Renmar

@Rubyfisch Tanks for the info, much appreciated.

We are with the 4 of us, my DW- our son- our DIL and myself so I think it would be fair if one of the young ones get the car.

And yes, we will make sure that the ship is spic & span 😉.

Theo

On 4/28/2024 at 12:38 PM, Rubyfisch said:

If it's Holland, I got the same email. I live in Boston - there is always traffic and construction, it's nothing new (and provided there are no actual tunnel closures like last summer) it shouldn't be an issue. If there are taxis waiting, that is an easy option. If there aren't, I've never had an issue getting a Lyft or an Uber anywhere in Boston (I usually check both, as the price and the wait times vary between the two).

@Rubyfisch As a Bostonian (hope that is the right term) maybe you can help us out a bit. We arrive Saturday May 25 aboard HAL's Volendam and have a flight booked that is scheduled to departs Logan at 6:35 PM. We probably get kicked off the ship around 9:00 AM. HAL offers a shore excursion with a drop-off at the airport (cost for 2; $ 320.00 US) but here is the problem. The bus leaves the port at 8:30 AM for a 2.5 hour tour of Boston so by my estimation we will be dropped off at 11:00 AM at the airport. We are not looking forward to spending 7+ hours at the airport.

Other option is renting a car for the day and do some sightseeing ourselves. So here is my question; where/who is the closest car rental place near the cruiseport with the option of dropping off at the airport. By the way, we have no idea which part of the cruiseport the Volendam will dock.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Theo

34 minutes ago, Thrak said:

Reading these posts I believe I will, in the future, revise how I state my cabin number when asked. Simply using the letter name may be why I have been charged for other people's drinks from time to time. Many thanks for changing my view on this.

Darn, I thought I had something going here 🤔🍷🍹

Theo

The Princess (DW) choose Princess in 2005, tried HAL (I'm born in Holland so had to give it a try). About 20 cruises later it is still Princess. 

Theo 

13 minutes ago, Thrak said:

Wow. Something went really wrong with that post and didn't want to let me fix it. Never mind...

Maybe you need a new computer!!😁

Theo

Good for you.

My experience is "slightly" different. Just today received an email that my claim from August will be delayed by 30 (business?) days due to the high volume of claims. Oh well, what is another few months.

Theo

4 hours ago, antsp said:

I won't know I have covid because I won't test for it, I will just carry on as is. 

2 hours ago, antsp said:

Yes, twice, once pre vaccinated and one post

If you don't/didn't test for Covid then that begs the question; How do/did you know you have/had Covid and spreading it around.  Following is part of my blog I am keeping for every cruise, this one was Alaska north/south bound..

August 12, 2022;

This morning I woke up (which is a good thing) with a nasty cold (which is not a good thing). I felt it already coming-on yesterday and tested right away for the obvious culprit but lucky enough that one was negative. I was not looking forward to being quarantined if it tested positive. Drinking water🤔, which I normally don't do 😁, and taking 2 Tylenol every 2 hours might kill it.

6 hours later;

Well drinking water + taking Tylenol did NOT do the trick because I am tested positive for Covid19 (or any of the variants) and are now in isolation on the Dolphin deck which is set aside for this purpose.

Now I think about it I could have kept my mouth shut and carry on as if nothing happened but I can not do that, too many other people could become infected so I just go with the flow and sit out my time. I wish more or all people would do the same and get this nasty thing out of the way.

Too bad some people have an "I don't care, I'm different" attitude.

Theo

1 hour ago, antsp said:

Carry on as normal 

Please explain "your" normal because your action, if you ever get in this situation, comes over as abnormal.

Abnormal; deviating from what is normal or usual, typically in a way that is undesirable or worrying.

Theo

46 minutes ago, VibeGuy said:

Sapphire by a mile - wider promenade, better designed dining rooms, more top deck space per passenger (wider and longer).  
 

Grand has the superior disco for late night with better access to fresh air, but that’s it.  

Agree completely.

Theo

56 minutes ago, coaster said:

Just booked E706.  Looking at this site and it seems this cabin has a great view. Is the picture correct?

