Astro Flyer

Here’s a quote from the Princess website: “If you choose to, you can continue to use the existing MedallionClass® app on your upcoming cruise (until February 1, 2024).” https://www.princess.com/en-us/plan/oceanready

Lucky you 🙂…I’ve been trying for weeks on the original app but no luck for me. 😟 I also attempted to use the online version accessed through the Cruise Personalizer but when adding my booking number it said that was already used…duh…by me. The amount of time wasted attempting to navigate through the wonky app & MC system is frustrating & sometimes it’s even impossible to complete a task.

I couldn’t book it on the original app either nor was my TA able to book it when she called them. As others have experienced their call center reps don’t have a clue why. It’s possible to make CG & Sabatini’s reservations but not for any day/time for Catch for our April cruise. 🙄

When the Royal began cruising in 2013 they had a Super Tuscan wine tasting with small Italian tastes with each wine ($60) at lunch. On other Royal-class ships that was available & also a ST dinner for slightly more. I have not seen either of them being offered post pandemic but others might have had it available.

The previous app was still a work in progress after many years & now the new app is already having issues. 🙄 Unless there are reports that the new app is an improvement, I won’t install the new app until it’s required. I have an April cruise & don’t want to risk messing up all of my things already in my booking.

Thanks again…agree, they’ll benefit themselves. I checked our c/c T&Cs & it gives us a 3% rebate on travel purchases so that might be our best option if discounted AARP gift cards are unavailable.

Thanks…was her USD to AUD debit card conversion rate good? My chargecard uses the best daily conversion rate however having never used our debit card I do not know how that conversion rate works. If it’s the same conversion rate then will decide whether our best option is a fee-free debit card or paying a 1.1% chargecard fee. As I recall, purchasing discounted gift cards such as from AARP is another option…does anyone know how Princess determines the USD to AUD conversion rate? When they had currency machines onboard the rates were poor for the conversion & were bad like when purchasing currency at airports.

I completely agree with your opinion…after about 5 years of too many unfulfilled MC promises & inconsistent service that’s too often failed to provide as advertised we’re considering other cruise lines. Princess continues to hype their experiences yet too often fails to provide it which drives away clients & word of mouth keeps others away. No cruise is perfect but repeatedly failing to provide as advertised is no way to create client loyalty. In the past year we’ve sailed for the first time on Celebrity (more alike than different) and Oceania (great service & dining). When considering all of the things we use that O provides in their cruise fare, we are leaning towards getting an interior/oceanview cabin where we spend little time there. Even fewer more enjoyable days on O are becoming preferable to more days on an inconsistent Princess cruise. And to enjoy the great food & service on O instead…on a cruise line that provides as advertised. The recruiting issues you mentioned makes sense to me & based on O’s superior service they must treat staff better to retain them. In Spring we’ll have our first PCL cruise in 2 years & will hopefully have a better experience than expressed in this thread. We’ve primarily cruised on PCL for the past 35 years & understand that at today’s lower fares things will not be as exceptional as in the past. However we’re growing impatient waiting for Princess to provide the cruise experience they continue to promise which is very disappointing.

Thanks again for your help to know what to expect on our Australian cruise as Americans.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience to have a definitive answer. I’ve read the ship charges a 1%-2% fee when paying the onboard spending account’s balance with a chargecard…do you know if that is true? When outside the US we charge in the local currency & our financial institution uses the best daily conversion rate with no fees charged.

This is what I’d like to know…when booking from the US & paying in USD the OBC is devalued to the same amount of AUD. Thus we lose about 1/3 of the value & I believe the daily tip amount should be the same amount in AUD as when in USD. I’ve been seeking actual onboard experiences for an answer but have never read a definitive answer & hopefully someone can provide the tip amount in AUD.

Thanks for the recommendation but unfortunately it didn’t work.

Thanks Sheryl…tried those dates but unfortunately still get an error message. 😟

We’re booked on the same cruise in April 2025…if you booked a standard fare what was your auto tip experience when booking in USD & receiving OBC in AUD? I’ve read conflicting experiences even on the AU/NZ board….some state the auto tip is included because the cruise is only to AU ports; others say when booked in USD the auto tip is added. If so, what was the daily per person amount in the AUD currency used onboard?

Like many others I cannot book The Catch by Rudi for our Discovery cruise in April. The app shows all dates & times are available but when attempting to make the reservation I get the same message as others that it cannot be made. Tried their online version but that didn’t work either on my iPhone, iPad nor PC. My TA contacted Princess & they were unable to book The Catch but did offer to book the Crown Grill or Sabatini’s which we’ll book during the cruise. Using the Cruise Personalizer I easily made an Ultimate Balcony Dinner reservation which had to be paid in advance. As I recall the Medallion app began about 5 years ago & it’s still unreliable & frustrating. The new “Princess” app was originally scheduled for release on 12/1 & then sometime in December but nothing yet. To me that’s an indication that the new app is not ready for release. Not looking forward to being their app’s tester again and we’ve been trying other cruise lines (Celebrity & Oceania) in the past 12 months & their apps were trouble free. While they had fewer functions than Princess, preparation for their cruises was easy & it also worked well during our cruises…no frustration necessary.

My early 2025 around Australia cruise (roundtrip Brisbane) does not offer the 12-packs of water but from Auckland to LA it is available.

I got qualified as soon as their veterans program was announced in August 2011 & it always had the 12/31/99 date. Guess I’ve just been lucky to still have the 12/31/99 expiration date & not the new 2031 date. Obviously my expiration date will come long before my MOBC’s expiration date. ☺️

My Military Benefits still show in my Captain’s Circle account added on 8/30/11 and is valid until 12/31/99. I have several 2024/2025 cruises booked with MOBC which were booked months ago.

Buon Viaggio! 🎉🥳🍾

Months ago we booked an AS n/s LAX/OGG/LAX using their miles in the spring but noticed on their app flights were changed & to call them. Before calling checked flight options…only ones were via SEA and only 1 n/s from LAX to HNL which was not an option to get to OGG. I have not received an email informing me about the change…bad customer service. I’ve booked a backup on HA using their miles & will wait awhile to see if AS contacts me or they will restore their LAX/OGG n/s flights. If this is what will become of their service hopefully acquiring HA fails.

Hopefully not with HA which we enjoy flying several times per year between the Mainland & Maui. Unlike VX the HA brand has been around since 1929 so hopefully AS will keep the HA brand. 🤞

Based on emails I received from HA & AK both brands will continue… Preserving the Hawaiian Airlines brand: The beloved Hawaiian Airlines brand will remain, reflected on airplanes, at airports and elsewhere. It will exist alongside the Alaska Airlines brand, supported by a single operating platform and industry-leading loyalty program. https://localcareglobalreach.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Alaska-Airlines-and-Hawaiian-Airlines-to-Combine.pdf

It’ll be interesting to hear about your comparisons of PE to BC which costs twice as much…have a great flight & nap. 🥱😴💤

Hopefully this time they’ll promote the wine package better than previously when it wasn’t often promoted. I was disappointed when the wine packages ended & would consider them again as an alternative to carrying on wine particularly from more remote locations like your ports. Thanks for the info & hopefully that will be an option on Discovery’s April TSE cruise. Although with the uncertainty of it’s availability and driving to the port will likely bring my own wine on that cruise.

That’s what I read which was after we disembarked in LA before Regatta sailed up the West Coast before heading East. Our a/c was good on that late September & early October cruise & didn’t notice any troubling issues and greatly enjoyed our first O cruise.