LabGuy64

200 obc from TA on cost of 20,000

on our 1/2/15 cruise we got $250 OBC from our TA the cruise cost a little over $3,000

 

on our 9/11/15 we got $300 OBC from our TA the cruise cost about $4,200.

I was looking at the rates on a penthouse suite on a TA and from the day that it came out to about a week later the price jumped 4000.00

Michael :cool:

Anyone else noticing the rates for 2017 are pricey?!!?! I was pleased to notice the pricing and itineraries were out. But man- it is expensive!

 

Lots of inclusions for concierge and above, but you are paying for them! On the other hand the cabin selection is pretty amazing right now! :)

Are the mattresses better in the suites?...I am taking my first princess cruise since 1997 in april...So I am a tiny bit behind on crurrent practices I wll be in the owners suite on Crown....

I would also be very greatful for the info on the NH travel agent

please send it to criblord40@sbcglobal.net

thanks

Who is your TA?...I did all the work and she just booked it (Penthouse suite)...and All I got was a 200.00 OBC

I do all of my own research and make my own decisions so I only use the TA for making the booking. I usually get OBC of around 10% (we book upper end suites). The good thing is with the TA's OBC, if we don't use it, it gets credited back to our credit card.

Think he is refering to recent norovirus problems on the crown

No idea what rvmike does not like about the Crown. I spent 42 days on her in the past year and was very happy with all aspects of my 3 cruises on her. She's a beautiful ship.

Who is being nasty?...in what way?..and i agree....princess is not a bad line..I am going on a cruise with them....I just think they are very tight with perks....and it is not worth going out of ones way to gain them...if you like the line..and do several cruises and the give you status and the limited perks they do...fine...i just said I don't think it is worth figuring ways to string budget cruises together JUST to aquire status to gan the perks...if they gave better ones ...yes.. it might be worth some effort...

I have cruised on 10 different cruise lines. Over 300 days at sea. I agree Celebrity`s loyalty perks are the best in the industry. I enjoy Princess and will continue to cruise with them as they suite my needs living on the west coast. No need to be nasty to anyone`s comments.

I like princess....just think they are cheap in their perks.....and i guess I am saying that if you are going to chase an "elite" status then I figure that one would be better chasing a program that gives you the more...and I am not "worried" this is an open discussion of a benefits package and, i was just expressing my opinion on it as everyone else is

Since you are obviously happy with Celebrity, I'm not quite sure why you care what other people do or what lines they choose to sail. If someone wants to worry about Princess "trickling crumbs," what difference does it make in your life? Have a good time on those Celebrity cruises. :)

I see what you are saying....but look at celebrity....and I know i will be forgetting som things....dedicated restaurant (free) for suite and their "elite" dedicated lounge (free) premimum drink program unlimited minibar refills, 2 standard size bottles of spirts, internet, i think laundry was in it too...2 nights free nights at the other specialty restaurants plus my TA got us 200.00 in OBC...know I am missing som stuff......much better than princess....even at the top of their incentive plan...while I will take a princess cruise if the itinarary is good...I would never chase the elite status....And to be honest...I like princess...MUCH better than RCCL...even though royal offers better perks too.....Guess i would rather just save longer (cruise less) for a Suite. plus i am 6'8"...I need the space...especially in the bathroom!

Although they are not Platinum or Elite benefits, the available OBC on Princess is another plus for them.

 

FCC - up to $150 per person

Military - Up to $250 per veteran

Shareholder - Up to $250 per cabin

Loyalty - Up to $100 per cabin.

 

Add in any incentives offered by Princess or your TA and you can put a nice dent into the Onboard Account.

 

Also, Princess allows a TA to discount prices. We usually save 15% off the current Princess price.

perks are nice but, it seems alot of people are spending alot of time worring about which crumbs princess is trickling along the track.....and even at the highest level they don't really offer that much.....Celebrity is giving a much better package of perks for my suite...

Status and perks don't matter to me, but apparently do to some. It's a matter of priorities.

Got to love SoCal....we are getting a bit of rain now...much needed..but where else are you going to see a Christmas in the 70's to 80's

Michael

Thank you Labguy and also to Pam and Ryndam. I have to laugh. It's 48 degrees in New York right now. I walked to the deli for coffee with a sleeveless shell and flimsy sweater and on and it was delightful. Go figure..........:cool:

Seems at the Suite level they are getting very close to all inclusive...

dedicated restaurant, Michaels club, drink package,....etc

I am looking forward to being in the PH for the first time....have to say the main reason I picked it rather than the RS was the shower.....i really like the look of it and want to see if it is worth putting into my home.

I guess it's fine if you are doing all the cruises and they give you the status at some point...what i am saying is that it seems a bit much with people talking about hypothetical stringing of 3 day cruises and the like to gel some free laundry a single complimentary minibar fillup and some internet minutes....oh yes.....10% off the boutique...never bought anything in the ship boutiques myself.......I have on my admittedly few number of cruises always been in a full suite and to be honest....would not seriously miss any of the perks on princess...ok to have...I try to stay off the internet when on vacation....minibar yeah...I use them....just saying....well...meh

:cool:

Michael

Right. For those new to Princess, their calling them "mini-suites" is a bit misleading. They are really just a large or deluxe balcony cabin. Compared to a standard balcony cabin, they have a small sitting area with a couch and second TV, and a larger bath with tub, but no suite perks.

