emerald princess

[gill556]

My daughter and family have been cruising several times with different cruiselines and this time we decided to go with them on The Emerald Princess. We booked 5 months ago when we were told that it was not possible to select cabins and now discover that their allocated cabins for us are two cabins at either end of the same deck and my husband and myself 4 decks below. My daughter immediately phoned them and pointed out that their young sons had been placed 75 cabins from their own and that one of them is autistic and must be supervised. Apparently they have no organised booking system, do not look at any family travelling together and totally and flatly refuse to do anything to help unless we pay for an upgrade. This sounds like a ploy to get more money, surely they have some responsibility to ensure that minors are placed near their parents? According to them the answer is NO and they are totally inflexible and refuse to do anything to help. BEWARE if you have children, don't expect common sense, they don't care if your children are too young or unable to care for themselves. Fortunately the next cruise already booked is not with them and this is the first and last time that we will be using any of the Princess line.

[PatriciaF]

I don't understand why you weren't able to book the specific cabins you wanted unless you booked "guarantees." Then the cruiseline selects the cabins for you.

[Toto2Kansas]

It sounds like you possibly booked a category to begin with that was only available by booking a gurantee. If you would have changed your category stateroom to one and there were specific cabins in a category that was available by stateroom number, you could have marked the bookings 'no upgrade' and you could have been right next door to each other.

I sure hope your daughter doesn't plan to leave an autistic child unaccompanied by no adult present in that stateroom no matter where it is located, that is an accident just looking to happen IMHO.

 

Booking a guarantee stateroom means you have absolutely no say so in where the stateroom is located, and are only guaranteed a cabin in that category or above. You can not even request the cabins be close together or even on the same deck. You really should have found a good travel agent that was willing to work with you on this one, they could have directed you accordingly and explained a guarantee booking so you understood it. Good Luck though!

[CCruiser777]

My daughter and family have been cruising several times with different cruiselines and this time we decided to go with them on The Emerald Princess. We booked 5 months ago when we were told that it was not possible to select cabins and now discover that their allocated cabins for us are two cabins at either end of the same deck and my husband and myself 4 decks below. My daughter immediately phoned them and pointed out that their young sons had been placed 75 cabins from their own and that one of them is autistic and must be supervised. Apparently they have no organised booking system, do not look at any family travelling together and totally and flatly refuse to do anything to help unless we pay for an upgrade. This sounds like a ploy to get more money, surely they have some responsibility to ensure that minors are placed near their parents? According to them the answer is NO and they are totally inflexible and refuse to do anything to help. BEWARE if you have children, don't expect common sense, they don't care if your children are too young or unable to care for themselves. Fortunately the next cruise already booked is not with them and this is the first and last time that we will be using any of the Princess line.

 

When are you cruising? If you have time, and are American, I would recommend contacting the ACLU. This isn't just a cabin assignment issue, but a disability issue, where the disabled person is a child. Sometimes one phone call from the ACLU is all it takes to resolve issues like this. This may not only solve your problem, but prevent it from happening to others in the future. This is surprising because cruise lines like Princess are usually very accommodating for disabilities.

 

Also, this may be a case of talking to the wrong person at princess. Whenever you call any company of any kind, some people are just less willing to help than others. Maybe if you called back and talked to someone else (maybe someone with some decision making power), they would solve your problem. It's not like you're asking for compensation of any kind. For some reason, some people seem to think the term disability = wheelchair.

 

Whatever you decide to do, please don't hold one employees' actions against Princess. My opinion on that matter is that you're only denying yourself the pleasure of one of the better cruise lines in this price range. My wife and I are cruising on the Emerald next week, and looking forward to another great Princess cruise. I hope this helps you.

[veggie59]

It sounds as though you booked guarantee cabins. If you are unable to resolve the cabin assignment....you can do it yourselves by just making sure there is an adult staying in the cabin with the kids. Why wouldnt they be anyways? Something doesnt sound right. Are you sure you have the facts right? Seems like there is something missing to this story. I hope all works out in the end.

