Brickwood

Our group of six ate there on the Enchanted last week and none of us were really impressed. As others have said, the location is problematic.  Even though we were seated kind of back in a corner, we still had people walk by and take a look at us.  The food was okay and my husband did greatly enjoy his filet but I'd not go again . 

1 hour ago, beach_fever_4ever said:

A lot of good information, thanks. Do you know what time the 2nd show began?

The second show was at 9:30

Hmm, sorry about the formatting.  Looked fine in draft.  Hopefully you can all read it.

We traveled with two other couples, all in our 60s, though DH did turn 70 on this cruise.  Overall, we really enjoyed the cruise.  Here are some of my observations of our experience

• None of us had received our medallions prior to the cruise. Not to worry – very quick to pick them up when you check in. 
• Our room was well serviced twice a day by our steward. 
• Once we got hooked up correctly, the app worked pretty well.  Be sure to read the instructions in your room regarding how to set this up

Could easily switch wifi from one device to another with the ‘one device per passenger’ plan.

• Wifi not the best but sufficient for our needs.  Often booted off for unknown reason but easy enough to get back on.
• We used Whats App for texting amongst our group since ATT wanted to charge me 50 cents per text or $10 per day for cell/texting.
• Room service was awful.  Orders showed cancelled for no reason, orders not ours showing in the app and items saying delivered but never received.  After about day 3 we quit even trying to order coffee in the morning and didn’t try room service much at all for other things.·
• We tried all 3 dining rooms, typically eating between 5:30 and 6:00.  I’d suggest 5:30 or earlier for dining if you want to make the 7:30 show because you really need to get there ½ hour early.  Capri was my favorite
• MDR was hit and miss as far as service but we were always seated promptly and never had to wait more than a couple of minutes.  I did see one couple who were upset that they couldn’t get the table for 2 that they had reserved.  But after some rather heated discussion, they were shown in to the dining room.  Sometimes our meal was well paced and other times we had to wait quite a bit between courses.  No worries for us, we had lots to chat about.
• We thought dinners in the MDR were overall pretty good.  Everyone found something to their liking.  Ate lunch in the MDR once and it was very good.
• Buffet needs improvement.  Seemed very much the same day to day.  We cruised last year with NCL and their buffet was much better.  Standout at the buffet for my husband was that they had at least on gluten free dessert every day.  He was pretty much in heaven with that. They also accommodated his gluten free diet very well in the MDR.
• The only show we saw was Rock Opera and didn’t care for it at all.  Sound was not good making the performers sound almost like they were shrieking.  Couldn’t figure out a story line either.  A couple we met said the another show, 5 Skies,was excellent. These shows were only shown once during the 10 day cruise so be sure you make plans for what you want to see.
• The usual chair hogs claiming their chairs next to the pool early in the morning were present.  While irritating, we always found a chair somewhere..  
• We’d been to all of the ports except Grenada before.  Did Princess tours on most because I had quite a bit of OBC, but did rent golf carts on Bonaire.  I didn’t go because DH wasn’t feeling well but the other two couples had a great time.
• We used Princess EZ Check for our bags at disembarkation.  It worked great but we didn't actually find out until about 6:00 pm the night before we were leaving that we were okayed for this service which was a a bit worrisome when they ask that your bags be out by 8:00.  But it all worked out fine.

Happy cruising!

1 hour ago, Junebug1 said:

We are sailing November 19th on Enchanted Princess. The Medallion app said our medallions were shipped a couple days ago.  I checked the status on the web version and it said to pick up at the port. I am a little disappointed.  I ordered them 2 months ago. This is our first cruise in 3 years and wanted to  have our  medallions ready to go. Atleast I know not to run to the mailbox everyday until we leave.  We just can't wait to get on that ship!!

Same here.  I ordered to come to my house and yesterday the app said they were shipped.  Today it says pick up at the port.  Oh well, its a small hiccup overall but I agree a little disappointing.

On 10/12/2022 at 8:26 PM, Arizona Wildcat said:

How would you suggest Princess hire and train enough people.  At home grocery shelves are half empty because of no stockers.  Since it takes a year to really get completely knowledgeable how does Princess or any other employer do that today?

Hmm, sorry if my comment was misunderstood - certainly didn't mean to offend - just stating facts as I see them.  Totally agree that Princess isn't the only company in this situation.  We just need to be aware so we can navigate the realities of these times.

I emailed mine 2 or 3 weeks ago and received the OBC for a cruise in November as well as one in 2023 and one in 2024. Also, didn't use a form, just gave them the required information in the email.

My booking confirmations also indicate that crew appreciation is prepaid by Princess for guests 1 and 2

It is definitely included in my future bookings, but I'm in the US and so perhaps that is the difference?.  I also have a button on the cruise personalizer to prepay gratuities, but if I select it, I get a message saying crew appreciation is paid for as part of the promotion.  Have you tried actually hitting the button?  They also have a button saying I can upgrade to Princess Plus which I already have, so obviously they can't distinguish the details on everyone's bookings. 

On 10/7/2022 at 11:38 AM, capriccio said:

Plus we already have an April 2024 cruise booked that will hopefully receive a $250 credit if Princess continues the program after July 2023.

