son3cruisers

On 6/8/2024 at 11:13 AM, 1025cruise said:

I'd probably go for Faneuil Hall over the Back bay. 

Thanks. Any reasons why? The hotel looks to be a bit nicer

I’ve got two hotels in mind with pretty much the same pricing. This is for mid July.  One is in Back Bay ( Hilton Park Plaza) and the other is downtown area ( Hyatt Centric Faneuil). What would be the recommendation for first timers to Boston? We are active, plan to walk the area for a few days . Heritage sites are interesting, for sure, but we also like to be embedded in the local flavour and don’t want to plan everything out too much - like the idea of  spontaneous activities.  On a map the downtown area looks close to the waterfront areas as well, which is always a great walk. Any opinions? Thanks ! 

1 hour ago, ErLee said:

How far is the Segway place from the port?

We walked along the boardwalk, maybe 5/10 mins. 

Hi Tarm.  We are sailing on the same cruise! (Noticed your name in the roll call as we are new to Princess as well, and just celebrated our 30th! ) 
The  showtimes are in the  app! Take a look and you can plan your dining around what you want to see.

There are 3 restaurants you can book for MTD.

We booked 7 pm and were able to book a table for 2 in the same restaurant every night. 7 works well for us, usually coming back from an excursion and back on board at 5pm ( in most of our ports) , gives us time for a shower and a bevie before sitting down to eat as well as enough time to catch an 8:30/ 9 pm show

I’ve called three different agents. Asked for stateroom credit, room upgrade - whatever they can do as I’m 40 days away. Every response was “ the price is for new bookings only. If you would like to cancel and rebook “ 

17 minutes ago, memoak said:

They are referring to the plus package which includes WiFi and CA as well as unlimited non alcoholic drinks. Not the stand alone soft drink package

Oh ok got it! Thanks. New to princess and trying to figure it all out. 

On 5/18/2024 at 12:10 PM, skynight said:

 

Unlimited non alcoholic beverages. Mainly specialty coffees, sodas, water. Of course if you use it. For me this benefit is worth $15/day, mostly for the specialty coffees.

Add up your est. costs

 

 

 

I’m confused. $15 a day is totally worth it but that’s not the price I see!! 
What am I missing? 
Here is the price for my sailing ( yes Canadian funds but still!!) 

$48 a day??? For coffee and non alcoholic drinks? 
Please share how you are getting $15 because that is a great price. 

We walked the boardwalk ( beautiful ) and then rented Segways . It was an awesome way to see all the sights and venture out beyond the port area with a tour guide. 
 

https://www.segwayns.com

7 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

Whoa its 750 cdn the night i’m going! Bring on the tips though i may find something!

I’m thinking maybe because I’m 50ish days away? Hopefully  closer to your sailing the prices will drop! 

15 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

That's a downright bargain for Boston. 

Really!!! Ok, well that’s good to know! I can stop looking!  That includes breakfast too. 

11 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

The AC Hotel by Marriott in Cambridge is $293 US on Sept 27th

$293 US is $400 Can. 😩 Same as a hostle price apparently. 

I just booked the Hilton in Backbay for $285 US for July. Steep, but the best I could find in that area which has been highly recommended for one night stay.

1 hour ago, coldweather said:

Has anyone else had luck getting the $99 deposits on Grand Princess from San Juan in 2025-2026?  As the OP stated, on the Princess website the current $99 deposit is indicated for these cruises.  When you click all the way through the reservation, it indicates an $800 deposit is due at booking.  I was hoping this was a glitch and would be fixed by now to take advantage of the $99 deposit. 

Maybe try the agent's extension I posted.

Her guess was that that particular cruise ( 2026 San Juan including Barbados) was a new addition to the website and sometimes it takes a while for IT to catch up . She was able to grant the deposit. 

14 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

Did you call again or use the chat?

I called. Spoke with an agent by the name of April. She gave me her extension as well as she said there were a few calls she encountered with the same issue. Very thorough as opposed to the other two agents that just blankly said it wasn’t doable. I will definitely be contacting her if we book another cruise. 
Booking agent - April @ extension #11911

On 3/26/2024 at 4:28 PM, CruiseNC1111 said:

La Baie cruise port location is PERMANENTLY CLOSED in 2024.  I had sent a request to National asking when they would be opening for the season, and they responded that the location is permanently closed.  They may have a location in Chicoutimi however the one that used to be right next to the cruise port is no longer open.

