I e-mailed Jan Swartz regarding the current management and loss of Princess traditions, and.....

[Guest ldtr]

31 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I agree (and liked) so many posts.  So I will also throw in my 2 cents.

 

I've only been in Club Class Dining post covid.  I have managed to sit at "my" same table with my favorite wait team each time.  You just have to time it right.  Either first in the door (4:45...way too early), or after the first wave leaves.  There may be a few minutes wait, but worth it.  I don't have to use the DMW app.  I understand that is one of the main reasons to book CC.  And I love it!

 

I also feel sorry for the MDR wait staff.  Yes, they are part of the tipping pool, but are losing a large amount of bonuses at the end of the cruise because of the new DMW.  It was already bad.  So many skipped out on the last night in TD to avoid the friendly thank yous and goodbyes.  Now they are missing out on regulars.  

 

Here is where I get on my soapbox.  These are my thoughts and opinions...on my own.  It is not a generational thing when it comes to reducing/removing and/or not giving out bonuses at the end of the cruise.  It is, I'm not mincing words here, just cheap.  You spend money on a cruise, but can't afford a few dollars extra.  Especially those who have generous OBC.  Please don't bother to flame me.  I am just voicing my observations.  Passengers will continue to do as they please, as always, and my rant will not change their behavior.  They do not need to defend themselves to me or to the boards.  

 

The easy fix for Princess is to designate one dining room for Traditional Diners.  If they see that this is a desired choice, then have 2.  If I am not mistaken, It used to be:

 

Deck 6 MDR was TD / first seating then converted to anytime.

Deck 5 MDR was no reservations/anytime

Deck 6 aft MDR was TD.  

 

I am not a computer/software engineer (that's my daughter and her husband), but there should be a way to program an app to have multiple layers.  

 

AND.....AND.. Allowing smoking in the casino ALL the time is a travesty.  I think we can all agree on the following:

 

Smoke does not know it's boundaries (smoking/non-smoking areas).  

Smokers are not always gambling.  If the weather is bad, they smoke in the casino without playing.

Even with no smoking on formal nights, the casino stunk, but at least it was "safer" to be in the casino.

What was Princess thinking?

 

T H E      E N D 

I need to get back on another cruise.

If you made it all the way to the end, I want to thank you.

 

Problem is that with only the 2 dining times, traditional early was usually full, traditional late not so much. For many 5pm was too early and 7pm was too late so they booked 5pm.  Another problem was if someone made other plans for a night, then their table would be wasted since under the old traditional dining system their was no way to use it and for that matter no system to capture that you would not be using it that night.

 

Lots of people complained about the old system as well.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, PacnGoNow said:

They no longer have “no smoking” on formal nights. They said instead, they made half of the casino no smoking.

lol.  The smoke doesn’t know it’s supposed to stay on it’s side of the casino. Such a joke.
 

Half the casino has been No Smoking for some years now (started pre-Covid).  Originally, only the Poker Table was No Smoking.  Then, all the gaming tables were made No Smoking.  Only an area of slot machines was allowed smoking on the other side.  Depending on where you are, and the ventilation, you can avoid a lot of the smoke.  I think the bar is also No Smoking (or it was).

 

[PacnGoNow]

3 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Problem is that with only the 2 dining times, traditional early was usually full, traditional late not so much. For many 5pm was too early and 7pm was too late so they booked 5pm.  Another problem was if someone made other plans for a night, then their table would be wasted since under the old traditional dining system their was no way to use it and for that matter no system to capture that you would not be using it that night.

 

Lots of people complained about the old system as well.

True.  But we did also have Anytime Dining.  So, there were choices. You were supposed to let your waiter know if you would not be in the MDR on a select night.  
I like the DMW concept and the flexibility. They just need to fine tune it. They could still have both TD and Anytime within the DMW system. 

[PacnGoNow]

1 minute ago, Steelers36 said:

Half the casino has been No Smoking for some years now (started pre-Covid).  Originally, only the Poker Table was No Smoking.  Then, all the gaming tables were made No Smoking.  Only an area of slot machines was allowed smoking on the other side.  Depending on where you are, and the ventilation, you can avoid a lot of the smoke.  I think the bar is also No Smoking (or it was).

