Who will still cruise with Princess...I think many in these groups won’t

[Loreni]

Many here are diehard cruisers who can’t wait to sail. Although I wonder if the volume on these boards is reduced since Covid. When cruising really starts up again, I believe many people who fall into the following groups may think twice. 

 

1. People who had to wait so long for a refund.  Especially those who really needed their money back due to Covid related hardships.
 

2. People who booked after March and had their cruises canceled and are waiting for refunds. These people may rightly or wrongly believe Princess expected to cancel and is effectively using them for a loan.

 

3. Anyone in a high risk group.

 

4. People who have spent the last few months exploring other vacation options such as road trips or visiting family who they will not have seen for a long time.

 

5. People who have committed to other options by buying an RV, boat, or a vacation home.
 

6. People who no longer trust the cruise industry or perhaps Princess in particular.

 

7. People who fear being quarantined either on a ship or near a port.
 

8. People who were financially hurt by the pandemic.

 

9. People who don’t want to be shepherded when ashore having no contact with anyone but their guide.  Many excursions won’t even be possible under these conditions.  For example, how would one tour the Sistine Chapel?

 

10. People who don’t believe the ships have adequate medical facilities.
 

11. People who don’t want uncertainty regarding which ports they will actually visit.  Who wants to buy a pig in a poke?

 

12. People who don’t want to wear masks.

 

13. People who do want to wear masks, but wonder how (if) mask wearing will be enforced.
 

14. People who have never cruised before. They may not be able to get past the stories in the media.

 

15. Frequent cruisers who believe cruising has been going downhill and fear more cuts will be made as cruise lines struggle to become profitable again.

 

16.  People who always believed there were pluses and minuses with cruising, but greatly appreciated the value it offered.  This value may change if prices go up even if service doesn’t go down.
 

17. People who don’t believe social distancing is possible on a ship.
 

I believe cruising will survive in some form, hopefully not too different than we remember.  But I wonder how.

[Esprit]

Well, we will happily cruise with Princess again, hopefully next summer.

We would have been on Enchanted Princess now. Instead I’m in Madrid in the middle of a massive thunderstorm 😩

[JEH]

You have certainly  covered all bases regarding why  people  won't  cruise. DW and I have taken  many cruises with  Princess ,  Holland and Celebrity  usually  2 to 3 per year  We have none  planned  for  the future . We well know what the old norm of cruising was and will wait to see what the new normal brings to cruising.. We hope and pray that we can cruise again sooner rather than later .

[Fletch1]

My wife and I have cruised with Princess quite a few times, and hope to cruise with Princess again. A lot will depend on how cruising gets going again and what new changes are put in place. As I am in the High Risk group, I don't think I will be able to cruise again unless a vaccine is found. So the decision may be taken out of my hands. 

 

Be that as it may, we wouldn't be booking anything immediately. We would wait and see how things are and how the changes are implemented. 

 

On a side note, I read yesterday that one cruise line is introducing when in port, the only way a passenger can get off is booking a ship shore excursion. Passengers will no longer be allowed to get off and "do their own thing". This may also effect people's attitude to cruising again. 

[Travelw]

We will cruise with Princess, hopefully next year. Booked for Panama Canal for end of February and Baltic in August. 

On Princess website there is a safety outline for future cruises.

From info I read on different cruise lines threads they all are pretty slow in refunding money.

 

Dennis

[Jadn13]

Holding out for 2022 Transatlantic itineraries but can’t wait to safely cruise again! 

 

[voljeep]

we have a cruise booked for 4/2021 - if it goes, we go

 

our "concerns" from the list above

 

3 - somewhat

7- that's a biggie

9

16

 

[skynight]

You can write a college paper on the subject.

[susancruzs]

Quite the list you put together.  I have a cruise booked Oct. 2021.  I'm older and not concerned about items on your list right now.  However, i was concerned enough to cancel a long Spring 2021 cruise on Enchanted.

 

If things don't change, look better, I won't make final payment just like I didn't this year for 4 cruises.  I could see being out $400. but not waiting for thousands.

 

People will assess their individual situation and decide what to do.  If they think there are too many risks, it might be too restrictive, or changed drastically, they won't go.

[resistk]

There was a reason why Princess was hit hardest by COVID of any cruise line.  I don't trust them to keep my family safe. 

[jwattle]

It's not stopping us; I'm working the pandemic. We had refunds coming, had to wait. Princess wasn't the only one. We are booked in 2022. We have always taken ship excursions due to their guarantees and always will, so that definitely doesn't bother us. We're ready and will go if it seems safe at the time. 

