Tucker in Texas

On 5/11/2021 at 10:23 AM, ALWAYS CRUZIN said:

Considering that low count. I find it hard to believe a non smoking ship would have any problems. Certainly 14 or 15% would not give enough revenue towards drinking and gambling to make that big of difference. I must be wrong.

One of the big money makers on the cruise lines are groups,  in particular, large families celebrating a special event. .  One or two might be a smoker and refuses to cruise on a ship that does not allow smoking.   Then, the whole group could be  lost to a line that does allow limited smoking in order to keep "Uncle George" happy or others in a like minded group.    

I am booked on a cruise in January.  I am waiting to see how they handle the elevators as I have to use them as "mobility challenged."  I can go one or two flights hanging on to the railings and going very slowly but that is it.  Having seen what has happened prior to the Covid (people pushing on and not get off even when the "buzzer" goes off indicating overload, pushing in front of scooters, etc.) I can't see how this will be handled.  If reports come back for long waits to get an elevator, people jumping the line, then I am going to have to reluctantly  cancel as much as I really, really, want a cruise!

It is primarily a stop to fulfill the PSA requirements requiring a visit to a "distant" foreign port if the ship is going from USA back to USA.  5 hours is really not long enough for any tours other than to go into town and walk around which is well worth while.  I've been to Victoria several times on land tours and love the town.  

I can see a win/win  here.  Congress agrees to a temporary waiver of the PSA if the ships actually "call" at a port in Canada.  "Call" being defined as a crew member going from the ship out in Canadian waters into the port and get paperwork done that they did indeed "visit" the port without any passengers actually disembarking..   Canada might agree to that if they got paid as if they did indeed dock by collecting port charges for every passenger or a charge for the unused pier they would have used.  .  I know, in the past, It has sometimes happened when the ship could not get into port due to weather conditions or other factors.  

I am not one to use Princess excursions for anything that I can do on my own.  That being said, when we did this cruise, we used their transfers and I highly recommend doing it.  We had a flight about the same time you are looking at and had plenty of time to make it.  They checked us in and got us boarding passes the night before we got to port.  We disembarked ourselves mainly to keep an eye on our luggage and did get a porter.  The porter had us in a quicker line from the others.  I don't know if it was dedicated to them or what but I can tell you it was a seamless transfer.

A side note is when I booked it pre-cruise, and gave them my air information, they told us that the flight departure time had been changed which I was completely unaware of since I got no notice from the airline. It wasn't a major change in time, just a little later.   However, our travelling companions who I was attempting to book, also, had had their flight cancelled and had not been told.  Fortunately, it was still far enough out that they could rebook another flight which they did.  She eventually did get a call a  from the airline telling her that the flight had been cancelled.

On 3/6/2021 at 5:24 PM, Lady Arwen said:

Some folks on these teams take it very seriously, VERY!  We don’t even watch anymore because all the fun has gone.  I just don’t understand.

And they cheat!

We have a similar question so I'm glad someone addressed it.  In our case, my sister and I were planning on taking a cruise this month that was cancelled.  Her husband was not interested in going until a vaccine was out and mine felt the same.  As I said, it was cancelled.  Later, after receiving our deposit back (we had not made final payment), we were contacted that, if we were willing to book the same cruise in 2022, they would give us $500 on board credit   However, it had to be the same people in the cabin.  Now the husbands are ready to go.  So, we booked the men in one cabin and us in another cabin. They don't do bed checks (lol).  Another reason for doing this is that our fare included the "free" perks.   However, the men don't drink much more than a beer to be sociable and we could book them significantly cheaper without the perks--like $500 each cheaper even factoring in the grats they would owe.    

Having never cruised with the medallion, I was curious how it would work with the room keys.  I had already figured out that we would use separate credit cards for each us to keep our expenditures separate, I just want to get the cabin keys so that they match the cabin we are sleeping in.  Hope it is as easy as some have indicated.

I have never seen them specifically identified in the Patters.  It always says "smoking only in designated areas."  However, I have found there is an area on Deck 14 (I think), near the forward elevators and a bar that has been  consistent on all the Princess ships I have been on.  It is covered,  has tables and chairs, and they even set up coffee/tea in the mornings.  On deck 4 there has been a small "nook" outside by the aft elevators near the theater entrance that has been consistent.  The problem is that there are no chairs, outside in the elements, closed when in port, and when it is windy.  A wall ashtray.  You, also, get a lot of face fanning, coughs, and smart remarks because people walking the Promenade have to pass very close to it.  .  The casino sometimes has an area if you are playing the slots and they are open.  The sports bar allows smoking but the joke is you don't need to bring cigarettes because you can just go in there and inhale and get your "fix." (lol).  So, if you are at the aft end of the ship, the nearest will be the "nook" otherwise a "hike" to the forward end.  Once they had smoking on the deck outside the Horizon which was nice but it was gone the last time I was on the same ship I had been on before. Theoretically, cigar and pipe smoking was only permitted in the sports bar when I was on the ship last year but I saw people smoking pipes and cigars in the area up on Deck 14 and it was enforced about as much as chair hogging/reserving seats in the theater is--like never (lol).