 

I think they didn’t get the memo.

I spoke to the Casino manager’s assistant and Guest services and they really didn’t know about formal nights and no smoking.

 

But, there are a lot of new employees who really don’t know it WAS such a thing in the past.  We just gave up.

 

 

 

 

 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, SantaFeFan said:

 

My observation is that it's not "old timers", but a certain culture, both young and old, that removes the tips. 

Not to center you out as a couple of others posted in the same vein.  I have never been aware when at the PSD for something of another guest there removing Crew Appreciation.  Nor do I hang around there to see how many folks come along for that purpose. 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, NownZen said:

We were thrilled when anytime dining came in as our desired dinner times vary up to two hours depending on naps, excursions, sunsets etc. Princess pays attention to how popular these kind of options are and do not make these kind of changes on a whim.

Now the app features are another issue.

Great.  And let's be clear.  No one wants to remove AT or Flexible dining times.  That option has co-existed with TD for many many years on Princess and no reason they cannot going forward.  An ill-conceived and executed App function (DMW) has thrown it all into disarray and it's been difficult.  On the bright side, it seems that at least on some ships, the DR mgmt staff is figuring out how to accommodate and deliver the TD experience along-side the new system.

[Guest ldtr]

11 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

True.  But we did also have Anytime Dining.  So, there were choices. You were supposed to let your waiter know if you would not be in the MDR on a select night.  
I like the DMW concept and the flexibility. They just need to fine tune it. They could still have both TD and Anytime within the DMW system. 

They did have anytime, but without reservation so it was join the long to me sure you could dine when it first opened or plan on a later time until tables opened up for those that did. I recall plenty of complaints about that system as well when traditional filled up early and people got placed in anytime.

[PacnGoNow]

3 minutes ago, ldtr said:

They did have anytime, but without reservation so it was join the long to me sure you could dine when it first opened or plan on a later time until tables opened up for those that did. I recall plenty of complaints about that system as well when traditional filled up early and people got placed in anytime.

That’s true too. 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I also feel sorry for the MDR wait staff.  Yes, they are part of the tipping pool, but are losing a large amount of bonuses at the end of the cruise because of the new DMW.  It was already bad.  So many skipped out on the last night in TD to avoid the friendly thank yous and goodbyes.  Now they are missing out on regulars.  

Loved your post, but a tiny bone to pick here.  Perhaps you are talking about additional cash tips on top of the standard Crew Incentive which is auto-billed to cabin account.  But all guests are auto-billed for Crew Incentive and many have paid it via Plus Fare Option.

 

Anyway, even before DMW, we had AT and TD.  You mentioned that and correctly identified the splits and locations.  It used to be divided up roughly 50-50, but certainly they would use any extra space not taken by TD'ers for AT walk-ups.  That said, AT pre-Covid was also random and guests would not necessarily have the same waiters each night.  So, it may have been the case that waiters working the TD sections got more bonuses at the end of the voyage than their AT counter-parts.  The MD (the position name in those days) also rotated the wait staff around regularly, so I presume a waiter working AT would swap over to TD at some point. 

 

I suppose there are less people asking for TD these days when they find out they don't have it.  I have NO IDEA.  So, you probably have a point that fewer waiters are getting additional tips.  

 

I guess those guests who want to make additional tips should do it at Guest Services (PSD) so it goes into the pool.  Either that or give a great waiter some additional cash after that specific dinner as you may not see them again. 

 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Tedferg said:

 

 

Would this mean fixed time for TD?

I don't see that it has to be the case.  They could offer a selection of start times for Early and Late.  In fact, when Princess first rolled out DMW, the idea was that selecting 5:00/5:20/5:40 time slots aligned with Early and 7:00/7:20/7:40 aligned with Late.  I do think - for us at least - 5pm is quite early.  I did read on a live REGAL trip report from this summer that dinner start was 5:30pm.  This may have been in recognition of a lot of later port departure times, but makes more sense to me at least.  Suffice to say, there is in reality a range of time that folks could arrive for dining and be considered Early or Late and align with main evening entertainment times.  The dining and entertainment have to be somewhat coordinated and they mostly were in the past.

