Dodger Blue

Is anyone else out there as frustrated with Princess Customer Service as I am? 😡 First, you get a call back from a call center from someone who knows nothing about Princess procedures. If anyone has any suggestions beyond waiting on hold for 30 minutes...at least, I'd be happy to hear them.  Thanks much.

Got it...thanks much.

56 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Try this link.

 

MedallionNet® - Fast, Reliable Internet at Sea - Princess Cruises

 

Thank you.  I did see this, but wasn't sure if the $14.99 was a per day cost or some other duration.

Does anyone understand the pricing for the Internet? I couldn't find anything on Princess's website.  I've also heard there is some kind of a discount for elite and platinum passengers.  Any enlightenment on this issue would be appreciated.

Well I'm glad to hear they are at least offering some benefit to Elite.  Internet has always been iffy (SLOW!) on most cruises.  Thanks for the reply.

We have booked a Trans Atlantic cruise for next April.  Since, because of Covid we will not have cruised for almost three years, I'm just now noticing that the free Internet for Elite members on Princess has disappeared.  Can anyone tell me when this happened and if they have implemented a new program for Elite passengers?

Is anyone else having a problem getting the app to work on their iPhone? It refuses to accept my password to login but I can get in fine using my browser. 

It's Great Britain sir, everything is highly professional. :D

Love it!

I agree that it seems like they missed the boat (pun intended) on the pool issue. Also, we loved Skywalkers as a place to get away during the day and relax and read in quiet. There isn't anyplace on the Royal, it seems, where one can do this. Skywalkers also gave you a great panoramic view of the ocean. Can't do that on the big new ships.

Thanks for your comments. Sounds like I should check out Club 6

With no Explorer's Lounge and no Skywalker's on the Royal, where are the quiet places where one can relax and read indoors? From the deck plans it appears that the Vista Lounge may be that place, but is it a dark place during the day?

Beer is an individual taste. While I prefer draft, personally I like Bass Ale. I think that Bud is swill!

It's amazing that some people will do more research into what LED HDTV they are buying - Google for actual pictures, visit websites for reviews, and ask opinions on forums - than they do about a cruise, or the type of accommodations they are booking on a ship. They'll call their t/a, take their word as gospel, hand over a credit card, and never think twice about booking the Princess Royal (love it when they even get the ship names backwards ;)). It is a shame that Princess Cruises just can't get their act straight when it comes to those darned deck plans. I mean, really, how hard can it be!?!?

 

There's also an abundance of "theories" as to why the balconies are getting shorter, not just on Princess Cruises, but on new-builds of a brand new design from TUI to NCL. Whatever the reason, research in those features that are important to you is the key to not being disappointed.

 

There was an additional comment in that linked thread I had posted earlier regarding a member of this forum (a long-time Princess Cruises fan) whose main nightlife enjoyment was ballroom dancing, and that not only did the new Royal-class have no real venues dedicated (or able) to allow this style of dancing, but that ballroom dancing in general across Princess Cruises was on the decline. So they asked for advice, were given alternatives like Holland-America, Cunard, and even (gasp!) Costa Cruises, the latter which apparently excels among the mass-market ships in this arena. I'm not sure where they went off to, but the important thing is that they did their homework.

 

:D

And if you "research" this issue you would be misled because the cabin diagram on the Princess website depicts a much larger balcony. All Princess needs to do is be up front about it. Show the balcony for what it is.

I'm leaving on the Royal in less than a month. Fortunately for me we booked an angled balcony cabin. Had I not and received the new mini balcony I would have been upset. Yes, I agree with those that say that people should do their research first. However, as some have pointed out, the diagram on the website is terribly misleading. So even if you "researched" it you would be disappointed. Yes, there are alternatives and yes one needs to consider the whole of the experience. But I cannot agree more that Princess is deceiving the public. Had I found one of these balconies after I boarded, I would be demanding at least a partial refund or some other compensation. All Princess needs to do is change the diagram on the website. Then you can say let the buyer beware.

Just checked. I'm able to view saved cruises,etc.

Enforced is a funny word. For the most part no, because the formal attire is just a suggestion, not mandatory.

 

That said, Princess in not NCL. The dining room won't be full of jeans, cutoffs and baseball caps on formal night. The vast majority of people do dress up. As others mentioned, what you experienced on Celebrity will be what you will experience on Princess.

I think it is more than a suggestion. This is from the Princess web site:

Formal

When formal nights are held, please observe the dress code in the Traditional Dining and Anytime Dining venues for the enjoyment of all our guests.

•Evening gowns and cocktail dresses for women

•Tuxedos, dinner jackets or dark suits with a tie for men

So they are doing more than suggesting. Personally I enjoy dressing up occasionally. It's unfortunate that some people refuse to follow the rules and can make the evening less enjoyable for those that do. The real culprit, though, is Princess for not "enforcing" these "codes". Either remove the codes, or enforce them.

