Princess Secrets they Don't Tell You - 2013 version

[beshears]

Thank you, that was a good list, especially for new people to know what some of the alpha letters stand for. :)

[bunkiearlette]

Thanks for tip on mini bar set up. this is my lst attempt on cruise critic. We found out that the coffee card is good for wonderful hot chocolate but you can only get that on the original cruise. After that it is good only for coffee. I'm trying to find out how to access the upcoming cruise on Princess Pacific leaving Oct 30th from Athens to find out about the shore excursions. On other trips, cruise critic has had wonderful shore excursions. How do I access that info.

[Cruisin Oma]

Thanks for tip on mini bar set up. this is my lst attempt on cruise critic. We found out that the coffee card is good for wonderful hot chocolate but you can only get that on the original cruise. After that it is good only for coffee. I'm trying to find out how to access the upcoming cruise on Princess Pacific leaving Oct 30th from Athens to find out about the shore excursions. On other trips, cruise critic has had wonderful shore excursions. How do I access that info.

 

Hi Bunkiearlette:

Cruise Critic itself doesn't arrange excursions. Folks here get together and research excursions and share their information, sometimes you need a minimum to book, and in that case people on a roll call will get together and book together. The best was to find out about excursions is to go to your roll call for your sailing - go to roll calls, I am assuming you are on Princess, find your ship, and then scroll thru until you find your sailing. (The order will be the last time someone psted to the thread, so depending on how active your thread is, you might have to scroll a while.) Read thru the thread and see what others are doing and if there are openings for other couples to join them. GOOD LUCK!

[pablo222]

I know. It's crazy to post. I honestly don't even think when the GPS is turned off and you 'take off' location it really goes away. I don't trust it. THe GPS is turned off on my friends phone and a child accidently called 911 and they knew exactly where the phone was (not that that is bad,however not truly off)

 

In the US 911 regulations require the wireless carrier to provide the

phones lat+long of the phone within 300 meters -- to emergency services.

They can do this with or without gps in the handset.

[azippy]

Thanks for tip on mini bar set up. this is my lst attempt on cruise critic. We found out that the coffee card is good for wonderful hot chocolate but you can only get that on the original cruise. After that it is good only for coffee. I'm trying to find out how to access the upcoming cruise on Princess Pacific leaving Oct 30th from Athens to find out about the shore excursions. On other trips, cruise critic has had wonderful shore excursions. How do I access that info.

 

Greetings from the EMERALD -- heading to NY --- ;-{

 

the coffee card is good till the holes are punched for the specialty coffee--- if they look at it >>> the free coffee/tea will not be granted -- the trick is not to fill in the back of the card -- no ship name at least - if it is beat up - wait a few days before you try to use it - day one it will look good

 

I did notice someone with a different card this voyage - white outer rim and a brown center - so maybe this loop hole will be closed

 

HINT::::::::: the port side carpet is edged in a coral-y color - so just glance at it to know what side you are heading to -- the starboard is rimmed in blue ....

[Cruisin Broad]

In case anyone's thinking of purchasing CCL stock in order to receive the OBC, now might be a good time to look at the stock as the price has been falling the last two days. May be a good buying opportunity.

[EatPrayCruise]

In case anyone's thinking of purchasing CCL stock in order to receive the OBC' date=' now might be a good time to look at the stock as the price has been falling the last two days. May be a good buying opportunity.[/quote']

 

Wow, thanks for the tip. We are looking to buy and was hoping it would go down, and it has certainly gone down!

 

 

thank you

[Kentchikan]

In case anyone's thinking of purchasing CCL stock in order to receive the OBC' date=' now might be a good time to look at the stock as the price has been falling the last two days. May be a good buying opportunity.[/quote']

 

But of course it is and I bought it when it was high.

Plus my OBC still isn't showing up on my next cruise.

[gr82cu2]

I second the recommendations for the Volcano from the kids' menu. I sailed Princess for years before I had kids, and frequently requested a banana split because I liked to see the various interpretations my waiters came up with. ("Banana split" not usually being a phrase they understood readily). Once they brought me a dish of topped ice cream along with a banana still in the skin. :cool: Another time it was a bunch of banana circles mixed in with the ice cream. I do love me a good banana split.

