Cruise Starter

Has anyone else had problems linking another Booking number (to create shipmates for booking dining) within the new App or on the Ocean Ready webpage?

https://oceanready-personalinfo-ui.prod.ocean.com/

I cannot find within the App where I might do that and when I attempt to link the Booking number of my daughter and her husband on the Ocean Ready webpage, it keeps returning to the page to input the booking number without linking the bookings.  
 

It was far easier to complete this on the old App. There seem to be as many problems with this new App as there were with the previous one.

1 hour ago, PacnGoNow said:

Yes. New App. See Bottom chat button..once OB.

 

I am hoping that added a notification to the chat feature of the new App.  With the old one you could send a message but no notification would be sent to the recipient.

A soft beep would be a welcome addition.

1 hour ago, Saelicv said:

That link was very helpful! I hadn't come across that. Most of what I had found was generic and pushing the packages. Thanks!

Also this PDF lists venues by ship:

https://www.princess.com/content/dam/princess/corporate/pdfs/restaurants-dining-venues-on-board.pdf.coredownload.inline.pdf

Has there been a Princess Cruise Secrets 2023 forum topic opened?  There was a Secrets forum each year previous to now.  I cannot seem to find the 2023 forum.

Hopefully someone creates a 2024 Princess Secrets forum.  

From what I am hearing there are passengers cancelling their cruises or declining to book on Princess because of these changes.  There is some anger about the changes being made to cruises that were booked under previous conditions.  
 

Charging extra for previously included items after booking and selling these items as now included as a new “benefit” of the Plus and Premium packages does not go down well.

A photo of the additional inclusions in the Plus package and the terms and conditions for the package.

3 hours ago, ExploringTheGlobe said:

Pre-covid, Vines had tapas each evening and sushi on ships without Ocean Terrace.  Post-covid, it was slower returning but I was able to get both on the Ruby both times I sailed on her this last year. 

When asked about Tapas included with a wine purchase at Vines on our Alaska cruise (that just ended July 25 this year), I was told they were only available 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM.  Since we had dinner booked for 5:40 PM each evening this did not work for us.  
 

These inclusions just seem to either be very limited or are now have an additional cost unless you purchase the Plus/Premium package.

12 minutes ago, Cruise Starter said:

We cruised on the Enchanted Princess in January with a group of 10.  Once I linked them as travel companions in the Medallion  App I was able to book for the same table at the same time for all 10 of us.

 

Maybe calling Princess and having them set it up would be a solution.  I think I had to book each night separately as the “book  for the same time every night” option seems to have some thyme of bug.
 

 I had chosen a private table for another booking choosing at the same time each evening, and when I checked in the App after booking it was booked as a shared table.  I had to book each night separately to ensure a private table.

 

The App is very glitchy, unreliable  and difficult to use.

You may have better luck with the online version of the Ocean Ready. The Android App is particularly unstable and difficult to use.  My son had better luck with the online version.

Below is the link to the Ocean Ready webpage.
 

https://oceanready-personalinfo-ui.prod.ocean.com/

43 minutes ago, Elann said:

Hello!

 

I am going to Alaska in August.  I tried to book a table for our group (8 of us) and was unable to do so.  I can break them up and reserve tables but not at one tables.  Do they not do groups?  And if so, should I book them for the same time and do 2 different tables and explain to the staff we want 1?    If I seperate them, do I set it up for private tables or with other people?  Thank you!!!

We cruised on the Enchanted Princess in January with a group of 10.  Once I linked them as travel companions in the Medallion  App I was able to book for the same table at the same time for all 10 of us.

Maybe calling Princess and having them set it up would be a solution.  I think I had to book each night separately as the “book  for the same time every night” option seems to have some thyme of bug.
 

 I had chosen a private table for another booking choosing at the same time each evening, and when I checked in the App after booking it was booked as a shared table.  I had to book each night separately to ensure a private table.

The App is very glitchy, unreliable  and difficult to use.

Some  flavour of Crème Brûlée seems to be available each evening on the Enchanted Princess unlike on the Royal Princess last spring where it was not available at all.

Enchanted Princess has an espresso bar in the pastry shop in the lido.  Shorter lines but no brewed coffee.  Double Americano substitutes for this.  All other specialty coffees are available.  
 

