SCX22

Below is an Lara employee written article about Lara machines. It's seems to be a product of convenience rather than producing something that is natural. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jasmijn-saft-b35b03195_beverages-cruise-cruiseindustry-activity-6993882853524549632-axsT?trk=public_profile_like_view

It an pricing/advertising strategy. This is another way for Princess to try and convince the passenger to pay for an upgrade and have the cost justified. Some look at the cost of a lump sum upgrade and deny it upon first glance saying that it's too expensive. If you break down the cost to per person per day, then for some it's an easier pill to swallow. The cost to upgrade on longer cruises has an aspect of sticker shock; if Princess breaks it down as a daily per person cost, somehow the passenger thinks that it's justified. No different than when a car dealer begins negotiations with the question of "how much can you afford monthly?" In the end the total cost of the car will be the same, but by breaking down the cost monthly, it lessens the blow and can convince a person that they can actually afford it. The question is if participating in something like this, when will Princess grant the upgrade and will this affect your ability to refare, if accepted before final payment and the fare decreases?

Also worth checking to make sure if Plus/Premier is being charged at $60 and $80 per day, respectively, when opting for these packages. My parents and my friends that book the packages have done the calculation and have figured out that they are sometimes being charged more than $60 per day for Plus when making it part of the booking (that's taking into account the increase in insurance). I say always buy Plus on board. But there have been posts that have stated that they've been denied due it being at capacity. Personally have never experience this when cruising with my friends or my parents. If you know of an imminent price increase, then you can add pre-cruise at that time.

You can book a flexible fare with EZAir and "Request for Early Ticketing." This would entail you paying for your ticket on the spot, but forfeiting the benefit of cancelling/refaring up to 45 days prior to departure. You can also book a restricted fare if it's cheaper. I can guarantee you, though, your reservation is guaranteed if booked through EZAir unless AC cancels the flight. Then you'd have to work with EZAir to reroute you. One problem that you might face is that AC won't allow for seat selection until the reservation is ticketed and usually has a fee if you want to choose seats prior to check-in. (Which is why I don't fly AC.)

Make a flexible reservation now though EZAir to secure space. Monitor the air prices through EZAir and with the airline directly. You can cancel Flexible EZAir reservations up until 45 days of the first flight segment no penalty. You're not obligated to pay for Flexible EZAir reservations until final payment of your cruise and even if you decide to cancel/refare up to the 45 day mark, the EZAir portion can be refunded completely (if you book directly with the airline) or the price difference can be refunded (if refaring through EZAir). If you're on the Caribbean Princess TA, also keep in mind that the return falls during the American Thanksgiving travel rush, which is the week of 11/24 (Thanksgiving is 11/28). Not sure if this will affect availability for flights to Canada, but definitely pack your patience at the airport in FLL.

Not trying to be smart and I understand people's schedules and time off doesn't always jive. My point is even if EZAir is going to get you to the next port, you're not getting a refund of the missed days of your cruise, so it money lost. And it's really not worth the stress and aggravation. Fly in a day or two early to secure your cruise. You made the paid all that money to go on a cruise and it doesn't make sense to gamble arriving in time for your cruise due to airline delays and cancellations. I will say, however, EZAir is great about rebooking if the delay is known prior to your departure. For example, in March of last year, British Airways cancelled our friend's flight 2 days prior to departure because of Heathrow strikes. EZAir rebooked them on United no questions asked and no extra charges.

Seems like pipe bursts and flooding have happened at least two other times on the Island: In 2017 (Reply #2) In 2023 (Cabin Review) https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=705312

The 100% online passport renewal process has been suspended. Who knows when this service will be reinstated? Right now, passport renewals have to be done by mail if you meet the criteria. You fill out the form, print it, attach a photo, enclose payment, and mail everything. State Department prefers that the form be completed online and printed because this process generates at barcode in the margin of the form that can be scanned at the Passport Agency that will auto populate the fields. If filled in by hand, a worker has to manually type in your info. Also note, there are lots of website that pop up when looking to renew your US Passport. The only way to renew your passport directly with the State Department is by going through: travel.state.gov

Why did you become a person of interest?

Except there's no travel insurance that will cover a ruined vacation.

In 2023 when Princess was offering 50% off cruises onboard, yes final payment was required on the spot regardless of if final payment had already passed. As of recent... If final payment has not passed, you don't have to pay in full until the actual final payment of the cruise. There was Japan cruise on the list earlier this year for 2025, an we booked it with just a $100 down payment. The catch is the special fares onboard are not combinable with FCDs. Deposits are also non refundable, regardless of the category booked. If final payment has passed, then yes, full payment is required at the time of booking.

