Ron the Rev

On the Regal, the Symphony dining room (club class ? new name) is the place to head for . 

To get a disabled full suite with wet room we find you usualy have to book 2 years ahead for a penthouse at high price. Unfortunatly if there is a price drop it's a gamble if you try to get it ,as to do so you have to cancel your booking and rebook. That said there is a chance that you will lose your cabin. Fair not so Princess. ADA be informed.

Can someone tell me where the Catch restrurant is located on the Sky Princess please, as I've seen conflicting floor plans.

Sometimes there's a White and Gold and a formal. Never heard of Dress to impress before.

Anyone found the menu for the Catch of the day restrurant yet as we used to go to Sabatini's which was quiet  and peaceful, unlike the Bistro area which is very noisy. 

Just checked out the Princess web site floor plan but their IT haven't changed anything yet. We are a bit concerned that if Sabatini's is now where the Bistro was.

There was a terible noise problem when we dined there coming from the Piazza area, so in future we will only eat suite breakfast there. Shame as Sabatini's is our favorite

Estrella which also has the Club Class section (now renamed ) and open usualy 1230 to 1330

4 hours ago, texasjones said:

Very much appreciate the counterpoint and -- for everyone else -- I'm back on the thread! [And prepare yourself for a long post, really do hope you read it all.] We've been enjoying the rough seas up through our docking in Southampton this evening, and I only thought to check the responses before I went to bed. I'd be a pretty poor lawyer if I shrunk from a legitimate and good-natured debate! I think it's fascinating reading the different perspectives on compensation when things unexpectedly 'go wrong' on a cruise. 

For those not onboard but have a voyage booked on Sky Princess, rest assured: the ship is beautifully fitted, the crew very kind and accommodating, and the evening entertainment is some of the best we've experienced at sea (-- if you have a chance to hear Elaine Gray, get to the theater/club venue as soon as the doors open, she's brilliant). Even the food, which we've always considered Princess' weak spot, was better than expected and, in some cases, spectacular. Most importantly, the Caymus never ran out at Vines 😉 So we have no complaint with the voyage itself. As many of you have pointed out, though, travel is inherently unpredictable, particularly when you're traveling by sea during the winter and shoulder seasons. Got it. There's a reason why our contracts of carriage absolve the cruise operator for weather-related delays/inconveniences/disruptions. If I filed suit claiming otherwise, I'd be rightly laughed out of court. We all agreed to a one-sided contract. There's no arguing otherwise. 

With that said, and I thought I articulated this in an earlier post....our complaint lies solely with Princess HQ/corporate. There are many ways a company can respond when things, like our voyage, 'go wrong', namely: (A) honoring a warranty or guarantee (for goods), (B) compensation (for experiences), and (C) sticking its head in the sand and doing nothing, knowing [or perhaps hoping] that the majority of its customers won't challenge their decision. Too expensive, too much of a hassle, so why would one bother? In a post-Covid world, when multibillion dollar companies post record profits yet continue to search for ways to nickel and dime their customers, I err on the side of questioning corporate decisionmaking. This is a Princess cruise forum. Aren't you a little peeved at Princess' continued cutbacks to our loyalty program, the hours-long wait to speak with a Princess representative on the phone, the degradation of the [fill in the blank] soft product you once valued, all in spite of Princess raising its fare prices? I sure am. The suits bank on our apathy. And you can bet the suits are taking such apathy into account when determining compensation amounts when things 'go wrong'. If the suits sense you'll be content with crumbs, crumbs you shall receive. 

I've read some posts excusing, or perhaps justifying, Princess' $100 non-refundable OBC "gesture of goodwill" as reasonable because this was (A) a repositioning cruise and (B) (I assume?) the average cost per passenger was lower than a typical TA cruise. We booked this voyage quite early because I knew I needed to be in London for work and thought the "Moroccan Passage" advertised by Princess would be more enjoyable than taking yet another Club World flight with British Airways. Forgive me, and I do hate throwing out dollar amounts because they tend to skew an argument, but we paid over $20,000 for three suites onboard (inclusive of Princess Premier). So this wasn't exactly a bargain basement -discount voyage for us, although we certainly recognize the value we received by booking this particular cruise. But let's address money. We considered adding a fourth room at the end of February and saw that fares had dropped significantly. I vaguely remember interior rooms being marketed for <$600 and balcony rooms for <$1000 -- an almost too-good-to-be-true value for any cruise operator, much less for a line like Princess. If I paid $600 for a 14-day TA cruise and received $100 in compensation, I'd consider Princess' offer to be incredibly generous. For us, less so. We've experienced several cruises where ports were cancelled or our cruise was diverted early. For comparative data points, here's what we received as compensation:

