kamelia

It's actually easier to see what's going on using Ocean Concierge, which does not require the app but can still be accessed using whatever device you've got the app installed on. Simply open your browser and type in [shipname].princess.com, [shipname] being whichever vessel you are currently on. For example, crown.princess.com or sapphire.princess.com, etc.

If you purchase a Princess transfer, you would be expected to put your bags out the night before, other than a bag for overnight/disembarkation day, and those bags would be transferred to the airport as part of what you pay for the transfer. Some ports will require passengers to collect their bags in the terminal to take with them through customs, but then the bags are re-collected after customs to continue with being transferred to the airport. Some ports will allow Princess to transport the bags to the airport without have to be claimed by the passenger for customs clearance. I agree with wanting to be in control of my own bags as much as possible, but purchasing a Princess transfer can be a viable option for someone who's concerned about handling their own luggage throughout the disembarkation process. 😉 Edited to add: there are some ports that have arrangements with specific airlines so that when you put the checked bags the night before, the next time you see them is on the luggage carousel in your home airport.

I don't recall having to collect them in the terminal as part of customs, but even if you do, it should just be a matter of taking them down the hallway through customs, and then there should be a porter to re-collect them and take them to the bus/airport for you. Still a whole lot less effort than getting them from your stateroom to a taxi.

As long as your flight is within Princess' requirements, you should be fine with a Princess transfer that includes collecting all bags the night before (other than what you choose to hand carry off in the morning) and transporting them to the airport for you. Vancouver Embarking Passengers For voyages that depart from Vancouver, the latest flight arrival is 3 hours prior to ship's departure. Disembarking Passengers For voyages that arrive in Vancouver, the earliest flight departure is 4 hours and 30 minutes after ship's arrival.

I would like to know if there are plans in the works to switch over to multi-use Medallions. It was my understanding when the Medallion Class program was being introduced that the Medallions would be reprogrammable for use on future Princess cruises, rather than the one-and-done Medallions that are currently being provided. If not, is there any chance that collection bins could be made available after disembarkation so that they can be properly disposed of? Thanks for your attention!

And very often the corkage fee is more than offset by the savings of bringing your own onboard as opposed to buying the exact same vintage onboard! Especially considering you can still take two on embarkation day without having to pay any corkage fee.

We have used one of these coupons a couple of different times, and have been offered a choice of either one white or one red. I do not recall what the white option was, but the red we've ordered has usually been Aussières, which is a cabernet sauvignon-syrah blend that's also included in the Princess Plus package price range.

I had another thought: is she perhaps on a codeshare flight that might have a different flight number that she could use for the system to recognize?

@sallywiz One more possibility - have her put in just the final flight to the destination port and only the departing flight, not the whole itinerary. That's worked for me in the past. Example, although my trip originates with a flight from Tampa to Chicago and then the next flight is from Chicago to Vancouver, I only enter the Chicago to Vancouver inbound to the ship and then just the outbound Vancouver to Chicago details leaving the ship.

@Steelers36 POLAR, thank you. (I should have referred to my notes rather than rely on the aging grey cells. 😉) I have gotten more assistance and education from you and others here on Cruise Critic than I have from the people who are in charge of getting the MC App up and running and reliably functional, and I am beyond frustrated by the lack of help from the Ocean Navigators. Every time I have presented the latest problem I have encountered to the team that is supposed to be able to fix it, the response I get is either a variation of, “this is not a problem, here’s the workaround…” or, “we have an update coming out soon that should fix the issue, so just wait a few more days.” I have a basic understanding of troubleshooting and I know it’s not helpful to walk up to the desk and just say, “this app doesn’t work,” so I give specific detailed facts and have actually taken several Ocean Navigators through the steps on my device hoping to shed some light for them. Every single one has agreed that this was definitely not operator error and then used my device to submit a ticket to the IT department, assuring me that someone would be following up with me “soon” to get it resolved. It has been at least 16 months since my initial dust-up with the app and I was first told it would be fixed “soon.” Many issues with the app have been fixed since then, but not the ones I have continued to experience up to and including my most recent Princess cruise that ended two weeks ago. You suggested some time ago that my issues might stem from corrupt data in my Princess profile, and the more I considered that, the more evidence I find indicating you’re right. If you could assess that in only a few blurbs on a chat board, how can it be taking more than 16 months for the IT department to get it sorted out? It would be a very interesting case study, indeed. For now, I guess I’ll just keep waiting for the workaround that gets me to the front of the “soon” queue.

