ldubs

2 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

So final payment has not yet been made.  How are you doing it?  Can you do it online, or do you have to do it through the TA?  Or is the TA going to do it automatically when it is due?  If so, then the TA has the credit card number and could access it to charge the cancellation fee.  Do you have more than one credit card?  If so, and you can make the payment online, or even on the phone with Princess, I would do so with a card different from the one you used for the deposits.  Then I would temporarily lock the card that you used for the deposit so the TA can’t charge you the fee.  I think the TA should have noticed when you booked that you had double booked two cabins and straightened it out then.  EM

 OP admits it is their honest mistake and I presume their obligation.  I can see how the cruise line might give the benefit of the doubt, but they didn't and were not obligated to do so.  Op is angry because they didn't get special treatment.   Blocking credit cards as a way to do an end run is not a good look, in my opinion.

Interesting question.  I don't know the answer.  My best guess is they participate in the re-allocation of gratuities form the corporate pool.  That of course assumes the "+ gratuity" for non-package drink orders are pooled like other gratuities.  

For longer trips I have a very scientific process:  

Step one - take clothing items from drawers & closet and put in suitcase.

Step two - repeat step 1 until drawers & closet are empty or luggage reaches 50 pounds.  

14 hours ago, ecs66 said:

We're reserved for Enchanted in December.  Can't wait to see her.

 

We've mostly sailed Princess since Hubby and I started cruising in 2005.  (Cruised often with my ex since the '70s.)  As time passed, Princess seemed to go downhill and we gave up for a while.  We've read recent passenger reviews on Enchanted and many specifically say that Princess has has their game back.  Looking forward to December!

We also moved away from Princess for a while.  We are back now and also looking forward to our next Princess cruise (in October).  

Enjoy!    

1 hour ago, margeecruiser said:

I have served on a jury twice  Very educational and eye-opening about your fellow humans.  The other jurors were just random people and their biases and lack of common sense was scary.  I came away hoping i never had to depend on my fellow human being deciding my fate.

I sure agree.  That is a scary thought.    

I'm not following what is meant by the others just being random people.  Other than weathering the selection process, wouldn't all jurors be random people?  

3 hours ago, DarrenM said:

related topic. Question

 

We leave in 2 days, heading off to Gatwick airport. Fly to Rome Sunday, pick up cruise Monday. When should I think about starting to pack.

If marital bliss allowed, I would want to pack on Saturday.  🙂

Welcome to Cruise Critic.  

Seems your options are to (1) research each country's visa requirements by visiting their embassy websites and then making the appropriate applications, or (2) to retain a visa service business.  If I needed visas for multiple countries, I would seriously consider option (2).  I have never used a visa service so can't speak to the cost or offer any recommendations.  

Mrs Ldubs was in a jury selection.  The judge asked if anyone had travel plans.  Those that said yes were asked to show proof to the bailiff.  Mrs Ldubs had the booking info on her iPhone.   She received what I guess was a postponement.  She was called up again 3 months later.   

8 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

It depends what was meant by a 10K win from a Vegas trip. You can easily be up 10K without hitting a single slot jackpot; furthermore,table games winning of ANY AMOUNT aren't subject to W-2G reporting.

I had no idea how that works.  Thanks.

6 hours ago, john91498 said:

I don't think it's worth the hassle to report win/lost on gambling. Some cruises or Vegas trips, I win $10k and on some trips I lose $10k. It's just for fun, why open up a can of worms from the IRS?

Seems like not reporting a $10K win might open up a bigger can of worms.  Is it even possible to not report a $10K win?  From what I read on these forums, big winners are on the hook because the casino reports big wins to the IRS.     

23 minutes ago, clo said:

When we had grands we started 529 accounts for each of them. Tidy sums over ten years later.

 

But regarding travel 🙂 my big issues with cruising - and easily solved - is that you can't really get very far away from the water 🙂 And you don't usually have an over night some place.

You take one day cruises?  😄  (just kidding.  I know what you meant).  

32 minutes ago, clo said:

Having your adult children treat you is even nicer.

First few times that happened it was a very weird feeling.   

1 minute ago, GeezerCouple said:

There may be some confusion here between "being automatically excused" and "having a request not to serve be automatically granted".

The latter does require some sort of contact with the court system.  The former would not; it would be automatic based upon age.

 

GC

Yes, I agree that could be the confusion.  It would be similar, or the same, as confusing who is in potential jury pools vs those who might be excused once summoned.  

3 hours ago, mfs2k said:

 

Everybody is an accountant. 

 

Hahaha.  I think I might accept medical advice on a forum before I accepted IRS tax prep advice.  

8 minutes ago, mnocket said:

See my reply in post # 76

Thanks.  Apparently different rules for State vs Federal courts may apply.  

I can see the confusion if I were new to Princess or not having been for many years.  Otherwise, I would simply shrug it off as the obvious wrong info it is.  I'm assuming you asked to confirm reservations and fees apply in the MDR as part of the discussion. That is a head shaker for sure.   I'm glad you took the time to raise the issue to someone higher up the chain. Seems call centers across the board are having issues.  

On 2/28/2024 at 9:36 AM, mnocket said:

On a side note, I was recently surprised to learn that in Colorado you are automatically excused from jury duty if you are 70+ years old. 

59 minutes ago, 47greyfox said:

I live in Weld county in Colorado and am 77 years old. Reading the summons, particularly the eligibility area, there are no words even suggesting the automatic exclusion you describe exists. What’s the source of your claim?

