JF - retired RRT

When the expiration of coffee cards was announced, we gave away our last 2 or 3 cards at the M&G. We didn't have another cruise booked before the official expiration date.

They've changed/eliminated so many things that I'm trying out a different cruise line.

You missed out on a lot of great, relaxing lunches. We went to the MDR for embarkation lunch on every cruise except our last one.

You stole my thunder. That was my first thought.

I've seen your posts on Princess!! We also just booked our first VO cruise. Hawaii in November. Can't wait to see what all the great reviews are about.

Also, consider per person?...per day?...total?

You answered your own question?

There's a CVP Facebook (?) where lots of CVPs and other cruisers interact with questions from customers

You're going in circles. The answer has been get a CVP or if you aren't past 90 days (I don't recall if that's still the limit)...move your booking to a reliable TA. I had an issue with a cruise that I booked online, contacted a CVP and he helped with that in spite of the fact that the cruise was already booked. I continued to deal with him until I decided to try a different cruise line.

Or a sniff??🤢

As suggested...get a TA or try a Princess Vacation Planner (they have direct access to the Princess computer that may be different from a TA)

If you talk to a different rep, you'll get a different answer. Princess does not ALWAYS charge for reservations using the app. It's a glitch in the app. Not supposed to charge...sometimes it does. You could cancel the reservations and get your refund now. Then book once on the ship. Or wait for your refund. BTW: the refund will be in the form of refundable OBC. You won't have to check your credit card statement.

The Sanctuary should be easy to book on an Alaska cruise...fewer B2Bers and it's frigging COLD in the front of the ship.

PVPs don't work on the weekend.

Probably since 9/11. The world changed (at least in the US) after that.

I think one of the reasons that people in Europe usually have a passport is because it's so easy to go to a different country...short flight, maybe a short drive and you're in a different country. In the US, we have 2 choices - Mexico and Canada. For most of our population neither one is a short flight or drive. Where I live, it's 2-3 hours to Mexico and a couple of days to get to Canada (driving).

You should have stopped typing at passport.

Not all suites have a "spacious balcony". We had a suite on Discovery that had the smallest balcony we've ever had. Location is everything. BTW: the Sanctuary is usually very lightly attended on port days. Your chances are much better then. Both of the times we used the Sanctuary was on a port day and we were literally the only people there.

If you miss the ship due to a snafu on the train or the trip from the station, a hotel would be cheaper the day before.

IIRC there's a recent law that prevents credit rating from be screwed up by medical bills.

I wonder if the Medical Center is run and staffed by an independent company rather than Princess?? That might explain the "pay me NOW" attitude.

Yours sound worse than the fractured ankle that I had. No plates, just a screw and a rod. Thirty years later...scar tissue and arthritis in that area prevent movement of my foot. Stairs are surprisingly difficult when your foot doesn't bend at the ankle.

It doesn't always work that way. Many have reported that the system tried to charge them. It's probably a programming glitch...sometimes it works, sometimes it tries to charge for the res.

When you're in a suite, you don't have to book first night specialty dinner ahead of time. They will bend over backward to get you the day/time/restaurant. When we were in a suite (one and only time), we did the first night without issue. We went to the desk at Crown Grill after we boarded and the only question was "where would you like to sit tonight". We booked a second night for Sabatini's and were never charged. So we actually got 2 dinners.

Also, if the deposit is non-refundable, you'll likely lose it.