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Messages - ccrain

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Cruising Tips Chatter / Re: How to avoid bad cabins
« on: December 25, 2018, 10:25:29 AM »
We've been burned twice. Once on the Island, for a B2B2B and on the Diamond for a B2B2B. They could not adjust the temperature any more. The problem on the Diamond was no air flow and they gave up fixing it. (Got $1500 in future cruise credits for their inability to fix.) The problem on the Island couldn't be fixed either, but was tolerable - barely.

Keep a record of the temperature in the cabin (78 in the Diamond in the late afternoon until around midnight). Repeatedly request passenger services to fix. That creates a written record. Use that to file a formal complaint at the end of the cruise to corporate.

Other tips, pick a side of the ship that is not exposed to the sun in the afternoon. Example - LA to HI R/T - pick a port cabin. Even if you are interior, the heat load on the other cabins will decrease your A/C capacity. Pick a cabin away from the stairwells that go to exterior decks above. The constant opening and closing of access doors allows hotter external air into the stairwells and elevator shafts.

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Also, the mini-bar exchange for two coffee cards is a great deal as the cards are typically unmarked. (Most actually are if you get them from a server you have made friends with during the cruise.)

In fact, I've only had one card marked in the past several cruises...

I agree.  Try also to get an unmarked card when you buy a coffee card at a bar.  That unmarked card may turn out to be the brewed coffee and hot chocolate gift card that keeps on giving on your future Princess cruises.

BUT - on our last cruise on the Emerald in June 2016, they have once again changed the layout and color of the card so they know old cards when they see them...

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Cruising Tips Chatter / Re: How to get CIF
« on: December 20, 2015, 08:55:56 AM »
While not generating OBCs there are two ways to get some CIF - Cash in Fist.

  • Watch Princess EZ Air prices very closely.  Sometimes there are unpublished EZ Air prices so ask.
  • Buddy up with your travel agent.  Sometimes they can lower the fare AFTER final payment



Agreed. On the Australian Cruise From Southampton to Sydney next year, after booking, our TA got us the sip and sail package at no additional cost, then just last week, the fare went down $3k with a $600 OBC. We had to give up the sip and sail, which was no problem since we don't drink that much anyway...

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Don't forget the Princess Credit Card. We will be leaving on the 4th of June for Alaska and have just cashed in points for $1000.00 dollars of cabin credits. We pay the card off each month, so this is free credits.

I actually did a careful spreadsheet analysis of travel credit cards and determined that airline MILES, not points, are the way to go to maximize bang per buck. Supersaver fares on United, for economy, average about 3.5 cents per mile flying domestically to and from cruises. International business super saver classes can get you 11 or 12 cents a mile back, and international economy can get upwards of 6 cents per mile.

So a return of 1 or 2% in MILES, can then net 3 to 12 cents per mile in ticket price equivalency. 

So cards that give me 1% or 2% return in MILES, rather than 1 or 2 CENTS back, are the way to go for us...

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Also, the mini-bar exchange for two coffee cards is a great deal as the cards are typically unmarked. (Most actually are if you get them from a server you have made friends with during the cruise.)

In fact, I've only had one card marked in the past several cruises...

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We actually had minutes carry over on a B2B2B on the Grand a couple of months ago, and on the Ruby B2B2B2B late last year.

they were all booked as separate cruises - love those OBCs!

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I must admit, after watching both the NATGEO and the DISC shows, the DISC show was the better of the two in that it finally explained the change of course, after hitting the rocks, that Concordia took that saved so many lives.

I first thought the Capt had turned the ship and tried to beach her, but without any power, that wasn't possible. The DISC show, with their track and expert commentary showed that the winds essentially blew the ship into the rocks and saved many lives. Had she been in deeper water she would have capsized and taken a lot of people with her.

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Princess Visa vs. Airline Card -

I looked into the Princess Visa card, even ordered one, but they refused to increase the credit limit to cover even one cruise payment - so out came the scissors.

Instead I went with a United Visa card.  With yields on the Princess card ranging from 1 to 2 cents per dollar, the United card gives me anywhere between 3 and 12 cents per dollar (mile) depending on what kind of ticket I buy. For example in April Judy and I are flying FF business class to Singapore from SFO on 120,000 miles or, at today's prices, 6-9 cents per mile.  Our tickets to the UK last October were about 8 cents per mile.

Since we will always need airfare from CO to cruise, the yields on the airline cards just made much more sense...

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Mike,

don't forget the carnival stock OBC.

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