kkmiausa

Yes, that's the one good thing about Princess when you have a suite you can get full breakfast brought to your room. Also we only dine in the specialty restaurants when we go on Princess. Usually the Crown Grill is our choice. It is only $29 per person more to have a fantastic menu with chilean sea bass, lobster, filet mignon etc.  so as a penthouse suite we can have that brought to our rooms so we don't have to go into the restaurant.  I will check to see how crowded the tables are together and if there is enough distancing will probably go there. Otherwise, no.  We will walk around the ship on the open decks but don't choose to go inside where there are lots of people. Will take stairs and not use elevators.   Will get off in the ports but probably just walk around as we have been to these locations for the most part, the only new one we haven't seen is Turks and Caicos.   So it will still be a nice trip.

2 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Ours is in January too, Splendor southern Caribbean.  Going through the process of deciding right now, since it's time to buy insurance.  I cannot imagine doing an entire cruise with room service, penthouse notwithstanding.  I will cancel first.  We took are still covid-free, and yes, it's shocking to read all the positive infections on the ships and coming off them. 

 

I've only done one Seabourn, and although we loved it, we prefer the Regent product and ships.

I love just being on the ocean. It would be a wonderful break from the routine at home. No cooking for a week in itself is a luxury to me.  We have an aft wrap around balcony on the 12th deck and it's going to be finally cooler in January and will enjoy just sitting out there with a nice blanket and just enjoy the views. The islands are so beautiful and the water so clear.  I will venture down to the International Cafe and grab a coffee or snacks. I don't really care for shows, although husband loves them, but I will not let him go this time. Last time we took Princess he came down  with a horrible chest infection which put him in the hospital for a week. They never found out what it was but pumped him full of all kinds of antibiotics. He had never had anything like that before and he is a nonsmoker. That's why I worry about the ventilation system on Princess.  China still has lockdowns and I just feel they know something that we don't.  If you will remember in the beginning of covid even currency was destroyed and clothing and personal items of anyone diagnosed with covid. They were burning bodies in mass graves but now people are cruising in cabins where the people before them may have had covid.  That is worrisome to me.   

Hope you have a wonderful time and stay safe.  If it was my choice I would be on Regent or Oceania for this trip but am stuck with Princess because we had a $6,000 FCC we had to use or lose. 

31 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

Ours is in January too, Splendor southern Caribbean.  Going through the process of deciding right now, since it's time to buy insurance.  I cannot imagine doing an entire cruise with room service, penthouse notwithstanding.  I will cancel first.  We took are still covid-free, and yes, it's shocking to read all the positive infections on the ships and coming off them. 

 

I've only done one Seabourn, and although we loved it, we prefer the Regent product and ships.

I love just being on the ocean. It would be a wonderful break from the routine at home. No cooking for a week in itself is a luxury to me.  We have an aft wrap around balcony on the 12th deck and it's going to be finally cooler in January and will enjoy just sitting out there with a nice blanket and just enjoy the views. The islands are so beautiful and the water so clear.  I will venture down to the International Cafe and grab a coffee or snacks. I don't really care for shows, although husband loves them, but I will not let him go this time. Last time we took Princess he came down  with a horrible chest infection which put him in the hospital for a week. They never found out what it was but pumped him full of all kinds of antibiotics. He had never had anything like that before and he is a nonsmoker. That's why I worry about the ventilation system on Princess.  China still has lockdowns and I just feel they know something that we don't.  If you will remember in the beginning of covid even currency was destroyed and clothing and personal items of anyone diagnosed with covid. They were burning bodies in mass graves but now people are cruising in cabins where the people before them may have had covid.  That is worrisome to me.   

Hope you have a wonderful time and stay safe.  If it was my choice I would be on Regent or Oceania for this trip but am stuck with Princess because we had a $6,000 FCC we had to use or lose. 

