Cowardly Princess Cruises treats passengers with contempt

[Loonbeam]

Yep. Like many contracts it is very biased against the consumer.

 

However, if you can prove Princess changed ports prior to the cruise and did not act to inform passengers for the sole point of monetary benefit (it would be tough), then you can claim dishonest practices which can be used to nullify terms of the contract. As a further challenge, the best model for this would be class action, which the contract expressly forces you to waive. Would be an interesting trial.

 

"This is another area where I suspect it might come to court. To paraphrase another famous court trial "What did they know and when did they know it".

Keep in mind the cruise contract, it does clear them in print of all you have mentioned above. They can change ports at any time (even embarkation and disembarkation ports) with no compensation given to the passengers.

[Loonbeam]

Travel Insurance update - I contacted people I know at one firm (*cough TravelGuard*). I was asked not to name names or copy directly as this is not an official response nor legally binding...

 

This is based on guidance given to their reps handling calls and does NOT represent claim processing policy.

 

In short, things are being handled on a case by case basis. If you have a policy with their concierge service they will help you rebook where they can, but they cannot rebook you themselves. Direct costs such as change fees are being covered on a reasonableness basis (i.e. if you try to claim that a FC seat was all that was available you are getting coach money back plus change fees). Hotel and food charges will be covered up to the Trip Delay max of your policy.

 

Again, I want to stress that this is UNOFFICIAL, NOT LEGALLY BINDING, and given on promise of anonymity. Don't wave this at the insurer and expect them to follow it if they give you another response.

[robgvic]

I am beginning to regret buying my own air. I do,however,think we will find Princess changes their mind. As far as I am concerned they contracted to provide transportation to Osaka so should be getting passengers there. I am disappointed in Princess.

[Loonbeam]

I'm inclined to agree in principle but not sure if its practical. That said there are two other factors.

 

1> Can they get you to Osaka in time to catch your original flight out (in most cases I suspect not unless you leave the ship a day early)

 

2> if they cannot what happens in Osaka as far as hotels and such (apparently there is limited capacity as people from the North have hunkered down south to avoid potential radiation issues or because of damage..)

 

It might actually be harder to get out of Osaka depending on flight schedules.

 

 

I am beginning to regret buying my own air. I do,however,think we will find Princess changes their mind. As far as I am concerned they contracted to provide transportation to Osaka so should be getting passengers there. I am disappointed in Princess.

[Toto2Kansas]

I was just reading the actual passenger contract and it does say as follows:

(on this link http://www.princess.com/legal/passage_contract/index.jsp , #7 ©)

 

 

"© If the scheduled port of embarkation or disembarkation as specified in the passage ticket is changed, Carrier will arrange transportation to it from the originally scheduled port."

 

Now, not sure about this since they are not allowing passengers to the scheduled disembarkation port, or how this will be handled per the cruise contract. ;) But it is something to consider.

[chamima]

Per the last couple of posts from people on board and some personal experiences it looks like the Passengers Services Desk is the weak link in the service on board. Kind of interesting considering the name. :rolleyes:

[Goldryder]

Over the last 3 weeks or so I have updated itineraries on around 50+ cruises by Costa, HAL, Princess, Crystal, Oceania, Seabourn, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Azamara, MSC, Silversea...all have been significant changes...one or more ports dropped or swapped. Areas of the world affected have been Egypt, Tunisia, Israel, Mexico, Japan.

 

Not so long ago, people booked a holiday - whether it be a cruise, landbased or whatever - and if the itinerary was changed for any reason they resigned themselves to those changes and considered themselves lucky to be going anywhere at all...afterall the holiday company can just cancel instead of change plans.

 

In the last 3-4 years the tide has changed to one of people demanding perfection, the brocher says this, we want this...not that!

 

It really makes no difference WHY an itinerary is changed, its BEEN CHANGED, so can we not put the teddybears back in the pram or playpen and just accept that these things happen sometimes...though it does have to be said that of all the methods of travel, cruising is probably the most fragile in regard to ports being reached.

 

There are so many variables that can (and do) launch that darn great bluebottle fly into your ointment. But at the end of the day, you are still going away to warmer weather, with family & friends, being waited on hand & foot, fed & watered and basically pampered.

 

There are millions of people who would step into your shoes if they could...even with a slightly messed up itinerary.

 

Sometimes I think people lose focus on just how lucky they are...and moaning about an itinerary change due to a natural disaster is frankly shameful really.

 

The ports missed will be there another year...and if all else fails, take a landbased tour and really get the true atmosphere, culture and feel of a place that you cannot expect to get in a matter of 8-9 hours.