No doubt cruise lines are switching to RFID. The new door locks on most other cruise lines use an RFID tap function to unlock. The difference is the tracking function. Just because RFID is used doesn't mean tracking is involved. As far as I know, other cruise lines haven't installed sensors around the ship to where crew and other passengers can pick up another passenger's location. Not sure about the argument about cruise cards complicating boarding and door functions. The crew still use cards to embark/disembark the ship and to open their doors. I don't ever see this going away, unless some sort of facial recognition aspect is introduced because crew cruise cards, have card validity dates and photos imprinted, similar to medical ID badges for hospital staff. Also, the current Princess' onboard Medallion POS system allows for a passenger to give their cabin number in order to make a purchase in the event that they forgot their Medallion or the reader fails to pick up a signal.

Just like playing devil's advocate. If no one did this the points would always be one sided. It gets people to think and sometimes gets them to question their own beliefs.

I think Princess needs to make clearer that the use of the Medallion is voluntary, if they are going to use this argument. None of their advertising, except for those with pacemakers, make this abundantly clear. Passengers are supplied with one arbitrarily and told to use it. Makes you wonder what Princess' intent is with the data collected. Princess has already sold off passenger information to One Network Exchange. Not implying anything malicious. Even Apple has stated that that the intent of AirTags is"to help people locate their belongings, not to track people." (2nd paragraph of the PR below.) https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/02/an-update-on-airtag-and-unwanted-tracking/ My point is that some states find fault in tracking people with devices. This law has been in effect in California for close to 30 years.

This boils down to the question of why is everyone OK with being tracked with what is essentially an AirTag while on vacation? Is everyone OK with having a stranger place an AirTag in your wallet/bag and have a stranger track your movement when you're at home in your locale? This practice illegal in California: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?sectionNum=637.7.&lawCode=PEN

To add, Princess seems to be staggering the release of cabins, rather than offering the real time availability as booking options. There are some cruises that show sold months to a year in advance, but as the sailing date draws nearer, cabin suddenly become available (not just one cabin due to a cancellation but sections of cabins).

Have you ever tried to Google your name? Google your name and the city, state that you live in? Fine if you have a common name, but if your name is ever so slightly unique some sites will pull up your age, address, phone number, and email. If you still work and have a LinkedIn account, your LinkedIn profile will sometimes populate as a result. It's easy to backtrack information with the Internet. It's easy to be nosy with just a name. With the shipmates function your name is pretty much fair game. Like I've said before, people nowadays are crazy. Sad to say, but it's come to the point where strangers to me are crazy unless proven otherwise. I'm a restaurant partner and people have literally sued the restaurant I'm a partner at for not being handicapped accessible that aren't even handicapped. Not quite sure why you'd not be in a state to answer an audible ring or vibration from your phone on a ship. Too many drinks?

I've met people that are too friendly--intrusive. You share a table at the buffet and suddenly, and some people think that your BFFs. There was a lady that tried to add me and my girlfriend as friends on Facebook. We literally talked to her once on the cruise. We asked her how she got our names and she said it was through the shipmates function. We didn't add her, avoided her the entire cruise, and blocked her on Facebook when we got to the airport. People nowadays are crazy!

I remember some cruise lines in the 90s had roommate matching services for solo travelers. If I remember my brochure reading from childhood correctly, your cabin match would be the same gender and if the cruise line couldn't find a match you'd be entitled to sail in a cabin solo without having to pay the single supplement.

This is why I introduce myself with my nickname that's just my initials on the ship and not the name I used on the booking. Nothing to do with the Medallion but with the App...if you try and add a shipmate, the photo and first and last name autopopulate for all matches. Too creepy for me. Don't need people knowing my full name. Princess' taking the last name off the door panels an replacing it with an initial really didn't solve the entire problem of privacy.

It really all depends on where you are going, what times the tour operators make available to Princess, and the length of the excursion. If the excursion's is long, like 6 to 8 hours, there is no choice but to leave in the am to get back before all aboard. I got back from from Papeete Moorea, Cartagena, and Panama City recently (not on the same cruise) and there were am and pm slots for some excursions. The excursion below for the British Isles cruise I'm going on, has am and pm departures.

Princess requires government ID to be carried when leaving the ship. A DL will suffice, so you don't have to carry your passport. GS will send out a message if you are absolutely required to bring your passport. Having said that most ports, just glance at the name on the DL to make sure it matches the Medallion. This was the case in Honolulu this year. DLs aren't like passports where countries/places require 6 month validity after arrival; they are valid until expiration.

Maybe it's weird that we always carry our cellphones with us, but on other lines and even on Princess, we text each other through WhatsApp or iMessage to find each other.

Like Porsche owners are clamoring all over Princess. Or how a "Love Boat" remake can rank so well on cable television.

I like how the PR touts calling the 800 number for more info. We all know how disastrous that is.