I am getting more worried about an upcoming cruise booked for January. So many of you ended up with covid even on Seabourn and Regent it is shocking.  We had booked a Princess cruise back in 2020 so that our son and his wife could come with us just for a simple Caribbean cruise but it was when covid was only beginning and people were being quarantined on ships for days and I cancelled and was stuck with FCC.  We have finally booked one for January 2023 and have a penthouse suite so expect to have all meals in our room on our balcony.  Hope we can avoid covid. We have not gotten it so far.  Husband is immunocompromised so it is still so riskyi.   We have now taken 4 Seabourn cruises Canada New England to Ft. Lauderdale, France (sailed down the Seine) and last one in 2019 to Alaska. We have only taken one Regent but enjoyed it very much went to many places in Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar and Morocco. Loved the included tours.  However, we find the food much better on Seabourn. I only eat seafood and even am picky about that but they manage to accommodate me every time. I have a standing order for lobster and can get it every evening if I want. Also if there is a dessert or item that you appear to like a lot, the waiter will note and make sure it is there for you at your next meal even if you didn't order it. Their galley tour is amazing.  But I agree I am not thrilled with their wine selections.   The thing I hate most about Seabourn especially was the Alaska cruise. Unless you pay for a strenuous Zodiak style tour you don't get to see the glaciers up close. They anchor about a quarter or half mile from them and unless you are on tour you don't get to see them. When I was there was shocked to see a Disney cruise ship go right by us, and put down anchor just yards from them. I am sure everyone on that way less expensive cruise got to get up close and personal with the glacier. We loved Oceania when we did a Russia cruise years ago and took another one in the Caribbean in 2019. We live in Miami so any cruises that go out of here or Ft. Lauderdale are easy for us.  We especially like to book the penthouse suites on Seabourn that are right outside the Observation Bar. We can just hop over there in a second to grab goodies and take them back to our room during afternoon tea.      Sorry you did not have a good experience but it seems hard to compare since you were in quarantine.

10 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

I don't believe wearing a portable ionizer around your neck is an effective precaution for Covid-19.

Many popular home purifiers use HEPA filter technology to filter out the pollutants in the air before expelling it back into the room. These portable necklaces, however, expel particles called ions into the air that attach themselves onto contaminants, pollutants and viruses, literally removing them from the air by giving through a static charge. That’s not to say that these devices can offer 100 percent protection, but your odds are certainly better with a little extra protection — even better if you are wearing a face mask. We always wear KN95 masks with them.  Have not had covid. We have to take precautions because husband has leukemia in remission but still weakened immunity.

5 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Nah, take a chance I am fully vaccinated and boosted, still caught Covid, if I had not taken a test I would have said it was a mild head cold.

I have no hesitation but my husband who is in remission from leukemia is very very afraid and if I take him and he gets it will forever feel guilty. We are older so that makes the difference. He has had Evusheld as well as the vaccine. But omicron evades the current vaccine. I don't want any more vaccines had the first 2 and no boosters. Wish I had not even had that.   I have unlimited free rooms at the Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood and we live in Miami so it is a great getaway but we got something called parainfluenza 4 and he ended up with pneumonia so he won't even go there anymore.

4 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

I agree with much of what you say, getting the test is difficult for many, especially those travelling internationally. In our case we are travelling to New York on a Sunday Red Eye for a Tuesday sail. So 48 hours prior to boarding means finding a test site Sunday morning and hoping results come through on time.

 

Also, as has been said many times, testing three days before boarding then travelling on crowded plane, terminals, hotels etc. does not make sense.

I see your point. Thats why it is such a risk still to cruise. Thinking more and more about cancelling.  Thank you. It wasn't so bad when they still required masking at airports and on planes but now as you said people aren't wearing masks at all. I truly believe they work as my husband had many many hospital trips and doctor visits throughout the last 2 years even though we didn't go outside the house for much of anything else except in the past few months started to at least dine outside.  We always wore masks and wore an ionizer around our necks and still have not gotten covid.  Others won't take that precaution.

1 hour ago, RAGAnne80 said:

The Pre-embarkation section says: "All travelers 5 years of age or older must have a COVID-19 test to board a cruise ship in Canada or to board a cruise ship that will dock in Canada at any point on the cruise."

I would love to see the end of pre-board testing but Princess doesn't make the rules for Canada so plan on testing if you have any stops in Canada unless their government changes the rules.

I am curious. Why do you want testing ended? People who have had covid or are vaccinated are still getting it and can pass it on.  So why are they excluded now?  Omicron changed everything. The vaccinations only supposedly prevent hospitalizations but more and more people are getting Covid multiple times.  What is the bother of  a bit of time to take a test not worth it?

On 8/4/2022 at 3:46 PM, Rick&Jeannie said:

I have to admit...when I saw the title of this thread ("Can you change person in cabin") I thought maybe Princess was introducing some kind of new magic act...

Maybe I can change my husband into Liam Hemsworth

On 8/14/2022 at 10:16 AM, Mara4166 said:

I love the idea of all of the extras in the sky suite, but really love the wake view of the aft penthouse suites.  I think Princess may be missing an opportunity to allow any full suite passenger to keep their suite but upgrade their package to include the extra service.  Depending on the cost, I may have done it for our upcoming cruise.

Mara if you usually have aft penthouse suite we are on port side Baja Deck when they talk one balcony dinner and breakfast in the Sky can't we get it as often as we like in our suites as long as we pay the premium price for the dinner? I was told we will be able to do this as we don't want to use the main dining rooms at all on the trip.

