cr8tiv1

The SPA will place a round sticker on the back of your Medallion. Mine "bleed" all over my Apple watch band. Useless since they are unable to "see" the sticker unless I remove the medallion holder from my watch band. There has got to be a more efficient way to flag a suite passenger. With that said, I did not use any of the "thermal spa" features on a recent 13 AND 12 day cruise. I have used the stone bed once in the past. But after seeing passengers in wet bathing suites laying on the beds, I have decided this is not for me. The "rain" shower was not exciting, nor the dry/wet saunas. That's about the extent of what is offered on the Caribbean Princess. The Pool in the front of the ship is open to anyone.

If you are in a mini-suite, the Elite bar set up will generally be in your room on embarkation day. You may call Room Service to change it out for items more your liking. Your Room Steward can also do this for you. If you are in a FULL suite, there will be a mini-bar in your suite upon arrival. You will need to call Room Service to request your Elite Bar. I would suggest waiting. day for the dust to settle before requesting the second set up. Princess needs to rename "mini-suite". It is very confusing for many. Mini-suites are extended balcony cabins and very little more.

Carlos Oscar is one of Princess' favorite comedians. I'm not into comedians, but he is good. Bravo is light opera music/songs. No theme. No plot. Visiting Soprano. I enjoy this production show. Farewell Variety Show is new to Princess. Too bad it is only shown once on the night before disembarkation. Usually very god. I didn't see it...to busy packing. Born to be Wild is another Production show. I forget what era it is. Not a Whitney Houston Fan. Not sure if Fantastic Journey is one of their newer shows. There was one that had terrific light show.

Very important post. I know when I have to take a blood test on land, the sample is drawn at a lab, but sent out to be analyzed. I am not sure a ship's medical center will have the capability nor a qualified technician/doctor to process the tests. https://thepointsguy.com/guide/cruise-ships-medical-centers/ I am interested (not needed) in hearing more from this thread. Good Luck

On a recent cruise in a low end suite, I asked the food and beverage manager about delivery of MDR dinners (complimentary suite perk). There will be a $5 charge to call room service for this delivery charge unless you have a beverage package. Very complicate. Outright insulting. I have yet to use this perk since the implementation. If you have no loyalty level with Princess, then some of the perks are worth cruising in a suite. Not sure if it is worth the extra $$$ to do a Grand/Owners suite unless you want the balcony space.

It is so interesting that some receive FCC and I was reimbursed cash (preferred) for my isolation.

Keep in mind that on the last nigh (after packing), these wooden hanger "may" clink and clank throughout the night (haha). It took me a couple of cruises to learn how to buffer the noise. My steward would often separate them by moving half to one side and the other as he prepared the room for the next passenger. I have never had a shortage of hangers available.

Your Hawaiian Cultural Ambassadors for this season are Leialoha and Tiki Dave. They will have hula lessons and ukulele lessons. Both will do port talks (not excursion sales talks). You will also have an enrichment lecturer onboard. There will be lots of activities put on by the Cruise Director's staff. Thee wil be crafts, ribbon lei making, orchid lei strinkging, etc. ELUA (Dave and Leialoha) will also have sets in the Piazza and in a dance venue.

All ships have regular wooden hangers. If you need more, your steward will provide an unlimited amount of wire hangers. The cabin will have both regular hangers and pant/skirt hangers with clips.

Disregard top sentence. FCD is only good for one year now. The rest is correct:

I was once told that the Promenade "does have" a walking protocol/direction. But I can't remember. I always seem to be going upstream.

Just guessing but why would you not have to pay port fees for a tender port? The ship still needs to use the port/dock to load/unload passengers. That requires personnel and usage.

Yes, two accounts and separate credit cards. Just be aware that you might be able to see each other's balance/folio. When I travel with my sister, I can print both her's and mine from the kiosk. Front Desk is also "willing" to print out one of each when I request it. Don't know how private you want to remain. You may have to make that individual request.

Great idea, but no room in luggage if flying. Every piece of real estate is more valuable than earmuffs. High quality ear buds/plugs would work for those that don't require hearing aids. No room in ear canal for both. You just wait until you board. The Piazza is used for almost every event during the day/night. Good luck finding a good place to sit and have a drink. Maybe the only time it is quiet is when the piano player is in the area or nothing is scheduled (unlikely). Let's see: Sail Away Kickoff/celebration (sometimes in the Piazza/dependent on port) Welcome to Princess Event Egg Drop Paper Airplanes Martini Demonstration Horseraces. Bean Bag toss Party Band, Piano, Duo, Guitarist Jenga Officers verses Passengers Watercolor Demonstrations Elevator Roulette Champagne Hoopla Competition Ring Toss Cookie Face 60 Second Frenzy Goofy Golf Hole in One Golf Challenge

As I have mentioned, my son-in-law says that 80 decibels is a reasonable sound level for theatrical productions. Princess sets it at about 100. That's 20% higher than is necessary for the audiences' comfort. I really enjoy the evening entertainment but seen so many that it is not worth my hearing to sit through some of them again. As for the Piazza, I feel so sorry for the Guest Services agents that have to pull shifts 24/7. Unfair to their hearing.

