Voyage Amendment - October 26, 2022 - Emerald Princess

[normansbay]

Not very happy with Princess, just a couple of days after final payment date, the following was received today

 

"We regret to advise you that due to an unavoidable change to the drydock schedule for Emerald Princess, the length of your Canary Islands voyage has been shortened to 10 days and will now depart from Southampton (London) two days later than published on Friday, October 28, 2022. As a result, we will also no longer be able to visit Lanzarote (Arrecife), Canary Islands or Lisbon, Portugal. Additional port dates and times have also been amended. Your cruise fare will be recalculated based on 10 days, and your promotions will be protected. You will receive your new booking information and updated itinerary by August 19, 2022. As a gesture of goodwill, guests who remain on this voyage will receive $100 USD per person onboard credit (credit applies to first two guests on the booking only). Taxes, fees and port expenses will also be adjusted based on the updated itinerary"

 

Why did they wait until final payment and then issue this, a bit of a cynical ploy hoping passengers will not cancel after paying in full?

[MotownVoice]

We're going to cancel.

I just called and she said we have until August 19th to decide whether to cancel for a full refund, or transfer to another itinerary and still get the $100 pp offered in the amendment.

 

[Bgwest]

I sense a lot of full refund cancellations upcoming. 

[brynmelyndavid]

Totally pissed off with this.

We were booked for Norway in 2020. That was cancelled and transferred to Norway June 2022. We caught Covid two weeks before sailing so that was cancelled and we transferred to this sailing, with cruise credits, (valid only till Sept 2023 anyway, but we already had plans for 2023 booked). Now we lose Lisbon and Lanzarote, the two ports we most wanted to visit. 

 

Question: If I cancel can I get a cash refund or does it have to be cruise credits? Frankly I am so fed up of Princess (who I have never sailed with) that I just want shot of them. 

[LACruiser88]

This really sucks!!!  I would cancel the cruise...

[LidoLiz]

Wow. So sorry to hear this, and you have every right to be upset. 

Edited July 27, 2022 by LidoLiz

[brynmelyndavid]

The Princess website already has the new itinerary on its listing and it’s frankly not a cruise I’d want to take. 10 nights, 4 ports, 5 days at sea. 

What I want is a cash refund but what chance of that? I sense a tense phone call to my Princess Travel Consultant tomorrow.

[ebeluga]

Indeed very regrettable that they wait till after final payment to send the notice of change!!

[Ron the Rev]

Those of us with some trepidation will, because of other comitments, still take the cruise,hopefuly will get a refund on the fare for the two days missed but I see that only part taxes and port fees plus $100 good will (hh ha Lol ) is only mentioned. Come on Princess play it fair.

[kiwimum]

My guess is there is an issue with the dry dock schedule.   

[brynmelyndavid]

3 hours ago, Ron the Rev said:

Those of us with some trepidation will, because of other comitments, still take the cruise,hopefuly will get a refund on the fare for the two days missed but I see that only part taxes and port fees plus $100 good will (hh ha Lol ) is only mentioned. Come on Princess play it fair.

It’s already showing in my cruise account. They’ve credited us just over £500 per person. They must have known about this for some time as they have been able to post the new schedule together with changed dates for ports. Our problem is we are already committed for next year so we look like having £5000 credit that just be used by next September but that we will have real issues using 😞

[caribill]

4 hours ago, Ron the Rev said:

Those of us with some trepidation will, because of other comitments, still take the cruise,hopefully will get a refund on the fare for the two days missed but I see that only part taxes and port fees plus $100 good will (hh ha Lol ) is only mentioned. Come on Princess play it fair.

 

 

12 hours ago, normansbay said:

Your cruise fare will be recalculated based on 10 days, and your promotions will be protected.
 

 

[brynmelyndavid]

Well called my Princess Personal Cruise Specialist, got through after just a ten minute wait, and he was really helpful. He's arranged a cancellation of the cruise  and agreed to refund the cruise credits to my credit card, the full amount. That's a result I'm very happy with. It means we have no holiday now planned for this year but at least I am no longer tied to Princess, and I have to admit I'm not very wary of them.

 

[MotownVoice]

Canceled.   Princess says we should see a full refund in 10 to 15 days.   So I’ve already put a deposit on an NCL Canary Islands, basically the same itinerary.  Only two differences are its in December (which isn’t ideal), but its 13 days instead of 12 and theres also a stop in Gibralter.   Plus right now NCL is throwing in the wifi, premium drinks, flight for the second passenger free and free excursions.  
 

You screwed yourself with this one Princess.   What you should have done was just move the whole itinerary ahead two days to account for your drydock miscalculation instead of turning it into a crappy cruise with a poop-ton of sea days.   Stupid.   

