Despondent

[magic50]

I will be sailing for the first time on a Princess Cruise in September. I am really hoping that the cruise is better than any other line that I have previously sailed because I am almost not looking forward to this cruise. I am so unimpressed by Princess so far - practically everything I have asked for I have been turned down.

 

In February I booked 4 cabins and asked if they could all be together - was told no I was only allowed to pick one cabin and the others had to be gty. When another 2 people wanted to join us I had to tell them to book separately so that they could pick their cabin which they duly did and picked a cabin right by our one. We have since had another 2 people join us so thought I would ask about group amenity points - told no only for US citizens. Asked about the fathers day sale and the red, white and blue sale - no only for US citizens.

 

When I asked Princess to please make sure that the "would consider an upgrade" box was ticked, I received what I felt was a patronizing letter telling me that they would do that as long as I realised that it would only be a consideration and not automatic.

 

 

Anyway to cut a very long story short - we are still waiting for 2 cabin assignments and no the upgrade fairy hasn't visited the one cabin I was allowed to pick. And no, no reductions in price for us.

 

I just feel that this cruise has cost me a lot of money and the fact that I have persuaded 11 other people to go with me should mean that I am at least treated the same as all the other cruisers on this sailing.

 

Phew got that off my chest finally - just had to!!e

[ramrax4]

Sorry to read about your trouble. I hope that you enjoy your cruise! Once you are all on board you'll be able to spend plenty of time together.

Try to relax and just let the stuff you can't change not spoil your cruise:D

[Pam in CA]

Sorry you're not impressed. To answer some of your concerns, all cabins are automatically marked "will accept an upgrade" by default. So, once you're booked, that's the status of the cabin.

 

Many cruises sell out well ahead of time and it sounds as though that's the case on your cruise. There probably aren't cabins available next to each other. Unless you book a cruise when it first opens for bookings, finding four or more cabins next to each other is close to impossible.

 

Please keep in mind that no cruise line is perfect. Everyone has different expectations and what one person thinks is great won't impress the next person. It's what you make of the cruise or the little "bumps" in the road. :)

[LoveThisCruisingThing]

I will be sailing for the first time on a Princess Cruise in September. I am really hoping that the cruise is better than any other line that I have previously sailed because I am almost not looking forward to this cruise. I am so unimpressed by Princess so far - practically everything I have asked for I have been turned down.

Phew got that off my chest finally - just had to!!e

 

Sorry to hear that you aren't impressed so far. If you are expecting not to be impressed when you get on the ship, you won't be. A cruise is what you make it. If you go on with a positive attitude, I am sure that you will be more impressed that what you have been, so far. Enjoy the cruise!

[sunluva7]

Doesn't sound like a good frame of mind to begin a cruise, and I hope things turn around for you and you are able to enjoy your cruise. Are you working through a TA? I find that sometimes an agent can iron out the details better than when trying to go it alone, especially if you are traveling on a new cruiseline for the first time, which might do things a little differently. Don't be disappointed that your cabins aren't together. Unless you are traveling with teens or kids, being in close proximity is not that important. Upgrades sometimes happen, but mostly not - so you shouldn't count on one. Anyway, you could get upgraded to another part of the ship and your friends might not, defeating the purpose of trying to remain together in the first place. If you want to remain in close proximity, then you should have the "no upgrade" box checked.

 

It's a vacation. Please relax, smile and have a great cruise!:D

[PunkiC]

Now that is the first time I have ever heard of anyone being "despondent" in anticipation of a cruise. :p Heck I know lots of people who have been over th moon to get an inside cabin, forward.

 

Honestly, I don't understand what is bothering you. You booked guaranty cabins and got guaranty cabins. If you get an upgrade, great, but it is certainly not something you should expect, especially on a popular cruise during a busy time.

 

We have sailed on lots of cruies with bunches of friends and have only asked for (and received) adjacent cabins once. It really doesn't matter one way or another unless you are traveling with your kids or elderly parents who need your assistnce from time to time.

 

Relax and be happy that you are going on a cruise. If you go into it excited and full of anticipation, you will have a great cruise. If you go into it expecting to be unhappy, you will be.

