help32250

2 minutes ago, Sea Hag said:

I probably am not jumping ship, but I'm certainly looking at options. 😃

Good for you.  I did the same and "discovered" (nice pun) that The Discovery did indeed have a great price.  But I wanted to sea (nice pun) what was being said about the others.  And just to let you know, I have included your comments relative to what I am telling Princess.  Thanks!

On 10/22/2022 at 12:03 PM, Sea Hag said:

Interesting to see two different flavors of cruise for the total eclipse of the sun on 4/8/24. We're booked on the Discovery Princess for that, and I've been wondering when/if the other lines would offer one.

You're not Jumping Ship on me are you Sea Hag?  I was just looking on these postings to see what, if anything, I might be missing relative to our mutual efforts on The Discovery.  Smiles!

2 hours ago, mike&elena said:

 

Important Update====

Just back from a week on the Discovery Princess.  We docked in Mazatlan with the starboard side facing the dock.  Our stateroom was a Premium Deluxe Balcony on the port side, D722.  This cabin is at the back of the ship with no obstructions above, yielding a full 90 degree angle of visibility.  Attempted to measure and estimate the angle from our balcony for the cabins under the World Marketplace "bulge" and it appears to be about 83 degrees when measured from the Dolphin deck (obviously less on the higher decks).   We were able to speak with both the Captain and the 2nd Officer about the need to have a cloudy weather plan for viewing the 2024 eclipse by tweaking the itinerary or taking the ship out to sea.  The Captain has opened discussions with the Princess executive team about theese possibilities and promises to advocate for the best opportunity for us to view the eclipse!  Attached is the letter we received from Captain Arma.

Mike&Ellena --- Yes it was #475 on the Roll Call site Posted Friday at 03:19 PM

2 hours ago, mike&elena said:

 

Important Update====

Just back from a week on the Discovery Princess.  We docked in Mazatlan with the starboard side facing the dock.  Our stateroom was a Premium Deluxe Balcony on the port side, D722.  This cabin is at the back of the ship with no obstructions above, yielding a full 90 degree angle of visibility.  Attempted to measure and estimate the angle from our balcony for the cabins under the World Marketplace "bulge" and it appears to be about 83 degrees when measured from the Dolphin deck (obviously less on the higher decks).   We were able to speak with both the Captain and the 2nd Officer about the need to have a cloudy weather plan for viewing the 2024 eclipse by tweaking the itinerary or taking the ship out to sea.  The Captain has opened discussions with the Princess executive team about theese possibilities and promises to advocate for the best opportunity for us to view the eclipse!  Attached is the letter we received from Captain Arma.

Great job!  I copied this for inclusion in my next discussion with the Princess Exec I am working with.  But it seems like they always try to withhold who they (names) will be talking with ... ie "the leadership team".  I want to talk with these people face to face as anything less kind of gets lost in the translation.  Very frustrating.

I was also able to find and get onto the Roll Call for this cruise.  I tried to do some cut-and-pasting but the Cruise Critic website is very difficult in trying to do it.  I saw your names on it.  I posted an item there this past Thursday requesting input from CC reviewers with exactly what THEY would like done relative to the Eclipse.  I'll try to find the posting # (I think it's about #475) to give you to respond as I really want your input. 

Thanks for running down the Captain on this one.  I never asked but many Captains are on for 6 months and off for the next 6.  So Gennaro Arma may not actually be the one for the Eclipse cruise.

4 hours ago, Griff4AU said:

No Sir, I look forward to shaking your hand one day. I just hope we can put the Discovery out to sea on the day. Princess can make something really very memorable here.

 

I live in an area where I will receive 100% Totality - we could stay home. However it would be special if  we were out to sea on the Discovery. Let's just hope they do something remarkable. 

 

I did check in to HAL - no chance. Not for me. 

 

As I logged in to Polar (the Princess and CCL TA booking site) this morning, I saw several (maybe 15) cabins opened up. It appears (and I may be incorrect) that many are reserving and not even putting the $200 down - so the holds are dropping off. As of a few minutes ago, they were gone. 

 

 

 

 

Gold Griffter --- Are you in the travel industry (since you mentioned a "TA booking site")?  I have some very good friends (him a retired 787 Captain and her an AA Purser) and they get incredible deals.  Sorry I didn't notice your Texas location until just now.  A lot of Texans will get a Totality view, so you are really into this stuff aren't you.  If that is that case I hope you clicked on my Profile icon (with the Total Eclipse on it).  I even sent it to my Princess contact two days ago when Top Gun Maverick came out on BluRay.  I have a good relationship with him but you attract more flies with honey than vinegar ... but I'm told I can turn Corporate Ugly if I don't get what I want.  We'll see ......

