NeilonBoard

1 hour ago, Elorac123 said:

Thinking about that myself, have a 10 day tour organised in Tassie, early Feb it’s safe there at present but what can happen while we are away in Qld. scares me, what to do ?

Hope everyone who wants to travel to family can do so Happy Christmas to you all.

Cheers Carole 🎄🎄🎄🎄

Hi Carole

On an entirely different topic I was just wondering if you have been reimbursed for out of pocket expenses for your interrupted Majestic Princess cruise which terminated in Perth in February. I was on the same cruise in the same situation and received a cheque this week for everything I had claimed most of which were Singapore expenses spent continuing the holiday. Some of the claimed items I thought may have been knocked back so I was pleasantly surprised despite waiting since March when my claim was lodged. Hope you have had some success as well. Apologies for hijacking this thread.

Neil

We looked at our November 2021 cruise with the 3 for free offer and it still came in more expensive than what we have already booked so no need to request a refare. I should add that we secured a sensational price at the time on the one day only Black Friday Sale. Glad to hear that other people are finding their cruise cheaper under the 3 for free promotion.

2 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Do you think cruising out of the US will be feasible by the start of the Alaska season? I'm not so sure it will be. My previous comment was made with the thought that Coral won't do a US season but will head down here earlier than expected. Of course, I could be totally wrong but I doubt cruising will just restart without some trials and time for a quarantine before embarking any passengers. And the fact that Princess have cancelled the trans-Pacific leads me to think they have something else in mind for her. I might be just wishful thinking but .... dreams are free.😊

Princess must think it is feasible but I doubt that 2021 American itineraries would hold much appeal to Australians even if we were allowed to go over. Similarly Princess thinks the 2021 Australian season is feasible but I guess that may only be available to Australian and NZ passengers. The trans Pacific re location was cancelled because it is more than 7 nites out of an American port. If the American season was cancelled then perhaps Princess may bring Coral out early without passengers in time for our first departure on 29 October. Either way I imagine there will be a lot of compliance details to be ironed out before any ship can start an Australian season.

6 hours ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

I wouldn't be surprised to see Coral Princess turn up here ahead of her currently scheduled itineraries, to do some trial cruises out of Brisbane and/or Sydney. She's the smallest in the Princess fleet now, other than Pacific, and she's going to be based here for a good year or so, replacing Sea Princess to do the big run -   Round Australia, Hawaii/Tahiti, and the World Cruise - assuming the world is in a fit state for some or all of those cruises to happen.

I believe Princess are expecting Coral to complete her Alaskan season in 2021 albeit with revised itineraries of 7 nites or less in keeping with American regulations. That season terminates in Los Angeles on 29 September. Even with the cancellation of the trans Pacific re location cruise I couldn't see Coral getting here much earlier than her scheduled arrival of 29 October. Not much of a window for trial cruises or even quarantine.

On 10/1/2020 at 2:12 PM, Chiliburn said:

Looks like Sydney isn’t going to get quantum for the 2021-2022 season .

Brisbane has it booked in place of radiance.

 

We are disappointed if Quantum replaces Radiance from Brisbane. Been on Radiance twice and for us it was the perfect size ship. Where will Radiance end up?

6 hours ago, NSWP said:

Lift and Shift, I hate that term RCI use.  Why not 'Transfer Booking?' 

Because there is specific conditions for a Lift and Shift as opposed to merely transferring a booking. 

On 8/30/2020 at 5:48 PM, Elorac123 said:

Okay ,now I am really annoyed As it has been 6 full months since we filled out the form for our out of pocket expenses being for

taxi to airport and our fares back to Brisbane from Perth,Also  I claimed For our Singapore to Brisbane fares as we could not contact Qantas to change our original flight to a new one I might add I wasted hours on the phone and missed Adelaide altogether in a travel agents so not able to see much.

