Rick&Jeannie

I cannot answer that one...we only used ship laundry service.

Correct

I think (I cannot give you an absolute definitive answer here) that the days of "extensions" are over. That was pretty much a Covid thing. I could be wrong...

R230

If you don't choose Princess Plus or Premium OR choose not to pay the shipping...

I am currently on the Carnival Panorama and am pleased to report that I am not having to resort to my posted "workaround" that I shared above. This is on a Mexican Riviera coastal cruise (7 days) and the internet is fantastic (so far, anyway...day 1.)so...it's NOT my phone... This just makes me feel even more that Princess has an issue somewhere, maybe not on all of the ships. Can anybody report from the Sky?

I guess we are the "exception" to what everybody else is saying above. We very often book a pre-cruise package and *sometimes* even post-cruise. We like just sitting back and letting Princess handle all of the details of the stay and the transfer process to/from the hotel/airport/ship. Yes...it costs more. We just consider it part of the total cost of our trip.

Yes, they did have kettles in our cabin at least. (Mini-suite) As an American it was a bit of a waste...we just don't do hot drinks in our cabin.

We have stayed at this hotel as part of a pre-cruise hotel package but it was via NCL. The hotel is great! From the rooftop pool area you can see the Acropolis a couple of miles away. Most cruise line hotel packages include the transportation to/from the airport and hotel to ship. I can't speak specifically to the way that Princess handles this but I would *think* it should be similar. Very nice hotel!

The title of this thread conjures up all kinds of "interesting" plot lines....😀

We recently dined at The Catch on the Sky. Take a look at this thread where I posted some pics of the dishes we tried. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2942454-enchanted-princess-new-dining-venues/?do=getNewComment

Yep! I have been taking great advantage of the AARP Princess gift cards for several months now.

Not on board right now but we sailed on her a couple of months ago and had a great cruise. Note that you can always find people who like to complain or point out things that are not quite up to par. Take these reports with a big grain of salt. If you enjoy cruising and start with a good attitude you'll probably have a great trip!

Yes, we have done this. As far as going to the hotel from the airport Princess used a small(ish) 30 passenger bus. Headed to the ship we were on a full sized bus. The real convenience of using the Princess hotel package is that they handle the luggage all the way from the hotel to your stateroom. We really like this. Yes, you can always "do it cheaper" but we just consider it part of the cost of our cruise.

I imagine so. Of course, there's always an invitation to the "super elite travel club" that most of us will never see...

I make sure that I keep every email with the GC links as well as hardcopies of the GCs as well...just in case there are issues down the road. Luckily, I've not had any issues (so far) after having bought around 25 of the $500 cards. You just can't beat getting a straight 10% discount off the top!

Yes, I have received our refund as well. I immediately took that CC balance and bought a couple of gift cards (AARP) to apply to a future booking.

Any/all OBC can be used to book excursions. When/if that is used up it will begin to charge your CC. (This is PRIOR to boarding...)

Getting an accurate DR menu prior to sailing is generally not possible. Your best bet would be to jump on a current roll call for your ship and ask for someone to post a pic...but keep in mind that it's a lot to ask for postings for every night! Also, menus can and often do change based on what is actually available at port refurbishment.

I was able to crop the one good video I had down far enough so that bystanders would not be shown. It's much more dramatic in its' normal zoomed out scale. This is the "table-side filet service" at The Catch. The_Catch.mp4

I don't have any wide shots that I am willing to share (other people in the shots who might not want to "go public"!) But here are a few of some of the specific dishes at The Catch:

For a while you were able to renew online without having to send in your old passport. You had to meet some very specific guidelines. They have "temporarily halted" the online process...but renewing by mail can be done, also without mailing your old passport and subject to the same limitations.

It's definitely a toss up. We've experienced both ways as you have.

Unfortunately, the PM function has been disabled for quite some time. Short of you publicly sharing your email system (which is NOT recommended) it is very difficult if not impossible to contact other members directly.

As far as your dining reservations...it is much easier to see on a tablet/laptop/desktop via the "web-based" applet. You can see much easier the number of days and it clearly shows what you have booked. I gave up on trying to do this on the app a long time ago...though I hear it is much better now. I tend to do everything on a desktop...