skynight

11 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Side question (if you don't mind).  I've heard mixed answers regarding tipping crew with US dollars while cruising in foreign waters.  One YouTuber says that many of the crew come from countries that appreciate the US dollar.  Is that permissible?  

Yes. US$ are accepted by crew.

It happens to me all the time. First & second names are combined by the airline, not EZ Air. Never had a problem. 

"If Princess offers it as a single itinerary and you book it this way, you will get 2 credits for sailing solo for the full sailing. "

"As above, if you book it as a single itinerary, you will get 2 credits for the entire sailing."

Princess awards cruise credits by Princess' voyage number not by booking number. A b2b sailing is two different Princess voyage numbers. In the old cruise card days you could see the voyage number at the bottom of the cruise card. The OP as a solo will receive 2 cruise credits for each Princess voyage or leg of the b2b. How the OP books does not matter. 

2 minutes ago, doghog said:

Speak with the CC host or whatever they are called on the first leg. Celebritys onboard CC Concierge and RCs onboard CAS LA will expedite the process to ensure you are the next tier level for the second leg. Hopefully Princess CC does the same. 

The OP can not achieve elite level for the second leg. The OP starts with 12 cruise credits. After the 1st leg the OP will have 14 cruise credits, one for the leg and an additional one for sailing solo. You require 15 to become elite. The OP will reach the elite level after disembarking the 2nd leg and will be elite on the next Princess cruise. 

20 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

If you book it as B2B it will count as 2 separate cruises with two distinct reservation numbers. If Princess offers it as a single itinerary as well and you book it that way it will count as one cruise with one reservation number. 

This is not correct if you are speaking about cruise credits. Cruise credits are awarded per Princess' voyage number, not by booking number. Single booking number or two booking numbers you will receive the 4 cruise credits, two for each 7 day voyage. 

1. Unless the fares are vastly different, usually better to book as two cruises for additional flexibility and more available cabins. Once on board there is little difference on how you booked. You will have a single on board folio for the entire time you are on board. All credits and debits carry over.

With the plus or premier fares the extra benefits such as 2 casual meals are per booking number. So with two booking numbers you will get 2 casual meals per leg. Same with some of the other benefits like spa classes and specialty dining for the premier package.

2. You receive the same amount of cruise credits no matter which way you book. As a solo you will receive 2 for each leg, 4 total. Cruise credits go by voyage number or legs, not by booking number.

3. When you disembark you will have 16 cruise credits. On your next Princess cruise you will be elite loyalty level. Diamond is a term used by other cruise lines.

4. They are automatically linked. You do nothing. I would use a T.A. Princess' customer service is poor at best. If you book on line direct and have any issues you will have to take care of them directly with customer service. It's easier to go through a TA if you have issues. Princess also has Personal Vacation Planners. These are kind of in house TAs.

5. No. One booking number = $250 OBC. Two booking numbers = $200 OBC. No way to change this.

6. No extra benefits for b2b cruises.

If your turn around is at a U.S. port then you will have to go through immigration. No exceptions. This requirement is U.S. law. It does not matter how you booked. There is an easy process to do this. You will receive a letter in your cabin. Read and follow the instructions exactly.   

This site will give you specific information on the balconies

https://www.cruisedeckplans.com/Princess/odell/res76zxu/princessbalconies/id2.html

I don't believe that the Enclave on the Regal Princess is meant to be an all day retreat. It's a small area. You can check it out as it will be open for tours when you board. Entrance is on deck 5 forward. There is a fee for the Enclave. I don't know what it is. 

You may enjoy the Sanctuary. This is an outdoor lounge area forward on deck 17. This an upcharge area where you reserve your own lounge. The cost is $20/half day am or pm, $40/full day, $30/day if you reserve for all days of the cruise. There are no hot tubs or pools. On tropical cruises the Sanctuary is popular and in demand. To reserve a lounge you have to be one of the earliest to board and then go directly there. It's first come first to reserve.

https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=Regal+Princess+sanctuary&type=E210US105G0#id=3&vid=8da2801ce59b39aff5f6e99232569dc5&action=click 

I'll let you define healthy.

You can get salads in the MDRs at lunch and dinner. MDRs also have fruit.

On the Grand Princess at Alfredo's you should be able to order a side salad, maybe with Caesar dressing.

Pizza by the pool serves slices of pizza, no sides. The grill by the pool does not serve salads.

There are no specific locations that have wraps. Sometimes the International Cafe has a wrap or two. There might be some prepared wraps at the Horizon Ct. buffet. Selections change each day.

The Horizon Ct. always has bowls of salad. On a recent Ruby Princess cruise there were two bowls, one with mixed greens the other with romaine. There are also toppings and dressings. You prepare your own as small or as large as you wish. Once breakfast items are cleared, around 11am, salads are placed out. They remain available from 11am until closing around 10pm.

You can also find fruits, such as whole oranges & bananas, at the Horizon Ct. Bananas are normally available at the International Cafe.

Take a look around once on board to see what they have. 

I don't see food items listed in the prohibited item FAQ list.

3 hours ago, Shmoo here said:

If I order a drink onboard and I have no drink package, the charge for the drink includes an auto gratuity for the bartender/server.

 

If I order a drink onboard, and I do have a drink package, is the auto gratuity amount still on the drink?  So the bartender/server still gets the same gratuity?

 

 

If you have the plus or premier package there is no additional service charge per drink for alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages. The service charge is included in the package. With both packages if you order an alcoholic beverage that is over the packages menu price limit, $15 or $20, then you will be charged the difference plus 18% of the difference service charge.