 

https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/deckplans/ov.php?ship=Caribbean-Princess&cabins=E701-E718

Yes the pictures are correct. I took about 70% of the obstructed view cabin pictures and made sure they were all correct before I transfered my website to the current website. E 706 is a good one with just a little obstruction. Enjoy your cruise.

Theo

On 9/11/2022 at 12:05 AM, PrincessLuver said:

 

Our experience was the same on the cruises we have done this year and a TA. All staff wore masks and never saw them below their chin or worn inappropriately.  I am sure they would have been reprimanded/ terminated if they created a health risks for other cruise members.

They should do that for passengers as well.

Theo

On 9/11/2022 at 12:08 AM, cruzsnooze said:

Be careful and disputing the credit card or contacting the BBB if you ever chose to sail with Princess again. Your TA should have informed you about the requirements and they were posted on Princess' web page. I don't believe the cruise with confidence covers your error, it's for those that test positive or require quarantine during a cruise. 

  I would suggest you write a very polite letter to Princess customer service and explain your situation. Ask for a future cruise credit (not a refund which will be denied) and explain how excited you are to think about a future cruise with Princess. Make them want to help you with lots of positive vibs. 

I like your suggestion but am afraid that the OP will not get any reaction from Princess customer service. I/we contacted Princess customer service (with polite letters) on a few occasions regarding a Covid claim. So far I/we have not even received an acknowledgement from them that they received the mailings. The first letter was send over a month ago and were CC to several VP's and also included Mrs. J. Swartz.

I/we are still patiently waiting.

Theo

57 minutes ago, antsp said:

Thoughts and prayers 

Looking at most of your postings your "Thoughts and prayers" are hollow and don't mean anything.

Theo

7 hours ago, dweeb said:

Renmar,

 

I am sorry to hear that you caught Covid.   Hopefully you will recover quickly.  I'm surprised you did not research this about QM2, prior to booking the princess cruise.  I hope that you purchased travel insurance that covers your loss.  I know that I would not have taken the chance of trying to cruise for 14 days on one cruise line then cruising again on the QM2 so soon afterward.  

I hear what you saying and my DW will probably agree with you. My excuse is that this was the only change we had to go to Europe without sitting in a crowded plane for about 10 hours. I looked at several options to get us to Europe, even willing to take business class. However, the cost of business class flying was more expensive than taking the shorter flight to NY return + the QM2 return. 

I still blame Princess for a large part of us ending up being infected with Covid.

Theo

18 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

dealing with a small number of remaining protocols isn't going to ruin the fun

Oh yes it is especially  if one of those required protocols are not enforced. I don't wish on anybody to be quarantined for any length of time in a cabin you can't leave. It is awful.

And the Arrive CAN did not matter with our disembarkation, we did not get checked by anybody. Not even immigration or customs.

Theo

Probably double post🤔

7 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

dealing with a small number of remaining protocols isn't going to ruin the fun

Oh yes it is especially  if one of those required protocols are not enforced. I don't wish on anybody to be quarantined for any length of time in a cabin you can't leave. It is awful.

Theo

I kept a little bit of a log about what happened on this cruise.

August 17, 2022

While we are here in Covid prison we are actually well taken care off. We can interact with a few of the crew members once in a while (at a distance). We can order pretty well anything we please either by phone or through the medallion app. The only thing we have to pay for up front is any medication we need/want but that will be reimbursed by Princess at a later date, we hope.

Every day there are more people joining us on this deck. It is a very sad sight to see people with all their belonging, carried by the crew, walking past our cabin to their new destination. Almost every time we open our door there are new couples or singles brought here. Sad, sad. sad.

August 19, 2022

Never a dull day in *********** Land. This afternoon we found out that we will not be cruising to England on the QM2 because they won't allow passengers on board who were tested positive in the 14 days before sailing (no exceptions apparently). We are missing that timeframe by only a few days. I guess an other black mark on the Princess list.

We will now try to change our flight from Vancouver  -  New York to Vancouver -  London. Our travel agent ***** is working on that.

August 20, 2022

After the unpleasant information of yesterday we are now happy to get off this ship. Apart from a few days in the beginning of the cruise and the fun time we spend planning this it has been one of the worse cruises we ever did. 

