HaveDogWillTravel

Ivan continues to exceed all our expectations. This is amazing as we had very high expectations to begin with.
 

 Our UBD for 12 was executed perfectly.  We had 4 crew to serve. It was a bit windy but quite manageable. I was so impressed that Ivan had the beautiful Bellini champagne glasses sent up. Unfortunately the wind took out 3 of them so we decided to have them removed. He had Riedel red and whit wine glasses sent and those did fine. 
 

Ivan gifted us 2 bottles of a nice cab and 2 bottles of nice Chardonnay.  The Chardonnay was the favorite of one of our guests and he went to a half dozen bars before he found 2 of the few remaining bottles on board. We traded the 6 half bottles of canyon road wine that I don’t care for with 2 bottles of a nice Sauvignon blanc. I brought 3 bottles of champagne on board so the quality of the wines now matched the quality of the food. 
 
Getting all 12 meals from deck 5 (or 6 ? I forget which he said) to deck 18 hot was certainly a logistical challenge that the crew absolutely nailed. We were blown away by how perfectly cooked and hot each course was. I will post some pictures. Unfortunately the salad did not get a picture but it was stunning. Greens, caramelized pears, creamy mild goat cheese, walnuts with a delicious specially crafted dressing. We also had small tapas to start that were amazing. 

@safarigalWe were wondering why the Emerald had the aft facing the sun. Our captain said your class of ship was best kept stable in that position.  I’m glad to hear everyone had a great view. 
I too am wondering about ease of viewing with an 8:30 of so totality. Sunset will be around 9:41 so the sun should be reasonably high but not as good at yesterday!

Here off the coast in Mazatlan we had scattered clouds but none blocking the sun. The captain kept the ship steady and our telescopes worked great!  The 360 sunset effect was really spectacular at sea. Four minutes went by so incredibly fast. 
Comparing this to 2017 when we were on land and on a farm I did miss the silencing and then reawakening of the birds, roosters, cows and so on. But I loved not having to deal with traffic or crowds after the eclipse. This was so relaxing and comfortable.    I will definitely want to book cruises for my future eclipse viewing.  

4 hours ago, Happydude100 said:

Hi. Watching a total eclipse is on my bucket list. Never been on a cruise before. Thinking the La Coruna cruise that takes in the eclipse. Do  people think this cruise plus the chance to see the eclipse is worth it? 

We will be monitoring all offerings by all lines for the best experience. I do plan on posting if a more dedicated eclipse experience sailing becomes available.  Right now Cunard seems to be treating the eclipse as an afterthought on this sailing. 

 I am on the Discovery Princess right now sailing into Mazatlan. We will be sailing on center line tomorrow for the total eclipse. I saw the 2017 eclipse in Madras Oregon and am excited to experience one at sea. 
 

Eclipses are hard to explain. Once you’ve seen it you’ll get why people get so thrilled by them. 
 

I’ll post and try to explain the experience at sea as best as I can after tomorrow.  

39 minutes ago, Ehg said:

It’s the WiFi that I was particularly interested in as I’m sure last time we had included WiFi for 4 devices but our TA had said it wasn’t included. 
 

We won’t have the drinks package because with all the included alcohol I don’t think we will need it but would have been a bit peeved to have to buy WiFi. 

WiFi is not included. We are elite and bought the 4 device plane at 50% off. Adam uses 2 and I  use 2. 
‘Agreed there is no need for a drinks package as there is ample beer, wine and cocktails provided.  

Our SEM, Ivan and his army of colleagues have continued to wow us at every turn. 

1. He arranged for the florist to meet with me at my convenience to design bouquets for delivery to 5 cabins of my travel friends.

2. He arranged a tour of the bridge for us and 5 of my friends. When he found out that my best friend, who he has basically been extending all our perks to, didn’t make my list (we have 14 really close friends on board and it was hard to choose) he personally extended the invitation to her. 
3. He fixed an error I made on the time of a cabana booking in the sanctuary, even though the sanctuary is completely sold out for the whole cruise. 
4. He personally brought up an entire bag of hot cocoa mix (and mugs) for the 11 yo traveling with us when he found out this was her heart’s desire. 
5. He is getting us 5 tickets to the special planetarium that is being set up on the ship as a special event. This has limited tickets available and we will not have to stand in line and hope to be lucky. 
 

