Lyndonn

4 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

When I received the error message, I figured it would just get canceled and maybe they would offer a $50 onboard credit for your next cruise or something like that. Like I said before, I thought it was legit when we booked the offer and I am very pleased with the offer of an inside cabin.

Enjoy your cruise…keep an open eye out for the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)…the timing may just be right.  😃  we saw the lights near Iceland around the end of August.  

2 minutes ago, FLAlaska said:

Perhaps however this was a HUGE mistake that , slowly, many began to believe it was real. Many had called and were told it was legit. While Greenland said Casino , the Star said  COMP. More and more people booked, more and more received confirmation that it was a legit deal. 800 cabins booked! At that point , it becomes even more real

 

But the biggest issue isn't that. Its the way it was handled. A letter goes out with options to people before even the customer service reps knew. People were given limited time. Reservations were automatically changed without confirmation. Letter states if you don't call, it will be permanent and non re fundable.All on a friday night with a Monday deadline and customr service reps that didn't know what people were talking about,

 

If it wasn't for someone suggesting directing emails to Jen Wright, who knows what may have happened. Kudos to her for patiently and efficiently dealing with it all but it never should have happened and the "apology" was inept and a bit threatening

I agree, it was grossly mishandled. The sad thing is there may still be people that do not know their booking has been changed or the deadline date to respond.  Jen reached out to all that inquired and is trying to do right.  I read somewhere a post that Jen said she would still honor booking options past today, May 6th.  

14 minutes ago, CalTexCruiser said:

 

I suspect if not for the Star Princess error they may have honored the Greenland bookings.  But once it became a feeding frenzy where they were handing out mini-suites for free and potentially losing hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue they went back and revoked everyone.

8 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

They apologized for the error and changed it to an inside cabin. I think that was fair, do you? 

Yes, Princess is being fair…I have no complaints for Princess trying to make a wrong right for their customers.  Even though we opted not to go under the revised terms, Princess still made it right for us too.  

6 minutes ago, CalTexCruiser said:

 

I agree with you about the Greenland cruise, and I pointed that out in my post above.  When I saw the Greenland cruise offer it looked very similar to casino offers I've received in the past.  So yes, you had no reason to doubt the legitimacy.

 

The obvious glitch was the Star Princess comped mini-suite + Premier Package for pretty much anyone who logged into their Princess account.

I saw the Greenland cruise offer on Apr 30th and it was titled a Prestige Casino offer.  At that time the staterooms offered for the Casino free offer was Balcony, ocean view and interior…subject to available.  Also, shown was a reduced price of something like $1250 pp for a mini suite and a full suite was offered at around $2450 pp.  the Prestige offer looked very appealing to us and what sold us to book under the non-refundable deposit terms of $200 pp was that the offer included Princess Plus package too.  
I did not see the Star Princess free offer pop up until the following day of May 1st and was nothing was stated about that offer was a Casino offer…but it did look strange with offering free mini-suite rooms with Princess Premier pkg. I’ve never seen that generous of a free package…so, I had my doubts.

We did book the Greenland cruise and when we received the letter from Jen dated May 3rd (same letter went out for both cruises) that the offer was an error, however tgey would honor the offer but in a interior room with no Plus packages included.  Since we did not want an interior stateroom we decided to cancel and get our money back while we still could without penalty.  
 

We have been cruising over 30 years with Princess and I’ve never seen such an error…it even crossed my mind that there may have been a disgruntled employee causing chaos for Princess.  If so, I’m sad to see that happen and respect the way Princess is handling the problem.

1 minute ago, CalTexCruiser said:

 

 

The Star Princess offer of comped mini-suite + free Premier package is clearly a glitch.  Although I frequently play in the casinos, the best offers I've ever received from Princess are free inside cabins and sometimes free play dollars, but never the plus or premier package.

 

I would agree with @MsSoCalCruiser the Greenland offer on the Emerald was more in line with what I've received in the past.

