Princess this simply is not fair

[jff50]

Catmand, I don't think the OP implied that he/she was going to be unhappy with the cruise... I just think the OP would be happier with a better deal.

No need to blow things out of proportion.

I think that it is safe to say that the OP would be unhappy based on the subsequent statement "however if when i do get on board i find that the "wheelchair access " cabins I have been denied having are occupied by non wheelchair passengers you will hear the row 100 miles away"

 

 

 

[Dreamer333]

 

I think that it is safe to say that the OP would be unhappy based on the subsequent statement "however if when i do get on board i find that the "wheelchair access " cabins I have been denied having are occupied by non wheelchair passengers you will hear the row 100 miles away"

 

Yes, I agree with you that the statement isn't a very nice one... Hopefully the OP did NOT mean that!!

[catmand]

SEE!! didn't I try to tell you?.and to quote a very good friend of mine....."and they aren't very nice at all are they?, my love."..................."no, my precious they are not."

 

.what do you say we change this thread to a discussion of LOTR?

[Dreamer333]

SEE!! didn't I try to tell you?.and to quote a very good friend of mine....."and they aren't very nice at all are they?, my love."..................."no, my precious they are not."

 

what do you say we change this thread to a discussion of LOTR?

 

 

I guess I just assume that everyone is as nice as I am!! Lol ;)

 

Excuse my ignorance, but what is LOTR?

[catmand]

Sorry, Lord Of The Rings.

[Dreamer333]

Sorry, Lord Of The Rings.

 

Uh oh, we are going to have another disagreement here!

I am more of a Harry Potter fan myself. Never even saw any of the Lord of the Ring movies!

Although speaking of "rings", I really want to see the Ring 2!!! Maybe they'll play it on MUTS! (i'm sure all the parents will love that!)

[catmand]

No no problem from me........gosh I am sorry I got this thread so off track. but the Harry Potter series is great too. I have read all the books and seen the movies I don't know how many times, have all the disks. The Tolkien series is very different than Harry but fantasy is fantasy........................don't they have a ship named that?

[Dreamer333]

No no problem from me........gosh I am sorry I got this thread so off track. but the Harry Potter series is great too. I have read all the books and seen the movies I don't know how many times, have all the disks. The Tolkien series is very different than Harry but fantasy is fantasy........................don't they have a ship named that?

 

No, I don't think they have a Harry Potter ship. ;)

Although thats a great idea!!

[BJS]

.. Having booked a 4 sector cruise 2 of which were inside guarantees with a promise that Princess always try to put you in same cabin when on back to back cruises and will upgrade you if the price drops

..

We booked b2b guarantees and never once were we told that they would try to put us in the same cabin. We figured most likely they would assign the same cabin and they did not. They moved us down 2 decks and from fore to aft. We no longer will book a b2b because of that. The price savings wasn't worth the hassle and wasted day to move.

We also have never been told we would be upgraded for any reason i.e. price drop or because we booked a guarantee (we always have been at least two categories but in the same class - balcony to balcony).

 

We booked once on the Grand about the same number of days before sailing that you did. The booking was placed on a Friday and on Monday they lowered the prices. I had booked with Princess and called them. We were given several options:keep room and get a refund to credit card, move up several categories and get a refund (which we chose) or book a category that was slightly more expensive and pay the difference. In this case the entire ship's prices were lowered to fill the ship.

 

Looks like since you booked after final payment if you want to change categories you will have to figure out which makes most financial sense now that rooms in other categories have opened up. (Sounds like TAs turned back in blocks of unsold rooms.) Canceling the booking and forfitting the non-refundable amount may be cheaper. You would no longer have a booking and should then qualify for "new booking" status.

 

It is a sad fact of life that cruise lines do have promos which everyone is not entitled to. New booking and regional promos seem the most unfair. Princess has always lowered our cruise fare, if I call them, when prices have gone down before final payment.

 

How many times do you see advertisements such as "Book Early & Save!"

 

There are so many people booking cruises this past year that for 4 of the 6 future cruises we have booked prices have done nothing but go up. The other 2 aren't until 2006 so we'll see what happens to them. Booking in advance has sure paid off big time for us. Not only have we saved hundreds of dollars but we do have rooms for these cruises which have sold out rapidly.