I was on board for 24 days with the plus package. Each day I had numerous non alcoholic beverages, under 15 alcoholic beverages, and never went over the $15/drink package limit. I was never charged one cent for a service charge.

What ship are we speaking about? Within every class of ship the interior size and design of all balcony cat. cabins will be the same as are all mini suites. Full suite sizes vary.  It will be the balcony size that can be different for some cabins. If you are trying to determine which balcony cat. cabin has the largest interior size, don't bother.

Example A 709 on the Ruby Princess is 45 sq ft balcony + 226 sq ft interior = 271 sq. ft. The total sq ft may not be this exact number, but it's with 5 or so sq ft.  

If they are trying to look good they would have been better off not offering anything then $50. I recently received $300 FCC, not OBC, for a plumbing issue that lasted a few days. 

15 hours ago, Normantdpt said:

Thanks for the info. 
 

if I go line up around 930am, what are my chances of securing dinner at 6pm every night? 

I don't quite understand you question. There will not be anyone at the DRs at 9:30am. There will be one DR open on boarding day from noon until 1:30 serving lunch. You could go there and speak with the head waiter for information. There is usually a time posted in the events listing where you can get in line and meet with the Mait're' d and discuss your evening dining.  You could show up at 5pm at anyone of the 3 DRs and discuss your dining preferences. I will mention from experience that 6pm is a difficult time to enter the DR. Most DRs fill up by 5:30. Another option is to call the dining line and discuss with them.

Regarding boarding: Every person must show up, provide their passports, and have their photo taken. It's an easy and quick process. What is slower is that you will have to go through security and U.S. Immigration before you get to that point.   

1 hour ago, stephenSJ said:

This might be about to change. Take a look at the latest carnival shareholder benefit page

https://www.carnivalcorp.com/shareholder-information/shareholder-benefit

 

and note this line

" This benefit is non-transferable, cannot be exchanged for cash and cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities charged to your onboard account."

This has been the text for at least 15 to 20 years. Shareholder OBC has always been consolidated with other OBC in the onboard account. All onboard expenses including casino, and gratuities net against the OBC as they occur. If a change is coming to Princess then it's not because of a change of the text in the shareholder benefit. While not directly transferrable, when accounts are linked against the same credit card, ie husband/wife, the two accounts balance together. Expenses or credits on one will net against expanses and credits on the other. 

7 minutes ago, rocklinmom said:

Question related to using OBC for booking Sabatini's onboard...can one person treat a family group to dinner there paying for everyone using their OBC? Or is everyone charged individually? I have enough OBC to treat our group of 8 but don't know how or if they will do that. 

You can request that the entire charge be placed onto your on board account where it will net against any credit (OBC) balance. 

13 minutes ago, 555 said:

We always got 4 bottles (16.9 oz.) at a time to keep in the cabin fridge. 

I thought they charged extra for the larger 500ml bottles?

No. Included with the plus/premier fare. 500ml bottles are the standard U.S. pint bottles, just under 17 ounces. You are probably thinking about the 1 liter bottles. 

6 hours ago, nhraformula00 said:

Going on the Emerald in 11 days for our 1st. Princess and our 23rd cruise over all. This is good to hear. ????? Are the beds comfortable. Hope they are not hard.

Very comfortable, nicer than my bed at home.

2 hours ago, Lady Meer said:

I am sure the OP was referring to a P & O cruise on Aurora in ? February this year. It was well documented by Selbourne on the P & O board at the time.

I guess it was posted on the incorrect board.

7 hours ago, molly1995 said:

I keep reading reviews on how terrible the food is on the Ruby Princess and now I'm getting cold feet and buyers remorse.   The pictures of food don't look good either. Any have anything good to report. Also heard the pickle ball court was too small to play on.

Food is very subjective. Maybe the most subjective part of any cruise vacation. Those that don't like the meals seem to complain about it more than the reverse. I was on the Ruby a few months ago. I found the food to be good to excellent. There are lots of selections, some very good, some not so appealing. What's not so appealing to me, can be very appealing to someone else.  If you are looking for DR dinners to be cooked to order you will be disappointed. It's not possible to cook individual dinners every night for 3,000 people. I ate specialty meals in the Crown Grill and Sabatini's and both were very good. I enjoyed all the casual food from cereal & fruit in the Horizon Ct., burgers, fries and pizza by the pools, and the offerings throughout the day at the International Cafe. If you have special diet restrictions Princess will take care of them. 

When I look at a cruise I see food as maybe 10/20% of the total enjoyment. Other activities and relaxation fill the other 80%.  

I did not say it, but I cruise to be on board, enjoy sea days. Princess always has active sea days and when a port is missed they adjust the schedule to add activities. Food on Princess is fairly good with lots of different venues. 

4 hours ago, Old Coastie said:

I am planning to book my flights, on United, with EzAir, using my United Explorer Card.  That card provides 1 free checked bag with each reservation but will that work with a booking through EzAir.  Has anyone had experience in doing this?

The answer is no. You have to book direct with United and you have to pay using the Explorer Card. It has happened to me. Even though I paid Princess EZ Air with the Explorer Card it was not enough when I checked in. United only sees that they received payment from the consolidator, EZ Air. 

I don't get it. What Princess ship are you speaking about? 

Did not require a boarding pass for recent cruise. Showed passport, that's it. I was blue lane. Had to detour 5 minutes to get my medallion. If you are green lane, medallion in hand it's all you need. 

My 2 cents, stay where you are. You could be decks and half length of the ship apart if you get upgraded.