13 hours ago, Griff4AU said:

Wow, this sailing is largely sold out except for interiors and obstructed balconies on Deck 8. 

 

If you're wanting on this sailing and want a better cabin, keep checking to see if someone doesn't pay their reduced deposit and loses their spot.

 

Maybe Princess will simply say, "we're nearly sold out on this sailing - we don't need to change a thing".

 

I might just be on the HAL boat. My (then) 12yo will hate it, 

Don't jump ship just yet.  Remember that the deposits are "air balls" essentially until 1/1/24.  By then the die will be cast and you will have lost nothing if you want to cancel.  I even looked at what was available on HAL ... just to find that it is at least 2x $$ and would probably put me right on top of the smoke-filled Casino. 

Please give me some time to keep pounding on them and hopefully putting some sense into them.  And remember that I sent my first letter to their President and COB in late 2017.  Anyway I want to meet you guys and show you my Slide Rule, Protractor, Abacus, and black & white pictures.  But for fun, click on my "Profile Picture" to see just how much my mind is laser focused obsessed with this issue ....

1 hour ago, Griff4AU said:

I barely remember those days. The "cool" finance folks wanted the original HP 12c and we aviators wanted an original E6B "whizzy wheel". 'Hard to imagine we put a man on the moon and lived without remote controls (other than dad yelling "change the channel ... "). 

Reminiscing aside, surely there are some folks at Princess with both the business and financial acumen to realize that the reason they are seeing a full boat this early on with this particular itinerary (how many really will book a Mexico itinerary 18 months out?) is because of the eclipse. And as much as Princess is my "sweet spot" with the cruise lines, if (when) Royal and/or X tosses an eclipse itinerary out there that has the ship on the water and chasing the eclipse, I cancel my Princess reservation that day if the Discovery itinerary still shows her in port. 

If 50+ years ago we could put men on the moon and fly around the world using slide rules, wizzy wheels and 12c's, Princess can figure out what the right thing to do is here. 

Thanks for your input.  It supports many things I pointed out in my eMail (letter) and I continuously quote such comments to them ... and trust that I add in a lot more.  And re your comment about booking another cruise (ie if Royal or X chimes in with one) I specifically used the term "jumping ship" to describe that potentiality.

On 10/27/2022 at 4:42 PM, Griff4AU said:

Now that's just not something you hear every day! 😂

 

Those HAL cruises are pricey. I am wondering if the Volendam (not mentioned above) will chase the Eclipse some. Departs San Diego on the 6th, 2 sea days then Puerto Vallarta on the 9th. 

I wish Princess will tweak the Discovery itinerary. Probably a bit rare for them to see this much activity on a sailing 18 months out. I may have to see if X or RCL will put something out for the Eclipse.

The Carnival Panorama is due to hit Cabo on the 9th. Maybe they will tweak that itinerary.

Griff --- You guys are cute re the Protractor comment.  I needed that laugh as I had some rather direct discussions with Princess today (read my post near the end).  But if you guys liked the Protractor comment, do you know what I REALLY wanted for a College Graduation present?  A 20" Slide Rule.  As an Engineer it would have given me one more digit of precision in my answers!  I am so old that the World hadn't yet been colorized when I was a kid.  When I told my daughter that she said NOT.  I replied, well you've seen Grandma and Grandpa's photo album and their pictures are all black and white so you tell me.  She just shook her head and said ... wow, before the World was colorized.  Smiles kids.

On 10/26/2022 at 8:26 AM, mike&elena said:

help32250--

We have a port side aft balcony cabin on this week's sailing of the Discovery Princess.  In Mazatlan, we will check out the ship's docking position and measure the unobstructed view angle.  We will be using the angle finder app on the phone and a protractor with a weighted string (old school method).  We'll also talk with the captain about the logistics of heading out to sea to view the 2024 eclipse.

Mike&Elena

 

 

 

I spent over an hour on the phone with my Princess contact and he was VERY interested in and supportive of my/our concerns.  He asked me to put it into a letter which he would support and take forward.  So I did and copied their Group Executive.  A week ago I considered this a 1 in 100 long shot at best.  After today's discussion I think it may be close to 50-50.  It was a very positive call.  I pointed out everything from timing and logistics ... to finding the sweetest (non-cloudy) weather spot ... to the otherwise impossible ability to only be able to see a sunrise/sunset view looking in any direction ONLY if we were at sea.  His litmus test question of me was "which is more important, a 72 degree angle looking up from balconies at the Dock or going out to sea with no ability to know whether you could see it from your balcony?"  I told him that being out at sea would be #1 and everything else below a #5.  Since he knew how much effort I had been putting in on the Angle looking up, positioning it so far below being out at sea really impressed him.  I also reminded him that THE PASSENGER CONTRACT very specifically allows Port arrival times and Port sequence changes.  But we'll have to be patient and wait and see.  In the immediate meantime, have a fun cruise and tell me your cabin number when you get a chance.  Also check out my Angle revision based on my Protractor (I got some fun cheap shots on that for being such a Dinosaur) with Stateroom Detail.  Just to let you know that one of my favorite expressions is that "if you have insurance you won't need it."  I'm hoping I can trash this, fyi.