 

Can we not just be thankful that we are alive, we are able to travel and we have the ability to travel...is that REALLY too much to ask?

[paul929207]

Over the last 3 weeks or so I have updated itineraries on around 50+ cruises by Costa, HAL, Princess, Crystal, Oceania, Seabourn, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Azamara, MSC, Silversea...all have been significant changes...one or more ports dropped or swapped. Areas of the world affected have been Egypt, Tunisia, Israel, Mexico, Japan.

 

Not so long ago, people booked a holiday - whether it be a cruise, landbased or whatever - and if the itinerary was changed for any reason they resigned themselves to those changes and considered themselves lucky to be going anywhere at all...afterall the holiday company can just cancel instead of change plans.

 

In the last 3-4 years the tide has changed to one of people demanding perfection, the brocher says this, we want this...not that!

 

It really makes no difference WHY an itinerary is changed, its BEEN CHANGED, so can we not put the teddybears back in the pram or playpen and just accept that these things happen sometimes...though it does have to be said that of all the methods of travel, cruising is probably the most fragile in regard to ports being reached.

 

There are so many variables that can (and do) launch that darn great bluebottle fly into your ointment. But at the end of the day, you are still going away to warmer weather, with family & friends, being waited on hand & foot, fed & watered and basically pampered.

 

There are millions of people who would step into your shoes if they could...even with a slightly messed up itinerary.

 

Sometimes I think people lose focus on just how lucky they are...and moaning about an itinerary change due to a natural disaster is frankly shameful really.

 

The ports missed will be there another year...and if all else fails, take a landbased tour and really get the true atmosphere, culture and feel of a place that you cannot expect to get in a matter of 8-9 hours.

 

Can we not just be thankful that we are alive, we are able to travel and we have the ability to travel...is that REALLY too much to ask?

Well said

[Fargo55]

Given the conditions in Japan (doesn't matter how far it is from the devastation) what Japan does not need are a bunch of tourist using up water, food, and transporation needed in a time of crisis. With rolling blackouts throughout the country, increased radiation levels and the reactors not being under control yet, no control over a wind shift change, I for one would not want to be anywhere near Japan. At worst you were Inconvenienced, it sounds like people were doing what they could.

[LS6Caddy]

My 2 Cents.

 

Awful tragedy in Japan. And I understand that most people who have no affiliation with anyone/thing in Japan's first reaction is going to be "how does this affect me." So i understand the frustration of the passengers.

 

My cruising experience as been to the Caribbean and to Mexico, so we typically book our own air and know there is an inherit risk doing so. But if we ever cruise "overseas" I will be covering my behind by booking air/hotel/transfers through the cruise line and also getting the necessary insurance. I probably would have been exploring my options of canceling the cruise once the tragedy happened. There are too many variables when traveling in foreign regions that have been devastated by a natural disaster. But that is the cautious side me.

 

Other than communication, not sure what Princess owes those people who chose to book air/hotel on there own. This is as much beyond there control as it is the passengers. Use of phone and internet is a good service, and there is no possible way a ship can provide anymore in terms of number of computers and connection speed service. This is just one of those unfortunate circumstances that can and do happen on a very rare occasion. It is no good for anybody involved and all there is to do is march forward in the best possible way.

 

Though I do not deny that some people have had poor customer service on board, the people who have had a poor experience are more likely to voice there opinion than those who have had a pleasant one. So I will reserve judgment on how princess handled this when the people who have there ducks in a row, arrangements made, and are simply enjoying there cruise (the best they can) post reviews after the cruise has ended (and are not consuming the internet bandwidth by posting on CC, if it is that slow I would not be spending my free time on here).

 

It is just a real bad situation for everybody.

[Loonbeam]

Well yes, but for the most part people are not complaining about the itinerary change. That's not the issue.

 

The issue is that the cruise was supposed to end in Osaka and is now ending in Hong Kong. If your travel home is scheduled from Osaka, this is significant problem, not just an inconvenience as you now have to find alternate transport home from an entirely different country while on a cruise ship. This is not an easy task.

 

I think most of the people on board understand the need to miss Japan's ports as far as tour stops. I also think they would like not to be stuck in Hong Kong for several days at their own expense.

 

It is incumbent on Princess to provide them with every reasonable accommodation to resolve this problem, namely in terms of customer service, which is apparently not the case. It becomes much harder to fix the situation without good info. If Princess handled your air transport, they should address it. They also should honor their contract of carriage.

 

I strongly suspect the majority of passengers on that ship would be offended at the assumption that all they want to do is visit the ports scheduled and damn everyone else. I know I would be.