1 minute ago, CalTexCruiser said:

 

 

The Star Princess offer of comped mini-suite + free Premier package is clearly a glitch.  Although I frequently play in the casinos, the best offers I've ever received from Princess are free inside cabins and sometimes free play dollars, but never the plus or premier package.

 

I would agree with @MsSoCalCruiser the Greenland offer on the Emerald was more in line with what I've received in the past.

1 minute ago, CalTexCruiser said:

 

 

The Star Princess offer of comped mini-suite + free Premier package is clearly a glitch.  Although I frequently play in the casinos, the best offers I've ever received from Princess are free inside cabins and sometimes free play dollars, but never the plus or premier package.

 

I would agree with @MsSoCalCruiser the Greenland offer on the Emerald was more in line with what I've received in the past.

Expand the above post to see what I posted and was written on our invoice for the Greenland cruise.  There was no doubt that this was a legit Casino offer. 

Just now, MsSoCalCruiser said:

The Greenland offer showed Casino offer and it was for an obstructed ocean view or an interior. It looked legit to me. What you’re talking about is on a different thread. 

9 minutes ago, memoak said:

Free mini suites reported by people who have never even been in a Princess casino is obviously a glitch. I called this out as soon as I saw it. Our last bounce back offer after 10,000 points was only free interior and $100 free play. This was very clearly a glitch in the system

 

2 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

The Greenland offer showed Casino offer and it was for an obstructed ocean view or an interior. It looked legit to me. What you’re talking about is on a different thread. 

I’ve received Casino offers in the past and have booked them online.  The following was listed on the invoice for the Casino offer for the Greenland cruise.   Why would I think this offer was not legit with this specific language was included in our paid invoice for the cruise.  See below:

 

“Payment Details
Booking is paid in full.
Complimentary stateroom cruise offers are non-transferable. Invited guest must sail or full cruise fare will be applied to other guests sailing in the cabin. Casino offers are not
combinable. Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses are the responsibility of the guest and not included in this offer.
A non-refundable deposit of $200 per guest is required at the time of booking (applies to first two guests in stateroom only). Deposit will be returned to guest as onboard credit on
folio.
In the event of cancellation, the non-refundable $200 per guest deposit will be held as a cancel fee and is in addition to the cancellation schedule outlined on the booking
confirmation. This non-refundable deposit may not be claimed for reimbursement through Princess Vacation Protection.
CANCELLATION SCHEDULE
Date Fee
14-May-24 25.0 % of Total Charges
29-May-24 50.0 % of Total Charges
Date Fee
12-Jun-24 75.0 % of Total Charges
12-Jul-24 100.0 % of Total Charges”

18 minutes ago, ChutChut said:

Again - I think most people knew this was a computer glitch. You went ahead and took a chance but I suspect you knew it was an error. Now you really can't be mad because it turned out to be the case. You took a risk - and you lost. 

Why would we think it’s a computer glitch when in the past there have been Casino free offerings?  This offer was no different than the previous Casino offers.  For those of us that booked and received a booking number and invoice.  It stated on the invoice the terms for the complimentary casino booking…that was no computer glitch.  I’m not mad at anyone…but, I know what I saw and paid for…obviously you did not book.  

We’re elite and in the past we would call Room Service to swap out the items in the mini bar?  Is there now a charge to do this?

TIA 

2 hours ago, pkster said:

 

Has anybody received the upgrade pricing options for the August 2024 Greenland cruise?

 

48 minutes ago, memoak said:

I do nit understand why people call the 800 number.  Why doesn’t everyone have a CVP or TA ?  They will have much more information than any call center

Since the cruise was a Casino offer at 0 there is no interest for a TA to book or take  over the booking from Princess for someone.  

5 hours ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

 Did you receive an email offer from Princess with this deal as "bait" or was it from reading on line? If you booked it because you read about it in here and not from a direct offer from Princess, then there isn't any bait and switch. 
 

