Princess screwed our Med Cruise

[Gimpster]

"I paid for 2 days at sea and by the time it was done we had 3.5 days at sea."

 

And they didn't charge you extra? How'd you get away with that? :D

[Toto2Kansas]

I'd like to respond to a few points on your letter. First, though, I'd like to say that I understand your frustration. A few years ago, we missed the port of Amsterdam while cruising Europe, which was to be one of the highlights for us. It was indeed quite disappointing.

 

However, at the beginning of your letter, you say that Princess offered you $400 per person. Please understand, this was not an "offer". There was no negotiating going on. There was a contract in place, you accepted the contract, Princess fulfilled their end of the contract, and you merely didn't like the outcome. Princess paid you MORE than their legal obligation. I truly understand that you didn't like it. That's certainly your choice. But that's my point: it your CHOICE to be so upset about this. It sounds to me like you really only had two day of your cruise materially affected: you mention you got to Athens early...I'm not understanding why you feel this issue deserves compensation.

 

The other point I'd like to make it this: it looks like you haven't cruised for over a decade. Well, the cruise industry has changed A LOT over that time. For better or worse, cruise lines have continually cut back to what you see now. You may find that cruising is not for you anymore. You say you may not cruise Princess anymore. If you do some research on these boards, you'll fund the exact same issue occuring on NCL and the Norwegian Dream. You should also read about the compensation that RCCL has given on some recent cruises that had issues. There was one that was supposed to go to Bermuda, and instead went to Canada. You'd be shocked at what those folks got. My intention here is not to complain about cruise lines, but merely to point out that if you refuse to go on cruise lines that fail to give adequate compensation, you're going to find your choice of cruise lines to be very limited.

 

I sincerely hope your next cruise, should you decide to take another, will better match your needs.

 

Very VERY well worded. I totally agree with your response. ;)

[tclowe]

It is fortunate that this is your first experience on a Princess ship and it didn't turn out as expected. We were on a Regal Princess sailing in the Asia area. As we left Osaka to sail out into the sea, we noticed that the ship stopped moving. It was like a floating bottle in the water, just bobbing. We were in this situation for over one day. There was a rudder/motor problem. It took them hours to figure out the problem and realize that they didn't have the part to fix this problem. Oh well, we missed Nagaski, Japan as a port of call. They had to helicopter then speed boat the part from somewhere in Japan. There were some angry passengers. But we received NO compensation. Were we disappointed? Yes. Will we never sail Princess again? No way. Things happen and we still had a good time.

 

Fast forward to the time of Sept. 11th with the highjacking of the planes. We were already in Istanbul, Turkey, getting ready to board our Sept. 13th Mediterranean cruise. The ship made it to the Istanbul port, but the ship didn't go anywhere for 3 days. Too many passengers didn't make it to Istanbul with the no-fly order in the US. Then there were over 300-400 passengers still stuck on the Golden Princess from the previous cruise, who couldn't get a flight back to the US. After waiting the three or four days out, flights were limited back to the US. Everyday, there were would hundreds of passengers in the lobby shouting in the purser area, demanding more information and when they could get home. Of course, communication was limited and every other day, we would get a note from the Capt. of the ship informing everyone what the situation was with US air travel. After unable to secure commercial flights for its passengers who have been on the ship for 20 days (this was a 12 day cruise), Princess contracted to have 2 to 3 empty planes take passengers home to the US. Passengers who had Princess flights and Passengers who booked their own flights were both taken care of equally! Out of 8 ports, we only docked at Istanbul (embarking), Athens, and Barcelona (disembarking).

 

Passengers such as ourselves who were suppose to get a 12 day cruise were compensated with a free cruise credit (no monetary compensation or refund). Were we disappointed? Yes Would we never take Princess again? Absolutely not. I think hiring empty planes to take care of their previous passengers speaks volume about their customer relations. They also didn't have to really provide any compensation whatsoever to all the current passengers on the ship because 9/11 was not a disaster of their making. Finally, they could have decided to continue our 12 day cruise and telling the previous passengers to get off the boat, and not wait 3 days in Istanbul for more current passengers make it onboard.

 

The above two Princess sailings were our personal experiences. Hope you won't let one disappointing sailing turn you away from future Princess cruises. We are booked on the Star Princess next year to the Baltics.

Cynthia

[sandbag7]

I think it is perfectly acceptable and indeed preferable to choose a cruise based on itinerary. I have always done so and in more than 15 cruises have only missed one port.

If you book a port intensive itinerary your options as to ships and cruise lines expands significantly, and the quality of the ship itself, or cabin is lessened.

