NRWPA

Just so you know, if you take out money this way and don't gamble with it, your account will be locked. You must gamble with it. Of course if you win, you can take out that money.

 

Neither mine nor my sister's was locked. We did gamble but only a few dollars before cashing out. My sister paid her half of the cruise back to me this way and I used my cash to spend onshore - this was our Ruby Princess April 2014 cruise.

 

Nancy

We have never had that problem. And like you said the casino is closed frequently.

Sounds like a lazy J.A.P. to me. :(

 

Yes, I was very surprised that someone with a hole punch couldn't be found until the casino opened.

 

Nancy

Thanks Nancy...Do I establish a casino account onboard or now?

Barbara

 

Onboard, after the casino is open, you insert your cabin card into a machine and follow the directions to set up your account. Basically, the machine asks for your date of birth, then asks you to set a pin. You can then charge to your cabin or if you're playing slots, load any money from the slots to your cabin card. You can cash out with the casino cashier at any time - but be sure to cash out on the last night and if you're b2b, cash out at the end of each leg.

 

You can tell I spend way too much time in the casino - LOL! But they are giving me $250 cash for the 5/15 cruise and sent me an email giving me another $200 and free drinks in the casino for the 5/19 cruise ;) I spend a lot of time in the sun during the day but split my time at night between Crooners (martini) Bar and the Casino. I really only go to the shows once in a while and rarely eat in the dining room. Since most/many of my cruises are solo, I can pretty much wing it and do whatever/whenever I want.

 

Nancy :)

 

Can I get cash using sailaway card /cash a check onboard at casino or Guest Services?

 

 

If you don't want to commit to a certain amount by ordering a casino gift ahead of time, you can just set up your casino account (create a pin), touch the "charge to room" option, select the amount to charge to your room, then cash out to your cabin card. Then go to the cashier with your cabin card and ask to cash out. They will hand you the cash - there is no charge to do this. Sounds complicated but is really very easy - way too easy if you then stay and gamble on the $$ though ;) The money you take out is charged to your shipboard account and eventually your credit card. I get my cash this way because I have a points earning credit card. Instead of me paying to withdraw money from an ATM, my credit card pays me points.

 

Nancy

Last month on Ruby Princess, Passenger Services would not punch my card - told me it had to be done in the casino. I had to wait til the casino opened to get it punched - I asked 2 different casino attendants and that's the answer I got...my previous Ruby cruise in January, someone was in the casino and punched my card while we were still in port.

Hate to go against the majority, but I love the Southern route - Favorite islands are Aruba and Dominica (although Aruba is more fun at night and Princess ships usually leave in the afternoon). Grenada was also a great beach destination for me.

Here is my initial rev of a beverage package evaluator - if you see items that are incorrect/missing, please let me know so I can improve this spreadsheet. All of the soda/water/juice prices are estimates for now, I can't seem to find current actual prices. Hope this is useful!

 

Your spreadsheet is FABULOUS! I will share the link with others on my cruise next week.

 

Thank you!

 

Nancy

Here is what I received approximately 5pm the afternoon prior to returning back to Fort Lauderdale on my B2B. Yours may be similar:

 

 

 

 

Thanks for this! Very informative. I will be B2B next week on Caribbean Princess.

I am booked on my 4th & 5th cruises in May for this year. For quite a while I was no longer getting the last minute deals, but was getting some other mailings - both email and snail. I went into My Princess a few weeks ago and updated my preferences - didn't change anything, just looked at it and saved it. I've since been getting many mailings including the last minute deals. I don't know if my "update" had anything to do with it, but it's worth a try for those of you not receiving mailings.

The ship stores sell limited products, mostly for emergency situations.

Best to bring your own. ;)

And yes the provided product leaves alot to be desired. :rolleyes:

 

I totally agree - I think they should do away with Lotus Spa products and find another brand. It dried my hair out and did nothing to get tangles out (combo shampoo & conditioner). The same products have been on the cruises I've taken so far this year - 2 on Ruby and 1 on Royal. I expect to see the same on Caribbean Princess in May so will definitely be bringing my own.

I am considering booking a cruise on the Regal, which is a sister ship to the Royal, but I am concerned about the large number of passengers. For those of you who have sailed the Royal, did it feel crowded to you? Thanks!

 

I was on the Royal in March 2014 - the public areas did not feel crowded to me. I was always able to find places to sit in the piazza; the casino was big enough to find slots to play (if you like that); the buffet area was large (somewhat confusing, but not crowded). Pool area was always crowded on sea days, but I haven't found it to be any different on any other ship, regardless of size or brand. The cabins ARE a bit small (I had a deluxe balcony) and the balconies that do not jut out are tiny. I would probably go again but would not pay much extra to have a balcony next time. I went solo, met plenty of people and had lots of fun on the cruise.

I was in a Deluxe Balcony category, cabin D224

If one person qualifies and their spouse does not, can she or he bring the spouse?