[inaspin]

Cancelling the booking would loose 75% so thats not financial sense

 

and yes clearly TAs turned in blocks of cabins .......i would love to know if theres a particular day before sailing they have to do that

 

There are cabins that are available on all 4 sectors and in our guarantee band

but Princess wont release them

 

If I could have booked early I would have done

 

However now I will only ever book single cruises and only ever last minute and probably not Princess because the hassle with them over this lot has been way OTT

 

If cruise lines are going to sell good cabins in fire sales but deny those already booked upgrades they are going to loose the goodwill of loyal cruisers

[CruiseKing]

All 4 sectors were booked as insides because that was all that was available at the time.......but the price on outside cabins which suddenly appeared days later dropped so 2 of the insides were upgraded to outside guarantees by Princess ............(Its Princess who say they normally try to put passengers in the same cabins on back to back cruises )

 

Inaspin,

Thank you for that clarification. It seems you did receive an upgrade. Two as a matter of fact on 2 of your 4 segments. I don't know where the guarantee information comes from but I was always told as mentioned by Travelgrrl that it only guarantees you a cabin within the category you booked. I think the best rule of thumb should always be, don't book anything less than you would be willing to take regardless of what else may come down the line later.

[inaspin]

I would not care if i had inside cabins ........i would just like the same cabin for all 4 sectors ........hardly an unreasonable request when they have empty cabins which they are selling for less than i have paid

[BJS]

Cancelling the booking would loose 75% so thats not financial sense and yes clearly TAs turned in blocks of cabins .......i would love to know if theres a particular day before sailing they have to do that

There are cabins that are available on all 4 sectors and in our guarantee band but Princess wont release them If I could have booked early I would have done However now I will only ever book single cruises and only ever last minute and probably not Princess because the hassle with them over this lot has been way OTT If cruise lines are going to sell good cabins in fire sales but deny those already booked upgrades they are going to loose the goodwill of loyal cruisers

You will probably not want to book again with Princess because of this and I can see your point. You also may be surprised to find a last minute upgrade. :)

 

Loyal cruisers are aware of "fire sales" and they do still cruise. The ones that are lost are the cruisers who are still trying to find a line to be loyal to. ;)

[calikak]

So, let me see if I understand the situation right: you booked an inside guarantee, because they wouldn't sell you the same inside cabin for all 4 sectors for some reason. Then they upgraded you on two of the sectors to an outside cabin, so now you have an inside for two sectors, and an outside for two sectors. You'd rather have the same inside for all 4 sectors instead of having two inside and two outside, or buy all balcony cabins at the new booking price. Is that right? The description thus far has been so complicated that I couldn't keep up.

 

I have to say, if I was running Princess, I'd put you in the inside cabin for all 4 segments. I see no business reason not to do that, since you paid for and would prefer an inside cabin to the outsides you got for the two segments. Then they can offer that outside to someone who actually wants it, either as a new booking or as an upgrade. However, since you booked a guarantee, you don't have a right to pick your cabin, that's the deal you make when you book a guarantee.

 

That they won't let you apply a new booking fare to an old booking is not surprising, because that's their standard business practice, if you're making not a new booking and it's past the final payment date, you can't get the new booking rate.

[ahracer]

If cruise lines are going to sell good cabins in fire sales but deny those already booked upgrades they are going to loose the goodwill of loyal cruisers

 

 

I booked my next cruise after the final payment date. The only reason I bookeed the cruise was it was the best rate i'd seen for a balcony on the ship and itinerary. I figured it was such a good deal it wouldn't last long at all. Boy was I surpised a week later when the prices dropped $300 per person!! I called my T.A. and there wasn't anything she could do since it was a "flash" promo for new bookings only. Sure I was bummed but not upset with Princess, thats the breaks.