In general, I've found itinerary based cruisers or also somewhat more independent as to travel arrangements (independent flights and on-land arrangements), whereas those who go on the same ship over and over tend to let the cruise line book their flights and port activities. (I know, I know, a vast generalization).

My least favorite mantra, the Orwellian "if you arrange your own port activities the ship won't wait for you" is indicative of this cruise in fear attitude. I say break the chains of fear, and cruise to where you want to go, unless you want to spend all day climbing walls and skating-nothing wrong with that of course.

[mrdawson]

Do you have a problem with someone stating the facts ???

 

Sure you state facts but let people vent their frustration..everyone knows what the contract says....You cheerleaders can't let anyone vent or complain with gettin on them...this is Cuise CRITIC....not Cruise cheerleaders....Here ya go Largin..your POM POMS...2 4 6 8 who do we appreciate..Princess Princess YEA:p

[mrdawson]

I have read your posts. You wish you knew as much about Princess as bdjam and largin. Seems to me that taking only one cruise on Princess makes you not very knowledgeable on cruising, Princess style. And I don't count being on a Navy ship as cruise experience. Unless you are an O-8, you won't get any attention from me.. You do know what a 2 star is, don't you? :rolleyes:

 

These cheerleaders who have taken a bunch of cruises can't take legitimate complaints about their favorite cruise lines....and you will notice (Ok obviously you didn't) thank I have not stated anything other than yes Regal is old and starting to show her age and yes I had a good time on my cruise on her:p Oh and I have an O8 right here on my arse :D ..ahhhhh just popped it ..thanks..and I'll raise you a 4 star:cool:

[britsbest]

Sure you state facts but let people vent their frustration..everyone knows what the contract says....You cheerleaders can't let anyone vent or complain with gettin on them...this is Cuise CRITIC....not Cruise cheerleaders....Here ya go Largin..your POM POMS...2 4 6 8 who do we appreciate..Princess Princess YEA:p

 

Don't like it? The answer's in your own keyboard!

 

Bye and don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!

 

(and who in their own mind would class USS........ as a cruise?) No one but a fool!

[mrdawson]

Hi to All-except mrdawson,

No matter what line you cruise on,problems will always occur,that is the nature of sailing. Granted, missing ports is disappointing,but not life ending. Princess went above it's required comp to it's pax. Please tell me what line does more on a regular basis,in the "mass market" area?

Also, the complaints about the spa should be brought to the managing company.They are the ones who should address this scheduling problems.

 

About the dining, food is a personal thing,each to their own.If the wait staff was not adequete, then that is why they have a Maitre'd. Now, about Hot beverages being carried out of the dining room,onto moving decks, by guests should be discouraged,remember that old lady who spilled hot coffee in her lap while driving and sued McD's,resulting in NOBODY can have hot!!! coffee and now warning labels that HOT coffee is HOT. It was a foolish thing to attempt.

 

Am I a cheerleader for Princess? MrDawson, I prefer to go with the old adage my grandfather taught me."Who is more foolish, the fool or the person who argues with the fool?" :)........Dennis

 

 

But the fools amuse me, what can I say...

[LARGIN]

Sure you state facts but let people vent their frustration..everyone knows what the contract says....You cheerleaders can't let anyone vent or complain with gettin on them...this is Cuise CRITIC....not Cruise cheerleaders....Here ya go Largin..your POM POMS...2 4 6 8 who do we appreciate..Princess Princess YEA:p

 

Incorrect. Most cruisers do not read the contract until after the fact.. You can vent all you want.. just get your facts straight..

[Hobson's Choice]

Sure you state facts but let people vent their frustration..everyone knows what the contract says....

 

And the 'contract' you agreed to here stated that you agreed not to engage in harassment or insulting of other posters. Let people vent, and let others respond...so as to include all perspectives, not just those you happen to agree with.

 

Navy cruise - you call the officers "sir".

 

Vacation cruise - the officers call you "sir".

[cruising with marti]

Geeze, I think I will go back to the friendly confines of the Celebrity board:D

 

 

 

Phil

[kruisey]

When one writes and reads on CC.......there will ....like in the TV series 'Monty Python' be a S-- disturber....who wonts to start an argument.

Then there will be persons with a GENUINE complaint about their cruise...Then the TA's and those that are employed with Princess (We don't know who they are because we sign in with fancy names)...and they would never admit it ,that will not SEE/HEAR anything against Princess.These folks will do anything in their power to turn the the person with the genuine complaint into the wrong doer :eek:

Hum also there are persons that seem to wear 'Rose coloured Specs'

I am a strong Princess fan but I don't wear the specs,and try to have empathy for my fellow CCers that should have had a wonderful cruise ,see it crushed in front of their eyes .

