Desperately need your opinion

[mlymd]

I will try to keep this as short as possible. I made a huge mistake and did not purchase vacation protection for our cruise of 1/14/18. We have been on 23 Princess cruises and I have never forgotten to take out coverage. Needless to say, 4 days before our cruise we were informed that my husband needed emergency open heart surgery. We cancelled our trip immediately. We already have another cruise booked for 2/18/2019. We have pleaded with Princess to transfer our cost of the cruise to the next cruise we have booked. We sent Princess a letter from the surgeon and a letter direct from us. We have been turned down twice. We were hoping that Princess would have some compassion for our situation since we have been such loyal customers and are Elite card holders. We are not asking for any cash back. We just want to go on another cruise. Everybody makes mistakes and I admit I made a big one. Please let me know if you think we should pursue this with Princess or we should just let it go and lose all are money. Thanks for your help:loudcry:.:(

[casofilia]

No. You made the mistake so you will have to wear it.

[cruisestitch]

If you have been turned down twice I'm not sure why you think pursuing it further would have a different outcome.

[FritzG]

Did you use a travel agent? Maybe he/she could go to bat for you if they book a lot of Princess cruises, but if they have turned you down twice I wouldn't count on it. On the other hand, it can't hurt to try.

[TinaLee]

First of all, I hope your husband is doing well. Sadly, I don't think you have any recourse in this event. A very expensive lesson to learn, and a hard one, but I really don't see Princess reversing their decision. :(

[azbirdmom]

Best wishes for the full recovery of your husband.

 

Princess has to stay firm, saying yes to one person could open the floodgates for additional requests down the road. Have you checked with your credit card company? Many do have varying levels of travel insurance built in. That's worth a call if you're not sure.

[dickinson]

I'm sorry for your husband's condition but hope his health will improve.

 

As for Princess, I am not sure they will do anything because of the lack of insurance. HOWEVER, have you ever heard of Christopher Elliott? I read his column all the time in the travel section of our Sunday newspaper. He has a website elliott.org . I just went to it. Look near the top and click on contacts. He has a whole section devoted to how to contact company executives and state your case etc. I would read it thoroughly and go from there.

 

Let us know how things do or do not turn out for you.

[cruiseintoheaven]

While we can all sympathize with making a mistake, there’s really no reason to expect Princess to treat your issue differently than anyone else who doesn’t purchase insurance, whether it’s your first or 50th cruise. Don’t mean to sound harsh, hope your husband has a full and speedy recovery...[emoji4]

 

 

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[yags]

My suggestion is to make sure you are talking to the right person. Ask them, "Do you have the power of decision in this matter?" Once you know you are not talking to some uninformed agent who is just waiting for lunch then pursue your request.

 

I agree with a responder above that you may have to wear this one. Being the kind of traveler you are with Princess should be cause for some additional consideration. You might not get everything back but see what they can do for you even if it is not the equivalent of what you lost. You might get some OBC on your next cruise which costs them nothing.

 

If they refuse to help I would use that same person to cancel your upcoming cruise and be ready to tell them the other cruise line and the ship you are going to book with never again to use Princess Cruise lines. Good Luck! Glad your husband is healing up OK.

[weedpindle]

Sorry to be harsh but you didn't buy the insurance so it's all on you. If princess makes an exception for you, why not make an exception for everyone. It's a business after all.

[Pam in CA]

So sorry to hear about your husband but azbirdmom is right. There are many situations similar or even worse than yours. The cancellation policy is very clear and as a long-time cruiser, you’re aware of it.

 

You can frequently read the media stories about passengers who “lost their life savings” booking a cruise, having to cancel and not being able to get a refund or credit towards a future cruise. These are very sad stories and you have to feel sorry for them but then on the other hand, what the cruise line does for one, they must do for all which makes buying insurance a farce. :(

[pms4104]

My suggestion is to make sure you are talking to the right person. Ask them, "Do you have the power of decision in this matter?" Once you know you are not talking to some uninformed agent who is just waiting for lunch then pursue your request.

 

I agree with a responder above that you may have to wear this one. Being the kind of traveler you are with Princess should be cause for some additional consideration. You might not get everything back but see what they can do for you even if it is not the equivalent of what you lost. You might get some OBC on your next cruise which costs them nothing.

 

If they refuse to help I would use that same person to cancel your upcoming cruise and be ready to tell them the other cruise line and the ship you are going to book with never again to use Princess Cruise lines. Good Luck! Glad your husband is healing up OK.

Cancel future cruise and walk away from Princess forever because Princess won't play "let's make a deal" on a cancelled and uninsured cruise? Seriously?

 

4 days before sailing ... how likely was Princess to fill that cabin? Princess is a business ... not their fault when the unexpected occurs.

 

Sadly, Princess owes the OP nothing ... and moving it up the food chain to someone who might be empowered should end in the same denial.

 

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[Pickels]

First of all, hoping that your husband is doing well and is recovering nicely from his surgery.

Regarding your cruise issue; even though Princess refused twice I would still persist but, not with a Princess contact but go to the top, the CEO of Princess. I'm sure I've seen names of top management here on Cruise Critic, maybe someone can provide some names.

[DrivesLikeMario]

It was a lesson learned. I wouldn't expect or even hope that Princess would do anything for you, sorry. I think his life-saving surgery was more important than any money you lost on the vacation.

 

Can you only imagine how many scenarios like this the cruise line gets?

[srpilo]

Cancel future cruise and walk away from Princess forever because Princess won't play "let's make a deal" on a cancelled and uninsured cruise? Seriously?

 

4 days before sailing ... how likely was Princess to fill that cabin? Princess is a business ... not their fault when the unexpected occurs.

