Rare LACruiser88 Posted February 24, 2023 #1 Share Posted February 24, 2023 This post was recognized by LauraS! "And another from LACruiser88! Thank you for generously sharing your time at sea with everyone at Cruise Critic!" LACruiser88 was awarded the badge '"Live from...."' and 5 points. Hi Folks, here we go again! On Monday morning we will fly from LAX to Buenos Aires (BA) by way of Dallas on American Airlines (AA). After many price comparisons, EZ Air was by far the most economical. We were originally booked in Economy from LAX to Dallas (only option available on EZ Air) and Business Class from Dallas to BA. After the flights were ticketed we were able to upgrade our first flight to First Class directly through AA. In January of 2011, we spent 10 days in BA prior to sailing on a 17-day cruise on the Star Princess, BA to Valparaiso (Chile). On that voyage we cruised in Antarctica for four days. Those four days are still a highlight of our travels and was my "retirement" trip. On this voyage we will not be going to Antarctica, but we will be going to three countries for our first time (Uruguay, Peru, and Ecuador). Being a Cuban-born Spanish speaker, we thoroughly enjoy traveling in Latin America. This cruise really appealed to us because it was a 30+ day voyage that terminates in LA. We live about an hour north of the San Pedro cruise port. It is so nice to disembark and not deal with flying home! This cruise was offered as a 32-day voyage or two separate voyages, 14-day and 18-day. We always do the math to see what works out better financially when you add in obc's (FCD obc, Shareholder obc, etc...) to the fares. For this cruise booking as two separate voyages was more advantageous. So we booked the cruise as two separate voyages in the same Emerald deck, aft mini-suite. We have stayed in these mini suites several times and enjoyed the fully covered balconies. Every once in a awhile it is better to book the longer voyage, you always have to get out your calculator and do the math. For our upcoming November 26-day Enchanted TA (also offered as an 11-day and 15-day voyage) it was better to book the longer voyage. Having seen most of the touristy things to see in and around BA in 2011, on this trip we are just "hanging out." We are staying in a boutique hotel in the Recoleta neighborhood, one of the nicer areas in BA. We were sad to find out a few weeks ago that one of our favorite Princess DRO's, Mario Propato, will be leaving the Sapphire on the same day we board. Luckily, we know his replacement, Francesco Ciorfito, quite well. This will also be a Milestone cruise for us as we will pass the 750 sea day threshold during the beginning of this voyage. We are curious to see if they honor the pre-covid perks given for Milestone voyages??? As I do on all of my "Live" threads, I apologize in advance for not being as witty as other "Live" bloggers. My DW says that I'm a Sgt Joe Friday kind of guy, "Just the facts, ma'am." I plead guilty to that charge! I do try to be as informative as I can and try to answer all questions. To my fellow passengers, I encourage you to add your experiences and answer questions on this thread as we all have different perspectives and experiences. Hasta luego for now! 20 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare dickinson Posted February 24, 2023 #2 Share Posted February 24, 2023 Have a wonderful cruise! I'll be following along vicariously! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milolii Posted February 24, 2023 #3 Share Posted February 24, 2023 Thanks for the thread, will follow. Safe travels. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coo359a2 Posted February 24, 2023 #4 Share Posted February 24, 2023 Congrats on your milestone and good luck getting your 750 day milestone recognition goodies. Ken got his 1000 day milestone March 2022 on the Emerald and was treated like royalty by the Loyalty Manager. I passed 1000 in August 2022 on the Caribbean Princess and received nada. The Loyalty Manager (same one we had on the Regal this past Nov) said milestone recognition was given out per couple not to each person even though the Travel Summary listed it on one of the sections. She said our TA made a mistake by entering my milestone information.. Have a great cruise - good ports to visit. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LACruiser88 Posted February 24, 2023 Author #5 Share Posted February 24, 2023 (edited) 7 minutes ago, coo359a2 said: The Loyalty Manager (same one we had on the Regal this past Nov) said milestone recognition was given out per couple not to each person Luckily my DW and I have the same number of sea days. Say Hi to Ken for us! Edited February 24, 2023 by LACruiser88 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valentin53 Posted February 24, 2023 #6 Share Posted February 24, 2023 Thanks for the thread, I will follow. We will join you in Santiago on March 19. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred bonin Posted February 24, 2023 #7 Share Posted February 24, 2023 We will also be on the flight D/FW to Santiago March 18. 4 th plane in 2 days.Alaska is some what remote.We have premium economy. A little step up. Sounds like we might have to wait a couple hrs at the Santiago airport for the Princess transfer to the ship. 50 minute trip. