lstone19

The OP asked about the "Direct to the Wilderness" trains which run directly between Whittier and Talkeetna or Denali without a need to overnight in Anchorage. Anything involving scheduled Alaska RR trains requires an Anchorage overnight (too early a departure northbound and too late an arrival southbound).

Direct to the Wilderness trains are charters. The last I knew (did a cruise tour in 2018), Talkeetna is served by a train of Alaska RR equipment that goes Whittier-Talkeetna-Whittier in one day. Denali is served by two trains of Princess equipment that go one-way Whittier-Denali or reverse (too far to be covered by one train).

Schedules I had from 2018 are:

Talkeenta service: Dp Whittier 7:15a, Ar Talkeetna 12:45p, Dp Talkeetna 1:45p, Ar Whititer 6:45p

Denali service: Dp Whittier 8:15a, Ar Denali 5:45p and Dp Denali 8:00a, Ar Whiiter 5:30p

The Talkeetna equipment was Seward-based as it was also used for Seward-Anchorage-Seward charter service for other cruise lines on the other five days of the week. So on Princess days (Wednesday and Saturday), the equipment deadheads Seward to Whittier first and then Whittier to Seward at the end of the day.

Not really sure what you mean by "2-day (1 day actually)". Is it a one-night cruise or a two-night cruise? If it's a one-night cruise (I've done three), then I doubt it will be open.  You'll sail up to off Port Angeles, drop the U.S. Puget Sound pilot, sail across to off Victoria, pick up the Canadian pilot, and head to Vancouver. You'll never be out of coastal waters and the casino will not open. If it's a two-night with a sea day, you'll probably head out onto the ocean for the day (no sense in paying for an extra 24 house of pilotage) and then the casino will open.

15 minutes ago, kamelia said:

Shouldn't the showstopper be having it BOTH ways? - being able to utilize all of the functions of planning and taking a Princess cruise on my laptop -or- using the app on my phone/tablet to arrive at the same GREEN LANE end point?  Every other travel-related app I use gives me the ability to do the bulk of the preparation on my laptop and still have easy access to all of the same features and functions using their app once I've left home, should I need it.  The MedallionClass app is the only one for which the preparation is piecemeal, requiring both my laptop and a separate device with the app to complete the process.  It should NOT be this arduous to get onto a Princess ship! 😢

That's not what "showstopper" means when it comes to technology. While in theater, a show stopping number is a good thing (the applause is so thunderous that the show cannot continue until it dies down), in technology, a showstopper problem is one that must be fixed before things can continue. IMHO, the Medallion program has showstopper problems but unfortunately, Princess has continued with it despite the problems.

1 hour ago, pppatpc2 said:

Does anybody know if Gary Golding will still be on the Enchanted in October?

Still? I doubt it. Entertainment staff contracts are not normally that long. Will he back then? He might not even know. While there may be a tentative schedule, I get the feeling there are enough changes (people leave Princess as well as other issues) so that even if he is currently scheduled to return, things could change.

19 minutes ago, Thrak said:

More of the idiotic Princess policy of naming different things with similar names.

With that, I wholeheartedly agree. Creates nothing but confusion with many, many passengers. I am absolutely convinced that the people who come up with this stuff have never used them as customers.

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Royal Princess ED, spelling correction

And I have the name of the new Royal Princess Entertainment Director: Caitlin Messerchmidt

2 minutes ago, trbarton said:

Interesting as I’ve never heard of a staff leaving without someone replacing that person so that position is always staffed. 
 

Tom😀

See my latest post. There is a new Entertainment Director but not on the board until they have a proper portrait.

New Royal Princess Entertainment Director is Caitlin (sp?) (did not get last name). She joined in San Francisco but is not on the board yet until they get a Platinum Studio portrait of her.

24 minutes ago, trbarton said:

Here’s the current officers on the Royal Princess with one exception. The Entertainment Director, Ruth Sandell, left on Sunday when we arrived in San Francisco & they didn’t announce her replacement.

