Cruise with confidence policy

[darnoc23]

Interesting experience.  I had just cancelled my cruise that I booked less than a week for sailing end of April.  Princess has a "Cruise with Confidence Policy" stating "We're taking the worry out of booking and making it easier to change your plans so that you can book with confidence. Cancel up to 30 days prior to sailing and receive your cancellation fees back as a Future Cruise Credit."  After cancelling, I was charged a cancellation fee of the cruise price and was informed the Cruise with Confidence Policy does not apply to me since I purchase the Insurance Protection Plan.  I would now have to go through the process of filing a claim with the insurance company, where after contacting them was told it can take up to 15 days to review my claim for approval and because it's not in the list of valid cancellation reasons may not get 100% back.  Does this make sense at all?  It should be stated in the Cruise with Confidence Policy upfront, purchasing cruise protection excludes from this policy.  Anyone have this experience and what was the outcome?

[HappilyEverAft-ers]

8 minutes ago, darnoc23 said:

Interesting experience.  I had just cancelled my cruise that I booked less than a week for sailing end of April.  Princess has a "Cruise with Confidence Policy" stating "We're taking the worry out of booking and making it easier to change your plans so that you can book with confidence. Cancel up to 30 days prior to sailing and receive your cancellation fees back as a Future Cruise Credit."  After cancelling, I was charged a cancellation fee of the cruise price and was informed the Cruise with Confidence Policy does not apply to me since I purchase the Insurance Protection Plan.  I would now have to go through the process of filing a claim with the insurance company, where after contacting them was told it can take up to 15 days to review my claim for approval and because it's not in the list of valid cancellation reasons may not get 100% back.  Does this make sense at all?  It should be stated in the Cruise with Confidence Policy upfront, purchasing cruise protection excludes from this policy.  Anyone have this experience and what was the outcome?

This wasn't our experience at all.  We had a B2B booked for the end of January, and canceled slightly before the 30 day rule.  He specifically mentioned that because we had our insurance through them, we were covered.  There was never a mention of a cancellation fee.  We never had to file a claim.  We got what we had paid in FCC, and the rest was credited to the credit card we used.  I'd call again and talk to someone else.

[darnoc23]

Good to know, thank you.  I spoke with three representatives with the same file a claim answer.   It doesn't make sense to put a customer through that hassle especially with the policy advertisement.  I will try again tommorow.  

[sirclean]

Please update this tomorrow after your call. I have a cruise with full fare due Sunday, and I am really on the fence about going, and IF there are issues like this, then I may well just cancel before the payment deadline.

[Coral]

I have friends who had a cruise in March who had Princess insurance. They had a valid medical reason to cancel. The TA chose to cancel under "Cruise with Confidence" as the cruise was mostly booked with FCC (cruise fare but when COVID hit, they took a higher FCC as opposed to refund) and if they cancelled with insurance, they wouldn't benefit much. At least with Cruise with Confidence, they got their entire FCC back. The TA called Princess directly on this to figure out the best way to cancel.

 

I agree this is confusing. I wonder how good cruise insurance is for cancelling when using FCCs. Obviously insurance would cover medical bills when cruising and other travel related issues.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Coral

[RickT]

Did you book directly with Princess or use a TA?

[bafinegan]

I just cancelled then rebooked an ALaska cruise.  I had booked 2 weeks ago and then moved it to a different ship/itinerary/date.  Had no problem with getting all payments transferred to the new booking.  Only difference was I had to pay the fare difference ( additional $200).  And I have insurance through Princess.

 

Call back and ask to speak with a supervisor if necessary.  This shouldn't be an issue.

[Rick&Jeannie]

Strangely...there appears to be different "paths" to cancelling.  Some involving insurance and some dealing directly with Princess.

[Smokeyone]

I too had to cancel a cruise owing to medical reasons - have received the official email regarding cancellations fees - but no mention of a FCC. Is this done automatically _ I hope...

Tried to telephone Princess several times but was unable to get through ...