 

 

Over the last 3 weeks or so I have updated itineraries on around 50+ cruises by Costa, HAL, Princess, Crystal, Oceania, Seabourn, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Azamara, MSC, Silversea...all have been significant changes...one or more ports dropped or swapped. Areas of the world affected have been Egypt, Tunisia, Israel, Mexico, Japan.

 

Not so long ago, people booked a holiday - whether it be a cruise, landbased or whatever - and if the itinerary was changed for any reason they resigned themselves to those changes and considered themselves lucky to be going anywhere at all...afterall the holiday company can just cancel instead of change plans.

 

In the last 3-4 years the tide has changed to one of people demanding perfection, the brocher says this, we want this...not that!

 

It really makes no difference WHY an itinerary is changed, its BEEN CHANGED, so can we not put the teddybears back in the pram or playpen and just accept that these things happen sometimes...though it does have to be said that of all the methods of travel, cruising is probably the most fragile in regard to ports being reached.

 

There are so many variables that can (and do) launch that darn great bluebottle fly into your ointment. But at the end of the day, you are still going away to warmer weather, with family & friends, being waited on hand & foot, fed & watered and basically pampered.

 

There are millions of people who would step into your shoes if they could...even with a slightly messed up itinerary.

 

Sometimes I think people lose focus on just how lucky they are...and moaning about an itinerary change due to a natural disaster is frankly shameful really.

 

The ports missed will be there another year...and if all else fails, take a landbased tour and really get the true atmosphere, culture and feel of a place that you cannot expect to get in a matter of 8-9 hours.

 

Can we not just be thankful that we are alive, we are able to travel and we have the ability to travel...is that REALLY too much to ask?

[ONT-CA]

I'll borrow a phrase to attach to this fiasco,

 

Not only must Justice be done; it must also be seen to be done

 

From a PR standpoint, Princess has dropped the ball on this one

[Goldryder]

Well yes, but for the most part people are not complaining about the itinerary change. That's not the issue.

 

The issue is that the cruise was supposed to end in Osaka and is now ending in Hong Kong. If your travel home is scheduled from Osaka, this is significant problem, not just an inconvenience as you now have to find alternate transport home from an entirely different country while on a cruise ship. This is not an easy task.

 

I think most of the people on board understand the need to miss Japan's ports as far as tour stops. I also think they would like not to be stuck in Hong Kong for several days at their own expense.

 

It is incumbent on Princess to provide them with every reasonable accommodation to resolve this problem, namely in terms of customer service, which is apparently not the case. It becomes much harder to fix the situation without good info. If Princess handled your air transport, they should address it. They also should honor their contract of carriage.

 

I strongly suspect the majority of passengers on that ship would be offended at the assumption that all they want to do is visit the ports scheduled and damn everyone else. I know I would be.

 

Well Princess are not alone on that one.

 

Silversea Silver Shadow were meant to end a cruise in Osaka in May but will now end it in Incheon, Korea....the next cruise starts in Incheon.

 

Considering the lack of available ports in the region, and given the lack of time to make decisions....all of the cruise lines that have had to change their itineraries have faced logistical nightmares.

 

They & especially their crews do not need passengers who have left their understanding and compassion at home. They are doing the best they can with what they have.

[TERESAh]

I knew this nuclear problem/Earthquake/Tsunami in Japan was going to cause problems for those passengers scheduled to sail from this area.

I am so sorry you went through this, but I have to admit, the cruise lines had their hands tied until the very last minute.

I would have also been upset at what took place, but what were they to do? Even the news wasn't getting all of the up to date info about what was taking place in Japan.

 

This is one reason why we book Princess flights for cruises this far awary from home. If there is a problem, Princess will re-schedule everything for you and you don't have all of this stress.

 

Again, I totally understand your frustration with this, but when Mother Nature Strikes, there just isn't much that can be done. For the cruise line to move the ship to another embarkation/disembarkation port and change the itineary with all the logistics involved.........it isn't an easy thing to do for them either.

 

I have been waiting for the reports to be posted, as I also knew that some would be totally upset about all of this (as I would be), but what can be done? They can't inform you if they didn't know until the last minute while most were in transit.

I have first hand knowledge that booking air through Princess does not guarantee they will help you. We booked our air through them for a Med cruise and for some reason at the last minute Princess cancelled the first leg of our trip. We asked the Princess reps at the airport to help us and they said they couldnt, we would have to call LA Corp office which, due to the time difference, wouldnt be open until the next day. We were in Italy with all of our luggage and since it was a Sunday, all the flights were booked. The airline was who stepped in to help. They gave 2 passengers a credit for future flight to give up their seats---they were very helpful but not Princess.

ALthough we missed 3 ports on our cruise and Princess did compensate us for that.

