caribill

And my point is that while several posters have said I should not have expected Princess to have the same Covid protocols that Princess touted when I booked my cruise to be in effect when I take my cruise, nobody posted that the Crown cruisers should not have expected the itinerary they booked to be the one they ended up with.

That was something out of Princess' control. Similar for weather events such as hurricanes. But the Crown had problems that prevented it from doing the itinerary that Princess was selling. And it was selling that itinerary even while sailings were unable to follow it.

Correct. In the same way that most people booking a cruise assume that the itinerary will be what has been published. Yet look at all the complaints this past Alaska season when the Crown Princess had unresolved technical problems that caused ports to be missed, time on shore diminished, etc. on multiple cruises. Princess has the right to change any itinerary and they did. I do not remember posts telling those on the Crown that they knew the itinerary could be changed when they booked the cruise, so just accept it.

Princess announcement: News you'll love: Cruising is easier than ever! Cruising just got a Whole lot easier. You love travel, and we love making it simple to fulfill those dreams. So we're happy to report that beginning October 21, most of our cruises no longer have vaccination or testing requirements. This protocol shift applies to itineraries to all destinations except where government regulations vary, such as Australia, and on a few enhanced guidelines voyages that have their own vaccination and testing requirements. (Want details? Learn more here ❯) If you're booked, be sure to check for any itinerary-specific requirements in your Cruise Personalizer® ❯. You'll also notice a relaxation of other guidelines, like mask-wearing by guests and crew. Now you can see the smiles on those who welcome you aboard as well as the new friends you meet along the way. We hope you make plans to experience the world with us and can't wait to share new adventures with you soon.

The big problem is not someone keeping their chair when they leave for a little while. The big problem is people who reserve a chair at 7 AM and do not show up to use it until hours later.

If Covid gets worse in the coming months and restrictions (testing, masking) are reimposed for cruising, do you think we will see posts essentially saying: "I booked this cruise because there were no Covid testing or masking requirements and now, at the last minute when it is too late to cancel without losing 100% of the cost, there are new restrictions. Will Princess let me cancel with no penalty?"

When that happened to me, I called Princess. The rep could see that the OBC had been applied to the original booking and was able to add it to the new booking without my having to send in proof again. I was able to do this even through the cruise was booked with a TA.

Doesn't princess still offer it?

For the crew, the voyage is always longer than 10 days.

I think to a large extent it will be the crew that is most at risk without the mask mandate. In recent months, a number of passengers have reported how they tested positive when they got home from a cruise. Use of masks by the crew helped keep them from becoming infected but with no mask mandate, they are more at risk at getting infected near the end of a cruise by passengers who are contagious but do not know it.

Past final payment, so cannot get money back. Also, payment included funds from cancelled cruises that hd to be used by end-of-year.

a) They do not save slots for on board purchase. Many times on embarkation day there is a list of excursions that have been sold out. b) One poster above said they never did clear the wait list. Each cruise is different, but the few times we had to wait list before a cruise, tickets were in our cabin on the first day. c) If you have not cleared the list by embarkation day, go by the excursion desk as soon as you can and check your status. Don't assume that the wait lists were properly sent on to the ship. If the excursion desk is not open when you get there, fill out the form for the excursion you want, indicating that you were on a pre-cruise wait list, and deposit the form in the box/slot provided.

Send it in immediately. If doing it by e-mail, indicate in the subject line how soon the cruise will be

That was an identical twin, not a cousin.

People spend more time setting up to receive them at home then they would spend at check-in picking them up then.

Some times people like yourself have reported they could do this the first day on board. Other times people have reported they were not allowed to do this. Maybe it varies by ship. Maybe it varies by Internet manager. Maybe it varies by phases of the moon.

Unfortunately the answer is sometimes "yes" and sometimes "no." No idea of what causes it to be one way or the other. Programing changes? Phases of the moon? Certain planets being in retrograde? Other?

Deck-chairs reserved by chair hogs will usually have just a tower or a towel and a book on them. Deck-chairs used by people actually in the vacinity will usually have articles of clothing and other personal effects on them. Relatively easy to pick out which are the deck-chairs not actually being used.

The links Princess provided are not yet updated for the October 21 changes. To some extent, I am not happy about these changes. We have not cruised since cruise lines resumed voyages last year. Even with all the testing and protocols in place, Covid was still spreading on many voyages and not just on Princess sailings. But a few months ago we booked a cruise on Princess for late December, confident that the requirements in place at the time we made the booking would be the best practices for limiting opportunities for contracting the virus on our cruise. Covid has not disappeared and the best medical predictions show a concern for a resurgence later this year for a variety of reasons (new varieties, lack of mask wearing when appropriate, people spending more time indoors in the northern hemisphere, schools resuming in-person classes, many people not fully vaccinated and/or without booster shots, etc.). So the cruise we signed up for with the assurance that at least 90% of passengers would be fully vaccinated (completed initial series of injections), interacting crew would be masked, all passengers would be tested within three days of the start of the cruise,etc. is now a cruise with an unlimited number of unvaccinated and untested people and no masking requirements at all for passengers or the crew they encounter.

When the bidding program was first announced, the rules said you had to provide a credit card number and that the card would automatically be charged upon Princess accepting a bid and the charge might occur before the person was even aware the bid had been accepted. But now the process says you must arrange for payment within x time after the Princess has accepted your bid. So the question is, what happens if you do not arrange for that payment? o You stay in your original cabin and the accepted bid is no longer in effect? o You have had your cabin assignment changed to the new one and your original cabin is no longer available? o Your booking is cancelled for non-payment? o other?

The cruise lines that use promo chips use them for, as the name implies, "free" chips. They cannot be turned in for cash, but any chips you win playing with them will be regular chips that can be cashed in. However, chips charged to an onboard account are not promo chips. They are chips you pay for and thus can be converted to cash if you still have any of them after playing whatever.

And if the decisions have not been made yet, what does it say for status instead of EXPIRED or PENDING?

I found it to be both quantity and quality. Really enjoyed your report. I definitely got my money's worth from my annual CC membership dues. In fact, I will renew in advance because there is an opportunity for a 5X match from an anonymous donor.,

True, but Princess made a big deal how safe from Covid the ships were due to all the procedures and policies that no longer exist.

Some ships have offered in the main dining room the opportunity to purchase a Crown Grill steak and/or lobster. So for extra cost, you can have the Crown Grill quality in the MDR.