Steelers36

9 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

 

 

P.S. One nice thing about leaving from SJ is that they often have late departures. I'll have to look to see if Princess follows this.

I would expect the late departures to continue.  Gives lots of time for same-day fliers to arrive.  

The evidence is in the itineraries.  With Tortola (BVI) and St Thomas (USVI) as the first port stops, these are a mere hop, skip, and a short sail from SJU.

On 5/5/2024 at 1:53 PM, no1superfan said:

The problem is that the reservations are made on the APP and since we have Reserve Dining the APP sez "You have Reserve, You don't need any stinkin reservations". (I may have mis-quoted).

I have called Princess and their representative had no answer.

Have your children make the group dining reservation.  When you get on board, let them know at Reserve, you will not be showing up.  (PS - I wouldn't have bothered booking a Reserve Mini as there are lots of other good locations without paying for something not going to use).

"Back in the day", we did the two 7-nighters offered out of SJU on the CB.  It was a great way to get an introduction to more islands.  I like that both legs have a sea day at the end.  We were able to fly N/S between YYZ and SJU at the time.  I'm not sure if they had 10-nighters then which generally have more sea days.  I hope this works out well for PCL.

Nowadays, we'd just be going tor a tropical escape, so PE suits as a jump point.  It is true that cost-per-day to cruise was much less out of SJU and helps offset the higher flight cost.

On 4/30/2024 at 11:23 AM, alyssamma said:

Another thing I forgot to mention...laundry is free. But there are only 2 machines on each deck so it can be crowded.

Bummer.

Just now, Cruise Raider said:

Princess expects 5 glasses of wine from each 750 ml bottle.  But, with the premier package we currently have, they do seem to be generous with their pours.  I would say they are at least 6 oz.  
 

I would think 5oz the minimum for them.  Not the best situation considering the price, but with so many on packages, there isn't much incentive to complain because guest just orders more glasses. 

Of course, I believe the best option for those of us cruising Standard is bottles of wine since there is better cost value and you drink how much you want.  But I still think 6oz should be the standard pour.

4 hours ago, 555 said:

I only wonder what took Princess so long to relax their dress code, especially since all the other cruise line did many years prior.

Could it be that they were hoping to rise above the other lines & be considered a premium cruise line, similar to Cunard? 

Anyway, it's nice to know that our vacations can now be enjoyed without having to conform to any specific form of dress. 

So long?  Smart Casual dress has been allowed on the ships for years now.  I would admit that shorts (generally speaking) for dinner is more recent - like since the restart.

Does anyone know if PCL has actually reduced the size of WBTG in ounces?  Should be (ideally) 4 glasses per bottle for approx 6oz glass.  I imagine Princess was doing 5x 5oz pours (150ml).  Doing 4oz pours is terrible - never seen any restaurant be that chintzy.

9 hours ago, edspec said:

Who steals a wine glass? What is the matter with people?

That is about the Riedel glasses.  That said, I don't see the point of filling them with Plus plonk.

46 minutes ago, colsky said:

Thanks, that's what I thought.  The guy above who posted "The first night we tried deck 6 and the lines were long" confused me into thinking that deck 6 dining was an option for choosing ad hoc.

Except I can see them seating random guests where the regular TD guests did not show or are off to another dining option.

18 hours ago, alyssamma said:

The Piazza. Great to look at, but three levels with limited chairs means every show they have there requires people to stand. There are about 3x as many people standing as sitting.

 

Lastly, I hate that they funnel you through the shops or casino to get to the important parts of the ship.

There has been a trend with Princess to utilize the Piazza for loud entertainment events since 2019 or so and it is very annoying IMO.  They want it to be a "happening" place instead of a place of relative calm with low-key entertainment and a place you can actually have a conversation.

LOL - I imagine all ships love to have guests funneled through shops and casino.  Not just Princess.

30 minutes ago, rocklinmom said:

We are 3 weeks out from our cruise and my mom fell and broke her wrist requiring surgery and possibly a followup surgery. We have Platinum insurance (because you never know what can happen, like this) so if they can't go, can we swap them out for two other family members? Or does one of them (him) have to remain in the cabin? I don't think he would want to go without her. We are getting down to the wire so I am trying to come up with a backup plan if needed. 

Have you inquired at Princess?  Did you book with a CVP or TA and have you had them inquire on your behalf?  This is exceptional, so it could be different, but I have heard the "lead" name in a booking has to stay and others can be changed.  Sure, they could cancel, but I would explain to Princess you can fill the cabin with alternate family members.

7 hours ago, sharon_pei said:

I spent about 1 hour over the phone with princess's overseas customer support who had a very hard time understanding the problem to begin with. Then after many rounds of back and forth, she finally understood what was the issue and said the reason for it happening was the travel agent used a different email in the original booking than the email i registered with. She then said she merged the two and problem was solved. it would take 24 hours to have it updated in the system. I waited 24 hours and logged in. Problem is still there! i created another account using the other email she mentioned and logged into that one, again exactly the same thing. My reservation is nowhere to be found!

