azbirdmom

The only time this may come into play is if you've paid to upgrade to a higher category than the one they've comped and then earn an offer that comps an even higher category. Unless you plan to play significantly more than you do now this is unlikely especially when the offers aren't as good as they used to be. So at least for me this isn't a concern.

It depends on how far in advance of the embarkation date that you cancel and the length of the cruise. For example this is the current cancellation schedule from the Princess website that would apply to most casino "comped" cruises too:

Looks like you are coming back in style! Safe smooth travels back and thanks again for all you've shared.

Yes you pay everything when you book. I was referring to what happens if you cancel.

It absolutely is under the cancellation policy and is noted as such on the booking confirmation (screenshot is for an upcoming April 27th cruise). I have had to cancel two of these offers and got the full refund on the upcharge to the higher category as well as the port fees on both cancelled before the "normal" final payment date. On both I had Princess insurance and had the option of getting a refund on the insurance OR keeping the insurance and using cancel for any reason to get the deposit back. In both cases the insurance cost was slightly higher than the deposit so I opted to get the insurance refund. And for one of the cruises I had the deposit forfeiture waived because they royally messed up a new reservation so I've only had to lose the deposit once. If you haven't been able to get $$ back according to the cancellation schedule on a cancelled casino cruise I would definitely escalate it.

My casino offers definitely improved during the Covid pause and continued after. Since I hadn't had such good offers pre-Covid I rightly assumed that this was a temporary situation that would not continue after the restart of cruising. The offers that I receive aren't as good as they were but I am still getting them. As for paying upfront that's less of an inconvenience if you're taking only the "free" category in which case you are paying the $200 non refundable deposit (which turns into OBC once you board) and port fees. If you buy up to a higher category as we do it's a bigger financial outlay but still the amount in excess of the deposit is subject to the normal Princess cancellation schedule. So I still don't think it's a bad deal. I haven't used a CBS offer in quite a while since the email / snail mail offers tend to be better and more flexible. By the way I am still seeing that the true high rollers are getting great offers but I totally understand that it's a business and they now can pivot to focusing on enticing these folks to book more cruises.

We've done a couple of Princess cruise tours and did DIY a couple of times before our southbound Alaska cruises as well. Immensely enjoyed them all. The Princess lodge accommodations are OK but the draw is 100% Alaska. We loved all that there is to see and it has never gotten old for us. And while the train ride from Denali to Whittier is quite long just watching the scenery change was incredible and the train was comfortable. It sounds like it's not for you but for a lot of us it's still a worthwhile vacation.

Go for it! 🙂

Yes, the domain is incorrect. However, that address has mysteriously been removed from the elliott,org contact page for Princess and it had been there for quite a long time. You might want to try instead filling out this query on the Princess website: https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/customerCare.page

I hope you are enjoying your last day on the cruise. I know I've enjoyed all of the information that you've provided about this brand spanking new ship. Thank you so much for taking us along on your journey. And special thanks to your wife who put up with all of the errands that you've been running to answer all of the questions from all of us following along. Safe travels home!

Yes, on the Enchanted in December 2022. Our upgrade offer on a PH suite was accepted a week before the cruise. Ditto with our neighboring cabin. Suite categories had been sold out for months and the cruise itself had shown as sold out for at least a month.

Ah you are right Frank! Didn't catch the fine print.

I was wondering the same thing. The upcharge isn't bad at all but by the same token there has been enough that looks good on these dinner menus that I probably wouldn't feel the need to pay for something more.

For our last couple of cruises Princess has been giving one color luggage tag to Suite passengers and allowing them to disembark at any time within the debark timeframe. That actually saved us when we had a last minute cancelled flight and had to rush to FLL to make a super early replacement flight.

You're welcome. By the way while not stated these offers generally protect port fees and Princess Vacation Protection as well. That would be another question to ask if you are confronted with this option. Decisions need to be made quickly when these deals are offered.

I'm guessing no if you used EZAir and then paid United directly to upgrade. However, if Princess really needs your cabin, they may just work with you on that if United won't refund it to you directly. That would definitely be a question to ask in your response to the offer. By the way I've been able to successfully get United to refund the upgrade amounts that I've paid for flights that I cancelled (most recently in January). Technically United's answer is no to these refunds but I'm happy that they've been more generous than their written policy - and I hope it stays that way!

I have seen a few reports about moveover offers for your cruise. I wonder if they have another group of people that they are trying to accommodate on that sailing? In any event it's perfectly fine to say ignore it / say no. Hope you enjoy your special trip!

It means that if the new EZAir arrangements for the replacement trip are higher that Princess will absorb the cost. And if they are lower you get a refund. We've experienced the latter in years past.

We were on Nautica a couple of weeks ago. The pizza is served during lunch through a cubby / window around the corner on the port side of the Terrace Cafe... and it is basically inedible. It's thin crust where yeast is the predominant flavor. The toppings are bland. I tried the Margarita and a slice of the pizza of the day which had mushrooms on it. One bite of each was all I could handle. The person who staffs this area almost seemed apologetic about it. Hope the rumors are true as this ship desperately needs to up their pizza game.

You'll get priority tendering too, same as Elites. Suite breakfast is my favorite perk on a non-Royal class ship. Oh, and you can order off the MDR menu through room service and have it delivered to your room. The only down side is that they deliver everything at once so keep that in mind if you're thinking about getting ice cream for dessert.

Dang, I was really hoping for a picture of that "Whole Turkey". Glad your wife recovered and was able to enjoy dinner. And I will really miss the Fettucine Alfredo as well as the various souffles.

I would pick #1 if only because it includes the catamaran to Whittier. It's a shame that you can't get further into Denali but they may not be able to run tours beyond the natural history tour until 2027! Here's the latest: https://www.nps.gov/dena/getinvolved/polychrome-plan.htm . By the way you don't have it as a choice but our favorite is to take the train from Denali all the way to the ship in Whittier. We've done that 3 times and while it's a 9 hour trip it is just amazing to sit back and watch Alaska change before your eyes.

There shouldn't be anything expired. You tried during the allotted time to book this cruise and you definitely should get everything you earned.

We also used them in June. The driver actually waited 4 hours for us when there was a last minute delay for our flight. They also had the best price at the time - I shopped around. Wouldn't hesitate to use them again.

Wow, you are killing it with your Live From! Loving every picture and video, even the toilet.