Pacific Pearl - to cruise or cancel?

[Kiwi Kid]

I have cruised P&O (Star & Sun twice), along with Sun Princess during school holidays. I know every time I mention this I get slammed by someone, but our experience on Sun Princess was not good. Travelled with Mum (young 60's) and I am in my 40's. Daughter was 12. Demographics were all wrong for us. We encountered so many elderly people with attitudes - they thought you should let them go infront of you, not use the lifts (only did when we were in heels to try and keep the clothes from shrinking :cool:) and at least 50% of the people we came in contact with were rude or standofish. At home I will give up my seat for an elderly person and let them go first, but on a ship where you were in the minority, it wasn't a reality. Bare in mind this was school holidays so you'd presume (wrongly) that it would have been mainly younger people with families. Had family (in their 60's) who hopped on after us and that was their first comment too.

 

Also have to say P&O entertainment and activities are so much more lively and fun. In my observations, P&O is more a "party" atmosphere, whilst Princess more sedate. So armed with this knowledge, and everything else you gleen, you can make an informed choice. You do get people drinking heavily on P&O but their security was amazing, without being heavy handed.

 

Got to agree with you re P&O forum (facebook) - anything controversial or not fully endorsing the P&O product gets slammed. At least you get seasoned cruisers sharing their info here, without any bias. Happy travels.

[oskarNZ]

Wow, you are all such a wonderful source of knowledge. Thanks so much.

 

Any other info people would like to share will be hugely appreciated.

 

Also, I would love to know if the pools on either ship are heated?

Sorry about all the questions :rolleyes:

[Kiwi_cruiser]

Also, I would love to know if the pools on either ship are heated?

 

They are not heated on the Pacific Pearl.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I have cruised P&O (Star & Sun twice), along with Sun Princess during school holidays. I know every time I mention this I get slammed by someone, but our experience on Sun Princess was not good. Travelled with Mum (young 60's) and I am in my 40's. Daughter was 12. Demographics were all wrong for us. We encountered so many elderly people with attitudes - they thought you should let them go infront of you, not use the lifts (only did when we were in heels to try and keep the clothes from shrinking :cool:) and at least 50% of the people we came in contact with were rude or standofish. At home I will give up my seat for an elderly person and let them go first, but on a ship where you were in the minority, it wasn't a reality. Bare in mind this was school holidays so you'd presume (wrongly) that it would have been mainly younger people with families. Had family (in their 60's) who hopped on after us and that was their first comment too.

 

Also have to say P&O entertainment and activities are so much more lively and fun. In my observations, P&O is more a "party" atmosphere, whilst Princess more sedate. So armed with this knowledge, and everything else you gleen, you can make an informed choice. You do get people drinking heavily on P&O but their security was amazing, without being heavy handed.

 

Got to agree with you re P&O forum (facebook) - anything controversial or not fully endorsing the P&O product gets slammed. At least you get seasoned cruisers sharing their info here, without any bias. Happy travels.

 

 

I have to agree with comments KiwiKid, but lets make it clear to the original poster ,

that there is a big difference between the the 2 Princess Australia ships, Sun and Dawn Princess,

and the Diamond Princess which is organised and run , from the States.

 

Diamond Princess is streets ahead.

[sheep]

Didnt have any problem getting a seat at the shows on the Pearl, just got there 20 minutes before, same on the Princess just get there 20 mins before, always seats available. We ate at the waterfront restaurant every night on the Pearl and had the same table every night. On the first night we just made sure we booked the same table for the next night and did this every night we dined. We always had the same table as we had good service there. We did notice at lunch time the service wasnt as good. Always do anytime dining on Princess and never have to wait, there are quite a few choices of restaurants and if the line looked a bit long we just went to another one and got in there, never a problem. One cruise we had fixed dining but would always prefer anytime. Disappointed with the outside movie screen on the Pearl, was watching a movie and then they started an outside activity and asked us all to move, some people were not happy. There are lots of activities on both ships, quizs, trivia, all okay. You will find the longer the cruise on Princess the older the people. The 12 day cruise we did around NZ was outside of school holidays, the grandchildren had time of school and there were not many children in the kids club but it was still open and they had a great time, better attention. If you want a family cruise as have younger children make sure you go in school holidays as there will be lots of kids in the kids club. The people on the Pacific Pearl were definitely younger and more children but it was in school holidays. The gym was lovely on the Diamond beautiful views, the Pearl I just looked in the door so cant really comment didnt look properly. Cant answer about the drinks package, sorry, but it is the drinks where ships make their money.

