greenbeanie

Booked Discovery Princess, California Coastal, April 2025. The itinerary is LA to Catalina to SFO to Ensenada to San Diego and returning to LA. Took a Celebrity cruise in April, 2023 which sailed from Ensenada into San Diego. Every single person on the ship had to disembark and go through customs/immigration. This took quite a bit of time - we actually completed the customs and left the ship, but it started raining and we thought: "The process must be over ... we can rebound and then head back out." (People could leave the ship, but if they returned they could not leave again until the whole ship completed this process.). So we get on, and the ship is looking for ten people to finish the process. Finding these ten people took 45 minutes, and we were stuck on the ship until done. So, my question is: Does Princess handle San Diego in the same way - requiring the entire ship to disembark for customs? (I'm hoping not, but I think the issue is port related. Coming into LA, its all facial recognition and takes zero time.) We just got off Discovery on April 27 - California Coastal. This itinerary routed us to San Diego, then Ensenada, and then back to LA. I was a bit surprised that this 2025 itinerary has Ensenada before San Diego.

how do I know where my muster station is before I go to the cabin? Does that info pop up on the app once I board (like, it seems, the folio does).?

Several posters noted to check the folio daily. I've not sailed on Princess yet - on Discovery April 20. Where do I find my folio? I have the app, but don't see it anywhere. Is it something that appears once we board?

How deep is this pool?

Where does one go to find the list of what inventory is on board? Visit every venue? or is there a grand master of all wines/liquor?

Former swimmer, now avid shallow water exerciser. Shallow, as opposed to deep, meaning about shoulder height water, so standing in about 4 to 4.5 feet of water. Sailing on Discovery Princess - what I've learned from helpful posts here, is that there are no pools that contain that depth - not even if they're slope-bottomed. But, in water over 4.5 feet, I can use a noodle threaded between my legs, and that way exercise in deep water. Has anyone brought - or seen someone bring - a noodle to port and successfully get it on board? I've done this on Oceania, but am not sure about Princess.

A couple of questions after taking a video "tour" No kids? Is it necessary to book the sanctuary to access the pool? (not the main pools, I can't recall the name of the more quiet pool, but this one.) There are TVs in the cabanas - does the TV noise carry? And does general noise in the cabanas travel out to nearby areasl? Is there piped in music? If so, what's the volume level?

Deck plans for the Sun Princess (on Princess.com) show two lifts/elevators all the way aft. Just two, so a small "bank" of lifts. It seems the lift initiates on deck 6 or 7, in Horizons dining room. Looks like the last stop is deck 17. We usually book our cabin all the way aft so we are well away from the elevators' and foot traffic associated noise. I wonder if these lifts will increase foot traffic / noise in the area of the aft cabins. There are only two lifts, but ...

Now there isn't even the option on the first booking screen to select Standard or Plus. And still missing is the screen, that screen with three boxes - Standard Plus and Premier - showing what is included, and ... providing the total price for the room with each plan. Kind of basic information needed to make a decision. Would new Princess customers book on line when no mention is made of Plus or Premier? Would they know it exists as an option? Maybe hunting in the Princess website would uncover something, but that takes time, and if found, isn't mentioned in, or connected to, the booking process This new process (or IT glitch) doesn't provide enough information to make a booking. If it's a new process, it isn't a way to make a sale. Princess regulars might book because they would know to add on a package after the booking. Newbies might not know this, and might look to another cruise line. I'm voting for IT glitch, and hope it's corrected!

Now that you mention - yes the option for Plus or Standard can be ticked on the first "page." Although there is no option for Premium on that "page." Every other time I've booked, I select my cabin type, then I select my cabin location, and then a page shows Standard, Plus, and Premium prices. Once I select the one I want the final price is next. The page that is missing the the Standard, Plus and Premium. That gives one the chance to evaluate the difference in price. Premier, sorry, not Premium.

This is new - trying to make an on-line booking, but there is never an option to select Plus or Premium. Once the room is selected/reserved, the total price is shown with Princess Standard. I've even tried putting in guest information in hopes there might be the option just prior to the payment/deposit. At this moment I don't want to commit to either cruise I'm looking at by making a deposit - to see if maybe there is an option for the Plus or Premium once a booking is made I've restarted my laptop, and opened a new browser tab for the bookings. Has anyone else noticed this? It was doing it last night (2-29-2024) and now today.

