Princess Chatter

"Passengers complained that the evacuation was delayed and disorganised, exacerbating the panic on board.

Some complained that the crew failed to give instructions on how to evacuate the ship, with a drill only scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

"It was so unorganised. Our evacuation drill was scheduled for 5pm," said Melissa Goduti, 28, of Wallingford, Connecticut, in the US. "We had joked what if something had happened today [Friday]."

Passenger Mara Parmegiani told the Italian news agency Ansa that "it was like a scene from the Titanic".

Survivor Christine Hammer, from Bonn, Germany, said she was eating her first course when the ship ran aground.

"We heard a crash. Glasses and plates fell down and we went out of the dining room and we were told it wasn't anything dangerous," she said.

The passengers were then instructed to put on lifejackets and take to the lifeboats. But Hammer, who was travelling with her husband, Gert, on her first ever cruise trip, said people could not get into the lifeboats because the liner was listing so badly that they could not be lowered into the sea."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/14/italian-cruise-ship-runs-aground

"No one counted us, neither in the life boats or on land," said Ophelie Gondelle, 28, a French military officer from Marseille. She said there had been no evacuation drill since she boarded in France on Jan. 8.

As dawn neared, a painstaking search of the 290-meter (950-foot) long ship's interior was being conducted to see if anyone might have been trapped inside, Paolillo said.

"There are some 2,000 cabins, and the ship isn't straight," Paolillo said, referring to the Concordia's dramatic more than 45-degree tilt on its right side. "I'll leave it to your imagination to understand how they (the rescuers) are working as they move through it."

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/reports-cruise-ship-aground-off-italy-dead-15359045?page=2#.TxFpooHCaSo

"The ship was three-quarters under water and sinking fast, a Giglio hotel clerk told NBC News."

http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/13/10152446-cruise-ship-runs-aground-off-italy-deaths-reported

Suite Passengers and Solo Traveler benefits

Not sure if this benefit still applies:

"Passengers who pay for and occupy a full suite (mini-suites excluded), will receive two cruise credits.
Passengers who pay the single occupancy fare and travel alone in their cabin will receive two cruise credits.
Passengers who pay the single supplement to occupy a full suite on their own will receive three cruise credits. "

http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na991

Each cruise credit is treated as a completed Princess Cruise for purposes of reaching Platinum (more than 5 cruises or 50 cruise days) and Elite (15 cruises or 150 cruise days) levels.  Cruise credits are also used for reaching the Princess Loyalty level (aka Super Elite level)(more than 20 cruises).

Suite passengers are currently being given a complimentary dinner in a specialty restaurant on embarkation night and breakfasts every morning in a specialty restaurant but the unlimited time on the Internet for Suite passengers has been dropped.

Princess Visa gave me a revolving credit line of 22K (but in reality 15K available credit) without asking.  I'll never spend that much for a cruise.  I think.  

Increase in benefits for Platinum and Elite:

    Exclusive, early access to Dine My Way reservations (ability to make them before final payment)
    10% off Lotus Spa treatments
    10% off Photo Gallery offerings
    10% off shore excursions (Elite members only)

Instead of receiving a limited number of free internet minutes, Platinum and Elite members will receive 50% off unlimited, premium Wi-Fi with MedallionNet.

https://cruisefever.net/princess-cruises-changes-loyalty-perks/

Top 40 most traveled passengers (in actual days) and spouses on a particular cruise will likely be invited to a Captain's private cocktail hour.  Sometimes it's a special lunch.  Booking a very early in the season Alaska cruise increases your odds.  Long cruises decrease your odds. 500 days at sea greatly helps.  The formerly called Captain's Circle rep. will have a list at the desk of who will be invited at the beginning of the cruise.  They don't mind if you ask.

Military

http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/additional_faq/military_program.jsp

Once Princess has recorded your military benefit you no longer have to supply your DD-214 or equivalent again.

Onboard cabin credit amount per stateroom*:

Cruise Length Amount
6 days or less $50 per stateroom
7–13 days $100 per stateroom
14 days or longer $250 per stateroom

Future Cruise Deposit (FCD) Credit

Deposit Amount: $100 per person

Benefit of Future Cruise Deposit :

    Up to $150 Onboard Credit per person to apply on future booking
       Future Cruise Length Per Person Shipboard Credit*
         17  - 44  Days $125 Inside, $125 Outside, $150 Balcony, $150 Suite
         11  - 16  Days $75  Inside, $75  Outside, $100 Balcony, $100 Suite
          7   - 10  Days $25  Inside, $25  Outside, $50  Balcony, $50  Suite
          3   - 6   Days $15  Inside, $15  Outside, $25  Balcony, $25  Suite