I have made several calls, emails and last contact was 6 weeks ago when they asked me to supply proof of cancelation of the Singapore Brisbane flight and also the refusal of insurance to pay out the fare (I didn’t bother with insurance claim as was told due to COVID-19 it would not be considered)

So 6 weeks ago I told them exactly that and supplied my proof of cancelation

(which was in fact the whole fare ) and have heard nothing since.

I believe I have been more than patient and wondering if anyone else is still waiting for out of pocket expenses or can give any advice as how to contact a Princess higher management.

Cheers Carole

We were on the same Majestic cruise and lodged our claim for out of pocket expenses in March. We received notification from Princess with a claim reference number in April. Since then we have heard nothing same as you. We did receive separate cheques a month ago for small amounts with no covering explanation which we can only assume was a refund of taxes and unused port fees. Looks like you have had no result despite many attempts to sort it out with Princess. I will now probably continue to wait patiently. Please post again if your claim does get processed.

29 minutes ago, cruisingaussies said:

It has to be a perfect match not almost perfect. We were denied the L & S because it was two days outside the four week time frame. There’s no way we’re paying the final balance and X will probably end up getting less money from us. We’re booked in a suite for 10 days. If the new prices are ridiculous we’ll use our FCC (ie our deposit) towards a 7 night cruise in a balcony. We’re fine with that. Not sure what you mean by saying there is nothing American about it.  As far as I can see, the conditions apply equally to the world wide market.

I meant almost perfect because MINOR changes are allowed. You can have minor itinerary and port changes and even jump ship if they are the same class. Unfortunately for you they won't budge outside of the four week either side window nor will they entertain changes to the number of nights or cabin class even if you are prepared to pay the difference.

The American reference did not come from you or me but from previous posts that had never heard of Lift and Shift and assumed it must have been American. Naturally the policy applies worldwide. Hope you find something that suits.

3 hours ago, cruisingaussies said:

Our experience is with Celebrity but rules for the Lift & Shift are the same as RCCL as far as I’m aware. 
 

We're booked on December 2020 Solstice out of Sydney to New Zealand.   Just can't see that happening now.

 

We requested a lift & shift to the exact same sailing, same number of nights, same itinerary, departing on November 24 2021.  It has been refused because it's two days out of the four week window, ie we could only change to a cruise departing on or four weeks after November 26.  There are no other cruises that we could L & S to.

 

So beware anyone making a new booking (if anyone is at this point in time!).  If you're thinking you'll be able to L & S, check first to be sure there's a cruise that meets the criteria before you book.

Lift and Shift was introduced by RCCL a couple of months ago and it's cut off date has been extended.The terms and conditions are well defined and there is nothing American about it. Doesn't matter if you cancel early or RCCL cancel later. I have already suggested in a previous post that not everyone will be eligible if they can't get an almost perfect match for their cruise in 12 months time. The alternative is to either wait forever for a full refund or get the FCC and plan another cruise at a convenient time but then you are at the mercy of rising prices. The main advantage of L&S is avoiding paying the final balance when it is due which seems to be everyone's concern at the moment. I just moved my deposit to the same cruise in 12 months time frozen at 2020 prices and all the balance money stays in my pocket for another year.

7 hours ago, patattack said:

I have a cruise on Oct 24 on Rhapsody of the Seas out of Venice.  I would have to cancel by 7/25/2020 to get refunded the deposit or move my deposit to another sailing.  I keep waiting for Royal to announce it will not take place, so far not.  

 

Pat

Why not Lift and Shift to Sept/Oct 2021.  You don't have to wait until Royal cancels you can do it right now and retain your 2020 pricing. Your deposit will transfer and you can pay the balance this time next year. We have already done it for B2B Rhapsody cruises that were to go out of Venice in September 2020.

2 hours ago, nnps said:

I just got mine too. For two cruises in June on Sapphire Princess. Full payment reimbursed and FCC (which I had used to pay for one cruise) back in my personaliser. Only problem is, the FCC has a deadline of February 2021, which seemed ok at the time but not so good now. Still, can't complain.