I am glad to know that based on the experiences most of you are sharing it is improving. It leads me to believe that the issues I’m continuing to experience pre-boarding as well as onboard are still related to corrupted profile data within SOLAR.

I am just about out of patience with being told, “it’s not a problem, we have a ‘workaround’ for this.” A workaround is NOT a fix for the systemic problems that continue to exist with the MedallionClass app. Their excuse for a workaround is no different than being told at the garage, “Well, we can’t find the cause for your tire leaking, but it’s not a problem. You can still get to your final destination by stopping every 20 miles to put more air in.” At what point does that ‘workaround’ become more trouble than getting to the final destination is worth?

Current photos as of 19 Dec 2022 departure from Santiago (San Antonio), Chile. No changes for chart, though. Happy Holidays to All!

It is currently required for those itineraries that include Antarctica.

The testing for voyages on the Sapphire Princess is Antarctica pre-requisite which is why only some itineraries require it.

Totally useless for reliable and accurate information, but good for a giggle every now and then. I’m still trying to work out the logistics for this deviation from Coquimbo, Chile on December 18… I guess I deleted my ArriveCAN app prematurely. 🤪

😭

I was part of the Princess focus group - pre-Padgett - that was specifically tasked with how to improve the loyalty benefits, with an eye especially toward cruisers who are considerably above the 15 cruises/150 days Elite level. There were many well-thought-out suggestions and responses put forth within the group and, at the time, I felt our time and effort would help result in meaningful loyalty recognition. It was a double blow when the updated loyalty program was rolled out, and not only were none of the suggestions included, but the benefits from the original program were also watered down, and some even removed completely! Loyalty schmoyalty. 🙁

I did get the message on the MedallionClass app to come back 48 hours prior to departure to enter the proctored test results, so I'll try again tomorrow. I think it's going to be the same area that's asking for self-test results.

I understood that. My Itinerary and MedallionClass app were also stating that "testing is not required" for my upcoming cruise, but it IS an Enhanced Voyage and proof of a negative medically-observed COVID-19 test IS required. Up until the past few days when Princess started sending "Important Booking Information" to clarify that in fact we are required to have this test, it was only through the Protocol link I included in my earlier comment that I could confirm that we would need to have this negative test in order to board the ship for this itinerary. Given that kerfuffle, I thought it was prudent to suggest that you might also want to check for your voyage yourself as an additional precaution and for your own peace of mind. (How's this for irony - as I'm typing, my phone rings and it's a canned message from Princess Cruises reminding me that I must be tested 3 days prior to boarding the ship, and then I get a text "ping" with the same reminder. 🤭) It has been a confusing mess for so many - I'm just glad for you that you don't have that additional complication! Safe sailing! And Happy Holidays however you choose to celebrate.

You are ultimately responsible for knowing the rules for each country, yes, but it's possible that you are on one of the Enhanced Voyages that now require more effort to confirm whether or not a medically-supervised test is required. I would suggest getting your Voyage Number from your Travel Summary, and check to be sure by going to https://www.princess.com/protocol/

That's a great piece of data to have, thank you very much!

At the moment, I have made arrangements for the required pre-cruise test. Once onboard, though, if any additional testing is required as part of the itinerary, I would expect Princess to provide that. And I think this is a reasonable expectation given that was the way it was handled during our Alaska cruise-tour earlier this year that started on land - Princess arranged for the mandatory pre-cruise test at one of the lodges in preparation for boarding in Whittier. 🤔

Sapphire Princess South America and Antarctica itineraries for December 2022 still showing as requiring the test prior to embarkation... Happy to know that enhanced voyages are being changed for some, even if not for ours. (yet? she adds with guarded optimism)

In that same vein, it would be interesting to have the numbers that are being reported further defined by a) the number of passengers reporting to the Medical Center with symptoms who tested positive as opposed to b) the number of passengers with positive results from a test required as part of the itinerary, i.e. those who wouldn't have been tested otherwise and could have either embarked or disembarked not being aware of their positive status. That differentiation in what statistics are being compared might also have an impact on one cruise line appearing to have higher rates than others.