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallyj Posted February 24, 2023 #8 Share Posted February 24, 2023 Hi @LACruiser88, WallyJ here, so this is why you could not switch back to the 4/4/2023 Syd to LA sailing. I think you mentioned you were already booked on another sailing when we had our quick chat at Vines. What I heard regarding the milestones, Princess is honoring based on some book by date. If you had booked your sailing by a certain date and the ‘system’ saw you would be celebrating a ‘milestone’, it should appear in your ‘travel summary’ before the sailing. Since you booked 2 separate sailings, I would assume if it is going to be honored, they might only do for the first 14 days? The Loyalty Manager should be able to clarify. Sapphire is one of my favorite ships. I was last on her Feb 2020 for a 21 day roundtrip Singapore sailing, but on Day 11, the Captain announced the cruise has ended and we were sent home. I am glad I used EZAir and Princess took care of securing my flight back home. Looking forward to following your adventures on the Sapphire. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LACruiser88 Posted February 24, 2023 Author #9 Share Posted February 24, 2023 @wallyj Hey there! Yes, we switched to this cruise when they originally canceled the Sydney to LA cruise. We are booked on the Majestic, April of 2024, Sydney to Seattle, to make up for the canceled cruise. I'll let you know how they handle the milestone perks, if any. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1emerald1 Posted February 24, 2023 #10 Share Posted February 24, 2023 44 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said: @wallyj Hey there! Yes, we switched to this cruise when they originally canceled the Sydney to LA cruise. We are booked on the Majestic, April of 2024, Sydney to Seattle, to make up for the canceled cruise. I'll let you know how they handle the milestone perks, if any. So do you know if Mario is actually really retiring after this cruise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suekel Posted February 24, 2023 #11 Share Posted February 24, 2023 We'll be joining you in Santiago. We're heading to Lima on the 13th for the Machu Picchu land tour prior to the cruise. So glad it re-opened. Got my altitude medicine for Cusco today! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LACruiser88 Posted February 24, 2023 Author #12 Share Posted February 24, 2023 Just now, 1emerald1 said: So do you know if Mario is actually really retiring after this cruise? He told me he plans to return in a couple of months. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Shelly97060 Posted February 24, 2023 #13 Share Posted February 24, 2023 Will be following along. Have a great cruise! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ken the cruiser Posted February 24, 2023 #14 Share Posted February 24, 2023 We will definitely be following along, as we'll be doing the first leg your B2B on the 2nd leg of our Antarctica B2B on the Sapphire starting in Jan 2024. Have a great cruise!! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pluto_fan Posted February 24, 2023 #15 Share Posted February 24, 2023 Have a wonderful trip! I'm looking forward to following along...we're booked on the Sapphire this June, our first time on Princess. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new2cruise Posted February 24, 2023 #16 Share Posted February 24, 2023 We're also going to be on the Sapphire in June, so any info about the ship, tips, etc. would be greatly appreciated! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1emerald1 Posted February 25, 2023 #17 Share Posted February 25, 2023 1 hour ago, LACruiser88 said: He told me he plans to return in a couple of months. Thanks. Have a great cruise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrammySpo Posted February 25, 2023 #18 Share Posted February 25, 2023 Looking forward to this cruise. Traveling with friends who are celebrating retirement. It’s fun to follow along on a Live feed and hear other people’s perspectives. I may even post here and there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LACruiser88 Posted February 25, 2023 Author #19 Share Posted February 25, 2023 57 minutes ago, GrammySpo said: I may even post here and there. Please do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loge23 Posted February 25, 2023 #20 Share Posted February 25, 2023 Bon Voyage, LACruiser's! Travel safely and have a great cruise - I'll be reading along! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoyMartin Posted February 26, 2023 #21 Share Posted February 26, 2023 Wish you a wonderful cruise. I'll be on Sapphire for an Alaska cruise in June, God willing. Wondering if there's a single day internet option and, if so, what's the price. If you know, please let me know. Thanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSWP Posted February 26, 2023 #22 Share Posted February 26, 2023 Will be following. I did the same cruise, BA to LA in 2014 on Golden Princess. Some great ports along the way. Above all, enjoy !! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deisemum Posted February 26, 2023 #23 Share Posted February 26, 2023 I'll be on the Sapphire on April 6th from LA to Vancouver. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbri Posted February 26, 2023 #24 Share Posted February 26, 2023 Have a wonderful cruise! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare jwattle Posted February 26, 2023 #25 Share Posted February 26, 2023 Enjoy! We'll be following from the cold and wet Northern California😁 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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