As yet we've not cruised on Princess, but are booked for Pacific Coastal on Discovery in April. Not ever sailed on HAL, either. In January I booked a HAL roundtrip 16 day San Diego to Hawaii over Christmas on the Zaandam. I booked before doing my normal amount of research; I knew the ship capacity is 1400 which I did like. But further research showed the Oceanview rooms (which is about all the ship has; no balconies) looked very small and very tired (last refurb was in 2017). The main plaza seemed kind of weird with a pipe organ as its main feature. No dancing, and the entertainment would likely be lacking, not good on a cruise with 10 sea days. For some reason I didn't know Princess did R/T Hawaii cruises from Los Angeles, but shortly after booking the HAL cruise ($600 deposit for two!) I stumbled on Grand Princess 16 days to Hawaii! Canceled HAL and booked Princess. I like the size of the Grand. For the same price as HAL's tiny, tired Oceanview, on Princess we are sailing in a mini suite. Will be a far better experience I am certain of it. Deposit was $200 for two! Someday we'll likely take a HAL out of San Diego, but it will have to be one of their newer ships. (I enjoyed the recent thread about Hawaii R/T from SFO or LAX on the Ruby or the Grand. Since we live near LA, it's an easy choice ... the Grand out of LA ... and I like the covered pool! Will be fabulous for the cold Pacific sea days in December.)

Could you check out the depth of the two main pools? I've heard they are solar heated, but I'm not sure exactly what that means - heated by the sun alone, so not really heated, or the heaters are solar powered. We head up to San Francisco on April 20, and hope for a good pool depth to do water aerobics, and warm enough water!

I chose my own cabin at the time of booking. Wanted that specific room in that specific location. Am I understanding that Princess can/would "upgrade" that without contacting me (or my TA) - even if I paid extra to select my own cabin?

Yes, I did get a TA, who booked the Princess Hawaii trip. Before the pandemic we had an excellent husband/wife TA, but she had to shut down shop when her husband died in an accident and the pandemic began at the same time.

How does one get a CVP?

Yes, I'd made final payment. Was due January 21, I paid on January 19. On the princess website my payments due shows negative $1765, so I know that the "books" are correct.

I am due two refunds - one from Princess ($1765.80 cabin downgrade) and one from HAL ($600.00 refundable deposit). I'm frustrated and learned a lesson ... follow up. And wonder if their "method" is a business practice. The backstory - On 1-22-24 I booked a December R/T San Diego HAL Hawaii cruise, first time HAL booking, and done on the phone with a HAL planner who popped up in my e-mail (at a prior time I signed up for an account on line). Looking at Zaandam on line, I became concerned the ship/cabin would be too small and perhaps not enuf entertainment for ten sea days, so I did some more research and stumbled on a Princess cruise (didn't know they went R/T Los Angeles) on Grand Princess. Liking this better, I set out to find a travel agent (I currently hold my first Princess booking, which has been a PCL call center disaster, and would not do another booking without a TA.) So on 1-23 I cancelled, via e-mail to "my" HAL planner, who said she'd cancel it and the refund would be ten days. Then I booked the PCL Hawaii trip through my newly found TA. To be frugal we decided that a balcony cabin would do. (Side note: PCL balcony cabin was $1,000 less than HAL, mini-suite a tiny bit less than HAL). Then I had a brainstorm! My current first time sailing PCL booking is on Discovery, Pacific Coastal, mini-suite, 7-day. So, why not downgrade that 7-day to a balcony, and take the savings towards a mini-suite on the Hawaii 16 day. Off I set to do that on 1-24, encountering another call center person, who could not explain why his balcony fare did not match the on-line fare I was seeing, his being $130 each higher. Frustrated, I ended the phone call, but then I thought ... no, I'm going to follow this up. On 1-26 I called PCL again, got - for the first time of five or six frustrating call center calls (that's another story) - a knowledgeable and OK English speaker - who not only corrected the fare, but who used a "promotion" to reduce each fare $300. This gave me hope for PCL. So the refund went from my 1-24 phone call - $828, to a refund of $1765, to be returned on the credit card used. So, I'm happy. Reduced Discovery Princess by $1765. Made Grand Princess Hawaii a mini suite and cancelled the likely unsatisfying HAL Zaandam, and at a tiny bit less price. Checked my credit card daily - this is a lot of money, and I'd like to put it into our savings account which is paying some nice interest. Like a good doobie, I wait the 10-12 days. No refund from either line. So on 2-5 I email "my" HAL planner - where's the refund, can you check. Receive an e-mail back from her that says " This message has no content." Hmm. Today, 2-6 I follow up with HAL call center, and ten minutes in to the call the agent puts me on hold to "check on something", and five minutes later my call is dropped. I call back two times, give all the information to the "voice" and each time I hold for two minutes and then get "Code 2 no staff" and my call is dropped. Now I am thinking something is wrong, so I call "my" planner, (it's not "my" Sarah, ha ha it's like a mini call center) who advises the reservation was cancelled just yesterday 2-5. My input evidently initiated the cancellation. What, seriously? I asked for an expedited return. Ha Ha on that. Following up with Princess on the evening of 2-5 I chatted on line with an agent. The agent advised they initiated the refund. My input evidently initiated the refund. What, seriously? I called PCL call center today, 2-6, to verify the chat agent did initiate the refund, and yes they did. I asked for an expedited return. Ha Ha on that. Lot of detail above to say I've learned a lesson - follow through ... immediately ... on refunds. Could this be a business model the cruise lines use to hold our money for even a tiny bit longer? Or hold forever by maybe never issuing refunds; on small refunds some people may not even notice. My husband suggests, after receiving the refunds, lodge a complaint with the BBB.