14 hours ago, Griff4AU said:

Glad we saw this. We're book on a Dlx Balcony, which is the best that's available at the moment.

At this moment (26 Oct and 21:35 CT) only Interiors and Dlx Balconies are available. 

 

Minimal deposit due after a few day courtesy hold.

I'd rather be out to sea, but the HAL prices are silly and we'll have our daughter with us and HAL just isn't 12 yo (in 2024) friendly. 

 

Thank you for posting this thread.

Griff4AU ---

The Deluxe Balcony is nice relative to having a deeper balcony than the regular Balcony staterooms (which should be great for the Eclipse cruise).  But I booked mine essentially the moment it was announced and did not have the expected docking side info to help me make my stateroom decision ... and I did not change once I knew it.  THAT and the fact that I prefer Balconies that look primarily towards the land (which the Port balconies will most likely have on the Eclipse cruise) AND the fact that lower level Balcony staterooms are kinda "on view" from those above.  Make sure to LOOK UP from your Balcony.  Since it appears essentially any Balcony will be able to see the horizon below the Eclipse, the critical angle will be the max angle when you look up.  69.1 degrees is the on-center position of the Moon at its Totality ... but I am checking with NASA to see how much broader a view would be needed to be able to see not only the Moon but the but also the extent of its halo.

At the end of Totality 69.5 degrees will be the angle and at the end of its partial Eclipse 73.3.  But by that time most of your Champagne will be gone and you won't care!  

Fyi, I first made my case known to the President of Princess (now it and HAL's group executive) and CCL's chairman in late 2017.  And, in full disclosure, I am a CCL Shareholder with 26 Princess cruises and suggested they schedule several such cruises including one in Port (like ours) as well as another just headed towards Mazatlan and another just departing.  Look like I may have been persuasive.  But I checked HAL's prices and they are daunting ... let alone for that other non-CCL ship which is almost $25K for two with essentially no balcony at all.

And yes, it appears to me that The Discovery Princess is all but sold out!

mike&elena ---

I am really looking forward to your angle measurements ... but since I essentially used a protractor on GoogleMaps to get the angle of the Dock ... I am most interested in your Center-Line angle of it.  But I've gotta tell you that your weighted string technique (do you hang your own wallpaper?) is probably a darned good one.  I even suggested to my Princess contact to ask one of the ship's personnel that knows how to use a Sextant to do it.  But I think the probably of that happening is more remote than the ship going out on a sea chase of the Eclipse.

May I suggest you prepare the biggest piece of paper (poster or "flip chart" if you as old as me) with a big thick right angle drawn on it?  Have some masking tape to fix it to the divider panel between your stateroom and the next and mark where the overhang above hits.  And you may want to take it from at least 2 positions (as far out and again as close in to the slider) as possible.  I've attached an rough example of what you might use.  The really difficult part will be getting on your hands and knees to look up from your balcony's deck to get the angle. 

As much as I intend to view the Eclipse from one of the upper decks, I think the ability for many to view it from their own balcony with just their favorite person on one arm and their favorite drink it the other hand is very enticing ... let alone for many who are physically challenged.  Who knows.  Maybe my arthritis may force me to be one of them.

I like your aggressiveness in planning to ask the Captain about a sea chase.  Fyi, I am asking my contact about several other options, one of which would be disembarking an "excursion group" while still at sea.  I recall one of my Princess ships doing exactly that (off Italy I think) for a special excursion.  Very unusual, but there is precedent. 

On reason against the Princess doing a sea chase of the Eclipse is pure math.  Whatever vessel departing the Mazatlan Dock (Princess or otherwise) would have to be really fast in order to get out to a "sweet spot" (without possible cloud cover).  And there is no guarantee against having clouds anywhere.  I think the Princess could do 20 knots but with an absolute max of 4 hours to both find and get to that sweet spot would be extremely challenging at best.  Sorry.

At the risk of probably making a lot of the people that booked this cruise but are more interested in seeing Mazatlan than the Eclipse, I will ask Princee about that too.