[robgvic]

Sounds fishy to me. I think even in Spain 5 months out they could give a cabin assignment unless it is a guarantee. I suspect if the Op is honest they were looking for everyone to get an upgrade to a better cabin. Unless the grandchildren are over 18 Princess would not allow the children together in a cabin. Was Princess told there was a disabeled child? Just sounds fishy and I wonder if the OP will come back

[Toto2Kansas]

When are you cruising? If you have time, and are American, I would recommend contacting the ACLU. This isn't just a cabin assignment issue, but a disability issue, where the disabled person is a child. Sometimes one phone call from the ACLU is all it takes to resolve issues like this. This may not only solve your problem, but prevent it from happening to others in the future. This is surprising because cruise lines like Princess are usually very accommodating for disabilities.

 

.

 

When booking a guarantee you accept the chance of being placed anywhere onboard. Not sure what a call to the ACLU would do in this case when the passenger wasn't moved from the original booking, but took a chance on booking whatever was assigned to them by the cruise line. All these cabin locations would mean is that adults will have to split up and stay with children in the cabins instead of sharing a cabin together. Probably not what they originally planned to do, but you do what you have to when traveling with children (any children) and decide to book a category where you can not mark you booking so your cabins are close or next door to each other. :confused:

[Woobstr112G]

When are you cruising? If you have time, and are American, I would recommend contacting the ACLU. This isn't just a cabin assignment issue, but a disability issue, where the disabled person is a child. Sometimes one phone call from the ACLU is all it takes to resolve issues like this. This may not only solve your problem, but prevent it from happening to others in the future. This is surprising because cruise lines like Princess are usually very accommodating for disabilities.

 

Also, this may be a case of talking to the wrong person at princess. Whenever you call any company of any kind, some people are just less willing to help than others. Maybe if you called back and talked to someone else (maybe someone with some decision making power), they would solve your problem. It's not like you're asking for compensation of any kind. For some reason, some people seem to think the term disability = wheelchair.

 

Whatever you decide to do, please don't hold one employees' actions against Princess. My opinion on that matter is that you're only denying yourself the pleasure of one of the better cruise lines in this price range. My wife and I are cruising on the Emerald next week, and looking forward to another great Princess cruise. I hope this helps you.

 

Do we have to get them involved even in cruising. Say it isn't so.....

[Whimsy]

My daughter and family have been cruising several times with different cruiselines and this time we decided to go with them on The Emerald Princess. We booked 5 months ago when we were told that it was not possible to select cabins and now discover that their allocated cabins for us are two cabins at either end of the same deck and my husband and myself 4 decks below. My daughter immediately phoned them and pointed out that their young sons had been placed 75 cabins from their own and that one of them is autistic and must be supervised. Apparently they have no organised booking system, do not look at any family travelling together and totally and flatly refuse to do anything to help unless we pay for an upgrade. This sounds like a ploy to get more money, surely they have some responsibility to ensure that minors are placed near their parents? According to them the answer is NO and they are totally inflexible and refuse to do anything to help. BEWARE if you have children, don't expect common sense, they don't care if your children are too young or unable to care for themselves. Fortunately the next cruise already booked is not with them and this is the first and last time that we will be using any of the Princess line.

 

Common sense tells me that if you have young sons and one of them is autistic and must be supervised then a parent should be staying in a cabin with them and location should not be an issue.

 

If the passengers book a GTY this is the chance they take on location. If you want to be together then you pony up a little bit more to make things more convienent.

[cherylandtk]

Ah, another case of reality not meeting passenger expectations. While I have sympathy for the OP's situation, I note also that this is a first post and newly joined. Had she come on here 5 months ago, she would have learned all the quirks of booking multiple rooms, what to tell the TA and how to successfully navigate the booking rules for each individual cruiseline. I am sorry that her expectations have not been met, but she will find similar issues with any other cruiseline's booking rules and the location of guarantee cabins. If a TA or someone told them that rooms would be co-located, that needs to be taken up with the TA. (The reason there are stateroom age limits in the first place is because they don't guarantee adjacent rooms!)

