Would bad weather and canceled ports ruin your Asia cruise?

[kenevenpar]

It seems to me that the cruise line should have procedures in place to allow the Captain to offer OBC's and/or percentage discounts on future cruises. Good customer service would dictate that the line be proactive rather than reactive.

 

Secondly, I would imagine that the line could (or should) have some sort of weather insurance, which would mitigate the financial impact to the company of offering compensation. A large company would certainly be able to structure an insurance program that would make financial sense.

 

Third, the passangers who were demanding more compensation were being unreasonable. The line (belatedly) made what seems to me to be an extremely fair offer. We customers can not expect the line to be responsible for the weather; we can and should expect the line to be reasonable and to consider our misfortune at missing so many ports. On a recent HAL cruise, we missed a call at Half Moon Cay. The Captain kept us informed, and upon finally cancelling, he immediately advised us, had additional activities planned, and offered free champagne to all. That is proactive customer service.

[Jerseygirl13]

Thank you Carolyn for writing that article so beautifully...it was the most hysterical read I've had all week. As a lifelong cruiser, I've had many bumps in the road...but the mental image of that guy marching up to the bridge demanding they look at his map...well I'm still laughing.....you made my day.

:)

[sealover155]

My thanks also, Carolyn, for an insightful report. Most experienced cruisers have had to suffer the disappointment of a missed or delayed arrival into a port. The crazy and unpredicatable worldwide weather makes scheduling these trips even more challenging. We've certainly had our share of missed ports and I do regret that the Sapphire's passengers have spent lots of money only to miss important ports.

 

At the risk of being labeled a blaspheme, I'd suggest we all remember that to travel is to experience new adventures and to strive to enjoy the surprises at every turn. That being said, the key to happy passengers is of course, information communicated often and well. Even if the announcement said, "it's possible that a typhoon will affect our arrival into ____ tomorrow. We'll have an update at 8PM".

 

Personally, I think Princess has been overly generous in this instance. And, as for activities, on a 2 week Asian cruise, I'd hope to have enough books and games to entertain myself. Additional activities provided by the cruise line would be welcome, but not expected.

 

Mary Anne

[831]

Sad situation for all, I'm glad I read your article and everyones feedback on the poll. I will avoid this cruise line for the overwhelming comments of poor communication and lack of planning (not only on this trip). I'm pretty new to cruising and have found Cruise Critic to be the best place to learn about what to expect and prepare for on a cruise. Thanks again.

[cruise_lover]

There is just no pleasing some people. Princess was under no obligation to give these people anything and made a good gesture by giving them an OBC and 50% off the next cruise.

 

I spent two extra days at sea because of Hurricane Rita. I wonder how we would have felt if Carnival would have demanded all of us to pay for the two extra days at sea? Carnival in turn not only had to feed us for two extra days but entertain us as well. Then they had to offer the passengers coming on-board after us an incentive because these passengers lost 2 days from their schedule.

 

Cruise passengers has to realize that they are at the mercy of Mother Nature and I want to know that I have a captain at the helm who is thinking of my personal safety.

 

So for all you Captains out there who might be reading this:

THANK YOU!

[toeknee]

Seems to me that communication and an alternate plan could have done much to alleviate the situation. I'm sure there was much traffic between the ship and head office but like with governments the issue was probably talked to death,and by the time a decision was made, they had a mutiny on their hands. This was an unusual number of ports missed, so Princess should have expected some kind of backlash, not that I agree with mutiny for one moment. When we were checking out this itinerary we were advised that it was not uncommon to miss both Vietnam ports in November due to typhoons, hence we decided to take an earlier sailing. It would be prudent of Princess to consider this for future November sailings...We've missed many ports of call over the years, the cruise lines have no controll of the weather and the fine print alludes to this however, lack of communication and a plan on Princess's part created a nighmare that could have been avoided.

[Scotto97]

As a frequent Princess customer, I admit their customer focus is lacking in regards to informing passengers of delays/ports missed, ect. Also, most letters written to their Customer Relations department are answered with generic responses. I still choose Princess due to thier middle of the road pricing and upscale ship feel. But I certainly wish they made me feel more valuable. Showing they truely care about customers would improve their product 100%. It's a shame more effort isn't made in that department.

