.

38 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

I've heard of people getting dud test kits so, for the two of us, I would probably want to get the 3 pack which is $99. Are these kits covered by insurance?

 

Edit: We don't take our laptops when we cruise and I'm wondering how feasible it is to do these proctored tests using a phone or an 8" tablet.

I've seen many Youtube videos where people use their iPhone.  I think ipad or latest Android based tablet should work. We have devices that support iOS and Android so will just make sure the software is updated and the Navica app is installed before we cruise, and create the Navica account ahead of time, in case we have to do the Antigen test at the hotel.

All these rules are making my head spins.

Princess site(FAQ last updated 3/31/22) still show PCR test requirement for that includes Canada is 3 days instead of 72hr.    So I don't know which we should follow Princess or Canadian rule.  But I don't think its a show stopper for us. We'll just do the PCR test later on a Thurs afternoon. We should still get the result back by Saturday evening(fingers crossed). If we don't get result back in time by Sunday morning, we'll just do the dang monitored covid antigen test at hotel. And in case if there is a problem, we'll just pay for the dang test at the Seattle cruise terminal if its available or a nearby clinic. 

Any one that cruised Alaska in 2021 know if Princess has a testing station  in terminal or a contracted rapid test vendor near the terminal?

https://www.princess.com/plan/cruise-with-confidence/cruise-health/frequently-asked-questions/us-cruises/

I missed those days when we could just pack up and cruise without jumping through so many hoops.

4 hours ago, erber said:

The Canadian regulations apply to anyone cruising either from a Canadian port or has a Canadian port on their itinerary. They have just changed the antigen testing requirement to within 2 days before boarding (instead of 1 day). This change is in the April 1st Canadian regulations. 

 

https://tc.canada.ca/en/marine-transportation/marine-safety/ship-safety-bulletins/measures-support-safe-cruise-travel-canada-ssb-no-18-2021-modified-april-1-2022

Antigen test requirement is now within 2 days. I wonder why did not use the 3 days requirement for PCR test, instead they use 72hrs.  I wonder if that will have an effect on which exact time/day I need to do the test for an Alaska cruise that leaves on a Sunday. 

Under Princess PCR test rule, we could do the test any time 3 days before so that makes it a Thursday(any time during Thurs).   

Now I am confuse. Will need to think this through now, sigh.