No fare discounts, a big-deal total $85.00 OBC but better than nothing. Deposit was the same as Princess, $100 pp. What was important to me is that the TA to deal with Princess. She does, and I am happy! But you're right - watch for high deposit, esp when the cruise line offers a low deposit. I googled Travel Agents in my city, and this one was on Y elp with good reviews. I think I was lucky. Not a big box, (but affiliated with a world-wide group) and the agent is in a local office. .

I completely agree with "The heads of many...." I had awful experiences with call center people; four calls, over two hours in total. My fifth call was handled by someone who knew what they were doing. but that was another half hour! Princess should adequately educate their call center personnel so that English is both comprehended and comprehendible. I'm not sure they are versed in the Princess systems, either. I place the blame for their inadequacy on Princess. Someone on this thread said incompetence isn't geographic, and I agree. There is no way that I can speak Hindi or Tagalog, and these workers are doing way more than I could ... but that doesn't ease the frustration - and yes for me, too, tears. I recently booked a second cruise on Princess (yes, my awful experience was my initiation with Princess, never encountered anything like it ever), and I would not/couldnt bear to do it without a Travel agent. I had to search (google); I lucked out and found an experienced and responsive one. Which is good, because I booked a balcony, then upgraded to a mini. Doing that via the call center would have been awful.

Now I am confused. I understand only one device at a time on the Plus package. But if both cabin mates have the plus package, does each person get their own sign in? So if I have an iPhone and iPad, I can use just one of those, but my cabin mate has an iPhone and a computer they can use just one of theirs, but can we each be using at the same time? Maybe I'm asking: Are there are two sign-on IDs in one cabin on the Plus package since we both have purchased that?

First time Princess - sailing April 20th. Have the Plus package - do I have to request that the medallion be shipped, or does it automatically ship with the Plus?

I've allowed myself to acknowledge that our comfort - a comfy-for-both-of-us cabin - are first priority, balcony second. Especially as several noted, and I'd expected, much of the trip to and from the islands isn't balcony weather. It's a stormy time of year in that part of the Pacific. Currently booked in a balcony cabin on deck 10. Unfortunately there are no deluxe balconies on Grand, just premium which is a regular balcony located midships. Too bad Princess doesn't have a couch until the mini-suite level, or on some ships Deluxe balcony. I'll upgrade - considering the balcony door to be a window, the balcony a bonus for the days in Hawaii weather permitting. For 16 days, would prefer, and feel like I'd get value from, the mini suite. Appreciate your thoughts! (And for helping me feel OK with prioritizing cabin size/layout.)

Thinking about a mini suite on Grand Princess. LA to Hawaii on December 3, 2024, 16 days. As I understand Grand class ships have uncovered mini's. Specifically on Grand Princess mini's are on two decks: Emerald (8) and Dolphin (9). Emerald mini's have covered balconies - and are sold out on this sailing with no wait list any longer available. Thus, only option is Dolphin mini's - which are all uncovered balconies. I can think of some pros and some cons - I'd welcome any pro and con ideas from the community.

As far as weather goes, October can have the hottest temperatures of the year. It's also the beginning of the windy season in both Northern and Southern California.T he windy "season" lasts from late September to about March, and there are only an average of 35 days of winds, lasting just one day, sometimes two or three. The winds are called Diablos in No Cal, and Santa Anas in So Cal. When there's a Diablo/Santa Ana event, humidity is very low, sometimes into single digits. So it's a high fire danger time. Even if you don't encounter windy days during a Santa Ana, So Cal is likely to have some warm weather. Temps can get up to the mid, even high 90's, although the ocean moderates the heat, so close to port would be a bit cooler. Of course one never knows exactly what the weather will be, but I'd call likely 80's to 90's in So Cal. Definitely calls for sunscreen if you're outside!