I know they say there is an end date but I gave them info for a 2024 cruise I have booked and they did add the OBC to that reservation as well.  Might lose it if they discontinue the program, but we'll see...

I just tried and was able to use mine though there is a catch in that I think the system looks at onboard credit individually for each person you reserve for.    I have $100 Shareholder OBC in my name.  My DH has a residual left in his name after previous bookings, (though not shareholder OBC).  So, the balance for mewas zero but the balance for him was the difference between the cost of the excursion and what he had leftover in his name.  This meant we'd have to pay some for his excursion but I'd still have a balance to use.  If this seems to be the issue for you as well, maybe you can call (or chat) and have it applied the way you want it done.  

I also had trouble with this.  Finally opened a chat session and told them exactly when I received the email from SheerID that military service had been verified.  My booked cruises were updated shortly thereafter.

Also, remember to redact your account number.  Instructions, emails, fax #s and addresses can be found by searching "CCL Shareholder benefit"

7 hours ago, mrsihopes said:

What form do you need to fill out from princess to fax with share certificate?   Can not seem to find it.

You don't need a form.  You need to give them your full name, your booking #, ship name and sail date along with a copy of something showing you own shares.  You can fax, email or snail mail.   I emailed that info and my broker confirm this morning and have the credits on my three upcoming cruises already.  I guess Princess can do some things right!   Email is sbpcl@princesscruises.com

21 hours ago, latebuyer said:

When people talk about cancelling and rebooking, is the room you cancelled available right away to rebook? 

I cancelled and rebooked the same room a few days ago.  It did show as available shortly after I cancelled, but you do run the risk that it gets snatched up before you can book it again.  In my case, the website was acting up so I couldn't rebook right away.  Luckily, the room was still available the next day so I got it.  

In another case, I cancelled and rebooked, but into a different room.  This time, I booked the new room before cancelling to ensure I got what I wanted before losing the original room I had booked.

You have to call or use chat to cancel.  I had great luck with the chat feature.  I tried to do this via the phone earlier, but the person got it wrong and then told me they did what I asked them to do which is why I prefer to do it myself or use chat when possible.

After many, many  tries, I was able to book the cruise I wanted.  Still working on another.  This is absolutely ridiculous regardless of what they may be doing with updating on the weekends.  Gosh, how does every other website manage to keep running 24/7 or at a minimum, tell you they'll be out for a couple of hours?  I'm disgusted, but obviously not enough to quit trying.....   

No catch that I know of.  I just cancelled a booking I had and rebooked under this promo.  I'd previously booked under the $50 pp deposit so $100 deposit will be refunded and my credit card was charged just $2.  Also got a lower fare and the $100 pp credit so it was a real win for me.  

11 hours ago, Shelly97060 said:

Does does the cruise you are looking at have the notation about the sale when you search for cruises? If not, then it isn’t covered under the promotion.  

Yes, it did have these same notations.  I was trying to book a mini suite. I was so frustrated with the particular Princess rep I spoke to that I just gave up asking why the website said $100 deposits but it was charging $500.  Still doing the same this morning so I'll see what tomorrow's promo looks like.  Its a fall 2023 cruise with lots of cabins available so I can wait a bit even if I don't book tomorrow.

Thanks!  I'll check back on Friday.  I did call Princess and they said it would be a $500 deposit.  Obviously better off waiting a couple of days anyhow.

I'm seeing $100 refundable deposit advertised all over the website, however, when I tried to book a cruise, it showed a $500 deposit required.  I tried a mock booking on another cruise and the same thing happened.  Am I not understanding something about the $100 deposit?

Ours opened 59 days prior to our 11/19 cruise.  Weirdly though, the earliest time given was 1:00 pm so I'm keeping my eye on it in case they do something silly like add earlier times and leave us at 1:00. None of the cruises I've been on it the past have started boarding that late.

Note that according to the above link, you'll get FCC as long as covid is considered a public health emergency which designation is currently in place through October 13, 2022.  That could be extended another 90 days into January....and then another 90 days, and so on.....

Thanks so much for this info. I've tried calling and emailing to get my husband's veteran's OBC into our booking without success.  Connected immediately to a rep this morning via Live Chat and its fixed already!  

s 

Yes, we are putting together our own DIY tour.  A hotel is not in the cards since flights are already booked for later that day.  The Princess tour would have been very convenient with drop off at the airport and not having to worry about luggage.  I'd hate to have such a tour cancelled last minute and be left without anything to do for hours before our flight so better to find out now.  I will definitely keep this in mind for future cruises.

So for the benefit of anyone with interest, I did call Princess and the rep looked up the excursion I was asking about.  She said it didn't appear to be available the day we return and suggested it may be due to their "worldwide staff shortage".  She indicated they are having problems staffing both ships and excursions and it may change in the future so I might want to keep looking.  Interestingly, she did find availability the day our cruise leaves which is a Saturday, but not the day we return on a Tuesday so it kinda makes sense. Regardless, we've decided to DIY this tour since we have six couples and can rent a van to do the same things for about the same price (probably a bit more than that Princess excursion though FWIW)