[carduchi]

My husband and I were on the Regal Princess 31 day final voyage from L.A. to Sydney (Aug. 31 - Oct. 2/07. We unfortonately encountered rough seas and were not able to tender into Rarotonga. Then we had engine trouble and had to slow down from 20 knots to 6 knots and ended up being 5 hours late arriving in Auckland. The worst part was we were looking forward to the Fjordland scenic cruising in southern New Zealand but didn't experience that either. A severe storm with heavy winds and 15 metre waves which lasted two days prevented us from doing so. I asked other passengers just how bad it could get and was told that if it got any worse, the captain would order us to stay in our cabins for our own safety. We were not allowed to go outside on any decks. We did not even think of asking Princess for any onboard credit or refund. Yes, it was a bummer, but how can you blame them for unexpected weather delays. However, having said that, Princess does need to work on how to fill in the gaps when passengers are "stuck on board" for so many extra sea days. Somehow bingo twice a day got a little boring and way to expensive. Thats my 2 cents!

S & B

P.S. Wine and beer supplies were running very low way to early in the trip.

[Druke I]

I think it was more than a fair offer; I think it was very good, perhaps bordering on over-generous.

 

I think the passenger had attempted to gain entry to the bridge should have been confined to his quarters, and put off the ship at the next port of call.

 

I also think the Captain was entirely within his right to threaten arrest of those so-called mutineers.

 

Those who were party to those actions should be quite relieved that they were not arrested!

[R&RSC]

This says a lot about what we have become as a society. Whenever something does not go as planned, someone has to pay. Sure there were a lot of great places people could have gone and it could be considered a trip of a lifetime. It really is what you make of it though. If you dwell on the negative of any situation it always gets worse and you ruin a time/portion of your life that that you will never get back. But the question is who ruined it. In this instance it sounds as though the passengers that created the ruckus may have "ruined" other peoples cruise by their actions. Make the best of situations when they are presented because in this instance neither the passengers or the cruise line could change that environment. Make the best of it, enjoy Princess's first class service but most of all relax. There is nothing wrong with being disappointed. I would have been too. But don't expect everything in this life to be perfect, whether you pay for it or not.

[griswalds]

IMO the cruiselines can't control the weather but they can communicate and that is where they often fall down. The Captain and CD should have been very proactive in the beginning. I do not favour OBC's as that can only add more booze the the mix.

 

The cruise line should have a contingency plan for such events but nothing replaces honest communications. Maybe more appearances by the Captain, maybe more ship tours of areas that we can't usually see, free movies on the TV. Get the crew out doing some PR. Usually more food related events helps as well....

 

We were stuck on one cruise at a port we didn't care for and then missed Grand Cayman. The Captain and CD explained the events well and offered some token freebies, we never thought twice about the issue as the weather conditions were obvious. People get restless on a ship if they are not kept informed or entertained.

 

On our last cruise (Golden) they were showing the movie The Titanic, combine that with the current weather forecast and that might have helped.

 

Griswalds

[travel-to-go]

Communicate, communicate, Communicate.

This is true whether you are a company, couple, family, or club.

The more you make people feel like they are a part of the process, the more empowered they feel, the less likely they are to feel that life is controlling them, instead of the other way around!

 

I followed the QM2 through the pod incident last year (I had just gotten off and knew people on board, including the besieged commodore, who was doing his best, while dealing with the disappointment of such an incident in the waning months of his illustrious career)

 

I followed the Windjammer Fantome as she dropped her passengers in Belize, was denied the safety of that hurricane hole and tried to outrun the most damaging and oddly behaved (defying the predictions of five different Hurricane tracking systems) CAT 5 hurricane on record (Mitch). I spoke to those who had been on board, and those who knew crew still on board, even as I was traveling into that zone and got caught in the aftermath (flooding and tornadoes, power losses etc in the Florida Keys)

 

The trip before the Pod incident on QM2, we had to miss what was to be an inaugural port, that I was really looking forward to, Moins, Costa Rica. I spoke to crew and staff, and commiserated with them, especially having to put up with the rudeness and whining and finger-pointing of certain passengers (some crew were scheduled to end their contracts there or get their last chance at shopping before getting off in New York) The commodore attempted to work with the port authorities and it just was not safe with a ship of such deep draft and low tolerance for rough water. The currents were coming directly perpendicular to the pier, and could cause the ship to bottom out. It was not deemed to be safe.

 

The Commodore went so far as to attempt to tender in 7 miles south in Limon.

