Re: Princess itineraries

[Pam in CA]

And, I certainly don't think Princess shuffles ports around just so passengers have to book excursions through them.

I agree for a couple of reasons. One is that the independent tour operators are aware of the changes and adjust their schedule. The other reason is that it's a lot of extra work for Princess to reschedule their own tours. The shore excursion people go nuts with people in line changing tours, canceling, demanding answers, etc.

 

It always surprises me when passengers aren't aware that on occasion, the port and harbormaster schedule the changes, not Princess, particularly if there are any commercial or local boats. I've seen ship tenders held up for hours while local fishermen docked, off-loaded fish, and left, one after the other. A cruise ship doesn't just pull into the dock as though it's a parking space. It's a very complicated operation involving numerous authorities, officials, harbor pilots, etc. and a change is very disruptive to them all which is why it isn't done unless there's a good reason. Trying to get passengers to book Princess tours isn't one of them.

[luvtheships]

I agree for a couple of reasons. One is that the independent tour operators are aware of the changes and adjust their schedule. The other reason is that it's a lot of extra work for Princess to reschedule their own tours. The shore excursion people go nuts with people in line changing tours, canceling, demanding answers, etc.

 

It always surprises me when passengers aren't aware that on occasion, the port and harbormaster schedule the changes, not Princess, particularly if there are any commercial or local boats. I've seen ship tenders held up for hours while local fishermen docked, off-loaded fish, and left, one after the other. A cruise ship doesn't just pull into the dock as though it's a parking space. It's a very complicated operation involving numerous authorities, officials, harbor pilots, etc. and a change is very disruptive to them all which is why it isn't done unless there's a good reason. Trying to get passengers to book Princess tours isn't one of them.

however...they have it all sewn up when it comes to Istanbul...they try to port there on Tuesdays and they also have a special Princess tour that will arrange for a special tour of the Topkapi on that day..a Tuesday..when it is closed to the public..however...if you are on that PCL tour you can get in!

 

I am thinking we will skip the Topkapi next year..I have seen it..yes, it is very nice...but it would also be very nice to just soak up local culture as well...with a private guide.....

 

and btw..this Tuesday port in Istanbul thing is not a change of itin....it is scheduled way in advance....what would be very nice IMHO...would be a last minute change to a Wednesday for Istanbul...

[Pam in CA]

however...they have it all sewn up when it comes to Istanbul...they try to port there on Tuesdays and they also have a special Princess tour that will arrange for a special tour of the Topkapi on that day..a Tuesday..when it is closed to the public..however...if you are on that PCL tour you can get in!

Yup. I've taken that tour, the one where the Palace is open only to Princess.

 

There are always exceptions, particularly on an itinerary that isn't repeated every week or every other week. My point was that there are far more important reasons for swapping ports than to make passengers book a Princess tour. IMHO, that's ludicrous.

[Love.II.Cruise]

Yup. I've taken that tour, the one where the Palace is open only to Princess.

 

There are always exceptions, particularly on an itinerary that isn't repeated every week or every other week. My point was that there are far more important reasons for swapping ports than to make passengers book a Princess tour. IMHO, that's ludicrous.

 

I couldn't agree more.

[xtianmom]

We had the Princess Cays cancelled due to hurricane Ivan and the damage done to the island. We knew this just prior to the cruise. Grand Cayman was a mess. We swam with the stingrays in rough waters and had a private showing. The ship had canceled it's excursion due to rough water, and we had planned to just find a local tour. It was an amazing day. In Jamaica, the ship had to port at Montego Bay instead of Ocho Rios. We missed our private excursion but had a great day anyways. I encourage you to look at it as an opportunity, not a misfortune. Make the best of it. When I look back at our cruise, I don't think about what we missed, I celebrate the great fun we had!

[caribill]

however...they have it all sewn up when it comes to Istanbul...they try to port there on Tuesdays and they also have a special Princess tour that will arrange for a special tour of the Topkapi on that day..a Tuesday..when it is closed to the public..however...if you are on that PCL tour you can get in!

 

 

 

I doubt Princess scheduled this just so people woukld be forced to book their (limited capacity) Princess tour. Itineraries to ports are in a certain order, and some will be visited when one or more major attractions are closed.

 

If the ship was there on a Monday when Topkapi was open, then Hagia Sophia would be closed except for a Princess tour and, I assume, that would make you unhappy.

