TN-Mountains

I took these speed tests on Sky Princess (Norway/Iceland June  3-17).  The first was on June 4 @ 6:35 PM so we were at sea somewhere between Southampton and Bergen.  The second was taken on June 6 @ 7:35 PM, so we were somewhere between Flaam and Olden.  I'll be honest.  These numbers look bad to me.  My internet would be unusable if I had tests like these at home.  Fortunately, the internet worked great on the ship.  I was able to make/receive video calls using both FaceTime and WhatsApp.  There were a couple of times there was a lag with the video, but it wasn't terrible and we were in the middle of nowhere between Norway and Iceland...possibly north of the Arctic Circle at that time.  I had no issues checking email, news, etc.  After reading how horrible the internet was on these boards, I had ZERO intentions of getting internet, Princess Plus or Princess Premier.  The prices are too high for it not to work.  I reluctantly upgraded to Princess Premier on day 1 because my husband needed his work phone in addition to his personal phone.  I have no regrets and never felt the need to run any more speed tests.  The ones I ran were purely out of curiosity and not because I was having issues connecting.  I hope these are helpful to others!

On 6/24/2023 at 6:33 PM, Shaver John said:

Does anyone know what exercise classes are included in Plus. Are the classes worth going to and are they basic or do you have to be in excellent shape to even join in..

My husband attended one class on the Sky a couple of weeks ago.  I believe it was a stretch lab.  He enjoyed the class and he rarely works out at home.  

39 minutes ago, melodyina said:

Perfect just the answer I like to read.  If one thing a cruise does, is inspire you.  I do not belong to a gym or even have a workout routine.  I once used the WII fit and found fun in that, but that was 10+ years ago.  My upcoming cruise, will give me a taste again and I will join.  Me - out of shape, mid 60's with an arthritic knee, and plus size.  I"ll go there with a smile. 

 

Don't worry about being out of shape.  My husband was the only person in the class, so he got one on one attention from the instructor.  

Y

10 hours ago, aliciam said:

Bumping this thread. Does anyone have any experience in actually using OBC on the first day of the cruise to upgrade to Princess Plus?

 

Thanks!

I upgraded from standard to premier on the first day.  I was able to use OBC to cover part of the price.  It was the same price onboard as it was pre-cruise except, 1) I didn’t have to pay an increase in the insurance premium that would have been required pre-cruise; and 2) they gave each of us a $10 OBC because they didn’t mail our medallions pre-cruise.

On 5/29/2023 at 12:00 AM, mmiicc said:

The missed ports situation is not just a captain’s decision but in my opinion a systemic failure on the part of Princess. My next cruise, whenever it happen, will assuredly not be with Princess. I dreamed of Iceland for a long time, devoted my meager annual vacation time, traveled thousands of miles. And the main objective of the trip was not fulfilled. Also the tour group I went with had arranged private excursions not through Princess because the group had special requirements. Changing the order of ports or skipping ports messed up those tours unrefundably; hopefully our travel insurance will reimburse us.

 

I disagree with all the pollyannish comments here that try to rationalize the way Princess screwed us over.

What do you think Princess should have done differently?  Aside from actually stopping in the planned ports shown on the itinerary, what would make you feel whole?  (I'm assuming they couldn't stop at the ports.)  I board Sky Princess this week for a very similar itinerary, so I can sympathize with how disappointing this must be for you.  I've been on a Caribbean cruise where almost the entire itinerary changed due to a hurricane and the cruise was actually extended 1 or 2 days because all the ports in FL closed. There was nothing we could do to change anything, so hubby and I made the best of the situation.  Even knowing it can and does happen, I will be very disappointed if a similar thing happens on this next cruise.  We will still try to make the best of the situation, but it will be so much more disappointing!!!  Norway/Iceland cruises are a lot more expensive. 

6 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Well, eventually all cruises come to an end. This is the last day (sea day) before returning to Southampton tomorrow. This has definitely been an eventful trip! Missed ports, 2 medical evacuations (1 by boat, 1 by helicopter), visiting a port that had originally been canceled, visiting a port that had *not* been scheduled, at least 2 onboard medical calls... Wow!