They put out the tender platform, set out one tender and found the waves were washing over the platform, certainly an unsafe situation. If someone had been hit by a wave or motion and fallen between the tender and the platform and been crushed, woe be unto the line who allowed that scenario to be possible. But all certain passengers could feel was "poor me" All I could think as I heard them was of the 34 souls who went down with the Fantome; The people in coastal Costa Rico whose livelihoods depend on our tourists dollars. I might not get to see the sloths that day, but they might not get to eat that night! And then I thought of the prospect of an extra day on the Marvelous Queen Mary 2 and getting to explore more of the ship, try some things I had not found time for, enjoy more of the wonderful foods, and meet more of her multinational passengers and crew and find out about another area, culture or part of the world or facet of life I had yet to experience!

 

The staff were so grateful to have a kind word said to them, and receive a little sympathy for what THEY were going through, that they took me into their confidence, and treated me like a true friend. In turn, that made me fell like, for that moment in time, maybe I was a better person for having experienced that and letting my kinder side see daylight.

 

In the end, the people who lost were those who went around feeling sorry for themselves, instead of making the best of a situation that no one had the power to change. Those people, who, as my Dad used to say to me when I was a little girl, "Walked around with their lower lip stuck out so far, they were liable to step on it." (Yeah, it always made me laugh, no matter how hard I tried to stay mad and pouting! Aren't dad's wonderful?)

 

I fully agree with sealover155. Isn't adventure and doing something "different" what cruise and ship travel is all about? Those who weather the squalls (pun intended) have the greatest tales to tell. And a newfound closeness with those who weathered it with them!

 

Go for the gusto! Wake up to LIFE! Enjoy it for all it's worth, even if it wasn't quite what you'd planned! Pout, get over it, and get on with it!

 

And shame on Princess for not making their passengers a part of the plan.

 

 

Maybe we can all take lessons from this one. Are you listening, cruiselines?

Are you listening, passengers?

 

Blue skies, and calm seas...or not! Whatever floats your boat!

 

Karie Parker

[magictam]

Cruise Critic Editor Carolyn Spencer Brown was onboard Sapphire Princess last week when due to two typhoons, the ship's captain was forced to cancel first the calls at both Vietnam ports and then at Taipei and Okinawa. After passengers began to revolt, Princess offered compensation in the manner of $250 per person onboard credit and a 50 percent discount on a future cruise.

 

In this week's From the Bridge, Spencer Brown examines both sides of the coin. We want to know: If this were your cruise, what would you have expected from Princess? Please vote -- and be sure to post your opinion below.

 

 

I voted that I would have expected nothing, since that's what the contract says. But I would have been very happy with 50% off future cruise and gladly accetped the $250 OBC.

 

I'm happy to see that Princess stepped up to the plate and saw the big picture; Customer Service.

[pris993]

While this cruise may have had some unusal weather conditions, I do believe that passengers expect cruiselines to know what they are doing and to develop "realistic, doable itineraries". In some cases, cruiselines are so hungry for dollars they stretch the seasons and itineraries so that they are not realistic, which set everyone up for disappointment.

 

I was on a cruise out of Florida to San Juan a few years back, port times were totally unrealistic. Showed arrival around 1pm in the afternoon, we arrived about 5-6pm. When I said something to the crew, learned they never arrived at 1pm in the afternoon.

 

I see more and more transatlantic cruises earlier and later in the seasons becuase there are so many ships to fill.

 

If weather conditions are iffy, it is a shoulder season, share this information up front, so passengers can make informed decisions, especially on cruises costing many thousands of dollars.

 

Obviously, Princess could and should have done a better job in addressing the problems that develop asap. :)

[alsas]

The problem of weather is common to all of us. We just have no place to go to complain. I feel having spent many years cruising, We must and are entitled to be informed. I have sailed with captains who believe this to be important and those who do not put the passengers first. It is an insult to treat people like children, and if you do they then act like children. Princess is not diffrent from any other cruise line. Carolyn you are amazing,keeping in mind your dual role. (also love your blogs). I vote for the corporate heads to allow us to be informed as their policy.We must understand the Captain is part of a very large corporation.Happy sailing Alsas

[JamesEM]

I was on board a Carnival Cruise ship that had A/C problems a few years ago, and information was hard to come by. The short version - those that complained the most got the best compensation. In MHO, Carnival does not give out info freely, and is interested mainly in the bottom line!

