alanstarr

So what happens if you put down a second guest who then is a no-show. Do they try to charge you more once you board?

If you wear earplugs a lot, it's worth investing in a good pair. I recommend going to an audiologist and having molds taken. Many use Westone as a vendor, and they're great! They have removable filters, so you can choose 15db, 25db or solid blocking. They allow the highs through, so nothing is muffled, just lower in volume. Been using them for 20+ years now. Cost is around $225, but they last forever (or until you lose them 8^).

Just got off the Sapphire today, had a room directly across from the laundry (A612). Never heard a peep.

Cool! I travel mostly on NCL, and OBC can't be used for daily service charges or gratuities added on at a restaurant/bar. That's good news for my cruise next month on the Sapphire, thanks!

But probably not daily gratuities, right? (If you don't have one of the Plus packages.)

You could take the commuter rail train from North Station to Salem, which drops you right downtown. You'd just have to get to North Station, about 3 miles from the pier. Maybe Uber or taxi. Then either explore Salem on your own, or I'm sure you can find some walking tours.

I think you meant 200 business days a year not 2000. Changes the numbers significantly!

Yes. I was on it the past couple weeks, internet was Starlink. I posted these in another thread, but these were the upgrade options on Day 2 of my 10-day and 13-day cruises (B2B).

Which is exactly what I sent via the app as well. A PDF of my account with numbers redacted. No need to give them anything more than that. And "potentially dangerous" is such a broad statement; absolutely anything you do online is potentially dangerous to your privacy and finances. But there are such things as reasonable risks. I'm not trying to defend or be a fan-boy of the app. Just trying to tamper some of the knee-jerk resistance for those who haven't used it yet.

But that may not be the case in the future. Princess seems to be forcing folks to use the app, possibly discontinuing all other methods. NCL might go the same route in the future, essentially outsourcing this task.

It's a multi-step process. First you upload your stock info on the app. Then that gets approved (usually just a day or two). After that, you'll see the programs you're eligible for. At that point, you can click on Princess and submit for your cruise. Then it takes 5 more days after that.

Looks like you haven't submitted a request for your cruise yet. Has your portfolio been approved yet? That's the first step, then you can apply for OBC for a specific cruise.

In the app, go to the tab that says "Redeemed", then click on the Princess Cruises listing.

Update - credit just post today, five days after submission (just like they said). Also interesting - I also got validated for my NCL stock, so maybe I can use this one app in the future for both companies.

If you like sea days, NCL Joy has a 10-day TA from Miami to Southampton (London) on Jan 11-21. Currently the single supplement is 50%, but I'm hoping it'll go down to zero. But even at 50%, its only $1161 for a balcony all-in, including drink package.

Downloaded the app, got my stock holdings approved pretty quickly. Submitted on Sunday for a December cruise, now its just saying "In Progress" so far. We'll see what happens!

Looking at a TA in January on the Joy. For some reason, the regular balcony for one person is cheaper than the "solo balcony". Do they expect you to pay extra just for access to the solo lounge?

The Getaway has been upgraded to Starlink, and it worked quite well throughout the journey (including the TA portion), Speed seemed to be throttled to ~4MB/sec, but that's fine for basic surfing. (I didn't upgrade to the streaming package.)

I wait until the 2nd day because I usually have land-based service for the 1st day; which saves me a day's cost. Additionally, as long as you haven't used any time yet, they give you a credit for you unused FAS minutes (which was 150min for my 10-day cruise and 300min for my 13-day cruise).

Just got off a 23-day B2B that included a TA. I upgraded my internet on the 2nd day of each leg; it was $170 for 1st leg and $185 for 2nd leg. Since I had $100 OBC from stocks, it worked out perfect.

I bet its a YMMV. I've definitely been able to do it on other ships as well though. I think the last time was at the sushi bar on the Star this past winter, where they volunteered the info that I could order 8 items. (Last night, I had to mention it, but the waiter quickly agreed.) I've only done it a couple times, but have never been turned down yet. Last night I even ordered a couple appetizers from the Ocean Blue menu (fire shrimp and scallops) and three from the Raw Bar menu. Plus dessert that I took back to my cabin.

If you're traveling solo, you can order up to 8 items when using the Platinum voucher at ala carte restaurants. Just did this last night at the Raw Bar on the Getaway. (Although even the 5 dishes I ordered was too much food for me to finish. And I can eat!)

I'm currently on a 23-day B2B. They've used it for a bunch of shows. Broadway Unplugged (with the cast of Million Dollar Quartet), solo singers, a magician, a juggler. I think the Escape Room game is held in there.

Getaway is boarding normally, there are thousands on the ship already. Everyone is just hanging around, waiting for rooms to become available.

Currently on the Getaway. This is the non-streaming internet.