 

I know some people are disappointed,  some really upset...and some have just "gone with the flow". While we were disappointed to miss Reykjavik since we've never been there, that just means we have to book another cruise to "make up for it"! I was surprised/glad that we received 20% FCC compensation...Princess certainly did not have to do that but it sure was nice to get. Some people have indicated that 20% wasn't enough.  I just applied it to an upcoming cruise that is not yet fully paid (actually,  a transatlantic...and on the Sky!)

 

While I did not start this thread as a "Live From" topic...it just kinda morphed into one. I hope everyone has enjoyed following along our adventure! I thought it was a good cruise. We saw some beautiful scenic sights in both Norway and Iceland. I hope our "tales of woe" regarding weather and missed ports does not dissuade anyone from considering this itinerary. After all, any day on a ship is better than being stuck at home!  

Happy cruising!

Thank you for sharing your adventure with us.  I leave next week on a very similar itinerary, so I've been closely following posts about your cruise.  I saw where you posted that the internet was good, but I wasn't paying attention to where you were on the cruise.  Was it good on the last 3 sea days between Iceland & Southampton? I need to make a Facetime/WhatsApp video call during those days to wish my son a Happy Birthday.  I am curious if it will be feasible.  

22 minutes ago, drega99 said:

Its definitely in Canada.

I was on my work computer, so I'll have to double check tomorrow, but I'm pretty sure it was in California.

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Google is your friend in these instances.

I'm not familiar with this sale/TA, so I googled it.  A youtube video came up that was posted a few days ago discussing this 3-day sale.  I skimmed through it and noticed 23 mins+/- into the video they discuss Standard, Plus & Premier packages.  The Plus & Premier Packages are showing up as an additional $65 or $90 pp/day! Aren't the current prices $60 or $80 pp/day? Is it a marketing shell game for this particular TA?  A typo?  Do you think Princess is getting ready for another price increase?  

23 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Princess supplied insurance definitely does NOT cover independent excursions. Some have reported that third-party firms may. You'll have to read the terms carefully. 

Thanks!  I haven't read the terms of the policy.  I read the bullet points on Princess' website, but I wasn't planning on reading the T&C unless I NEED to file a claim.  😉 We normally skip travel insurance, but given the price of Norway/Iceland itineraries and what we learned from the pandemic we purchased it for our upcoming cruise.  We got it to cover the cruise fare...anything else is a bonus for us.  I was mostly curious since I didn't expect the insurance to cover them.   That said, after seeing what happened on your cruise, I am hesitant to book any more excursions in Iceland even if I find some available (most are already sold out).

On 5/23/2023 at 3:41 AM, mmiicc said:

Went with a large group on this cruise.

The group had arranged local (non-Princess) excursions in each original city. Because of the Iceland port changes, lost all the money we prepaid for those local tours (might be able to make trip out insurance claim). People in the tour group dedicated their annual vacation weeks to this cruise, planned and looked forward for months to see the sites of Iceland, and are now so disappointed and swear never to go on Princess against again.

 

Guest Services says sorry for your lost inconvenience but they are tone-deaf; it’s more than inconvenience: It’s lost time traveling half way round the world to get to the cruise shop, the money sunk, and the dreamed once-in-a-lifetime chance to see the unique Iceland sights. The group has now forsworn Princess, will not cruise on the line again. 

Sorry to hear this!  Do you mind sharing the name of the tour group?  We are on a similar itinerary June 3rd and booked independent excursions.  We are trying to find additional excursions at other ports, but after reading this maybe we shouldn't?!?  Also, do you mind letting us know if insurance covers the excursions?

1 hour ago, Starshine95123 said:

Were you planning on buying FCDs for your kids? Since they haven’t sailed on Princess before, they wouldn’t have a Captain’s Circle number. I don’t think you can purchase them without having that number. Sorry if I misunderstood. 

Yes, that was the plan.  I thought I read in one of the other FCD posts that you could get a CC number by creating an account on Princess' website.  Of course, as I'm typing this, I realize they might not allow minors to create an account and that might only work for adults.  Just another reason why I presented this question now.  I don't want to waste my vacation time learning these little details.  🙂 

1 hour ago, mtnesterz said:

I held off posting because I suspected this was the case; that there was reason, unstated to us, for your indecision. After all, the FCDs are refunded after a year if unused. You know there is no risk.