(1) Regent - one missed port: $500 OBC 

(2) Regent - one missed port: $500 future cruise credit 

(3) Crystal [RIP] - one missed port: $270 OBC 

(4) Cunard - one missed port: $100 OBC 

(5) Celebrity - returned to end destination a day early due to a medical emergency: one night refunded (which we felt was incredibly generous)

(6) Seabourn - one missed port which was almost immediately substituted with an alternate port due to poor weather: $0 (no harm, no foul, and we enjoyed exploring the substitute port) 

(7) Seabourn - two missed ports: $750 future cruise credit (which was subsequently increased to $1500 and $100 in OBC)

[(8) Princess - for a 14-day TA, two of three missed ports with no substitutions, diverting to destination 1.5 days early, shutting down facilities due to regulatory requirements: $100 non-refundable OBC] 

 

Notice an outlier? 

 

When your cruise operator cancels two of your three ports and diverts your 14-day cruise to return 1.5 days early, shutting down facilities you paid for and expected to use....you know, let's just say we were expecting more than $100 in non-refundable OBC. With our Princess Premier packages, we're struggling to figure out how we can spend the $100 tomorrow. The shops are now closed, the casino is closed. I suppose we can buy a bottle of wine? Or book a Princess excursion into Southampton when the storm we just escaped rolls ashore with 40 mph sustained winds? Tempting, tempting. 

Which takes me back to my original point: When things go wrong, compensation reflects a company's empathy for their customers' frustrated experience. We lost two ports of call. We're sitting dockside in Southampton unable to leave with multiple ship facilities closed. Even more egregious, and I'm sure few passengers realize this, but Princess elected to charge every passenger the Southampton dockage fees and tax TWICE to account for us arriving on Thursday rather than Saturday. That's why your folio only reflects a refund of $25.29. Instead of bearing the cost of docking early, Princess decided to pass along the cost of the disruptions to us. Sure, it's a nominal amount. But Princess HQ/corporate's penny pinching doesn't exactly endear me to their business practices. I don't pretend to be someone special. I'm a nobody, as most of us are. Losing my business won't trouble any Princess executive. But if you're tired of being nickel and dimed at every possible turn, then we, as customers, should pay attention to how companies treat us nobodies when extraordinary circumstances come into play. For us, for my family, all we expected was a little empathy, an acknowledgement that our $20,000 cruise was materially disrupted. $100 in non-refundable OBC we can't spend wasn't it. 

I suspect most of those responding in this forum can absorb a loss when their cruise 'goes wrong'. And you're not going to find me in the lobby of the Ritz Hotel tomorrow with a tin out asking for loose change, pleading for a handout. But for those onboard, those who saved and sacrificed to experience a once-in-a-lifetime TA crossing, the couple who are now sitting moored in Southampton 1.5 days early, being double charged for a port, without facilities they paid for, after missing two of the three ports they were looking forward to visiting? I dunno. We feel that Princess HQ/corporate could've been more understanding, more empathic for the disruptions we all experienced. 

[And re: insurance claims, as so many of you have highlighted, neither of our two insurance policies covers missed ports. Perhaps a difference between U.S. and UK/European insurance packages? Regardless, an expectation for insurance -- something you contracted for and are legally entitled to --doesn't negate a cruise ship operator from recognizing an extraordinary disruption and offering its passengers an empathetic and fair token of goodwill.]

4 hours ago, texasjones said:

Very much appreciate the counterpoint and -- for everyone else -- I'm back on the thread! [And prepare yourself for a long post, really do hope you read it all.] We've been enjoying the rough seas up through our docking in Southampton this evening, and I only thought to check the responses before I went to bed. I'd be a pretty poor lawyer if I shrunk from a legitimate and good-natured debate! I think it's fascinating reading the different perspectives on compensation when things unexpectedly 'go wrong' on a cruise. 

