Wishing on a star

Thanks for the link to that other board. I am heading that way! Thanks so much CruiseMom, you are always so helpful! It could be either thru Delta, or thru Princess. Depending on if one is lucky and Princess offers fares at a lower rate. (I understand that you can have your EZ Air ticketed upon request, and then go to Delta for the upgrade. It still seems iffy if Delta would actually have some seats available that they would make available for the everyday (non miles-elite) flyer. And, you would never be able to guess the amount that they would set. A whole lot of IFs !!!! We would be booking early, as Comfort is the first to sell out.... So seats would be available... but maybe not to us to upgrade.

Our planning for a cruise next April-May has hit a snag. Flights have not become available just yet, but looks like the fares are just incredible. I have wondered if we could book Main Cabin, and use Miles to upgrade. But, the Delta system does not let you do that. Have to book the ticket and THEN find out if you can upgrade, and how many miles. I know it is a long shot. Does anyone here have any recent experience upgrading from US to Rome with Delta Miles? We would also have to fly back from Athens, a one way cruise.

Flights have not opened up for next year, yet. But, from what I am seeing, the fares are very high. Help!!! I am wondering what has been the pricing and experience booking thru Princess. I hear that it can be less. But, I also wonder about any pitfalls. Hoping that if you book thru Princess, you can request to have your flights ticketed so that you can control or upgrade them?

On the Regal earlier this year, it was the new menu, with no Alfredo on the favorites, everyday, menu... I was one, of perhaps many, who made a point to see the Princess got my feedback on that! I understand the the Ruby also has the menu with Alfredo always available. Perhaps they are seeing the guest feedback and adjusting a bit!!!

I am thinking that they are not operating with online sales. As the site mentions, this service is offered, according to demand, when cruise ships are arriving below Fira. I have always heard that they will depart for Ammoudi Bay once the boat is full. Which, as mentioned, could take some time. I just wish that we could hear from somebody, now that the cruise season has begun, that can verify that they did see this ferry boat operating!

Yes, TRUE memoak.... TRUE They do listen to some guest opinions and feedback, But I don't think this is going to change anything with the Sanctuary. Now, if they would just listen to our frustration regarding their current blocking of cabins and very limited cabins to select!!!!

I imagine that TA's are holding space, especially on those first sailings. But, It seems that most of this 'blocking' is the way Princess is handling their bookings. I can see that cabins are available, but not shown during booking. There are some very real issues with the way Princess is making cabins available.

Wow.... seven pages... about loungers. Yes, are things getting more back to normal here!!! We enjoy the Sanctuary! And, have had luck, boarding early, getting loungers. I think the biggest complaint here is possibly, back to back cruisers can book up all of the loungers. The solution for that is simple. At least half of the Sanctuary should be kept available to those boarding that sailing. There should be at least a 50/50 opportunity for those just boarding. The number of loungers offered to those on the previous sailing should be capped at half of the loungers. This gives back to back cruisers two chances to reserve the Sanctuary. Once, when they first board, Second when reservations are made available to them prior to the second leg. If they do not have any luck, then at least they had two chances. Nothing is totally fair. but this would at least level the playing field, Those just boarding should at least have one half of the loungers available. It is the frustration of knowing that it is a complete shut-out, and that you don't feel like you have a chance. That is the worst. That is what Princess should try to address. As far as increasing the price, if there were those who were willing to pay a much higher price, I suspect that the Cabanas in the Sanctuary very rarely sell out.

I have not found a TA or a PVP who will offer any of these blocked and/or GTY cabins. I would love if somebody here who has had luck getting a 'blocked' cabin could send me some info that might help. That we so much appreciated. Maybe they are able, or willing, to help with the lead-in sub-category. But, that does not solve the issues with being able to choose a cabin in a higher sub-category. I just wanted to point out that we want to select a higher level cabin, not a lead in, but a DA on the Sun Princess. So much blocking that none will show below deck 14. This problem with the unacceptable amount of blocking is NOT just these lead-in categories. Everybody here should be letting Princess know that this is a problem, and perhaps a deal-breaker issue when one can not choose a cabin that is desirable or even 'acceptable'.