Princess does have things for kids of different ages, you can look into these programs. But Princess would not be our choice for a cruise with really young ones. RCL, Carnival and Disney excel at this market and likely have cabins to match. Dealing with bored kids would be no joy for anyone.

The rest of the story....we have plans to travel out west to see extended family.  I was browsing a promotional email and noticed a deal on a 4-day cruise out of LA.  It will fit nicely into our existing schedule.  We wouldn't have to adjust flights. It falls in between the holidays, so the price is cheaper.   We've already applied for the kids' passports.  Everything is lining up, but I don't want to impulse buy a cruise!  😉  I planned on keeping an eye on it, but then I saw all the recent posts about FCDs and got to thinking.  Our upcoming cruise leaves in 2 weeks, so I'll have to decide soon if I want to get FCDs.  I wanted to make sure I had the facts straight about how they work, so I can make an informed decision.

As for the other cruise lines, I agree they'd probably be better for the kids.  I've priced them in the past.  Disney is out based on prices.  The others are still in the running, but I haven't found one that falls into our schedule as nicely as this Princess one.  Although short, the Princess itinerary is one we like too.  

56 minutes ago, theloo said:

For what it's worth, I was able to book the 3 rooms with a minor in a cabin alone NEXT to a cabin with the parent.  It did not need to be a connecting cabin.  However, I don't know if there is an age restriction.  Mine is16 yo.  

My oldest will be 13.  He is mature enough and I could trust him to stay in the room, but I wouldn't want to deal with the fallout from my younger kids.  My almost 12-year-old is immature and I wouldn't let him stay in a room without a parent even if Princess allowed it.  We would all be miserable listening to him complain about how unfair it is.  

45 minutes ago, theloo said:

It sounds like you at least want to try one cruise with the kids, so go ahead and get the FCD.  I actually had to get 3 cabins for both of my trips because they didn't have any triples available, but didn't have any FCD to use 😞  I actually thought about waiting to book cruise #2 until after we took cruise #1 to take advantage of the FCD (would have been worth almost $400 in OBC), but decided I couldn't risk losing the rooms.  

I hadn't thought about them selling out of the cabins that sleep 3-4 ppl.  I'd have to pass on the cruise. My kids aren't old enough to stay in a cabin by themselves unless it is a connecting cabin.  

15 hours ago, theloo said:

Am I understanding right that you haven't even booked your first cruise?  If that first cruise is successful, then it makes sense to buy a FCD since it is more likely that you will book a second cruise.  But you can't use a FCD on your first cruise.  You have to buy it on board.  It's an incentive to buy another cruise.  

 

I did not know that the FCD is only good for passengers 1-2.  I also have a family of 5, so book 2 or 3 rooms.  However, if I buy a FCD for everyone and then book 2 rooms (2 & 3 occupants), will I only be able to use 4 FCD instead of 5?  

It has been a while, but my husband and I have cruised several times.  We've never taken the kids with us.  We (no kids) leave in a couple of weeks for a Norway/Iceland cruise and I was debating whether to purchase FCDs to take our kids on a cruise later in the year. I want our first cruise with the kids to be short since I don't know whether any of them will get seasick or die of boredom. 😉 

Your second question is what I was trying to get clarification on as well.  Based on what @sirclean is saying, there is no advantage to getting a FCD for guest 5 unless you get 3 cabins.  

16 hours ago, sirclean said:

It is my understanding the the FCD is valid only for passengers 1 and 2.

As for the return, it is 'easy money'.  If you have the money to pay off the credit card, then the return, even for a short cruise and and inside cabin, is better than many other investments, and the sooner you can travel (and actually spend the money) the better the return percentage works out to be. 

 

It is an option.  Options have value. The good news is that if you pay cash, you are only giving up the interest you would have earned. IF you dont use it in a year, they give it back.  (return is 0, opportunity loss is only whatever you would have otherwise earned on the money).  IF you do cruise within the year, then $60 on 400 is 15%.  AND IF you choose to do something else (like go on a longer cruise in a balcony cabin, for instance), you have it.

 

Finally, often you can use your FCD as the deposit.  This may have changed, but even if the deposit should have been say $300, your $100 FCD will fully satisfy that requirement.  (At least I did that in the past, not sure under the new policy.... reserved a $9000 cruise for 3 of us to Alaska with one FCD for many months, locking in the sale bonuses).