For those not onboard but have a voyage booked on Sky Princess, rest assured: the ship is beautifully fitted, the crew very kind and accommodating, and the evening entertainment is some of the best we've experienced at sea (-- if you have a chance to hear Elaine Gray, get to the theater/club venue as soon as the doors open, she's brilliant). Even the food, which we've always considered Princess' weak spot, was better than expected and, in some cases, spectacular. Most importantly, the Caymus never ran out at Vines 😉 So we have no complaint with the voyage itself. As many of you have pointed out, though, travel is inherently unpredictable, particularly when you're traveling by sea during the winter and shoulder seasons. Got it. There's a reason why our contracts of carriage absolve the cruise operator for weather-related delays/inconveniences/disruptions. If I filed suit claiming otherwise, I'd be rightly laughed out of court. We all agreed to a one-sided contract. There's no arguing otherwise. 

With that said, and I thought I articulated this in an earlier post....our complaint lies solely with Princess HQ/corporate. There are many ways a company can respond when things, like our voyage, 'go wrong', namely: (A) honoring a warranty or guarantee (for goods), (B) compensation (for experiences), and (C) sticking its head in the sand and doing nothing, knowing [or perhaps hoping] that the majority of its customers won't challenge their decision. Too expensive, too much of a hassle, so why would one bother? In a post-Covid world, when multibillion dollar companies post record profits yet continue to search for ways to nickel and dime their customers, I err on the side of questioning corporate decisionmaking. This is a Princess cruise forum. Aren't you a little peeved at Princess' continued cutbacks to our loyalty program, the hours-long wait to speak with a Princess representative on the phone, the degradation of the [fill in the blank] soft product you once valued, all in spite of Princess raising its fare prices? I sure am. The suits bank on our apathy. And you can bet the suits are taking such apathy into account when determining compensation amounts when things 'go wrong'. If the suits sense you'll be content with crumbs, crumbs you shall receive. 

I've read some posts excusing, or perhaps justifying, Princess' $100 non-refundable OBC "gesture of goodwill" as reasonable because this was (A) a repositioning cruise and (B) (I assume?) the average cost per passenger was lower than a typical TA cruise. We booked this voyage quite early because I knew I needed to be in London for work and thought the "Moroccan Passage" advertised by Princess would be more enjoyable than taking yet another Club World flight with British Airways. Forgive me, and I do hate throwing out dollar amounts because they tend to skew an argument, but we paid over $20,000 for three suites onboard (inclusive of Princess Premier). So this wasn't exactly a bargain basement -discount voyage for us, although we certainly recognize the value we received by booking this particular cruise. But let's address money. We considered adding a fourth room at the end of February and saw that fares had dropped significantly. I vaguely remember interior rooms being marketed for <$600 and balcony rooms for <$1000 -- an almost too-good-to-be-true value for any cruise operator, much less for a line like Princess. If I paid $600 for a 14-day TA cruise and received $100 in compensation, I'd consider Princess' offer to be incredibly generous. For us, less so. We've experienced several cruises where ports were cancelled or our cruise was diverted early. For comparative data points, here's what we received as compensation:

(1) Regent - one missed port: $500 OBC 

(2) Regent - one missed port: $500 future cruise credit 

(3) Crystal [RIP] - one missed port: $270 OBC 

(4) Cunard - one missed port: $100 OBC 

(5) Celebrity - returned to end destination a day early due to a medical emergency: one night refunded (which we felt was incredibly generous)

(6) Seabourn - one missed port which was almost immediately substituted with an alternate port due to poor weather: $0 (no harm, no foul, and we enjoyed exploring the substitute port) 

(7) Seabourn - two missed ports: $750 future cruise credit (which was subsequently increased to $1500 and $100 in OBC)

[(8) Princess - for a 14-day TA, two of three missed ports with no substitutions, diverting to destination 1.5 days early, shutting down facilities due to regulatory requirements: $100 non-refundable OBC] 

 

Notice an outlier? 

 

When your cruise operator cancels two of your three ports and diverts your 14-day cruise to return 1.5 days early, shutting down facilities you paid for and expected to use....you know, let's just say we were expecting more than $100 in non-refundable OBC. With our Princess Premier packages, we're struggling to figure out how we can spend the $100 tomorrow. The shops are now closed, the casino is closed. I suppose we can buy a bottle of wine? Or book a Princess excursion into Southampton when the storm we just escaped rolls ashore with 40 mph sustained winds? Tempting, tempting. 

