18 hours ago, edgee said:

Related to this, when I was about to leave an extra tip at a specialty restaurant on Edge last month, the waiter suggested that I not do it. He explained that he does not benefit from tips added to the check, the money goes into a large ship wide pool of tip funds. Interesting.

This comment related to the fact that you added the gratuity to your bill.  We always tip in cash and in that he/she benefits with appreciation.

The board entitled Gay & Lesbian Cruisers identified as a 'Gathering Place for Discussing Your Favorite Cruises' may shed some light on this.  Interesting that your post indicated Jamaica first, for it is probably the most homophobic location of the lot.

We were about to sign up for the three package only to find out that the first of the three is the evening you board the ship.  To have come through the rigours of luggage, flights and transportation, customs/immigration and registration, I would not like to then find myself booked into a specialty restaurant.  So we will take our chance on finding reservation openings that suit the occasion.

Simply put, we have customary amounts of gratuities we directly give to individuals with whom we come in contact.  That total is averaged out over the number of days of the cruise and that amount is subtracted from the daily charge currently in effect.  This includes additional tips in the bars as well as specialty restaurants. Our 'suggested' gratuity account is then paid in full.

I belong to an era now long gone but it kicks in now and then.  Upon entering a ship's elevator where several ladies were present, I removed my hat, turned and faced the doors.  I heard a chuckle and someone said, "Remember that?" 

Our bar purchases are individual and not part of a package.  Who knows where the applicable service charges go in a billing system.  We have found that by simply slipping the server a dollar with each order that not only do we get what we want when we want but as soon as we walk into the bar a server makes his/her way to our table.  

The "Razor" outlet in the bathroom will power these green night lights which help prevent disturbing others by not having to turn on bright lights.  These are usually activated by the switch on the outside of the door

Forgive me but;

Baa, baa, black sheep, have you any wash?
Yes sir, yes sir, three bags squashed !

On 10/17/2019 at 1:09 PM, weregoingcruising said:

What is the cost of a mans haircut aboard ship. D you ever get a haircut off ship in port?

The crew tell me that they pay $5.00 for a haircut by one of their own, and they all look well groomed. 

7 minutes ago, cheeseclan said:

We just got notice that the Caribbean Princess has had a slight increase in gastrointestinal incidents on board.  Therefore they will be doing an extra intense cleaning in port.  Now we cannot board until 3:00 but we all must be checked in by 6:00.

They made it very clear that the terminal doors will not be open until 3:00 because that too will be cleaned and sanitized.  They said if we arrive early we can check our baggage in and then go check out the neighborhood.

 

I was able to change our car service pick up to a later time.  Will probably still get there a little early, oh well.

 

Last time this happened to us the ship was amazingly clean and sanitized.  So much so that you could have eaten off the floor.  They also would not let us serve ourselves anything.  

We too, those that boarded in Quebec were subjected to this delay.  But there is little question that it paid off in the long run as the cases were negligible in comparison to that previous. Those of us returning to Quebec must disembark and can only return with general boarding after 3:00 pm.  Yes, we have been and will continue to be served under the most hygienic conditions for this upcoming cruise but that too will pay off.

Currently aboard the Caribbean Princess I was greeted at the entrance of the buffet area by two staff members "inviting" me to use the newly wall mounted and installed open sinks to wash my hands before proceeding.  The well placed and easily used sinks supply ample soap, running hot water and immediate disposable paper towels.  An excellent idea especially for those who are returning from tours who proceed directly to the buffet area.  Well done!!!

If you are asking who the maitre d' will be be, his name is Oscar Perego 

2 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

 

We walked off with our luggage, so we bypassed all of this. Hopefully someone else will have the answer for you.

As you walked off did you have to go through Canadian Immigration and Customs?  If so then we would unlikely be able to return for the luggage.

We realize we can take a taxi but to load up a cab with two of us, two large suitcases and a wheel chair and ask the driver to take us to a destination that we can walk to in ten minutes makes for unpleasantries.

4 hours ago, CineGraphic said:

We did the self disembarkation and walked 10 minutes to the train station for our ride to Montréal. The official walk-off times were between 4-5am. We walked off around 6:15 with zero hassle. The crew was fantastic....they had just finished several months of 7 day Caribbean sailings, so the change of scenery and routine were a welcomed change to them. 

Thanks so much or the information and the photo.  With the latter I was able to find the exact location of the disembarkation dock and it's distance from Rail Station by using Google Earth.  Can you tell us a little of the clearance procedure.  Because of our wheelchair condition we wonder if we could leave the luggage in the terminal while one party takes the other to the station waiting room in the chair.  Then, returning to the luggage area, pick up the luggage.  Would this work?  

On 8/3/2019 at 3:54 PM, Ombud said:

So what I suggest is that you go back into Ocean Ready and modify your profile so that it doesn't default to FirstName. It can show a title if that's what you prefer. Ask for help at the Ocean Navigator desk if you cannot figure it out

Our upcoming cruise aboard the Caribbean will be our introduction to the Medallion.  Being greeted by one's first name like that might conjure up thoughts of an attendance at a Bill W. Meeting? 