Again mike&elena, please post your stateroom number when you share with us your info.

I expect to talk with Princess tomorrow and will update all of you as appropriate.  But I can confirm that they really want to make this one of the best Princess cruises you will ever have.

On 10/21/2022 at 7:58 AM, mike&elena said:

We are going on the Discovery Princess next week...will check out the docking arrangements in Mazatlan and report our findings.  (Still hoping that Princess will see the light and adjust the itinerary for a sea-based eclipse experience!)

mike&elena ---

I will be talking with Princess again this Friday but don't get your hopes up about them doing a "sea chase" of the eclipse.  That harbor is very tight!  I am working with them on some other possibilities but I don't give it a chance in 100 for the sea chase I think you and a number of others want.

It does appear though that the Princess will dock next to what is almost a mile long dock in a South- South- West orientation.  Given the angle of the dock (off due north by about 17-18 degrees), it appears that the Eclipse will be just less than a 30 degree-slightly-right-view from looking directly out on your Port Side Balcony.  I am attaching my best guess at what that would look like.  The dock is where the thick red line is.  And the thick yellow line with the arrow is the direction of where the Eclipse will be viewed from any position along the dock's red line.

While I am trying to get a non-passenger clearance to go on-board the Discovery to check out the maximum angle looking up from various Balconys, maybe you could do at least yours before me.  The unobstructed angle looking up must be at least 70 degrees to afford a clear view of the Eclipse.  So take a Large Protractor or True Angle tool with you to be sure.  If you are under the Sky Walk or a Tender you will probably be out of luck. 

Updating as of this morning I do not see a single (non-interior) Balcony available.  So if you have one on the Port Side, make sure NOT to allow Princess to do an "upgrade" ... as you will probably lose a better balcony position.  And, mike&elena, please include your stateroom number on your post.

I'll try to get more definitive info soon.

scottsol --- Good catch of another possibile location of where The Princess will be docked!  But whether it is docked there or close to it, the (absolute) direction and elevation of the Total Solar Eclipse will be the same (as shown in the timeanddate.com insert).

So I pulled another pic off of Google Maps and re-drew my original rendition.  Essentially the only thing that changes is that instead of looking LEFT from your Balcony on the Port Side of the ship (IF it is docked as originally shown in this rendition), you will be looking RIGHT.  Obviously, if the ship is docked in the opposite direction, adjust accordingly.

Thanks for your attention to this detail.

On 9/16/2022 at 9:37 PM, scottsol said:

Your coordinate graphic is at the wrong berth. See the included pic.

 

 

16 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I was in Mazatlan April 13, 2022 on a Princess cruise. Not my first time either. This photo shows that port side faced the port. This was taken at 6 pm. 

 

 

HaveDogWillTravel, scottsol, and mike&elena ---

Sorry but I am just now getting back into the Cruise Critic site and am having more than just a bit of difficulty with it.  So if you could be so kind, cut me just a bit of slack while I do.  Thanks.

I especially appreciated Have Dog's and scottsol's comments ... but the only thing I could reference, per my initial post, was a picture I saw of the Princess that was posted on the TripAdvisor site on the Observatorio 1873, which I subsequently posted.  I also said that "in the interest of full disclosure" it depended on where the ship would exactly be docked that day and that the location could change.  The real arbiter is the Ship's Captain who will dock it wherever he wants given the clearance he obtains.  So your ability to see it from either the Port or Starboard side of the ship is still up in the air.  It's been a long time since I was in Mazatlan.  My bad.  So I would contend that none of us will know for sure until we are docked.  I talked with my inside person at Princess this AM and even he could not say for sure.  So stay tuned.

To mike&elena ... Re the date, time, and relative position in the sky though, my information was directly from "timeanddate".  To be precise, the link to that information is: 

 https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/mexico/mazatlan

The attached picture is what THEY show.  It seems to me they know better than the rest of us.

Re the possibility of the Discovery Princess docking, dropping some passenger off, and then going out again to sea to see if they could find the closest site to see the Eclipse with the best off-shore weather, I highly doubt that from cost and logistical perspectives.  To be reasonable, it's not like your local restaurant where you can drop off your friends, park your car, and then come back at whim.  It is, after all, a 1083 foot long ship!  But I asked Princess about that too and will let you know what I hear.

Dear "Mom Says" and "Blizzard44ca" ---

As I stated in my orginal posting, lots of variables in this.  But I took the position of the Princess' docking from a TripAdvisor posting of its sister ship from earlier this year.  IF, and you are correct that that is an IF, it docks at that same dock it could be facing the opposite direction.  Given my cruising history, though, they tend to dock in the same manner at all of their ports of call.