 

 

Sheep, I hope you don't regret asking this question as I have so many questions. lol :D

 

One thing I really don't like on cruises is when certain areas become so crowded (e.g the pool, theatre, restaurants etc) you have to get there ages in advance just to get a half-way decent seat. How are the Pearl and Diamond for this? I know the Diamond has more pools and restaurants, so does this make them less crowded? Or is this just cancelled out due to the fact that there are more people on board?

 

How do the gyms compare on each ship? I've heard that the Pearl one has no windows. Is this correct?

 

Does anytime dining work well on the Diamond, or do you still need to make reservations?

 

Is the daytime entertainment similar? While I'm quite young, I do love things such as pub quizzes, cooking demonstrations and port lectures and am hoping both offer some of these types of activities. Also, are the movies they show on the big screen fairly recent?

 

What is the main age and nationality demographic on each ship. I love meeting people of many different cultures and would prefer if there were some families and couples in their 20s - 40s.

 

DO both/either of the ships offer drink packages, and if so roughly how much are they?

 

I have heaps more questions, but should perhaps stop at that. Anything you could tell me would be great.

 

Cheers

[aussie57]

I have cruised with Princess & Celebrity & P&O Aust(6 times but not on the Pearl)

We did Aust/NZ on the Sapphire Princess in 2007 which is an identical twin sister to the Diamond. We didn't miss any ports, we did Milford, Doubtful & Dusky Sounds (in cold, grey, windy, misty weather). It was March. We heard that on the cruise before ours the Sapphire missed Dunedin as it was too windy to enter Port Chalmers. We had a Force 9 gale on the tasman crossing but the ship hardly moved. There were lots of Americans onboard with a majority being elderly & more mobility scooters than I've ever seen in one place which clogged up the lifts somewhat. There can be an aggressive, demanding attitude in the midst of large groups of americans that you don't find with aussies/kiwis. And, of course the tipping is a big thing on the US Princess ships. At the time of our cruise, Sapphire was only 3yrs old so streets ahead of other ships for opulence, grandeur & luxury decor.

As others have said, you can't really fairly compare 5star & 3.5star ships. We have loved all our cruises. We have sailed in cyclone season 7 times & have only had really bad weather & missed ports once - out of Auckland to Fiji. That side of it is just the luck of the draw.

Happy cruising whatever you choose

[oskarNZ]

Thanks again for all of your advice!!! It's been really useful.

 

Does anyone know if there are heated pools on the Diamond?

[rkmw]

Thanks again for all of your advice!!! It's been really useful.

 

Does anyone know if there are heated pools on the Diamond?

 

hi oskar, when we went on the Diamond we didnt use the pools as we were going to NZ and it was a bit cold but i doubt very much if they'd be heated

[aussie57]

 

Does anyone know if there are heated pools on the Diamond?

 

Can't remember about the pools on the Sapphire but the jacuzzis (spas) were great. - hot & open late & very rarely full of people

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Thanks again for all of your advice!!! It's been really useful.

 

Does anyone know if there are heated pools on the Diamond?

 

I cant remember either, but if you go to the Princess board and ask there , I am sure you will get a reply.

[rugbypopsie]

Before you confuse yourself altogether perhaps there is another way to weigh up the pros and cons

 

Ask yourself and give points rating and then add the points up at the end

 

How important are the destination/ports to me?

How important are the ship features i.e. shows, entertainment, pools, activities, gym, food, kids clubs etc.

How important is the age demographic (at Christmas you needn't really consider because the age will be younger than usual for some of these ships) however it is always true that the more upmarket the ship and the longer the cruise the older the passengers and therefore the entertainment is geared around this factor.

 

Lots of times it is a trade off...you might have a good price on a lesser starred ship...as long as the things that you like are there you will still have a great cruise.

 

If the ports are not as important to you as the facilities then go for the "best" ship.

 

The pools are heated and covered on the Diamond Princess and were used throughout our NZ cruise. In all the years that I have cruised I have only ever missed 3 ports and never more than one in the same cruise...no matter what the season or region.

 

Good Luck...as for "choose another kind of holiday"..only under sufference....cruising is a fabulous holiday never had a bad one yet.