 

Anyway, there is no reason they couldn't do this as above.  It also helps smooth out the service and the galley load IMO.  I always used to negotiate a somewhat later start time for us pre-Covid and still got through and made the showtime. 

 

Also, same thing is happening in the AT option with DMW.  Anyone who selects 5:40, 6:00 has to have their table waiting for them since no one else can come in at 5pm and get out in time to free up the table.

 

[cr8tiv1]

38 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Problem is that with only the 2 dining times, traditional early was usually full, traditional late not so much. For many 5pm was too early and 7pm was too late so they booked 5pm.  Another problem was if someone made other plans for a night, then their table would be wasted since under the old traditional dining system their was no way to use it and for that matter no system to capture that you would not be using it that night.

 

Lots of people complained about the old system as well.

 

I do see your point.  There will never be a way to to satisfy everyone's desires.  As with many of "improvements", I ask the question:  "If it isn't broken, why?"  Modification is good.  Throwing the baby out with the bath water is extreme.  

 

I always let my wait staff know that I will not be using my seats for dinner.  At that point, someone would call down from the anytime dining line and they would tell the passengers to go to deck such and such since there were x number of seats available right now.  WIn-Win.

 

Thank you for sharing your point of view.

[CruisinFinsUp]

Maybe they are working on the DMW app.   Today I was able to book our dining - two cabins linked, the first option was "Reserve the same time each day"    So I picked a time (it offered me every 1/2 hour all evening), picked a dining room (all 3 were offered) and it seems to have given us what I put in for every day of the cruise, late December.  
 

Hopefully the reservations don't disappear.  

[SantaFeFan]

35 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Not to center you out as a couple of others posted in the same vein.  I have never been aware when at the PSD for something of another guest there removing Crew Appreciation.  Nor do I hang around there to see how many folks come along for that purpose. 

 

This is based on the comments that inevitably happen on every tipping thread. There are three countries that are the most vocal and passionate about how unfair it is that they have to pay gratuities and what they do about them. It's a simple fact based on those comments that I was referring to. 

Edited September 7, 2022 by SantaFeFan

[Steelers36]

46 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Problem is that with only the 2 dining times, traditional early was usually full, traditional late not so much. For many 5pm was too early and 7pm was too late so they booked 5pm.  Another problem was if someone made other plans for a night, then their table would be wasted since under the old traditional dining system their was no way to use it and for that matter no system to capture that you would not be using it that night.

 

Lots of people complained about the old system as well.

Actually, Early TD was always full first when they had later start times.  When they moved to approx 5pm and 7pm, then many folks thought 5pm was too early and 7pm filled up more.  Princess said they did it because so many people wanted to eat early.  Well, true, but it didn't mean they wanted to eat even earlier.  Anyway, it was a good thing IMO to have TD with a bit of flexibility in staggering the start times for Early and Late - and not just have one set time.  But DMW cannot ever as a piece of software setup and provide a TD experience.  Has to have manual intervention.

 

In regard to wasted seats.  I disagree as I often noticed that DR staff would seat walk-ups at empty seats in the TD sections.  And they can do the same with DMW.  What they have to do is carve out X amount of DR space for TD requests and assign those tables manually as they did before and use any excess for walk-ups.  The remainder of table inventory would be left open for DMW dynamic bookings.

[Steelers36]

40 minutes ago, PacnGoNow said:

I think they didn’t get the memo.

I spoke to the Casino manager’s assistant and Guest services and they really didn’t know about formal nights and no smoking.

 

But, there are a lot of new employees who really don’t know it WAS such a thing in the past.  We just gave up.

 

 

 

 

 

What an excuse by them.  Sure lots of new staff, but a lot of the same CD's and ED's and senior hotel staff.  Pity and PITA.

[cr8tiv1]

30 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Loved your post, but a tiny bone to pick here.  Perhaps you are talking about additional cash tips on top of the standard Crew Incentive which is auto-billed to cabin account.  But all guests are auto-billed for Crew Incentive and many have paid it via Plus Fare Option.

