beg3yrs

Oh no issues, just being pedantic! Happy Cruising to you too!

Just being a bit pedantic here but the MT luncheon is not an Elite benefit. It is for the top 40 (20 couples typically) people with the most cruise days. It is possible (and has happened) that some Platinum level passengers will qualify if there aren't enough elite on a particular cruise. Most times though, all are Elite.

Haven't read this whole thread so I don't know if someone has already answered but ... I tried it once, just once. Thought I'd get my shoes back looking all gussied up with the old wax-based polishes, rubbed in with a cloth and then hit with a brush and shined with a towel. Nope. Seemed they just use one of those silicone-based spongy things. That's it. Pretty crappy.

Yes we did that too. The decoy had to be used when there wasn't a crowd to blend in with.

We used to smuggle full bottles almost in plain sight using an empty bottle as a decoy. Our backpack full of bottles would go through the scanner and the operator would call out "alcohol" to the naughty desk. We'd saunter over and remove the one empty bottle saying "it's empty but we really like the design". The crew member at the table would then just wave us on. 😁

While Cruise Critic members can provide their experiences and opinions based on those experiences, this is one I would work with Princess directly. IIRC, the ship overnights so you should call and ask if arrangements can be made to arrive at an odd time. I've seen it done for entertainers so it's certainly possible.

Just a word to the wise as it hasn't yet been stated on this thread. If you're going to use the gift cards on board to help with your expenses, be sure to bring the gift card printout to give to guest services. They will not accept you providing a list of numbers and pins. It seems they want the hard copy (they keep it) as "evidence" for the back office types.

Whoever sent that email probably thinks New Mexico is not part of the United States ...

Let's agree to disagree. Corporations and governments issue bonds all the time. Many bonds can be paid off early.

Got to agree with your description of Gigi's. No real pepperoni (on deck and room service has it) and as far as I can tell there's not a link of Italian Sausage on board any Princess ship.

Even the app can be wrong. We have four cruises booked. One with Plus-50, two with Plus-60 and one with Premier. My app shows all four cruises have Premier, the Travel Summary from the web-site correctly shows what I've booked based on the individual benefits.

Every hear of corporations selling bonds? They are considered to be debt on the corporation's balance sheet and the interest payments the corporation pays are fixed.

That's new (relatively) then. Many moons ago we booked multiple cabins under multiple booking numbers and had no issue using the same credit card on every booking. I wonder if it's an issue with all the credit holds they put on the cards during your cruise?

Uh oh! Here it comes. A 900 number for Princess that gets you immediately to a well-trained competent phone representative who is a native English speaker and is empowered to make all sorts of adjustments and decisions.

I agree with these responses. Princess IT is too busy screwing up other things to manage something sophisticated like this. Given their track record they'd probably lower prices the second and third times you check. I'd bet senior management is way too scared to allow them to tackle something that could have such a negative impact on the bottom line.

As someone who lived in SoCal for almost thirty years, earthquake preparedness is an on-going thing. It's not like boarding up your windows and laying out sand bags. 1) Having a plan is important. You don't know where you'll be when one strikes so knowing in advance how your family can reach each other is a good thing. 2) Earthquake "proofing" your living spaces. There's no such thing as earthquake proof really but you can make the structures more resistant. Having your house built to code, not leaving heavy objects on high shelves, securing tall furniture to the wall so it won't topple over and so on. 3) Keeping emergency lighting and plenty of batteries around. We stored our batteries in the freezer! 4) Have a supply of non-perishable food as well as a stash of potable water. In general, be prepared to go without utilities for at least four days. Certainly not a comprehensive list, but gives you an idea of how you prep for an earthquake.

That's pretty much what I do except I only turn on the laptop VPN when I'm doing something financial or I need a site to think I'm somewhere else (rare). I also rarely use the phone VPN as my WWW browsing on it is usually limited to a quick search, news check or look at the weather. Thanks for boiling it down so succinctly.

We did that TA in December 2019 on the Pacific Princess. We ended going further south across the Atlantic to avoid a storm and we thought it would be the worst. Oh no ... it was calm, sunny and warm. People were out on the Lido deck all day. And, after it was all over the captain reported they had actually saved fuel because of more favorable currents.

Well that's why I couched it with /OceanNow. It's really the OceanNow access on the ship that's messed up with the VPN. MedallionNet is Princess' term for their WiFi which includes access to OceanNow (no Internet access required for that when on the ship) and then the portal for Internet access.

Well, I have had issues with VPN on my phone as it messes up access to the MedallionNet/OceanNow so that's a good consideration. The VPN forces traffic to the VPN server and the ship's system has trouble with that. However, I have had zero issues using a VPN on my laptop where I don't access MedallionNet/OceanNow but do access online email and financial stuff.

Interesting point! Yet another reason to use a VPN. Yes, using a VPN is a tad slower but it's better than not being able to access your accounts at all.

Did I miss a post that said there was an order from the captain not to take videos or photos?

Not that I can tell. I always get it from the web-site.

Mine does as well. All five cruises we've booked show Premier. Four of those cruises are Plus and only one is truly Premier.

That's certainly true at Fort Lauderdale where there's a staff member or two assigned to oversee that. I think it must be some kind of local regulation. Anyway, there are also elevators available at Fort Lauderdale.