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Princess this simply is not fair


inaspin

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I am surprised they won't give you a wheelchair-accessible cabin. I was offered one by my TA recently and I have no disability, she just knew it was bigger and so she offered it. I didn't take it, because I feel pretty strongly that people with disabilities have enough barriers to overcome without us non-disabled people taking up the few accessible cabins on cruise ships. But it was offered to me nevertheless, and yes, it was for a Princess cruise (on the Dawn).
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i agree ......as i have already said i would be the last one to stop a disabled person getting a wheelchair cabin .......but its Princess who insist i cant have one of several that are unsold .........hence i think i am well entitled to be pretty mad if when i do get on board i find these cabins are not occupied by wheelchair passengers
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You are entitled to be mad about anything you want. From your comments it would seem you are going in looking for a fight. Personally i'd rather have a nice vacation rather than get spun up about something i'm not going to change anyhow.

Scott
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[quote name='inaspin']

T ....... but the balcony cabins that are left are on a "newbie offer " and Princess wont allow me to have them at the newbie price $900 extra .......instead Princess want to charge me over $2000 for something they are offering for $900 to newbies ...[/QUOTE]

SO... you are in penalty period if you cancel... Sounds like it would be cheaper to just cancel & re-book (perhaps with a different TA if they aren't willing to go to bat for you & get this done via Princess!) if you really want those balcony cabins.
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Hmmm... three cruises booked, non-promo prices paid, Platinum status...
I see no reason a GOOD agent can't get you some satisfaction on this one, at the least an upgrade, if you're lucky a rebook with a waiver of penalties. It IS done, but TOTALLY dependent on your agent, his tenacity and his status with Princess(more on that later).
Have your agent get in touch with his or her District Sales Manager, then the Customer Relations Office at Princess(though it really shouldn't take the latter measure - DSM's wield a lot of power)...
Remember, anything gained is completely at Princess' discretion, and a GIFT. They don't have to do anything. Such are the vagaries of an industry with inventory in constant flux. That said, I do agree an industry that promotes early booking should accommodate those that do - especially frequent cruisers with their line.
As for the handicapped cabins, these are usually released the week of sailing, (if not occupied by the handicapped)and once again, a good agent can grab you one then.

Suggestions for next time:
When to book a cruise should be determined by the date of the cruise, ie, early for holiday and high season cruises, late for slow sellers(May in Alaska and Fall in the Caribbean, for example). Watch the pricing trends.

Lastly - and this is a big one - Book ONLY with an agent with IXCEL status with Princess. Ask your agent. These are their biggest producers, and get special pricing and have the ear of the management.

Best of luck, I know I wouldn't be happy if I was in your position either...
just don't let it bum your trip...
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Inaspin:

You said you are Platinum. If you bought the Princess travel insurance, you can cancel for no reason at all and get a 90% credit against a future booking. Then, couldn't you turn around and rebook the better cabin at the lower rate? Just an idea.....
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[quote name='inaspin']i agree ......as i have already said i would be the last one to stop a disabled person getting a wheelchair cabin .......but its Princess who insist i cant have one of several that are unsold .........hence i think i am well entitled to be pretty mad if when i do get on board i find these cabins are not occupied by wheelchair passengers[/QUOTE]

So you want a handicap room NOW since it's unsold and you are entitled to it due to your 'guarantee'. Then what happens tomorrow if some poor disabled person wants to book a room? Guarantee does not entitle you to any one of these rooms, your agreement with Princess gives up your rights to pick a particular cabin.

Also, who says they have to be in a wheelchair? Many handicapped people have disabilities that are not obvious yet require the extra room and equipment installed in that room.

What are you going to do? Stalk these cabins, and strip search everyone to see if they really are handicapped? Get Dr's notes? You're barking up the wrong tree.
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Cattman
All that you have said has indeed been done
Will have to check on my TAs status but since they are one of the "biggies" and because the booking is in penalty and pretty close to sailing everything is now in Princess's hands.

I repeat once more i would never stop any disabled person getting the wheelchair cabins despite other posters saying their TAs offer the wheelchair cabins to non disabled guests quite simply because the rooms are bigger
On the cruise in question there are several wheelchair cabins still available , i am interested to hear though that Princess only release those in the last week

If I had had a choice of cabins at the time of booking i would have chosen a suitable one right through .......equally if i had known that a load of supposedly sold cabins would suddenly be returned by agents only to be put in a fire sale i would have waited for the fire sale

Many posters are entirely missing the point of this whole scenario :------

Princess by adopting their current policy attitude of not automatically upgrading throughout the ship and then only selling the less desirable cabins in the last weeks before departure in a "fire sale "are favouring opportunist late bookers instead of keeping all their loyal passengers or early bookers sweet.
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[quote name='inaspin']Cattman
Many posters are entirely missing the point of this whole scenario :------

Princess by adopting their current policy attitude of not automatically upgrading throughout the ship and then only selling the less desirable cabins in the last weeks before departure in a "fire sale "are favouring opportunist late bookers instead of keeping all their loyal passengers or early bookers sweet.[/QUOTE]

I don't want to throw fuel on the fire here, but I think many us DO get the point. Perhaps those who disagree have a different perspective.