 

When booking a cruise on any cruise line, one must do the homework and make sure that the major sites one wishes to see are open when the schip is scheduled to be there. Otherwise, pick a different cruise.

 

Similarly, many ports are visited on a Sunday or a holiday when attractions and shops may be closed.

[jannandjohn]

Today, December 7th, one of our fellow Cruise Critics discovered that our itinerary had changed and NO ONE had been notified! .

 

Although it was only a port swap, one day for the other, .

yeah, well you are lucky if that's all you miss...this was our cruise last fortnight on the SUN PRINCESS...and as you said..no more Princess for us either!!

 

 

 

And, I certainly don't think Princess shuffles ports around just so passengers have to book excursions through them.

no. they just make "non ship tour " passengers wait up to 3 hrs for a tender,(in 2 tender ports) like we had to...got told ship tour passengers are given preference, we has to sit and wait in the dining room, with hundreds of people, who did not book through the ship..

[Pam in CA]

no. they just make "non ship tour " passengers wait up to 3 hrs for a tender,(in 2 tender ports) like we had to...got told ship tour passengers are given preference, we has to sit and wait in the dining room, with hundreds of people, who did not book through the ship..

Of course. That's one of the things you pay for when you book a Princess tour plus redress if the tour has a problem or isn't as expected. No one is forcing you to take a Princess tour. Many avoid them because they cost more and there are usually more people per bus than on an independent tour. That's the choice one makes.

[Sillyjilly]

yeah, well you are lucky if that's all you miss...this was our cruise last fortnight on the SUN PRINCESS...and as you said..no more Princess for us either!!

 

 

 

no. they just make "non ship tour " passengers wait up to 3 hrs for a tender,(in 2 tender ports) like we had to...got told ship tour passengers are given preference, we has to sit and wait in the dining room, with hundreds of people, who did not book through the ship..

 

Helloooooooooooooo, this is not only a Princess "thing". It exists with every cruise line.

For those who can't be flexible, why the heck are you cruising?

[jannandjohn]

For those who can't be flexible, why the heck are you cruising?

flexible???...paying for 8 ports and stopping at 3, is not what we paid for.,

and certainly we would NOT have chosen to cruise the itinerary we ended up with!!..

we could have gone to Europe for less.

I see you live in California, you have much greater choices for cruises than we do..

we have to travel 12000 kms, to do a good cruise, we book them to stop at the ports.... for the reason of seeing a new place,

NZ is our closest, but not the cheapest by a long way....

the ocean looks the same everywhere..

[Sillyjilly]

flexible???...paying for 8 ports and stopping at 3, is not what we paid for.,

and certainly we would NOT have chosen to cruise the itinerary we ended up with!!..

we could have gone to Europe for less.

I see you live in California, you have much greater choices for cruises than we do..

we have to travel 12000 kms, to do a good cruise, we book them to stop at the ports.... for the reason of seeing a new place,

NZ is our closest, but not the cheapest by a long way....

the ocean looks the same everywhere..

 

Have you not researched cruising???????????????????? You don't always hit your ports!!!! Good Grief! Do your research before you cruise. You are subject to Mother Nature!

 

What does California have to do with that?

 

I will never cruise Australia or Europe for that very reason, because I know the weather plays a roll in cruising there.

[Doug R.]

Launch the black helicopters its another conspiracy theory!!!! :rolleyes:

 

The OP's post is proof positive that one should not post when enraged and not in full possession of the facts. Sounds to me like the TA dropped the ball and not Princess. Sounds to me like one of the port authorites possibly requested the change to avoid ship overload or some such reason.

 

I think the statement of finding something else to do in port is overdramatic. Most tour operators would be aware of the change and be glad to change the date unless they were so overbooked on that day.

 

Have a great cruise anyway!!:D

[Sillyjilly]

Launch the black helicopters its another conspiracy theory!!!! :rolleyes:

 

The OP's post is proof positive that one should not post when enraged and not in full possession of the facts. Sounds to me like the TA dropped the ball and not Princess. Sounds to me like one of the port authorites possibly requested the change to avoid ship overload or some such reason.

 

I think the statement of finding something else to do in port is overdramatic. Most tour operators would be aware of the change and be glad to change the date unless they were so overbooked on that day.

 

Have a great cruise anyway!!:D

 

Ditto!

[floatn]

I'm on the same cruise with OP AND I'm a TA. We weren't notified of an itinerary change. So let's stop bashing the TA's for not notifying their clients.