That said, I will post the picture that led me to that conclusion.  I have no credible position to comment on the tides, unlike River Cruising, it is seldom that the water is either too shallow or too deep!  And the ONLY cruise I have ever been on that was skipped was one to Alaska.  The Captain announced that he was going to have to skip Ketchikan due to 50 knot winds that made docking impossible.  The next night he announced that the winds were actually 60+ knots and that it was a very wise decision.

And the Captain has that ultimate decision.

Re "dropping off anyone that wanted", I do not consider that an option based on what I now know or have experienced.  But nice try!

For all of those that have been asking for an ocean cruise to position you to see the April 8, 2024 in Mazatlan, there is one!  It is on the new Discovery Princess and will sail round trip out of Los Angeles, departing on April 3rd and returning on April 13th.

It was first opened for booking on August 10th and is already about 75-80% full.  And while it will be docked in Mazatlan (read that as not chasing the path of Totality), it is literally less than 1/4 the price of the only other cruise I am aware of that does.  You can find out more about it at:

    https://eclipsetours.com/2024-baja-california-total-solar-eclipse-cruise/

With regard to the many comments I have read saying "does anyone at Princess understand?" ... let me assure you that they do.  But given the thousands and thousands of "customer relations" inquiries/etc they get, I must admit they are not very responsive to such requests.  I know.  As a Princess cruiser with over 25 cruises as well as being a Carnival Cruise Line shareholder (the company that owns Princess), I was on them like white-on-rice since shortly after the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse.

For a variety of reasons, I was not able to see the 2017 Total Solar Eclipse.  But everyone I talked with told me that it took hours to get to a location to see it, that there were no hotels, restaurants, and especially restrooms wherever you went.  And IF you could find a hotel even somewhat close to where you could see it you would pay $750 per nite for a $69 flea bag hotel.

So having a cruise ship to see if from?  Let's just say it puts almost all of you concerns to bed.  Except the weather.  It cannot be controlled.  But I got a Balcony Stateroom  on the Discovery Princess for 1/4 of what you would pay for a cruise with a "French Balcony" that does chase totality.   Fyi, I was going to see the one that followed the 2017 Eclipse from one with friend's homes in Chile.  It was SO rainy and fogged in though even being directly underneath it you couldn't see it!  So understand the weather is ALWAYS a potential killer.  In the interest of full disclosure, I understand that it is cloudy roughly 24% the time in Mazatlan at the time of the year.

And IF you are reading this you are probably somewhat of a geek.  I am a Rocket Scientist (Aerospace Engineer) by formal training.  But as I read the times and location that April 8, 2024 Total Solar Eclipse will be seen ... and the location of where the Discovery Princess will be docked in Mazatlan ... almost ANY Balcony Stateroom on the Port side of the ship will be able to see it FROM ITS OWN BALCONY !!!  No pushing and shoving against others to see it, your bathroom will only be about 15 feet away, and you can get Room Service simply by inputting your order via your Cell Phone on their Medallion App.  And set up your tripod without concerns for someone kicking it.

Here are the links you need to know.  First, get a stateroom via Princess.Com at:

    https://www.princess.com/search-cruise/details/?voyageCode=X415

By the way, you will have to pay a deposit.  But if you decide FOR ANY REASON to cancel (by about Jan 1 2024) your money will be refunded ... in totality, if you will excuse this double entendre!

Then keep me honest by looking at how the eclipse will appear at:

    https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/mexico/mazatlan?iso=20240408

Then look at the specifics of the celestial positions at:

    https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/horizontal-coordinate-system.html

Or take the easy route and just look at the "picture" I attached of where the ship will be docked and the positioning of the eclipse.

From your PORT SIDE Balcony (that's one with an EVEN number for you cruising neophytes), you will need to be looking UP at approximately a 70 degree angle from an UNOBSTRUCTED balcony to see it.

And if this is too geeky for you, just look at the attached Google Maps 

And if I could go one step further, make sure to order at least their "Princess Plus" drink package.  By the time you get a drink or two and pay for the (essentially) required gratuities you will save a bunch of money doing so..

But better act quickly.  This sailing is quickly filling up!  As I looked at it earlier today it appears there are still about 80 Balcony Staterooms you would love.  I will try to monitor this site from time to time for any of your questions.

And for full disclosure, while I believe all of the above to be true and correct, the ship could change ports of call or how and where it is docked ... and it is possible I could have read the navigational positions incorrectly.  So please do your homework.  And I will look forward to seeing you on that cruise to see this lifetime event.

--- Rocket Scientist