 

We always try to have 2 available in case there is a Last Minute Deal to lock in (which was easier to do when they lasted for 2 years). 

Thank you!  I don't disagree.  15% is a good return, especially on something you're going to buy anyway.  If I knew I was going to book the cruise, I wouldn't hesitate to get the FCDs for four of us.  (Sounds like there is no upside to getting it for the 5th person.)  I guess why I'm hesitating is I'm not sure we will be able to book the cruise and I'm debating if it is worth tieing up $400 on a "maybe".  We are still waiting on the kids' passports.  Mine took longer than the posted time and I spent the last couple of months stressing over whether it would be here in time for my upcoming cruise.  I don't want to do that again!

I didn't realize I could hold a cabin using only one FCD as the deposit.  I thought I'd have to have one for the first 2 passengers.  I suppose since I'm waffling on a family cruise, I could always buy FCDs for my husband and me.  It would have been nice to have some to use our upcoming 14-day Norway/Iceland cruise.  

I've seen a lot of talk about FCDs and everyone seems to think they're a nice deal.  That appears to be the case on longer cruises in a balcony or higher cabin.   What about short itineraries with inside cabins and passengers 3-4?  It doesn't look like passengers 3-4 can benefit from FCD.  Is that right?  We are contemplating taking a short cruise as a trial run for my family of 5.  It looks like I'd be tieing up $400 on FCD for a cruise I might book to get $60 OBC in the future.  It doesn't seem worth it for the 4-day cruises w/ interior or OV cabins unless I'm 100% sure I'm going to book it.   I mean I wouldn't turn down $60 if it is on the table!  😉 Am I missing something?  

16 hours ago, SCX22 said:

I would still use your personal device as the main form of contact.  The message (iMessage, WhatsApp) or call (wifi, Factime), if it were go through, would go directly to you.  Having your family call the ship would mean, routing it through Guest Services, which would mean they would have to track you down to deliver the message--not impossible with the Medallion, but still, it would take longer and what if you were outside and not in your room?  Once you get the message on your device (hopefully not because that would mean something is wrong at home), you could then go to Guest Services and call home from the ships phone.

 

Not sure who your cell phone provider is but had no problems receiving signal with Verizon's International Plan in Scandinavia, even in the most northern parts on my Princess cruise in 2018.

This is good to know.  We have Verizon and I have lots of international day passes saved in my account.  I've also been looking into GigSky.  It looks like they have relatively inexpensive data plans that are supposed to work at sea.  I'm still researching to see how well it works and how quickly the data is used.  

19 hours ago, LeeW said:

You keep saying you will have cell service in port.  That is highly dependent on provider and what type of international plan you might have (and phone capability as well).  Last trip to Caribbean our phones would not even connect through local Wifi for voice and texting.  Worked fine for email and would probably have worked for WhatsApp.

You're right. There could be issues with cell coverage in ports.  My husband travels extensively to Europe...he is there now & has probably spent at least half of 2023 there.  Both his work & personal phones have service there.  One is Verizon and the other AT&T, so we have some options.  And, if we don't have coverage at a port, we will survive.  We are used to not having cell coverage everywhere.  We don't have it at our house unless we connect to the wifi.   

22 hours ago, gottagocit said:

While sailing around New Zealand in 2019 my DW received notice of an emergency phone call from home by way of a message on our cabin phone from Passenger Services. The message stated we had an emergency call and to contact PS for details. During a quick call to PS we were told her dad had called and requested we call home asap. It was obvious something was wrong. Using WiFi calling we called him and found her mother had suddenly passed. 
The crew of the Majestic was very helpful and offered free phone and WiFi usage to make arrangements to get home while they worked with NZ authorities to allow us to disembark at our next port (Wellington) and begin our long trip home. 
Depending on how long you’re onboard I’d consider getting the WiFi package in order to give you peace of mind and stay in touch if you aren’t used to being out of touch that long. If you use an apple device you can then send free “I-message” (think text messages) back and forth to stay in touch. 

Thank you for sharing.  I'm so sorry you & your wife have experience w/ the phone due to such an emergency! 

I will try to pick up some internet days toward the end of the cruise if they're available.  My kids are too quick to send a request for more 'screen time'.  I could use a break from that 🙂, so I'm okay not being in touch 24/7 as long as there is a way to reach me if needed. Plus, I'm leaving them in good hands with my parents and my sister, so I know they'll be well taken care of while I'm gone.  I'm more worried about the true emergencies/urgent situations that could arise.   