 

Tom😀

We are currently on Royal Princess and there is no Entertainment Director on the officer board. I’m guessing there is none for a few days - maybe the new one is joining tomorrow in Victoria or Wednesday in Vancouver. Since the ED is more of a planning job, they can probably go without for a few days assuming adequate advance planning.

24 minutes ago, trbarton said:

EDIT: The quoting on this is all messed up but Internet is too slow on board for me to fix it. Comment and new picture is mine.

I'm starting a new topic for this issue that has been discussed in the current Medallion App topic as it seems to be specific to Sun Princess (scheduled to enter service in Feb 2024). As mentioned starting at https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2787341-ocean-medallion-app-part-3/?do=findComment&comment=65071566, it appears that a lot (if not all) of us booked on Sun Princess are getting that error message ("Unfortunately, there seems to be an issue with the service. Try again later.") when attempting to enter our OceanReady information. In addition, Dine My Way says "Sorry - Dine My Way is not available right now. We are currently making updates to available reservations. Please try again later." I have contacted Princess but nothing has changed.

Is there anyone booked on Sun Princess who is able to get to OceanReady or Dine My Way? 

Whether you can or can't, please reply with what you're getting and what your departure date and length of cruise (after its inaugural cruises and until September, Sun Princess is on the Med rotation of B2B2B2B seven-night one-way cruises from three different embarkation ports that can be booked for 7, 14, or 21 nights so length may be a factor).

We're booked on it Apr 27, 2024 out of Rome for 21 nights.

14 minutes ago, DHP1 said:

Why am I getting this error message?  I have contacted Princess several times in the last few months, and nothing. Is it because my cruise is not until summer 2024?

 

As I posted upstream, I am getting the same thing. Our cruise is April 2024 on the new Sun Princess. Which ship are you on? And are you on any sort of special fare not available to the general public? I'm on an interline fare (special fares for guests in or retired from the travel industry - airline in my case) so wondering if that's a factor. I have done online chat and sent an email to the Medallion support people (askoceanmedallion@carnival.com) and while both acknowledged the problem, there has been no fix yet. I also get an error when I try to go to DineMyWay.

EDIT: I just saw from your signature you're also on Sun Princess. I wonder it that's the cause.

14 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Do not use the Link a Booking option.  You should be able to login.  But no guarantee the thing is working.

So, I clicked on the link for the web version which brought up "link you booking" screen at https://oceanready-personalinfo-ui.prod.ocean.com. Instead, I logged out and then tried to log in again. But at that point, whether I use my princess.com password or an old ocean.com password (although my notes say that's dead and it should be using my princess.com password, I get "Username or password is incorrect." Same with my wife's login. 

34 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Princess has had a web version of the Princess App for quite some time now and they do mention it on their website in a couple of places.  Login to your booking (Cruise Personalizer).  If you click on the Check In tab, you will see promo to download the App and also a link to the web version.  The web version lets you do most of the pre-cruise setup information, including DMW.

Tried that but when I entered the booking number, it said "This booking has already been claimed."

1 hour ago, Tug10 said:

This is the exact same issue I am having. We booked a cruise about a month ago and paid the deposit and every time we try to access the Ocean Ready section we get the same error message. 
We can access the Medallion app okay and have booked our dining reservations with no problem but just cannot get any further.

We have tried on several different phones, iPads and even tried the web version but it just won’t work.

We phoned Princess and they too couldn’t gain access and so we have had to email all the info & error messages to their IT department.

Fingers crossed they can sort it out as it appears something somewhere is not working or being recognised as it should be.

I can't make dining reservations either. Tapping on Dine My Way gets me "Sorry - Dine My Way is not available right now. We are currently making updates t available reservations. Please try again later." And it's been saying this for three days.

Just booked a cruise for April 2024 last week and deposit is paid. The Medallion App initially shows the cruise but then when I tap "Ocean Ready" to start entering information, I get an error "Unfortunately, there seems to be an issue with the service. Try again later." It's now two days "later" with no change.

I don't know if it's relevant but we have a guarantee booking. And we were first going to go two weeks later (overlaps the current booking which is for 21 nights) and that still shows on courtesy hold per the website Personalizer but does not show on the Medallion App.

