Star Princess going or not?

[senior lady]

The stars web cam showes it on the way to Freeport and the next saling is the transatlantic on 4/30/06.

 

the link is

http://pocruises.com.au/html/cruise_...=Star+Princess

 

I wouldn't go by this site. I checked on the Coral Princess and it says the next cruise is to Alaska.

I know that's not true, as I'm going on her May 3 for a 19 day repo cruise to Vancouver.

 

I think that might just be for P&O website.

[PINEY10]

I saw the same thing--I tried the Golden on the P&O website and it did not include the sailings for 4/1 and 4/8 and others. Those are all sold out--I think they only show those that are available. I am aware that the 4/9 sailing and probably also the 4/2 sailings and others have been sold out.

[imsulin2]

I thought I understood that if you booked another cruise before Princess officially announced that such-and-such sailing has been cancelled, then you would be out the money you paid for a Star cruise. Yes, you'll probably have to wait until the last minute before you're "officially refunded" (and then there's that interminable credit card wait for a refund), but as I see it, it would be the only way to get a full refund. The current Star pax were offered a full refund, hotel/air fees, and a 25% credit towards a future cruise. It's hard to say what Princess will offer future Star cruises that must be cancelled, but it would probably be in your best financial interest to wait and see if/when Princess officially cancels that cruise. Anyone?

[tiffany123]

Folks,

 

I don't want to get anyone more upset than they are but after reading all of the posts on this thread, I've decided to chime in. We are scheduled on the Star for both a May and July cruise. As of now, I'm not counting on either of them being on the Star. I have a friend who has been in the ship building business and from the looks of the photos released and info shared, he feels that the ship may have to return to Italy for extensive repairs at a ship-building facility, more damage than can be repaired in a dry dock situation. If indeed the floors are buckled, that could signify extensive structural damage and we all know that the heat and flames did damge that's not yet visible to the naked eye. As of now, I'm holding fast to my reservations but figure we'll not be taking either cruise on the Star.

[jerseygirl3]

We tried switching to another ship yesterday - without any offers for any compensation. We were flatly told no. We asked to be considered with a notation if it becomes possible - no. We even offered to go on the Sapphire and take the airfare hits ourselves.

 

Guys, I am afraid that what we are going to get is a Carnival ship like the Ecstacy - just out of dry dock.

 

I will invoke my travel insurance and lose $750. I am dissapointed because what I am told is that I will not be able to book a new cruise tomorrow with someone else due to the security issues < 7 days.

 

Can anyone verify the 7 day window.

 

Let's see what happens. And no, I cannot change my travel dates like some of you. Some of us have jobs where vacation must be scheduled due to project schedules. And no, I don't want to go to Florida or the Smoky Mtns. Been there done that.

 

I would like to thank those who have contributed positively to this thread. It has been helpful just to hear there are others in my situation.

 

That is an absolutely ridiculous statement to make. Princess cannot make anybody go on another ship, be it a Princess ship or a Carnival ship. On what premise are you basing a comment like that?

 

It's statements like this that just lend to more frustration for the people whose plans will be disrupted.

[katier825]

I thought I understood that if you booked another cruise before Princess officially announced that such-and-such sailing has been cancelled, then you would be out the money you paid for a Star cruise. Yes, you'll probably have to wait until the last minute before you're "officially refunded" (and then there's that interminable credit card wait for a refund), but as I see it, it would be the only way to get a full refund. The current Star pax were offered a full refund, hotel/air fees, and a 25% credit towards a future cruise. It's hard to say what Princess will offer future Star cruises that must be cancelled, but it would probably be in your best financial interest to wait and see if/when Princess officially cancels that cruise. Anyone?

 

I believe you are correct. I've been trying all weekend to get a cabin held on a different ship, any ship/any line, but some won't hold them at all, and others for only a few hours. I don't believe for a minute that the Star will sail on 4/2. If someone was inclined to do so, they could keep the princess booking (and wait for the refund) and rebook something else if their budget permits. It's risky, but I'm sure I'm not the only one who has considered it.