[sandbag7]

I never hear the phrase s--- disturber on M. Python. What episode is that from? Anyhoo, I would be interested to know if anyone published statistical research, annual or otherwise, on the number of days or partial days lost on the various ships and cruise lines, due to mechanical or other failures (such as failure to meet health or safety standards). You know that some of the Windjammer cruise ships don't meet U.S. Coast Guard Standards, and that their Captainsd, in large part have less than impressive training, but that's part of the fun on Windjammer (I Believe). The question is, does Princess, or any of its ships have an inferior safety or repair record. That would be worth knowing and would be relevant to consideration of the OP's issue.

[CONVERT94]

...the lady doth protest too much. It's apparent someone really really got into a squawk fest about a cruise maybe assuming it was a gourmet restaurant or Four Seasons hotel. Its a big metal thing in the water that tries really really hard to please people and succeeds with 99% of its clients...then there is the one percenter. I have never had a problem with Marriott room service or restaurant food because I know its a Marriott. Mass feeding up to two thousand or more at one time is pretty hard and I for one think cruise ships do a pretty damn good job at it all things considered. Perspective.

[spingal]

Incorrect. Most cruisers do not read the contract until after the fact.. You can vent all you want.. just get your facts straight..

Well said Larry.

[kruisey]

Incorrect. Most cruisers do not read the contract until after the fact.. You can vent all you want.. just get your facts straight..

If Princess advertised their cruises starting with 'Please read the Contract' and offered its cruises ....then stated but this could be a cruise to nowhere...Take the gamble....cruise with us !!!!!!

There are only a few cruises that develop mechanical problems...and with the profit that the Carnival Group make surely they can give fair compensation to those few passengers....like a percentage offer on the price of their next cruise...not just a shipboard credit .Which would make for great customer relations :)

[mrdawson]

Well said Larry.

 

Not well said Larry!...if you read my post you will see I said NOTHING about people reading the contract...what I said was everyone "knows" what it says...either from these boards, word of mouth or having been on previous cruises.....they just want to vent about thier perceived "injustices" :D ... back to my point...just let them vent, they don't need to be "corrected or vilified"' by the "old guard"...thats what this board is for

[mikesteg]

True, but most people don't read air travel contracts, warantees, the pages of fine print on a mortgage... I doubt most people read more than the summary on their auto insurance. Until it is too late as in this case, not that there is much choice as all cruise lines/insurers/lenders offer pretty much the same terms.*

 

However, that info gets posted all the time on these type of threads (and also on the previous iteration of this thread). Not reading the contract is one thing... to ignore the contract terms once made aware of them it is something entirely different.

 

* Does anybody know how the premium lines deal with this sort of thing? SilverSea or whoever. Not that I'm going to pay $4000pp for a cruise anyway, but it seems like they would not have the same cost competition pressure as the major consumer lines, so they might be able to routinely offer additional compensation.

[mikesteg]

what I said was everyone "knows" what it says...either from these boards, word of mouth or having been on previous cruises.....

 

I have to disagree with you on that point. What is a typical cruise, maybe 50% returning passengers? However, unless they ran into troubles there is no reason they would have learned the terms. I think most of the people here do know the terms (at least the critical ones) but beyond that I'd bet 90% of people odn't have a clue. Of course, ignorance is not a legal defense (or a legal offense in this case).

 

Word of mouth.... I tell friends about the "customary gratuities" which seem to be a big turn off for people who get hit with them w/o warning. I don't usually delve into this type of contract thing except maybe as part of the hurricane question... by that point in the conversation their eyes have glazed over. :D

[mikesteg]

If Princess advertised their cruises starting with 'Please read the Contract' and offered its cruises ....then stated but this could be a cruise to nowhere...Take the gamble....cruise with us !!!!!!

