Ordered Ashore From Golden Princess

[VK3DQ]

i used medibank private travel insurance if that helps for next time

i asked heaps of questions before i took it out ,

and i would say give Princess a go again i hear more good reports then bad , in the end it is your choice but hopefully next time you have a way better experience at cruising no matter who you cruise with ,

and sadly with the medical side of it i had heard it was pay up front [cruise card ] and claim after that part i knew about , had enough on my card in case but didn't need at least there was a lass on my cruise who's feet swelled up blood test is about 200 they send results to the U.S [probably why that dear as satellite internet isn't cheap for them or the passengers all up for that one visit was about $400 with stuff to take and put on feet

she was meant to see him again next day but not sure if she went down to do so

 

hope you are getting better and you find out what caused your pain soon

 

Thanks for that ,, we think the pain is muscular in nature with pain from nerves in my spine ... a bit of a shock to the system ... all other tests have ruled out anything sinister which is good.

 

 

As far a cruising is concerned its a love of my life I love ships and everything to do with the sea

 

Regards

 

John

 

Ps thanks folks for keeping me company you have all been a great help:p

[Tara Jane]

Trouble is we read the fine print, we ask questions of the insurance company but when it comes down to actually needing their help its often a totally different situation. I guess the positive is that at least you were in NZ who sort of speak our lingo.

glad your wife and MIL are getting to enjoy their trip while you have your mate keeping you company. Just make sure the house is clean when the wife returns. A wife will not be happy if she comes home to beer cans and dirty dishes!!!!

Edited December 29, 2015 by Tara Jane

[Hawka]

Thanks for that ,, we think the pain is muscular in nature with pain from nerves in my spine ... a bit of a shock to the system ... all other tests have ruled out anything sinister which is good.

 

 

As far a cruising is concerned its a love of my life I love ships and everything to do with the sea

 

Regards

 

John

 

Ps thanks folks for keeping me company you have all been a great help:p

good stuff :) and don't mind helping keep someone entertained or distracted from pain etc or from being bored at all if i can help put a smile on a face all is good

[VK3DQ]

Trouble is we read the fine print, we ask questions of the insurance company but when it comes down to actually needing their help its often a totally different situation. I guess the positive is that at least you were in NZ who sort of speak our lingo.

glad your wife and MIL are getting to enjoy their trip while you have your mate keeping you company. Just make sure the house is clean when the wife returns. A wife will not be happy if she comes home to beer cans and dirty dishes!!!!

 

What you mean I have to move my unmentionables out of the vanity basin??:D

 

Actually after nearly fifty years of marriage I am quite well trained ;)

 

Regards

John

[Hawka]

Trouble is we read the fine print, we ask questions of the insurance company but when it comes down to actually needing their help its often a totally different situation. I guess the positive is that at least you were in NZ who sort of speak our lingo.

glad your wife and MIL are getting to enjoy their trip while you have your mate keeping you company. Just make sure the house is clean when the wife returns. A wife will not be happy if she comes home to beer cans and dirty dishes!!!!

 

true sadly whether that insurance is for travel , cars or houses they take the money easily but can be a bit tight when it comes to giving back to you when it comes to insurance companies

[Hawka]

What you mean I have to move my unmentionables out of the vanity basin??:D

 

Actually after nearly fifty years of marriage I am quite well trained ;)

 

Regards

John

 

:eek::D just fell off the chair giggling

and a bunch of flowers on the table when she walks in :)

[OzKiwiJJ]

John,

 

Pleased to hear everything has worked out OK in the end. It must have been very scary at the time. I hope both Princess and your insurance company do the right thing by you.

 

Hope you're feeling better.

[OzKiwiJJ]

it is good to see both sides of Milford , i was lucky to in 1998 i stayed the night on one of the little ships at milford and it was sunny one day wet the next with waterfalls and all was a lovely sight to see

 

We did that in 2007 but had rain the first day and sun the next.

 

We went through Fiordland last week on Celebrity Solstice. It was stunning. I think going into Milford Sound by ship is the best way - more impact. By land or flying in you are already accustomed to the scenery but the sheer size of those cliffs, after coming in by sea, really hit you visually.

[Hawka]

We did that in 2007 but had rain the first day and sun the next.

 

We went through Fiordland last week on Celebrity Solstice. It was stunning. I think going into Milford Sound by ship is the best way - more impact. By land or flying in you are already accustomed to the scenery but the sheer size of those cliffs, after coming in by sea, really hit you visually.

 

was my first time through that tunnel that is one amazing feat to make that tunnel i reckon when they did they year i went there by bus the road had nearly been washed all away where it goes along the river they were still fixing it in Oct that year from January

[Bodogbodog]

Hey Princess - this ones not going away

A Facebook site with 200,000 followers has highlighted this one - and already a number of posters are saying they're reviewing their bookings on Princess

Time to step up and admit you messed up and do something positive about putting things right!

