Why I decided to travel again - trip to Greenland on Princess Cruises anyone?

This is the longest I have waited to book again (not including the COVID lockdown) and I have the travel bug again.  But I wanted something a bit different and am not trusting Europe just yet.  So when I saw a sale from Princess cruises for a Canada/Greenland cruise I decided to book as it includes 3 ports in Greenland and 3 in Canada.  As always solo is 100% extra  supplement on the sale price so my booking for an interior was $2600 Cdn, with approximately $300 in taxes.  But they included a $398 USD credit for shore excursions and I knew I wanted Greenland shore excusions.  

I checked multiple travel agencies but all were more expensive then Princess so I booked directly but here's the downside. 

1. The cruise fare had to be paid in full this month. (no buyers remorse period). and no refund after middle of June

2. Not much choice of cabin at the sale price so I am in the upper floors near the front of the ship - not ideal if you don't like to feel the movement of the ship. However the sales rep put me on the list for an upgrade and is giving me some kind of coupon book (be aware that I am told these books are not great value especially for the solo traveller as two for the price of one are usually the dining deals)

3. Yes its a large shore excursion credit, but almost all of the shore excursion are sold out in Greenland (all in two of the smaller ports) - and I especially wanted the cruise amongst the icebergs.   They don't tell you that when you book.  So they hook you with a shore excursion deal  on false pretenses.  I found some shore excursion in the Canadian ports (Halifax and Sydney and Nuuk Greenland) but again all the ones in the city of St John's were sold out.  Princess reps should really tell you about the status of shore excursions for the people who book (4 months ahead).

As always, heres some tips

1. Check multiple agency sites to see if you can get the best deal before booking - in this case Princess Cruises was the best price even with the 100% single supplement

2. Ask before you book if shore excursions are still available in the key ports of your cruise, as especially in Greenland there are not other operators available. 

3. Ask to be put on the list for an upgrade but beware you may get an upgrade in the same category just at a higher price and it may not be in an ideal location,

 4. Ask if there are any other offers they can provide - in my case it was the coupon book.

5. Ask about the cost of transfers - in my case the price is cheaper than a cab in New York and in Canadian dollars. As solos can't share a cab - this is a consideration.

6. Ask about the price of the internet - Princess has the best price compared to RCL and Holland America - as on a per day basis its about $11 CDN per day by paying before the cruise.

Hope this helps

Marcia