*  The FCD is available to use on new future bookings only and is non-transferable. The FCD currency is non-changeable.   The FCD is combinable with most publicly offered fares and promotions.  The FCD will be automatically refunded if not applied to a new booking created within two years from date of purchase.  Once applied to a booking the FCD is considered money and is subject to booking terms and conditions in the Passage contract. Only one FCD per person applied to a booking will provide shipboard credit.  Shipboard credit is nonrefundable and only applicable to each FCD purchased and applies to the holder of the FCD only, excluding 3rd and 4th berth guests.  Shipboard credit is based on the ship’s onboard currency and is not redeemable for cash.  FCDs do not apply to bookings on Charter voyages.  Reduced deposit and onboard credits do not apply to bookings 45+ days.  The reduced deposit requirement for these bookings may vary based on booking dates, and a fare discount of 3% is provided.  To make your next booking, please contact your Travel Agent, or Princess Cruises at 1-800-PRINCESS.
   
    Full World Cruise/World Cruise Segments  benefit from a reduced deposit of 5% of cruise fare and a 3% discount off the fare.

If your cruise cancels for medical reasons after final payment Princess insurance will refund your future cruise deposit and Princess will cancel your FCD.  This FCD cancellation policy cannot be appealed.

After cruise Welcome Home FCD Promotion

Within 60 days after the cruise:

"All passengers, regardless of booking location, who did not book a Future Cruise or make a Future Cruise Deposit while onboard the ship,and/or do not have an existing future booking,are eligible for this offer."

https://book.princess.com/pdf/onesource/pc/Post_FCD_Final.pdf

Princess Visa Card

Princess/Barclaycard reduced the Princess Visa Card benefits in November, 2016 and it may not be worth it anymore.  It was never that great a deal in the first place especially since it didn't cover lost bag insurance

Carnival Stock

Carnival Stock - On Board Cabin Credit - Minimum 100 shares

U.S. Dollars:
Sailings 6 days or less $50
Sailings 7 to 13 days $100
Sailings 14 days or longer $250

Adjusted for Euro, Pound and AUD.

Good on Carnival, Princess, Holland America, Yachts of Seabourn, Cunard, Costa, Aida, Ibero, P&O, Ocean Village.

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

[Princess cancelled the following benefit]

Internet Minutes given as a per passenger OBC (Need more than 5 Princess cruises and must log in individually for the credit)

VOYAGE DURATION    MINUTES
7 days or less    150
8-20 days    250
21+ days    500

https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/jsp/memberShipBenefitsForProspect.jsp

BTW: Logging off with 1.1.1.1 or logout.com speeds things up and saves minutes. Skype and Facetime on iPhones has worked on Princess ship Internet at the time of this post but uses your Internet minutes. Warning: Put your cell phone in airplane mode (with Internet optionally and separately enabled) or you may, and likely will, get bit hard by the Princess onboard cell phone shark quietly downloading app updates to your cell phone without you knowing it.  If that happens get ready for a huge cell phone bill when you get home!

Referral Rewards

"Our Referral Rewards program allows our Members to sign up friends and relatives as new Princess passengers and we will give them cruise credits towards their next booking. Not only that, but we'll do the same for their referrals!

The rewards offered are $25 per person, up to $50 per booking. The new customer must sail within 24 months of being referred. Referrals must not be currently, or have previously booked or sailed with Princess, must not have been nominated by another Member, or be 'known' by Princess (by requesting a brochure or registering at princess.com). Referrals must also be successfully made prior to new customers making a booking in order for the discount to apply."

http://www.princess.com/learn/faq_answer/pre_cruise/prepare.jsp

Misc.

BTW Princess loves their big money on-board gamblers and offers them deep discounted gambler fares and perks. 

Then there are move-over fares when the ship is oversold.  Commonly the cruiser is offered a free future equivalent cruise and the cancelled cruise fare is applied in full as a future on board credit on the replacement cruise.

P.S. Elites can trade in their mini-bar at the start of the cruise for a variety of other beverages including all water OR recently a full trade can be exchanged for two coffee (card) privileges.

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Remember that breaking a combo cruise into back to backs (B2B) may double your OBC's and get you an extra Elite minibar setup BUT it may be cheaper to book a B2B as one cruise.  Normally Princess will reward combo cruisers with extra Internet minutes at the B2B break so that should not be a decision factor.  Make triple sure that you check your Cruise Personalizer for a list of your credits or get your cruise agent to go on Polar and disclose to you all of your pending cabin credits before you sail and make a list.  Princess has been known to forget posting the credits to your actual shipboard account, especially on the second leg of a B2B.  If you did book a combo cruise then at least ask the Princess Captain's Circle department after the cruise to give you the number of cruises that you would have received if you had booked the combo as a B2B.  If you don't ask, you don't get.