22 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

WhatsApp is crazy easy to use.  The only "downside" (if there is one) is that both parties must be using it.  At a minimum, download it and get it set up.  (Free!) Have your most likely communication contact do the same just as a Plan B.  Test it out with your contact to ensure that all is well BEFORE you sail.  Depending on shore cell service is not a bad idea...but since you are going to have *several* sea days on your itinerary (we are doing the same itinerary next week) you need to plan for the "worst case".  Keep in mind that you *should* be able to buy internet on a daily basis for those sea days.  Given your budget...and the requirement to have "emergency communication" available...that's probably the best you can plan for.

I plan on downloading & testing WhatsApp this weekend.  I hope they have single-day internet passes! (I've seen mixed responses to that question on these boards.)  One of the sea days at the end of the cruise is my son's birthday so I really want to be able to call home that day.  Will you be posting live from your cruise?  If so, can you let me know how the internet/cell coverage is working?  

12 hours ago, Waynetor said:

We left all our cruise info with someone for emergency use and got a call one night just before dinner.  We were near the southern tip of South America.

This was Jan just before covid issues started

I did not discuss if they had any issues getting through to our cabin

Thank you for sharing your experience.  I feel better leaving a phone number knowing it should work.  

8 hours ago, Shelly97060 said:

Giving the ship number for emergencies is a good back up plan, if nothing else it gives peace of mind.  FaceTime, WhatsApp and WiFi calling are all good options when the internet signal strength is good.  Texting is also a good option for communication.

 

 

 

Thanks.  I'm trying to avoid purchasing the internet plan. It is a long cruise and the price adds up quickly.  I won't be platinum until after this cruise, so I don't get half off the price.  I find it hard to justify considering I'll have cell service in port.  I've never used WhatsApp, but I've read a lot about it on these boards.  I'll likely download it in case they offer per day or end-of-cruise internet packages for the last few days since they are sea days.  

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

Forget all the previous stuff above.  There is a simple solution available now that Princess allows purchase of the cruise fare packages upon embarkation.  Saves on trip insurance cost and you can use any OBC to off-set the cost. 

 

You are perfectly fine to book one parent and one child in each of two cabins.  Once you get on board, visit guest services and make the swap you desire (age is not a factor).  At the same time, add on the Plus or Premier Fare package for the same price as you would pay pre-cruise and there is no issue since now you and spouse are aligned in the same cabin.  If you so choose you can leave the teens with no package or there is a non-alcoholic drink package (not a cruise fare package) that you could consider adding on.  Subtract out the Crew Appreciation cost and see if the difference make sense.

 

I would also upgrade one parent's MedallionNet included in the Plus package from 1-device to 4-devices and no need to purchase separate MedallionNet packages for the teens.

 

I can see how this should work for 15 year old teenagers, but would this work for those of us with younger kids (10,11 & 12) without connecting rooms? 

1 minute ago, Novicecruiser74 said:

Yes it was the premium drink package. Felt it was worth it as I could hook my kids devices on the wifi and we would be using the speciality dining, plus we don’t take many family photos so I will make them do that as well! 

Sorry if I'm telling you something you already know, but given your screen name I'll say double-check what they gave you.  The premier drink package does NOT include tips & wifi.  The naming convention is confusing.  There is a premier drink package that just includes drinks.  Then there is Princess Premier which includes the premier drink package, tips, wifi, specialty dining, photos, etc.  In my experience, some of the folks you chat with on the phone know this and others do not.  As I said previously, I really hope they gave you and your spouse the Princess Pemier Fare and not just the drink package.  This bodes well for me and my future family cruises.  I'm also curious to hear if they'll include family pictures since your kids don't have the premier package.  I would definitely consider upgrading to the premier package for hubby and me if they would give us family photos with my kids!

29 minutes ago, antsp said:

This sounds like a extremely expensive way to keep in contact, approx $18 a mininute. Pay got Internet and you can call through WhatsApp 

Wasn't planning to use it as a way to keep in contact.  It would be for emergencies, in which case $18/ minute will be the last thing on my mind.  I'll have cell service in ports to keep in contact.