Paddymunich

On 1/14/2024 at 5:25 PM, sweep2907 said:

Nothing worse though is there when you show your loyalty to a company on opening day. Then 12 months later see your balcony is £1000 cheaper. Personally I prefer the way Princess now operate where it will not be cheaper than at opening day price. 

Unfortunately not quite true for Princess. Booked last year a Suite on Regal for next July. Price dropped over 30% in November and stays at that lower price to this day.

On 1/10/2024 at 11:05 PM, New2cruise2022 said:

Cruising has long been known to be the sailing and not the ports. The cruising industry is built on this. The entertainment and activities, the food and drinks, the comfort of the amenities and the spa, come at great expense and business risk when cruise lines commission a ship to be built. The business model is an experience at sea, not the ports on the itinerary. 

I totally respect that you mostly enjoy the cruising itself, and all that the ship has to offer.

But the business model and the promise is different.

Princess themselves on their website (pages "new to cruising") present cruising as, in that order, the travel ("best of destinations", "waking up in the morning in the world's most exciting and interesting cities"), then the value (that includes gastronomy, entertainment and activities).

As I've written before, unexpected and unavoidable changes are acceptable (last summer it happened to us in the fjords due to storms in the North Sea).

Ditching two highly interesting ports for two very secondary ones months in advance (7 in my case) isn't. And I should be offered the possibility to change or cancel the booking.

Actually, I should be informed to start with (I haven't received any email so far).

I'll nevertheless certainly enjoy the cruise and also certainly not check Princess' offer when I look at booking my next cruise. I'll let them know why. I strongly believe in the consumer's power. If we all stop buying their product, they might adapt their conditions.

We’re booked on Regal 26 July (just before you) and Liverpool and Kirkwall are replaced by Holyhead and Portland. Gutted like you since Kirkwall was a major draw for us. Portland is a joke of a port to stop at.

Unlike you I was not even informed. I found out a week ago when checking available excursions.

It will be our first Princess cruise and might well be the last.

I would never complain about missing ports due to unforeseen circumstances or bad weather but so far in advance it reeks of disrespect for the client I am, carefully choosing the most desirable itinerary and then bleeding money to join a cruise that eventually won’t be what was hoped and sold.

Wow.

What an outpour of judgmental comments. All very short of calling them bad parents.

I personally would not leave my 6y old alone on the ship while I go on shore but I still understand and respect other people's choices. Some advice here is pretty true, being that far away in case of an emergency is risky.

Florida_gators, can't help you with your options now but I'd say in future delve a bit deeper in the cruise line's website. With the help of Google. Somewhere you'll find detailed conditions for all amenities of the ships.