When you add up what you get for what you pay cruising cannot be beaten.

 

 

 

 

[oskarNZ]

I'm really grateful for all your wonderful answers and advice.

 

It's great to hear that the pools on The Diamond are heated, as this holds quite a bit of appeal for me. It does irk me a bit that you have to pay money on the Pearl to swim/soak in anything that has been warmed up.

 

I think at the end of the day, I've been swayed towards the Diamond. I just need to present all this wonderful advice you have given me to my family and we'll decide from there.

 

Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever stayed in a room above and/or below a theatre before, and if so, how noisy was it?

[oskarNZ]

Good Luck...as for "choose another kind of holiday"..only under sufference....cruising is a fabulous holiday never had a bad one yet.

When you add up what you get for what you pay cruising cannot be beaten.

 

Rugbypopsie, I do have to agree about what great value for money cruising is. As well weighing up different cruise ships, I have also been weighing up land options such as taking my boy to Disneyland.

Flights alone, travelling Qantas or AirNZ during Xmas holidays, will cost my family about $1000 MORE than 13 nights on board the Diamond.

 

I realise you shouldn't really compare as I am talking about 2 very different experiences. But when you consider that 24 hrs in an uncomfortable airline seat, eating less than desirable meals is more expensive than 13 nights on a ship with meals, entertainment and all the wonderful things cruising entails, it does make you stop and think.

[Aus Traveller]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone ever stayed in a room above and/or below a theatre before, and if so, how noisy was it?

Our daughter's cabin on the Dawn Princess was above the stage area of the theatre. She said it was so noisy that the sound reverberated through their pillows and they could not sleep before the second show finished. The Purser's Office gave them earplugs, but apparently that didn't help much.

[rugbypopsie]

I have been above the theatre on the Diamond Princess without problem...chances are you will be out and about around any ship or in the theatre itself..so not too much of a problem.

 

The Diamond Princess has indoor and outdoor pools all fresh water and heated but there is a big indoor one that is covered and heated so the water is warm and so is the environment around the pool.

[silverwillow]

If you had the choice to cruise only one of the following; Diamond Princess, Pacific Pearl or Rhapsody, can I ask which one you'd choose and why?

 

I would say the Diamond Princess but it is the only one of the three I have sailed on.

 

I am in the process of deciding whether to cancel a cruise on the pacific pearl and it is looking like we will cancel and swap for a Diamond princess cruise.

 

To us the itinerary is paramount but we realise with bad weather we may miss a port so we make sure the rest of the itinerary is great too.

 

Then almost as important is the ship and amenities available.

 

The pros we see with the Diamond is the size and layout is wonderful and it hardly ever felt crowded, we were often the only ones in the aft pools and spas and we cruised through Thompson Sound in one of the aft spas it was magic. The Fiords were such a highlight that we are now considering a 32 night from Singapore to Auckland to do them again. :)

 

Another bonus for us was the ability to bring two bottles of wine at each port of call where as you can not do this on the Pacific Pearl.

 

The food was so good on the Diamond we did not spend a cent extra on speciality restaurants but if we go on the PP I know I will be in the Salt grill at least four times over the 28 nights. :)

 

The Diamond has a great kids club and it was the first time in years that my husband and I sat alone to eat. My daughter was three at the time and she absolutely loved the activities and the cares and this is a shy girl who usually wants to be with mum and dad, she kept asking to go back to the kids club.

 

The negatives of the Diamond was that the entertainment (in the evening) was really, well, poor. They did have wonderful lectures though very informative and helpful about the ports we were visiting. They also had heaps of trivia which I enjoy, bingo and a variety of other daytime activities.

 

Also the age of most people was a little older than us but there were still a fair few families on board and plenty of kids in the kids club. In all fairness we aren't really party animals and I also dislike crowded areas which is one reason we are reconsidering the Pacific Pearl.

 

I too have a niggling feeling about the Pacific Pearl but the itinerary on the cruise we are booked on is amazing (Tahitian treasures 28 nights) but when we started to weigh things up like having to pay atleast $15 for a half day access to a spa pool (which my daughter can not access at all during the whole cruise) or having to pay for room service (it's free except for pizza's on the Diamond) and the fact that we are paying 5 star prices for a 3.5 star ship on the PP I am now leaning towards the Diamond again.

