nascartony20fan1

Anyone have the current 2024 Prestige cruise list? I lost my mailer and I didn’t get an email. 
Thanks

4 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Just looked in the travel agents system and inventory has been zeroed out on all sailings up to and including March 29th. The first sailing showing availability is now the April 8th 9nt departure. I am unsure if any of these sailings previously had any open inventory as I have not been tracking it. 

So does that mean April 8 will be the first cruise? 

On 11/18/2022 at 4:56 PM, Lorabelle said:

 

I'm not sure when you are traveling, but thought I would give you an update since we are now home from our cruise.  

 

We had absolutely no issues with our Hui Car Share rental.  The app worked perfectly to unlock the doors and start the vehicle.  There was a bit over a quarter tank of gas in it when we got it.  (There is a requirement that you leave it with at least 1/4 tank.)  We reserved a Prius, and it was just a block from the ship.  Super easy and convenient.  There is a credit card in the car to use if you need to replace gas back up to at least quarter tank.  We went ahead and filled it up, and there was no charge to us to do so.  The car was clean and in good working condition.  

 

We rented for the full day.  Ended up returning it about 3 hours earlier than our reservation, and there is no adjustment to the rate for that.  The full day rate was $125.50 out the door.  A bit pricier than a rental from Avis, etc.  But the convenience was well worth it!  And as far as I know, there are currently no rental shuttles running to the airport, so you would have to pay for Uber rides to get there and back which adds to your rental cost.  Not to mention the time involved in standing in lines at the agency.  This was so simple, we will definitely do this the next time we are in Honolulu. 

 

We also did the circle drive around the island, taking our time and checking out the sites.  We had lunch at a North Shore shrimp truck, chocolate haupia pie from Ted's Bakery, and lots of beach time here and there.  

Which location did you use to pick up Hui vehicle? Which is closest to the Honolulu pier terminal 2? Thanks

Just now, steveru621 said:

 

Yes, I did.  I had to call my TA about a cruise.  

 

I called from my cabin, and I saw a banner on my cell that said your signal is weak and you may drop the call.  It all turned out fine.  The problem has always been receiving texts, but I don't miss the spam calls.

1 minute ago, steveru621 said:

 

Yes, I did.  I had to call my TA about a cruise.  

 

I called from my cabin, and I saw a banner on my cell that said your signal is weak and you may drop the call.  It all turned out fine.  The problem has always been receiving texts, but I don't miss the spam calls.

So do you know which areas on board are best for internet access? 

15 minutes ago, steveru621 said:

 

I'm on Jewel today.  Router placements have been the biggest problem.

Thanks. Can you use wifi calling? What are the best areas for internet access? Using it midship in our balcony cabin is crucial for us. 

6 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

It’s one of the few ships where speed is throttled way less than the norm (you might see 100Mbps down speed vs. the usual 4Mbps). WiFi calling should work fine. 

That’s great to hear!! Want to sneak in a cruise in January but need to work. Thanks so much for the info. 

Anyone with info on Jewel of the Seas? Southern Caribbean? Wifi calling on board? Thx

5 hours ago, jean87510 said:

suggest looking online other than cruise critic to see how others do this.  It's what we did.

Where do you suggest I look? Where did you find answers? 

2 minutes ago, BND said:

Enchantment, Jewel and yes in the Caribbean.

Sounds like the older ships may be better right now. Older Oasis class hasn’t worked for us lately. 

44 minutes ago, BND said:

Starlink has worked great for us.  No interruptions and smooth streaming.

Which ship? In the Caribbean? 

30 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

As I understand it, when they built Wonder of the Seas, they put wifi routers/access points in each cabin. Therefore, connectivity and speed has been much more steady.

Thank you. Looking for a ship other than Wonder though. We have done Wonder several times. I wish they would add the access points in the cabins on other ships. 

14 minutes ago, PompeySailor said:

Can confirm 

Router in closet where the safe is

Currently on Wonder as we speak 9/6/23

I never normally stream, but on here YouTube all day with no buffering is a breeze 

 

 

To add

Last month on Indy my daughter worked remotely all week

Wifi also very good on Indy 

Thanks. We have been on Wonder several times, but are looking for a different ship with decent internet so we can work. I will check out the itineraries for Indy. 

We are considering a cruise on several different RCCL ships? How is the Starlink speed in the caribbean? If working remotely, is there a ship that is better for internet than others? Thanks so much for any recommendations or tips. 

Just put this cruise on hold with the intention to go. We have never cruised out of NYC. Which airport is best to fly into? Where is a good area to stay that is relatively safe and easy access to Rockefellar Center? Thanks All. 

On 7/16/2023 at 12:36 AM, CountyCarrie said:

Beware when using Platinum Princess Protection Plus on casino bookings. I had to cancel three recent because of my father's stroke. I was told by three separate casino customer service reps that the $200. deposit for each ($600) would be refunded in full by AON. NOT TRUE! They rejected my claim, despite getting all the physicians signatures and medical records.