The ship is actually way to big to be nice. The venues are too far apart, not that we see many of them, and most of the music is way to loud. I know, because we had the setback with Covid everything seems to be off but  next time we cruise it will be on a smaller ship.

Our disembarkation went not too smooth either. We had to be ready by 10:00 AM so the "men in the white coats" could escort us to the Crooners bar. They were right on time and here we went with about an other 150 or so isolation passengers. It was not until about 12 noon before we were escorted to the holding area at the terminal. Here we had to wait an other hour before we were called to tell us the taxi was there to bring us to **********

The guy at passenger services was right when he said we won't get off until after 12. Anyway, $ 300.00 and 2 hours later we were home. They told us on board the ship that we will be reimbursed for all the cost related to the Covid issue, we'll keep our fingers crossed.

There was one big plus with this cruise, the crew we had serving us was fantastic. Doing that kind of work in these "contaminated" area's takes some guts. It is the one thing we let Princess know on the positive (no pun intended) side.

An other small glimmer of hope for our trip to Europe; our TA is talking with Cunard to see if the rules can be bent for that 1 day (I thought it was a few days but it is only 1 day). We might find out on Monday.

Theo

Never a dull day in ********

4 minutes ago, wowzz said:

As a matter of interest, how can you categorically state that you contracted Covid on board ship ?

How can I not?

We are fully vaccinated - have both booster shots - have been tested negative for the 10 days prior this cruise (tested every other day) - was tested negative on the 7th day and positive on the 8th day of the cruise - we have not been ashore in any of the ports because of the caution that was going around. We have done this cruise many times and the ports are not too much of interest anymore. we cruise for the scenery and the ship.

Theo

Covid on the Royal is probably going on for longer than we think.  This is a letter I send to Princess. I left the name of our travel agent out and also from the town we live. So far not a single reply from anybody.

One thing I like to mention though; The crew we had on the Covid deck was fantastic and so were the people at Passenger Services.

CC:  Mrs. Jan Swartz

CC:  Mr. Collin Steinke -Director, Customer Relations

CC:  Mr. Mario Siebaldi -Senior Vice President Guest Experience

CC:  Mrs. *********** – Travel Agent ****** Travel

CC:  Customer relations Princess Cruises

We are presently on board the Royal Princess.  We embarked on August 6th, and are in the midst of a 2 week cruise between Vancouver – Whittier - Vancouver.  There are two guests in our party, my wife and myself.

Shortly after arrival and on a number of occasions since then, we have listened to the Captain as he welcomed guests on board.  We particularly appreciated the part where he encouraged people to wear a mask at all times when not in their stateroom.

My wife and I are very passionate about mask wearing. Unfortunately not all people are the same and during our first week on board we noticed more people NOT wearing a mask than people that did.

Of particular concern is that it is very evident that Princess was making absolutely NO attempts to enforce their own policy which reads;

“Masks are recommended, but not required, in the majority of onboard venues, though you may need to wear them in select venues or certain situations. Please note that until further notice masks are required in all indoor locations on northbound and southbound Alaska voyages between Whittier and Vancouver, B.C., in an abundance of caution”.

We are loyal Princess customers, we haven't cruised since before COVID and we booked this trip with great anticipation, and trust that Princess would make every effort within their power to keep customers safe.

Sadly this has not been our experience.

I tested positive for Covid.  I feel the blame for this lies between the ignorance of the majority of passengers and the lack of enforcement by Princess.

I have spent the past few days in isolation/quarantine by myself.  My wife has now had a positive COVID test and will be joining me.

     When I first felt cold symptoms, I took a COVID test.  I then followed up with onboard medical.  I was under no obligation to do this.  My actions likely resulted in many others not ending up with COVID.   I will not get into all the details but suffice to say it was a traumatic experience in that I was immediately taken to quarantine and had no means by which to contact my wife to let her know.  This added to my anxiety and upset.  

Today is my birthday; my wife's birthday was last week.  We are on this trip to celebrate both.  We are both of advancing age and with circumstance and life challenges this could very well by our last trip.

I have been advised that we are to quarantine 10 days from the outset of the positive test.  It is our intention to do that from the comfort and safety of our home in ***********, BC.