[kruzinon]

Well Princess are not alone on that one.

 

Silversea Silver Shadow were meant to end a cruise in Osaka in May but will now end it in Incheon, Korea....the next cruise starts in Incheon.

 

Considering the lack of available ports in the region, and given the lack of time to make decisions....all of the cruise lines that have had to change their itineraries have faced logistical nightmares.

 

They & especially their crews do not need passengers who have left their understanding and compassion at home. They are doing the best they can with what they have.

 

There is NOTHING similiar at all between these 2 cruises. The one in May isn't for almost 2 months, more than enough time to alter travel plans.

[Tikibird]

I haven't seen any posts here by people in Japan (Osaka/Kyoto area) addressing whether or not they want tourists in their area so thought I would direct you to Trip Advisor which has local Destination Experts.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g298564-i2712-k4325060-Safety_in_Kyoto-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki.html

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g298564-i2712-k4319372-Going_to_Kyoto_3_18_to_3_28-Kyoto_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki.html

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g298566-i2803-k4325163-Trip_planned_for_April-Osaka_Osaka_Prefecture_Kinki.html

 

It would seem from these comments by Japanese advisors that Princess has done them no favours by cancelling the stop in Osaka. The radiation danger is over 400 miles away, that's the distance from LA to SF roughly.

 

I know what the contract says but for an industry that draws its business in the competitive tourism industry at a time when many countries are still in economic distress and people are looking at where to spend whatever discretionary income they have, it seems to me to be penny wise and pound foolish to not step up and get their passengers to Osaka or back home. I agree with the person who posted above that they should offer a charter flight from HKG to KIX for those who want it and get the pax to sign a waiver. It's not just an intermediate port cancellation, this cruise is also transportation from Shanghai to Osaka and I don't think it's fair to dump the passengers in a foreign country they had no idea they were going to and tell them to fend for themselves. Taking the hard line on this issue could cost them dearly in consumer confidence and future bookings. Being "nice" and helping the pax would be a major PR coup for Princess and have everyone singing their praises, and possibly get free publicity in the news.

 

Current airfares on Expedia from HKG - KIX are around $450, it would normally be much less than that if not for the disaster.

 

I have travel insurance from Australia (itrek which is underwritten by Chartis) which has said they are covering the Japan earthquake for people who had policies but there is a grey area for people whose disemabarkation port has been changed. I personally have a "Plan B" in case anything unexpected happens next month in Mexico or to my cruise. I will have print outs of flight options in case of earthquake closing LAX and flight diversion to nearby airports and I also have an entire alternative land based itinerary in case our cruise gets cancelled altogether (unlikely event) which would be going to Guatemala and Belize by bus. I don't think I am representative of the average cruise passenger, I have 30 years of experience as a backpacker traveler so I am pretty travel savvy. It might be a good idea for everyone to look at their future travel plans, try to work out the possibilities for worst case scenario based on the weather and historical natural disasters and decide what they would do beforehand.

[Astro Flyer]

Per the last couple of posts from people on board and some personal experiences it looks like the Passengers Services Desk is the weak link in the service on board. Kind of interesting considering the name. :rolleyes:

No ship has the staff to handle 600 passengers demanding to have THEIR situation addressed NOW! Put yourself in their shoes in an ever changing situation by things out of their control. Those who feel everthing should be done at sea as on land need to realize there are communication issues dependent upon satellites. Yes, it's the PSD agents job but would any of us not get to the breaking point dealing with some demands when there may not be an answer for them. I've seen too many "squeaky wheels" who treat them terribly & I'm sure it's even worse in this situation.

[Loonbeam]

In this case, Princess was obligated to get you to the next embarkation point per the Passenger contract clause 7© noted above. How they provide that service is a matter of customer accommodation and they apparently fell down on the job there.

 

This goes back to my desire to use a trusted Travel Agent. I will NEVER book a vacation direct through any large firm (the one exception being an airline miles booking - some airlines won't let a TA do that). The travel nightmare may never happen, but when it does I want a pro I know by name in my corner..

 

 

I have first hand knowledge that booking air through Princess does not guarantee they will help you. We booked our air through them for a Med cruise and for some reason at the last minute Princess cancelled the first leg of our trip. We asked the Princess reps at the airport to help us and they said they couldnt, we would have to call LA Corp office which, due to the time difference, wouldnt be open until the next day. We were in Italy with all of our luggage and since it was a Sunday, all the flights were booked. The airline was who stepped in to help. They gave 2 passengers a credit for future flight to give up their seats---they were very helpful but not Princess.