[custompcsys]

Folks,

 

I don't want to get anyone more upset than they are but after reading all of the posts on this thread, I've decided to chime in. We are scheduled on the Star for both a May and July cruise. As of now, I'm not counting on either of them being on the Star. I have a friend who has been in the ship building business and from the looks of the photos released and info shared, he feels that the ship may have to return to Italy for extensive repairs at a ship-building facility, more damage than can be repaired in a dry dock situation. If indeed the floors are buckled, that could signify extensive structural damage and we all know that the heat and flames did damge that's not yet visible to the naked eye. As of now, I'm holding fast to my reservations but figure we'll not be taking either cruise on the Star.

 

Just out of curiosity, what type of ships did your friend's business build and what did he do there? He could have good info if he has the right experience.

[readytocruise1953]

Over the past few days, I have read the many post to the point I am compelled to respond. My first cruise, which happens to be my 30th wedding anniversary, is scheduled on the Star Princess April 23, 2006. So before you guys flame me ( I think that is what you call it), please allow me to have my say. I think we need to stop and take a collective breath and allow Princess time to sort this out. I'm sure the last thing Princess wants is to cancel crusies. The fire alone will probalby cost them millions.

I also planned for close to a year a cruise I anticpated would be magical!! Our 4 children, their spouses, grandchildren and my brother were all going, 15 total. We planned to re-new our vows. I shopped until I dropped. The only thing old I was bringing on the ship was my husband (LOL). I was shocked when my Son called to tell me he heard the Star had caught on fire. I understand time off work was scheduled as we all work. My oldest Son is a doctor and my Daughter is a teacher. However you never know what you may be able to work out until you try. In order to G-E-T you have to A-S-K. We immediately started alternative planning with the understanding our anniversary may result in a 30 year 6 month or a 31 year celebration. Just think there is a family out there that has to plan a funeral as opposed to planning a delayed cruise!!

[sultan_sfo]

I fully agree with everything else in your post except the sentence extracted below. Like all of us, Princess has to be insured -- for everything -- loss of revenues, repairs, all the costs of terminating the fire cruise. If Princess is NOT insured, it is their own fault, like a Pax going on a cruise without insurance, for which this board has never had sympathy. /Sultan

 

.... I'm sure the last thing Princess wants is to cancel crusies. The fire alone will probalby cost them millions.

...

[readytocruise1953]

I'm sure you can appreciate how the Insurance Industry works ( I have worked in the industry for 34 years). The more you use it the more it will cost at renewal. More Importanly, the days of 100% paid benefits are a thing of the past (deductibles/co-insurances).

[redrobin]

That is an absolutely ridiculous statement to make. Princess cannot make anybody go on another ship, be it a Princess ship or a Carnival ship. On what premise are you basing a comment like that?

 

It's statements like this that just lend to more frustration for the people whose plans will be disrupted.

 

FYI - Interesting reading given the situation -

 

Check out the Princess Passage Contract, part 7: Right to Cancel, Change Time of Sailing or Port, Shorten the Cruise; Substitution

 

I think it would be a logistical nightmare for Princess assigning cabins on another ship, unless it was an identical sister ship, but Princess does have the right to substitute ships on any cruise if I'm understanding the contract as written.

[stellalimelight]

It seems to me that people are frustrated and I can understand that. On the Princess website, they say they will no more on Monday after they bring it to the shipyard. I am sure that Princess does not want to cancel any cruises unless it is neccessary. So maybe the get the ship to drydock and discover they can repair everything by doing round the clock work until the 04/02 cruise, or maybe the can do the obviousious cosmetic outside repairs, block off the affected rooms and continue on the cruise with onboard work being down. If anyone saw the travel channel or may have been the discovery channel when I thing R.C. did the total renovation of a ship, it only took weeks. So I say take a deep breath til Monday and they will let you know. As for the customer service reps, they are only saying what they are told to say. It may be frustrating to you, but imagine being them. I am sure all will work out. Of course my philosophy has always been, things happen for a reason, and sometimes even though you may be disappointed, you may just not have been destined to be on that cruise. At least they are will to make sure that you have no out of pocket expenses (according to their website). That is a plus. They could have only guaranteed total refunds ..i.e. cruise and air hotel etc to people who only used their airfare hotel nights etc and they have and said too bad you didn't have insurance. But they are doing the right thing by making sure all their customers are out of pocket.

 

Besides, if you have the week off you can plan something else and maybe it will be the best time of your life.