Your login profile has a CC number, an email, your name and your birthdate.  All of these data elements are present in a reservation record.  If any of them don't match, you are going to have an issue.  Login and look at all your profile data.  Is it all correct?  Make any notes.  Now, since you can find the reservation by entering Booking Number, Name, Birthdate, it appears that Name and BD are correct.  Check that reservation data again.  You might also consider resetting to a new password.

1 hour ago, beg3yrs said:

I've got the same issue and we're 34 days from boarding.

 

We're all good with check-in. Paid in full for months now, medallion will be shipped and in the green lane.

 

On the Sun Princess June 1. Have been able to make a Spellbound reservation but nothing else.

 

The web-based version of the App won't even get into DMW so that's a no-go.

 

I suspect on May 1 or soon thereafter reservations will be available.

I wish any posters unfamiliar with DMW and Princess dining (not you of course) would list the ship they are on because the situation where Sun dining is being released close to sail dates compared to the rest of the fleet where it is open from booking (Elite and Platinum), is a whole different issue.  It isn't a software or data issue where the Sun (or Star) is concerned.

38 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Hmm.  Do you just go the first night at either your assigned time or whenever ready and pick a table that way?  I liked it when you could claim what you wanted before the service started.

PCL cancelled meeting the MD ( now DRO) after the restart and introduction of DMW.  I predict it may return with the new 3-way dining program which formally includes TD again.  Even so, when you visited the MD, you would make a request and he would offer something.  You were looking at a DR map of tables.  Never heard of walking about.

Anyway, what I have been doing is arranging our own TD setup with a fixed table and wait staff and then we just walk in and go to it and no lines, etc.

On 4/28/2024 at 12:08 PM, HMSDingy said:

The cost of my Plus package is in CAD and had I not taken it, the same costs would be onboard in US.

True but the package also costs 35% more in CAD.  It's all relative.

I know it has been ages since I saw a hardcopy in the mail.  But I also do not recall recently receiving an email about it.  I wonder if it is being published less often?  I am also thinking the last one I saw was missing some of the old magazine features.  Is it just another form of marketing material now (of course it was always that, but did have some other content).?

Just now, kywildcatfanone said:

I haven't eaten in the DR for a few years, but you used to could walk in look around pick a table you like and reserve it.

Not really working that way.  Best to ask for an area and they see what they can do.  No wandering around looking for something of interest.

3 hours ago, ChemistBabe said:

We are now 39 days out from our trip and I have been unable to make any dinner reservations.

(I have been trying for about two weeks now.)

 

I get an error message on the app.  I've tried using the web version with no success either.

 

Any advice?

 

Thanks!

It would have helped to provide us with the error message.  As mentioned, is your credit card properly entered and are all other pre-cruise steps completed?

A workaround for may folks has been to access DMW via the web version of the App.  IDK your error message, but it could be that the App thinks you are not Ocean Ready or you have a bad data element.  Depending on what the issue is, you may be blocked in the web version as well.

You can call into Princess and use the phone tree selections to get to DMW help and see what they can do.

3 minutes ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Aren't you better off making them onboard anyway do you can pick your table?

Guests cannot just pick a table.  You might ask for a section or area of preference, but tables just aren't there for the picking all that precisely.

10 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Obviously lots of problems with the app.

Excuse me for not reading through 76 pages, but is anyone else told that ‘this isn’t your booking’

My date of birth is also incorrect, it has me a year older and I can’t see how to change it.

Could someone please give me the Princess web site and I will see if I can correct it that way.

The only way I can get through to my booking is by going via an email I had when we first booked, inviting us to book excursions.

 

You cannot fix it.  You need to call Princess call center and get someone there to fix it.  If you booked with a Princess CVP, they can make it happen.  Otherwise, you may as well call in.  You could try to get someone in Captain's Circle, but I presume the issue is with your booking and not your permanent profile.  A res agent at Princess ought to be able to fix this in POLAR.  It will populate thru to the App in due course.

50 minutes ago, CRUISEWITHH said:

Do they allow you to bring on extra bottles (other than the two for two passengers in a cabin) at each port?  How would they know if you did brings on your limit at boarding?

 

They do not know.  As reported above, there is really NP bringing on small amount of wine at a port stop.  Especially ones where they know wine tours occurred.

18 hours ago, XBGuy said:

 

Your strategy is perfectly understandable.  I assume that as @suzyed reported you place an online order with Total Wine and arrange to pick it up at the Fort.  I have a similar strategy when I restock Mrs. XBGuy's stash of Chardonnay.  I will place an online order, then. when I meet my brother for our once-a-month breakfast down in his neighborhood, I drop by the Total Wine store in Brea and pick it up.

I have done both - pre-order and shop in person.

 

You are quite correct.  The makers that I cited are low-volume producers and are not widely distributed.  Many of the wines that I buy are Direct to Consumer (DTC).  I am on about 30 mailing lists.  I regularly buy from about a dozen of them, I occasionally buy from some of them, and I have never bought from a handful of them.  I have seen some of these labels in wine stores (including Total Wine), but that is highly unusual.  California has the most lenient laws regarding wine sales and wine shipment.  I am very aware of the advantage that I have.