Thank you @azbirdmom. I wonder if Travel Agents are still able to do this for their clients. Fortunately, I don't have any cruises booked in the near future. Gives them time to work the bugs out and come up with a set plan.

Modern day hearing aids are so high tech now. Mine can be controlled with an app on my phone. I can adjust it to reduce reverberation, to cancel out background noises, and even put it on mute. When in mute, my hearing aids are still in my ear and act as a buffer. Unfortunately, when in the theater, I need to also add a layer of tissue to further mute the sound. AND, believe it or not, I am able to still hear the singer/stage performers. Now, I consider that to be unnecessarily loud if I can still near it muffled. My son-in-law does theater light and sound (as a party time job in addition to his engineering job). I have mentioned the 100 decibel range and he said that is abnormally high and not necessary. I wander why Princess feels it necessary to blare our/amplify sound to such an uncomfortable level. Not all of us are hard of hearing (even with hearing aids).

You would need to walk around the ship with ear plugs all day. I just put my hearing aids on mute. lol

Yes, Apple Watches have a decibel reader. I have shown this to the Guest Services agent who noted it in a book. https://quietcommunities.org/study-shows-apple-watch-accurately-measures-decibel-levels/#:~:text=by Daniel Fink%2C MD%2C Chair%2C The Quiet Coalition&text=They found the Apple Watch,owns a later model iWatch.

I am not an insurance adjuster. These are just my experiences. I thought PVP needs to be requested/bought at time of booking. It may be available at Final Payment. Need to check on that. PVP will cover everything from start of anything bought through Princess (including EZ Air). It WILL NOT pay for independent air travel. (There is a clause in there about issues with air arrangement...but do not know the fine details.) Niece should not cancel "her insurance"...but can cancel cruise/voyage. She will not lose all of her payment. She will maybe be reimbursed (covered reason) or given FCC if not for a covered reason/with an expiration time). Sister will not be required to pay solo supplement. This is one of the benefits of PVP insurance. Reimbursement/FCC will cover everything minus cost of insurance. Experience: Sisters cancelled cruise with me for covered reason. They were reimbursed by AON and Princess. I went on the cruise solo...no supplement. No air fare involved. Another time: EZ Air involved. Princess picked up increase in cost when my flight had to be rebooked when airline cancelled original flight. No cost to me.

I think PVP % was raised. Don't know by how much. CVP would not be a good source of advice on "other" insurance. Too many out there for him/her to make a blanket statement. Lots of "homework/research" to find out. If it is a simple 7 day cruise....just buy PVP, in my opinion.

Why not just buy PVP? I'm not trying to sell this. Just easier. There is a difference between regular and Platinum. She will have to shop around to make sure she gets a non-Princess Insurance that has cancel for any reason. If so, sister "should not" have to pay for supplement. Keep in mind, some independent insurance policies require purchase at time of booking (not at time of final payment). From what you are posting, am I understanding correctly: Your sister is still outside of Final Payment (with hopefully a refundable deposit)? AND niece has not been told by boss yes/no? When is the cruise?

@chubbypiggy Your sister needs to review "her independent" travel insurance terms of agreement. If she had purchased Princess Vacation Protection, your niece would have received FCC (cancel for any reason at 75% or 100%) and your sister would be allowed to cruise without a solo supplement. Policies vary with insurance copies. Hopefully, they had a good one that would include cancelling for employment or any other reason. I am not quite clear? Is your sister pre/post final payment? @New2cruise2022 Name changes can be down through Princess and/or travel consultant for a fee. Way back when....it was $50 after final payment. No charge before.

I was near the entrance to the Reserve Dining Room on the Caribbean Princess. The Party Band was playing in the Piazza. I could clearly hear every song....loudly. It was not a pleasant dining experience if you have to shout across the table to have a dinner conversation. I do object that they (Princess) have decided that the Piazza is a "better" location for the Party Band than the Explorer's Lounge. It is not a good dance floor. There is not enough seating for everyone. Move it back in the Explorer's Lounge.

Not that I ever looked, but thank you for pointing out these links. I didn't know that.