Waynetor

You need 36 night to become Platinum so once you have sailed 36 nights of the voyage at the start of the segment after that you will have the new benefits.  You should get info in your cabin a few days prior but if not check with front desk on that segments turn-around day

The last 3 ships we have been on have had a version of the senior having a birthday.  Last year we did 9 B2B on the Caribbean P and it was the same thing each week.  The person calling out about the bathroom was an assistant cruise director.

Book the best you can get now and check every few days to see if anything opens up.  People cancel all the time, especially near final payment time. 

We are doing this in July.  When we booked the transfer we were assured the bus could take someone confined to a wheelchair.  Has anyone seen someone still in their wheelchair on a transfer bus?

You have 60 days from booking to move to a TA

We have been through both on the Island and its sister the Coral.  Mostly likely you will go through the old locks.  You should be informed the night before of the estimated time that the ship will enter the channel leading to the locks. There is a person that boards the ship just for the day that will make announcements including history- when we were on the announcements of the cannel  could only be heard on parts of the top deck - not sure abut cabin.   For the most part it does not make a huge diff what side of the ship you are on except at the Pacific end there are good views of the tall buildings in Panama City south of the cannel.  .

If the weather is poor seats in the horizon court are good for viewing but the chair hogs will be up early to grab the best. 

Once through the locks you are in a large lake for a few hours and people will be wandering around then.  

I'd recommend doing your cabin for one set of locks and for the second wander around.  Viewing from the Promenade deck offers a different perspective. 

.  . 

I realize the mid ship will cost more but the % here is abnormal.  I checked the Jan 2024 near identical cruise and going from aft to mid-aft is about 5% increase and aft to mid ship is about 10% higher while the 2025 cruise is about 40% higher for mid ship.

I booked the 3  20 days on Wed the first day they were available.  By Friday the price had dropped about 5%.  I compared the price of doing the 20 day voyages versus B2B 10 days and got even more surprise.  Princess was saving the accessible inside cabins on deck  8 for 10 day voyages while selling the 20 day voyages using deck 9 cabins.  I have changed all my bookings to deck 8 immediately under what I had on deck 9 and saved saved over a $1,000 Cdn per 20 day segment .  There is no real diff between booking deck 8 or 9 but it unusual to have such a saving booking B2B vs a combined booking especially just after the voyages are released. 

Off topic but Steeler36 can you please email re a local Toronto question.  I had your email once but can't find it now

waynesmithtor at yahoo ot ca

I booked through Princess on the phone the Enchanted Princes 20 day B2B2b when the 2025 cruises opened up this week.  I looking over the bookings I see the prices are much higher than the lead in prices that had been published (part of that is guarantee vs non guarantee.   

I've booked accessible/inside cabins

When I looked closer today I see all similar cabins are gone so I looked at other inside on the same deck.  There are small differences between the cruises but as an example is a forward or aft inside is $3,050 Cdn, and mid forward or mid aft is $3,847 Cdn and a mid ship inside is $4,292.  Needing an accessible cabin we are limited to one of the 2 higher priced cabins locations.

I've never seen anything remotely close to this type of pricing range for the same cabin type and deck.  Anybody else seen this type of pricing?

  .

I know which cruises I would like to do but it would be nice to be able to compare prices.  Are prices available anywhere before bookings open?

The main reason this happens is Princess has ships doing 7 night Sat to Sat cruises and 7 night Sun day to Sun, then they also have 10 night cruise that often do not need a Sat or Sun Ft L port berth.  When those cruises start between Monday to Friday they use pier 2  but if they return on a weekend then pier 2 would be double booked.  Sometimes Princess would use pier 4 but that does not work as well with the larger ships so a more distant pier is need for one of the ships. 

There can be late changes so it is worth checking with the front desk the day before disembarking if you feel you may be in this situation. 

Everything fixed - I called Princess and the first person could not see the special code but call was forwarded and prices fixed.