After two hours on hold today, was told by the casino rep that I "canceled for the wrong reason" under the "cancel for any reason" insurance. (thus not even eligible for FCC) When asked to escalate my request, he told me to call back Monday and start all over with my issue as they would only be open for another hour! LOL 

Calling Princess Casino Department is definitely a trip to the Theater of the Absurd.

So book online if possible, but if there is a problem....you are out of luck.

Does anyone know of any contacts to report the misinformation I was given by the casino reps? I'm afraid they will still make these reassurances to others having to cancel. Maybe others can be spared the wild goose chase I've been on.

Also, recommendations for other casino programs that have decent customer service? I'm ready for a break.

 

I bought insurance from Princess for a casino booking and was told the deposit would be refunded as FCC if I cancelled. I was talking to a supervisor who was able fix a big mistake the casino department made. It took many hours to finally get to speak to him, but he fixed all the issues and sold me the insurance for a different cruise in December. I believe that most of the casino customer service department is new hires from Asia and no longer in the USA. They told me that they had to cancel my cruise for them to change cabins which was absurd. They did though, lost all my shore excursions and casino promo, and then called back later to say they couldn’t change cabins and they were reinstating the cruise without the shore excursions which were sold out and couldn’t be rebooked. Thankfully after saying 10 times I needed a shoreside supervisor and 1 hour of them saying no, I got one that fixed my cruise, but sold me the insurance saying I would get FCC if I cancel. So I wonder, if you insist on speaking to a supervisor shoreside even when they tell you no 10 times, do you finally get one who gives you what is rightfully yours? FCC for non refundable deposit of casino cruise. 

On 6/19/2023 at 2:27 AM, travelers07 said:

On Island right now. StarLink became active June 12 so this the first cruise. I have found the speed amazing for a cruise ship. Download is 3.66 and Upload is 4.8. Doesn’t sound great but we are in northern Norway and it is 8:15 in the morning. The surprising part is that I have been streaming tv news with a vpn and there is no problem. We lost the tv channels (off and on) a couple of days ago but using my subscription for YouTube TV and a vpn, I have access to all the channels I have at home. And surprisingly, they have been strong. We have  been in 2 fjords with snow capped mountains and Wi-Fi is still good! 
 

The crew is very happy too and several have said they noticed a big difference. 
 

Websites, email, and photos seem fine. Nothing is terribly fast but certainly useable. And I am happy- and no, I do not like to disconnect while on vacation. To each her own.

Hi. We will be on Island the end of July to Norway, then Iceland and Greenland. Were there any days/locations during the cruise that the internet was terribly slow? I am trying to plan out work days. Were you able to use WiFi calling by chance? Very excited to hear any info you have on your overall experience with Starlink on Island Princess. Thank you! 

56 minutes ago, lovelife said:

We were on the Signature cruise last year on Symphony.  Haven't received the invitation yet for this year. There was a reception with drinks and bites in the Solarium where they gave us each two really sumptuous beach towels. The specialty dinner was served in the Solarium over three different evenings since all Signatures were on one sailing. At Coco Cay we were given free water park passes. 

Thanks. We just got the beach towels last week on Wonder. We don’t do the water park either. Looks like maybe I’ll skip the signature event unless you think giveaways in the casino were worth it. I wish this event was on Symphony. 

54 minutes ago, FWPower said:

When I called, the person I spoke with informed me the perfect day at CocoCay was just a regular day at CocoCay. She did inform me both guest in the cabin are invited to the welcome party and the dinner.

That seems odd. Why add it to the list if we aren’t getting anything special at CoCoCay? Did they say which specialty restaurant the dinner was in? I am booked on free cruise Oct 8, which is not one of the signature dates,  and trying to decide if this Signature cruise is worth switching to or doing a b2b. I am hoping maybe tomorrow after the Holiday someone at RCCL has more info. 

3 hours ago, CruiseMomTX said:

I called about the cruise and they couldn’t tell me what the CocoCay experience was or how the specialty dining worked. Did you get any info on the free stuff included with this cruise offer? 

5 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Purely from an internet perspective the experience will likely be the same.   

Thanks. Do you think the internet will be functional enough barring any bad weather, etc., to actually work onboard during a transatlantic? Webex meeting, occasional phone calls, etc Thank you. 

5 hours ago, Biker19 said:

The reporting of speed caps is sparse and can change over time. Assume your ship is limited to 4Mbps and be pleasantly surprised if you get more. For most uses you won’t perceive much diff regardless of cap level. The bigger issue is reliability, not speed. 