[Ethel5]

 

When I called Princess myself I was told that, even though they never bothered to notify my TA or change their OWN website to show the correct itinerary, their "OUT" is to state that the itineraries are "schedule to change." Change it sure...but to not notify anyone? To have this change in effect for over a year? You'd think they could afford some decent webmasters to fix little tweaks like this, huh? OK. You've been warned.

 

Are you saying the change was in effect for over a year and YOU didn't see it in the personalizer? Shame.

[jefa]

[quote name='sunshine nana']I understand your feelngs. We have already been on several European and Med cruises, so I choose the new ones based on the ports. I understand if there is a safety issue once the cruise is underway, but to not notify people and allow them to cancel if a port has been eliminated or chaged before the cruise starts or not allow a visit to the Vatican etc, is not right. [B]With the high price of air[/B] from the US, [B]pre-cruise[/B] [B]hotels, transfers etc., we are spending a lot of money to see the ports.[/B] [B]It's not like a Carribean cruise where people go to just enjoy the cruise. [/B]We chose Celebrity for our next cruise because the Ruby Princess eliminated Istanbul after final payment but many weeks before the cruise began.[/quote]

Believe me, I have spent plenty to fly in from Spain for a Caribbean cruise in January, please remember that it's not only US citizens that cruise the Caribbean:)

I am looking forward to seeing all the ports on my itinerary, but if they have to be cancelled/substituted, that's as maybe!!! I am sure I will have a great time:)

[SusieO]

I am on this cruise and I am also a TA (who doesn't appreciate how we get bashed so much) and just rec'd this email this morning:
[LEFT][COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial][B]ITINERARY CHANGE[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]



[COLOR=#000000][FONT=Arial][B]Please be advised that due to ship congestion in Antigua on December 14, the calls to Antigua and Tortola have been reversed. Caribbean Princess will now call to Antigua on December 13 from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm and to Tortola on December 14 from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. The revised itinerary displays in full at the end of this notification.[/B][/FONT][/COLOR]
[/LEFT]



I am happy Princess made the change; would much rather be in port with less ships and passengers.

[luvtheships]

[quote name='caribill']I doubt Princess scheduled this just so people woukld be forced to book their (limited capacity) Princess tour. Itineraries to ports are in a certain order, and some will be visited when one or more major attractions are closed.

If the ship was there on a Monday when Topkapi was open, then Hagia Sophia would be closed except for a Princess tour and, I assume, that would make you unhappy.

When booking a cruise on any cruise line, one must do the homework and make sure that the major sites one wishes to see are open when the schip is scheduled to be there. Otherwise, pick a different cruise.

Similarly, many ports are visited on a Sunday or a holiday when attractions and shops may be closed.[/quote]


Why do you think it bothers me that the Topkapi is closed on Tuesday? I really don't care as I have been there before....but I am stating that it seems odd that they would port in Istanbul on a Tuesday and then offer a tour that will get them in there when it is closed to the public. btw...a major online tour agency also has Tuesdays blocked off for reservations...bet PCL booked all of their busses for that day....


and before you go on about research.....trust me you are talking to the wrong person...I book cruises for transportation and room.....I am not a newbie that thinks the cruiseline owes the pax a fabulous stressfree vacation where nothing will ever go wrong...sheesh!

[jannandjohn]

[quote name='luvtheships']

and before you go on about research.....trust me you are talking to the wrong person...I book cruises for transportation and room.....I am not a newbie that thinks the cruiseline owes the pax a fabulous stressfree vacation where nothing will ever go wrong...sheesh![/quote]
add my DITTO to that!!

[cruisemom42]

Whoever plans the itineraries for cruise ships does not take holidays or closures into account, period. It would be nice if they did so, but there are many other variables to be considered (e.g., how far a ship can travel in a day and what ports are available in that radius; which ports offer the most options for those who may be having their 2nd or 3rd visit; safety and infrastructure; etc....).

I don't think there is any nefarious plan to call on a particular port on a particular day. I've seen many itineraries on different lines that call in Rome on Sunday. I've been to Istanbul on a Princess cruise on a day that wasn't a Monday or a Tuesday. I've also been there on another cruise line (HAL) which did stop there on one of those two days. When there are only 7 days in a week, there is about a 30% chance that your ship will call on a Monday or a Tuesday, all things being equal.... :cool:

The May 1 (European Labor Day) holiday also seems to take a lot of Americans by surprise; very few things are open.