 

Then I had kids, started cruising with them, and saw the Volcano on the kids menu and now I order it all the time. :D

 

I know the above is old but it reminded me of a miscommunication or misunderstanding on a cruise one time. We went to the buffet for breakfast and a sweet young waitress stopped by to see what we would like to drink. I told her coffee please with 1/2 & 1/2. She got a puzzled look and in broken english said she didn't know what 1/2 & 1/2 was. I explained it was 1/2 cream & 1/2 milk. She nodded and walked away. A few minutes later I spied her nearby feverishly whipping some cream with a carton of milk to mix in :) I felt terrible! So, I went over and told her just milk would be fine!

[mskrmk]

Does anyone know if the obc received from stock ownership can be used for tips?

[rdsqrl]

Does anyone know if the obc received from stock ownership can be used for tips?

Yes, it can be used for anything.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I know the above is old but it reminded me of a miscommunication or misunderstanding on a cruise one time. We went to the buffet for breakfast and a sweet young waitress stopped by to see what we would like to drink. I told her coffee please with 1/2 & 1/2. She got a puzzled look and in broken english said she didn't know what 1/2 & 1/2 was. I explained it was 1/2 cream & 1/2 milk. She nodded and walked away. A few minutes later I spied her nearby feverishly whipping some cream with a carton of milk to mix in :) I felt terrible! So, I went over and told her just milk would be fine!

They try SO hard, don't they? It's makes us cautious of asking for anything other than the standard offerings (not that half and half isn't standard), because we know they'll go to great lengths to provide. If we simply express delight with some food item, we'll get more of it the next time.

[Cruisin Oma]

Yes, it can be used for anything.

 

Ummmm not sure about that. Recd the following from my TA, this was important to us as we get $250 for our 15 day cruise and we are only booking one excursion with Princess.

 

===================================

You only have to own it while you are on the cruise - then you can sell immediately. You can transfer it as soon as you get back from the cruise with absolutely no problem.

 

Yes, Pat was correct. You would receive $250 onboard credit from the Stockholder Benefit.

 

Unfortunately, you cannot use this onboard credit towards the gratuities. HOWEVER, you can visit the casino and withdraw the money to play with and then not play. Then you can take the cash and place it towards your bill. Sometimes, there is a 10% fee or standard fee when you take out money in the casino. If you are a regular player inside the casino then on most occasions the fee is waived.

[rdsqrl]

Ummmm not sure about that. Recd the following from my TA, this was important to us as we get $250 for our 15 day cruise and we are only booking one excursion with Princess.

 

===================================

You only have to own it while you are on the cruise - then you can sell immediately. You can transfer it as soon as you get back from the cruise with absolutely no problem.

 

Yes, Pat was correct. You would receive $250 onboard credit from the Stockholder Benefit.

 

Unfortunately, you cannot use this onboard credit towards the gratuities. HOWEVER, you can visit the casino and withdraw the money to play with and then not play. Then you can take the cash and place it towards your bill. Sometimes, there is a 10% fee or standard fee when you take out money in the casino. If you are a regular player inside the casino then on most occasions the fee is waived.

With all due respect to your TA, who doesn't seem to know much about Princess so I'm using the expression very loosely, she's incorrect. Princess's onboard accounting system just accrues one's total beginning balance into one lump credit and then subtracts all one's onboard expenses as they are charged. One look at her bill had she ever actually sailed them should have told her that.

 

And buying and selling stock that quickly sounds to me like it'll cost you more in trading fees and possible stock price drops than it would in OBC. Sounds like she's as savvy a financial planner as she is a TA . . .

 

[operabob1]

I know the above is old but it reminded me of a miscommunication or misunderstanding on a cruise one time. We went to the buffet for breakfast and a sweet young waitress stopped by to see what we would like to drink. I told her coffee please with 1/2 & 1/2. She got a puzzled look and in broken english said she didn't know what 1/2 & 1/2 was. I explained it was 1/2 cream & 1/2 milk. She nodded and walked away. A few minutes later I spied her nearby feverishly whipping some cream with a carton of milk to mix in :) I felt terrible! So, I went over and told her just milk would be fine!

 

In Spain in 1975 in a bar I ordered a Brown Co. Kahlua and cream I explained to the waiter. He came back with a bowl of whipped cream covered with Kahlua.

 

As whether shareholder OBC can be used for tips, I recall the shareowner benefits description says no but on my last cruise it was just mixed in with the OBC we received through our travel agent and went towards tips.

 

At $30 CCL yields 4% BTW. It closed today @ $32.70US. In the last year it has been as high as about $39.