There are only a few cruises that develop mechanical problems...and with the profit that the Carnival Group make surely they can give fair compensation to those few passengers....like a percentage offer on the price of their next cruise...not just a shipboard credit .Which would make for great customer relations :)

 

Maybe they could advertise "Read our contract, but don't forget to read everybody else's too. And those airlines.... well maybe you should wait until after the cruise to read those". :D

 

Profit has nothing to do with this. If Princess were to "fairly compensate" everybody who thought they deserved something on the basis that they have profits to cover it, there would shortly be no profits. Heck, on my Princess cruise they shut down Skywalkers at 10:30 on the last night for a crew farewell party. Since the rest of the ship was dead (as it was all week) we essentially lost our last 5 hours of partying, IMHO far more valuable than a (Caribbean) port. What is that worth, maybe $200??? :p

 

 

I do agree if they give something it should be a future discount or credit. Since many people seem to hold the threat of never cruising Princess again over their heads, they should call that bluff. Plus, this way everybody wins... except perhaps the people stuck who get to listen to the litany of complaints at dinner during the next cruise. :eek:

[mrdawson]

I have to disagree with you on that point. What is a typical cruise, maybe 50% returning passengers? However, unless they ran into troubles there is no reason they would have learned the terms. I think most of the people here do know the terms (at least the critical ones) but beyond that I'd bet 90% of people odn't have a clue. Of course, ignorance is not a legal defense (or a legal offense in this case).

 

Word of mouth.... I tell friends about the "customary gratuities" which seem to be a big turn off for people who get hit with them w/o warning. I don't usually delve into this type of contract thing except maybe as part of the hurricane question... by that point in the conversation their eyes have glazed over. :D

 

Your right, I should have clarified "everyone here" but that is exactly right, you can't be "here" and not have a least a "slight clue" as to what happens on cruise ships:D or what happens when you miss ports or other schedualed activities!

[mikesteg]

Anyhoo, I would be interested to know if anyone published statistical research, annual or otherwise, on the number of days or partial days lost on the various ships and cruise lines, due to mechanical or other failures (such as failure to meet health or safety standards).

 

Someone has a webpage tracking incidents like this. It was posted to a thread about suicides vs. accidents, but I think it also contains mechanical delay info. Unfortunately I didn't save it, at least not on this PC. It also did not have stats, but those could be developed.

[MszKitty]

Please read this letter I just sent to Princess regarding our Med. Cruise. They screwed up on 4 days.

 

 

As you are probably aware, the Grand Princess had maintenance issues while at sea for this voyage. The passengers on board were made aware of a problem, but were never really told exactly what the problem was. This lack of communication was the first of many problems on board this ship and it caused a lot of animosity amongst the passengers towards the employees of the ship. The employees at the Purser’s desk had to deal with riots multiple nights in a row. The main problem stemming from the maintenance issues was a major change in our itinerary. I have outlined the changes below:

 

1) We did not go to Istanbul

 

2) We did not go to Kusadasi

 

3) We arrived in Athens one day early

 

4) We got an additional sea day added to our cruise.

 

 

The announcement about Istanbul came late into the night, which was unacceptable. Also, unacceptable was the port chosen, Samos. Samos was beautiful, but not comparable to Istanbul.

What is it they say about making lemonade out of lemons?

The Captain waited until 10:30pm to make an announcement that we were not going to Kusadasi. This communication, again, came way too late at night. Some were in bed. We were just finishing our second seating dinner.

I'm sure the captain wasn't thinking..."Hmmmm...I'm bored...What can I do for entertainment.....Oh...I know....I think I'll wait until 10:30 pm to let the passengers know we won't be stopping at Istanbul in the morning. Now I can sit back and watch all the whiners riot!"

Could it be that that was the earliest the captain knew it couldn't be fixed in time to make the stop in Istanbul? If he knew they were having problems, his crew was probably trying all they could to keep the ship on schedule, and up until that time, they probably thought it could be fixed.

We happened to be booked on a private tour for Kusadasi with about 14 other passengers. This left us to make a phone call late at night to our driver to tell him we were not going to be there. This was the second night in a row that we had to call that driver. He was supposed to be our driver for Istanbul too.

A good example of the benefits of booking tours with the cruiseline. If you had done that, you would have had your money refunded with no problem and you wouldn't have had to make any late night phone calls.

Which brings me to a question....You were able to make a phone call late at night to your driver? I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I didn't know cell phones worked on a ship while out at sea.

Not only did Princess’s actions affect its passengers but it also affected others outside of the ship.

I'm sure its happened to the tour guides before and it will happen again. Thats the nature of tourism.

The next biggest disappointment was getting to Athens one day early without tours being offered. This was a waste of our time and another let down on behalf of Princess.

Oh...an EXTRA day in a port? How COULD they do that to you???

 

 

 

Princess offered us $400 per person as a settlement for this inconvenience. This is not enough. The cruise was a 12 day cruise. Four of the 12 days were affected by the maintenance issues. This is one-third of the cruise. My husband and I paid $2103.45 per person ($4206.90 for the both of us). A proper refund of $701.15 per person ($1402.30 for both of us) would have been fair.

$400 per person? Thats $800! Pretty good compensation! You were still able to use their facilities, sleep in their beds, eat their food, etc. Do you expect to get that for free?