Latest Update: Princess has come through. They acknowledged that they messed up. They've returned us to our original cabins (I'm sure the new folks got a nice upgrade) and, in consideration for the hassle they put us through they reduced our total fare by $500 and gave us an additional $150 on board credit. My faith in Princess is restored. This episode should also encourage those of you that feel "wronged" in some manner not to give up. They can always fix what is broken if they are willing.

Quick Update: I thought this issue had been resolved but it is still on-going. They haven't moved us back to our original cabins because the people in them now won't move! Can't blame them, they lucked out when they got them. However, some new information has come to light. I've learned through my travel agent that Princess is required to give 48 hours notice when they are going to move somebody. Princess did notify the original agent assigned to my booking via email, but since she was no longer with the organization and her email box had been closed, the email bounced back to Princess and never notified the company directly that they were proposing a move!. Consequently, no notification was made to my travel agent or myself. My agent is supposed to hear back from Princess today to see what they propose to rectify the situation.

I'm not sure people read the OP before they respond. I said that the TA ultimately was responsible. I simply said that Princess ought to be more considerate of their customers. Yes they have the right to change cabins. Does that make it right? In my opinion NO. In my situation it was a comedy of errors. If my original TA had not left the firm she would have informed me immediately. She has done so in the past. Unfortunately it didn't happen. If Princess had a practice of letting the customer know they are switching them before it's done it would be a better policy in my opinion and there would be less angry customers. They need to treat their customers with more consideration. Sometimes people simply ought to do the right thing...not do things simply because they can!

Princess did their job. They notified your TA. How would they know that your original TA agent had left the company, did they notify Princess. Seems like if you want to pass blame with anyone it solely belongs at the foot of your Travel Agency. Anyway, you got your old cabin back so happy ending.

It never ceases to amaze me that there are some people who believe that Princess can never do any wrong. If you read my post, I conceded that technically the TA bears the responsibility. However, I also said that in the interest of good PR that Princess ought to wait for an acknowledgement from someone before making the switch. The didn't. I simply feel this is a bad policy.

Was or is your reservation marked "Do Not Upgrade"?

We just got off the Royal on Tuesday and we stood on the Seawalk or by the Seaview bar and looked down at all those midship cabins and said that no way no how would we ever want one of them. No privacy when using your balcony and some of the cabins you can actually see right into the cabin. I think the upgrade you were given would have been MUCH better! Having a little larger balcony is not worth sacrificing privacy.

As I said earlier. It was about location. The size of the balcony was a plus. Won't be sunbathing in the nude (not a pretty picture) so "privacy" is not an overwhelming concern.

Was or is your reservation marked "Do Not Upgrade"?

It is now!

P.S. It's still several months until our cruise. I shouldn't have to continually check the cruise personalizer to make sure Princess hasn't pulled a fast one on us!!!

I do know that now that Princess has the ability to change cabins on customers. However, it seems good PR to let the patron acknowledge that they are aware of it! It shouldn't be a surprise.

Also, I would question whether this is an upgrade. With the cabin we have we had an extra large balcony because it was an angled one. We wanted mid ship because we like a steadier ride. Getting 11 square feet more is not that big a deal for what you get in return...a poorer location in MHO. And, we're not concerned about the lack of staircase in the central area. We take the elevator on most occasions. We're not in a hurry...we're on a cruise!

Had to deal today with an unwanted upgrade. We made a reservation in March for a Transatlantic cruise in April 2015, over a year in advance. We specifically wanted to make an early reservation so we could get our desired location, mid-ship, mid-deck...a balcony stateroom. I carefully monitor prices just to check if there has been a price decrease and discovered there was. So I called my TA who in turned called Princess who told my TA that the new price was only good for new bookings. I wasn't entirely satisfied with this so I called Princess directly. After being told basically the same thing my TA told me, the Princess rep told me that I had already received an upgrade to a deluxe balcony in August! I indicated that that was news to me, and that I didn't ask for nor did I want the upgrade that had put us from mid-deck to a far aft location. I demanded my old stateroom back but was told my TA had to contact them. I called the TA who knew nothing about the upgrade but eventually was successful in getting our old stateroom back (not sure where the people that were in it now are going...probably to get that great upgrade we got!!). I subsequently found out that Princess sent an email to our old TA (she left the organization and my account was transferred to the new one) and it had been buried in a dormant mailbox.

First, I will acknowledge that part of the screw up was the lack of communication between my old and new TA and that they should have had some procedure in place so that emails of that kind were forwarded to the new TA so they could keep me informed. However, I'm not letting Princess off the hook either. First, I'm not sure how they can give someone an upgrade without confirming that the person wants it! (I've since found out that they can unless the customer specifically says they won't accept an upgrade...which makes no sense to me!). Secondly, I would think that Princess should wait for some acknowledgement either from the TA or the customer that they've received this information. Had I not taken it upon myself to call Princess on a different matter I might not have discovered this until I was literally on the ship! Not a question of whether they can or not, this is a question of whether it is right or not. I submit that they should not change cabins that someone specifically reserved unless they get permission from the TA or the customer.

All's well that ends well, but it might not have.