Pipo

I just booked my first Princess cruise (Discovery, Mexican Riviera), but I selected a guaranteed balcony. I have booked guaranteed cabins before (on Royal Caribbean), and my stateroom has been assigned within days after reservation, and I have been able to sail without issues.

But recently I read this article which makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable: https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2023/11/30/royal-caribbean-passengers-denied-boarding/71749345007/

Are there any previous cases of denied boardings to passengers with guaranteed cabins on Princess due to oversold sailings? What insurance do you recommend that covers plane/hotel expenses in case I cannot board the ship?

Thank you.

8 minutes ago, SbbquilterUT said:

Sorry - Oceanview would be it.  Any other juices would come with a charge.

Are free juices available at the MDR?

3 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Feel free to add...

Room service: $11.74 ($9.95 + 18%)

Addition lobster tails: $20.04 ($16.95 + 18%)

ANY room service, including breakfast?

I'm planning to take a cruise on Millennium without paying for drinks. Is it possible to get a free juice from any bar? What are my options other than the juices offered on Oceanview Café during breakfast time?

On 1/3/2023 at 10:03 PM, jelayne said:

I too find the changes disheartening.  So far the only change that affects us is the increase in the beverage package as that impacts the upgrade price.

 

We don’t order from Room Service, almost never ( like 3x in 38 cruises) eat dinner in the OV and don’t eat lobster.  
So while the changes don’t really impact us the next one could.

To end the evening on a brighter note I decided to book our flights to Rome for our B2B in October. Now talk about depressing,  one way Premium Economy ( not Business) is ranging from $1900 -$4500 per person.  

I think I need another glass of wine😉

Why you're mentioning room service? Don't tell me they are now charging for that too...

Hmmm, that sounds strange. Actually an experienced cruiser youtuber stated that specialty restaurants are being reduced or relegated because the MDR is improving the food quality, hence making specialty restaurants less attractive to guests. Celebrity is an upscale line so the need for extra cash is not as evident as it happens on the standard or popular lines. 

That will represent a higher workload for restaurant service staff.
The only exception could be Celebrity Flora, Xpedition, and Xplore.

It's also possible to be seated with people from the same country. The Maitre d' arranged that by himself during my Greek Islands cruise on Reflection. We were seated on the formal night with a family from Costa Rica. It was a nice surprise and we became friends after it.

7 hours ago, Ronaldo807 said:

So are minors who were previously booked under the all in promotion now automatically upgraded to the new zero proof?

I don't think they will be upgraded, it's very likely the package will be cancelled and the paid amount applied as on board credit.

I'm seriously considering on writing a letter to customer service and Captain's Club to share my feedback. They're currently on the "test phase" so it is very likely the comments will be handled properly and have a greater impact. Let's see what happens... 

8 minutes ago, MrCruzdoggie said:

On your next cruise the Soda Package option i not there, it only shown Zero-Proof which is wat more cost. Did they take it away?

We're actually discussing that here: 

20 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I guess my optimistic side is showing.  I do not see this as much as 'getting rid of the soda package' but rather an expansion of the soda package to include other non-alcoholic beverages.  With the old multiple packages there was a lot of confusion about what was included with which package and I saw more than one passenger get upset with a crew member when they thought something should have been included in their beverage package but was not, e.g. premium bottle waters with soda package. 

 

To me, I see this expanded package as making it a lot clearer to passengers as to what is and is not included in the package they purchased. 

 

Whenever drinks are sold individually, anyone can do the math and calculate if they will break even. On a transatlantic it perfectly makes sense, but on a five-port cruise... no way it is going to be worth.

From my experience, the packages have been clear enough.

5 hours ago, smtcan said:

We stopped sailing Celebrity when AI was the only option.  Now we can book sail only and use OBC for the few glasses of wine we order over and above HH drinks and the coffees we get as an Elite+ benefit.  We usually take port intensive cruises, not Caribbean where we might consume more juices and water.

Good point.