 

I was solo my last cruise, but brought my sister & brother-in-law (separate cabin) in almost every night. The one night they didn't come, our waiter asked why they didn't come. They paid with their own regular cruise card and were charged the $5 + tip

You can print out your boarding pass without putting a credit card in on line. But you must wait until a day or 2 before sailing.

 

I never know which card I am going to use..so wait until I check in to give my card. I did this just last month.

 

I can't imagine there are still those issues with the debt cards, has anyone recently experienced a problem?

 

Last cruise (Jan 2014), I put one credit card in online, then when I checked in at the pier I asked if I could switch it to a different one - it was done quickly, no problem. I had used the original one to buy "gifts" & casino credit for myself and still no problem switching cards.

I know 3-4 night sailings were mentioned for this promotion, but I got this promotion on a 5 night also.

 

It would be wonderful if we see it again and I would absolutely book it!:)

 

I also sailed 5 days - on Ruby end of January and am now booked March 16 on Royal Princess for a 7 day. Both sailings were/will be solo so I normally pay extra. Getting 2 for 1 really helps me out and I would absolutely book again for this sort of deal!

Actually, just checked my phone log and the number I booked through was the same as that listed on the Ocean Player site, so I guess if I'm entitled to anything it will be noted in my cabin...

Maybe Princess is giving more perks now? I was just off Ruby Princess 5 day cruise on Feb 1, 2014. Last night of the cruise I received a letter from the casino host indicating I will receive $150 cash from the casino on my next cruise. I had to book within a certain number of days and take the cruise before the end of August. I booked a 7 day on Royal Princess for March. I am to present the letter to the Royal casino cashier to receive the cash. I did not receive a free cruise. I haven't called Ocean Players yet, but after reading this thread maybe it would be worthwhile?

We just got off Royal last Sunday and we were in E608. This is probably one of the worst OV Balcony rooms available. We booked Balcony Guarantee and I didn't sweat it when we learned our cabin # about a week before sailing. I saw the photos on this thread and our TA said that the OV was probably due to not being able to look down because of the lifeboats. However... the aft two lifeboats on port side and the aft three boats on the starboard side are not just lifeboats, they are double decker tenders. So the lifeboat is about as tall as your balcony rail and you can't see out while sitting on the balcony. I can't really complain because we paid cheap $$ for this cabin. Past cruises that I have booked BG have been winners, but this one came up snake eyes. That's the risk you take.

 

I would be so disappointed with that view. I recently booked BE and haven't received a cabin assignment yet - luckily that category is not obstructed. Glad you posted these pics for future reference.

oh, and I was also not charged any tax on the beer package

[quote name='RLK33853'][FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="3"][COLOR="Blue"]I can't confirm (maybe someone else can) but I have read that if you pre-purchase liquor or a beer package you don't pay the 15% gratuity. I am going to try this on our March cruise to see if this is true - not a huge savings but every little bit you save is money they can get out of you some other way..........[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

Hate to disagree with anyone, but I pre-purchased a beer package on my Feb 27 Ruby cruise and was not charged the 15% tip. I did, however, give a tip to the guy who brought the beer from room service. I also purchased casino credit - great way to get cash for your cruise and, if you have a hotel, airline or cash back credit card, you will only be charged the casino credit you order and will receive points/miles/cash from your credit card (it will not be charged by your credit card company like a cash advance). Princess casinos also now allow you to charge casino money to your card through slot machines and don't charge for the transaction, so pre-purchasing is no longer such a big deal.

I was told by the bartender in Crooners that the questionnaire/comment card that you used to receive in paper form in your cabin the last day would be sent to my email and told how important it is to the crew that you complete it. She did not ask that I mention her or her partner but stressed that good comments from passengers are very valuable to the crew. Several days went by after my return from the cruise and I received nothing, but since she'd told me they do now email it, I checked my spam email and Voila! there it was. I completed the form and mentioned all the fabulous crew members I encountered. It was lengthy but not more so than the paper questionnaire/comment card I used to receive. This may not be the questionnaire you're talking about but thought it worth mentioning how the old comment card was replaced by an online questionnaire after my most recent cruise.

I can't speak to anyone else's disembarkation problems or simplicity. However, I disembarked at Port Everglades on 2/1/2014 from Ruby Princess. We chose the latest possible time to get off the ship. It took about 15 minutes from stepping onshore to being out to the shuttles for us. We did not even have to speak to an immigration/customs officer. Someone simply took our customs forms and told us to go. I asked "we don't have to stop anywhere?" and was told no. Never had that happened in any of my previous cruises (approx. 15, mostly from Miami or Ft Lauderdale)

Thank you, Geri

You can order any one of the six drinks any night, not just the one listed for that day. That was true on the Royal and Sapphire over the past few months.

 

BTW, where is this held on Royal?

You can order any one of the six drinks any night, not just the one listed for that day. That was true on the Royal and Sapphire over the past few months.

 

Good to know! I'll be on the Royal in March