 

Anyway, even before DMW, we had AT and TD.  You mentioned that and correctly identified the splits and locations.  It used to be divided up roughly 50-50, but certainly they would use any extra space not taken by TD'ers for AT walk-ups.  That said, AT pre-Covid was also random and guests would not necessarily have the same waiters each night.  So, it may have been the case that waiters working the TD sections got more bonuses at the end of the voyage than their AT counter-parts.  The MD (the position name in those days) also rotated the wait staff around regularly, so I presume a waiter working AT would swap over to TD at some point. 

 

I suppose there are less people asking for TD these days when they find out they don't have it.  I have NO IDEA.  So, you probably have a point that fewer waiters are getting additional tips.  

 

I guess those guests who want to make additional tips should do it at Guest Services (PSD) so it goes into the pool.  Either that or give a great waiter some additional cash after that specific dinner as you may not see them again. 

 

 

Thank you for your kind words.  Yes, you have captured my sentiments...almost.

 

There are members who bravely post that they do not have a beverage package so will either remove/reduce the automatically charged crew appreciation.  

 

I always look forward to your perspective.  Thank you.

 

Yes, I have been on several back to backs where the Assistant Manager or MD/DRO would rotate traditional and anytime wait teams.  I thought that was fair.  I just followed them.

 

Let me add a positive:  Having staggered times (DMW) actually does help out the Wait team.  They may have more runs to the kitchen, but it is harder to serve everyone at once.  

 

Interesting thread.

Edited September 7, 2022 by cr8tiv1

[Steelers36]

12 minutes ago, CruisinFinsUp said:

Maybe they are working on the DMW app.   Today I was able to book our dining - two cabins linked, the first option was "Reserve the same time each day"    So I picked a time (it offered me every 1/2 hour all evening), picked a dining room (all 3 were offered) and it seems to have given us what I put in for every day of the cruise, late December.  
 

Hopefully the reservations don't disappear.  

I am wondering when they started opening up all three DR's in the MC App DMW.  I had read of a couple in 2024 and checked one myself.  We are in October and still the 3rd DR is not released.  The 2nd DR was only released earlier this summer.  I know at first they held back loading all due to newness of DMW.  And then the cruises were going out not full and they figured they wouldn't need all DR's.

 

I feel like our voyages are stuck in between like no-man-land where we are full and sold out, but still dealing with only 2 DR's in the App.

 

Also, which ship?  First I am hearing of 30 minute dining gaps.  Our voyages on Regal and Island are all with 20 minute gaps (both MDR and Specialty).

 

ETA:  Originally, DMW was setup with 20 minute intervals, on the 20's, beginning at 5:00pm. 

In our case, again original load, the SD bookings are also on the 20's but from the 1/2 hr beginning at 5:30pm.

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by Steelers36

[Yehootu]

We starting cruising with my Mom till she passed at 94. She liked the TD and early dining. My wife and I like the DMW and chose 6:20 on the Royal on our 14day Alaska cruise. We got the same table and staff each night. We cancelled when we knew we wouldn't be there. Next 28day cruise we have 6:00 dining for the whole cruise. We don't need a window, we just want a 2 top with 2 push in chairs and not the bench. ATD was a mess, line up and wait, that's why we'll never go back on NCL. 

Edited September 7, 2022 by Yehootu
Didn't mean to quote, erased

[c-boy]

[Steelers36]

3 minutes ago, Yehootu said:

We starting cruising with my Mom till she passed at 94. She liked the TD and early dining. My wife and I like the DMW and chose 6:20 on the Royal on our 14day Alaska cruise. We got the same table and staff each night. We cancelled when we knew we wouldn't be there. Next 28day cruise we have 6:00 dining for the whole cruise. We don't need a window, we just want a 2 top with 2 push in chairs and not the bench. ATD was a mess, line up and wait, that's why we'll never go back on NCL. 