29 minutes ago, fishywood said:

• I believe a taxi will be the best method from train station to pier
• As long as the gangway is open you can board. Check-in procedures would be done at the purser's desk. Only issue arriving that late is not having someone to help with your luggage
• If you are saying you wish to disembark as soon as the ship docks in Quebec and not spend the final night onboard, this is usually something you need advance permission from the corporate office to do. In this case it should be no issue getting the OK as this is not the first Canadian port thus no immigration formalities will be necessary. But again there likely will be no one to assist with your bags.

Thank you Fishywood for these helpful details.  My bad, we do disembark on the second day so all is well there.  But it's the arrival. Two of us with baggage for 20 days plus a wheelchair.  We wonder at how close a cab can get us to the gangway at that time.  If we have to shuttle everything to our cabin so be it but surely there might be a helping hand we can reward in assisting us.  This is our first cruise embarking out of Quebec and as a matter of fact, if somewhat embarrassing, first out of any Canadian port   

On 4/25/2019 at 8:52 PM, Stelladoro said:

According to the Princess website, you should be able to disembark after 7 AM, after staying overnight in Quebec City. Are you flying out of Quebec City airport or Montreal airport? If you need to get to Montreal, allow extra time (takes a little over 3 hours travel by train from Quebec City to Montreal), before booking flight.

We are booked for the Quebec-New York and return in October.  We are taking the train to Quebec. Do you know if there is some sort of transit service from the station to the ship?  Plus we will be arriving at the dock near 9:00 pm but have never boarded a ship so late.  Any thoughts as to how one does that.  And finally we wish to disembark upon arrival in Quebec.  Any problems?

Will be taking or 50th cruise this year.  We are 72 and 85.  Only two P&O cruises to our name and we came late to the party.  We ventured to P&O because we were told that it had a more mature passenger list, which is what we were looking for and fortunately what we found. ( Don't own a cell phone nor able to operate one and dislike the unsociable behaviour they have created ). 

On 4/2/2019 at 10:27 AM, docco said:

In a word, no. And we're cancelling three cruises we still have booked with them for the loss of the very minimal 5% deposit.

 

Problems can arise with any company. What marks P&O out as different is their refusal to do anything about problems when they happen.

 

Remember the 'Computer says no' sketches? That's the way they operate.

As outlined in our "P&Owe" topic we can relate to there "Computer says no" comment.  Having gone though the flood in our cabin, and the subsequent agreement of compensation we asked if the amount could be forwarded to a chartable organization of our choosing in the UK.  "Computer says no" even though the simple effort to do so would not only have prevented currency conversion charges but we're sure would have been appreciated by the recipient.  Customer Service wanted our banking information in order to depot the amount.  We supplied a voided cheque which gave them every item of information needed.  But "Computer says no".  So we had to then write out these very numbers and addresses and resubmit.  That was 40 days ago and our inquiry has been met with the comment that the person or persons were on holiday. Hope they are on the Azura.

As with our topic "P&Owe" we were promised resolution in 72 hours.  It has now been 608 hours since that statement.  It is a little disconcerting that both Carnival Corp Headquarters and our Travel Agent have not responded to the copies of the correspondence we had sent them.  And I hope we do not disparage anyone in the use of the expression of we being welched.

10 hours ago, docco said:

"By far the most sailed-on cruise line from this year's survey, P&O Cruises' mediocre three stars in most categories should make customers question their decades-long loyalty to this brand."

 

"Not great value, no wow factor"

 

Which's overall conclusion, based on an independent customer survey.

 

A fair conclusion?  Has P&O lost its edge, or have the customers responding to this survey got it wrong?

If available, we would appreciate the site address where the results of this survey are published. 

As you say, the alcohol to tonic ratio to equate to one litre of 40% alcohol would exceed 30 cans.  There are posts where passengers not only bring along a case of 24 cans of soft drinks but place a luggage tag on the case pre boarding and it is delivered right to their cabin.  In the choice of  mixed beverage, the alcohol content meets the set limit.

21 hours ago, ZZRLAD said:

Not used the packages yet but got a 3 week cruise in March. Also need to be able to be in touch work wise. On that basis the cost is the cost. The bill will be paid by the company so not concerned over the price. 

We chose the Mid Package at £10/per 24 hour day for our 14 day cruise.  This satisfies our communication needs but does not include downloading movies etc.  A reminder, should you pre book your internet requirements with P&O prior to sailing, any available ship board credit cannot be used in its payment. 

Surely the decision to abolish mandatory daily tip charges would have best been announced at the commencement of the policy.  I foresee the pursers' desk being clamoured with passenger requests to withhold automatic tipping knowing full well that the policy is to be abolished in a few months.  We look forward to having gratuities ( gratuity. : something given voluntarily or beyond obligation usually for some service) restored.