I would think using your phone as a hot spot on a world cruise would be very expensive! If you do plan to do it get a special plan through your wireless provider to see if feasible. It would use a ton of data.

18 minutes ago, dog said:

 

 

I just want to make it clear:  My cruise sailed on March 7th.  I cancelled on March 6th.  I do not get extra FCC.

Thanks Dog. So your cruise was not cancelled by Princess?  But did you get 100 per cent toward another cruise even if you were the one that cancelled? I think I was more than fair as I cancelled on February 11th and they had options to book it to someone else, and also the insurance paid them for the suite. I had heard in the beginning that since I cancelled after first of February I would get 100 per cent but that was not the case.   But did you have insurance?  Sorry if I am a pest.

No sorry if what I wrote was confusing. The cruise I had booked was not cancelled by Princess, but I took the precaution to cancel for any reason with penalty as I had the Princess standard insurance which allows that. So yes they are honoring the policy terms, I just feel that because Covid was found on other ships that sailed that same date out of the same port, that they could at least offer some additional credit to me since I acted responsibly. Easily the Crown could have had cases since the Grand Princess had cases on the cruise the week before mine and some of their crew was transferred to the Regal and Ruby who had been exposed to the virus. Luck would have it that none of them went to the Crown  Princess.  I believe people who were on those cruises got lots of special credits and future cruise offers for their inconvenience. For example, those on the Grand Princess who were quarantined in California the first week in March got their entire cost applied to future cruises whether they had insurance or not.

1 minute ago, dog said:

My cruise was not cancelled by Princess. It sailed without me.

Did you have platinum insurance?

7 minutes ago, dog said:

 

My situation: Panama Canal cruise on Island March 7th.

Paid for flights to Ft Lauderdale (non refundable)

Paid for 3 nights pre cruise hotel (non refundable)

Princess email MARCH 6th  offering 100 % of my cruise fare as FCC or sail and get $200 OBC

Heard about 2 positive cases for virus in area March 5th.

Accepted offer to cancel.

Paid for hotels/expenses for remainder of the cruise.

 

So, I am very grateful with the offer I received from Princess. If I did have an issue I would take it up with the cruise line.

 

 

Yes Dog. You were lucky that yours was to go out the time mine would have returned and because Princess cancelled those people got full refunds and future cruise credit even if they did not have insurance which is what upsets me the most. February was only 28 days, so ours returned on a Sunday I believe the 5th or 6th of of March almost the date of yours. So sorry about your    flights and cruise hotels. Yes those cases were diagnosed at the port right after we sailed and we would have been helped by those 3 people as their job was to meet and greet and help with luggage. The company they worked for was contracted by Princess! So Covid was a real threat already at that time.  I feel like I did the responsible thing by cancelling.  I read the form and it was only for "affected cruises" like the ones that Princess cancelled like yours, so mine was not covered.    I have written to my cruise rep from Princess.

On 5/13/2020 at 11:53 AM, voljeep said:

'dog' - hang in there and just ignore posters ...

 

as far as the ship sailed without me - did it have any 'problems' with cornteen, or missed ports ?

I had regular insurance that only allowed me to cancel with a 25 per cent loss of money and future cruise credit. My cruise went out on February 25th out of Ft. Lauderdale. I cancelled on February 11th after seeing the news of China and the Diamond Princess. Other cruises that went out of Ft. Lauderdale that same date ended up with Corona Virus Cases - The Ruby Princess and Regal!  That same week 3 port workers who were contracted by Princess came down with Covid 19 their job was to greet passengers and handle luggage. We easily could have been exposed to them, and I highly doubt that that cruise had no passengers with Covid - it was the Crown Princess.   I have checked with Princess and only will give me what my insurance allowed on the basic insurance, future cruise credit only not cancel for any reason.  Husband has a form of leukemia and that was my main reason, his life and the possibility of quarantine.   I would love to know if passengers that were on that Crown Cruise later ended up with Covid.    Yet people who had a cruise going out the day mine returned had theirs cancelled and even with NO insurance they got 100 per cent future cruise credits since it was Princess that cancelled.   I have appealed this through my Princess agent, I had a Vista Suite so the penalty was $1500, and the cost of the insurance and I cannot get the $4000 back only as a future cruise credit and due to ongoing concerns I doubt we will ever use it.   So yes you all who had your cruises cancelled

did get a valuable option that I didn't get and even if you did not buy any kind of insurance. Thankfully you have your health and I hope you are young enough and in good enough health that you will be able to use those future cruise credits.