If it works, I am good with DMW app as well.  Originally, I had 6:00pm full voyage for our B2B2B.  (I go back to Day 1 of DMW).  Due to various bugs and system issues, plus a re-book for lower fare, I ended up losing the full voyage booking for a Private table (4-top with friends).  It was hot and miss until 2nd DR finally opened and then I changed to it and all was good.  Then our friends' bookings got all corrupted and have been so for a good four weeks now.  That removed them from dining and I managed to get more or less restored.  She is still not recognized as a valid guest for at least one segment.  They are mixed up on another and for me the dining res is toast now.  Also, I can see the 6pm slot is gone for some nights as a Private table.  When their records are ultimately fixed, I won't be able to rebuild the dining plan.  A big issue is that the 3rd DR is now loaded into the System and two segments are sold out, so you cannot fit everyone into two DR's. 

 

[Steelers36]

Just now, c-boy said:

He can put me on the floor.  Princess give us no respect with MC App.  LOL.

 

[ldubs]

 We have been on several Princes cruises and have always enjoyed them. While the last one was several years ago, I'm looking forward to another cruise with Princess in a few weeks. 

 

I'm not completely following the issue with the MDR.   Before there was traditional and anytime dining.  Now it seems those options have been replaced with MWD.  Besides the need to make a reservation, how does it differ from the old traditional dining?   If a standing reservation can be made, isn't it basically the same?  

 

I'm trying to understand the issue with MWD.  I know I'm not as intimate with the process as most all of you and am missing something.  Can someone explain the problem?  

 

 

[Guest ldtr]

21 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 We have been on several Princes cruises and have always enjoyed them. While the last one was several years ago, I'm looking forward to another cruise with Princess in a few weeks. 

 

I'm not completely following the issue with the MDR.   Before there was traditional and anytime dining.  Now it seems those options have been replaced with MWD.  Besides the need to make a reservation, how does it differ from the old traditional dining?   If a standing reservation can be made, isn't it basically the same?  

 

I'm trying to understand the issue with MWD.  I know I'm not as intimate with the process as most all of you and am missing something.  Can someone explain the problem?  

 

 

it can be used to mimic traditional dining if one understands the system.

 

The basic problem is

 

1. it is a change

2. There an app involved so it is a change

3. One needs to set up appointments to mimic traditional so it is a change

4. Some people have cell phones with too slow of a cpu and too little memory so they have problems with the app so it is a a change

5. The process can be a bit more complex and some do not understand it so it is a change

 

bottom line and major reason is some people do not like change.

Edited September 7, 2022 by ldtr

[phoenix87]

Understand totally! It seemed that everything has changed since COVID...

 

More than two years of the COVID 19 pandemic featured some of the greatest changes in life style that most humans have ever experienced.  It brought restriction or elimination of most mass events and travel, isolation at home, and remote virtual electronic contact and communication including work and schooling.

For several years before the pandemic of 2020 my husband and I had cruised many oceans and river systems.  Before the pandemic, family members and friends had called me a bonafide cruise lover and a solid advocate for a specific cruise line. I was always proud to get my family members and friends to cruise by themselves or with me on my favorite cruise line on which I had cruised more than 30 times!

Now, in the summer of 2022, if I were to be asked if I recommend cruising or that one cruise line I would instead tell them of our latest experience and let them make their own decision.

 

Preview

After little over two years into the pandemic, cruising started to reopen in 2022.   One can only imagine how eager I was to return to cruising in April this year.  When my favorite line was offering a “cruise with confidence” guarantee – CWC, we jumped on it.   I had great faith in the cruise line and thought that there would be nothing to lose as we would be completely covered with the purchase of cruise line protection insurance together with the “CWC”. What I did not anticipate was that our trip would end after catching COVID while on board and experiencing traumatic treatment and a nightmare aftermath at the hands of our once-favorite cruise line.  Our experience was certainly not what we bargained for.

When we booked the cruise the indoor masking policy was still in effect. However, it was removed just one month before our boarding.  Despite the change we always wore masks anywhere on the ship and at all port stops for an additional sense of security. We also made it a point to avoid areas where there was a greater concentration of people. In spite of our extra measures, we still caught the virus.