It boggles the mind at how he manages to get all of this done for us. He is simply amazing. 

On 3/29/2024 at 5:57 AM, 20165 said:

Does anyone have recommendations or history tipping the concierge on a per request bases and how much per request?  We are sailing next month on Enchanted and will most likely use them quite a bit given we are having a hard time getting dinner reservation, the spa times we want,  and we are going to ask them if they can get us a cabana which i know is a tall order but if they are successful, how much would you tip for that kind of request?

I read online that the recommendation for a regular concierge at a hotel is $5-20 depending on complexity of the request so would that apply here?

And before we go down a rabbit hole, i know some people dont use or tip the concierge, we are going to and would like to try per request this time vs. the end of the cruise tip like we usually do.

thanks

 

The concierge expects to make your specialty dining reservations, be your go to instead of you having to go to guest services and stand in line, arranging a tea for you and your cabin mates to be delivered and other small asks.  If these are the only requests I make then I do not tip extra.

These are the requests I’ve made that I feel go above and beyond

1. Arranging for MDR chicken korma lunch (with all the toppings) to be sent up for us and 6 friends.  Timed perfectly to be waiting in the cabin fresh and hot when we all returned from a lecture we didn’t want to miss as it ran during lunch time. 
2. Arranging an afternoon tea for 10 people with customized requests for sandwiches, cookies & pastries

3. Arranging for MDR dinners for us and several guests to be sent up to our suite. 

For these I tip at the end (always with an handwritten thank you) and it averages out to about $20 per request. Just depends on how many times I ask for extras like this. 
 

I just posted an extensive list of things that our suite experience manager, Ivan, has arranged for us on the Sky Princess Sky Suite thread (we are on Discovery but that thread has evolved into all things Sky Suite). When you read that list you might understand why his tip will easily far exceed $100.  

We had our second afternoon tea today. We were having so much fun I completely zoned out on taking pictures!  It was even better than the first one which we thought was fabulous.  The whole team pulled out all the stops and made a beautiful presentation.  
 

Our cocktail party on the sky deck is on the 6th. I’ll be sure to take pictures of it.  
 

49 minutes ago, Ehg said:

This is very helpful. I think you missed my question about included laundry. It was definitely included last time but I noticed it was not on the list of benefits for SS although it was for other suites, which I thought must be a mistake….?

Ivan confirmed free laundry is included. The sky suite has all the perks of full suites 

Ivan, our SEM is nothing short of magical, magnificent, spectacular and stunningly gorgeous (sorry that’s not relevant but so true lol) 

He confirmed all the arrangements I made with Thor and finalized all the plans for the sky suite events for the 10 days while we were on the 3 day sailing prior. We have 14 people traveling with us and we’ve added a few friends since we’ve boarded so these are reasonably large gatherings he’s arranging. Our Eclipse cruise has A LOT of VIPs on board and yet Ivan (pronounced EEvon) makes us feel like we are his only guests.  
These are the events he’s organized for me. 

1. Three afternoon teas with custom designed sandwiches and pastries

2. An Additional  specialty dinner 

3. a special en-suite breakfast for 6 with items from Sabatini’s suite breakfast menu 

4. UBB for Adam and I 

5. a cocktail party on our deck for 16 people with bartender Vishnu who is a favorite of my guests 

6. UBD for 12 down to the details of food substitutions, wine offerings (he has gifted us 2 bottles of lovely red wine) (we are paying for 10 of our guests, ours are included) 

7. Pizza party with pizza from Gigis (additional charge) for after the eclipse ends. 

1. a tour of the bridge for us and 6 of our friends 
2. We have an 11 yo traveling with us and he arranges everything she desires 
3. MDR food when I can’t get thru to room service (which is always. RS is slammed. )

I’m sure I’m forgetting many things. But let’s say that literally everything your heart desires within reason is arranged. 

On 4/3/2024 at 1:04 AM, Ehg said:

Is the Dyson hairdryer still in the suite?

Is laundry included?