On 12/24/2022 at 12:36 PM, paradiselivin1 said:

@Scotmay We've been on board Enchanted since Dec. 9th and had taken other CC folks advice and booked the Capri which is on Deck 6 mid-ship. We love that DR and had used the app to book our dining times with no issue, however, were not always able to get a private table for 2. When we boarded on the 9th, we went immediately to Crown Grille to make a reservation and the young lady there (Vaishala) modified our existing reservations in the Capri and was able to get us a table for 2 each night. BTW, dinner in CG was fabulous as always. Enjoy your cruise. Have been frustrated with the Medallion itself but the app has been working fine..

We are booked for private dining for 2 in the Capri on the Enchanted.  Do they have separate lines for checking into the dining room for reservations and a different line for walk up diners?

We have heard mixed answers on this question.  Mixing the lines into one line makes it very frustrating to those who have a reservation and have to stand in a line waiting until walk up diners are seated.

17 minutes ago, KLM3164 said:

It was on the menu every night on the Majestic (August/September & April) and Sky (November & December).

Maybe crème brûlée on the evening menu is ship specific.  It was no longer available on the Royal on the cruise we just disembarked.  

15 minutes ago, mtnesterz said:

As of March, word puzzles, Sudoku and the Wake Show response forms were gone from the library due to Covid. The libraries were empty shelves, well, a few boxes of games. Paper is hard to find anywhere. Not even notepads or pens in the cabins. Pack a Sudoku book from a dollar type store if you like them on paper.

We just disembarked the Royal on Saturday,  May  15, 2022 and puzzles were in the library every day.  There were plenty of books and games on the shelves as well.

Not exactly a secret but the crème brûlée is no longer a Princess Favourite on every evening menu.  
 

A secret I take advantage of is the availability of a daily Sudoku and a second word puzzle every day in the Library.  

45 minutes ago, Traveller20074 said:

 

 

i will have 3 grandkids with me.   do they each have to have a cell phone with the Arrivecan app???

I think you can add the grandchildren to your application.  My husband and I were on the same ArriveCAN application with one QR code and one receipt for both of us. We did have to submit passport , vaccination and other information for each of us in the application.  You may want to call the government help line to confirm this is correct.

2 hours ago, electro said:

did you have to turn in the forms to the cruise line before your arrival in Victoria?

 

We had to turn the Canadian Customs form in to the cruise line 4 days prior to our arrival in Victoria but did not have to turn the ArriveCAN receipt in to them.  And we did not have to show it to anyone on our arrival in Victoria.  

42 minutes ago, Traveller20074 said:

 

Those arriving from outside Canada prior to boarding the cruise had to complete two ArriveCAN applications, one prior to their arrival in Canada and a second within 72 hours prior to boarding the cruise ship. You must cancel the Canadian arrival receipt before you can apply for the second receipt in order to board the cruise ship..

And, because you can only have one valid ArriveCAN receipt at a time, the one used to board the cruise ship must be completed after arrival into Canada in order to receive the valid receipt to board the cruise ship.  
 

This may have been what caused the delays in boarding and the confusion about needing a second ArriveCAN receipt.

On 5/11/2022 at 7:55 AM, electro said:

I agree that the cruise line is wrong. Please update when you arrive in Victoria.

Thanks

 

We did not have to complete a replacement ArriveCAN application on our arrival into Victoria.
 

 I did however talk to another passenger on the cruise and she told me that,  by the time they were boarding, Princess was no longer requiring passengers to complete the application prior to boarding.  She told me that because the passenger lines to board were so long that the ship would not have been able to meet it's departure time if they had required the ArriveCAN application to be completed prior to embarkation.  I think that was the reason guest services was demanding that everyone on the ship re-apply.  They refused to even look at our receipt which is why we were so frustrated.
 

We also had to complete and turn in a Canadian custome form 4 days prior to our arrival in Victoria. This meant that we were unable to make an6 purchases in Ketchikan. But we were able to just walk off the ship in Victoria and again in Vancouver on disembarkation.  No security, immigration or customs checks when we arrived in Vancouver to disembark.

On 4/27/2022 at 8:09 AM, electro said:

make sure you have the most recent updated version of arrivecan. 2.28.

You no long need to fill out a quarentine plan.

You must fill out the arrivecan within 72 hours before Boarding the ship.

Put your first Canadian port as the port of entry. ie if you have a stop in Victoria and then finish the cruise in Vancouver, you would put Victoria port as the port of entry.

When everything is filled out, you will get a QR code. You will need to show this to board the ship. 

Also have it ready to show when you arrive in Canada incase they ask.