 

We also cant understand why a ship would remove it's spa pools and the service we are getting from the p&o's administration staff is appalling. Although hopefully it's better on the ship but I am not sure I want to take my chances with my families hard earned cash or our precious time.

 

Oh I wanted to add that we loved anytime dining and only had to wait once but we could have turned around and gone to one of the three other dining rooms without a wait.

 

Good luck deciding.

 

Silverwillow

[Aus Traveller]

I too have a niggling feeling about the Pacific Pearl but the itinerary on the cruise we are booked on is amazing (Tahitian treasures 28 nights)

 

Silverwillow

The Tahiti itinerary for the Pacific Pearl is indeed amazing. We have cruised on this route a couple of times and would happily do it again. The scenery is superb.

[oskarNZ]

Thanks for the replies about the theatre. We're morning people who should perhaps not get a room too near the theatre incase we choose to go to bed early.

 

Silverwillow, you comments were really helpful, particularly since your family sounds very similar to my own. We have a 3 year old and we also aren't too keen on crowded areas and large party scenes.

Given what you've said, I feel even more so that the Diamond is a better option for us. Not to mention that cruising the fiords in a pool sounds like bliss. :)

 

It's kind of reassuring to hear that someone is also in a similar predicament. There's nothing worse than spending lot's of hard earned money on something you're not completely sure about.

 

I must admit that you do have a hard decision in front of you as far as ports go. I've been on a holiday to Tahiti before and thought it was absolutely stunning - one of the prettiest places I've been. However, food prices on land were the highest I've ever encountered. Cruisng there eliminates this issue and is therefore a very good option.

 

However a cruise up through Asia would also be wonderful. If it finishes in Singapore, you could spend a few days there and take your young one to Sentosa Island. With all it's new theme parks (including Universal) it looks like a fantastic family destination. I actually considered it briefly instead of a cruise.

 

In fact, if the cruise was that long, I think I'd pick the Diamond. Mainly because I'd want alot of dining options and from what I've read so far, the buffet on the Pearl isn't that great. Still, who am I to give advice. I was the one asking the questions in the first place ;)

 

Will be interested in what you decide.

[robinph]

I would say the Diamond Princess but it is the only one of the three I have sailed on.

 

I am in the process of deciding whether to cancel a cruise on the pacific pearl and it is looking like we will cancel and swap for a Diamond princess cruise.

 

To us the itinerary is paramount but we realise with bad weather we may miss a port so we make sure the rest of the itinerary is great too.

 

Then almost as important is the ship and amenities available.

 

The pros we see with the Diamond is the size and layout is wonderful and it hardly ever felt crowded, we were often the only ones in the aft pools and spas and we cruised through Thompson Sound in one of the aft spas it was magic. The Fiords were such a highlight that we are now considering a 32 night from Singapore to Auckland to do them again. :)

 

Another bonus for us was the ability to bring two bottles of wine at each port of call where as you can not do this on the Pacific Pearl.

 

The food was so good on the Diamond we did not spend a cent extra on speciality restaurants but if we go on the PP I know I will be in the Salt grill at least four times over the 28 nights. :)

 

The Diamond has a great kids club and it was the first time in years that my husband and I sat alone to eat. My daughter was three at the time and she absolutely loved the activities and the cares and this is a shy girl who usually wants to be with mum and dad, she kept asking to go back to the kids club.

 

The negatives of the Diamond was that the entertainment (in the evening) was really, well, poor. They did have wonderful lectures though very informative and helpful about the ports we were visiting. They also had heaps of trivia which I enjoy, bingo and a variety of other daytime activities.

 

Also the age of most people was a little older than us but there were still a fair few families on board and plenty of kids in the kids club. In all fairness we aren't really party animals and I also dislike crowded areas which is one reason we are reconsidering the Pacific Pearl.

 

I too have a niggling feeling about the Pacific Pearl but the itinerary on the cruise we are booked on is amazing (Tahitian treasures 28 nights) but when we started to weigh things up like having to pay atleast $15 for a half day access to a spa pool (which my daughter can not access at all during the whole cruise) or having to pay for room service (it's free except for pizza's on the Diamond) and the fact that we are paying 5 star prices for a 3.5 star ship on the PP I am now leaning towards the Diamond again.