Thanks. We are trying to decide if it’s possible to work remotely during a Transatlantic cruise next year. Oasis and Odyssey of the seas are available. Trying to decide which ship could have more reliable internet. Any idea? Thanks

On 4/7/2023 at 4:02 AM, Biker19 said:

On some ships the Starlink install kept the previous “normal” cap of about 4Mbps down. 

Which ships? 

56 minutes ago, We_like_to_cruise said:

 

Well, your question is very timely.  Until a couple of days ago, I would have said the internet is fantastic.  I had been posting via the ship wifi (and with a VPN) with no trouble for the last few months. 

Emails, websites, fine.  DW has even streamed a few shows on Netflix.

 

HOWEVER, starting yesterday the wifi speed has been extremely slow.  So slow that I have been unable to post my text and pix for the last three ports.  This does not seem to be a "ship" problem.

I had a discussion with the Internet Cafe Manager - he blames the current geographical position and that we have transferred over to a different satellite.  When I questioned the claim of "the best internet at sea" he countered that every other cruise ship would have a similar problem in this part of the world.  He said it should get better in a few days when we reach central Europe. 

 

Most of the passengers are unhappy and complaining. 

 

We did a B2B on IP last summer.  The first was British Isles and the second was Iceland/Greenland. 

Our internet was fine on the first voyage and on the next up until Iceland but nonexistent during the transit from Greenland all the way back to Southampton.  We were at the port in Southampton and still could not get working internet.  Again "satellite" was the reason offered.  Guest Services sent a letter to all cabins and credited us all $100.  (They can keep that, I would prefer working internet!)

Oh no. I got too excited and booked the b2b last night. I can’t understand why the internet wouldn’t work In Southampton? Anyhow, now that we are officially on the b2b, I want to understand which days worked and didn’t for you. Worked around UK. Did it work In Southampton at the beginning of cruise? Worked from UK to Iceland, but not from Greenland back to Southampton on the last 5 days of the cruise. Did it work around Iceland? From Iceland to Greenland? Hopefully I haven’t given you a headache with all my questioning. Your insight will better prepare us for planning vacation days and possible work days during our month long journey. Looking forward to hearing back. Enjoy your cruise. 
Christie

On 3/28/2023 at 7:24 AM, We_like_to_cruise said:

Suez Canal, Egypt

 

Our transit through the canal begins very early in the morning.  DW and I join other passengers outside and notice an unobstructed view ahead of us – we are first in the convoy through the waterway.  In the rear we are followed by two escorts and the rest of the convoy is in the distance well behind us.

 

The passage takes most of the day and we exit the canal around 3 pm.  The topography runs the gamut from desert to small cities to fancy seaside resorts. 

 

During the transit the onboard destination expert provides facts and points out items of interest.

 

Some things we learned:

 

This 120 mile artificial waterway connects the Red Sea and southern Asia to the Mediterranean Sea and northern Africa.  About 55 ships transit it each day.

 

The Suez Canal Bridge, which we pass under, is also known as the Egyptian-Japanese Friendship Bridge, Al-Salam Bridge, Al-Salam Peace Bridge, and the Mubarak Peace Bridge.

 

Local fishermen in small boats follow the large vessels as they feel the movement and churning of the water increases their chances of a successful catch.

 

Can you see the Pyramids of Giza from the canal?  No, they are over 150 miles away.

 

Unlike the Panama Canal, there are no locks in the Suez Canal.  There is little change in elevation between each end, so locks are not necessary.

 

Ferdinand de Lesseps, a French diplomat, was instrumental in the design and construction of the canal.  Due to the overwhelming success of that project he later tried – and failed – to build the Panama Canal.

 

French sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi proposed an enormous statue of an Egyptian woman holding a lamp – “Egypt Bringing Light to Asia” to be placed at the canal entrance in Port Said.  When it was rejected due to its expensive price tag he set his sights toward America.  Twenty years later, his “Liberty Enlightening the World” aka the Statue of Liberty was placed in New York Harbor.

 

In 2021 a huge container ship, the “Ever Given,” became wedged across both sides of the canal.  For nearly a week it remained in place causing massive disruption to the global shipping industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi there. I am enjoying your posts from the Island Princess. We are booked on her to Norway in July and were thinking about adding a back to back to Iceland. We really need to understand the internet capabilities. Are you posting all this via the ships wifi? How is the internet in general? It is possible to do some remote work on sea days? I am sure some of this is relative to geographic location, but you have been sailing quite a while and I would really love your opinion of the internet aboard Island Princess. I'll be waiting to hear back before I pull the trigger on the back to back cruise. Thanks so much!!!

Christie

13 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Yes, though you should ensure you try it at home first (plane mode, Wi-Fi only). 

I have been reading reviews of the current sailing of Explorer and the consensus so far is that the internet is terrible, patchy at best. Also read it might have to do with the older wiring of Explorer. Not sure what problem is but many people stated the internet didn’t work in their cabin. Probably going to have to cancel Explorer.