Grand canceled May 1st from Vancouver

[sunshine nana]

I did try to book with the TA and was told there were no more cabins available. Perhaps if Princess had told me this information at the time the cruise was chartered, I could have bought a cabin. They told my TA the cruise was canceled on Wednesday the 10th. I think they must have known way ahead of that date. I only found out through the nice folks on CC, but it was too late.

[BruceMuzz]

I will reiterate a pet peeve that cruise lines should be penalized (by law) from chartering out a cruise less then 11 months prior to the cruise date. This is because customers will, in good faith, book a cruise far in advance which is something the cruise line's all encourage. Once inside of 11 months, many of these folks will opt to purchase their own air (airlines do not generally accept a reservation prior to 11 months). Most of these air fares are non-refundable and involve fees for changes. So when a cruise line charters a cruise and cancels inside of 11 months, they are "screwing" some of their best customers who often book far in advance. I would love to see a US Federal Law/regulation that requires a cruise line to reimburse any such passenger double the cost they have spent on trip arrangements (such as air fare).

 

Hank

 

Great idea.

And since the average cruise cabin has to be sold 8 times for every cruise before it is finally occupied (creating a great deal of additional expense and work for the cruise line), they should have the same penalties for the passengers.

[f-mattox]

the average cruise cabin has to be sold 8 times for every cruise before it is finally occupied

 

I'm curious to know where you got a statistic like that.

[zephyrella14]

I will reiterate a pet peeve that cruise lines should be penalized (by law) from chartering out a cruise less then 11 months prior to the cruise date. This is because customers will, in good faith, book a cruise far in advance which is something the cruise line's all encourage. Once inside of 11 months, many of these folks will opt to purchase their own air (airlines do not generally accept a reservation prior to 11 months). Most of these air fares are non-refundable and involve fees for changes. So when a cruise line charters a cruise and cancels inside of 11 months, they are "screwing" some of their best customers who often book far in advance. I would love to see a US Federal Law/regulation that requires a cruise line to reimburse any such passenger double the cost they have spent on trip arrangements (such as air fare).

 

Hank

 

Agreed. Not that I have ever been in such a situation but I can imagine my disappointment if my booked cruise would be canceled due to the whole chartering business, took me a lot of research and planning to find the right cruise.

 

Well said Hank!

[toberman]

I'm curious to know where you got a statistic like that.

 

Maybe because Bruce works in the industry and has 'insider' information.

[Colo Cruiser]

I'm curious to know where you got a statistic like that.

 

I could tell you but it can't be repeated in public. :rolleyes:

[ontheweb]

One of the good things about booking late is never having to worry about a ship being chartered. After a certain date, the cruise line won't do a full-ship charter. In the case mentioned in the Cruise Critic article that ComBoy gave a link to, it was over a year before the scheduled cruise. In the OP's situation, it's more than seven months.

 

We had a cruise chartered after our final payment was made; though it was a river cruise, not an ocean cruise.

[Coral]

Be wary, Princess may cancel your reservation and let an online TA resell it.

I am writing this because CC is a great place to learn what can happen.

 

While it is a good reminder, realize this charters can and do happen on other cruise lines. Princess is not unique to this. Also, things happen that alter plans in other industries also.

 

For example, in 2000, TWA cancelled Rome from their schedule about 2 months before I was leaving on a trip. They just dropped several cities that their airline went to. So at the last minute (and at a much higher cost) I was forced to rebook my airfare as my trip was "set in stone" for dates.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Coral

[Cruise Junky]

Great idea.

And since the average cruise cabin has to be sold 8 times for every cruise before it is finally occupied (creating a great deal of additional expense and work for the cruise line), they should have the same penalties for the passengers.

 

What ridiculous statement. To make it a valid comparison the cruise line would have to buy your air fare that you could then walk away from

 

Cruise lines that cancel past the 12 month mark leave a lot to be desired in their business practices. And this isn't aimed at Princess as they all do it :eek:

[MMDown Under]

I will reiterate a pet peeve that cruise lines should be penalized (by law) from chartering out a cruise less then 11 months prior to the cruise date. This is because customers will, in good faith, book a cruise far in advance which is something the cruise line's all encourage. Once inside of 11 months, many of these folks will opt to purchase their own air (airlines do not generally accept a reservation prior to 11 months). Most of these air fares are non-refundable and involve fees for changes. So when a cruise line charters a cruise and cancels inside of 11 months, they are "screwing" some of their best customers who often book far in advance. I would love to see a US Federal Law/regulation that requires a cruise line to reimburse any such passenger double the cost they have spent on trip arrangements (such as air fare).

 

Hank

 

I agree. And it seems to be happening more often.

 

Because of the high cost of airfares from Australia, many of us buy non-refundable airfares, to be able to cruise overseas. In addition, because of the high cost, most arrange land content as well, to make the trip worthwhile.

 

I was shocked to read that a river cruise was cancelled after final payment!

[jerseyk]

I did try to book with the TA and was told there were no more cabins available. Perhaps if Princess had told me this information at the time the cruise was chartered, I could have bought a cabin. They told my TA the cruise was canceled on Wednesday the 10th. I think they must have known way ahead of that date. I only found out through the nice folks on CC, but it was too late.

 

Same here. I had the 10 day plus this 3 day and the 5 day after that for a nice 18 day cruise. They canceled the 5 day, I changed my flight which cost $400, they gave me $400 obc on another cruise. Now I changed my flight again for another $400 not knowing that it turned into a charter, waiting to see if they will give me another obc. We are down to a 10 day cruise which we never would have booked. Flying to the west coast for only 10 days is not what we wanted.