They in my opinion have already stopped trying to prevent community spread

Only because we may have to or lose over $6000. But it would only be if they find a cure for the Covid 19 and if we live to take it.  My son who is 32 believes it will all blow over since only the old and immunosuppressed will die, while most people under 60 won't have much of a problem, more like a cold for a few days.   So, I am not ruling it out but if I could get my money back instead I would go for it. By the way, there are already 4 more passengers on the Grand Princess positive for Covid and those were only the ones tested who showed symptoms, the rest of the passengers haven't gotten their results yet.  So again, why on Princess? But our government is at fault for not having test kits weeks ago so these people could have been separated. Now they are letting the ones who were tested yesterday without test results yet, fly back home and out of quarantine.    Tests should be done on everyone who has been on a cruise ship in the past 2 week. 

We in Miami got the news that an MSC ship had a woman positive for Covid on the March 8th return,  she found out after she got off, however, the ship finished another leg of the trip with hundred or more that were on her voyage and returned to the Port of Miami today.  No screening at all. All left to go home and 3500 people to fly back to wherever they came from. This is unbelievable. 

i am so so afraid and wish I had faith.  Cancelled cruises seems so trivial now. Please prepare and have supplies and isolate until a treatment is approved. They are out there!

i am 70. i don't look it or feel it and have hbp controlled but husband is 80 with severe underlying so we will never be both cleared. So I am out $6000 if we syrvive the virus. I have bought all the possible cures so hope we survive. Loss of cruise credits is least of worties. Just want to live. have my first 4 month old grandchild. All best hope to everyone😇😥

At any rate I am happy I made my decision to cancel. That cruise went out on February 25th and did not end until March 6th right in the midst of the coronavirus outbreaks on Diamond Princess. Now we find that 4 port workers tested positive for coronavirus at the Ft Lauderdale Princess cruise terminal my husband and I could easily have been exposed to them at the time they were infectious so our health was protected.  We dodged a bullet. It never occurred to me we could have gotten it at the terminal, was more worried about once on board with passengers who had flown in from all over the world and truthfully some of those people on the Crown Princess could turn up positive, we just don't know yet.  There can be at least a 14 day incubation period and we are well within those days now.

My insurance was through Princess the standard plan to cancel for any reason with 75 per cent toward a FCC.  I stated that with the coronavirus threat that since my husband is older and immunocompromised I could not risk him cruising so I took the hit. We normally would always have gone unless there was a medical treatment change but our doctor was honest and said at the time there was no health indication for him not to travel while I am sure many people got their doctors to write a letter advising against as I am sure they would now!  Also since it was a Vista suite they if awarding 225 per cent cruise credit would now have to give me

$15,000 cruising credits they would be better off just refunding me my money. I guess they hope we will just never use it.

I cancelled my cruise on February 11 for a cruise on February 25. I had a Vista suite so quite costly. I had insurance and they told me I would not get my insurance money back now they are giving people 100 per cent refunds even with no insurance so I feel insurance costs should be returned.   Also since this has all unfolded we should be able to get our money back instead of a future cruise. But we may not have to be worry since it is highly unlikely we will survive this virus epidemic. I don't think people realize how serious this really is and how it will tear this country apart.   Cruising should be the last thing on anyone's mind it should be preparing to hunker down for at least the next 3 months probably far longer and I wish you all safety when those less fortunate and less prepared than we are become desperate for food and basic survival. I would refer you to a movie Contagion from 2011. It is even referred to on the CDC website to see how things can unfold. For those of us over 55 it is life threatening 

23 hours ago, ClwtrBoi said:

I wonder what impact today's State Department advisement to certain groups against cruising will have on this.

 

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/before-you-go/travelers-with-special-considerations/cruise-ship-passengers.html 

Since my husband is in the demographic warned not to cruise due to higher morbidity risk, instead of having to use future cruise credits I feel we should be able to get our money back or at least transfer it to another name so someone can buy it from us or we can give to other family members or friends who may want to use it, similar to how an airline lets you change names with a fee

No matter what you do on a cruise ship with people in close proximity there will be a transfer of this virus. Some people mentioned taping the vents shut, but whenever you open the door to the hallway you are inhaling air from everyone else. We have to breathe of course and we can't eat or drink with a mask on so have to remove them when dining. Even if you have every meal at a specialty restaurant where there is more distancing you are still being waited on by crew who could be infected. I know people will say you are not protected at home either, which is the case obviously but if you wear a mask when you go out, constantly use handsanitizers   and gloves, etc. you can better protect yourself. You can have your supplies delivered to home to avoid public exposure. This is not going away for at least a year if ever!  Take the precautions you need.   Whenever you go into a port again you are upping your exposure and everyone elses in that location. I forsee many countries closing their cruise terminals and we will be cruising to nowhere.