Do you think a drinks package is required?

I used this thread as we prepared for our 10 Total Eclipse of the Sun cruise. I wanted to come back and pay it forward.  We are on the Discovery Princess in a sky suite now. 
‘Answers to @Ehgquestions below 

1. Yes

2. Yes

3. No. Beer, sodas, Evian waters are replenished daily as much s you want.  The nespresso is there and Sabatini’s gives you specialty coffees ‘’and bubbly.  We got full sized bottles of Woodford reserve and Bombay Sapphire. We had a full bottle of sparkling wine at sail away.  Ivan, our SEM, has gifted us 2 bottles of Silver Oak Cabernet. There’s Premier level wines and alcohol in the Concierge lounge daily. The only reason you might want a drinks package is if you want to sit in a bar and drink a majority of the time. But really when you have this balcony why would you?

1. How far in advance should we expect to hear from the shorside coordinator?

2. Do you still get to select a movie for Movies Under the Stars? If so, is there a list you pick from or is it literally any option (as long as it's appropriate to show)?

3. Will shoreside coordinator take care of booking 360 and specialty dining? 

4. For the full sized alcohol bottles has anything changed as far as options go (the list Isaw in this thread was from a couple years ago)?

@flhokie

1. 3 weeks

2. No

3. Yes 

4. I don’t remember what all the choices were.  There was a very comprehensive list. 
 

Our experience has been nothing short of extraordinary.  Thor did a great job of

1. getting specialty dining set up,

2 he combined our 2 complementary 360 dinners from the 3 day sailing prior (we were in a PH) with the 2 complementary 360 dinners for the eclipse 10 day so we could invite two guests free of charge. 
3 he added a fifth seat at our 360 table that will be charged 

4 he got clearance from the ship to have an UBD for12 

5 he arranged for Ivan to meet us on shore and escort us onboard when we boarded for the 3 day in a PH so technically a perk we weren’t eligible for. 

Thor, in general,  was a wonderful resource. 
 

This is an amazing saga.  I wish you the best possible outcome and seriously hope you get home soon with the appropriate help. My goodness! This will be a fireside story to tell for the rest of your days. 
I don’t know if I would be as brave as you are through all these trials!  

10 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

Princess probably set that limit so people with the package were not buying their friends drinks.  They probably break even at about 6 drinks and it’s still a bargain for passengers.  IMO 

 

Yes.  And 15 isn’t a requirement lol!  It’s just a maximum.  But I do get how some might consider getting to the max a challenge to be accepted!

 The plus package pencils out for us when we plan on drinking 3 adult beverages a day and we aren’t in a full suite with access to a concierge lounge for waters, specialty coffees, wine, beer and cocktails. 

My wish for Princess would be to include Ocean now activation and phoning room service free of charge for those in full suites so they might use the included perk of ordering MDR to the room. 
 

And since water & specialty coffees are free and unlimited all day in the concierge lounge in Royal class ships full suite guests should get these free in Reserve Class dining as well. 
 

Grand class ships should provide all the amenities of the Royal class concierge lounge also. 

16 hours ago, Cruisemeister2002 said:

Until this forthcoming cruise we have always gone for second sitting 8.30 p.m. as we like being seated with the same people each night as we have made many friends over the years. I don't know if all Princess ships are anytime dining now, but P&O still have some ships that do first and second sitting. Mainly their older ships which quite frankly are getting past it.

Cunard has first and second seatings.  I know 5:30 is the early seating as that’s what I have booked. Your preference of 8:30 is likely the late seating. Their new ship Queen Anne debuts soon. 

Can’t wait to read this thread on the drive to San Oedro today!  Great ideas in your original post that I agree with completely. Thanks! 

They offer 3 kinds of manicures with shellac. This is for my upcoming April 3rd sailing on Discovery. I think prebooking is less expensive than once on board. But not certain. 

1 hour ago, Cruise_Rookie_2010 said:

The following itineraries (currently) are in the path of the eclipse during totality.

V615D, V615E, V616, V616A & V616B (Victoria @ Tarragona)

H620 (Anne @ La Coruna)

M618, M618A & M618B (Mary @ Reykjavik)

 

Hope that helps.