[deepnite10]

i can easily say that Prin. offer was equitable..yet i was nt one of those who paid out several thousand dollar s for a once in a life time cruise..

 

then for deceptive manner in which Prin. explain d the miss d port s of

call certainly need s to be address d in a manner of additional compensation..

 

if they knew there was going to be weather issue s that would impact

the cruise as it did..then i agree with the individual that said the ship

should have never sail d..

[bha]

No, we didn't know that were cruising during a bad weather potential month(s)! September and October are the months you can expect this kind of wether but not November and December!

[editor@cruisecritic]

Hi, Karie, love your note. One thing that truly stood out for me toward the end of my trip was how much those people who were directly involved on the front line (officers like the Captain, the passenger services director and the cruise director -- passengers knew this wasn't about the crew) really cared. It was obvious that they were just beyond upset at the series of circumstances.

 

One said to me that "how could passengers think we don't care?" and he was quite anguished about the whole thing. They made mistakes that I think were interpreted as arrogant and really weren't.

 

The only really embarrassing-to-Princess story I heard was from a passenger who was among hundreds who were unhappy that all of the Hong Kong night tours arrived at the tender terminal at the same time (11 p.m.) and so there were lines to board the tenders that were beyond ridiculous. It took some 2 hours for many of them to get back on board. And so this guy (who also is a Cruise Critic member) wanted to find out who he'd talk to to express his disappointment. The purser's desk -- which was frankly consistently deplorable on this cruise -- blew him off, told him to go to shore excursions. The shore excursion staffer blew him off too and now this gentle soul was getting furious. He asked to speak to the shore excursion director. Not available. Then please have her call me, he recalled. She doesn't call passengers, he was told. She finally deigned to chat with him and told him "tough luck" and turned on her heel and left.

 

But for the other seniors staffers, including the Captain, you could see the stress in their faces and it was for them a cruise they will never forget either.

 

One thing I'm constantly reminding myself and our team at Cruise Critic is that we work for our readers. Without you, we wouldn't be here. And I think cruise lines need to remind some of their people, whether onboard or in passenger relations in ashore, that their salaries are paid by the people who cruise. So they work for you, too.

 

Best,

 

Carolyn

 

 

Communicate, communicate, Communicate.

This is true whether you are a company, couple, family, or club.

The more you make people feel like they are a part of the process, the more empowered they feel, the less likely they are to feel that life is controlling them, instead of the other way around!

 

I followed the QM2 through the pod incident last year (I had just gotten off and knew people on board, including the besieged commodore, who was doing his best, while dealing with the disappointment of such an incident in the waning months of his illustrious career)

 

I followed the Windjammer Fantome as she dropped her passengers in Belize, was denied the safety of that hurricane hole and tried to outrun the most damaging and oddly behaved (defying the predictions of five different Hurricane tracking systems) CAT 5 hurricane on record (Mitch). I spoke to those who had been on board, and those who knew crew still on board, even as I was traveling into that zone and got caught in the aftermath (flooding and tornadoes, power losses etc in the Florida Keys)

 

The trip before the Pod incident on QM2, we had to miss what was to be an inaugural port, that I was really looking forward to, Moins, Costa Rica. I spoke to crew and staff, and commiserated with them, especially having to put up with the rudeness and whining and finger-pointing of certain passengers (some crew were scheduled to end their contracts there or get their last chance at shopping before getting off in New York) The commodore attempted to work with the port authorities and it just was not safe with a ship of such deep draft and low tolerance for rough water. The currents were coming directly perpendicular to the pier, and could cause the ship to bottom out. It was not deemed to be safe.

 

The Commodore went so far as to attempt to tender in 7 miles south in Limon.

They put out the tender platform, set out one tender and found the waves were washing over the platform, certainly an unsafe situation. If someone had been hit by a wave or motion and fallen between the tender and the platform and been crushed, woe be unto the line who allowed that scenario to be possible. But all certain passengers could feel was "poor me" All I could think as I heard them was of the 34 souls who went down with the Fantome; The people in coastal Costa Rico whose livelihoods depend on our tourists dollars. I might not get to see the sloths that day, but they might not get to eat that night! And then I thought of the prospect of an extra day on the Marvelous Queen Mary 2 and getting to explore more of the ship, try some things I had not found time for, enjoy more of the wonderful foods, and meet more of her multinational passengers and crew and find out about another area, culture or part of the world or facet of life I had yet to experience!