I am booked the week before that.  Does that mean ships can go there or just tourists via land?

I think it is just Athens that is being "stubborn" and not all the Greece ports.  

Apparently the going opinion is that Greece is the reason the cruise was changed around.  Before going into any ports after the virus is contained is that the ports provide information about availability of facilities if someone does get the virus and has to be taken off the ship.  These would include such things as hospitals, doctors, accommodations to quarantine people if necessary, transportation available to get them home among others.  Greece has failed to provide any of these "guarantees."

Our TA had set up a group cruise on the Enchanted back in 2018 or 2019 for August 2021 on the 3-day sale which was to go from Barcelona to Athens (14 days)  If one wanted a B2B, it would go from Athens back  to Barcelona (7 days).  Several of his clients booked it as such.  At first, it was B2B but later Princess had decided to give those on B2B a cheaper price if they booked it as a 21 day rather than 2 separate cruises so he changed them out.  He has quite a few doing Barcelona to Athens only though.

Fast forward to today he gets an e-mail saying the 21 day had been cancelled. Nothing much more.  Those on the 14 day Barcelona to Athens would now be doing Rome to Rome.  No itinerary was formed yet, they would let him know what it would be no later than October 3.   He doesn't know if those on the 21 day have been changed to 21 days Rome to Rome and then Rome to Rome for the second B2B or even booked at all.  .  Some got an e-mail on the 21 day that, basically, just said it was cancelled with no other information.  

He doesn't need this during the 3 day sale.  He has a ton of bookings to make (he has sold more cruises during the 3 day sale for past several years than any agent in North American by far).  I feel for him having to sort this out but I am sure he will!.

When we did our Australian cruise we considered doing it as a cruise tour.  Then we checked with Kensington Tours who custom did the same  things for us offered on the cruise tour and was cheaper.  It was, also, longer which covered the same things but was not as an intensive itinerary giving us more "rest time."  The tour company took care of everythng from our front  door to the ship for the cruise..  They made several changes for us and smiled while they did it.  We stayed in great hotels (Four Seasons in Sydney as an example), the guides were great, and, best of all, we weren't with bus loads of people.  You might want to check into them.

When I have eyeballed a saved, unoccupied lounger, for 45 minutes or so, I take their things to the pool attendant telling him it has been sitting there empty for 45 minutes.  If the chair hog comes back,  I say "Gee, the guy who was sitting here was leaving and  told me he was done and I could have it" and then go back to my book. As my DH has told me, it takes two to have an argument.   I have been tempted, though, when someone has left their book on a lounge to save to rip the last 10 pages out (lol).  

2 hours ago, john_galt said:

1997 for us. The winner was on the flight back to Dallas with us. She was screaming bloody murder because AA wouldn't allow her to bring the huge trophy on the plane with her. They made her check it as baggage. Flight was delayed while they sorted out her drama. 

I went to the theater armed with the daily planner with the "no saving seats" highlighted.  Picked a seat at the end of a prime row where 8 or more seats were being saved.  The woman came over and told me that the seat was occupied.  I looked around, seeing no one, produced the planner and told her that perhaps she had "overlooked" this directive.   She said they would all be there in a minute.  I told her if they came, in the next 10 minutes, I would gladly relinquish the seat.  Of course, they didn't--half the time the reserved seats would be empty the whole show unless someone was as "pushy" as I was (lol).  

9 hours ago, john_galt said:

Mahjong tournament on Celebrity was a pain. Public rooms were used. It's been many years but I always search the date in an attempt to find these surprises.

mahjonggcruises.com/

We ran into them on Celebrity back in 1999..  They usually go the first couple of weeks in December on Celebrity..  We even put out mah jong  alerts if we know of anybody going around that time.  Besides taking over the lounges,  some pushed, shoved, butted in line but the real corker was they would send someone up to the theater before the shows and reserve numerous seats.