Thank you trying to help. It’s appreciated. I don’t know the voyage numbers I looked at off hand but I did look at both QV & QM2’s eclipse sailings. The one in southern Spain had the same issue as the QA one (plus we are spending a lot of time in that region this year) and the one in the far north isn’t a region I  want to return to yet. The QA route, is like Goldilocks said, “just right” lol. 

It’s also false advertising.  I booked excursions prior to the sale and paid $10 less on each.  No bueno Princessa.

This is a new promo I just got in an email. Anyone else?  
 

1 hour ago, Coral said:

It has a lot to do if you have cruises booked or not.

 

When I have no cruises booked, I get amazing specials. The moment I book one cruise, they stop.

 

I agree it could be directed at where they live also.

While that may be so for other promos it is not true for this promo. @Cruise Raiderand I live in the same basic area and we both have multiple future cruises booked. 

26 minutes ago, foodsvcmgr said:

I believe it will be some time before Cunard release any more specific details of these eclipse sailings.

It appears the intent currently is to be tied up in the respective ports during the event.

I would expect some eclipse related programming and speakers, distribution of eclipse viewing cardboard glasses to those who need them, possibly a themed event of some sort.

They may also tailor some excursions specific for the eclipse and optimal viewing.

Beyond any of that not sure what else could be offered, the primary thing is that they are taking you as close as possible to totality.

I agree they won’t give specifics for a while yet. Hopefully they commit to sailing in the path during the entire experience- which would be incredibly easy to do as La Coruna and Gijon bookend the path. If a more specifically committed sailing comes up before Cunard gives details then one would certainly have to weigh that in the decision.  Final payment is not for quite a while and my deposit is fully refundable.  It seems silly to have an eclipse cruise that gets you almost there but not quite. 
I do hope they get it together as I really miss my Cunard experience! 

I would not consider an excursion on land to the path a suitable alternative.  Been there, done that and it’s truly an awful experience with the traffic. 

17 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

Well,  we went to correct that 'hold' and book the 7 day that we wanted...  

BECAUSE OF THAT 'HOLD' THEN THIS WAS NOT A 'NEW BOOKING' AND THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY THAT PRINCESS WAS GOING TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR GIVE ONE LITTLE BIT.

My CVP cancels my booking and rebooks it under the new promo when that happens. Such was the case with 2 of my bookings that he just cancelled & rebooked for me under this promo. The exception is when I have a full suite booked and the category is sold out. He has said that if he tried doing that my cabin goes to the waitlist before he can get it back. 

18 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

You have me curious. Where is this OBC promo listed on the website, or does it magically appear somewhere when I log onto the Personalizer? We currently have 8 cruises booked with PCL and it would be nice to see if any of them qualify?

When I’m logged in I go to Cruise Deals and select the 35% off, $99 deposit and 3rd& 4th guest sale free offer. Click on view cruises and then a portion of them will also say $x OBC to spend. 
here are screen shots of the offer. 
Sorry the fine print pages aren’t in order. It seems to say the extra OBC is if you have a package?  But I got it on a thanksgiving cruise where I do not have a package. So idk. 

I am the “friend”. Hi @Cruise Raider 😊

I have no idea who they were marketing as none of the suggestions so far fit the bill.
I have sailed 91 days in 2023 alone with Princess 

I have 72 days booked with Princess spanning from this Sunday thru spring 2026 booked. 
I spend a very minimal amount of time in the casino & on only an occasional cruise here and there

I usually don’t spend more than a few dollars in the shops and then only occasionally, but have dropped a couple of thousand in the jewelry store once when I had it in OBC.  

Sometimes I buy a package sometimes I don’t. No pattern to it. 
@Cruise Raider and I live close enough that we’d both be considered the same “close to the port” people 

The only difference between us is that I’m now sailing on and have multiple future cruises booked on WS, O and Cunard. But I also have a bunch of Princess in there. 
 

I think it really stinks that the offer was given and taken away from @Cruise Raider

10 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

We have never been able to book specialty restaurants until about 30-45 days out.

I’ve booked all my dining reservations thru February 2025 already. I’m elite so maybe that makes a difference?  Idk.