Princess Secrets 2014!!!

[AE_Collector]

I bought both Carnival and Royal Caribbean at the same time 3 to 4 years ago. Both have done well though one has done much better than the other. I think both Costa and Carnival brands misfortunes have held Carnival shares back somewhat. Hopefully that will improve with time.

 

Carnival Cruise: Bought at $30 - today $40 = 33% gain.

Royal Caribbean: Bought at $24 - today $54 = 125% gain.

 

The best part is that I didn't just buy the minimum requirement of 100 shares.

 

Terry

[Robin122]

I don't mean to offend anyone, but I keep thinking when I get a notice that something new might be being posted that's actually about being ON Princess ships... I am not saying the information about getting on board credits for stock/share holders isn't good. I'm just saying that it's been covered fully.

 

Just my two cents - which isn't much based on the inflation rates. LOL

[uababs]

This has been mentioned before, but deserves repeating. The best Princess secret is the embarkation day lunch in one of the main dining rooms. We are just off the Island Princess, Panama Canal full transit.

 

After the hubbub of embarkation, it was a quiet respite to have lunch in the MDR. When we first arrived it seemed that they weren't serving. There was no one at the host stand, no people to be seen. But we walked further in and a host saw us and motioned us in. There were only a handful of folks eating, tucked back into a corner!

 

Good food, good service. Great start to a great cruise!

[Kentchikan]

This has been mentioned before, but deserves repeating. The best Princess secret is the embarkation day lunch in one of the main dining rooms. We are just off the Island Princess, Panama Canal full transit.

 

After the hubbub of embarkation, it was a quiet respite to have lunch in the MDR. When we first arrived it seemed that they weren't serving. There was no one at the host stand, no people to be seen. But we walked further in and a host saw us and motioned us in. There were only a handful of folks eating, tucked back into a corner!

 

Good food, good service. Great start to a great cruise!

 

The salmon they have in the dining room on the first day is exquisite.

[JimAOk1945]

This has been mentioned before, but deserves repeating. The best Princess secret is the embarkation day lunch in one of the main dining rooms. We are just off the Island Princess, Panama Canal full transit.

 

After the hubbub of embarkation, it was a quiet respite to have lunch in the MDR. When we first arrived it seemed that they weren't serving. There was no one at the host stand, no people to be seen. But we walked further in and a host saw us and motioned us in. There were only a handful of folks eating, tucked back into a corner!

 

Good food, good service. Great start to a great cruise!

 

 

This is great news. We will be on the Island in December. Thanks for posting.

[sallybrown2012]

Love these tips!

[JimAOk1945]

The salmon they have in the dining room on the first day is exquisite.

 

Good to know. My wife loves salmon.

[Cruz-OR]

Like being able to get hot chocolate or regular coffee for free in the Piazza when you have a coffee card for the specialty drinks.

[uababs]

The salmon they have in the dining room on the first day is exquisite.

 

I'm not much of a salmon eater, but I had some for lunch on embakation day, and I agree. It was excellent!

 

At dinner a couple of times our tablemate had salmon over the pasta alfredo with the parmesan bowl.

[puggleperson]

I know why 2013 secrets keeps getting revisited, people were probably sick of wading through all the stock shenanigans in this 2014 thread.. This thread should really be titled Princess stock info... :mad:

 

Thanks for the other few secrets

Edited March 27, 2014 by puggleperson

[Wehwalt]

If you receive paid-for gifts on board ship (my TA sent me guacamole and chips) that you don't want, you can trade them in for on board credit. That is, the certificate they put in your cabin in this case.

 

The Pacific Princess will allow you to charge $10 or $15 in quarters to your on board account. Good way of using up surplus OBC if you don't mind spending or finding a way of cashing them in. One way is to come back with five bucks in quarters, say "I bought too much" and get a five dollar bill.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Wehwalt

[Luv Cruising Land or Sea]

This has been mentioned before, but deserves repeating. The best Princess secret is the embarkation day lunch in one of the main dining rooms. We are just off the Island Princess, Panama Canal full transit.

 

After the hubbub of embarkation, it was a quiet respite to have lunch in the MDR. When we first arrived it seemed that they weren't serving. There was no one at the host stand, no people to be seen. But we walked further in and a host saw us and motioned us in. There were only a handful of folks eating, tucked back into a corner!

 

Good food, good service. Great start to a great cruise!

 

Correct and this IS a BIG secret because if you ask the staff welcoming you on board which dining room is open, they will direct you to Horizon Court which is what they have been trained to say. ;) Look at your deck plans before you board and know where you need to go and try each of the anytime dining areas - one is sure to be operating! We have done this on our last several cruise and always get a great quiet meal away from the hustle of the buffet

[lrm]

I appreciate the information that applies to all cruisers--regardless of their status. Most of the time, the information here is for those who are Elite status...have stock..etc.