 

Walter

[sunshine nana]

I found out today that another online TA that I have a credit card with was also selling the "canceled" cruise. It is now sold out. If only Princess had been honest in the first place with the charter instead of canceled, I probably could have rebooked a cabin. Be wary!

[Coral]

I found out today that another online TA that I have a credit card with was also selling the "canceled" cruise. It is now sold out. If only Princess had been honest in the first place with the charter instead of canceled, I probably could have rebooked a cabin. Be wary!

 

Honestly, everyone cancels things. I know you are disappointed but this can happen on any cruise line, airline, hotel, etc... Have you contacted these agents and seen if you can get on their wait list? They may have cancellations. You may still be able to get on this cruise.

 

Also, have you considered doing something different instead while in Vancouver. We had a mini vacation before a cruise in Whistler and loved the area. It was gorgeous. I actually preferred my stay there to my cruise.

 

I would be far more disappointed with a 2 week cruise being cancelled than a 3 night cruise. There are far worse things in this world to be disappointed with.

[ontheweb]

I was shocked to read that a river cruise was cancelled after final payment!

 

Unfortunately, it did happen to us. It was on Uniworld from Amsterdam to Amsterdam over the Christmas/ New Years break in 2003-2004. (I could be off by a year either way.)

 

They did offer us an upgraded cabin on what I'm sure they thought were better, or at lest more expensive, river cruises further to the East in Europe. But, we really wanted Amsterdam. My DW is part Dutch and an art teacher. We wanted to go to the home of Van Gogh and Rembrandt. (We did end up taking a land vacation there in that time period instead of the cruise.)

 

We have been looking at river cruises since then (not with that company), but nothing has ever fit perfectly into our schedule.

[sunshine nana]

Getting on the waitlist is not an option because we are traveling from the east coast and will need to purchase air ahead of time. Of course we are making alternate plans. My point is that Princess did not tell the truth when they said the cruise was canceled. It was not. They canceled our reservations and let online TA's sell our cabin to someone else. If they had told us that upfront, I would have rebooked through the new TA. I consider this a breach of faith by Princess. Be wary.

[Hlitner]

Great idea.

And since the average cruise cabin has to be sold 8 times for every cruise before it is finally occupied (creating a great deal of additional expense and work for the cruise line), they should have the same penalties for the passengers.

 

Give me a break Bruce. You are mixing apples with oranges and your comment makes very little sense. The cruise lines set their own booking rules when it comes to deposits/refunds. We ourselves have booked over 100 cruises and only cancelled one (due to a death in the family) in which the cruise line kept their deposit (which was covered by trip insurance). And you are telling us that there are 8 bookings (including deposits) per cabin that are later cancelled? I doubt it! But cruise lines could simply demand non-refundable deposits to stop those who do multi-book and then cancel the cruises they do not want. This is all within the total control of the cruise line and the customer must play by the cruise line rules.

 

But there is no excuse (NONE, NADA) for a cruise line to Charter a ship within 11 months of departure...thus causing financial hardship to the early bookers. This shows total disrespect to the customers (who have booked early) for no other purpose other then a little greed. Although we have long enjoyed your personal comments on CC (you add an interesting perspective) this is one of those rare cases when you have it totally wrong.

 

Hank

[Love.II.Cruise]

I just got a call from our TA that Princess has canceled the Grand's May 1st cruise r/t Vancouver. They are giving us whopping $30 for our trouble. We planned to fly to Vancouver from Toronto, take the cruise for 3 days and then board the train back to Toronto. We booked the dome sleeping car on the train several months ago to work with the cruise. The only good thing is we have not bought our plane tickets.

Princess did offer to let us take a longer cruise, but it won't work with the train. The train cannot be changed. I am very disappointed with Princess.

 

So based on this thread and the other, we've all learned that a cruise can be cancelled for a charter.

 

Yours was before final payment (not that it makes it anymore acceptable). What do you want Princess to do to make you happy again considering the circumstances?

[sunshine nana]

I am the OP. I am not asking for any money. The $15 they gave me is a joke. What I want is to get on the cruise. I want Princess to tell the truth. If they have already sold cabins, the company that charters should honor those reservations. Those who have booked should be told up front that the cruise is chartered NOT canceled and that we can keep our cabin if we wish. This would be done BEFORE our cabin is sold to someone else.

[rdsqrl]

I'm gobsmacked to realize that you're talking about a three-day cruise. This thread has already gone on longer than the cruise itself. I doubt Princess really thought hundreds of people were already booked 11 months out with all kinds of non-refundable arrangements for a short little dink-shot of a cruise. Calling it a "breach of faith" is more than a little over-the-top for what amounts to a weekend jaunt. Find yourself a nice hotel in Vancouver for three days and get over it.

[geoherb]

I think Bruce's statistic must include the bookings made with courtesy holds.

 

And to Nana, from Princess's point of view, the cruise was canceled the moment it was chartered. It no longer shows up as available for booking on the Princess website or through travel agents other than the one with the charter. I know you're thinking it's just a matter of moving bookings from possibly hundreds of travel agents over to the one doing the bookings for this particular cruise, but that's not the way it works when a ship has been chartered.

[tango55]

not enough u.s cruisers to fill the ships. was in Victoria ,b.c. today .crown princess was there.beautiful weather here in Victoria.lots of of sights to see by the the water.80 degrees.lots of beautiful old buildings and nice seawalls to bike ,run and walk on