Spoiltblonde

1 minute ago, Aggie83 said:

Can you cancel your current booking and rebook and get same fare plus the OBC?

See my post above...but I had booked with a non-refundable deposit of $100 or so per person, so essentially a wash; however, I did find a helpful service representative who was able to gain approval from higher levels to grant an exception since it was just a bit over 24 hours.  Thankful that there are some helpful customer service reps at Princess who are willing to provide great service. 

37 minutes ago, racj846 said:

Can you not cancel and rebook?

I booked yesterday with a non-refundable deposit for 2 people; however, I called again and worked with a better representative who was able to do some legwork to cancel my prior booking (with higher level approval) and then rebook with the same information from yesterday plus $100 OBC per person.  I am thankful that I tried again and that they granted me this exception since I was "outside of the 24 hour window" by just a couple of hours!

I booked my upcoming cruise for next summer yesterday afternoon.  My cruise fare remains the same as I booked yesterday but Princess will not grant me the OBC since I didn't book between today and end of this weekend.  Quite the bummer!  If I would have waited until this morning, I would be able to get a $200 OBC.  

Thank you to everyone for all of the information and happy thoughts regarding this unfortunate incident...hopefully the information shared on this thread will help others who may face a similar situation and/or need wheelchair assistance.

To provide an update:  My son's orthopedic specialist stated that he cannot travel and after an MRI a couple of days ago, his fracture is larger than originally thought.  The good news is that he will not require surgery but he is in a leg cast for quite awhile.  

As far as trying to move my reservation, I called and called and called Princess Customer Service.  My experience varied greatly from a couple of very unfriendly/unhelpful agents to a few compassionate representatives and then some agents that were in-between.  Needless to say that after countless calls to Princess, I was able to obtain an email address where I could send my pictures/x-ray/doctor note.  After a couple of days, I received a phone call from a compassionate Customer Service rep that was able to move my booking to next July!  I realize that Princess did not have to do this...but I am very thankful for this "exception to the rule" where they have made me a life long customer in the process.  With the cruise moved to next year, they did require that I take Princess cruise protection which I happily agreed to!  

1 minute ago, ontheweb said:

This is not meant as a criticism of you, but I hope in the future you buy cruise insurance, a lesson learned. And others should see it as another reminder of the importance of cruise insurance.

Thank you!  Yes, it is a hard lesson learned.  Glad I booked an inside room versus a balcony or pricier option...ha!  🙂  

Thank you everyone for such helpful information!  I've made a lot of phone calls today to the airline, to Princess, etc.  Of course, I've called Princess way too many times as I have received different answers for various questions...so much conflicting information from the agents.  For example, one agent told me that wheelchairs were available on the ship with no charge and would be available all 7 days on the Discovery Princess...but obviously, that was VERY incorrect and that a rental would be required by an outside organization!  I've sent an email to the Back Office Support team to see if a future cruise credit may be added to my account to go to Alaska next summer; however, I know that I am not entitled to this and it would only be a good PR move for Princess.   

To answer a couple of questions, we are in a basic inside room on the Lido deck, so it would be a shower versus tub.  

We were going to be doing a road trip after our cruise and thus, we were flying home from the Eugene, OR airport versus Seattle.  Of course, I've cancelled that leg of our trip and airfare is much higher due to late booking with limited options flying out of Seattle after our cruise (plenty of early AM options versus afternoon departures...go figure!).  

I will report back and let everyone know the ending of this situation.  Thanks again for your insightful information!!!    

future to current week...verbiage update.

7 minutes ago, Thrak said:

Find someone to take care of your son and either sail solo or take a friend/relative on the cruise. Not ideal I know but, with no insurance, it's a way to not simply lose all the cost of the fare.

Thank you...definitely a good idea!  Being a single mom, it's logistically difficult to pull-off...especially not knowing whether or not he will require surgery and if so, would it be during the cruise dates.  Trying to weigh all of the options now with as much information that I can gather since I don't know how this coming week will go regarding doctor visits and/or future treatment.  

Thank you both for your insight and previous knowledge!  I will call Princess and see if I can reschedule.  I called yesterday and they told me no because I was past the cancellation window and I didn't take out trip insurance.  So, we either go or essentially pay for a cruise we didn't get to take.  

I am booked with my 14 year old son on the Discovery Princess departing Seattle on 13 July.  Unfortunately, on the 4th of July he fractured his patella and is now in a cast/brace and cannot put any weight on his leg and his leg cannot bend.  Does Princess offer assistance with embarking/disembarking on the ship?  Do they rent wheelchairs?  I am not sure that we will be able to go on our cruise at this point in time but I am trying to gather as much information as possible in order to make a decision.  Since I did not take out trip insurance, I will be out the money paid...so I am really wanting to make this work if I can.  Thanks in advance!    

I travel exclusively with my teenage son and I would have got the Plus/Premium package for our upcoming Alaskan cruise this summer for myself; however, I cannot justify it for him which is required since we are sharing the same room  Essentially, Princess is losing money here with how the packages are required for the first two people in a stateroom.

1 minute ago, startedwithamouse said:

It's daylight until around 11:00 pm. 

Google says that sunset is around 9:06PM in mid-July.  But I hope you are correct!  Either way, not a lot of time to do much!

1 hour ago, EDVM96 said:

I wonder, if this mandatory PVSA stop is listed in the cruise personalizer as a regular port stop anymore. It would make no sense.

It still shows Victoria BC on my itinerary with the duration from 9PM-11:59PM...as well as the map with a pinpoint noting Victoria BC as a destination.  

I was really looking forward to visiting for a few hours when the arrival was at 7PM but now it seems too late at night with potential safety issues since we were planning to explore on foot.  Definitely disappointed to see this change!  

25 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

It is a mandatory stop to satisfy PVSA.  That's a bummer that the Captain probably won't let anyone off the ship with such a short window. 

 

It could be for a variety of reasons:

Tides

Whale Migration (slowing down the ship)

Hard to tell this far out (2025)

Thanks for your thoughts!  It seems really strange since there are around 20 sailings for 2024 from May through September with this change...and again for 2025.  I wouldn't think it would be tides or whale migration for ALL of those dates!  The amount of sailings with this unfavorable change has peaked my curiosity.  

It appears that all of the cruises for the "7-Day Inside Passage (with Glacier Bay National Park)" roundtrip from Seattle have had an adjustment for Victoria BC.  Originally, the ships were slated to be in Victoria BC from 7PM to 11:59PM; however, all schedules have been adjusted to 9PM to 11:59PM for 2024 and 2025.  Any thoughts on why this adjustment was made across the board?