You said that you booked through a "biggie". We cannot discuss particulars, but in some cases I view those "biggies" as little more than booking engines. The "agent" is just a phone-bank employee whose only purpose in life is to close sales quickly and move on to the next call. You continue to blame Princess for its policies, and now your "biggie" is doing the same. The "biggie" might be able to arrange things to your satisfaction, but won't because they won't make any money doing so. Your "biggie" cares nothing about your repeat business, so I doubt they'll go to bat for you.

You have received two upgrades, so I think your criticism of Princess is harsh. Also, you haven't yet sailed, so you might end up getting what you want anyway. Upgrades can take place any time prior to sailing.
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[quote name='inaspin']Cattman

If I had had a choice of cabins at the time of booking i would have chosen a suitable one right through ........[/QUOTE]

You did have a choice but you chose to book a guarantee to save money. In doing that you gave Princess the right to put you where ever they want.

Scott
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[quote name='CroozBlooz']Inaspin:

You said you are Platinum. If you bought the Princess travel insurance, you can cancel for no reason at all and get a 90% credit against a future booking. Then, couldn't you turn around and rebook the better cabin at the lower rate? Just an idea.....[/QUOTE]

This sounds like a good idea to me. Or maybe try switching your booking to a more responsive TA.

I don't think we're all missing the point, we're just not upset about the policy that has gotten you so mad.
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The fortunate thing is that since the OP's cruise is less than 50 days away and I know we won't be sailing again until at least July, there's no chance of my having to hear the row on my next cruise.

I'm still baffled by who made the promises: "Having booked a 4 sector cruise 2 of which were inside guarantees with a promise that Princess always try to put you in same cabin when on back to back cruises and will upgrade you if the price drops."

This isn't a promise I've heard from any knowledgeable Princess employee or any reputable TAs. I have heard of unscrupulous TAs luring unsuspecting customers into booking guarantees with promises of upgrades. One scam says that the they'll put guarantees into the "best available" cabins. There are myriad reasons why the cruise lines may want to leave a better cabin empty than upgrade you.

"New bookings only" shouldn't be too hard a phrase to understand. It may not sound fair, but it's the way most of the mass-market cruise lines have decided works for them.
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I am also interested in how the OP will discern who is deserving of an accessible cabin. Go to the Purser's Desk and demand to have everyone's credentials produced, or start said 'row' right there? Check deck plans and knock on people's doors?

With the advance of HPPA, there are even more stringent rules on privacy concerns regarding healthcare. And rightly so!

It's really none of your business if those cabins are full of people who need them, are empty, or whatever. You have an inside guarantee. Deal with it!
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I think there are two issues here. First, Princess certainly is within its legal rights to restrict the discounted balcony cabins to new bookings. Second, if the price of a balcony cabin is subsequently reduced below what someone paid for an inside cabin, it would make good business sense to offer the upgrade to the inside cabin passsenger who noticed the price drop and asked for a better cabin.

Three years ago I was booked in an outside cabin on Princess when I noticed the price on balconly cabins dropped to less than what I paid. A quick call to my TA got me the upgrade, although I didn't request and didn't expect a refund of the difference in price.

Twenty years ago I had a dispute with Chrysler over a warranty repair to my new car. Chrysler was within its legal rights but I felt so unfairly treated that I never bought another Chrysler car. The incident made me a happy Toyota owner. Why would Princess want to risk the same thing happening with someone's future cruise bookings. Is it worth it to risk losing a customer over this? Tom.
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Giustot,


I agree with you on your point. However, you better watch out because in my experience the overwhelming majority of those on these boards simply throw up the old "within their rights" and "fairness" arguments, ie, if you get different treatment than I do then I'm mad because I was treated differently.
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[quote name='jff50'][color=red][/color]

Princess' policy is not any different than airline policies. If you booked a low cost airline flight on a non-refundable basis, and later found out about a lower fare, would you feel that they should reduce your price to the lower fare--good luck.[/QUOTE]