We all knew we were taking the chance when deciding whether or not to book. The terms for Princess are clear that if a mistake like this is made, it does not have to be honored. 
 

I feel that Princess is being fair is allowing the booking to remain but with an inside. Nothing had to be offered and it could have just been a straight cancellation. 
 

Many who booked discussed hoping it would be honored. The words too good to be true were on here. I had a cabin set aside and all I had to do was hit the last button to book but realized it would be canceled. As exciting as it was to think I could have such a great deal and I have had some decent casino deals on the past, I knew that this was too good to be true and decided not to gamble. 
 

Sorry for all of those who are very disappointed. 

I saw the Casino offer for the Emerald upon signing into my Princess Cruises account and that’s when I booked the cruise online at their website.  As I mentioned earlier, we have received free casino cruise offers in the past…so, I thought it was a valid offer.  All the boxes were checked for us …so, we booked the cruise.  I had no knowledge of the CC conversations until after I had booked.
 

2 minutes ago, TAW1963 said:

I don't mean to be argumentative, but I am not sure I understand the "bait" part.  Did Princess send you an email with a comp offer for the cruise, or did it come up when you logged in to your Princess account?  I feel really bad that this happened, and I'm not excusing Princess's poor customer service, but I saw the same zero fares when I logged in to my Princess account and let it list all cruises according to the fare price.  The two cruises in question here the first to come up.  I did consider booking the Star Princess cruise, but I personally don't feel that Princess baited me into booking.  It appeared to me to be a glitch, or error, on Princess's side.  That is just how I felt and, of course, everyone may have had a different perspectives and some may have considered it as Princess baiting one into it. 

Nor do I want to be argumentative…but when booking the free offer, there were conditions attached of paying the $200 pp non-refundable deposit, which would revert to OBC upon embarkation.  So, there were risks when booking, it was not totally free.  Then to receive an email that Princess is not going to honor their offer is disappointing.  
We have been cruising with Princess for over 30 years and we have been offered Casino offers in the past….so, I had faith that this was a valid offer because it was titled Prestige Casino Offer.  I thought this must have been sent out to select people…not the general public.  So yes I thought this was a valid offer…but, now I have lost faith in knowing what is a valid offer from Princess.  
I respect your opinions and wish to take this no further.  We’re all disappointed and how it was handled.  

1 hour ago, pompeii said:

Besides not honoring the offer or offering something better than an IE guarantee interior, my major gripe is that the email didn't tell us what the pricing would be to keep our originally booked cabin.  Or the other cabin types.  They had to have known before the email went out so there was no reason to not give us the information we would need to make an informed decision.  And sending the email Friday evening so we can't contact our pvp until Monday was very poor customer service.  

Princess should have included a reference code on the letter they sent out so that when we called Princess, per their instructions the Agent would be able to look up the details as to the options offered….but, no the did not resulting in the Agents clueless as what this is all about and waisting our time.  

10 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

"Bait and switch" is quite an exaggeration considering you could have still had a free interior room and you're out exactly $0 since they've corrected the offer and you've canceled with no penalty.

I do not think so….the Bait, an offer for a free cruise with Princess plus…the Switch…changing their offer and now if you want to go it will cost you more if you want to keep the category you booked and pay the fees per their terms.  Plus, they took away the Princess Plus and changed the OBC from $200 pp to $100 pp. I would not have booked the cruise under that offer…so I was Baited and Switch. Plus, only giving a 3 day lead time or the deposit was non- refundable.    

1 hour ago, dog said:

I have sent emails.

I attached my email cancellation charges etc and pointed out the Chaos they have created in our lives.

i referred Mr.P & MrS to cruise critic and roll call.  I know Mr.P reads Princess Passengers threads on Facebook.  I do not post there, only read it.

 

46 minutes ago, villageidit said:

Some people had up to a balcony cabin with plus package offer. I saw that Star booking but figured no way they would honor that. 