I've never used screenshot before but used it this morning to check another partial booking and was seeing the same thing - so I learned about screenshots in Window

This is for the Island P 14 night de 22./23   

Started off trying to book an accessible, inside cabin. It says cabin P535 is available but when get half way done the booking a massage pops up the cabin is not available.   Did this 3 times over about a 1 hour period and each time the cabin would be available and then not as I went through the booking.

I then tried to get a ocean view accessible cabin and got the message that none were available but would be updated to balcony for the same price  - $2,937 Cdn with basic package.  I was given a choice of several aft cabins on deck 7.  I choose one and continued with the booking.  The 2,937 shows all the way through the on-line booking.  I put a hold on the booking and got a booking #.  When I open the email conformation it shows a price of $3,945.  If I open my booking under my account it also shows the higher price which is equivalent to the price as if I have selected a balcony cabin as my original request. 

I thought I had made a mistake and then re did the whole process putting a hold on a neighbouring cabin with same higher price change result.     

I have booked a Ocean view cabin tonight.  I get the message that no cabins are available and they are moving me up to balcony at no extra cost.  It shows the o/v price all the way through the booking to the very end.  I put a no payment hold n the cabin.  I then get a confirmation for the booking and it has the pricing as if i booked a balcony to start.

I can call Princess on Friday but wondering if anyone has a explanation on why the correct price shows on-line but gets changed in the background as the booking number gets generated.   

John - thanks for your replies - I have printed out the info

My wife has several health problems.  Depending on the meal she chooses, she will need help with the meat.  Several times when I have started to cut her meal the waiters have offered to help with hers.  Sometimes I've accepted and other times not.  It does save having to pass plates around.   This has been in regular dinning and specialty dinning room.  At most travelled passenger lunch we asked to have the meat pre cut. 

We will be taking the cruise line shuttle from Heathrow to Southampton.  After checking in, I want to go to a local store and buy soda/wine to bring on the ship (Princess allows some) - Is there any stores within easy walking of the port?

When I walked down there, beside the dune buggies the parking area had about 10 cars so locals residents do use it.  Hopefully the very south part on the map will still be available.

The first time I went I walked all the along the shore from Princess Cay - it gets very rough and rocky -definitely a one-time thing. 

I been told many times at the buffet they are out of bananas (and other items) but they have them the next day without restocking at a port. 

I'm sure it just means they don't have anymore in the buffet area and don't want to go all the way down to the supply fridges in the lower decks. Having late breakfast increases odds of some items being out of stock.  

Sometimes it seems to matter who who ask.  It may help to ask a more senior staff person in the area if more are available instead of a junior staff person

Yes we are looking for Heathrow to ship and later the return.

Thanks for the links

Does anyone that has done these transfers know if the busses can handle a pasenger in a wheelchair that can not transfer? 

My wife is confined to a wheelchair.  We are looking at a Princess cruise from Southampton..  

Anyone know if Princess shuttles are wheelchair accessible or what other options we would have?

Thanks

A few years ago I did a private tour at Komodo Is. that include the island tour and then a couple hour snorkeling tour - less than the cost of the ship island tour alone. 

I had seen the dragons at a couple zoos but the island tour was a whole world better. That being said, I still felt that this island is more like a large wildlife park with the animals free to roam, but still managed to a degree.  The water pond is man made to entice the dragons to a common area for viewing.  The dragons are control fed so that passengers don't see killings or the tearing part of dead bodies.  People live on the island and they are not being attacked. 

Also, the dragons don't kill and eat right away like animals such as lions do - the dragons do a small bite which poison's the animals and then wait for it to drop dead.  The main prey are types of wild pig and deer.   

Defiantly doing once. and if doing private needs to be well preplanned. 

Tons of sea days from LA to the Suez Canal and then a month with almost none- similar to the 2022 and 2023 0- it would be nice to be more balanced.

Counting all the passengers and crew, odds are around 8 people missed having a birthday (similar to what those born on Feb 29 regularly exp.) and some may have missed their anniversary.

I remember a thread a few years ago a coupe was to have a big family party for a 50th anniversary and their wedding date match the day missed