 In addition, little did I know it would take months to get our out-of-pocket expenses refunded if we got COVID and required quarantine on shore.  I had to spend loads of time to check/communicate/follow-up with each area/department ensuring correct information was received.   I originally thought the potential financial component would be a non-issue according to the “CWC” along with our cruise line insurance coverage.

All of which made me wonder - what happened to the golden business principle of integrity and accountability? It is true that our experience below is with just one specific cruise line but could it also happen to other lines within the industry? 

 

What happened?

My husband and I tested positive two days before disembarking from a Princess cruise in Copenhagen.  Luckily I was symptom free and my husband had very minor symptoms. We were instructed to move to a quarantine deck the same day to wait for disembarkation.  We were then “shipped” to a quarantine hotel in Malmo, Sweden prearranged by the cruise line, with a group of 35+ passengers.

Throughout the unpleasant ordeal, we received conflicting information/empty promises and avoidable anxiety.  We found ourselves running in circles when trying to understand what to expect from days of quarantine required on shore, what we needed to do for us to return home, and the convoluted claim process.

 Once home, we even filed an official complaint with the top of the company for the disorganized handling of the COVID case.

 

On-Shore Quarantine nightmare

Whoever made the arrangement changed the hotel without notifying anyone onboard the transport bus, including the driver.  The bus dropped us off at the original hotel without a room waiting nor having anyone with the cruise line to assist us.  The bus was gone.  Later, someone from the group found out the name and location of the new hotel which was 3 blocks away.

On our bus, many were older and apparently experiencing more severe symptoms.  We all had N95/KN95 masks on, and each of us had to drag our luggage and other items down the narrow, crowded cobblestone street past various unmasked sidewalk diners at some restaurants set between the 2 hotels. A number of diners murmured protests at our passing…. I felt like being put on a display as a group of “SICK” cruisers parading down the Malmo sidewalk café.  Words cannot do justice to how humiliating and impotent one feels to be in the situation that we and our fellow passengers were, struggling with our belongings through the streets while suffering the effects of COVID.  It made my heartache not being able to extend our hand to others but having to manage our own bags across the seemingly never ending three block walk… After years of loyalty and support of the PRINCESS line we felt we were treated like stowaways….

When we returned home in early May, we sent an official complaint letter regarding our sad experience to the CEO of the cruise line, followed with emails to three of the top executive team members.  I resent the same twice after no response in over 3 weeks.  After the third resend, we got a voicemail from the resolution department seemingly wanting to help but leaving only the general contact number.  If anyone ever has tried to reach the customer resolution or relationship department, you would know that it takes a long hold to actually be able to talk to anyone in the department.

I bit the bullet and dedicated my day to calling that number. After being on hold for 4+ hours, I finally got one of the leads in the department who was apologetic and sounded emphatic with our daunting episode. She volunteered to take over the case immediately and posted our account for the two days of equivalent future cruise credit for being quarantined onboard, along with some goodwill credits. She also inquired about our claim status with AON and offered to assist after returning from vacation. She gave me her direct contact information for me to send all claim information that we submitted to AON. At that time, I truly felt the urge to rebuild my confidence with our number one line, but things took a turn.

Cruise with Confidence Promise (CWC)?

COVID-19 Protection Program — Cruise with Confidence - Princess Cruises

According to the published “CWC”, passengers with positive COVID onboard, or requiring shore side quarantine will be covered for related expenses.  However,  it does not tell you how long it would take to receive reimbursement for your out-of-pocket expenses. True, it does state the following as one of the key items for “Shoreside quarantine” –

The letter –

A letter will be provided at the pier or by our shipboard team prior to disembarkation. If isolation is required at the end port of the cruise, the ship Guest Services team will provide guests a list of hotels and internet access so impacted guests can make their own hotel arrangements. If denied boarding, shoreside staff will provide the list to guests for them to make their own hotel arrangements, instructions for requesting reimbursement of eligible expenses and contact information for assistance with onward flight arrangements.

However, our experience was different than the “letter”. There was no list to pick from. The ship arranged only one hotel. It was true that you can make your own arrangement while on board IF you have adequate internet access and can confirm with the desired hotel for the local COVID policy – such as if the hotel will accept positive COVID customers.  In our case, the ship internet was down most of the time and we did not receive any help onboard for such an endeavor. 