Which takes me back to my original point: When things go wrong, compensation reflects a company's empathy for their customers' frustrated experience. We lost two ports of call. We're sitting dockside in Southampton unable to leave with multiple ship facilities closed. Even more egregious, and I'm sure few passengers realize this, but Princess elected to charge every passenger the Southampton dockage fees and tax TWICE to account for us arriving on Thursday rather than Saturday. That's why your folio only reflects a refund of $25.29. Instead of bearing the cost of docking early, Princess decided to pass along the cost of the disruptions to us. Sure, it's a nominal amount. But Princess HQ/corporate's penny pinching doesn't exactly endear me to their business practices. I don't pretend to be someone special. I'm a nobody, as most of us are. Losing my business won't trouble any Princess executive. But if you're tired of being nickel and dimed at every possible turn, then we, as customers, should pay attention to how companies treat us nobodies when extraordinary circumstances come into play. For us, for my family, all we expected was a little empathy, an acknowledgement that our $20,000 cruise was materially disrupted. $100 in non-refundable OBC we can't spend wasn't it. 

I suspect most of those responding in this forum can absorb a loss when their cruise 'goes wrong'. And you're not going to find me in the lobby of the Ritz Hotel tomorrow with a tin out asking for loose change, pleading for a handout. But for those onboard, those who saved and sacrificed to experience a once-in-a-lifetime TA crossing, the couple who are now sitting moored in Southampton 1.5 days early, being double charged for a port, without facilities they paid for, after missing two of the three ports they were looking forward to visiting? I dunno. We feel that Princess HQ/corporate could've been more understanding, more empathic for the disruptions we all experienced. 

[And re: insurance claims, as so many of you have highlighted, neither of our two insurance policies covers missed ports. Perhaps a difference between U.S. and UK/European insurance packages? Regardless, an expectation for insurance -- something you contracted for and are legally entitled to --doesn't negate a cruise ship operator from recognizing an extraordinary disruption and offering its passengers an empathetic and fair token of goodwill.]

Well put, thank you.

Well I guess if you have to stay onboard in Southampton from Thursday  you will  be offered a selection of excursions in the old country. We join the ship on 1st April so please don't drink all the camus☺️

Give me Grand class over Royal class any day.

Has anyone a list of wines aboard the Sky now that it's going to Europe. Paticulary looking for a sweetish white but not desert for DWs sugar fix.

Try to change your booking, even with the slightest disability the bath tub is a no-no.

We are booked on a 14 day first leg then a 5 day second leg B to B both elite and in penthouse suites. Do we get 2  complimentary specialty restaurant dinners each and " heaven forbid " 4 sets of mini bar ?

Hello fellow cruisers. Has anyone got the email address of the CEO or people of Princesses' top brass please.

Cruise ship congestion at Gibraltar (well then this far out ? )

Just had a notification for cruise starting 29 July 2023 where dear Princess has removed the port of Gibraltar and substituted with Vigo. Not good !!!! but their fine print covers everything of course.

Please don't offer a tip in Japan or Croatia It's one of their cultural no no's 

I used to be able to check the amount of days to go, until cruise departure date on Princess medallion app, which counted down day by day when I opened it. It doesn't do that anymore but stays the same unless I delete the app and reinstall it when the correct number of days shows. Any thoughts please. 

Not a fan of the trough, why not use the dining rooms and slow down into your holiday.

We have booked a back to back, with a lot of credits on the first led but nothing on the second leg. Question is will the "spare" credits roll over onto the second leg or do we have to drink more wine to use them up

Depending on your choice of cabin, those cabins up to the grade of minisuite, have a shower enclosure with a step of about 3 inches and a flimsy ( clingy ) curtain. Minisuites only have a bath tub with a shower head over it. Full suits have a fully glassed panelled enclosure with a 4 inch step along with a separate bath. We travel in full suits and if we can’t get an accessible wet room cabin, we take 2 suction type handles and a suction type shower head holder, these fix to the glass panels, we then get customer service to get the plumber to change the fixed high up shower head to a flexible pipe one. To overcome the step of about 4 inches we take a folding 2 inch high step with us. Hope this helps.     

Shame the parmesan cheese basket disappeared many years ago. 

What TV channel do the ships announcements get broadcast on. We are on the Sky for several cruises next year and always forget.

Nothing there yet for the UK.