 My TA  did a comparison on "free" amenities fare vs. non-free amenities fare. .  He basically came up with around $40 a day to pay for the "free" amenities.  He added the tips to the basic fare to make the comparison with the "free" grats which would include them.  He wanted this figure to advise his clients as, most of the time, he can the basic fare for them even if it is not "advertised" so they could make an informed decision if it is worth the $40 a day extra for drinks and wi-fi and, sometimes, on board credit which he, also, factored in when it was being offered on the premium fares but not on the basic fares.

O.K., let me throw this out.  A vaccine becomes available, say in December. The CDC says they can open up for cruising with a lot of conditions like only 70% capacity, mask requirements, for social distancing, etc.  However, In addition,  every one must show proof that they have had the vaccine shot before they can get on the ship.  At one time, the rumor went out that you would need a doctor's note that you weren't positive but that was shot down pretty quick.  

The problem, of course, with this grand idea, is that if you are willing to get the shot, it can be a major problem getting it.  Look at all the long (read hours) lines just to get tested.  So, as we say down here in Texas, that dog wouldn't hunt anymore than the doctor's note did (lol)

My TA has a group going on this cruise and he is optimistic that it will be a go.  He mentioned that the price had gone up $4K a balcony cabin over what he booked the group in for so the advice to shop around looking for a group price that was negotiated before the virus is a good suggestions.

On 6/3/2020 at 2:16 AM, brisalta said:

 

NIce theatre but not realistic as it has now been show that people can be infected but totally asymptomatic without even a temperature but spreading viral particles!!!

 

What is needed are rapid biological tests and the qualified personnel and equipment/reagents to carry them out.

Here in Houston we had a protest/demonstration for home town man, George Floyd with 60,000 people crammed together and few wearing masks.  Our County Judge  who has been keeping us advised throughout about the virus wasn't happy about it but knew there was no way to avoid it..  Hence, she strongly.  suggested that all those attending get tested BUT wait for at least five days before doing it as it takes that long to test positive.  In the meantime, who have those that test positive infected?  

My understanding is that a TA cannot sell the cruise for less than the cruise line sells it.  That being said, the TA can "discount" it by "rebating" some of his/her commission.  The TA can, also, chase price reductions that might come before it is on the web site or on the website and get them for you.  

When I said $50, I think it was actually $48 for both of us in January 2019.  

We did not take the shuttle from LAX to San Pedro but we did from San Pedro back to LAX.  Well worth it even if it is  more expensive than Uber/Super Shuttle/taxi because of the convenience.    Dedicated lounge to wait for disembarkation.    We got a porter for our luggage who bypassed a longer line for passport control taking our luggage to the bus.  Bus filled quickly and we were on our way.  No stops on the way and we were dropped at the terminal door.  I think that Uber or Super Shuttle takes you to a staging area and you have to take a shuttle to get to the terminal but not sure.  We were at the terminal in plenty of time for our 1:20 flight giving us time to get a bite to eat..  As a "bonus." when I called Princess to book the transfer prior to our cruise giving her our flight number, she informed me that the flight time had been changed to a little later which the airline (AAL) had not shared with us.  This impacted our arrangements from our home airport home. We avoided having the hassle of finding a cab or our driver once we exited the cruise terminal.   I think the fare was $48 pp.  

I have a-fib and have for many years.  My husband was diagnosed with it during a routine check up with his heart doctor after he had a stent inserted several years ago.  Doctor scheduled him for some procedure, .  He was literally gowned and  in the OR on the table when they did a pre-check and, guess what, no a-fib!  The doctor called the procedure off.  He said it is not unusual for it to "come and go"  In the next routine check up, it was back but he is not that concerned about it.  My doctor (including my daughter in law who is a doctor) is not concerned with mine other than to monitor it.

I guess between that and my age, I won't be able to cruise anymore if this rumor turns out true which I don't think  it will (lol)

1 hour ago, JudithLynne said:

I just heard that Super Shuttle, our go to shuttle, is no longer in business.  Any suggestions for transportation to LAX from San Pedro?  We do not use Uber or Lyft for personal reasons.  What is taxi fare or are there other shuttles?  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  This would be for a cruise at the end of Sept.  Thanks for any help.

Probably your best shot would be to suck it up and pay for Princess' transfer.  It wasn't that much more than Super Shuttle and, overall, more convenient because it didn't make multiple stops at various hotels. We took it from the ship back up to LAX  and was very pleased with the organization by Princess and far less hassle than the alternative of Super Shuttle or Uber. If you are going in a day early on your independent air, you can stay at a hotel near the airport and then make your way over to the airport the day of the cruise to catch their shuttle.