[skippyy]

Have to echo Pams' comments. I believe that Princess would: be happy to reserve your cabins together, if they were available (no reason not to) and Princess benevolently provides upgrades (via the Fairy) again when they are available. Reasonably speaking, Princess isn't obligated to provide any more than you paid for, anything more is a gift and certainly most of us would love a free upgrade which is always a "space available" circumstance....At a minimum, you'll get what you reserved and may get some excitement hoping for an upgrade. You'll all be on the same ship and I hope you have a great cruise.Look forward to your adventure with friends and try not to let the small things dampen your spirits :)

[gertz]

Sounds like the problems for you anyway keep popping up. Maybe you shouldn't be taking on all the responsibility.

First if the cabins are open you can book them, if there not open you can't.

Would not place too much hope in upgrades don't think we have ever had one but don't look for them ever, a good part of the time we book no up grade.

Other than a general price change or perhaps OBC's I am not sure what credits you might be looking for, but again I wouldn't get my hopes too high.

Let me give you an example. We booked a short 7day coastal on the Sapphire for this October. The cabin we wanted was already taken, mind you this was a year ago, E728 or 731 so I booked a guarantee on that particular section of mini suites. Never can tell might get upgraded. Nope assigned E723 which is great with me as any of that group were fine with me but no upgrade. No latter price reduction in fact the price went up so guess I got one in that respect. So the only addition discounts I got were FCC and VA credit and you know I haven't got the slightest idea what I paid for it now and it is paid for just looking forward to our journey to that strange land of California and our cruise.:D

[PunkiC]

Gertz, are you sailing on the 6th or the 13th on the Sapphire? The one on the 13th has been oversold for months and there is no chance of switching cabins if you don't like what you got. I know, I tried. :p

 

We were assigned an aft cabin, which I guess is a big upgrade from a balcony guaranty and I know lots of people love just love them. It doesn't really appeal to us, but, what the heck, we'll give it a shot and maybe we too will become "aft cabin lovers" or maybe I should say "lovers of aft cabins". :D

 

On the bottom line, life is what you make of it.

[Shogun]

Hi There

 

One problem you will face is you are not in the US,

 

almost all things that hit the web re offers , sales etc etc are for US only

 

rest of the world get less

 

same with things start dates of sales etc of US first

 

then there is the customer service folks even calling UK office we get put through to US folks there not up to speed on non US rules

 

What you want to do is get your bookings linked together

 

I find e mailing Princess gets a better more detailed reply

 

to be fair to Princess if they get told some thing is wrong is they will try and fix it

 

 

yours Shogun

[vickie_bernie]

It is almost impossible to guarantee cabins together when you book a guarantee and not a specific cabin...

 

however, it sometimes is a good thing not to be too close :D when we have travelled with others it is sometimes important to have the space... but that is us.

 

Of course you feel a lot of pressure as you are taking on the organizing and responsible for the others you have encouraged to book.

 

We have done numerous sailings with Princess and find their quality of serivce to be outstanding.

 

I hope you enjoy your holiday and come back and let us know how it went.

 

vickie

[paul929207]

I hope you are not counting on an upgrade. There are few of them. Most are within a type of cabin. That is from a lower ocean view category to a higher one. On rare occasions people do go from one type to a better typle, ie from an ocean view to a balcony.

[beg3yrs]

 

however, it sometimes is a good thing not to be too close :D when we have travelled with others it is sometimes important to have the space... but that is us.

 

vickie

 

It is not just you! Space is very important. It softens the "group travel dynamic".

[pablo222]

I will be sailing for the first time on a Princess Cruise in September. I am really hoping that the cruise is better than any other line that I have previously sailed because I am almost not looking forward to this cruise. I am so unimpressed by Princess so far - practically everything I have asked for I have been turned down.

 

Whenever I am in your situation, I do end up having a bad time.

You pretty much find what you expect. So, when I'm in a foul

mood, everything lives down to my expectations.

 

If I could cancel without penalty in your situation, I would.