8 minutes ago, that said:

The captain sets the tone

for all the crew

in our experience

Concur. When the captain and other senior officers are keeping an eye on things, service is good; when they're not, the crew knows it and service suffers. One of the best cruises had a Hotel GM who was constantly visible, sometimes just sitting in a lounge having a drink while keeping an eye on things and a Maitre D' who was in the dining rooms almost every meal (and one day saw him and the executive chef checking things out in the buffet). OTOH, a cruise where the captain was invisible (no-showed the CC receptions and my Ship's Ultimate Tour) and where the Maitre D' seemed to be only visible for his ceremonial jobs (champagne waterfall, cooking demonstration) had poor service.

59 minutes ago, jwattle said:

@dands154 are you sure that Captain Michele Tuvo is no longer with Princess, or is he just on a break?

Seems like there are a lot of cruise neophytes (and even some non-neophytes) who think captains and other officers are permanently assigned to a ship and don't get any time off. And they don't get that while on the ship, they are working 7 days a week and on call 24 hours a day (particularly the captain) and therefore when they get a break, it's for multiple weeks, not just a weekend or equivalent. Others have more knowledge of contract lengths but I believe for many of the senior officers, they are only assigned to a ship abut 50% of the time (e.g. three months on, three months off).

They seem to be very slow right now. My shareholder benefit was dropped when my cruise (10/2022) was re-fared (that seems to happen when a re-fare occurs). Resent the shareholder benefit form via e-mail 10 days ago with no action. Resent it again yesterday. If nothing happens, I‘ll try faxing.

6 minutes ago, IRMO12HD said:

Thanks; in fact this will be the day before I board. I appreciate all of the feedback and tips.

Good to hear. Despite what others have said, if you're comfortable using public transportation, go for it. I was riding the NYC Subway alone as a teenager and today there are very few major cities I've been in, including a number in other countries, where I have not used public transportation. Considering our last taxi ride, sometimes I feel much safer on public transportation.

Despite my own experience, I agree with the above. If this is at 3pm on the day of cruise departure, you’re already at risk of missing the ship. Your goal is to get to the ship ASAP, not find the cheapest way there. I’d dare to say you need to be completely rethinking your travel arrangements. IIRC, most Princess cruises from San Pedro need everyone on board by 4pm.

3 minutes ago, IRMO12HD said:

Thanks!  Was there a place to put your suitcase, or did you bring it to your seat?  I'll be doing this about 3 pm on a Thursday; hopefully there won't be a crush with rush hour. 

I don't remember. I think I was able to site but don't remember if there was a place to put the suitcase of if I just held on to it next to me. It was over two years ago.

15 minutes ago, IRMO12HD said:

Thanks; that's what I was hoping to hear.  I'm flying into LAX and am planning on taking that same route.  Did you have any issues taking luggage on the bus?  I'll have a small backpack and a carryon size suitcase (with rollers).

If that’s all you have, you’ll be more than fine. I did it with a 29” suitcase (on wheels) and a carryon bag. Getting then on the bus was not a problem. It was a Saturday morning.

14 minutes ago, IRMO12HD said:

@lstone19I didn't see where your Silver Line bus trip originated?  Was it from the Harbor Freeway Station?  Did you happen to come from LAX via the Green Line?

I was staying the night before in an El Segundo (LAX area) hotel a block away from the Mariposa Green (now C) Line station. It was an easy walk for what I had, Green Line to Harbor Freeway, downstairs to the Silver Line level, and to the port.

22 hours ago, koolforkatz said:

Wow! Wondering who is chartering it? That is a lot of cancelled cruises.

It's really one seven-night cancellation. However, for many years, Princess has marketed summer Med cruises as 7 nights, 14 nights (two seven-nights B2B), and 21 nights (three seven-nights B2B2B). All of the cancelled "cruises" are ones that touch the seven nights of the charter. Note that the Med itinerary is a 21-night circle. The seven and 14 night cruises are one-way cruises from one embarkation port (Rome, Athens, or Barcelona) to a different disembarkation port. Only the 21-night version brings you back to where you embarked.