[flyguy404]

If and when we get an answer from PC on Monday about the fate of the Star I think their will be a collective sigh of relief if the April cruises are simply cancelled and our money refunded. The most intriguing thing will be the excuse they offer for not providing cancellation info much sooner. This thread was started on Friday and if you go back to the beginning you will see that not one of the legitimate issues raised here has been addressed by PC. The silence from Princess to those of us scheduled for April has been deafening. Whatever expert determinations that needed to be made could and should have taken place in Jamaica. The stalling and delay tactics have only resulted in a lot of ruined vacations and irate customers. I will reiterate my comments about this one more time. None of us appreciate being fed misinformation or half truths and this is all I have gotten from Princess since Friday. For those of you who feel this is a selfish attitude then so be it. I am at least truthful.:)

[ddpe]

Hey JerseyGirl,

 

In your cruise contract, which I have read cover to cover over this weekend, it states that they have a right to substitute ships although I personally have a hard time swallowing that a Carnival ship would be a substitute for a Princess ship. I have seen this suggestions on other boards and postings. It would make economic sense to me as a business decision, but it is not suitable to me.

[ddpe]

JerseyGirl,

 

The "Hey" was meant in the kind Southern way, so please don't read a Northern type connotation into it. I was born in the North but now reside in the South.

[stellalimelight]

I did read all the posts, and do not believe for one minute that you were not being truthful. I was just saying they want to make sure of their situation. I am sure that there must be some chance of them sailing or they would have cancelled all affected cruises. And just remember to direct your frustrations at the people in the Ivory tower, because the little people working the phones can only say what they are told to say. This comes with someone with 40 years customer service experience in airline, convention and cellular phone industry and trust me I have been shot as the messenger more times than I care to admit. However, there were times I had no information because the corporate office gave us none, so what can you say at that point to the customer except what you have been told and that your sorry?....

[readytocruise1953]

I have heard so many different stories including stories of terrorism, and opinions on this board and so far they have been unfounded. I don't think with any expertise any of us can say what is happening other than the ship is on it's way to the Bahamas so the repair process can begin. To draw any other conclusion is pre-mature. It is a possibility they won't know the extent of the damage until the ship is torn apart to some degree.and inspected. I don't think 3 or 4 days is an unreasonable amount of time to wait for information. I understand the elevated frustration levels as I have about $20,000 dog in this hunt, however I have every confidence we will be ok with a little patience and understanding.

 

Flame away..

[flyguy404]

I did read all the posts, and do not believe for one minute that you were not being truthful. I was just saying they want to make sure of their situation. I am sure that there must be some chance of them sailing or they would have cancelled all affected cruises. And just remember to direct your frustrations at the people in the Ivory tower, because the little people working the phones can only say what they are told to say. This comes with someone with 40 years customer service experience in airline, convention and cellular phone industry and trust me I have been shot as the messenger more times than I care to admit. However, there were times I had no information because the corporate office gave us none, so what can you say at that point to the customer except what you have been told and that your sorry?....

I concur. I truly believe the customer service reps are as frustrated as we are..I can hear it in their voices. Any reference I make to misinformation or disingenous statements is directly aimed at the decision makers..not the messengers. Not once in this entire debacle have I even raised my voice to the customer service reps. They are merely repeating the company line and I understand that fully.

[redrobin]

At least they are will to make sure that you have no out of pocket expenses (according to their website). That is a plus. They could have only guaranteed total refunds ..i.e. cruise and air hotel etc to people who only used their airfare hotel nights etc and they have and said too bad you didn't have insurance. But they are doing the right thing by making sure all their customers are out of pocket.

 

No flames, your comments are very reasonable. :)

 

As far as the out of pocket expenses, we'll just have to see what Princess comes up. They may not be as generous with future canceled cruises. The contract says, if the carrier cancels the cruise before it has started, it will refund the Cruise Fare (less any air or accommodation charges incurred). I do have non-Princess cruise insurance, and that's an out of pocket expense I was wondering about. Will Princess refund the premium, will the insurance company refund me, or, as I'm assuming, will that be an expense I'll have to absorb even if I won't be using it for anything?