 

I should add that I was thinking about a Princess cruise - but that's well and truly off the list now - I guess it's definitely a case of you get what you pay for (actually it seems you don't even get that!)

Edited December 29, 2015 by Bodogbodog

[VK3DQ]

Hey Princess - this ones not going away

A Facebook site with 200,000 followers has highlighted this one - and already a number of posters are saying they're reviewing their bookings on Princess

Time to step up and admit you messed up and do something positive about putting things right!

 

I should add that I was thinking about a Princess cruise - but that's well and truly off the list now - I guess it's definitely a case of you get what you pay for (actually it seems you don't even get that!)

 

Hi

 

It was not my wish to badmouth Princess Cruises about this , my postings have been to inform and in the first instance to ask for help from members of this forum

 

I know that once things are posted on the internet they are in the public domain

 

I would ask the managers of that facebook site to please contact me .. perhaps they could supply a contact e-mail here

 

Regards

John

 

or e-mail me vk3dq@optusnet.com.au

 

I

[Bodogbodog]

It was not my wish to badmouth Princess Cruises about this , my postings have been to inform

 

I don't think they've done anything other than highlight this discussion. All they've done is link to this thread - people are able to makeup their own minds about how Princess have treated you

 

If I was you I wouldn't be so forgiving about Princess - you were disembarked in a foreign port, the local agent couldn't wait to get rid of you and Princess showed no care in arranging communication between your wife and yourself - so just what did they do that was good and in accord with what any reasonable person would expect from them?

 

If it's as you describe I am struggling to see anything positive about Princess's behaviour on this occasion and therefore I'd be nervous that they would do anything different should it occur to me or friends of mine

Edited December 29, 2015 by Bodogbodog

[Guest012]

Hi

 

It was not my wish to badmouth Princess Cruises about this , my postings have been to inform and in the first instance to ask for help from members of this forum

 

I know that once things are posted on the internet they are in the public domain

 

I would ask the managers of that facebook site to please contact me .. perhaps they could supply a contact e-mail here

 

Regards

John

 

or e-mail me vk3dq@optusnet.com.au

 

I

 

 

Unfortunately someone reading this thread has decided to pass it on to these people ...don't worry too much just look after yourself. The email address you need if you wish to contact them is jwalker@cruiselaw.com their facepage page is called Cruise Law News .... like i said dont concern yourself and worry too much you've had a massive week so take care.

[Esilef]

I really hope princess steps up their game.

 

The Australian/NZ cruise market is becoming more and more competitive. Instances like this could easily push future passengers away from princess to their competitors.

 

I hope your wife & MIL are enjoying their cruise anyway. Hopefully when they get home you can look at planning a trip to make up for this one not going as planned.

[The_Big_M]

Hey Princess - this ones not going away

A Facebook site with 200,000 followers has highlighted this one - and already a number of posters are saying they're reviewing their bookings on Princess

Time to step up and admit you messed up and do something positive about putting things right!

 

I should add that I was thinking about a Princess cruise - but that's well and truly off the list now - I guess it's definitely a case of you get what you pay for (actually it seems you don't even get that!)

 

I agree there was a mistake. But you're mistaken to think that Princess is the bad one and everything is always rosy with any of the other mainstream lines. All I can think of have had some specific situations where they've dropped the ball, and paying customers have been the loser.

 

It's either a risk you take with any (with mitigation plans in mind) or if you're not willing, you'd be safer avoiding them all.

[The_Big_M]

Unfortunately someone reading this thread has decided to pass it on to these people ...don't worry too much just look after yourself. The email address you need if you wish to contact them is jwalker@cruiselaw.com their facepage page is called Cruise Law News .... like i said dont concern yourself and worry too much you've had a massive week so take care.

 

If that's the site being referred to, you can just look through the archives for each of the cruiselines. You'll see stuff that goes wrong on each.

[VK3DQ]

Hello Folks

 

 

About "The BUS"

 

Some research and I think I have located the actual bus involved from a very nice website that lists New Zealands bus fleet

 

so I will try to put together an amusing ditty for you all

 

Suffice to say at the moment is that I think the bus was built in 1995 which makes it about 20 years old ....

 

But more to come when I can write this up properly

 

regards

John

[Miamia65]

John

Don't feel bad, princess are part of a very large corporation and they obviously did not care abou you when they offloaded you in NZ.

 

Use whatever resources you need to resolve this and get your money reimbursed.

 

Our family had a very bad experience with princess a few years ago and we do not cruise with them.

[VK3DQ]

John

Don't feel bad, princess are part of a very large corporation and they obviously did not care abou you when they offloaded you in NZ.

 

Use whatever resources you need to resolve this and get your money reimbursed.

 

Our family had a very bad experience with princess a few years ago and we do not cruise with them.