6 minutes ago, treesah said:

I saw that and I assumed it was a computer glitch.  Is it ethical to book a "0" fare knowing well that it's a mistake?  Very few things in life are free and certainly cruising is not.

We had an ocean view room booked and paid all the fees per their terms.  When we received the same letter today, we decided to cancel because we did not want an interior room, plus we were loosing the Princess plus and the OBC.  It felt like a “BAIT AND SWITCH” scam!  I sent off a complaint email to Customer Relations, Jan Swartz, Jon Padgett.  

Last night we saw a -0- offer for 17 night Boston/Greenland/Boston for Aug 2024 on the Emerald Princess, includes Princess plus too, same terms $200 pp deposit refundable upon embarking.  We booked the cruise!  

4 minutes ago, kstrittm said:

You can also use the web-based version of the app.  Just log in to Princess.com, select check-in, and it will tell you to use the app.  But, in small print, they provide the link to the web version...

I tried the web version too and I still received the same error codes when trying to check in my husband. Thanks for your reply.  

I have downloaded the new Princess App and I'm trying to become Ocean Ready by checking-in for myself and husband, however I keep getting an error code for my husband, resulting in being unable to complete our Ocean Ready booking.   I've called Princess 5 times, with long holds and my problem is still not resolved.  I've asked that this be elevated to their Tech Dept and the problem still exists.  

What happens if we show up at the pier without being Ocean Ready?

This is frustrating.

Thank you in advance 

17 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

I've been following this because I am in the same situation. And I just don't get this. If I'm going to pay to get from the airport to my hotel and then pay again to get back to the airport why not just pay to get from the hotel to the pier? It would take less time and, depending on the distances, might even cost less.

The Hilton Rome airport is connected to the airport and an easy walk.  Only transportation that is needed is to the pier which is about a hour away.  

1 minute ago, Ken the cruiser said:

For us it’s about low stress. In our case we usually try to book a room at a hotel in the airport we’re flying into. Then we just walk over the next morning to the pickup point mentioned in the Travel Summary as @cjb0717 noted above, hop on the bus with our suitcases, and off we go. 
 

My same thought too.  😃

6 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We’re doing the same on our Sapphire Princess cruise in a few weeks that leaves out of San Antonio. We’re flying into the Santiago airport the day before, staying at the airport hotel, and then catching the PCL transfer we booked to the ship the next morning.

 

Just contact your TA or Princess rep and have them book your airport to ship transfer.

I booked my cruise online, so I do not have a TA or Princess Rep.  I was planning on adding the transfer on to my online booking. 

18 minutes ago, cjb0717 said:

I'm doing exactly this for our cruise next March. We are arriving the day before and staying at an airport hotel. These are the instructions in our travel summary. 

 

If you plan to be in Rome prior to embarkation day and wish to return to the airport for your transfer to the pier, please meet at the airport location below and locate a Princess Representative to confirm your transfer time to the pier.   Location 1: Terminal 3, Arrival Area Meeting times: 8:00AM - 11:00AM   In case of flight delays, please call the Princess Enroute: 1-800-545-0008   If you cannot locate a Princess Representative at the airport, please call locally at +39-06-42881472, +39-06-42881642 , +39-348-8105-245       Unused transfers are non-refundable

I will be arriving in Rome as well and plan on staying at the Hilton Rome airport, arriving the day before the cruise departure.   Thanks for sharing your instructions and contact numbers for the transfer meeting area at the Rome airport.  

How do I book a Princess pre-cruise transfer to the ship if I’m arriving the day prior to sailing?  It appears Princess wants arriving flight info for the airport to ship transfer.  
thank you 

Is Princess Cruises chats using AI?  It appears that my chats go no where and can take a long time between responses.  Real people or AI?  I sure miss the pre-pandemic days.  

Has Princess Cruises eliminated the Courtesy Hold option with their online booking?
 

thank you 

Will recent bookings made under the original Plus Package be grandfathered to the New Plus Package? 
TIA