[Tak8]

i'll cruise again with Princess.  Yes, I was in the Phase 1 group who waited over 90 days for a refund.  Could Princess have handled it better?  Yes, Maybe.  Many industries are trying to solve how to do things during these times.  Let's see how this all plays out first.  I hope to be on a Princess ship next year.

[Hlitner]

For us it is not a matter of cruising with Princess but a matter of cruising!  We go on many different cruise lines (16 to date) and Princess is simply one of many.  The issues folks are having with Princess are similar to issues folks are having with many other cruise lines.  Although I do not want to make excuses for the lines, they have all been overwhelmed with COVID issues at a time when they had to close their own offices, try to reorganize to work from home, layoff some workers to reduce cost (in order to survive), etc.

 

I do fear for the future of cruising.  DW and I normally cruise about 100 days a year and have had all of our 2020 cruises cancelled.  Although we have 3 cruises (62 days) of cruises booked for 2021 (starting in April) I am not optimistic that any of those cruises will actually happen.   I suffer from being a realist and there are many COVID related issues that continue to be a major roadblock for both cruising and much of travel (especially international travel).   

 

Hank

[cruzsnooze]

I'm one still disillusioned with Princess over their incompetence of handling refunds. After I use my FCC from my cancelled cruise I will look at other cruise lines, Princess won't be my first choice.  

[riffatsea]

All the cruise lines were affected by this so not just Princess. We got our money back from our cancelled March cruise. It didn't matter to us that it took a while to get it. 

We have 2 cruises booked in 2021 but who knows if they will actually sail?

All the cruise lines are waiting to see what happens. If we here in the USA continue to ignore the guidelines about wearing masks and distancing then that will prevent things from getting better until a vaccine may be found. Then there will be those who refuse to take it. I think the selfishness of folks is more to blame than the cruise lines!

[paul929207]

• We will cruise again. Can't wait to walk up the gangway again. We have a b2b Panama Canal cruise in January and February and a b2b2b LA to Alaska in July and August

[Sox Fan Cruiser]

9 minutes ago, riffatsea said:

...If we here in the USA continue to ignore the guidelines about wearing masks and distancing then that will prevent things from getting better until a vaccine may be found. Then there will be those who refuse to take it. I think the selfishness of folks is more to blame than the cruise lines!

  

Couldn't agree with you more!  Looks like we will be waiting for an effective vaccine before we cruise again.  But as soon I get it, my credit card will be smokin'!!!

[BabySarge]

We are both in the "high risk" age group (one of us more than the other) but we will cruise again with Princess in a skinnett, which is less than a NY minute, and cannot wait until we can.  

 

 

 

 

Edited August 11, 2020 by BabySarge

[Abercrombie2019]

I would expect that even with an effective vaccine, it will take two or three years for things to begin to return to a semblance of "normal".  Masks, social distancing and limits on crowd size are going to be with us for some time (and longer if people keep ignoring the guidelines.)

[memoak]

If a vaccine comes along and is effective and required by the cruise line then the issue of masks etc may not even be an issue. I have 3 cruises booked for 2021. Hoping on April but planning on August and September 

[dreaminofcruisin]

We have one cruise booked for August 2021 and one for 2022.

We will watch how things 'play out' and not pay final payment until we feel like cruising will be comfortable.

I'm not even sure right now what 'comfortable' is......what I think now vs what I think a year from now might change....but absolutely want to cruise on Princess again!

[ceilidh1]

I'm concerned that with the necessary changes that will need to be made for cruising to resume, we may be priced out of the cruise market. I have two already booked for 2021 and one for 2022, all booked long before COVID was ever heard of. I am doubtful the 2021 ones will actually sail, but if they do I will be on them...

[MTdreaming]

We definitely would cruise with Princess again.  The whole cruise experience will be different regardless of what line you choose.  We are waiting to see how it plays out but really are anxious to get out to sea again.  We had a transAtlantic cancelled on Enchanted Princess in early Nov... hope to do that next year but things are very up in the air in Spain... will wait and see.  But yes we would cruise with Princess.. 

[c-boy]

huh 🤔 so with that list your a definite NO .

[voljeep]

15 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

I'm concerned that with the necessary changes that will need to be made for cruising to resume, we may be priced out of the cruise market.

our 6 day 4/2021 cruise is $ 752 more than our cancelled 5 day cruise over Thanksgiving..

 

basically the same western carib itinerary , just an extra day and port

slight upgrade in cabin ... from a BB to a B2 on caribe deck

 

glad to have the double deposit FCC to cover the increase 

 

$ 200 OBC for booking another caribbean cruise after the one was cancelled

Edited August 11, 2020 by voljeep