ALthough we missed 3 ports on our cruise and Princess did compensate us for that.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Those saying that they would only book air for such a trip through Princess got me to thinking again about last year's earthquake in Chile, and the issues with Princess air in that instance. I went back and looked at some of the threads, and I finally found what I was looking for.

 

Check out post 109 on this thread. Last year, even those with Princess booked air were being told to call the airline to sort things out for themselves.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1152419&page=3&highlight=chile+earthquake+santiago

[Loonbeam]

While I grant you that the 90/10 rule applies here, wherein 10 percent of the passengers are demanding the most attention regardless, there should be a system in place for incidents like this so that the PSD is not overwhelmed..

 

Things they could do, just offhand

 

1> Collect flight information from all princess air passengers on a form and send to shore based operations in one batch, shore based operations can bring more staff on if needed.

 

2> Staff can be repurposed to some extend (and may have been). Members of the CD staff, bridge crew, even waitstaff with good language skills can help. (Admittedly, this is less viable on the smaller ships but still a few people could be found). And yes, they should be compensated for the extra work.

 

3> Arrange to have Princess staff meet the ship at the next port of call to assist (and possibly arrange additional communications resources)

 

4> Instead of a free for all, divide the ship up by decks and regions and have each group meet with staff at a specific time in an area away from the PSDesk so that everyone knows they will have a chance to ask for assistance and information. Make sure everyone staffing this area is fully updated and knows what they can and cannot do in the most common situations. If possible, dedicate a little bit of the ships comm resources usually reserved for bridge traffic so that each cruiser at the very least has the ability to send one email to a TA or make one short call.

 

Many major hospitality companies have disaster plans just like this one, and Princess should too. Note that I didn't suggest Princess handle air bookings they didn't initiate, or add computers, or anything drastic. Just a small shift in resourcing and planning in order to manage the chaos.

 

 

I've worked quite a bit in customer service over the years, and you are right, the PSD team and others are quite stressed. But, the entire point of a customer service job is to not let the stress affect you when dealing with the customer. And its hard, very very hard. But it is still part of the job. If you need to go in a back room and punch a wall a few times before coming back out with a smile, go for it.

 

No ship has the staff to handle 600 passengers demanding to have THEIR situation addressed NOW! Put yourself in their shoes in an ever changing situation by things out of their control. Those who feel everthing should be done at sea as on land need to realize there are communication issues dependent upon satellites. Yes, it's the PSD agents job but would any of us not get to the breaking point dealing with some demands when there may not be an answer for them. I've seen too many "squeaky wheels" who treat them terribly & I'm sure it's even worse in this situation.

[TERESAh]

Those saying that they would only book air for such a trip through Princess got me to thinking again about last year's earthquake in Chile, and the issues with Princess air in that instance. I went back and looked at some of the threads, and I finally found what I was looking for.

 

Check out post 109 on this thread. Last year, even those with Princess booked air were being told to call the airline to sort things out for themselves.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1152419&page=3&highlight=chile+earthquake+santiago

 

That's what happened to us in Italy, and because of this, it was the last time I booked my air through Princess. I get better rates and flight times when I do it myself or have a ta do it.

[Pam in CA]

Princess does have a disaster relief team who are flown to where the passengers are. Not sure why they haven't been deployed to the ports the ship is sailing to now.

 

You would be very surprised at the number of people who don't bring copies of their flight reservations and haven't a clue what flight they're on, the time and itinerary. They expect to show up at the airline check-in and be taken care of. Gathering this information to fax or email to Corp to handle flight reservations would be exceptionally difficult, if it can even be done. I know that to do EZ Check, Princess does so only with prior agreement with the airlines and can only check people in. They can't change flights or even fix luggage charge problems.

 

This is a far more complicated issue than Princess gathering info and making the changes for passengers.

[Coral]

I used to think booking Princess Air (for this type of reason) was the way to go but after my friend's experience with the earthquake in Chile - I was at a loss. My first thought was "I am so glad he booked with Princess" but in the end, it didn't matter. Booking with Princess didn't help the situation.

[Pam in CA]

Several years ago, I was on a 3-continent cruise and mid-way through, I learned that my stepfather had been diagnosed with a very fast-moving inoperable cancer and had only a very few weeks. I had Princess air and went to the Pursars Desk to ask them to change my flight going home several days post-cruise to disembarkation day. They emailed the info to CA and within hours, I had new flights and was able to make it back in time to say "Good bye."

[mytime53]

3>...(and possibly arrange additional communications resources)

.

 

This is exactly what I was thinking could/should be done, but by the time I read through the thread, you had posted it. At the very minimum, I would think a list of available places providing internet usage near the port could be made available to those passengers wanting to make use of those facilities.