I just made a booking here - not sure why you were told  it’s closed. That information is not correct. You can book it on the National rental site as well.-  book online at the location YBGP01 La Baie

Thank you racingrayswim mom . I used your contact and she responded within a few minutes. Was able to make a reservation for July

Follow up #2 - Success 👍

I thought I would try again, as we all know  CS agents can vary.

Shout out to CS agent April, who was able to escalate the issue and grant the advertised deposit of $99. Fully refundable deposit for a 2026 cruise. 
Third time’s a charm I guess. 

13 minutes ago, vjmatty said:

It is very common, in fact it’s been extended a few times. Sometimes they even have $1 deposits. Usually the PVP’S are better with customer service than this. Most if not all would at least offer an apology, for what little that might be worth. 

Just to follow up,

I did get on the phone to speak with an agent.

Much different experience. It is a glitch, she explained it, I wasn’t the only one with this issue - the previous sale is still listed online but didn’t apply to my sailing. That is why I couldn’t book online. She was a very courteous agent, very pleasant and helpful for someone new to Princess. So I guess I will wait. 
 

Like I said I’m new to Princess and the agent did not help one bit. Didn’t offer to look into it or offer any apology for a website glitch. Good Customer service is a thing of the past I guess. I’m sure this is an offer that is advertised often? Or is this rare with Princess ( $99 deposit) 

No it’s not a suite. I used the chat feature to chat with an agent who said it’s not for 2026 sailings and would not apply it even though it’s advertised online.( little red flag by the price )  I sent a screen shot. Would not help at all. She said that’s why I couldn’t book online - it’s not applicable . I asked why it’s being advertised and got a blanket response . 
 

I go all the way to the payment page, and it’s a full deposit ($650 Can) required for a 2026 sailing.  

Not $99.  Even though the $99 deposit is advertised for this sailing. 
Is this something I need to call to book? We are new to Princess

We just booked a 11 night CANADA to BOSTON cruise departing in about 45 days.

Yes, there are many excursions already fully booked.

Thank you ziggyuk !!! 

1 hour ago, cruislovin said:

What time did you get to the beach? Were there chairs available? If we want a pool day we can do that on the ship!

We arrived to the beach about 10:30 after checking in at the hotel. The palapa’s were all gone but 2 loungers were not a problem. There are attendants that will get them for you ( I saw a stack) . Also there are three pools at this resort and they are much better than any pool on a ship! I would definitely recommend this resort 

We took our kids ( who were young teens at the time) on a Disney Cruise to Alaska. They still talk about it today as one of their favourite cruises. You often think of younger kids with Disney, and characters and shows - but our boys loved the clubs, the dining all of it.  The teen clubs and activities were amazing and if they are science buffs there was a lot of experiences and seminars just for them. Many great  excursions in Alaska for families as well. And with the kids loving the clubs, there is adult only areas as well that we took advantage of! 
If you are pricing out a Disney cruise , just remember that the price show online is for 2! Not like other lines that give single pricing. 
 

If Disney is not your thing, I agree with Royal or NCL. 

We travelled to Hawaii on Pride of America without kids. Beautiful itinerary but can’t comment on kids activities and whether or not there was a kids club. 

16 minutes ago, CNSfromHI said:

I can tell you that I signed up again for the CC emails and am receiving the usual number of near-daily promos in my inbox. No CC "offer" yet, nor any notation of my/our CC status on anything I've received.

 

Same. Signed up again ( and again ) but have received nothing this year. No Power up points emails but daily marketing promotions. Thank you to the posters who post the opportunity for the points. It’s the only way I know. I’ve contacted CS and their reply was to sign up again . Umm thanks? 

Just sailed on Rhapsody in March. 
Very clean ship and we experienced excellent crew. But it is one of Royals older ships, so capacity is much less than the newer ships - which we like very much. Staterooms were a bit tired, but again, our balcony cabin was spacious and very well kept. There is a rock climbing wall and a track for running/ walking, a casino as well as a spa and gym, but that’s it. No slides, or race tracks or ice rinks. 

There are three specialty restaurants as well. 

Debby in the schooner bar was fabulous and had drink recommendations for us every night!