[AF-1]

Unfortunate for those who were looking forward to this cruise. Most of us breeze through the passage contract or don't read it.  Princess has the right to cancel, modify, and adjust schedules, port calls, etc. It costs the company a lot if they miss a drydock schedule; so I understand why they shortened this cruise.  For those who have not sailed Princess;  they offer a good price and a good product.   I have been trying for three years to take a New England/Canada cruise.  It's been cancelled twice so Hopefully in October I will finally get to take this cruise.  Cheers

[MotownVoice]

9 minutes ago, AF-1 said:

Unfortunate for those who were looking forward to this cruise. Most of us breeze through the passage contract or don't read it.  Princess has the right to cancel, modify, and adjust schedules, port calls, etc. It costs the company a lot if they miss a drydock schedule; so I understand why they shortened this cruise.  For those who have not sailed Princess;  they offer a good price and a good product.   I have been trying for three years to take a New England/Canada cruise.  It's been cancelled twice so Hopefully in October I will finally get to take this cruise.  Cheers

Just because they can doesn’t mean they should.   If they underestimated how long she’d be in drydock, there were other courses of action they could have taken besides turning it into a garbage cruise.  

[PacnGoNow]

There are a lot of dry dock issues, with the facilities. They have staff issues also, it’s not just the cruise lines.

 

You’re lucky that you are getting your adjustments, OBC or refunds quickly.

There have been other cruises changed because of dry dock, shortened by 2 days also.  Still waiting for EZAIR options and our TA had to call for adjustment to fare and port fees.  
 

[MotownVoice]

3 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

 

 

You’re lucky that you are getting your adjustments, OBC or refunds quickly.

 

It isn't "luck" that you get your money back when a cruise line welches on an agreement, whether it was out of their hands or not.

It's just good American business. 

You don't get to take people's money and then not do what you said you were going to do.

It's not a crime, it's not even the biggest deal in the world.  But I sure as hell ain't "lucky" that they decided to give me my money back after they blew my itinerary all to heck.

[PacnGoNow]

3 minutes ago, MotownVoice said:

It isn't "luck" that you get your money back when a cruise line welches on an agreement, whether it was out of their hands or not.

It's just good American business. 

You don't get to take people's money and then not do what you said you were going to do.

It's not a crime, it's not even the biggest deal in the world.  But I sure as hell ain't "lucky" that they decided to give me my money back after they blew my itinerary all to heck.

Sorry about that. Just in the fact it is getting done a lot quicker than ours.

 

Our TA had to call to get it done, after waiting a month for them to do it.

No EZAIR protections and no OBC for us.

 

None of us are lucky. You’re right.

 

[CineGraphic]

20 hours ago, normansbay said:

Why did they wait until final payment and then issue this, a bit of a cynical ploy hoping passengers will not cancel after paying in full?

 

 

Why did they wait?

Because as a corporation, the last thing they are concerned about is the how the changes affect the paying customer. You are the least of their worries. Sad, but true.

 

[PacnGoNow]

14 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

 

 

Why did they wait?

Because as a corporation, the last thing they are concerned about is the how the changes affect the paying customer. You are the least of their worries. Sad, but true.

 

I think there are a lot of problems with the dry dock companies these days. 
Seems like a lot of changing around with dates, shifting earlier or later than was scheduled.  I’ve read about staffing shortages, covid spread and of course the supply chain for parts.  
 

I don’t believe the cruise lines have a lot of control over this.  I don’t like it either, but we are able to adjust our schedules again.  Some can’t adjust theirs so easily.

 

[AF-1]

23 hours ago, MotownVoice said:

Just because they can doesn’t mean they should.   If they underestimated how long she’d be in drydock, there were other courses of action they could have taken besides turning it into a garbage cruise.  

I am with you on this one.  I totally understand

[summersbappi]

On 7/27/2022 at 7:32 PM, normansbay said:

Not very happy with Princess, just a couple of days after final payment date, the following was received today

 

"We regret to advise you that due to an unavoidable change to the drydock schedule for Emerald Princess, the length of your Canary Islands voyage has been shortened to 10 days and will now depart from Southampton (London) two days later than published on Friday, October 28, 2022. As a result, we will also no longer be able to visit Lanzarote (Arrecife), Canary Islands or Lisbon, Portugal. Additional port dates and times have also been amended. Your cruise fare will be recalculated based on 10 days, and your promotions will be protected. You will receive your new booking information and updated itinerary by August 19, 2022. As a gesture of goodwill, guests who remain on this voyage will receive $100 USD per person onboard credit (credit applies to first two guests on the booking only). Taxes, fees and port expenses will also be adjusted based on the updated itinerary"

 

Why did they wait until final payment and then issue this, a bit of a cynical ploy hoping passengers will not cancel after paying in full?

Your lucky to get the email we have been told the reason we wernt notified of the change is because we have a Gmail address dont think they've Heard of a telephone or post ! Really badly handled for all guests !