I wanted to post one last update before we re-board the Regal Princess tomorrow. Tomorrow! It feels so good to finally say that.
Our luck finally changed this week, starting with the Princess announcement that our ship would sail on Sunday, the availability of the next cruise over Thanksgiving (the few remaining cabins were gone the next day), and the excellent price on the December 1 cruise. We won’t have the seven weeks of uninterrupted cruising that we had planned, but we will have seven weeks of cruising. And Princess is doubling our days for the cancelled cruises as promised, because we had booked Princess Plus for all of them. Cheapest Princess days ever, but, oh boy, we would much rather have not gone through all this.
Then, just yesterday, we received a free upgrade for our cabin on this first cruise, to a deluxe balcony cabin. Since we have to move between all of our cruises, and weren’t in the perfect location for any of them, we were open to upgrades. I guess we’re batting 1000 with our Princess cruises this fall, first being upgraded from a balcony cabin to a minisuite the transatlantic and from an inside to a deluxe balcony on tomorrow’s cruise.
In another example of how the Princess Medallion app fails back to back cruisers, I tried to print luggage tags for tomorrow and they are still showing our cabin from the transatlantic cruise. Seriously? Tomorrow’s cruise isn’t even technically a back to back cruise with the TA. We’ll have to get luggage tags from the porters at the terminal.
Also yesterday, when we were supposed to change hotel rooms, I was checking online and found our same suite category that we’ve been in from the start for a lower price than we were going to be paying for a regular hotel room. I sent G screen captures and not only did he negotiate the lower price, but we get to stay in our same suite until we check out on Sunday. That is a big deal, as we didn’t lose the kitchen and can reheat leftovers in the microwave. And, at this point, any time we don’t have to pack up and move it’s a good thing.
Even though the paperwork continues to grow as I book and unbook travel arrangements and track credit card charges and refunds, I think that’s all behind us now, at least until we return home. I had to complete our Open Season insurance enrollment this week, which I had planned to do when we returned home but we extended and it has to be completed by 12/9. I turn 65 in January (I have no words) so I had to do some research but even that got done. It’s been a productive week.
My notes since 10/25, scribbled on the back of confirmation sheets I had printed for our Overlord Tours excursion to Normandy (because I have no other paper).
We went down to the hotel bar last night for happy hour for the first time and met up with other people who are going to be on our cruise, and ended up getting pizza delivered to the bar (which didn’t serve food) and having dinner with them.
So, if I seem happier in this post…I am! All of my cruise fears were realized in the past three weeks, but I’m still anxious to return to the ship. Go figure. I did have to tell my guys I won’t see them until Christmas break, but I think know that I’m feeling that way more than they are. I mean, come on. Between friends and girlfriends, I understand my place and know my role (paying for restaurant meals and sending encouraging texts). 😉
Speaking of encouragement, thank you for all the encouraging emails you’ve sent to me. Those who commented on our attitude and keeping our sense of humor…no, not so. I think we did pretty well until last Saturday when we found out our cruise the next day was cancelled. From then until we received the Princess announcement on Tuesday that the Regal would sail tomorrow, there was no joy in Mudville. G can always make me laugh but even he was having none of that. It’s hard to convey just how excited we are to return to the ship.
So my next report will be (knock on wood) from the Regal. Oh happy day!