Rick&Jeannie

Hah! You just beat me to it!

I assume you know that you *can* book dining from your tablet/laptop/desktop browser....? Use the "web version" of the app. This is the *only* way that I book dining.

If I were in your situation...and I *knew* my upgrade location was a sure thing...then yes, I might bid. But then...it's NOT a sure thing, is it?

They want to sell you on their new 'Princess Promotions Package". Don't worry, you didn't miss anything!

I have not done Skagway this year, but we had good luck last year. It's a VERY short tender ride...they just run you around the end of the ship to a smaller dock...easy peasy. As far as "getting into town"...it's a short 5-10 minute walk. We've done it.

I honestly don't think I would *ever* do an upgrade bid. We tend to pick cabins that we feel we are happy with up front. Bidding (and winning) just seems too much like "buying a pig in a poke"!

Very slight possibility that the DNS server you are using has a corrupted entry for CruiseCritic. I know it's a bit of a long shot but I have experienced this first-hand (not with CruiseCritic). You could always try using the Google DNS at 8.8.8.8. This has cleared up various problems for me in the past.

Your DR neighbors apparently booked using the Princess "No Class" fare package.

Glad you got it straightened out!

Maybe just a temporary glitch?

We can't really comment intelligently since we don't know the ship/itinerary. We generally do not have these kinds of issues...but I tend to book as early as I can.

Just ask at GS....they'll let you know what can and can't be done. And it might even be accurate!

Looking forward to the video...

From a recent press release: New Concept from Award-Winning Chef Rudi Sodamin Now Onboard Enchanted Princess, Coming Soon to Majestic Princess, Sky Princess and Discovery Princess Note that this was from April of this year. We dined at The Catch when we were on the Sky a couple months ago. Crown does not appear to be slated to get it. On the ships that have it, it is available to book as a "normal" specialty restaurant.

Other than some OBC that may be available there is no incentive. Going the FCD route just allows you to investigate your next cruise at your leisure while *still* getting the benefit of a (possibly) reduced deposit and the OBC that comes with using an FCD. Most people really want to take their time in researching possible cruises (well, we do anyway) and don't want to tie up the time on the current cruise when they could be out enjoying themselves "cruising".

Just be advised...it's a LONG excursion; you *may* have to wait awhile to pass through the locks. Being a smaller boat, you don't get to go through "by yourself". They will wait until they can (safely) squeeze in more boats to make it as efficient as possible. We had to wait about 45 minutes in the lock, which is actually interesting in itself. You can really get a good look at the construction from 100 year ago and it will amaze you.

Consider this....just purchase a couple of FCDs (Future Cruise Deposits) to have on file. Doing so allows you to defer the choice of future cruise until you have had plenty of time to do your research...not eating into your current cruise time. You have up to a year to use them (you need one per cruiser) and the $100 you "spend" serves as your next cruise deposit as well as giving you back that $100 in OBC for that cruise. You can't lose. If by chance you don't use the FCDs, they are refunded in full at expiration. We do this *every* cruise so that we are always ready to book.

Regardless of the cabin you book and where the good viewing spots are (for "on the way in") you should definitely consider the excursion where you board a smaller boat and continue on through the canal to the Pacific Ocean! We did this earlier this year after having done a full transit a few years ago. After you reach Panama City area you board a bus and ride back to meet the ship...usually at Crystobal. You see *so* much more of the country, even if it's only from a bus. Passing through the old locks on this smaller boat gives you the chance to say that you've done both the old *and* the new locks...all in one cruise!

Absolutely! That is a great way to use some of that OBC...

Many people will *likely* chime in and say that you should book yourself to save a lot of money. While you certainly can save money, you still have to deal with transportation from airport to hotel and hotel to ship. We book hotels via Princess very often. We just prefer to let Princess handle all of those details! You did not share where your cruise departs from...we might have some deeper insights as to what hotels you may wind up at.

I stand corrected!

Please let us know how it all works out...

And one might say that even then it's not "free"! 😄

It appears as if the OP is not following his own thread...

Everybody has their own opinion as to how "crowded" they feel in a room. If you *strictly* use the room solely for sleeping and getting ready for the day then perhaps 4 adults *can* get by in a mini-suite. In my opinion...4 adults just trying to share the one bathroom in the morning is a deal breaker for us!