 

At this point, the only way to ensure cabins next to each other would be to upgrade, assuming such rooms are even available this late; it is not a ploy to get more money. Failing that, the parents must split up and each room with one child. (I suspect that is how the booking already reads, one parent in with each minor child).

[mtaylor04]

While I am sympathetic to the situation - I think the OP didn't fully understand how a guarantee works

 

As most everyone has said, when you book a guarantee you are assigned a location and they are under no obligation to put you in rooms next to each other. I think the simple solution is to put one adult with one child, and another adult with the other child.

 

Princess is NOT scamming you for more money - they are simply following their policy.

 

Try and talk to a supervisor - I wish you luck.

 

 

 

Per Princess:

 

While our ships offer a wide selection of stateroom choices, popular categories and sailings will often book full. If you have chosen a category that does not have any currently available staterooms to choose from, you may opt to guarantee.

 

Guaranteeing gives you the opportunity to tell us that you want a stateroom in this category and you’re willing to wait until one opens up. If we can find you a stateroom in this category, we’ll book it for you. If not, we’ll find you comparable accommodations.

 

Please note, by selecting this option, you will not be able to choose your stateroom location.

[teripp]

I dont think ACLU is needed. Sounds like a simple guarentee vs. regular booking. CAll your TA and if you did this on your own call Princess as someone said you may need to "pony up" but the circumstances warrent that.

Teri

[-Lew-]

 

While I have sympathy for the OP's situation, I note also that this is a first post and newly joined.

A CC member’s number of posts and join date should never be a criteria for answering a concern or problem. I suggest most cruisers are not CC members and have never heard of us. We all started with post number 1.

 

The OP posted looking for assistance. Those who can help should do so without deriding the OP.

 

Just my personal thoughts…

 

Lew

[ell52]

The OP is not asking for assistance. I think he/she is just using this as a chance to rant, after the fact.

 

As others have pointed out, he would have been better off doing some research ahead of time to understand the ins and outs of booking multiple rooms for a family with minors and the stipulations of guaranteed rooms.

[jennifers490]

I don't have kids but do they allow bookings for a cabin if the occuppants are all minors? and if the booking was done with an adult and a minor in each cabin and booked as guaranty then princess did nothing wrong. you get the first available cabins. i agree with others that the only reason to complain would be if you booked two specific cabins next to each other and marked no upgrade--even then technically i would imagine you would have to split the adults so the kids weren't alone in the cabin-especilly one that needs supervision. I am sorry but you can't really complain if you expect young children to be alone in the room next to you or at the other end of the deck, they shouldn't be alone at all.

 

please let us know if the kids were booked in their own cabin and their names are on that cabin alone because then i may have a different complaint with princess...i still remember years ago on the grand being kept up all night by teenagers in their own room while their parents were seperate since they switched. maybe i'm wrong here since i never had to book minors and someone can enlighten me.

[Essiesmom]

First of all, the OP is in SPAIN. So the ACLU is a non-starter. It sounds as though they had a cabin category that they could all afford, and all that was available in that category was a gty. Apparently they did not understand the ramifications of a gty, and are paying the price. She does not say if they used a TA or booked direct with Princess (if you can do that in Spain). Lesson learned. EM

[LindyTheK]

I have been reading CC for many years (my join date is 2001) but have also not posted in many years (only posted twice in 2006).

I come here to get information on my upcoming Princess cruises (i will be doing my 5th next month). Since i read but do not post, does that make any questions i might post automatically suspect?

 

I realize that some new people are trolling or trying to stir up trouble, but not all. Such is the nature of blogs, but still there is fantastic information on this board especially for new passengers.

 

There are probably ALOT of people like me. I prefer to let my big brother (AndyTheK) do the talking :)

 

Lindy

[-Lew-]

 

The OP is not asking for assistance. I think he/she is just using this as a chance to rant, after the fact.

I stand corrected. You're right...the OP was not asking for assistance.

 

As others have pointed out, he would have been better off doing some research ahead of time to understand the ins and outs of booking multiple rooms for a family with minors and the stipulations of guaranteed rooms.