Edited September 26, 2013 by operabob1

[operabob1]

Says it cannot be used for gratuities but that was definitely not the case on my last cruise:

 

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-sharebenefit_pf

[Cruisin Oma]

With all due respect to your TA, who doesn't seem to know much about Princess so I'm using the expression very loosely, she's incorrect. Princess's onboard accounting system just accrues one's total beginning balance into one lump credit and then subtracts all one's onboard expenses as they are charged. One look at her bill had she ever actually sailed them should have told her that.

 

And buying and selling stock that quickly sounds to me like it'll cost you more in trading fees and possible stock price drops than it would in OBC. Sounds like she's as savvy a financial planner as she is a TA . . .

 

 

I went and looked it up, as we are going to have $675 in on board credit, and while I doubt I will have a hard time spending it, I'm currently not drinking, so unless I spa it up, its going to be up to the DH to drink his way through it.

 

The bullets below are from the form you have to submit with your proof of ownership.

 

• This offer is good for only one cabin occupied by the shareholder. Only one benefit OBC can be applied to a cabin, even if there are multiple shareholders in the cabin.

• This offer can only be applied to bookings under deposit.

• This offer cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities.

• This offer is combinable with most cruise fares. Some restrictions apply.

• This offer is combinable with most onboard credit offers.

• This offer is non-transferable.

• Applications to receive this benefit must be made no later than 14 days prior to the cruise departure date.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also from the Carnival Website Shareholder Benefits page - This benefit is not transferable and cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities charged to your onboard account.

 

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-sharebenefit

 

So looks like she steared me wrong on the get it out of the casino, but she was correct that it cannot be used for gratuities.

 

By the way, she wasn't trying to give investment advice, the question was posed by another person, "If you bought the stock for the OBC for our 15 day cruise, do you really get $250 OBC and could you sell it when you got back?" She answered the questions asked of her.

 

This is a new form for 2013, so this may be new info that wasn't part of the old form you are used to.

 

All that being said, when I first saw her email, my first thought was how are they going to keep track of that??????

Edited September 26, 2013 by Cruisin Oma

[bhopal21]

Despite what your TA told you and the info above, your onboard account is a simple debit and credit system. You start off with a credit balance and ANYTHING charged against that reduces the credit, be it tips, liquor, gambling, shore excursions, etc. it makes no difference.

 

Mike:)

[AZbeachboy]

Despite what your TA told you and the info above, your onboard account is a simple debit and credit system. You start off with a credit balance and ANYTHING charged against that reduces the credit, be it tips, liquor, gambling, shore excursions, etc. it makes no difference.

 

Mike:)

 

That is pretty much what Princess told me about my veterans credit. When asked specifically about using that credit for tips they she said they cannot be used. But when asked about how the on board ship credit works it seems they do not have the system to designate which part of the OBC is what.

[bhopal21]

But when asked about how the on board ship credit works it seems they do not have the system to designate which part of the OBC is what.

 

They may have it in the future; but presently do not.

 

Three weeks ago I cruised with military, stockholder's, FCC and it all just went into the pot.:D

 

Mike:)

[Gert2011]

I went and looked it up, as we are going to have $675 in on board credit, and while I doubt I will have a hard time spending it, I'm currently not drinking, so unless I spa it up, its going to be up to the DH to drink his way through it.

 

The bullets below are from the form you have to submit with your proof of ownership.

 

• This offer is good for only one cabin occupied by the shareholder. Only one benefit OBC can be applied to a cabin, even if there are multiple shareholders in the cabin.

• This offer can only be applied to bookings under deposit.

• This offer cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities.

• This offer is combinable with most cruise fares. Some restrictions apply.

• This offer is combinable with most onboard credit offers.

• This offer is non-transferable.

• Applications to receive this benefit must be made no later than 14 days prior to the cruise departure date.

 

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also from the Carnival Website Shareholder Benefits page - This benefit is not transferable and cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities charged to your onboard account.

 

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=140690&p=irol-sharebenefit

 

So looks like she steared me wrong on the get it out of the casino, but she was correct that it cannot be used for gratuities.

 

By the way, she wasn't trying to give investment advice, the question was posed by another person, "If you bought the stock for the OBC for our 15 day cruise, do you really get $250 OBC and could you sell it when you got back?" She answered the questions asked of her.

 

This is a new form for 2013, so this may be new info that wasn't part of the old form you are used to.

 

All that being said, when I first saw her email, my first thought was how are they going to keep track of that??????

 

They don't keep track of it separately although that is what the policy says. Got off the Diamond about 2 weeks ago. As others have said, it works for anything. I have used it on 5 cruises for tips, two this year. Never a problem.

