MacMadame

I tried to get a ReadID. I went to the DMV and filled out all the paperwork but decided to go to my hairdresser appointment before getting my picture taken. I came back later and even checked "this photo will be connected to this paperwork, right?" and was assured it would. But it didn't and I didn't realize it until I never got a new license and mine expired. I just got a regular one this time since I didn't feel like finding all the paperwork they require in my state. I have a passport anyway. I'll try again when my DL expires.

Are you going to cancel and rebook? I did that a while ago during another sale but my $80 credit never showed up on my account or my credit card.

We are excluded. BUT as I said and many have experienced, if there is a price drop, you can get a refare if the sale is not for new bookings only. I completely expect some sales between now and sailing for at least some 2025/2026 cruises so I think Princess might be paying out some OBC to people who took them up on this offer. But it's probably worth it to them to get a rash of bookings right now for whatever reason.

This is the second time Princess has had a promotion like this since I booked a Princess cruise last year and there were sales after that point. Including for my cruise which I was able to refare with no issues even though I had not booked during the required window. So I'm not sure that this guarantee is so special that you would try to book your 2025 & 2026 cruises from July 1 to September 2, 2024, and not when you want to book them. The 120% OBC would be nice though. (It wasn't part of the first promotion.)

I just checked and at least one of my excursions is $5 less than when I first booked it. But $40 more than when I rebooked it during a sale.

The various fees that the DMV collects are not to offset a direct cost. The fees are arbitrary -- I mean it doesn't cost less to do the "paperwork" for an older car but as the car gets older, the registration fee goes down.

Are they on the ship or just paid and are waiting for the ship to show up? (Confused)

There is nothing official about the BBB either They are a company that some businesses join and some do not and they have no authority or jurisdiction over anything.

I've seen reports of all different percentages with all different reasons for them. I find it bogus. Is this something new? They didn't when I renewed my license a few years ago. My (now ex)vet charged 3.9% if you used a credit card.

I'm surprised restaurants were included. I never compare the prices at two restaurants like I do cruises. I mean if I'm in the mode for Indian, I'm not going to go to an Italian restaurant because one is selling ice tea for 50 cents less.

But on formal nights, they make sure the cap is pointed forward. 😉

My husband is a Pepsi man. He's going to be unhappy. I agree about diet Dr. Pepper though!

I was just typing that! They definitely didn't get an exception in a few hours though I think their case was complicated by also not having insurance and the hospital wanting payment. Definitely an example of pennywise, pound foolish!

If you make friends on the cruise, you can request to be seated together. (I know people who have done this; no personal experience.)

IMO, pennywise and pound foolish is not paying for a passport now because it's not absolutely required for a cruise and then having a medical emergency in port in a country that won't let you fly out without a passport so you are stuck there paying for hotels and meals, possibly missing work, for an indefinite amount of time, until you can get an emergency passport -- which also costs more than if you'd just gotten it before the cruise. Yes, you saved $130 and the cost of a passport photo by not getting the passport now but you are going to spend way more than that down the line if you do have such an emergency.

Or the opposite. They changed the itinerary and haven't updated the maps yet. Either way ... sloppy.

This happened on Royal Caribbean back in Nov and it wasn't just one or two passengers but a handful. It's pretty rare though.

Whoever does this, I bet 99% of them are from the US. 🤣

Google Flights lets you do this. I then go to the airline's own site to book.

I am not familiar with this. (I haven't taken a Princess Cruise so I have no loyalty perks.) What does it mean?

It's definitely one of those "one-and-done" things. I went on my first cruise during The Love Boat on tv era and probably wouldn't have if I hadn't seen that show. I think the cruise might be fun but I have no interest in the itinerary. OTOH, it is my dh's and my birthday month. 😄

Right now, when you get an email from some cruise reseller that has two 7 Nights Alaska cruises that look like they are different prices, you don't really know which one is cheaper because you aren't seeing the full price. The one being advertised as $499 pp might actually cost more than the one advertised as $599 pp because they go to slightly different ports with different port fees. The same with two cruises to different itineraries that have the same price. Once you add on port fees and taxes, one of them will cost more than the other. It's a lot easier to compare cruises when you are comparing apples to apples and not apples to oranges. Google Flights does something similar. You tell it how many bags you will have and it tells you the total price. So if one airline only charges for the 2nd bag and another charges for both, you can see how that impacts the total and which fare is really the cheaper one. I like it.

Gratuities haven't changed since last year. The drink prices look right too.

Same. I expected this but was hopeful since I was able to before (there was a glitch at one point and I got in). Since the majority of the ship won't be able to make reservations until they pay in full and the majority won't pay in full until final payment is due, I am not worried too much about not being able to reserve dining right now.

That's not the same as chatting with them.