[PescadoAmarillo]

57 minutes ago, Smokeyone said:

I too had to cancel a cruise owing to medical reasons - have received the official email regarding cancellations fees - but no mention of a FCC. Is this done automatically _ I hope...

Tried to telephone Princess several times but was unable to get through ...

Did you have travel insurance or Princess Vacation Protection?  As Coral said, if you did have insurance, the only reason for accepting FCCs in lieu of cash back when cancelling for a medical reason is if you paid for the cruise using FCCs in the first place (in which case that portion of your cruise is not covered by the insurance). If that is not the case for you, definitely file a medical claim with the insurance and do not accept FCCs as payment. 

[darnoc23]

Here's the latest update and a little more background.  I purchased the platinum Princess Vacation Protection.  Majority of the payments were paid through FCC.  One booking was cancelled to switch to another cruise.  Another cancellation fee was due to removing a passenger from the booking due to her schedule.  Called this morning to one rep and got the same answer.  Called again, the rep gave me the same answer this time pushed for clarification on the Book with Confidence policy.  She mentioned that in 10 days they will add the credit back to my FCC.  No confirmation emails yet and didn't hear any typing on processing the credit.  Been with Princess for over 20 years, the conflict in the policy is ridiculous.  

[Smokeyone]

No Princess Vacation Protection so would be happy with a FCC if I receive one covering the cancellation fees. Does anyone know if these happen automatically!

[darnoc23]

Here's one of the chats I had.  I removed the names. When I called Princess Vacation Protection, I'm not guaranteed a refund as the cancellation reason was not on their list.

 

6:06:56 PM
i just recently booked this, and there's another booking that i was charged over $500 which i booked just yesterday

6:08:04 PM
I understand. Since you have applied for an insurance, this will be claimed from them. Credits are for bookings that were cancelled without insurance purchased.

6:08:37 PM
You can call our Princess Vacation Protection information desk at (887) 846-8833 to know more about your insurance coverage.

6:08:47 PM
so if i didn't purchase insurance, then i wouldn't have gotten a cancellation fee?

6:11:13 PM
If no insurance purchased, any cancellation fees applied when a booking is cancelled given the Book with Confidence terms and conditions, the cancellation fees will be converted into Future Cruise Credits.

6:11:35 PM
Is there something else I can check for you?

[sirclean]

I may not be understanding the issue.  This is from the Princess' site FAQ (#10)

It seems that you should get a Future Cruise Credit. IF you have insurance and WANT cash back, then that is an insurance issue.  But it would seem that according to this FAQ, that insurance does not change the policy.  What am I missing?

https://www.princess.com/plan/cruise-with-confidence/cancellation-final-payment-policy/

 

"What if a guest paid for Travel Protection through Princess? Is the coverage different?

Princess Vacation Protection (PVP). (North American Guests Only)

1. All guests with PVP who take advantage of our Book with Confidence program will receive an FCC for their cancellation fees.
2. If a guest is cancelling for a specified reason defined in the plan details, they are eligible for a cash refund instead of FCC. In this instance, guests should make a claim on the AON travel claim website.
   • We recommend those making a refund claim to Aon, wait to see if their refund will be issued prior to using any Book with Confidence FCC.
   • If the claim process determines eligibility for a refund, Princess will remove the FCC from the guest’s account when a refund is confirmed. If the guest already used any or all of the FCC, the refund cannot automatically be processed by Princess Cruises and guests should contact our Customer Relations team.

PVP is available to residents of the U.S. and Canada (except residents of the state of New York, Quebec, Puerto Rico, or Mexico). Guests in other regions may have alternative coverage options and they should refer to their Travel Advisor for additional information.

[darnoc23]

Thanks for the link and I also bought that up on the calls.  Since I paid the majority with FCC, it should be a no brainer that the cancellation fee get's credited back as an FCC.  I never mentioned cash back to any of the reps, just wanted credit or waiving the cancellation fee.  I would've been super happy if their response was "the cancellation fee will automatically be credited to your account as an FCC" as per their policy "All guests with PVP who take advantage of our Book with Confidence program will receive an FCC for their cancellation fees."  However, the consistency in response was if you have PVP you need to file a claim.  I was also asked if I enrolled in the Book with Confidence program which I informed that there was no option for that in booking online and that the policy states all bookings made prior to March 2.   The process has been cumbersome as each call took an average of a 20 minute wait.  As of now, I still don't have a confirmation email that I will be credited back my cancellation fee after the last rep I spoke with and just called again to see if anything was done to my account and now got the same response to file a claim.