 

Now Norwegian, that is a different story I found out the hard way last summer. I had a little over a $100 OBC I lost at the end of the cruise and had a bill I had to pay. It wasn't OBC because of stock but something else. Took two months of hassle with the head office but I finally got it back. Never again.

[operabob1]

So looks like she steared me wrong on the get it out of the casino, but she was correct that it cannot be used for gratuities.

 

 

However, when you read it more closely it might be specifically referring to gratuities in the casino only.

 

• This offer cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities.

 

As I mentioned before I had no trouble using shareowner's OBC towards gratuities on my last cruise.

 

By the way, she wasn't trying to give investment advice, the question was posed by another person, "If you bought the stock for the OBC for our 15 day cruise, do you really get $250 OBC and could you sell it when you got back?" She answered the questions asked of her.

 

I'm with you on that. If you're going to buy shares in any company your first consideration should be growth prospects. Shareholder benefits such as these should be much lower in consideration.

 

CCL is trading at $32.82 right now. With commission (buy & sell) your out lay is approximately $3300 for 100 shares.

 

That will pay you $100/year in dividends. If you take one cruise in the year and the price of CCL falls to $31 (and you sell) all you've done is broken even with the OBC. If it falls below $31 you're sailing on the Costa Concordia.

 

Buy because it's an investment rather than for OBC.

Edited September 26, 2013 by operabob1

[IECalCruiser]

However, when you read it more closely it might be specifically referring to gratuities in the casino only.

 

As I mentioned before I had no trouble using shareowner's OBC towards gratuities on my last cruise.

 

I'm with you on that. If you're going to buy shares in any company your first consideration should be growth prospects. Shareholder benefits such as these should be much lower in consideration.

 

CCL is trading at $32.82 right now. With commission (buy & sell) your out lay is approximately $3300 for 100 shares.

 

That will pay you $100/year in dividends. If you take one cruise in the year and the price of CCL falls to $31 (and you sell) all you've done is broken even with the OBC. If it falls below $31 you're sailing on the Costa Concordia.

 

Buy because it's an investment rather than for OBC.

You don't gain or lose money on a stock until you sell it. Until then the value of the stock is the return you receive from dividends and, for CCL stock, OBC. If you take one short cruise a year, probably not the best use of your cash, but with the OBC for the 10 cruises we have taken in the 4 years we have owned our 100 shares, the return on our original investment has been about 9-10% per year, not a bad performance over that period.

[Thrak]

You don't gain or lose money on a stock until you sell it. Until then the value of the stock is the return you receive from dividends and, for CCL stock, OBC. If you take one short cruise a year, probably not the best use of your cash, but with the OBC for the 10 cruises we have taken in the 4 years we have owned our 100 shares, the return on our original investment has been about 9-10% per year, not a bad performance over that period.

 

I bought the stock for the cruise benefits. We don't get to cruise a lot (money and jobs) but we do enjoy the OBC from the stock. The money I spent on the stock was sitting in the bank earning something horrible like .1% or so. I bought the stock and immediately realized a $250 ROI in the form of OBC for my cruise last year. Not bad - especially when compared to what the bank was paying for the money to just sit there.

 

I have to agree with IECalCruiser. Even though CCL has gone down quite a bit since I bought the stock bit it still pays me the $25 dividend from time to time, I got $250 OBC on my last cruise, and I'm getting OBC on my next cruise (and all of my future cruises) so I don't really care what the stock is selling for right now. The "paper loss" doesn't really affect how I live or how the shares work for me regarding OBC.

[operabob1]

IE,

 

LOL! You need to read my post a little closer (Oh, and this is not a flame war. Between us we can do a good job of educating inexperienced people about why or why not).:

 

That will pay you $100/year in dividends. If you take one cruise in the year and the price of CCL falls to $31 (and you sell) all you've done is broken even with the OBC.

 

If you take one short cruise a year, probably not the best use of your cash, but with the OBC for the 10 cruises we have taken in the 4 years we have owned our 100 shares, the return on our original investment has been about 9-10% per year, not a bad performance over that period.

 

All good thinking as an investment. An excellent performance IMO BTW. (Just for fun Google: Grace Groner Wake Forest College)

 

I bought my shares @$30 because the Captain sunk the Concordia. The sell off is usually overdone in things like this so I expected upside. That's why I bought. The OBC is icing on the cake. I think the current sell off is because the lawsuits are on their way (but I haven't looked yet).

Edited September 26, 2013 by operabob1