[vickie_bernie]

It is not just you! Space is very important. It softens the "group travel dynamic".

 

yes i agree --- 100% love your "softens the gruop travel dynamic"

 

heck even with my spouse we need our space - we look at each other and say "you go to that end of the ship and I will go to this end of the ship" and we really love each other but sometimes we do need our space then we are better when we get back together

 

vickie

[t60]

Hi There

 

One problem you will face is you are not in the US,

 

almost all things that hit the web re offers , sales etc etc are for US only

 

rest of the world get less

 

same with things start dates of sales etc of US first...snip...

 

I find e mailing Princess gets a better more detailed reply

 

to be fair to Princess if they get told some thing is wrong is they will try and fix it yours Shogun

 

Shogun is quite correct, it´s just tough luck over lots of things if you´re not in USA. It´s really frustrating for the rest of us, esp when the local Princess (for us Southampton) give out different information than USA.

 

At the moment I´m having problems with Princess re a visa for a 1 day visit to Indonesia on our Australia cruise, first Soton said I didn´t need visa, but referred me to their visa company who said I did, people on here say 1 day visas are given out on board, neither Princess in USA nor UK seemed to know this, And Indonesian Embassy/consulate agree they give visas out on board....just chaos. If any one has an email address for USA or AUS Princess where I can hopefully get some correct info that would be great, perhaps you know Shogun.

 

Also when we booked our next cruise on board we were told we could transfer it to our TA (a very well known TA who many CCs deal with). That was correct (in a way) as when we contacted the TA we were told would have to cancel our original booking and make a new one with the TA and then we might not get the same cabin.

 

I agree with you Princess can be very frustrating at times. Sorry this also has turned into a bit of a moan.

 

Having said that we are Elite so Princess must be doing something right, and once we´re on board we don´t our vacation let any niggles spoil our vacation.

 

Sandy in Spain, where again there is no Princess representative

 

PS Does anyone know if Princess have a SKYPE tel number?

[Hlitner]

False expectations can ruin any vacation and the OP has several false expectations. It is indeed possible to get 4 cabins together providing you book far in advance and there are 4 cabins (together) that are available and you pay the going price for specific cabins (as opposed to guarantees). Guarantees are just that! You get what you get. As to upgrades, although they ocassionally do happen the norm is that msot folks do not get upgrades and a majority of upgrades are really nothing great. We are Elite with Princess and have never received an upgrade. We have also cruises on 11 other cruise lines (stopped counting after the first 60 cruises) and seldom get meaningful upgrades.

 

As to cabin assigments, a guarantee means you will get a cabin assignment at the convenience of the cruise line. If you want an early assignment you should have booked a specific cabin. We have sometimes received cabin assignments within a week of crusiing and actually know some folks who did not get their final cabin assignment until they arrived at the port.

 

Hank

[gertz]

Gertz, are you sailing on the 6th or the 13th on the Sapphire? The one on the 13th has been oversold for months and there is no chance of switching cabins if you don't like what you got. I know, I tried. :p

 

We were assigned an aft cabin, which I guess is a big upgrade from a balcony guaranty and I know lots of people love just love them. It doesn't really appeal to us, but, what the heck, we'll give it a shot and maybe we too will become "aft cabin lovers" or maybe I should say "lovers of aft cabins". :D

 

On the bottom line, life is what you make of it.

 

 

We are on the 13th and close to exactly where we want to be. The Emerald deck "8" aft mini's are a some what private group of covered and not too many if you look them up and for a lot of us weather it be the Sapphire, Diamond or Grand, Star, Golden are quiet coveted and generally go fast. An aft balcony for this cruise should be very nice for the cruise and think you will enjoy it a lot.

 

We did last years wine cruise on the Sapphire also sold out long in advance. Nice cruises, great ship and food and not crowded. Hope to see you on board.

 

And I agree with your bottom line.

[shepp]

You WILL enjoy PCL. :)

 

I wouldn't bet on it. As far as I can see, the OP has gotten everything he's entitled to, within Princess' power to grant it, and that clearly isn't good enough.