ENJOY! And, just a note: watch carefully for your room assignment. I am thinking that when they start assigning cabins, you could see that first by checking your booking online. If you see that right away, and there are any other Mini Suites available, then you can possibly move to a Mini in a better location than the one assigned.

That is interesting! I have tried to book a balcony (all are called deluxe balconies) on the SUN, and have entered more guests, and that didn't help. This issue with 'blocking' can really be a problem, and Princess so-called reasons for this blocking can be one of many. The bottom line, it just isn't right. People like us who will NOT book a GTY will stop booking with Princess if they can't choose some kind of acceptable cabin.

Thank you Mary Ann! It seems that what you saw was that issue going on with Deluxe Balconies. I think there are TA's who are aware of this, and can do a work-around. I wish I knew how to get a cabin and area that I want (not a Royal Class Deluxe balcony). In specific, a deluxe balcony on the Sun Princess. ( all are called 'deluxe on the SUN - so not a separate category for standard or deluxe ) With the amount of blocking, I am having to book a higher deck than we would like, and have changed from a cabin on the forward side of the sphere bumpout to a cabin on the AFT side of the sphere bumpout, in order to get a larger balcony. We hope that on the aft side any issues with wind when underway will not be too bad.

Their policy is clear that GTY cabins are discounted (or possibly now that selected cabins cost more) But it is not clear that the entry level lowest priced cabins are all GTY and non refundable. And, if that is true, which is possible. Then, for example, on many ships, how many balcony cabins are far forward or far aft on deck 8. That is a small number of cabins, that are probably not in great demand anyhow. The thing is, there are TONS of cabins being blocked for any of several reasons. It is a problem. The problem is bigger than the issues that have been noted with availability of Deluxe Balconies. It is how Princess is setting up their booking algorithms. It is way to exclusive. Way to controlling. A person who is booking early, when the sailing goes live, should be able to get some kind of cabin that they are wanting. And, that isn't the case.

Has anybody heard of Princess excursions ending back at Althinios? And, can we assume that we would then have to return to the shop right away after the excursion. Not tender from Althinios later?

Seeing that this thread is now bumped up, months later. It is truly sad to see that this issue is still happening with the Deluxe Balconies on that class of ships. But, in reality, these 'blocked' cabins are worse now than ever before. Entire decks or sections. Almost impossible, without sheer luck, to find the type of cabin you want on the deck you want. This all goes along with the Princess big push for GTY bookings. And, then to make them NON-refundable. I am with many who will have a huge problem if I can't select a cabin. If I can't book a cabin that I know will meet my needs. I don't know what the heck is going on with Princess, but like many other recent customer service and policy issues. But it is NOT good.

I have recently discovered the Civitavecchia Port service. And, two couples sharing a private transfer would be a really great and reasonably priced option to get us from Rome to the ship earlier than any shared transfer service that I am seeing. A transfer for two is pricey, but I believe less than Rome in Limo. I would be happy for any feedback if anyone here uses this service!

Have you looked at the ships excursions? It seems that you do not yet have a good idea on what to plan or book. I am thinking that you might want to do some more preliminary research to get a feel for the options. And, yes, there are many of them! Also, we really do not know what your interests are at these ports. I am thinking that you are coming in a bit late, as many people already have all of this booked far in advance. If you look at each port, and then decide what seems to be the most appealing type of thing to do, then maybe you could get some better advice and information. In general, I do not like to use the big sites like Viator and Tripadvisor. Sometimes you can figure out what company the provider of that excursion is, and then go to them direct. In Athens we are considering a tour with PK Tours. They seem highly recommended. In Santorini, we are considering a private driver/tour thru a site like Tours By Locals, and are also considering Golden Ibex to book a half-day.

Mary Ann 2, that is great that you were able to pick the category cabin! I would love if you could forward any info that you can offer about how that worked.