 

Scott

[Cruisin' Chick]

I'm so confused. Oh, well. My hubby would agree with you, Catmand. In his mind, you're paying hundreds of dollars or more for a cruise, so those little tens or so, aren't much sweating after. In fact when I booked our last cruise, we probably could have save maybe 60-90 dollars if I went searching around (I did some prelim. research to get a good idea of what the cost was) but we wanted to talk to a person and get a specific location (midship inside). We did go up a category from our original plans because it wasn't that much more. And we did book 13 months early because it was a time (holiday) that sells out quickly. So we're not concerned about whether the price drops. And we don't want to upgrade because we might end up in a location undesirable for us (we don't want a balcony because of our daughter).

I did see a thread a few weeks ago from someone whose cabin was moved without her permission. I do think TAs and Princess should be able to make a notation on their booking number if someone wants to be upgraded (category wise or type of cabin) or doesn't (like I said, not everyone wants a balcony). If your case, maybe a notation that if a certain cabin is available for all legs of your trip, you'll get moved to it (or at least offered for whatever additional cost, upon your approval). Additional cabins often become made available when allotments don't sell out (where a company has a block of cabins).

As to who gets first crack at a desirable upgrade, maybe those with elite or platinum status should get priority.

[DOTTYCAN]

[quote name='starfamily']have you tried calling them?

We booked six months in advance and were told if the price drops to call and we would be accomodated,, I am confused.[/QUOTE]

We booked one year in advance for the current cruise in 06/05 - when the price dropped - we were told that if we take the price drop - we lose our shipboard credit - is it worth it???

dottycan

[skibozo]

[quote name='DOTTYCAN']We booked one year in advance for the current cruise in 06/05 - when the price dropped - we were told that if we take the price drop - we lose our shipboard credit - is it worth it???

dottycan[/QUOTE]

Do the math,

A = Your price - shipboard credit

B = new price, zero credit

if B < A then it's worth it to change.

[psychtobe]

[quote name='jff50']

Princess' policy is not any different than airline policies. If you booked a low cost airline flight on a non-refundable basis, and later found out about a lower fare, would you feel that they should reduce your price to the lower fare--good luck.[/QUOTE]

In fact, most airlines do have this policy - they just don't advertise it widely. Northwest, for example, has a low-fare guarantee, minus a $25 admin fee. The advantage to the airlines is in preventing last-minute fare wars ("weekend specials"). People book early, commit early, and thus the airlines can predict passenger loads, equipment needs, fuel needs, food needs, etc. Last-minute purchases cost money due to the volatility.

Cruiselines should share this philosophy and treat their customers so well.

[inaspin]

Its all the misinformation i have been fed mostly from Princess and from my TA that really gets to me

To be told that the cruise is full and all thats available is what i booked and then discover days later theres lord knows how many balcony cabins suddenly appear back on the inventory (presumably due to large TAs returning them ) but i cant buy an upgrade to them because of a "fire sale" and that i cant have the outside cabins that are available in my price band because they are wheelchair access .

It is indeed highly unlikely i will want to sail Princess again despite being Platinum status

They could very easily without breaking any rules /upsetting other passengers etc sort out the mess they have created instead they have caused a lot of grief and heartache

Its equally likely in the future i will sit and wait for the fire sales since this is where the bargains are .

I sure dont see any good prices on any 2006 cruise releases even if i could plan that far ahead

[ahracer]

[quote name='inaspin']since this is where the bargains are .

I sure dont see any good prices on any 2006 cruise releases even if i could plan that far ahead[/QUOTE]


Really? I'm looking at a cruise in Feb. that will put me in a balcony for the same price I paid this Feb. for an inside.

Scott

[jlcga]

I have sympathy for the poster. This will be our 12th cruise but the first on Princess. We booked a 10 day cruise out of Copenhagen, leaving May 25th in a balcony cabin 10 months in advance. Was I happy with the price then? Yes. A week or two after my final payment, mini suites went on sale for less than what I paid for my balcony cabin. I received the same run around...Princess wouldn't talk to me because I used a TA. My TA went to bat for me but said nothing could be done because of the "new bookings only" rule.
I sent an e-mail to Princess customer service detailing what happened and offered to even pay more to get a min suite. I received a response that said someone would look into my case and get back to me in 3-4 weeks.
We'll be leaving for the cruise in 7 weeks so I doubt anything will come of the request.
My lesson......I gave a try, but I can't blame Princess for the contract I made. We'll enjoy the cruise I'm sure.
I can do one thing though! Never cruise with Princess again or recommend Princess, in fact, talk friends away from Princess.