 

Sadly, Princess owes the OP nothing ... and moving it up the food chain to someone who might be empowered should end in the same denial.

 

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+1

 

Sad but true

[mameeo]

I say if you haven’t gone to the top of the chain keep trying. If you have the time to pursue it do it. We were not sailing princess for the first time a few yrs ago we were on celebrity and did not have insurance. We were only 50 and felt we were healthy ( mistake we have not made since) my husband had a severe stroke 2 weeks before cruise. I called as soon as I could to cancel and see what could be done, I was told nothing so I asked to speak to someone above this person. ‘‘This went on for an hour plus but in the end we were given a cruise credit for half our costs on another cruise. Which we took a year later. So don’t give up until you feel you’ve gone as far as you can. We learnt our lesson and it’s the first thing we do now.

Good luck

I truly hope your husband has a good recovery.

[Darlipoo]

+1

 

 

 

Sad but true

 

 

 

I'm so sorry this happened. Hopefully your husband is doing well and in the long run that's all that really matters

The person that asked if your credit card had an insurance built in. That was a good idea. Out of curiosity, if you booked thru a TA or called cruise line direct to book, if neither of them even asked you if you wanted insurance- then shame on them. But if you were asked and turned it down, then sadly you may have to just accept this as a life lesson.

 

 

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[fishywood]

 

If they refuse to help I would use that same person to cancel your upcoming cruise and be ready to tell them the other cruise line and the ship you are going to book with never again to use Princess Cruise lines.

 

Please do not take this advice. As soon as the tone becomes threatening the rep you are speaking with will completely tune you out, just rotely saying no to any further requests and then becoming silent until you hang up.

 

Even appealing by name-dropping your Elite status and emphasizing that you have always taken the Vacation Protection in the past (a fact so easily verified that you better be darn certain your claim of 100% past purchase is absolutely true) is probably going to fall on deaf ears. An inexperienced cruiser is actually more likely (though still very small odds) to generate corporate sympathy--witness the well-debated NCL case from a few weeks ago.

 

Have you checked with the credit card you used to pay Princess? Many have built-in travel interruption coverage, which may offer some compensation for completely missing your vacation due to a medical emergency.

[cruiseintoheaven]

I’m a bit baffled by the suggestions to keep pressing or escalating with Princess. Play the logic out - say for some reason Princess agrees to give the OP credit for their future cruise. Now, everyone who didn’t get insurance will expect to be treated as though they HAD insurance because of the precedent set in this example. It’s a financial paradigm that no business would (or should) employ. If you can’t afford to “self-insure” your vacation then the math is clear: no insurance = your financial loss, not Princess. If your house burned down, and you didn’t have homeowner’s insurance, would you file a claim and expect to be covered? Again, apologies if this sounds harsh.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Other than contacting your credit card company, I would be inclined at this point having been told no twice to just let it go as a bad decision not to buy insurance.

 

And I would be eternally grateful that his problem was found and treated before the cruise rather than having a health emergency on the cruise. Then you would really be in a bad situation without travel insurance!

 

 

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[thinfool]

As someone already said, Check with your credit card company. Many include some level of insurance that is automatic if you use their card.

 

Otherwise suggest you direct your efforts toward good health and taking another cruise as you are able.

[Orlando Vic]

As for Princess, I am not sure they will do anything because of the lack of insurance. HOWEVER, have you ever heard of Christopher Elliott? I read his column all the time in the travel section of our Sunday newspaper. He has a website elliott.org . I just went to it. Look near the top and click on contacts. He has a whole section devoted to how to contact company executives and state your case etc. I would read it thoroughly and go from there.

 

I agree and this is whom I would contact. Here is his list of Princess contacts http://www.elliott.org/company-contacts/princess/

 

 

Contact his people here: http://www.elliott.org/help/

 

Good luck!

[voljeep]

I'm waiting to see if this was booked online, with a PVP, or with a TA

 

and not sure which I hope it was with...

[san diego sue]

For all of us that cruise often and pay the high cost of Princess insurance, giving a credit or refund to someone that hasn't made the investment (by error or not wanting to spend for it )makes us all look like idiots to spend the money.

Years ago when we were young we felt the cost of a cruise we could afford to lose the money if sick , we didn't need the insurance. Okay till we had a $12,000 cost of a cruise and my husband

had hurt his ankle. We would have forfeited our money. Never crossed our mind that the cruise line would give us a break.Turned out we went on the cruise anyway, even with my husband in pain.

After that always buy the insurance, no matter what the cruise cost. And thankfully we pay for it and never have had to use it. However, one never knows if and when we will .

[hm9912]

I will try to keep this as short as possible. I made a huge mistake and did not purchase vacation protection for our cruise of 1/14/18. We have been on 23 Princess cruises and I have never forgotten to take out coverage. Needless to say, 4 days before our cruise we were informed that my husband needed emergency open heart surgery. We cancelled our trip immediately. We already have another cruise booked for 2/18/2019. We have pleaded with Princess to transfer our cost of the cruise to the next cruise we have booked. We sent Princess a letter from the surgeon and a letter direct from us. We have been turned down twice. We were hoping that Princess would have some compassion for our situation since we have been such loyal customers and are Elite card holders. We are not asking for any cash back. We just want to go on another cruise. Everybody makes mistakes and I admit I made a big one. Please let me know if you think we should pursue this with Princess or we should just let it go and lose all are money. Thanks for your help:loudcry:.:(

 

Sorry to hear about your husband but did you ever check with your credit card company?

Not only does one need vacation protection insurance but medical evacuation insurance as well.

Failure to purchase is on you.

There are tons of threads on CC and as an experience cruiser I'm surprised at your failure to purchase travel/medical insurance

 

Howard