Too bad that excursion fills up quickly, as many people realize that they are thinking along the same lines as you are! Arriving in the moring with several other ships might cause a real problem with the wait for the cablecars. But, if yours is the only ship around that time in the afternoon, then with your priority tendering, then it might not be too bad. I would arrange for a tour to meet you immediately at the top of the cablecars at Fira. trying to make your own way to Oia will probably end up with some wasted time and extra stress. Just be aware that the transfer boat that runs over to Amoudi Bay below Oia might not follow a schedule. It could wait until their minimum number of people fill up to run the boat. Since you are arriving later, well after noon, then it might not be a given that the boat will make the trip right away. I do know that the boat only takes people one way. It does not bring people back from Oia. So, hopefully, it will still be operating after 1:00 in the afternoon. Sorry, I am not an expert, and details on this ferry are hard to come by. But that is the understanding I have based on quite a bit of research.

I am not an expert... Just doing a LOT of research and planning. I have not heard of any set shuttle bus from the Port into Chora. I do know that Agios Stefanos beach is the closest and might be walkable. No big beach clubs there, but one restaurant/cafe/taverna that rents beach loungers. If we do plan to go to Psarou, as described, then we would have pre-arranged transportation. We have even looked into nearby hotels as well. Our cruise ship excursions only offer Super Paradise and Elia. Anyone might want to check the available excursions, in case there is one that would get you where you want to be, without using the bus or arranging for private transportation. These transfer services are not cheap. Taxis are limited in number, and can be hard to get. The two transportation options that I am looking at are WelcomePickups, and the iMove app. Which is kind of like an uber. I think one can book transportation on iMove before you get to Mykonos. But I am not sure on how that works. From what I am seeing, it looks like the docks at Mykonos can handle two large cruise ships. My guess would be that if you are one of the first two ships arriving that day, then you would be docked at the New Port. It is possible that the ships that are selected to be docked are NOT first come first served. Hopefully your ships information on the itinerary will show that your ship will be docked there, or not.

Mykonos has MANY beaches. Your ship will probably be at the newer port at Tourlos. Googlemaps is your friend!!!! The only walkable beach would be Agios Stefanos. The water will still be pretty chilly. Many beach clubs will be open. Most of the well known beaches are beach clubs are on the south - southeast of Mykonos. Taxi's are not readily available. So plan ahead for any transportation. You might want to check your ships beach excursions.

You already have priority tender. But you still might want to look at your ships excursion that would get you to Oia. You would probably not have to stay with the excursion. Often they leave you either at Oia with a bus ticket, or at Fira with a cablecar ticket. Ships excursions might bypass the cablecar and tender you over to Althinia, with a coach waiting there. This might still get you off the ship early. But also make sure to get you to Oia with the excursion, and not having to make your way to Oia once you are off the ship. It can cost a bit more. But, could be worth it to avoid the cable-car and the public bus. Which are the two cheapest options. Check your ships excursions to make sure of details.

Brenin, Mykonos is a big beach destination, with the big Party Beach Clubs. If you are interested in going to a beach, you would want to do a little research to see which beach or which restaurant or beach club is best for you. We are leaning towards Psarou beach, walking the path and roadway the short distance over to Platis Gialos beach. There are a couple of recommended restaurants there. There is one beach area near where the cruise ship should be docked. (Not sure about tendering) All other beaches would require some transportation. Do note that you probably wont be able to just get a taxi to these beaches. There are very very few available. You might want to look into arranging transportation if you want to head out to a beach. There are bus routes. You would go and find the right bus stop there in Mykonos Town. Cruises usually offer beach-day excursions. These probably do not include the beach loungers. Loungers can be sold out early during the summer high season. You might want to make sure you have loungers reserved in advance. The bigger and most popular beach clubs can ask more than 100EU for a pair of loungers.

The area that I was interested in seemed to be blocked off for the back-2-back that departs before my sailing. There are a lot of dubious and questionable reasons for all of this 'blocking'.

Yes. 10509 or 10514 would be amazing! We did move to a balcony on the AFT side of the sphere bumpout. Being in the first extend forward facing one seems like it might be sticking your hand out of a car window while moving..