That makes me feel better already!
Jim

[KatWag]

We experienced a similar situation a year ago, October of 2003. We had booked a Captains Circle priced cruise thru the Panama Canal on Island. The day we made final payment the price on the mini-suites dropped by $900 per cabin. We were told that the price was the best available at the time of booking and they weren't going to do anything about it. I did write once to Customer Relations and got a rather rude response. After receiving the response, I sent a copy of the letter to then President, Peter Radcliffe. His response? He forwarded the complaint to the very same individual who sent the rude response in the first place. :)

At the time I was annoyed enough not to sail Princess again. And this was after numerous Princess cruises. It was definitely our line of choice at the time.

Our next two cruises were on Radisson. Interestingly on our first RSSC cruise, the price went down dramatically after final payment. They automatically credited us for the change and notified my TA that they were processing a substantial credit on our credit card. No question, the service on the luxury lines is different. Also no question - you pay a substantial premium for that.

Now that I've got some distance between my Princess experience and the present, I feel differently. I think that we all need to be more realistic in some ways. Do I wish they had offered some sort of credit, even a bottle of wine? Some gesture? Of course. But the reality is that cruise prices are VERY low today. Back in 1990 we paid about the same as we are paying these days. They need to fill the ships. As an earlier poster pointed out, it's very like an "out of season" sale. Buy early, you're guaranteed exactly what you want. Buy later and you take a risk. Whether we like what it has done to the cruise experience or not, Carnival has shareholders to be accountable to. They need to make money.

Jim - I certainly understand your frustration, same with the OP. I think you'll find though, that after a while you'll go back to focusing on all the good things you enjoyed on your cruise. This'll be mostly a blip in the road.

Although I wasn't happy at the time, I wouldn't write off Princess. Most of the lines are moving in the same direction - I guess it's the only way they can survive and meet the market expectations for shareholders.

Enjoy your cruises! Wish I was going instead of staying here and working. What's the saying? Any day on sea is better than a day at home?

Kathy

[NE14CRUZN]

If you could guarantee that if your rate went up at sail date you would pay the difference to go on the trip vs. You paying less if the rate goes down?? I would bet you would book less cruises. Why should the lines guarantee a lesser passage if they cannot fill the ship?? You are only responsible for your cabin price. I figure it is the price you pay for the option to guarantee the room so far in advance. I think you are better off being safe than sorry. Besides who said the safe way was the best. Think of the stock market.. Do you expect the market to give you security for future risk. Why is it different for a cruise. Both are time certain and require risk vs return. How about booking a cruise and checking in the day before you begin incurring penalties. I have exercised this in the past. I will call the day before penalties begin and start making deals. Make sure you leave enough time for a supervisor to call you back. As stated before they will much rather help you if you look like your leaving.

[CroozBlooz]

I agree, in part, with catmand's comments. If you booked something, you should be happy with it. Inventory on ships changes all the time, and inventory management has to be a BIG challenge (hence the unpredictable ways of the upgrade fairy).

There have been way too many posts complaining about fairness. Frankly, I'm tired of hearing about it. I like mini-suites, so I pay for them. I realize that someone else may end up paying for the cheapest inside cabin and could get upgraded to that same category of mini-suite that I paid for, but that's just their good luck. OP, I can see you being upset if things were misrepresented to you, but cabins open up all the time (TAs turn in block inventory, etc). I don't know if I understood your post, but it sounds like at least two of the cabins that you purchased as inside cabins were upgraded to outsides, so you got more that you could expect for your inside guaranty.

Fairness is always in the eyes of the beholder. Worry about yourself, and don't look back. To be candid with you, we've been on about 30 cruises, and once I've paid for the cruise I've never checked to see if it was being offered cheaper. Maybe ignorance is bliss, but a cruise is a time to relax and enjoy your time off....don't blow it by working yourself up over something like this.