Cruise Raider

@So_Tweetie, we generally use them if we fly in and out of our destination on the same day as the cruise. It is usually better pricing if you fly internationally. I am paying more for my trip up to Seattle than listed on the Alaska airline site but I really like the guarantee they will get us on the ship or at the next port and get us back home if disembarkation is delayed. The flexible fare is really nice, though. Still deciding if I’m just going to go through Alaksa or Southwest.

I tell you, the best cruise is a free cruise! 🤣 Our first experience with a move over was back in January 2020. We had a 5 night in a premium oceanview and they said we could have a balcony cabin on any 7 night cruise we wanted. So, of course, we moved it to Alaska later that same year but that wasn’t to be. I almost kicked myself for giving up what may have been our last cruise ever. But … never fear, we were able to switch it and go on the first cruise back out after the restart on the Majestic. What a majestic cruise it turned out to be. I had just recently had knee surgery so it was still not able to do the stairs but we had the most amazing time ever! Plus, we got to book a premier deluxe balcony aft facing .. happy, happy! Our third and last move over was for the 10 day Mexico cruise, which we were able to exchange for a very special 10 night Mexico cruise. I still can’t believe we got it!

Yes, we’ve never turned down a move over offer, even though they used to be more generous with what they offer but it’s still the best deal on earth. The move over offer does give you all the perks and cabin type from your original cruise. We did have the plus on each cruise which we’ve accepted the move over and they transferred it over and to our replacement cruise as well. They now offer you a set of replacement cruises from which to pick that is similar to the one you give up. We got a choice of any 10 day Mexico cruise for the 10 day Mexico cruise we gave back. Then, we got all our original cruise fare back as refundable OBC while on the replacement cruise .. so, basically, a free cruise. If you have flights (our was out of our home port so not needed), they will pay a certain amount in change fees for you, as well. Your insurance, if you bought it through Princess, follows you onto your new cruise, as well. Just of note, we have noticed a lot of the first offers go to those without one the packages, those in inside cabins and those that booked on a deeply discounted sailing, like when they had solo fares. After all, they are looking to give away the least amount of money. If enough in these levels don’t bite, they move up to the next level, maybe those with an oceanview or balcony without the plus or premier packages. Still no bites? You get the idea .. lately, you’re lucky to get back to them in time to snag the offer. We are booked on an Alaska cruise for July and it’s completely sold out. I will be watching my email carefully the two weeks leading up that sailing. I will go any time of year!

I believe our most recent offer was about 7 months ago and we got it about a week before embarkation.

I meant to say, I’m not sure if it will be in the overall pricing shown when you first look up the cost for a cruise.

The new law goes into effect on July 1st. I think it will go by the way of the airlines that when you look up a price, it already includes all those taxes and fees. So, when I look up airfare, the full price of all the mandatory fees already shows as soon as I look it up .. it is later broken down by actual airfare and the mandatory fees. Although Princess does show the fees right below the pricing structure, you have to go a step further, even with a dummy booking, to get the full price. I bet those law makers are just patting themselves on the back here in California for coming up with that. It’s really not hard to figure it out with how it currently is handled. Not sure if it will include the crew appreciation, as it isn’t a mandatory inclusion.

We’ve not changed the actual room assignments, just the access. But, I’m sure you could go either way .. whatever works best for you is what you should do.

I tried to apply it to a January 2025 cruise and the notification stated I would not be able to do so until November 2024.

We’ve done this a lot recently and there is no problems at all. You can simply go to the front desk and have the give access to open each other’s doors throughout the cruise.

Not reading through this whole thread for the skinny on complaints and comments, but we’ve discretely spoken to crew members about how they are compensated since the restart. Because some embarkation ports were extremely restrictive since July 2021, the crew have been getting paid based on the seemingly new policy of ‘crew appreciation’ that’s pays them a salary based on their job duties. It seemed very fair to them as they couldn’t count on the same money to come in via passenger tips on a ship with only 200 passengers vs another ship that had 2000 passengers onboard. Why would anybody want to work on those ships with so few passengers, as we were seeing out of California, when they could had requested to work on a ship out of Florida, which much fewer passenger restrictions just to board? Along this train of thought, the title for ‘gratuities’ eventually became ‘crew appreciation’ as it was directly used for the crew’s salaries but also encompassed those that haven’t been on the front lines to serve you directly but those behind the scenes to make your overall experience better. Their salaries are no longer a mere pittance and even though we might think they are in the US and Canada but they seem to be happy overall with the money they make and can send home, where it is worth a lot more than it is in any 1st world country. Just like in the SF Bay Area, you really need to make at least $150K -$200K a year to live comfortably. But, in Arkansas or Mississippi, you could live like a king with that type of salary. You have to compare the cost of living for an accurate depiction of how much they really make and the value of their salary based on where they live. With that being said, they did get to keep all the cash tips you give to them. Many we’ve seen decide to share with their direct workmates! If you strictly ask them to keep it for themselves or their kids, I’m sure they will respect your wishes .. otherwise, we’ve seen it thrown into a communal pot. Lastly, in no way shape or means am I trying to say they don’t work very hard for their money. They work harder than any of my coworkers in any job I’ve ever had and not only is it hard work but it is all without being able to see their families for months on end. The crew working behind the grill up by the pool works as hard as anyone else and nobody thinks to tip him. We did once and he noticed it was the first time he ever got a tip. I know tipping is a cultural thing in many fellow passenger’s view, and I would never really suggest to anyone it is their obligation to tip extra, however, I would never ever even think about removing the crew appreciation from my account. It just seems so wrong! Again, my opinion!