We also have credit from a partly completed cruise in February that has to be used by February 2021. At the time it looked like a 12 month window but now I doubt there will be a window at all. I will be taking it up with Princess and trying to get the February 2021 deadline extended till at least the end of that year or even further.

2 hours ago, phoenixx said:

"Lift and Shift", isn't that Royal Caribbean?

Yes you're right - I mistakenly thought the same deal applied to Princess.

9 hours ago, erinsmom03 said:

I like to fill my 24-30 oz tumbler with ice water and carry it with me almost everywhere...do you think they would fill it up for me at a bar or restaurant? 

Most bars have jugs of iced water sitting on the bar so you could fill your container yourself and then take to a restaurant with you. Of course that self service option may disappear post COVID. Most restaurants pour iced water as soon as you are seated.

13 hours ago, Norwich Cruiser said:

That’s quite correct Piazza Roma should also be a pick up point as I think many more cruisers would have stayed pre cruise than flying in on embarkation day.

We will be overnighting in a Venice hotel before and possibly after our cruise in September 2021 so an airport shuttle is little use to us. I don't know the layout of Venice but maybe some sort of loop service from Airport to Piazza Roma to Ravenna would be better. That service could cater for those already in Venice and those that choose to fly in on departure day.

10 hours ago, SinbadThePorter said:

 

Same here. I booked one of the Sapphire cruises that never were in a great cabin, but it was not to be. If one or both came back after the emergency I'd be on board like a shot.

 

For me the Majestic was missing something. It lacked a cruise ship feel and seemed both too slick and badly laid out, with no feel for the sea.

 

Anyway I can't see how Princess or anybody else can be making plans for a future that nobody has any clue about. I'd take anything said about ships at the moment with a huge grain of salt.

For me Majestic was missing a lot mainly quiet sit down areas with or without entertainment to spread out 3500 passengers.

The smaller older Princess ships have a more open feel to them but Majestic was designed for the Asian market and felt more like a floating apartment building.

On 6/26/2020 at 6:46 PM, OzKiwiJJ said:

I think they'll cancel before the revised final payment date ie 21st July. I'm considering cancelling just after the 14th if they haven't, just to make things easier. I booked with an FCD so that should just go back on our Princess account. If by a miracle it did go ahead I could probably pick up a last minute deal anyway.

 

Is there a round Australia planned around September 2021? (doesn't have to be Sapphire) If so can you Lift and Shift before before final payment payment is due.

On 6/28/2020 at 9:54 AM, Kiwi_cruiser said:

 

Yep, its not fake news its true 😞.

 

Sapphire Princess and Majestic Princess are not coming back down under in the 2021/22 cruise season:

 

https://cruisepassenger.com.au/princess-cruises-pulls-majestic-princess-from-the-australian-2021-22-season/?fbclid=IwAR2_FyprC6R2Ek0Ibb-olKOqd37HOfp86_is1eLJ6epRoh6Gj3ZYnC3oR_U

 

I'm not surprised that Majestic is not coming back. It was always designed for the Asian market and despite a few minor makeovers it was not really popular with Australians. Haven't been on Sapphire but absolutely loved Diamond.

23 hours ago, Chiliburn said:

Thanks NeilonBoard 

Im thinking if this season doesn’t go ahead we will lift &shift.

We have full suites and we can transfer to ovation or quantum for next year.

 

where were you going to stay in Venice? As which hotel?

I am sure you are already aware that you must keep the same cabin category to Lift and Shift. As you have pointed out you can change ships but you must leave from the same departure port and travel for the same number of nights in the same location.

Unfortunately not  everyone has been able to match their cruise 12 months later and the Lift and Shift option does not work for them. Others that have used L&S have found that by freezing their 2020 prices there are considerable savings to be made on the advertised 2021 rates.