 

The staff were so grateful to have a kind word said to them, and receive a little sympathy for what THEY were going through, that they took me into their confidence, and treated me like a true friend. In turn, that made me fell like, for that moment in time, maybe I was a better person for having experienced that and letting my kinder side see daylight.

 

In the end, the people who lost were those who went around feeling sorry for themselves, instead of making the best of a situation that no one had the power to change. Those people, who, as my Dad used to say to me when I was a little girl, "Walked around with their lower lip stuck out so far, they were liable to step on it." (Yeah, it always made me laugh, no matter how hard I tried to stay mad and pouting! Aren't dad's wonderful?)

 

I fully agree with sealover155. Isn't adventure and doing something "different" what cruise and ship travel is all about? Those who weather the squalls (pun intended) have the greatest tales to tell. And a newfound closeness with those who weathered it with them!

 

Go for the gusto! Wake up to LIFE! Enjoy it for all it's worth, even if it wasn't quite what you'd planned! Pout, get over it, and get on with it!

 

And shame on Princess for not making their passengers a part of the plan.

 

 

Maybe we can all take lessons from this one. Are you listening, cruiselines?

Are you listening, passengers?

 

Blue skies, and calm seas...or not! Whatever floats your boat!

 

Karie Parker

[jean s]

We've been on cruises where ports have been cancelled and I am always amazed at the reactions of anger from passengers. Hey folks, it's a safety issue! It is nice if the cruise line provideds some compensation but ultimately I don't want the cruise line to put my life at risk. I do agree however that Princess needs to have a plan of activities in place for unplanned at sea days. We have cruised on them a number of times and this is an area they need to revamp. Personally I can read, people watch and of course gamble in the casino.

[Rusty]

Having read the reports of your Asia cruise, just a reminder to your readers: ALL of the free shuttles that you mention are NOT provided by Princess. They are provided by the local cities and in most cases are provided by the local "chamber of commerce"(stores, shops, etc.). They are very convenient and of course free. They do have enough buses(except at crunch times--just before the ship leaves port) and they run on a regular and frequent schedule. They are intended for independent travelers that like to do things on their own. A big thanks to those cities in Asia that provide this much needed service.

 

Just an additional note: Very rarely does Princess ever announce these free shuttles in advance. Sometimes they do make this information known AFTER the cruise excursion cancellation deadline has passed.

[NAS-KARR]

Without getting "wordy" & after all the smoke clears I agree with the offered gesture........reluctantly. :(

 

 

 

CIAO,

[geoherb]

Our cruise on the Sun Princess last Christmas had problems--something wrong with an engine, strong winds, and a request from the Coast Guard to help with a distress call from a plane. The best thing the captain did was keep everyone informed--although there was a little bit of an unexpected list when we changed course to answer the Coast Guard request.

 

We got to St. Thomas a few hours late, which ruined a lot of people's plans. When we received a letter from the captain saying each passenger was getting $100 OBC--that was way more than I anticipated.

[curiouscat]

Carolyn

 

Again, wonderful article. It was timely for me cause I am planning a visit to Asia in "09. This only confirmed and reinforced our plans to do a land tour for this region. I've looked at the itineraries of each cruise line,and length of stay in each country, and only found one on Regent which of course is cost prohibitive for us. So our only conclusion for such "a trip of a lifetime" at such expense would to be do a land tour.

 

While I love cruising this is where I'm not willing to risk missing so much and not staying in ports overnite. I feel that to really get immersed into the culture of Asia a cruise would not suffice.

 

Oh, and I do think the compensation offered was sufficient but the lack of communication was their demise....

 

Thanks again and look forward to your next adventure.....:p

 

CuriousCat

 

PS was just on a X cruise to PNW and their lack of communication on Seattle immigration,embarkation and just about everything was miserable too.......

[spikester]

I was on carnival a few years ago, and we missed the caymans due to rough seas. They offered us $100 OBC credit. I don't think the $250 was much in terms of missing 4 ports. I think they should have been a bit more generous with the credit and not bothered with the 50% off a future cruise.

 

As for the activities, they should plan better for things to do. My father and his wife went on a cruise on Princess from LA to Hawaii, and the weather to Hawaii was pretty poor, so you couldn't be outside. And there were hardly any indoor activities planned.