Shogun Needs Your Help & Advise

[Shogun]

Hi all,

 

Need your help, ideas please but remember this is Princess UK I am dealing with,

 

In the summer of 2008 I was meant to be on the Diamond to Alaska,

 

however my work mate was taken ill with cancer, so I asked Princess to move my booking to 2009, this they did and added around £1000 due to new prices not happy but not much I could do.

 

I then took a cruise on the Emerald latter in the summer of 2008 as a replacement moved on board credits etc.

 

Now I am going to hospital the day before I join my cruise this week, and I will be told what treatment, operation I will under go in the summer of 2009.

 

You see the problem, just when I should be on the Diamond. I could be in hospital, will be a few months before I get actual date as I will go on waiting list.

 

So I phoned Princess today and said I would like to cancel my summer 2009 cruise and book a 21 day cruise in November 2009, while happy to take my booking they then said there would be a bill of over a £1000 to pay for canceling the summer cruise.

 

They say these are the rules you booked under sorry can not do anything, rules are rules.

 

So could try and make a claim under holiday insurance, however worry is if I come out of hospital say 2 weeks after my operation on my leg, will insurance company just say you are fit enough, so go hike around Alaska for a month, as insurance companies hate paying out.

 

Do I accept Princess has got me and stop sailing with them ever again and move to RCI.

 

Write a letter to CEO of Princess begging for help.

 

Now I think I am a good client of Princess I sail 2 or 3 times a year, I am not canceling cruises just moving dates, I am happy to pay £100 to £200 fine every time I change some thing, OK not that happy but it is the rules here.

 

So what do you think I should do.

 

yours Shogun

[Druke I]

Hard call, as regulations differ between UK and USA.

 

We can cnacel without penalty, as long as it is beforfe final p;ayment date, and it is my understanding that that option is not available to customers in the UK.

 

Good luck in the resolution, and your pending hospitalization.

[MRS TIGGYWINKLE]

Firstly Shogun, Happy New Year!

Having been in similar situation I would (and indeed did) inform your surgeon of the holiday dates and respectfully ask that surgery take place after your cruise.

Hope everything works out for you. Good luck.

[paul929207]

Shogun,

 

Happy new year.

Sorry to hear you have medical problems.

 

Here in the US, we can cancel anytime before final payment and receive a full refund from the cruise line. Some TA's charge a fee in you cancel. However, 1000 pounds is a lot as a cancelation fee. I would try to talk to a manager.

[cherylandtk]

Shogun,

 

Seeing as how UK cancellation rules take all your deposit, which I am guessing is the $1000£, I would suggest you not cancel the cruise, at least not yet.

 

You should really investigate your UK insurance to find out what is or is not covered, and under what circumstances. Find out what order things must occur for you to be able to receive a refund under your insurance claim. Over here, our insurance is so different, that we could not begin to understand your limits and rules. But I would lay even money that they won't pay a claim without a covered reason for the cancellation and until you know when the surgery is, you won't know if you have to cancel.

 

I am sure your Dr. can let you know how long the recovery time is, as well as let the insurance company know when you are fit to travel on a cruise. It seems that is usually a Dr. decision, not an insurance company's.

 

When you get your firm surgery date, I suspect you could then cancel and claim it on insurance, but again, timing is everything.

[cantwaitfornextcruise]

Happy New Year Shogun

I’ve started this reply five times so far and each time it sounds like a hypochondriacs sonnet, so I’ll just tell it straight.

Since 1999 I have had 8 operations and each time we have triggered our insurance as Princess or P&O wanted to charge us a cancellation fee and we weren’t getting the best deal on our new booking . Last year we had to change due to another op, if we had moved the date it would have cost us nearly £800. We cancelled the holiday our insurance company repaid our deposit and pre-booked hotel/parking, we then rebooked and got a great deal, with a a TA much better than Princess direct. You may have to haggle re OBC etc but I’ve always got that back.

Although I have had cancer surgery as travel insurance isn’t subject to no claims discount it really doesn’t make any difference.

Incidentally I had knee surgery 6 weeks ago - good luck

[Shogun]

Hi Folks,

 

Thanks for thoughts will have another go at Princess today.

 

However have thought up plan,

 

 

Wait for ships videos bloke to do rounds

 

Throw wife overboard at weekend,

 

dive in rescue her, become hero,

 

and then black mail Princess into changing their rules or I will tell the world that wife jumped due to stress of losing all our that money we have paid to date for our Alaska cruise.

 

What do you think.

 

yours Shogun

[bubbadog]

I THINK IT IS RIP-OFF CHARGING THAT AMOUNT,i could see 100-200$,but 1000 is a litle to much,I'd book on rci for a bit:))));)

[Ken076]

Shogun - Over "here", as of 2009 the Princess Trip Protection insurance includes "Cancel for ANY Reason" with 75% credit towards another cruise - no chance your policies there include this, and that it would be worthwhile? ken

[cruzzers]

Shogun...I know this is a bit after the fact, but is it possible for you to book with an online agency here in the states? I don't understand why you are penalized just because you live in a different country. We can completley cancel a cruise up until final payment, which is about 65-70 days before the sailing date. There is no penalty with our agency or Princess at that time. It wouldn't cost Princess any more for you to cancel than it does for us. The online travel agency advertises on this site, right at the top of this page. It wouldn't hurt for you to do some checking.