Yea, I said there was some benefit...but a minisuite gives you this stuff ...right? and a room that you can turn around in...and they are not that expensive.

I do not know how many people plot to make Elite and how many just get there through years of regular cruising. However, some of the elite benefits are very worthwhile.

 

o Free laundry/cleaning. Saves time and money if you otherwise would use the laundromat or even more money if you would otherwise have let Princess do the laundry/cleaning.

 

o A significant number of free internet minutes based on length of the cruise (actually starts with Platinum status). Used to be unlimited use, but too many people abused the benefit by allowing friends without the required status to use the benefit. Also as more and more passengers brought their own wifi devices on a cruise, the available bandwidth was not enough to support uinlimited use.

 

o 10% off on anything purchased in the boutiques

 

o Tender to shore priority in tender ports.

While I suppose any free beenfit is good.....it really does not seem that Princess gives enough away to be worth too much plotting to reach elite status.....my opinion

The "if" is if you can book those cruises in a suite as a single. If you can travel that way, then Princess will allow the 3 credits per cruise.

thinking on it further ...perhaps the lines could investigate to see if the people ate some of the same foods, if might be possible to see if it leads back to one person ( or narrowing it to a small group) preparing specific food items. has anyone been involved in a noro outbreak?...I mean actually had it?...did the lines ask any questions like that? or just isolate the infected?

Michael

i can see that it is in the best interest of the cruise lines but people are can be lazy and it seems to me more likely that when all of a sudden hunderds of people get sick that you look at a common source like a food handler that might be lazy, not washing after using the facilities. seems more likely then hundreds of people causing the problem. I am in healthcare and that is really where I would look....not sure there is really an answer to the issue though as long as service is done by people...there will be those that are lax in washing.

Michael

Nea. Sanitation is high on the list for the crew. Of course this is second hand information BUT I've read that any food handler caught a second time for not washing their hands is fired. I highly suspect hand washing is also stressed to all the crew, and any that are sick are immediately quarantined.

 

It is in the best interest of the cruise line not to have the crew spread any kind of virus. They do not want sick passengers and the crew has to work extra hard to clean and sanitize once there is an outbreak.

Most of theport towns are either big enough or well known enough that you can look up temps directly...you definately can for Santa Barbara.

Michael :cool:

And, don't use the temps for Los Angeles, either. If you're checking temps, check for San Pedro or another city directly on the ocean. My point above about the temp/weather differences applies to LA which is far enough inland to sometimes be quite different.

look for low 70's in the day...will need that jacket at night for sure

So, Pam, is it worth a balcony in April, weather wise? I'm figuring a lightweight jacket will be appropriate and necessary.

Barbarian...lol

As they only have Coke products, I have to bring on board enough diet Pepsi to last me for the duration, or at least until I can restock my supply. I can't handle Coke.:o

And if you are checking the temps for the cruise...DON'T use the numbers Princess posts.....they take the average day time high...add it to the average night time lo...and divide by 2...for an "AVERAGE" temp....check the weather service......obviously you would want to know the averave day temp....and maybe the night temp...not a lending of them..

My husband and I are thinking of the Crown sailing Jan 22 to Santa Barbara...Great price...Has anyone done this sailing in the winter...Any info would be appreciated

And unless I am mistaken...the minibar is only the first set up.....after that you have to pay

The in room mini bar is for elites and suites. The pre dinner lounge is hors devours and a reduced price drink choice.

Anyone have thought on the sources of all these norovirus outbreaks? i kind of think it might have to do with the cruise lines hiring so many from third world countries that have lower awareness of modern sanitation practices........any feelings yea or nea?

Michael

Check out the latest UK News from Cruise Critic:

 

Norovirus Outbreak Contained on Princess Cruises Ship

 

Continue reading for more details

 

More...

Yes, it is very possible to do it on your own....there are many things to see in the area around the Colosseum in Rome in walking distance...and if the trip is already breaking the bank this is a very viable option...in my opinion though...if you can afford to do a private tour it is worth the money...they handle transport.....and having done it both ways I think you lose about 30% of the total experience.......

Did the 12 day cruise from Venice to Barcelona in September. Initially had started out booked on all of the Princess excursions as there were only two of us travelling together and the private excursions for two are very expensive. However, after a few others joined our roll call we opted to join them for private excursions and did zero princess excursions. Except for a lackluster Florence/Pisa excursion I would recommend our tours to anyone, they were fantastic. We saw much more than the Princess trips that had 40+ people crammed together listening to their guide over headsets at some places. The max we had on any tour was 15. If you would like to know specifics, feel free to send me a message. This cruise was my favorite out of the 15+ I have taken, you'll have a fantastic trip!