Anyway, I bet a dollar Celebrity will bring back some of the small packages for the summer. I believe that getting rid of the soda package is a BIG FAIL from a customer experience and a revenue perspective. They are aiming to cater a younger crowd, but simultaneously are eliminating things that young people like. This has no sense.

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3 hours ago, the penguins said:

So now you can just book Sail Only pay per drink and come out ahead - that's a win. 

That's what I'm actually thinking to do. Stick to lemonade and only pay for glasses of wine on dinner.

1 hour ago, prmssk said:

All of the non-alcohol packages appear to have been consolidated into one option - the Zero Proof package (the premium non-alcohol package with a new name).  This was part of the increase in prices and policy changes regarding drink packages that happened last week.

 

The wine packages disappeared from my cruise planner for our upcoming cruise around the same time so those may have disappeared as well.

If that's really the case, then it's very disappointing. I think this is a marketing tactic. A week ago the cabin I selected was $100 higher than what it currently is. So I think they're "sacrificing" cruise fare and betting for the extras to make the cruise initially more appealing from a price perspective.

I don't drink coffee, I don't drink tea, I don't don't care about bottled water, I don't care about juices nor smoothies and all that crap, I only want soda. At $30 (+20%) a day, I won't break even, unless I hoard like 100 sealed RedBull cans in my cabin and bring them back home.

I'm booking a 7-night cruise on Millennium out of Puerto Rico on March. While reviewing the current drinks packages I can only see three options: classic, premium, and zero proof. No soda package, no kids package, no wine packages. Were those actually eliminated or will be available for purchase on board?

Thank you for your clarification.

Former IBMer here, at least my Samsung galaxy tablet with all IBM stuff (encrypted Lotus Notes, Connections, chat, etc) worked perfectly on Harmony of the Seas.

Yes, Bermuda shorts are admitted in the MDR for dinner, but: it's a very disgusting, low level, unnecessary, and a complete no-no way to dress.

I totally understand the ones that want to board early, what I still don't get are the ones that disembark early morning when there are NOT flying that same morning.

- Room service menu had plenty of options and all of them free.

- Welcome back reception for C&A members with sparkling wine.

Regarding the etiquette issues encounter by OP, I'd say Puerto Rican's are a charm if compared to brazilians and chinese, THOSE are rude. Even, I found Puerto Rican's friendly, and with good manners, they say "good morning, excuse me, thank you", they follow the rules, not as the others I'm mentioning above. 

5 hours ago, skiiergirl said:

I have the day 6 compass included in my post on the following thread:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2614996-freedom-cruise-compass/?tab=comments#comment-56364038

Oh great, you got them all! I felt frustrated when I got home and learned I missed day 6 and 7 compasses. Fortunately you did the job correctly. Thank you!

29 minutes ago, KCmomof5 said:

Thank you. We are leaving on the Freedom in 13 days.  Did they have a white night or other themed nights?  Thank you! Dawn

Yes, there was white night, and the typical 70's party.

I'm also disappointed with my recent sailing on Freedom earlier this month (St. Kitts/St. Thomas itinerary), it was my first time out of San Juan, and my first on a Freedom Class. I felt the ship extremely crowded, I think the layout doesn't deliver to the quantity of passengers it actually carries... The waiting time for any elevator is insanely long and the Windjammer is chaotic, many people had to eat standing, because there were not enough tables with chairs. It was impossible to get into an ice-skating show, out of the 4 shows offered during the whole week, I couldn't make it to any of them, Studio B was already full 30 minutes before the shows.

The ship is clearly showing her age all around: damaged elevators, carpeting in bad condition, our shower was not properly sealed on the gap between the rolling door and the floor, making huge damps of water, and the external frame was severely rusted (we called maintenance and they fixed it with silicone). I think they are letting the ship just die till it goes to dry dock in April.

The only highlight was the MDR food. EXTREMELY well prepared, none of the dishes I tried disappointed me, all of them were top class.

Regarding embarkation/departure, our check-in was quite fast, we boarded around 2pm.

Departure was a whole different story, I have never went thru such a long wait/line after a cruise as this one, it was a terrible experience.

There I really missed Oasis class. I think I won't sail on a Freedom Class ship ever again in my life.