[Kentchikan]

Correct and this IS a BIG secret because if you ask the staff welcoming you on board which dining room is open, they will direct you to Horizon Court which is what they have been trained to say. ;) Look at your deck plans before you board and know where you need to go and try each of the anytime dining areas - one is sure to be operating! We have done this on our last several cruise and always get a great quiet meal away from the hustle of the buffet

 

Or stop in your stateroom and check the Patter the dining room will be listed there.

[Kappa]

FYI on stockholder benefits: you only have to hold the stock long enough to get a statement printed. In my case I bought the stock near the close of the market on Monday and sold it on the open on Tuesday. In this case I made and extra $25 on the $4000 I invested for overnight.

 

Just be careful we're not going to war overnight or that they're issuing numbers in the AM.

[soakedbythesea]

Hey, enough of the 'Ships can sink' - we'll be trying to get through the Bermuda triangle unscathed in a few months. That's if our plane doesn't crash on the way over to the Olde Country.:cool:

 

BTW, who do I contact after getting the shares issued - Captains Club, my TA, Good ole Princess herself? $250 may be worth the risk. Won't work on short sells, right?

 

Pessimissm has it's place, which is after our last cruise! :confused:

 

It is, of course, a very personal decision. For us an extra $100 2 or 3 times a year in addition to the dividend yield and the appreciation we have seen are well worth it. The commish when we bought the shares was $6. Can it go to nothing? Sure. So can every other stock or mutual fund in the portfolio. Not very likely. Stocks can go down, planes can crash, ships can sink.:eek:

[soakedbythesea]

Did you book and get OBC direct or through a travel agent - Just wondering if on my upcoming Princess cruise through a TA if I should try to get them to get me the credit or fax the info directly to Princess or both (that might be too confusing for even the sharpest ones there).

 

Last week I could not find the new Shareholder Benefits program, I even called Princess to see if they knew if the program was continued. Today after asking this question and told not to worry, I checked Carnival Corp once again. Great News, there it was the new Shareholder Benefits - Good for reservations made by Feb 28th 2015 for sailings up to July 31st 2015. Not only that, I rechecked the Princess site and my $250 credit has been added onto my cruise credits.

[JimAOk1945]

I know why 2013 secrets keeps getting revisited, people were probably sick of wading through all the stock shenanigans in this 2014 thread.. This thread should really be titled Princess stock info... :mad:

 

Thanks for the other few secrets

 

 

I agree! The information about stocks, etc. would be good info for a new thread!

 

It's been a few years since we sailed on Princess. I would like to know a few more secrets.:D

[Kentchikan]

Did you book and get OBC direct or through a travel agent - Just wondering if on my upcoming Princess cruise through a TA if I should try to get them to get me the credit or fax the info directly to Princess or both (that might be too confusing for even the sharpest ones there).

 

Go directly through Princess. You can find the form on line or call the toll free number and they will connect you with the peeps who can help. I had a frustrating experience trying to get them the info and customer service was wonderfully helpful.

[freealta]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=285295&d=1378261503

 

Here is the form. I faxed it last week and got an email within two hours, check account online and it was credited.

 

Search the word "stock" in the princess forum and you see it asked every few days.

Edited March 30, 2014 by freealta

[lovemykids2]

Correct and this IS a BIG secret because if you ask the staff welcoming you on board which dining room is open, they will direct you to Horizon Court which is what they have been trained to say. ;) Look at your deck plans before you board and know where you need to go and try each of the anytime dining areas - one is sure to be operating! We have done this on our last several cruise and always get a great quiet meal away from the hustle of the buffet

 

It wasn't until I was on my 15th cruise ( which would finally make me "elite" at the end of the sailing :) ) when my friend who I often cruise with mentioned the dining room secret! I looked at her in awe!! We have been on another cruise since... Seriously enjoy the first lunch in the dining room just to set the tone for the entire cruise... :D

[LaraTiara]

We have been on another cruise since... Seriously enjoy the first lunch in the dining room just to set the tone for the entire cruise... :D

 

 

This just makes my day! We sail in 3 days! Thank you for telling the secret!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[sayaguru]

Friends of my brother went on their first cruise.

 

They ate in at the Horizon Court every night. They thought the dining room was the specialty restaurant and you had to pay more. :eek::eek:

 

I feel sorry for them. I love being spoilt in the dining room.

 

They obviously never talked to anyone on the cruise.

[graceswan]

Although I have not been on Princess yet, I appreciate that tip. One of the things I love about my vacation is being waited on. Also, I think it helps to avoid the multitudes at the buffets with their germy hands all over the tongs! I am not a germaphobe, but I find myself shying away from the buffets as much as possible.

[Kentchikan]

Although I have not been on Princess yet, I appreciate that tip. One of the things I love about my vacation is being waited on. Also, I think it helps to avoid the multitudes at the buffets with their germy hands all over the tongs! I am not a germaphobe, but I find myself shying away from the buffets as much as possible.

 

And as an added bonus buffets offer the temptation to try a little of this and little of that until you need bearers to carry the plates. One is as tempted in the dining room.