 

Hi

 

I understand , however I just wanted first of all to contact my wife , and when people here were so kind I just wanted them to be aware of what happened and ensure the same thing does not happen to someone else or their loved ones

 

The comments on the facebook site seem to indicate that most of them have not read this thread properly , they mostly seem to be saying "This is what you get when you buy cheap travel insurance" Well Insure and Go are not exactly cheap , and most reports speak well of them , thats why I chose them this time and I chose their "Silver" level of cover

 

The facebook website seems to me to be a "scandal sheet" highlighting the bad ,,,,

 

I want everyone to understand that I'm sure that Princess Cruises genuinely thought they had a system in place to handle this , on hindsight I think someone slipped up badly , maybe because of the Christmas Holidays, after all even the Australian Embassy emergency consular assistance service was on holiday!!!

 

When my countries embassy cannot reach out to help me when I am in difficulties in a foreign county what hope of help from a cruise line or a port agent for that matter.

 

I dont believe the port agent had been given any other instructions other than to drive me to the hospital, he seemed to be a nice enough fellow but seemed a little out of his depth.

 

 

My aim in further writing is to make you aware of the situation as it happened , so that it can be reviewed and so we ensure this cannot happen to anyone else.

 

Best Regards

John

[VK3DQ]

Hi Folks

 

I now know that there was indeed someone from Princess Cruises that was supposed to contact me , I had NO idea that this was supposed to happen and had been given no information as I left the ship

 

The lady in question tells me that she located me in the motel but would not call me due to the late hour , and of course I had to be on 'The Bus" at 7:45am so was up and away by 7:15am driven to the bus by the customs agent who came to check my passport so i was long gone before she contacted the motel

 

The system failed in part because in my drugged and "in pain" condition I was desperate to get home and perhaps I did not make the best decisions at the time , however the princess help contact I feel did not make enough efforts to contact me when she had my location.

The contact person was in Sydney with a two hour time difference in place.

 

This all highlights the absolute need for a LOCAL contact in the port dedicated to facilitate contact with the care team , in hindsight the port agent should have instructed me , or even telephoned the care team to let them know where I was and what condition I was in.

 

So now we get a little insight as to how they system failed

 

Regards

John

Edited December 29, 2015 by VK3DQ

[icat2000]

Hi Folks

 

I now know that there was indeed someone from Princess Cruises that was supposed to contact me , I had NO idea that this was supposed to happen and had been given no information as I left the ship

 

The lady in question tells me that she located me in the motel but would not call me due to the late hour , and of course I had to be on 'The Bus" at 7:45am so was up and away by 7:15am driven to the bus by the customs agent who came to check my passport so i was long gone before she contacted the motel

 

The system failed in part because in my drugged and "in pain" condition I was desperate to get home and perhaps I did not make the best decisions at the time , however the princess help contact I feel did not make enough efforts to contact me when she had my location.

The contact person was in Sydney with a two hour time difference in place.

 

This all highlights the absolute need for a LOCAL contact in the port dedicated to facilitate contact with the care team , in hindsight the port agent should have instructed me , or even telephoned the care team to let them know where I was and what condition I was in.

 

So now we get a little insight as to how they system failed

 

Regards

John

John sorry to hear about the lack of support provided by princess in nz. Hopefully princess can take your incident into account and improve their systems.

 

All the best.

Sarah

[Esilef]

To be honest I hope you will travel with princess again. The times I have traveled with them they have been loverly.

 

I doubt if this would have happened on one of the other cruise lines, if the response would have been any better.

 

Take care, eat pizza, drink beer and wait for your wife to return......

[MargoK]

Hi John

 

We have been keeping tabs on Jean and Elsie as much as we can. We are appalled at your treatment and had werealized whilst in Wellington we would have been able to get her to call you free for there.

 

Feel awful I have not been on cc to see your plight.

 

All CCer's onboard have been asking about you so have been relaying information as known.

[windsor26]

Thanks for that ,, we think the pain is muscular in nature with pain from nerves in my spine ... a bit of a shock to the system ... all other tests have ruled out anything sinister which is good.

 

 

As far a cruising is concerned its a love of my life I love ships and everything to do with the sea

 

Regards

 

John

 

Ps thanks folks for keeping me company you have all been a great help:p

 

 

Sounds like spondolosis (sic) I have it and I 'feel' for you Once on the correct pain killers that you MUST keep taking you will be ok I am on osteoparacetamol marvellous relief back to normal

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Hi John

 

We have been keeping tabs on Jean and Elsie as much as we can. We are appalled at your treatment and had werealized whilst in Wellington we would have been able to get her to call you free for there.

 

Feel awful I have not been on cc to see your plight.

 

All CCer's onboard have been asking about you so have been relaying information as known.

 

Thanks for the update Margo. Nice to know that CC'ers on board are on the job.

Looks like you have a bit of rain in Port Chalmers, Dunedin today.

Heres a grab from 11.30 am local time.