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

[stracpat]

It must be nice to be so privileged to not be that bothered about not getting your hard earned cash back....

 

Thinking of all those people out there that are really struggling because of the circumstances right now and keeping my fingers crossed that luck comes your way soon in whatever way you need it 🙂

Edited August 23, 2020 by stracpat
spelling

[Ombud]

IMHO it's not about getting the cash back (for me) and yes I didn't understand the scope of it way back when passengers were stranded in Singapore, for me it is about the lack of transparency.  In fact I wasn't fully reimbursed until 5+ months on 1 and 4+ months on another. In 'normal times,'  reimbursement is within days. I was continually told it's on it's way. My PVP went to bat for me filing numerous inquiries and an appeal. I did not dispute the charge because the refund was promised just not received. I even completed the online form for out of pocket expenses related to Covid-19 TWICE (June 10th & July 15th) both unanswered.  

 

It took an email to csteinke@princesscruises.com to finally close out those 2 cruises. That took only 10 days

[BLK03GT]

I keep seeing they weren’t transparent. Let’s all be adults and call it what it is - a lie. Princess repeatedly lied to their customers for their gain. If you want to support a company that does that be my guest, I certainly won’t. 
 

As for cruising in general - I don’t believe it will be available in any meaningful capacity for a few years so I’ll wait and see who’s left. 

[finishedover30cruises]

If some of the original CFC suggestions are instituted there will be 2 more groups that won't be sailing.  

1 Those on any type of oxygen

2 Those with a body mass index BMI over 30.

 

[BeachDiva101]

I’m in high risk group and I have a Sapphire Princess Alaska Cruise planned for September 2021.  I will wear a mask 😷 I will get the vaccine if one is available.  I will be hopeful!

[ABoatNerd]

All the cruise lines have been lying - with full knowledge and deliberate intent.

 

But, it is up to consumers to clearly understand this and hopefully, make consumer focused decisions.  The posts by some that say I am lending my after tax $ to support the cruise lines, that is your decision, do not assume others agree.

 

If consumers continue to book cruises, with the vagueness of the product, consumers have to accept the negative consequences of this decision, if the negative consequences occur.

 

As a consumer who puts me First, I will not book a cruise given the lack of specifics. Further, the past cruise line trend of downgrading the product does Not provide me the required confidence to spend money with the cruise lines. 

 

So cruise lines will be punished by this consumer until such time they Prove, repeatedly , over much time, that they have a sustainable product and what specifically is that product and is it being delivered on a consistent basis.

 

Cruise lines have to earn by patronage and they have not been successful over the past years due to their corporate arrogance and declining product.

[voljeep]

22 minutes ago, ABoatNerd said:

But, it is up to consumers to clearly understand this and hopefully, make consumer focused decisions.  The posts by some that say I am lending my after tax $ to support the cruise lines, that is your decision, do not assume others agree.

exactly - an individuals decision ... we have currently 'loaned' Princess $ 900 at zero interest for 1 year ( do the math )

 

as per various threads, if we 'called' the loan ( from 7/22 ) we could potentially expect to get our no interest loan back from Princess in 90-120 days ...

 

we hope to cruise again in 4/2021, and if that works out, Princess will "pay us" payday lending rates of 100% on our loan as payment to that cruise fare

 

are we risking Princess going bankrupt ? yeah, I guess ...

 

I did the math

[1965]

On 8/21/2020 at 4:39 PM, Georgie562 said:

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

I'm not sure about others in this group but I know I am cruising Princess December 2021.

Tahiti with my sweetie 🏝️❤️

Barring cancellation,  we'll set sail with Princess Feb. 2021, Sept. 2021, & Oct. 2021. I hope yours & ours set sail. ❤

[oskidunker]

4 hours ago, finishedover30cruises said:

If some of the original CFC suggestions are instituted there will be 2 more groups that won't be sailing.  

1 Those on any type of oxygen

2 Those with a body mass index BMI over 30.

 

Well I checked an I am at about 29, so I guessI can still go.Still could stand to lose 10 pounds. Tough when you cant get out much.

[mcrcruiser]

On 8/11/2020 at 4:26 AM, Fletch1 said:

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. 

We don't see how a cruise line will get people to agree to ship only tours with the prices they mark up land tours  . So many cruisers sre do it yourself  tours  to save money  

[Esprit]

We will happily take ship tours if that’s  the only option other than staying on board.

[jonikal]

On 8/12/2020 at 8:12 PM, donnajo said:

Like the airlines, they will make violators disembark.  I've seen people thrown off a ship before.

 

 

Could be interesting in the middle of a 7-day trans-Atlantic crossing.

[donnajo]

53 minutes ago, jonikal said:

 

 

Could be interesting in the middle of a 7-day trans-Atlantic crossing.

😂😂😂😂😂

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, jonikal said:

 

 

Could be interesting in the middle of a 7-day trans-Atlantic crossing.

The plank!

[GottaLuvCruising]

On 8/11/2020 at 4:10 AM, Loreni said:

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.

Interesting post.  I'm not sure yet where we fit.  

#1) We waited 93 days for our refund.  It was frustrating, but we understood that this situation is unprecedented.  What we HAVE learned is not to prepay anything unnecessarily.  I have two cruises booked with just the deposit and insurance.  
 