 

We also cant understand why a ship would remove it's spa pools and the service we are getting from the p&o's administration staff is appalling. Although hopefully it's better on the ship but I am not sure I want to take my chances with my families hard earned cash or our precious time.

 

Oh I wanted to add that we loved anytime dining and only had to wait once but we could have turned around and gone to one of the three other dining rooms without a wait.

 

Good luck deciding.

 

Silverwillow

 

Hi Silverwillow, we too are now considering pulling the pin on this cruise, studying the itenarary now with Apia gone we have 5 sea days from Bora Bora (including Nuafo'ou scenic cruising) also if we miss Norfolk Island as a lot of people on CC have said is quite possible due to seas we would have 5 sea days at the beginning as well ,taking the sea days to 15 out of 28 days and with Apia gone and the possibility of losing Norfolk as well, I don't know whether it is worth the money to go to the remaining ports half of which we have visited on numerous occassions,also reading info on Papaettee it says that everything closes by 2pm on Saturdays and not much open on Sundays I can't see the point of staying 2 days there, plus with P & O's lack of communications regarding the cancellation (our travel agent has still not recieved notification) and the continueing poor reviews of the pearl we are considering pulling out even if it means we have to lose our deposit(which I will not do without a fight).:mad: Robin

[cruisin-m]

Did a tour of the Pearl last Sunday and she is a stunning ship don't let her age sway you. The facilities on the Pearl were easily comparable with the Rhapsody the only thing that was noticeable was that the stairwells were slightly smaller and the atrium, as at the end of the day it is an older ship.

 

The pool deck on the Pacific Pearl is also by far the nicest with two large pools and a swim up bar out of Pacific Sun+ Dawn, Dawn+Sun Princess and Rhapsody, despite its unfortunate lack of spas which won't bother me much anyway, I never used them on any other ship anyway.

 

Have heard from friends who are on the current Pacific Pearl cruise that return in two days time and they said they could not fault the ship in any way possible and that it has the best service and atmosphere onboard out of any ship they have travelled on. Obviously everyone enjoys different things and this reflects why the Pearl like most other ships has both mediocre and excellent reviews.

 

Diamond Princess will 'wow' you more but the Pearl will probably still have more modern and fancy decor as Princess have a very 'traditional' feel to their ships regardless of age.

Princess do have some neat little perks like 24h room service and chocs on the pillow but friends on Pearl and pics I've seen have also got chocs on pillow every night so maybe P&O are upping their game there.

 

P&O will have a much younger crowd then Princess as well, much more family orientated especially with Princess to New Zealand.

 

You will definitely have an excellent time if your trying to have one and don't look for faults like some people, as regardless of what ship you choose none of them do every single thing perfectly even the supposedly more 'luxury' lines like Princess have their cons to more basic lines like P&O in some areas.

[oskarNZ]

Cruisin-m, I fully agree with you when you say that there are pros and cons to any ship. Believe me, I have been weighing up all the good reviews about the Pearl along with the bad.

From what I can gauge, I am unlikely to be disappointed with their entertainment, on-board service, kids club, table-service restaurants and even their cabins (which while dated, look to be a pretty good size).

 

However, it's the technical issues which have been concerning me most, and even more so, P&O's response (or lack of) to people's complaints.

I always read reviews (good and bad) before booking a holiday, and take the majority with a pinch of salt. But it's a companies response to these reviews that always interests me the most.

 

When P&O finally addressed the toilet issue with the media, they did so by blaming it on customers and the things they'd flushed down the toilet. Sure, this might be partly true, but it was also due to an initial lack of sanitary disposal units and presumably an old pump system. IMO it's really poor business practice to pass problems with your company onto the customer instead of apologising and then moving forward to fix them.

 

Similar with the spa pool debacle. I have been reading complaints about misleading advertising material for months. However, it is only now that P&O have thanked the latest complainant for bringing this to their attention and bringing about a 'positive outcome'. Positive for who? P&O, because they have probably dodged a bullet? Definitely not for those who feel like they booked the cruise under misleading premises. Again, I think a simple acknowledgment of people's disappointment would be nice.

 

Lastly, as far as I'm aware, P&O have been avoiding questions about the black smoke. Does anyone know if the ship is still pumping this into the environment? I would feel quite guilty about paying for a cruise that is leaving such a huge carbon footprint on the earth.