[flyguy404]

I have heard so many different stories including stories of terrorism, and opinions on this board and so far they have been unfounded. I don't think with any expertise any of us can say what is happening other than the ship is on it's way to the Bahamas so the repair process can begin. To draw any other conclusion is pre-mature. It is a possibility they won't know the extent of the damage until the ship is torn apart to some degree.and inspected. I don't think 3 or 4 days is an unreasonable amount of time to wait for information. I understand the elevated frustration levels as I have about $20,000 dog in this hunt, however I have every confidence we will be ok with a little patience and understanding.

 

Flame away..

My flamethrower has run out of gas. I will say however that if you look closely you will find that your $20,000 dog has fleas and most likely ticks as well. When it gets to the vets office in Freeport tomorrow they are going to tell all of us what we have expected since Friday.

 

Wish you the best of luck readytocruise1953. Its nice to know their is still some optimism out there.

[readytocruise1953]

My optimism extends beyond April. I may not be able to go as scheduled, but one thing for sure if it is 3 months, 6 months or a year from now, I'm going (with the grace of God). So I guess I better dial up an exterminator.

[chasetf]

Just think there is a family out there that has to plan a funeral as opposed to planning a delayed cruise!!

I think that sums it up and states a perspective we all should reflect on.

[chasetf]

I fully agree with everything else in your post except the sentence extracted below. Like all of us, Princess has to be insured -- for everything -- loss of revenues, repairs, all the costs of terminating the fire cruise. If Princess is NOT insured, it is their own fault, like a Pax going on a cruise without insurance, for which this board has never had sympathy. /Sultan

How could they possibly cover all aspects of the costs they have now incured. Noboby comes out ahead (or even) in a case like this. If so, for whatever they are covered they can expect their premiums to rise significantly if they are covered.

[CrusinAgain]

Does anyone think they could possibly repair it enough this week to those cabins affected to make it safe for sea and undergo the restoration project on those cabins while at sea? Then it would affect the upcoming passengers booked only in those cabins and perhaps immediately surrounded cabins due to noise.

 

This thread reminds me of the one after the hurricane hit Cozumel and Carnival would not let people know week after week if their ship was going to Cozumel or another port. Finally after much anxiety to the affected passengers, they announced it on their web site and we had 24 hours to cancel for a full refund. We did and rebooked on another Carnival ship that was going to Cozumel.

 

I hope Princess releases their decisions today for all the affected passengers. The toughest thing is not knowing whether to book another cruise for this upcoming weekend after all the planning that was done for this one.

 

I wish everyone who is affected best wishes.

[Goldryder]

Looking at the numerous photographs of the ship, it does appear that the decks are buckled by heat. The damage to the outside is severe and chances are the airconditioning system has been damaged also along with all the other electrical and ancilliary equipment, not to mention the stench of smoke and soot flowing through it if switched back on that would permeate around the ship.

 

Personally, I am of the thinking that the only reasonable and safe way to 'repair' this ship is for her to be transferred to her builder once the appropriate investigations have been completed and have the entire section cut out from keel upwards and replace it with another section, probably a slice reaching 25-50 meters each side of the damaged portion. Ships like this one were built in box sections with decks already in place, they are slotted together, welded and then appropriate cabin modules etc are put inside. RCI used a similar method when they stretched their ships. These box sections are completed in around a month, so in theory at least, if this is the course of action taken by Princess, a new section could be started now and be ready by the time the investigation is over and the ship repositioned back to her builder. The entire ship would be refurbished and then effectively relaunched in an 'as new' state.

 

Timewise, you would be looking at around 2-3 months out of commission approximately. This would be alot safer and alot cheaper than trying to patch up the damage, even as a temporary measure. Granted the ship would be out of action but it would be better than a temporary repair and then removal from service again later on. There is also the distinct possibility that she will not be released as safe to return to service by the investigation team, who have effectively taken over the running of the ship while its in their care.

 

Princess still own her, but at this moment in time she is a potential crime scene and unsafe for passenger use so the UK MAIB will have the last word regarding if and when she returns to full or partial service and what level of repair they decide has to be done before she can return to service.

 

If there are design issues which hampered the fire being extinguished or actually assisted the fire spread speed, then sister ships will be inspected and alterations made where necessary. This fire is not as simple as it may look to people on the outside of the industry. There is alot riding on the results of the investigation and there are implications for many other ships built in this standard, namely lighter materials on upper decks to save weight in ships in the larger classes. This fire could easily change future design plans and incorporate immediate changes in existing vessels.