What we need from Princess, the company that we have trusted for many many years and spent many happy journeys with:

-Confirmation and specific details surrounding the disembarkation process and transport.  We are seeking transport provided by Princess to our home on the morning of disembarkation.  I anticipate a secure taxi in which we will both be masked.  Please confirm.

-A refund for all monies spent.  Had Princess enforced their policies I feel confident that we would not have ended up in this situation

-A credit for a future cruise for all of the guests in our party.  Assuming we have a fulsome recovery and our other health concerns remain at bay we would like to travel to Alaska again in May or June of 2023.  I am willing to give Princess another opportunity to regain our trust and faith in them.

In closing, we did the right thing by masking, sanitizing and testing.  Princess did not do the right thing, and this negligence is likely what caused us to get COVID after avoiding it for two years.  Princess's failure to enforce policies has put my health, my spouse's health and the health of other travellers at risk.  I need Princess to do the right thing now.

Thank-you,

Theo **********

 Andrea **********

Maybe I should put a lot of ********* in some of my posts because a few seems to have alerted the **********. At least we can still put some 😉😁😃 in here.

Theo

23 hours ago, IB2 said:

Someone on our table was turned away at last night’s gala night for not being in a dinner jacket or dark suit.  So there is still enforcement, but outside the gala nights the requirement is merely for smart attire meaning a proper shirt and no shorts, jeans etc - so standards are already sufficiently relaxed not to hinder anyone travelling without a jacket.  On the two gala nights out of seven you just eat at Kings Court, or in your cabin.

 

After the pandemic, being overly fussy about dress codes seems an anachronism, and the new Cunard approach of being fairly relaxed most of the time but still with a handful of ‘dressing up’ nights is probably a decent balance for modern times.

Thanks for this information. We are on our first Cunard cruise and our first Atlantic crossing by ship. We want to travel as light as possible because we are traveling around Europe for 6 weeks and we are not planning on lugging heavy suitcases around (we are 80+). We have no problem with spending the gala nights at any of the locations which not require formal wear. 

Again, much appreciated.

Theo

The charge disappeared from my CC so I think that most of you were right and that it was just to check if the card is valid.

Just to have a little fun; Say the limit on the CC is $ 50.00 then the $ 1,29 would not help them very much. 3 glasses of wine would clear the balance 😉

Theo

6 hours ago, crickette said:

Theo

 

It is quite possible the charge is the equivalent of £ 1.00

 

It's common for a cruise line to make a $ 1.00 charge to make sure the credit card is still valid and active. Since we started cruising in 1981 this has been a common occurence for us.

4 hours ago, Underwatr said:

A UK Pound is currently on the order of 1.5 Canadian dollars or higher.

Lines can adjust port fees right up until sailing although I think (for no good reason) that it would be unusual for the change to be as small as a dollar or two.

Thank you both for you info. I thought it might be something like that. It is actually the equivalent of $ 1.00 US so I think @crickette is right, just a test.

Theo

We are cruising on the QM@ August 28 . The cruise was paid for completely last June. Today we checked our MC  and there is an unexplained charge from Cunard in the amount of $ 1.29. I know, it is a shocking charge but it means they charged something almost 3 months after final payment. I feel if they can charge a little amount as this the probably could charge any amount without approval

The charge says:

Anybody an idea what it could be, I would ask Cunard but can not reach them.

Theo

On 8/14/2022 at 2:55 AM, antsp said:

It's always good to see things returning to a bit more normal after Covid 

Since our last Cruise in March, to now, things I've noticed that are better 

 

:Crew working outside no longer need to wear masks

: Passengers are now longer to  participate normally with cruise staff and entertainers on stage

:Evening cabin turndow is no longer by request

:Bread baskets is back on the tables in dining rooms 

 

Hopefully the next thing with time the crew can be mask free, 

Don't get your hope up too much yet, 200+ covid cases on the August 6 Northbound Alaska (Royal Princess) according to crew.

We are on the August 13 southbound and already deck 9 is filling up with new cases, we are 2 of them. Just beware and wear your mask EVERYWERE,

Theo