If you cruise mainly for the ports (as I do) and strongly prefer not to take the ship excursions, cruises have their limitations. Which is why I do a lot of research before I select a particular cruise and why I'm not all that brand loyal (at least when it comes to mainstream cruises). I won't visit Santorini on a large ship, for example, due to the tendering issue. (And in fact, I won't visit Santorini until the Akrotiri site reopens, but that's a whole 'nuther story....)

[Cruisin' Chick]

Today I told my hubby about this thread and he agreed when I mentioned what one person said about just being glad to be able to go on such a great vacation. In fact, for us, being able to go on a relaxing vacation out on the ocean would be wonderful.

When we were planning out what we might do in our ports on our last cruise, I let my teen look over the brochures I collected for each stop and let her mark with post it notes sites of interest to her.

There were a couple of places (an astronomy center, for example) that were going to be closed on the day of the week we would be on those islands. No biggie, maybe one day she'll get to go visit again when she can see them. There were enough interesting places for us to check out.

[jpthomas27]

The change is inconvinient for sure, and I do agree that Princess could at least notify passemngers, but I hardly think this is a case of "the man" keeping you down.

The accusation that they did it on purpose is completely unfounded and nothing more than a rediculous conspiracy theory.

[Aussie Gal]

The change in that particular Princess itinerary is not such a big deal. Things do happen and I understand that. We were supposed to visit Easter Island earlier this year but the weather wasn't friendly enough for our ship unfortunately. There were 650 very disappointed passengers at the time as we were just waiting for the tenders to be lowered but we soon got over that and instead enjoyed 11.5 days at sea!

I really do feel sorry for my friend and husband who are going on an Oceania cruise in a week's time from Capetown. They booked the cruise over a year ago with a terrific itinerary and during the past few months, gradually the itinerary has changed so much that it is now more of a beach vacation with lots of stops in places like Mauritius and Seychelles instead of Kenya, Tanzania and Mynamar. This mainly has been done since everyone paid their cruise in full especially as Oceania likes their final payment at least 4 or 5 months in advance. Their Roll Call has been up in arms and has even sent emails and letters to the CEO but nothing has been changed.

They are paying out lots of dollars and hopefully they will have a great cruise but they are certainly not going on the cruise they had originally booked.

Jennie

[RickEk]

[quote name='Aussie Gal']The change in that particular Princess itinerary is not such a big deal. Things do happen and I understand that. We were supposed to visit Easter Island earlier this year but the weather wasn't friendly enough for our ship unfortunately. There were 650 very disappointed passengers at the time as we were just waiting for the tenders to be lowered but we soon got over that and instead enjoyed 11.5 days at sea!

I really do feel sorry for my friend and husband who are going on an Oceania cruise in a week's time from Capetown. They booked the cruise over a year ago with a terrific itinerary and during the past few months, gradually the itinerary has changed so much that it is now more of a beach vacation with lots of stops in places like Mauritius and Seychelles instead of Kenya, Tanzania and Mynamar. This mainly has been done since everyone paid their cruise in full especially as Oceania likes their final payment at least 4 or 5 months in advance. Their Roll Call has been up in arms and has even sent emails and letters to the CEO but nothing has been changed.

They are paying out lots of dollars and hopefully they will have a great cruise but they are certainly not going on the cruise they had originally booked.

Jennie[/QUOTE]

WHAT???!!You must be mistaken! Obviously, [U]only[/U] Princess does this to their passengers!! :rolleyes: :p ;)

[jannandjohn]

[quote name='Aussie Gal']
They are paying out lots of dollars and hopefully they will have a great cruise but they are certainly
[B]not going on the cruise they had originally booked.[/B]
Jennie[/quote]

this is the point I was trying to get across, if we did a bus tour and it was changed to something totally different to that planned,
I would also feel the same way..why would I feel like it was ok? ..if it wasn't what I paid for?
I may not be able to change the weather,etc, etc..
but I CAN feel disappointed in missing out on the reason I chose to do a particular trip...

we are fortunate that we can afford other cruises,
[B]but many others have saved and done without for a long time,
plus put in many hours organising tours etc, only to be denied what they had saved for[/B]!

(I for one do not think that $31 each refund compensated for the loss of 5 ports on our last cruise !!
the ship certainly did not suffer, they would have made more money onboard)

[quote name='RickEk']WHAT???!!You must be mistaken! Obviously, only Princess does this to their passengers!! [/quote]

I don't care which cruiseline does it..Princess or others...it bugs me.