 

Unless he loosens up a bit, I kinda pity his steward.

 

Oh, and as someone who's traveled the world pretty extensively, I'm used to often paying a penalty for being a foreigner. Just the way it is.

[Grammyluvs]

We had 3 couples on our first Princess cruise. We went to a TA together and were all booked together with side by side rooms. Maybe if you had all done it at the same time, it would have worked better. IMO, once you get on the cruise ship, you should put all this behind you and just realize how many people would give their eye tooth to be there. You get what you put into something. Just have fun....its all in what you want it to be.

[donh1]

It is almost impossible to guarantee cabins together when you book a guarantee and not a specific cabin...

 

however, it sometimes is a good thing not to be too close :D when we have travelled with others it is sometimes important to have the space... but that is us.

 

Of course you feel a lot of pressure as you are taking on the organizing and responsible for the others you have encouraged to book.

 

We have done numerous sailings with Princess and find their quality of serivce to be outstanding.

 

I hope you enjoy your holiday and come back and let us know how it went.

 

vickie

 

I too believe that it is not all that important to have cabins next to each other. In fact just the opposite is to my liking. After dining together, doing shore excursions together, having a few drinks in the bars together, going to the shows together, spending time exploring the ship together and time around the pool together I am one of those persons who welcomes a little distance when it comes to cabin location. Our cabins can be miles apart and we simply pick a time and place to meet.

When you factor in making it almost impossible to get an upgrade I would have to have a real specific need before I'd insist on side by side cabins. My two cents worth..... Don

[m*u*g*]

Not sure how princess runs things, but my experience with other cruise lines is:

 

1. Pick your sailing date & Ship

2. Pick your room # (exact room)

3. Pay for it

 

 

If rooms are available together, they should be able to tell you. If not, you should at least know what exact rooms are available. If they can't do this, try some other cruise line.

[aquilegia]

I am not entirely sure what the OP wants here. He says he wanted his group's cabins to all be together and he says that 2 of the group managed to get a cabin next to the one he is able to choose. But now he is wanting an upgrade which, if he gets it, will presumably locate him away from the people who are booked next to him. Or am I misinterpreting this?

[sonnenschein]

I will be sailing for the first time on a Princess Cruise in September. I am really hoping that the cruise is better than any other line that I have previously sailed because I am almost not looking forward to this cruise. I am so unimpressed by Princess so far - practically everything I have asked for I have been turned down.

 

In February I booked 4 cabins and asked if they could all be together - was told no I was only allowed to pick one cabin and the others had to be gty. When another 2 people wanted to join us I had to tell them to book separately so that they could pick their cabin which they duly did and picked a cabin right by our one. We have since had another 2 people join us so thought I would ask about group amenity points - told no only for US citizens. Asked about the fathers day sale and the red, white and blue sale - no only for US citizens.

 

When I asked Princess to please make sure that the "would consider an upgrade" box was ticked, I received what I felt was a patronizing letter telling me that they would do that as long as I realised that it would only be a consideration and not automatic.

 

 

Anyway to cut a very long story short - we are still waiting for 2 cabin assignments and no the upgrade fairy hasn't visited the one cabin I was allowed to pick. And no, no reductions in price for us.

 

I just feel that this cruise has cost me a lot of money and the fact that I have persuaded 11 other people to go with me should mean that I am at least treated the same as all the other cruisers on this sailing.

 

Phew got that off my chest finally - just had to!!e

There is an easy answer for a group of cruisers to find each other on the big ships if they were not able to get adjoining cabins. Buy some inexpensive "walky/talky's,one for each couple and you will always be able to find each other. If this does'nt work for you call each other in the morning and make out places to meet. Enjoy your cruise:)

[L454S]

I have to chime in here. DW and I booked a mini for next month on the Island back in May. Afterwards we sent the "Share the savings" email to SIL, and friends. We had 4 minis at GTY status.

 

When the assignments came out, we have 3 in a row starboard and 1 just across port. Could not be happier with the way Princess handled our group......DW and I with 3 couples of newbies, looking forward to it. We get calls and questions every day.