The weather wasn’t the best so, maybe that’s why but hopefully, they will do it on all cruises.

We’ve had movies playing in one of the inside lounges on our most recent cruises on the Crown last month.

I think you are right! The one on Beacon Hill is a true treasure, no matter what the name of it is. Just be sure to yell Norm when you walk in! BTW, the rumors about people in Boston being standoffish was not the case in the several times we’ve visited there. I found Boston to be one of my all time favorite big cities to visit and everyone we met was helpful and kind. I found the history to be most fascinating!

There are two .. one is a tourist one put up nearer to the port and one is the original. Be sure to go to the original one that is called the Bull and Finch Pub, or something like that and is past the Beacon Hill neighborhood. It is still walkable and will be well worth your while.

We have never used the Princess transfers but know others that have and they made it to their flight in time down at SeaTac but it was tight. When buying the transfers, I’m sure they will give you an idea on what time your flight should take depart. All transportation from Vancouver to Washington state will have to go through Customs and Border Control and that takes anywhere from 40 minutes to a couple of hours, depending on the line up at the border. If it’s a national holiday (in either Canada or the US) or a three day weekend, it can lengthen the line. You have to take all your luggage through their scanner and show them your passport. The luggage then needs to be loaded back on the bus. I would think the same process goes for the Princess transfers, as well. Luckily, our last few times have been around the 45 minute mark. There is also a shuttle bus, one we always use as we usually get off at the Bellingham airport instead. However the bus will continue down to SeaTac and it picks you up at 09:10 from Canada Place and estimates the ride, door to door to be almost 5 hours. You will get there at 14:00 per their estimation. Hopefully, that would be enough time for getting to your gate in time. The shuttle bus is $50 pp USD and you can look it up under QuickCoach.com. Having fast track through the screening process will definitely help at SeaTac. SeaTac does have a SeaSpotSaver app where you can reserve your place in the security line, which may be helpful. Of course, having a first or business class Will also get your through faster if you don’t have global entry, TSA pre-check or Clear.

This is such a great realistic explanation. While I may get a bit dressed up for one of the formal nights, my SH has now just taken black khakis or even black jeans with black tennis shoes, a button up long sleeved shirt and a tie. He’s never been banned to the eat in the buffet.

Like the OP, I am surprised to hear this. I recently went on a cruise from a move over offer, so I had a lot of refundable OBC along with some nonrefundable OBC. Just last week, I received the balance of my refundable OBC in a check from Bottomline Technologies just last week. They obviously used my non-refundable OBC first.

I have seen them in the past. People need to start respecting others! That is all there is to it!

I can’t even imagine that being acceptable anywhere.

I’m not sure what is wrong with some people. It used to be we were just trying to avoid complainers and those with negative attitudes. Now, we have to watch out for people with knives? Chill out people! You’re supposed to be having a good time!

Does he have his own log in for the Princess website? If not, create on there and then match it to the app.

I did that same thing and it was no problem at all. On a different cruise, I just let one of them slide and they had no problem giving me refundable OBC once onboard. The key for the OP is to wait until the charge shows as zero for your credit card before you reserve it. It sometimes get stuck in a glitch so try it out the next day and bingo! All turns out well.

I do love we all have choices. I would pick a cruise that had all sea days if I could .. the more, the better. I rarely book a cruise for the ports of call, unless it’s Alaska, but for the time on the ship.

Right next to the Caribbean out of Ft Lauderdale is ^, which below indicates a passport is required for Central and South America. The OP is going to Hawaii .. I don’t think any of those ports would be a problem for them, even if they don’t know how to read a document with a footnote / reference. If they choose to make the decision to use their BC and driver license, that is their choice and they can always calculate their own risk level for being as far as Ensenada from the US border. Personally, I’ve done it while we had to wait weeks and weeks for our new passport in the mail last year. I knew the risks and since they were extremely low, we took the chance.

I have no idea. There are always signs in English, as well. The signs in another language don’t bother me one bit. My push was merely to bring the Majestic to San Francisco. 😉 Many of the passengers onboard for cruises leaving from this port are Asian and are speaking an Asian language. I know there’s more than one Asian language but living in the area, I am aware that many are Chinese.