We booked one night in Venice prior to departure at the Agli Artisti Hotel. Don't know much about it but it's reasonably priced and close to the cruise departure terminal.

On 5/27/2020 at 1:26 PM, Chiliburn said:

Anyone had experience with lift and shift in Australia.

We have a couple of cruises and just getting prepared if they don’t happen.

 

Lift and shift has to be done by 1 August ,so there’s 2 months to think about it.

 

We had B2B cruises out of Venice on Royal Caribbean scheduled for September this year. With the final balance almost due and uncertainty regarding a September departure we did a Lift and Shift to September 2021. The non refundable deposit transferred over to an almost identical itinerary and now the balance is not due till June 2021. Also we have our 2020 prices guaranteed. If you are prepared to postpone for 12 months the Lift and Shift option works well to avoid paying the final balance on a cruise you suspect will be cancelled.

On 6/3/2020 at 6:48 PM, Elorac123 said:

Tell me Gut, how does one get a definite answer like that ?

I made enquires after waiting impatiently for more than 3 months concerning my 

out of pocket expenses and had no joy whatsoever, sounded like she was reading a script and pretending to “find your details”
rung the Sydney number.

Cheers Carole

The refund for out of pocket expenses from a shortened cruise will be seen as a much lower priority than a refund for a cancelled cruise. I am in the same boat. (literally!)

5 hours ago, rowrow said:

Thank you for the reassurances.  At least we have a refund claim reference number which Princess offered after an earlier enquiry from us so it's in the system somewhere. 

We have had a Xmas 2020 cruise booked for some time so there'll be more fun and games with deposits paid and FCC to sort out after the expected cancellation of this cruise to Pac Is and Fiji.  At this stage Princess are suggesting it's still going ahead.

We were on the same Majestic cruise which terminated early in Perth. I made a claim for out of pocket expenses on 28 March and received a reply from Princess on 16 April quoting a claim reference number. This advice was from the Princess office in Sydney. I am now waiting patiently but at least I know it's reached the right people. 

2 hours ago, cvhatton said:

My wife and I are looking at booking a NCL cruise out of Singapore and had a question on regarding booking our return flight back. Our ideal flight back is on Singapore Airlines that departs at 0925 and I read it's roughly a 30 minute taxi ride from the port to Changi, so if we disembarked right at 0700 do you think that would be sufficient time (rushed, but sufficient)?

 

Thanks

Definitely not enough time. Once berthed the ship still needs port clearance to disembark passengers and even if you were first off there could be delays at Customs and Immigration. It is not uncommon for a second ship to be in port at the same time which could increase your waiting time for a taxi. Spend a night in Singapore and go home at 9:25 am the next day.

On 3/27/2020 at 9:56 AM, subaru94 said:

Be wary people of refunds if you have booked through a TA, our TA wants to slug $600 of our money, that Princess cancelled on the Majestic Princess which was due to go to Singapore, we did not cancel Princess did, Princess were good in giving FCC, and refunding money back to TA.

I believe we were on the same Majestic cruise which terminated in Perth instead of continuing on to Singapore. Princess credited our travel agent the 50% compensation which she immediately passed back to us in full. Don't see how the TA has any right to retain part thereof.

On 3/20/2020 at 1:08 PM, MicCanberra said:

I haven't received my email as yet.

Only applicable to people who were booked all the way to Singapore and missed the last half of their cruise.

15 hours ago, Elorac123 said:

We had one already booked in March 2021 so we’re fortunate to have the credit applied to that.

Received the 50% (again short) but has been suggested it will come separately ?

Cheers Carole

Carole you are lucky you already had a future cruise booked that the credit could be applied to. We have a Royal Caribbean cruise booked for September in the Mediterranean which is probably doubtful but we will have to wait and see. While we are waiting it is hard to factor in another Princess before 28 February 2021. It is unfair that cancelled Princess cruises have until December 2021 to re book but passengers on our cruise are forced to re book and sail by February 2021.