I agree, the OP should have researched the terms a bit better. The point of my post was to address the tendency of some to come down on those who have a very low post count or have just joined. It just shouldn't be a criteria for posting here or give others a license to flame.

 

The replies to the OP in this case are mild in comparison to some I have seen in other threads. This is not the first time a member has posted a concern, a rant, or questions soon after discovering CC and joining and received less than a cordial response simply because they were new members.

 

Lew

[pablo222]

This sounds like a ploy to get more money, surely they have some responsibility to ensure that minors are placed near their parents?

 

I'm having a hard time with this portion of your situation, as princess

will not allow two children to be booked in a cabin alone.

 

You have encountered the obvious problem with booking a guarantee, rather than an assigned cabin.

The guarantee can be anywhere on the ship, not necessarily where you want it to be. Shame

on your travel agent for not explaining this.

 

I've run into this with my parents -- even when a guarantee is less expensive, I have to pay more and

book them into a specific cabin, so that -- at 90 -- they are close to an elevator. My dad simply cannot

walk the length of some of the hallways.

[mdmomof7]

OP is upset, yes. OP has easy fix, yes. An adult stays w/ the minor children, particularly the autistic child. Problem solved.

 

Princess will allow minor children alone in a cabin next to or across from their parents. Carnival and Celebrity will as well. However, we find it easier to just book parent/child and switch around the cabins at the purser's desk when we board for the convenience of keys and onboard billing, and locating someone in an emergency if ever needed.

[ell52]

I agree, the OP should have researched the terms a bit better. The point of my post was to address the tendency of some to come down on those who have a very low post count or have just joined. It just shouldn't be a criteria for posting here or give others a license to flame.

 

The replies to the OP in this case are mild in comparison to some I have seen in other threads. This is not the first time a member has posted a concern, a rant, or questions soon after discovering CC and joining and received less than a cordial response simply because they were new members.

 

Lew

I completely agree. There is no need to respond to others in a derogatory manner - no matter the length of CC membership.

 

I only mentioned the fact that I didn't think the op wanted advice because, well, I don't think he/she does. Sorry, if you thought I was being argumentative. :o

[LindyTheK]

I stand corrected. You're right...the OP was not asking for assistance.

 

The replies to the OP in this case are mild in comparison to some I have seen in other threads. This is not the first time a member has posted a concern, a rant, or questions soon after discovering CC and joining and received less than a cordial response simply because they were new members.

 

Lew

 

I agree...I do not read other Boards (other than the destination boards) because i only cruise Princess, but i have seen some vicious replies to new posters, in my opinion, some very justified and some not.

This DOES sound like a Guarantee and other than getting lucky with Princess the OP might be stuck. The fact that they told OP that it was not possible to select a cabin leads me to believe it was a Guarantee. An upgrade might be the only answer.

 

Hey, this is a good way to get MY numbers up :)

I have seen people get numbers up by doing the "I agree" answer without adding anything or repeating something someone else has already said. I skip past those.

 

Lindy

[LindyTheK]

I completely agree. There is no need to respond to others in a derogatory manner - no matter the length of CC membership.

 

I only mentioned the fact that I didn't think the op wanted advice because, well, I don't think he/she does. Sorry, if you thought I was being argumentative. :o

 

I didnt think you were being argumentative at all. This is something that has been bothering me for awhile. I was not being argumentative either, just pointing out my thoughts.

 

Now, if i can only keep my Traditional early setting and go to Anytime when i feel like it, wearing shorts and no shirt, and be assured of an upgrade so that i can be near the pool when i put my towel on 3 chairs at 4AM and not show up until 4PM when i plan to save 3 rows of seats in the theater for BOTH shows, i would be a much more happy cruiser :) (J/K of course)!

 

Lindy

[robgvic]

I seem to be a real doubting thomas. I am sure Princess will not allow children to be alone in cabins without an adult. Perhaps they were booked with an adult with the plane of then having the children alone. Sounds fishy though especially when she has not returned after trashing princess.

Seems to happen a lot with first time posters

[-Lew-]

Sorry, if you thought I was being argumentative.

No need to be. I read something into the post that was not there. Thank you for pointing that out to me.

 

Lew