 

Good luck with your surgery and with your cruise.

[Nancyquilts]

Hi Folks,

 

Thanks for thoughts will have another go at Princess today.

 

However have thought up plan,

 

 

Wait for ships videos bloke to do rounds

 

Throw wife overboard at weekend,

 

dive in rescue her, become hero,

 

and then black mail Princess into changing their rules or I will tell the world that wife jumped due to stress of losing all our that money we have paid to date for our Alaska cruise.

 

What do you think.

 

yours Shogun

Sounds like a plan!:D Good luck with any hospitalization you may need. I imagine you don't have too much choice over the date, but it would be nice to have it after the cruise. Nancy

[kool kruiser]

Shogun

 

I really sympathise with your predicament. Perhaps your most likely chance of success lies with a direct approach to top management at Princess UK. Presumably your brand loyalty and commitment can be easily verified via your cc membership profile. Sometimes the top brass in an organisation can more easily bend the rules and adopt a more sympathetic approach.

 

I don't think switching cruise lines will really achieve anything as I reckon a similar stance would probably have been taken, due to our non-customer friendly booking rules, by other cruise lines. This is another reason why I always look to book with a USTA, subject to the figures working out and then arrange my own flights and transfers independently.

 

I really hope everything works out for you and that Princess UK appreciate your value to them as such an ambassador for their product.

[h3rjp]

Just ask for a letter from your doctor (phone the hospital and speak to their secatary) and ask whether in his / her opinion what the rest and recovery time will be and whether they would advise against traveling.

 

Most travel insurance will cover cancellations where travel "would be against medical advice".

 

Also talk to your insurance company and find out what they would need in order to cover the cost. They are surprisingly good at paying out I find.

[Shogun]

Hi Folks,

 

Thanks for ideas,

 

part of the problem is do not have a fixed date,

 

the longer I leave it the more I could lose,

 

insurance company being a pain at first they said cruise was covered but not tours, tour is almost same cost as cruise, I think they will move on this once they understand that the tour is part of the cruise holiday. I hope.

 

Then there is , I want to be fit enough to enjoy Alaska not just be signed of by a doctor as OK to travel.

 

Princess just keep saying tough, its not only the deposit I lose and the money I have paid towards the holiday but a % which means they want me to pay a few hundred pounds more to cancel.

 

They did offer to allow me to send another person in my place without charging me.

 

The battle goes on,

 

any one got a home numbrer or a mobile for the CEO of Carnival may be go and pester the hell out of him. May be one phone call ever pound they want out of me.

 

yours Shogun

[rugbypopsie]

Hi Shogun sorry to hear of your health issues. In Australia we can use Princess Future Cruise Credit letter to book cruises with minimal deposit no upfront cost for the letter just get it onboard from Captains Circle. Not sure what the law is in the UK though. At least it ensures some flexibility.

 

Sorry we missed out from a visit from you this time...see you later perhaps.

[kool kruiser]

Hi Shogun sorry to hear of your health issues. In Australia we can use Princess Future Cruise Credit letter to book cruises with minimal deposit no upfront cost for the letter just get it onboard from Captains Circle. Not sure what the law is in the UK though. At least it ensures some flexibility.

 

Sorry we missed out from a visit from you this time...see you later perhaps.

 

Good point, The UK FCC amends the deposit to £75 which would reduce financial exposure. Shogun, if you book in the uk, the future cruise consultant can organise this for you on board. The usual onboard credits also apply and the bonus for UK passengers is that you do not have to pay the £75 up front, like our US friends but only when a future booking is made. Get a stack of these for you and your dw next time around, it's a no lose deal.

[Shogun]

Hi There,

 

Princess have said I can cancel with a fee of a few hundred only if i book another cruise costing the same or more, so time to bring in my secert weapon and sink there ship.

 

Will let you know if it works.

 

yours Shogun

[jetwet1]

Shogan,

 

Good luck with the surgery, at least dealing with this does not seem to have dampened you sense of humor

 

How many cruises have you taken with Princess ?

 

Rules can be broken, while I could understand if you were trying to move a cruise a week out try to charge a couple of grand to move a cruise months out is BS, more so when it is for medical reasons.

 

I agree, the FCC's are a great thing, we always pick up a couple to book our next cruise with.

[cantwaitfornextcruise]

Shogun , get a letter from your hospital and challenge your insurance company, I have had a FULL refund of ALL monies paid - cruise, pre-cruise hotel, parking and we used our future cruise credit ,when we booked, Princess gave us back our onboard credit and low deposit for when we were ready to rebook.

It really makes my blood boil when I hear about people who genuinely need to trigger a policy and some spotty pen pusher says “the computer says nooooooooooo”

Keep smiling it will all come right in the end