 

Anyway, sorry about the rant. I never really made it clear until now what my main reservations for rethinking the Pearl were and thought perhaps I should. Feel free to disagree, but please do so in a nice way ;)

 

Thanks again to everyone for your replies. The help on this website has been awesome and your cruising knowledge has really impressed me.

[Bella cruiser]

Cruisin-m, I fully agree with you when you say that there are pros and cons to any ship. Believe me, I have been weighing up all the good reviews about the Pearl along with the bad.

From what I can gauge, I am unlikely to be disappointed with their entertainment, on-board service, kids club, table-service restaurants and even their cabins (which while dated, look to be a pretty good size).

 

However, it's the technical issues which have been concerning me most, and even more so, P&O's response (or lack of) to people's complaints.

I always read reviews (good and bad) before booking a holiday, and take the majority with a pinch of salt. But it's a companies response to these reviews that always interests me the most.

 

When P&O finally addressed the toilet issue with the media, they did so by blaming it on customers and the things they'd flushed down the toilet. Sure, this might be partly true, but it was also due to an initial lack of sanitary disposal units and presumably an old pump system. IMO it's really poor business practice to pass problems with your company onto the customer instead of apologising and then moving forward to fix them.

 

Similar with the spa pool debacle. I have been reading complaints about misleading advertising material for months. However, it is only now that P&O have thanked the latest complainant for bringing this to their attention and bringing about a 'positive outcome'. Positive for who? P&O, because they have probably dodged a bullet? Definitely not for those who feel like they booked the cruise under misleading premises. Again, I think a simple acknowledgment of people's disappointment would be nice.

 

Lastly, as far as I'm aware, P&O have been avoiding questions about the black smoke. Does anyone know if the ship is still pumping this into the environment? I would feel quite guilty about paying for a cruise that is leaving such a huge carbon footprint on the earth.

 

Anyway, sorry about the rant. I never really made it clear until now what my main reservations for rethinking the Pearl were and thought perhaps I should. Feel free to disagree, but please do so in a nice way ;)

 

Thanks again to everyone for your replies. The help on this website has been awesome and your cruising knowledge has really impressed me.

 

Hi OscarNZ, it looks like you had already made up your mind before you posted the question, but thanks for posting anyway as lots interesting information and opinions have been forthcoming as a result of your enquiry.:)

 

Jenny

[lizzy77]

If you decide on the Diamond you will definitely not be disappointed.

We have been on quite a few ships and the Diamond is our favorite. Try to book a cabin midship as it is such a large one you will appreciate being in the middle.

[oskarNZ]

Lizzy77, thanks for the tip. The most affordable cabins are near the theatre, but I think I will consider paying a bit more for a mid-ship room with cabins above and below it.

 

Hi OscarNZ, it looks like you had already made up your mind before you posted the question, but thanks for posting anyway as lots interesting information and opinions have been forthcoming as a result of your enquiry.

 

Jenny, it certainly sounds that way doesn't it :)

Although, to be honest, I've actually been in quite a bit of a quandry for weeks now and still are to a small degree. I've had to weigh up quite a few other differences that are more in favour of the Pearl (such as Xmas vs New Years, obstructed view vs inside cabin, little deposit vs bigger deposit etc etc). Things I didn't bother to bring up because I already knew what my preferences were.

 

But at the end of the day, I think I have to listen to my gut, and my gut is saying the Diamond.

 

I've committed to making a definite decision by the end of the week and will keep you posted.

[Kiwi Kid]

I am the "complainant" who brought the spa pool (or lack of) sitaution to the attention of P&O. Really if you look at their response, it's very carefully worded in order to keep themselves "safe" from litigation. The also didn't think it was a big deal that they were promoting on the Pearl "the world's first chocolate cafe at sea" in their initial brochures but now it doesn't exist. Not once have they addressed what they are going to do for all those customers who made bookings in good faith - at least 1 free 1/2 day pass to Oasis per guest for those that ask prior to departure should be a minimum. Surely this would be a small cost to pay and probably only 50 - 100 people per cruise would request this. Obviously if you left it open once people were on board, then word of mouth would have everyone lining up.

 

The more I think about the situation the more I feel ripped off - but unfortunately we have paid for our cruise in full. I would be happy to take a full refund and book something else at a later date, but we would be out of pocket for airfares and prepaid accommodation prior to sailing.

 

I presume your situation is such that you can get a full refund? Good luck with whatever option you go with and happy travels!