 

Anyone have another number for Princess for complaints/escalation?

 

 

[CruisinFinsUp]

Wow.   I wonder if someone at Princess has decided that pushing refunds off their books to the insurance company is one way to change the accounting picture.   

 

FCC's on the books are a liability. 

 

But, If they insist you goto insurance, they keep your payments as revenue (no liability),  and the insurance pays out the loss.   

 

 

 

 

[Babr]

The first line of Cruise with Confidence states that finances should not determine decisions about health so if you feel ill and need to change plans, you can do so with this plan. This seems to be for the benefit of those who do not have insurance.

 

Does CWC allow one to cancel and receive FCC for any reason or must it be health related? As long as it is health related, it would qualify for cash reimbursement from insurance. 
 

It seems that the choice in that case is cash from insurance or FCC from CWC, but either has to be for a health related reason. Princess issues FCC, then removes it if the insurance claim is approved as stated in #2 of post 14.  Without PVP, the credit remains.
 

If the cancellation is not health related or is not one of the other covered reasons, then the claim is denied but should qualify for FCC under the Cancel for any Reason provision in the PVP policy.

 

OP stated that his was not a covered reason, so maybe that is the source of the confusion.

Edited February 10, 2022 by Babr

[darnoc23]

Finally got someone that took action and processed.  She confirmed the cancellation fees will be credited back as FCC.  Would take 30 days to show in my account and no emails will be sent confirming this.  I just have to check my account often <crossing fingers>.  The cancellation fee that was charged by switching to another cruise was credited immediately.  

 

There is no such thing as enrollment to Cruise with Confidence.  It's automatic as long as you meet the following criteria below.  A lot of misinformation through this whole cumbersome experience.  So hope this posting would help anyone falling in the same situation.  

 

• Cancel up to 30 days before you sail, and get your cancellation fees back as a Future Cruise Credit (FCC).
  • Applies to voyages departing through September 30, 2022.
  • Applies to bookings made through March 2, 2022.
  • FCCs issued under the Book with Confidence policy are valid up to one year after their issue date.

 

[sirclean]

It sounds like this is going to be resolved in the way that you expected, though there is some confusion and a lot of time lost as a result!

 

 

[Smokeyone]

It looks as though I will be eligible for the FCC

Cancel up to 30 days before you sail, and get your cancellation fees back as a Future Cruise Credit (FCC).

Cancelled February 8 for a March 25 sailing

• Applies to voyages departing through September 30, 2022.
• Applies to bookings made through March 2, 2022. booked last year

[Thrak]

I really need to call Princess. We had a cruise booked and used FCD as deposit. The cruise was cancelled and I was "supposed" to get my FCD restored. Instead Princess converted it to "Cruise With Confidence" FCC. Instead of having FCD that gets me OBC or can be refunded I now have a FCC that says "Book By 12/31/22 and Sail By 12/31/22". That's just not right.

[julia]

7 hours ago, sirclean said:

It sounds like this is going to be resolved in the way that you expected, though there is some confusion and a lot of time lost as a result!

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Thrak said:

I really need to call Princess. We had a cruise booked and used FCD as deposit. The cruise was cancelled and I was "supposed" to get my FCD restored. Instead Princess converted it to "Cruise With Confidence" FCC. Instead of having FCD that gets me OBC or can be refunded I now have a FCC that says "Book By 12/31/22 and Sail By 12/31/22". That's just not right.

The more I read, the more I see that Princess REALLY needs to get their act together!!  The sheer amount of wasted time and energy because of their misinformation is giving me pause on our two bookings. 

[Smokeyone]

Has anyone actually received a FCC covering their cancellations fees when they cancelled the cruise!