cruising deacon

Carnival has pushed back its BIG ANNOUNCEMENT from yesterday (3/27/20) until Monday (3/30/2020) if even then.

I guess they wanted to keep us in the dark a little longer regarding the future of cruising and if Alaska cruises will ever happen again.

My guess is, THE LONGER WE WAIT, THE BIGGER THE ANNOUNCEMENT.  (NOT GOOD)

I figure HOW CARNIVAL GOES,   so goes PRINCESS.

I doubt it

Just now, cruising deacon said:

Well at least one of the cruise companies is keeping its customers informed.  It is interesting to see that they decided to come back to operation on the same date as Princess.  I wonder why we don't hear anything from Princess about Alaska, it appears that RCL understands the situation on those routes!

I noticed the newest post regarding the notice from Carnival cruise line (not Carnival Corp.), don't you think different entities in the same corporation could coordinate a similar message at the same time.  Who knows, maybe we will hear something from Princess by the 27th also.

Well at least one of the cruise companies is keeping its customers informed.  It is interesting to see that they decided to come back to operation on the same date as Princess.  I wonder why we don't hear anything from Princess about Alaska, it appears that RCL understands the situation on those routes!

It has now been 3 days since my FCC disappeared from my CC account.      IT IS STILL GONE

I guess it is HARD COME, EASY GO.

On 3/20/2020 at 8:51 AM, cruising deacon said:

UPDATE to this post that I made earlier this week

 

I just had the amount of PVP and $2 posted as a FCC to our Captains Circle accounts.   3/20/20

UPDATE of UPDATE     ******

Today (3/22/2020) the FCC no longer is showing up in my CC account!      Easy come...east go

Yesterday (3/21/2020) the FCC appeared in my CC account for the cruise I cancelled two weeks ago.

Today (3/22/2020) it is gone, anyone have any ideas?

22 hours ago, cruising deacon said:

I WAS booked on the Ruby for the 5/16/20 sailing.  I canceled on 3/9/20 (prior to the 57 day cancellation policy where you start loosing some REAL money, it would have occurred on 3/20/20), for me this meant cancellation fees of "PVP and deposit".  I had booked the cruise under a $1 deposit situation, although I actually used FCDs.  

The cancellation fees actually were the cost of the PVP and $2.  Everything else was credited back to the credit card withing 30 hours of the cancellation.  It is irrelevant to me whether or not I ever get the $2 and PVP back as a FCC.

 

I am only posting this for your information, I am not suggesting any course of action for any of you.

UPDATE to this post that I made earlier this week

I just had the amount of PVP and $2 posted as a FCC to our Captains Circle accounts.   3/20/20

I WAS booked on the Ruby for the 5/16/20 sailing.  I canceled on 3/9/20 (prior to the 57 day cancellation policy where you start loosing some REAL money, it would have occurred on 3/20/20), for me this meant cancellation fees of "PVP and deposit".  I had booked the cruise under a $1 deposit situation, although I actually used FCDs.  

The cancellation fees actually were the cost of the PVP and $2.  Everything else was credited back to the credit card withing 30 hours of the cancellation.  It is irrelevant to me whether or not I ever get the $2 and PVP back as a FCC.

I am only posting this for your information, I am not suggesting any course of action for any of you.

Our last cruise ended in January, I still haven't seen the refundable OBC check.  I usually get it in about 3-4 weeks (that has long ago past in my case), but I think Princess is busy with more critical issues.  I still think I will get it, but it might be a while.

UPDATE to my previous reply:   I just called Bottomline and they verified that the check went out Monday (yes, check is in the mail .... so they say).  Therefore I would think I would get it within another week.   Thank you CRUISE RAIDER for the information on Bottomline (I never thought to check with them, and I didn't want to bother Princess in the middle of all this mess).

Our last cruise ended in January, I still haven't seen the refundable OBC check.  I usually get it in about 3-4 weeks (that has long ago past in my case), but I think Princess is busy with more critical issues.  I still think I will get it, but it might be a while.

When it was announced last week that Canada was not allowing any cruise ships until July 1, the whole world knew the news.  I wonder why by now (4 days later) that Princess hasn't said anything about Alaska cruises.  Until now I felt that Princess was trying to keep people informed, staying ahead of the curve, trying to be fair....but now that it impacts me, I have a different feeling.

Why in the world would the US give cruise lines a waiver to not have to stop at a foreign port?  If anything, the US would want to keep cruise ships out of the west coast ports too.  I would think that Princess would at least let those of us who have Alaska cruises booked know something ....... anything.  It is the 'unknown' that worries people.  Even in their March 13, 2020 advisory they said "Cruise with Confidence is extended to cruises sailing through July 31, 2020 (previously May 31, 2020)". 