Yes, that's nice and so many more producers there.  I do similar with some of the local Niagara Region wineries.  Not all their product makes it to the huge LCBO monopoly..

 

 

I'm inclined to agree.  Happily, BYOB is usually an option.  However, the corkage fee at most restaurants in my area is not nearly as reasonable as Princess' $20.

Unfortunately, when our gov't finally relented and allowed for BYOB, they required restauranteurs to update their liquor licenses to allow it.  There was no charge, but many just didn't bother, so they tell customers their license doesn't allow it as an excuse.  Others clearly want to discourage so they set the corkage fee sky-high.  Even new establishments don't seem to add it, so IDK if it is an unknown thing, or the trend is just to deny the option around here.

 

 

That sounds interesting.

Private agencies are allowed in Ontario and they source wines from all over world in smaller quantities.  These typically go to the restaurant trade or big collectors because customers are forced to buy in case lots and very few agents will do a mix of say 3 bottles of 4 wines.  What this service does is source out and taste wines and provide reviews and they select a mix, but case lots and then re-package all the wine into mixed pre-set lots for their customers.  It's a great way to try a variety of wines from all over world that are carefully curated for value.  If there is something you really like in a shipment, you can always order a full case from the agency..

 

 

There is a very active poster on a wine-oriented board in which I regularly participate who lives in Victoria, BC. He has made us aware of the Canadian regulations that prevent him from enjoying many of the wines that we discuss, On the other hand, we enjoy his reports on BC wines to which we have no access. I trust his palate, and, when he reports that an Okanagan Valley Syrah is excellent, I am a bit disappointed that I will probably never taste it.

You may be surprised to learn that despite our Canadian Constitution stipulating free trade among Provinces, we still have trade barriers that seem to remain unchallenged and one of those is wine.  We don't get a lot of the BC labels here in Ontario - unless you order from winery and have it shipped.  Again, some agencies may bring small amounts in.  We do get some BC wines and they have many good ones.  Similarly, certain Ontario wines are not readily available out there.  It is better than it used to be, but still not open access.  

 

 

I have enjoyed our conversation very much, @Steelers36.  ...........................  Maybe someday we will meet on a Princess ship.  I will be happy to share, say, a Carlisle Zinfandel with you, and I look forward to trying a Niagara Icewine.

If I am ever aware of you or another of the oenophiles on here sailing on a voyage with us, I will most certainly bring along some Ontario Icewine.

 

 

See above in purple italics.

21 minutes ago, mustgo said:

Thanks for your answer. Seriously thinking about giving up cruising. We have had a good run

That is sad.  Makes me wonder these steps for you:

1.  Approach cabin door.  Able Person 1 opens door and slightly folds walker to fit through.

2.  Meanwhile, Person 2 (hopefully) can support themselves by hanging onto, or leaning onto, the doorframe.

3.  Person 1 re-opens walker fully on other side of doorway.  And locks the wheels of course.

4.  Person 2 can carefully take hopefully just one step, perhaps with some guidance from Person 1, and grips the walker to regain mobility.

Seems to me this could work, given that Person 1 is ambulatory and not confined to wheelchair.

26 minutes ago, TRLD said:

Considering that Princess is only a couple of months into its first try at a class based system, not surprising there are changes taking place. Celebrity had a few issues when it first went this route as well. I expect that it will take a year or so before we get to an approximation of the final product. 

 

One thing is pretty certain. One is not going to get a class based suite product for anything close to what Princess used to sell its suites for.

Valid points, but it does end up with some folks caught up in the maelstrom of transition having booked prior to a change.  The more changes they come up with, the more turmoil. 

Doesn't affect me, but I sure sympathize with folks who booked under one premise/promise and end up with something else.  PCL will find out pretty quickly whether their clients are prepared to pay the huge bucks for this new experience.  I would think anyone prepared to continue with Suites on Sun Class would want to see what the Sanctuary will be and not the half-baked thing it is now (well, I suppose you do get fully-baked in the sun).

9 hours ago, 555 said:

It's really a shame that someone can't call Princess directly and get a straight answer. As others have mentioned, the rep you talked to probably hasn't even sailed on a Princess ship before and has no idea to what the current dress code is like. 

It sounds like their just reading you what is published in their playbook of answers to give the public. 

Just listen to what the CC members have to say and you'll be fine on any ship.

We cannot expect a Princess rep to provide any other answer other than what is published in their FAQs.  I do not fault the rep at all in this situation.  The OP really had no need to call PCL and ask because they do publish quite clearly what they are looking for.  The disconnect is between the Ivory Tower folks and reality on the ships.  Now, there is no doubt the senior mgmt is well aware of the situation since they do spend time on the ships.  The CC membership will always have the latest and greatest in regards to reality of any situation on the ships.

I think it is quite clear that PCL is keeping a foot in both camps by relaxing the clothing recommendations while at the same time welcoming those who wish to continue the formal night traditions.  Many say it helps sell more photos which is a profit center.