Another major surprise to us was that in order for us to fly back to the US, we must obtain a “COVID Recovery Letter” drafted by a local health authority and present it to the airline after the required 10 day quarantine from the date of positive test result. No one on the ship provided that information. We were told that a representative from “family assistance” will contact us via email once we arrived in Sweden.  Yet none was received. We had to research all information and the local procedure on our own. 

Now that the US is lifting the COVID test result requirement, all “shoreline” quarantine obviously will go away. But, what if the rule changes again due to another unexpected surge of COVID cases, or any other type of highly contagious virus?

Finance Protection?

We bought the Princess protection insurance with the thought that it would give us extra protection should anything happen.  While this might be the case under normal circumstances, it is apparently not for COVID related coverage.  I spent hours, days, weeks making calls, emailing, submitting and resubmitting documents, clarifying information, essentially playing a waiting game and getting the run around.

 At the same time, I learned from fellow quarantine passengers that they had received most of their reimbursement from Princess and they had not bought Princess Protection insurance or any other travel insurance. 

For two+ solid months, my AON claim was on review status and no one could give me a clear picture of what was going on except a run around.  I learned that every time I called, they would run down a script where any information provided will take a standard of three weeks to process but assuring me that they have already received everything needed and it is currently under review by the adjuster. I was also advised to refrain from submitting our medical claim until the travel interruption claim was processed. Interestingly enough, when I demanded to have the adjuster contact me the next day to discuss the claim after almost three months since submission, I got a call. The assigned adjuster told me that she just got our claim and apparently needed time to review the details before rendering any decision. 

One week later, out of the blue, the adjuster opened a medical claim for me and wanted to work that first.   Luckily I already got the EOB showing a denial of claim from our primary insurance so I was able to provide the information immediately.   Then I got part of our medical claim refunded in two weeks but the travel interruption claim, which was the bulk of our quarantine expenses, was still pending.

The game of waiting and running around heightened! My Princess advocate stated that nothing can be done on their side without the final decision made by AON while AON was waiting for confirmation from Princess.   After sorting those out patiently one by one via numerous emails, calls, and tracking by me, the one stuck in the middle, which took another month.   We finally got a majority of our out-of-pocket expenses reimbursed - To be exact, after 4 months and 3 days since our quarantine.  I am drained out!  At this point, I would be willing to forego the remaining expenses and write it off as a lesson learned with AON. 

Food for thought

How does a long delayed cycle time for processing a claim benefit a company? I would think it does not, other than perhaps buying a little time to delay paying the claims. On the other hand, every call/email each employee needs to answer, however slowly, still constitutes paid work time, does it not?  

Will I go back to cruising? Yes, I refuse to have this unfortunate saga stop me from cruising in the future but I will think twice as to where and which line to go with. For sure though, I will refrain from getting AON insurance until it is proven that the integrity has returned. Judging from our recent experience, it was clearly a total waste of money getting the so called “extra protection” which brought nothing but headache and stress for us.  

I will, however, continue looking for companies who can maintain a consistent, standard, and positive service to their patrons while maintaining a high integrity and efficiency throughout the process.

 

[Torfamm]

7 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I can see changing/adapting if necessary - and wouldn't mind random dining in certain situations I suppose.  But we are on a ship for 25 nights and it's just more convenient and comfortable to be at our same private table with our friends and have the same waiters (assuming they aren't bad and we have not really had a bad team yet and have had many wonderful ones). 

 

I’ve been on 4 cruises since the restart and on all but one it was easy to get the same private table every night if we booked the same time each night. There’s a good chance it will work for you.

 

I think what’s difficult for modern ships to accommodate is shared tables of strangers who will commit to eating in the MDR at the same time each night. It was much easier in the days before dinner was offered in the buffet, poolside stands or in specialty restaurants leaving empty seats in traditional dining.
 

I’d be curious to know what percentage of today’s passengers eat all of their dinners in the MDR and how that affects the design of new ships.