Why NO real information from them since.  Do they think that keeping us in the dark is going to instill confidence?  I just checked online and Princess is still accepting bookings on our sailing, although the availability of balcony cabins has sky-rocketed in the past 4 days.  Currently on our sailing there are 72 balcony cabins available just in our section of the ship, I didn't bother to count any in the other four sections.  Looks to me like a lot of you are cancelling, and hoping for the best from Princess..It doesn't look to me like we are going to see that.

Thank you   CELEBRITY    for not allowing me to book this good deal.    The way it looks, YOU made the right call.

Who knows, I may be switching from Princess to Celebrity after all, but then again...... Princess made the RIGHT move today cancelling all operations for the next 60 days (will Celebrity follow suit?)

For those of you who are 'addicted to Princess cruises' who thought my idea last week of cancelling operations for 60 days was the dumbest thing you have ever heard, thanks Princess for listening.   There may be a future for Princess after all.

The Port of Seattle has canceled the first two cruises scheduled for this upcoming cruise season.  This closing involves Princess and Celebrity which were due to start in April.  If this doesn't get solved soon there will be more!

When I canceled our May cruise last week, we had already made the final payment in February.   But, we were still in the window (more than 57 days prior to embarkation date), where we could get our money back (not a credit).  The credit posted to our credit card account about 30 hours later (I was told by Princess that it would take 10 to 15 business days).

Take a look at your 'Booking Confirmation' that you received when you made your final payment.  The 'Cancellation Schedule' section' contains YOUR penalty situation should you decide to cancel (for any reason).  About 55 days prior to your cruise embarking (for a June 16 cruise this date would be about April 20), YOU have the option of cancelling and getting a full cash refund less the cost of the Insurance (8% of the cruise cost, if you purchased it) and the amount of your deposit. 

The deal I was under only had a $1 deposit even though I put down a FCD for the deposit, so when I canceled last week I received a credit on my credit card for the entire amount of the cruise less the cost of insurance and $2.  The credit appeared on my credit card about 36 hours after I canceled.  The FCD that I used as the deposit was given back to me as cash, not returned to my CC account.  In my case, since I may never cruise Princess again, this was a good thing.

On 3/7/2020 at 10:18 AM, Guindalf said:

If it wasn't for morons scaremongering, there wouldn't BE a problem!

 

All cruise ships are floating petri dishes, but if people followed a few basic rules of cleanliness, there is little to worry about. Sure, be careful and watch what happens before you take food in the buffet, but remember, not everyone who sneezes is Typhoid Mary!

 

If people (and media) used some common sense - both sailing and, more importantly, reporting and/or posting on forums, this whole thing is a relative non-event!

Tell that to the guests who got the virus on those 2 ships, as well as the others who were/are stuck in their cabins for 14 days

On 3/7/2020 at 9:10 AM, CineGraphic said:

 

Send them home to spread the virus!?

Not take in a single dime for 60 days!?

Where did you go to school!?

It is OK for the crew to have the virus and continue to be serving you on the ship, but not to send them home?

28 minutes ago, ExploringTheGlobe said:

ME!  I would! 

LOL

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

You seem to be assuming once the ships are decontaminated, they will be safe.

And, after the 30/60 days, how do you propose preventing additional cases from boarding the ships?

If Princess can't figure that out in the next 30/60 days, I know I won't be boarding!

I agree, this is not the time to be cruising

It appears, at least in the US, that Princess is the only major cruise line that is getting massive negative publicity because of the coronavirus.  With these 11 people testing positive on the Grand (2 guests and 9 crew) Princess should be investigating its viability in the future.  Will it even be able to survive the gigantic blemish that it has received, through what appears to be no fault of their own?  The whole cruise industry is taking a HIT, but Princess may be the only one to SINK.  It may be time for them to start drastic measures to assure their existence in the future.   Lets face it, who would book a Princess cruise NOW.

Maybe they should cancel all cruises for the next 30 or 60 days (fleet wide) and announce that they are sending all crew home.  Those who pass the physical exam when the cruises resume will be allowed to return to their positions.  They could spend that time showing that a decontamination company (not Princess) is deep cleaning all of their vessels to assure a safe cruising experience for their guests. 

I think it is time for Princess to do something drastic to regain the public's confidence in them, or get ready to sink.

How do I make a 24 hour hold on their website (the cruise is 60 days from sailing)

20 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

This unfortunately happens more frequently now with their ever changing promos.  The promo changed today from "double savings" to "it's all included".  Their website is not up to the challenge of their complex pricing structure.  In my opinion they shouldn't have such a structure until the website can support it.   Most good online booking sites clearly show all pricing combinations for Celebrity and are more reliable.

 

Also some us familiar with these facts will continue on from the summary page and put the booking on a 24hr hold.  When the guest invoice is emailed review it carefully to make sure it matches what you booked.  If it does then I call and finalize the booking.   Since that is an actual reservation it's much harder for them to not "honor" it.

How do I make a 24 hour hold on their website (the cruise is 60 days from sailing)