I could have spent those 4 days at work as well since I did not get what I expected to get from Princess. We do expect a response from Princess regarding this issue. If it is not addressed we will call our credit card and dispute the charges since services promised were not delivered.

I can't believe you would have rather spend those 4 days a day at work, than 4 days on a cruise ship. Who are we kidding?

 

 

Another point of frustration with this cruise was the level of service provided by your staff. ......

One day by the pool I ate a hot dog and fries. My plate sat for over 3 hours by my chair. I watched 7 different employees of Princess walk right past my plate. I also watched several employees of Princess walk right past a spilled daiquiri. That daiquiri baked into the deck and started to produce an odor, but no one cleaned it up.

You said seven different employees? Or was it seven waiters, etc Maybe it wasn't the different employees job to pick it up? Or...better yet....just pick up your plate and set it on an empty table were an employee could pick it up. But...if it bothered you so much, why didn't you just ask someone to clean it up? I'm sure they would have if you had just mentioned it to them.

My husband and I both went to the spa twice. I booked my husband’s first appointment and it was for 9am. I called back to confirm the day before and again they told me 9am. He showed up and they told him his appointment wasn’t until 9:30am. Later in the week, we went for a couple’s massage. We booked it last minute by walking into the spa around 2:30pm. They told us they had an opening for a couples massage at 4pm. We showed back up at 4pm and they told us our appointment was at 4:30pm.

Big deal! So they messed up on the time. At least it was by a half hour later, and not earlier, where you would have missed your appointment altogether

 

 

This leads to another comment I would like to make about customer relations. When we found out we were not going to Istanbul. I contacted the purser’s desk by phone. I was then called back by Ewan. Ewan and I talked for some time. I got to the point where I told Ewan that I felt like Princess was screwing us. Ewan’s response to me was “well do feel like the people in New Orleans got screwed.” I found this comment inappropriate. I told Ewan that I was American and that I was offended by it. I also advised him to not say that again.

He has a point. You said you talked for quite a while. Complaining the whole time, I'm sure. Everyone has their breaking point and maybe you reached his with your "Princess is screwing us" whine.

 

 

 

The last point I would like to bring up is about the upkeep of the boat. There was mildew on our shower curtain upon arrival. There was rust, mold, and mildew around the edges of the hot-tubs and pools.

How much? The size of a pea....a quarter?....a dollar bill?...(or four hundred dollar bills???) So much that you didn't use the shower/hot-tub or pool? Regarding your shower...did you point it out to your steward and ask him/her to clean it out, or ask maintence to take care of it?

We also had to move a chair out from our dining room table because the floor was uneven and a chair could not sit on it without wobbling.

Was that in the dining room? Did you NEED the chair? If not, whats the big deal about removing it?

I really think at this point you are looking for anything and everything to complain about.

 

 

Unfortunately, with all of these occurrences my husband and I feel like we should have celebrated our first anniversary somewhere else. I highly doubt we will ever cruise with Princess again. This is unfortunate for Princess because we had planned on doing Asia, Alaska, and Australia/New Zealand in the next few years before we have children.

 

And unfortunately, things probably wouldn't have been perfect no matter where you travel. You have to learn to go with the flow sometimes.

 

 

Disclaimer...I am not a Princess cheerleader. As a matter of fact I am going on my first Princess cruise next week.

But I am a "cruise" cheerleader. And I do know that not everything is perfect all the time.

[Goldryder]

Sorry about this but I just have to say...

 

The OP is a professional complainer, the sort who goes on holidays, whinges and whines and 'screws' freebee holidays and refunds out of the operator.

 

How do I know this??

 

Cos I used to be an operator in a tourism business and I came across a woman who whinged and whined about everything, demanded this that and the other constantly and was extremely rude to everyone. She then made the big mistake of confiding what she was upto to another passenger in my group. They told me, I told the operator who had chartered my company and that woman got a life ban from all tour operators in the UK. She had 'screwed' companies for 5 yrs before she stumbled across my company....and I ended her little games.

 

The OP is exactly as she was. Professional complainers are fortunately few and far between but when one surfaces, they really lay the dirt on way too thickly.

 

The on board comp was well beyond what Princess, or any other line/company would do, mechanical breakdowns happen, get over it.

 

Professional complainers cost people jobs, the modus operandi is the same...make as much racket as they can, whinge and whine about absolutely everything and take the company for every penny they can.

 

They make me bloody angry.

 

Sorry for the vent but ggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

[Kruznut]

MszKitty, Ditto and Bravo to you !