I had heard the same thing about my state and in fact, I have not received any jury summons since I hit 70.  When I looked for it, I could find nothing that automatically exempted 70+ year olds.  There is no age related stop that I could find.  I did read that courts will waive the need for a physician's statement for exemptions based on medical issues.  That might vary by court, IDK.   

14 hours ago, clo said:

Bob traveled to Sao Paolo Brazil and wore elastic waist, plaid pants and a coordinating tee. His bag didn't make it until the following day. He was the only one not in a suit 🙂

It happens.  I recall a meeting where a guy was wearing a sweatshirt for the same reason.  Fortunately it was an internal meeting. 

BTW, "coordinating" sounds like an outfit.  I'm not sure I have anything that would be considered "coordinating" or an "outfit" when it comes to clothes.  😄

I wouldn't balk at September if that is how my schedule worked.  No need to panic.  It is not going to be frozen tundra.   I would bring a coat (just like I do at home when it is cold).  

Just now, Retired-N-Happy said:

I never said anything about spending 35 per day on soda pop.  But if you take the reduced price 15 for WiFi and add 16 for gratuities, you need 29 for all of the other aspects to make it worthwhile.  If you put 4.00 towards casual meals, you're at 25 per day.  If you don't care about any of the other components of the package, it's 25 towards any of the other drinks that are not free.  Fresh juice(8) fancy coffee(4) San Pellegrino(3.5) etc can easily hit that 25 even without a drop of alcohol.

Oops, should have quoted the person you quoted.  My mistake.  

I, and I think most, understand how to do the math to justify the package.  After all, it is not rocket science.

Some days it would pay off for us but most days it would not.  It simply doesn't pen out for the two of us over the length of a cruise.    If I want something, I buy it without a seconds thought.  But, I'm not going to buy something I don't care about to justify having a package.  If I ever got to the point a package is a better deal, I'll buy the package.  

48 minutes ago, earthdog said:

I have cruised primarily Carnival for the last 30 years and just got off the Mardi Gras for the second time tour 29th CCL Cruise. My wife and I are 60 and we enjoy being reminded to be young. We love the comedians, casino and bars and of course sun. I think it's time to look for what CCL used to provide. 

 

We miss twice a day room steward. Morning room service that woke us up with coffee on the balcony, white table cloth in the MDR, real upper class service in the steakhouse, bacon (not every other day), chair service in the sun for drinks, full menu in the MDR not the trim backed menus of today. 

 

Cruising used to be premium service and you were wowed it was a deal for what you paid. Now it's all gone. The premium dinning sites are just different food with no premium service to go with it. 

 

We love Carnival reminding us we are younger than our ages. We do the Cheers package and like to drink, laugh and meet other people. But we like our quiet time but we want the premium service. 

 

So where can or should we go next? We have done Princess too low key older ships, RCCL we just hate the Mall Type aspect (we want to always see the ocean). We primarily cruise the Caribbean. We enjoy the newer ships with so many choices.   

 

Help us pick a new home really want some suggestions from those that understand what was...

Caught my attention when you mentioned the Mall type ship design.  I don't like the interior boulevard designs for that same reason.  And, it is one of the reasons I have enjoyed the Princess ship layouts.   I think there are some older RCI ships that are better, but they are older.  Some of the Celebrity ships have great layouts, IMO.  We enjoy Millennium and Silhouette.  

As far as what was, I think it gone on the mainstream lines and not likely to return as part of basic fares.  Instead, it has been (or will be) replaced by the ship-within-ship approach or extra pay venues.   Speaking only for myself, even considering cut backs, we still find the service is more than we need or want.  We do recognize the quality of included dining is not near what it used to be.  

Again speaking for myself, I enjoy just about everything on mainstream lines and will continue to use them.   I think to truly get back to the higher level or service and quality that "was" might need a move up to a luxury line.  

10 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

It's why I bring mine.  The hugely inflated prices onboard are why I keep my onboard purchase to a minimum.  But, people who go out to restaurants, bars, etc are used to paying a huge multiplier for drinks, so it's just sort of expected by most.  I've tried before to comment on cost vs price, but it's not worth the time.  Again, everyone perceives the value of things in their own way, and that is okay.

We used to bring water and sometimes soda.  These days we bring the reusable water. bottle.  If I want a soda, I just pay the $3.50 or whatever it is.   

13 minutes ago, 555 said:

I'm looking in to RCI myself. I never realized I had as many points as I have. It certainly would fit our style much better than any package. And Princess can keep their free laundry. 

The free drink perk on RCI is available throughout the day from any bar or dining venue.  On Celebrity, which we haven't been on for a few years,  it was limited to the happy hour.  Like 5 to 7 pm or something like that.   The old days of having to go the a specific lounge are gone, which I think is a good thing.  

7 minutes ago, 555 said:

At home from the local grocery store that would be true but on a Princess ship, their prices do add up rather quickly. 

I might have a soda during the day.  Maybe two if I'm adventuresome.  I must lead a pretty boring life.  Lol.   

Oops - delete

4 hours ago, PMGS247 said:

 

Fair, I suppose I'm intending to address specifically those that come in to discussions like these seemingly hell bent on convincing others what's right for them entirely based on their own style.  You certainly don't qualify....but there's never a shortage of them in threads like this.

I think a lot of that happens on both sides of this issue, which doesn't even qualify as a real  "issue".  Lol.