Torfamm

Pellegrino is normally available on all ships and they had it on the Caribbean Princess a few months ago. I was offered Perrier on a cruise when they were out of Pellegrino in the MDR last year but I can’t remember which ship it was.

While I understand your frustration, the policy is pretty typical of travel loyalty programs whether it’s cruise lines, air lines, hotels, or car rentals. I’ve never heard of points being awarded for cancelled reservations. Hope you heal quickly!

Offers can be received at the end of the cruise or appear later under Onboard Credits in your account. . Generally an email is received about those but not always. There is no stated formula for Come Back and Play offers received onboard. In my experience, 5000 points might get an offer for an inside cabin and maybe $250 in free play while something around 15000 points might yield a balcony cabin and $600 in freeplay. Those same points might get nothing though. It’s unusual now to see offers that include the Plus or Premier Packages without getting a lot of points, maybe enough for a mini suite. It doesn’t seem to matter how you play or whether you win or lose, just how many points you accrue. 3 USD = 1 point on slot machines. How it‘s calculated on table games seems impossible to understand

Yes, you can order drinks from your server in the MDR and they are included on the drink package.

They have Sprite Zero onboard now. I’ve seen only Diet Coke

You will see what time your ship begins boarding in the app. Generally, it’s reasonable to plan for 11:00.

In my experience that is the norm.

I think you’ll notice if someone does more than you’d expect or think is typical. It’s up to you to decide if you feel someone has made a special effort. A server going out of their way to provide something not on the menu, a hostess who remembers you from a past cruise and seats you at your favorite table every night etc. An obvious example that I’ve experienced recently is a cabin steward having to clean up after a can of Diet Coke slipped out of my hand and exploded all over our cabin. We were very grateful that he cleaned it up so cheerfully including having to change the bed linens. IMO that deserved a tip. Lots of smaller things might too.

I understand that they are working on a web based method, but for now, the Stock Perks app is the only way to apply for the credit.

My mistake. The detergent tokens may be a different price than the tokens used for the washers and dryers. I don’t know any way to order detergent from the app. It’s not an option in Ocean Now.

As I mentioned, I am often still sitting out by the pool or just coming back to the ship at that time of day as opposed to being dressed to go to the designated indoor space. Additionally, when your traveling companions are not Elite, you have to choose between your friends and family and the Elite Happy Hour when it’s held in a location with limited entry

In my experience, there are more tuxedos seen on cruises in Europe and Asia than the Caribbean or Alaska, but you won’t likely stick out like a sore thumb on any itinerary. I wouldn’t hesitate to dress up if I were you. Wear what you like and enjoy yourself!

I think everyone wishes it would be the way they like it. Whether you are someone who would prefer to enjoy your happy hour drinks wherever and with whomever you like, or whether you prefer that they close a space and limit entry only to elites and above, you’d probably prefer to have the option you like available every night. Those of us who prefer the new system are thrilled, those who liked having happy hour only available in a designated space with limited access and snacks passed feel they lost something. I’m firmly in the group that feels I’ve gained something. I like to be able to have drinks with my travel companions and often outdoors. We are rarely dressed and ready for dinner as early as the happy hour. I almost never was able to go in the past.

Tokens are available from machines in the laundry rooms by tapping your medallion to pay. Each token is $3 (same in USD or AUD). There are also tokens available at $3 for detergent and fabric softener.

There was no smoking at all indoors until about March of 2022. It was fantastic. Why they ever started it again is beyond me

What you describe is something I’ve seen a lot. This cruise people aren’t even at machines They are just standing around. I haven’t seen any Princess casino this bad, at least not since the restart. I can’t really remember how bad it was in the past. It’s such a shame that Princess decided to make the casino a smoking area again. The smoke-free cruises were so much better. Smoke literally poured out the casino doors into the piazza on the first night

You can see the port schedules here https://www.viport.com/schedule-cruise-ports

I honestly don’t know what the issue is. I’m not sure if they are afraid of confrontation or just don’t care.

We are currently on the Enchanted Princess and the smoking policy in the casino isn’t being enforced at all. There are people ignoring the policy that only those who are actively playing at slot machines labeled as being in the smoking area can smoke every day. It’s absolutely miserable to even walk in the door in the evenings.

I’m telling the truth. I luckily caught it and cancelled the excursions and OBC then rebooked the excursions with a credit card at an exchange rate I was willing to accept. Companies can offer whatever exchange rate they like as far as I know. It’s up to the customer to choose to exchange with them. While I don’t expect great exchange rates at the airport, hotel front desks or from a cruise line, this was unacceptable to me.

That document looks like it is for shareholder credit that is given in AUD, not converted. That is clear and fair but not true for all OBC. What isn’t made clear ahead of time is that if you purchase OBC or shore excursions with US dollar gift cards, they are exchanged 1:1 for AUD. Some OBC is exchanged at a reasonable rate. For example, the 200 USD OBC due to those on casino cruises was exchanged to about 300 AUD in the fall.

You can also get hot water at the buffet or delivered to your room with the breakfast card, room service, or Ocean Now

I love your approach to joining the family even if it doesn’t thrill you. Your attitude will be very helpful! Not sure what ports you’ll visit or but there might be some great outdoor activities available, including hiking and biking.

You have to do it by phone.

If you share a 4 device wi fi plan, the cost for that and crew appreciation would be over $38 per person per day, leaving $22 per person per day as the cost for beverages and the other Plus package inclusions. All beverages have an automatic 18% gratuity, so if you’d spend $37 per day between you on drinks, you’ll come out ahead. A glass of wine can easily eat up half of that.