For what it's worth, I have had this (booking a non refundable fare at a higher price than what became available later) happen to me on three separate occassions, and on three different airlines. In each case, I called the airline's 800 reservations' number, and in each case I was given a credit reducing my fare to the new lower fare. As the airfare is non-refundable, I assume they are not oblgated to lower my fare, but I assume they do so in the name of "good customer service". I couldn't blame them if they chose not to lower my fare, but I certainly would give more thought to using an airline or cruiseline that "bent the rules" in trying to be "fair" than one who basically said "tough luck". From a business perspective, I have always felt that it is easier to keep a customer happy and get their business again and again, than it is to get them back once you have angered them.
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Booked an inside on Princess and the price was reduced by 350, final payment made, I had TA call and she got us an outside cabin for the same pirce as out inside, granted we didnot get a refund, we got an upgrade
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I find it quite ironic that OP is talking about "fairness." For whatever reason, she does not book until 50 days out, when she figures prices are "rock bottom." Dollars to donuts, the price she paid for her inside was lower than those who paid before the penalty period kicked in. Did she complain that she got a lower price than all those who booked a year in advance? Does she think that it was "fair" for Princess to give her a lower price than those who booked far in advance? Naw, the only "unfairness" is that she will not get as much as those who might book after her.

If you really want to talk about "fairness" than there would have been nothing left but inside cabins when OP book. For all those who booked in advanced would have been upgraded. Or if Princess was really "fair" the option to upgrade for the "now" prices would be given to those who booked the fartherest out. I don't particularly care about the manner in which Princess gives the last person in the boat the better prices, but I find it very difficult to sympathize with someone who got a price far better than those who booked months, perhaps over a year in advance.
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[quote name='WASUP']Booked an inside on Princess and the price was reduced by 350, final payment made, I had TA call and she got us an outside cabin for the same pirce as out inside, granted we didnot get a refund, we got an upgrade[/QUOTE]

Great deal! I'd personally rather receive an upgrade than a rebate!!
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Dreamer you are so so right about preferring an upgrade to a rebate

From this thread it still looks like it would be better if Princess gave some thought to only offering the worst cabins on last minute knockdown prices and upgraded everyone else who would like it on a first booked first served basis .

Clearly when under current system they upgrade families with several cabins originally together to different parts of the ship that causes problems as highlighted on another thread
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[quote name='calikak']
...we're just not upset about the policy that has gotten you so mad.[/QUOTE]

If I were the OP, I'd be upset about the price difference as well. I'd simply find out WHAT the rules are & work within the system they dictate to get the better price. The reason most cruise lines (& this is the first I've really heard that Princess is different) WILL reduce/refund price differences to keep you from cancelling & rebooking & increasing the paperwork & expense of double work for them. It is to their benefit... it is NOT to the benefit of the TA who will have to refund a portion of their commission. And THAT is why you sometimes get an upgrade from your TA's work... they will put you in a higher category if the price drops on your current category to keep from having to refund anything (some will just keep the money & not tell you about it, though.) Know how the system works. Scout your options & work with it. Good luck!
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We had the same problem with Princes last year. We booked 9 months out and there was a fire sale . We called Princess and told we had to go through our TA. He tried and failed. I called Princess agian and asked to speak to passenger relations....I simply stated that we had paid a fare that amounted to a BA cabin at the present rates. We would cancel this cruise if we hadn't made the final payment. I also said that the least they could is upgrade us because the ship was sailing half full. I also said that this kind of pricing policy
does not make for happy cruisers. I called my local tv station's consummer's
alert program.That's when things turned,suddnley a upgrade was made to a BA. We were not to happy at having to jump through their hoops . I don't belive it's that hard to upgrade those who booked the earliest and in the process earn the cruise line some gold stars.
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Yes, it would be nice if all merchants, including Princess, offered "price protection" but they do not. I'm pretty sick and tired of having everyone complain about this or that being unfair. Those who book well in advance have an advantage over those who book late, because they can choose a cabin to their liking. They also avoid disappointment if the ship sells out. Cruise lines take into account achieving a certain occupancy level in setting their prices, and if they don't sell as many cabins as expected, they will sell them at lower prices to get some revenue out of them. If they weren't to do that, ultimately they would have to raise the rates they charge for the cabins that are sold.

In response to 14 Days or Longer, I just don't understand why you think that you were cheated or that the consumer ombudsman at your locat t.v. station should have done something for you. You got exactly what you paid for. Just because somebody else got a better cabin for less.....well, have you ever flown before? Stayed in a hotel before? If you think that the people who book first always get the lowest rate, you are wrong.
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