We are on an Alaskan cruise right now that departed Vancouver.  We had to complete the ArriveCAN App within 72 hours before we boarded.  We were not allowed to board until we proved we had completed the ArriveCAN App. We are mid cruise and are now being told by the cruise line that we are required by the Canadian Government to complete it again before we reach our first Canadian port of Victoria.
 

 I am convinced the cruise line is in error and we are going to use our current QR code to re-enter Canada. We will see what happens when we reach Victoria.

On 3/31/2022 at 2:01 PM, Fouremco said:

If you are flying into Vancouver, consider the Switch Health facility in Richmond, about a 20 minute drive from the airport. Although that will add a bit to your transportation costs to get to your hotel, an antigen test will only cost you $39 if you join or are already an Aeroplan member. The potential drawback is the hours are 9:00 - 5:00, so a late arrival time might not work.

 

Another option would be to stay in a hotel in Richmond and get tested the following morning before heading to the port. There's not the same selection of hotels, but it would solve your testing problem.

The antigen test is needed within a day of boarding the cruise.  That means the test must be done on Sunday May 1.  I think the Richmond clinic location is closed both Saturday and Sunday.  

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

What about Switch Health in Richmond? $39 for a Rapid Antigen Test if you are an Aeroplan member.

They are closed Saturdays and Sundays at the Richmond Clinic.  And Richmond is some distance from downtown Vancouver where the cruise port is.  It is certainly another, more reasonably priced test though, if you have the time to go to their clinic and don't need the test on a Saturday or Sunday.

It is really too bad that Shopper's Drugs or London Drugs don't offer the Covid antigen test for $40 as they do in Alberta or Ontario.  Not sure why they have decided not to offer it in BC.

Regarding Future Cruise Credit

I think you pay only $100 deposit using your future cruise credit to book your cruise rather than the regular deposit, which is usually higher. Also you get on board credit, the amount is based on the length of cruise you book, increasing with longer cruises. We have received $100 US in on board credit for cruises we have booked using the future cruise credit to book.

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Our first cruise on Princess, October 22 '16, we decided to give Princess a try after 10 Celebrity (Solstace class) 4 on R/C Allure and Oasis and 1 on MSC Divina.

 

One thing we will miss is the "status" that comes with staying with one line....oh well, if we like Princess we will be back.

 

We have a mini suite on Baha deck.

 

What is the "deal"with the coffee card, one thing I found on our previous cruises is that the coffee served in general was not great...the only good coffee was in the coffee shops, (and I don't mean Starbucks...ugh)

You can buy a coffee card for use in the specialty coffee shops. It can be purchased onboard or pre purchased online. It is usually a little cheaper online before your cruise and includes the 15% tip in the price of the card.It can used for unlimited brewed coffee, without using any of the punches,for the cruise you first use it on and for specialty coffees until you use all the 15 punches on any cruise even another cruise, if you have punches left. The catch is that you only get brewed coffee, with no punches used, on the first cruise you use the card on.

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One tip about Internet access is to buy the minutes prior to departure from the Princess gift store online. You get more bonus Internet minutes for the same price. You do get bonus minute on board if you purchase early after boarding but not as many as when you prurchase.

http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/gifts_services/communications/index.jsp

Also make sure you sign out each time you use the Internet or your tally keeps running and using your minutes. I think you can get info. From the Internet employee onboard about sign out procedures as well as how to set up your account once onboard.

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[quote=operabob1;39815063

Another tip:

Get a coffee card at the specialty bar in the atrium. Specialty coffees ar half what you'd pay at Starbuck's and you get unlimited fresh ground coffee which is a heck of a lot better than the syrup based coffee they serve in the restaurants.

Regardiing the coffee card, we were told on a 14 day cruise that we could get the free brewed coffee for the full 14 day cruise when we purchased the card (we were on a 14 day return Alaska cruise that could also be booked as two 7 days) but once the second seven days started they told us at the coffee shop that it is company policy that they only give the free brewed on a coffee card purchased on each leg. We had booked the cruise as a 14 day, not two sevens.

It is much better coffee than is served elsewhere on the ship. I take along a good quality coffee cup sized thermos and get brewed coffee in the morning.

As an aside, the Captains Circle representative was able to break the cruise into two to give us two cruise credits toward our next loyalty level rather than just one as we would have received otherwise. This matters if you take shorter cruises and would get to he next level faster than by using the number of days cruised to get to the next loyalty level.