#4)  We've been camping this summer and loving it.  Actually considering buying a camper instead of our planned 50th anniversary Tahiti cruise.  

#12) If cruising requires masks, we'll do something else.  We wear them now, but no way am I doing a vacation in a mask.  

#15)  We simply have not enjoyed our recent cruises as much as cruises 10, 20, 30 years ago.  Cutbacks in dining and entertainment render cruising less enjoyable.  I do expect the cuts and nickel-diming will worsen.  

We carefully used all of our FCCs from spring break cancelation for June 2021 Alaska and March 2022 Western Caribbean.  Unsure how much we will cruise after the dust settles.  

[1965]

4 hours ago, Esprit said:

We will happily take ship tours if that’s  the only option other than staying on board.

Same here! ❤

[Ombud]

3 hours ago, jonikal said:

 

 

Could be interesting in the middle of a 7-day trans-Atlantic crossing.

The brigs still exist

[cltnccruisers]

4 hours ago, Esprit said:

We will happily take ship tours if that’s  the only option other than staying on board.

For Caribbean cruises we much prefer to wander a bit.  We'll have to wait and see what the ship tours have to offer I guess.  But there's something to be said for a quiet port day on board - it can be very relaxing.  So for ports we've visited multiple times - St Thomas, for example, - we'll likely go that route.

[Esprit]

1 hour ago, cltnccruisers said:

For Caribbean cruises we much prefer to wander a bit.  We'll have to wait and see what the ship tours have to offer I guess.  But there's something to be said for a quiet port day on board - it can be very relaxing.  So for ports we've visited multiple times - St Thomas, for example, - we'll likely go that route.

Ditto Jamaica

[cruise77]

I have Alaska booked for June,  hope its a go!

[1965]

3 hours ago, cruise77 said:

I have Alaska booked for June,  hope its a go!

I hope it sets sail! ♡♡♡

[kate59]

We fit several of the categories but will be cruising with Princess again. I have just booked again to use up all our cruise credits we amassed because we didn't take the money. We have already spent 30 year travelling in and around remote areas of Australia, but we still like to visit some of our closer country towns for a few days away.

 

We lost 92 nights of cruises and touring but my only sad thing is I would have been in Paris in 2 weeks and that is what I miss the most. 

[USCcruisecrazy]

On 8/21/2020 at 3:45 PM, latserrof said:

Thanks. I haven't earned any income in the last 6 months. I'll be 70 in November and am collecting unemployment insurance for the first time in my life. But I'm in OK shape, I wasn't really talking about myself, except to indicate that I too am a business owner and that other business owners can be hurt by businesses with questionable business ethics. But there are many people, including business owners, who are now facing unimagined expenses, like now having to help support parents, children, other family members, friends or employees. Or they may have new medical expenses directly related to covid.  And they may face grim financial futures due to the changes brought on by covid.

A little understanding for people like that maybe, please?

But in any case, the extent of one's immediate financial need doesn't determine one's right to a timely refund of their money. And to withhold that money, particularly during these troubled times, because it makes business sense is repulsive.

 

 

 

As a business owner, I would have thought you would understand their stance.  My best friend owns a Formal Wear Business.  His livlihood is from gatherings for Weddings or Proms or Special Occasions.  None of them have taken place since early March.  Everyone wanted refunds, but most people were actually willing to take a future credit knowing that his business would ahve gone out of business otherwise.  And when they needed his services in the future, it wouldn't be there.  The first priority in an unprecedented situation like this is to protect your employees aand their families, your family, and your business.  If some customers can't deal with that decision and go elsewhere in the future , you can live with that because at least you are still able to operate.  Question, because I haven't looked:  does Princess have a refund policy stated in their by-laws?  Does it say within a specific time limit you would get a refund?  If not, then your argument is your right against theirs.  I would say that's a stalemate.  Troubled Times is the key here...unprecedented troubled times...so they did what they thought they needed to do to survive.  I can't blame them.  And if some customers don't return, I'm sure they won't have any hard feelings.  Don't mean to sound harsh if you think that's the case (hard to represent cpmpassion when on a computer typing).  I just believe there are 3 sides to every story...you took yours, they took theirs, and the truth of what actions to take were likely in the middle.

[cltnccruisers]

• I was planning to retire Fall, 2022.  That's been pushed to Fall, 2023.  So we poked around for a retirement cruise on several line sites.  We'd never been on a TA and wanted to do that.  Turns out Princess has the best itinerary, which surprised us.  22 days starting with a British Isles cruise connected to a TA via Spain, Portugal and Bermuda ending in Ft Lauderdale.  I have my own opinion of how this virus is being handled.  If I'm right, we'll have a fine Grand Finale.  If I'm wrong, we'll all have much bigger problems.

[getting older slowly]

At the beginning of  February this year ... all the excitement of 3 cruises booked later in the year......

 

Now looking at where we are....... one would have never guessed.....

 

Started just looking at land based trips locally.....

A lot of the place we enjoyed to stay at have Closed.... which is sad

 

Is 2020 is the year of  Go Nowhere.... and now they are talking about restrictions in 2021

 

So the Golden age we have been living in has ended..... and the future will be different

 

Remember you just can't flick a switch and everything is back on..........

 

Don