Caribbean Princess delayed!

[wahlct]

Has anyone considered a charge-back on their credit card?

 

 

Working on that right now. :)

[chloe45]

I feel so bad for all of you folks whose vacation is ruined. The first time I was on CB was in 2006. We lost an engine and missed a port. I think it was Princess Cay. I remember thinking at the time that this was bad for a ship that was only a year and a half old. So for Princess to say the engine problem is not a re-occuring problem is total hokum!

[Cruzin-K]

I just saw this in response to a post on Facebook. The response was from Princess Cruises

 

"Repairs to the port propulsion motor continue and good progress is being made. The April 1st cruise is still scheduled and if there is any change to report, we will communicate those to you."

 

I'm confused - I thought the ship was already fixed :confused:

[highheel girl]

I just saw this in response to a post on Facebook. The response was from Princess Cruises

 

"Repairs to the port propulsion motor continue and good progress is being made. The April 1st cruise is still scheduled and if there is any change to report, we will communicate those to you."

 

I'm confused - I thought the ship was already fixed :confused:

 

Apparently those were CC rumors and not official word from Princess.

After all Princess should know when its fixed. :)

[aaerobear]

LOL, I would not bank on them knowing anymore than we do. They are notorious for giving bad information.

 

I am just waiting for news that it has sailed on 4/01 and all is in working order.

[BCFamily]

I am presently gatherng information from various passengers in regards to reimbursement of the total Cruise cost. We were on the March 11-25 back to back, I have emails from passengers in the UK that have been refunded total cruise cost including air fares.

I for one am not content with the cruise refund and 25% future cruise credit, it cost me $2200 to fly and will cost me that again. For me to take another cruise with princess it would cost me $4400 in travel costs. We booked a balcony which cost extra, I got to look at the local airport and watch local port crew cut metal roofing adjacent to my balcony for 5 days, work started at 8:00 am and was noisy.

Once I have gathered sufficient information from other passengers then I will be submitting a claim, not what Princess thinks is sufficient. If they choose not to refund then I will peruse a smal claims action to recover the costs.

My family is not asking for compensation over and above the cost, just reimbursement of our total cost to undertake a future cruise. If Princess truly values their customer then they would refund the total cost in the hopes that the customer will return, the position they are taking will loose a substantial customer base. We have many years of traveling ahead which amounts to about $5000 year, how Princess handles this will determine our loyalty and many others for years to come.

Others seemed to think we should of had back up plans and were adequately refunded, which is absolutely rediculous. We work and save all year for this vacation and others sometimes longer, who can afford to book two vacations in case one fails. The failure was due to engine failure which has been previously reported, Princess new their was a problem before we sailed,it is their responsibility to maintain the ship, they are negligent not us.

If the CEO or Captain of Princess was on vacation what do you think they would expect if their vacation was cancelled without a full refund.

[shaunster12]

We were on the 11-25th B2B as well, we are from the UK and I can confirm we have already received a full refund of everything we paid for the cruise. Cruise fare, airfare and transfers have all been refunded.

[curiouscat]

We were on the 11-25th B2B as well, we are from the UK and I can confirm we have already received a full refund of everything we paid for the cruise. Cruise fare, airfare and transfers have all been refunded.

 

Because the UK cruise contract is different than the US one....it protects consumers a lot more than the US one( which really doesn't favor US consumers at all)

 

CC

[2theship]

Because the UK cruise contract is different than the US one....it protects consumers a lot more than the US one( which really doesn't favor US consumers at all)

 

CC

 

We are in the U.S. and have received our full refund. FYI, I'm the OP - when I was sitting in St. Maarten and writing the note, I never imagined how the situation would play out.

[newport dave]

Because we book everything as a 'package' with Princess, then they are liable to refund all costs under UK law. See below for relevant parts of UK booking conditions.

 

ALTERATION AND CANCELLATION BY PRINCESS PRIOR TO DEPARTURE

35. Whilst Princess will do its best not to cancel or to make any significant alteration after a booking has been made, it shall nevertheless be entitled at any time prior to departure to cancel the Contract or to change and/or curtail the Package where this reasonably becomes necessary on operational, commercial or other grounds. Princess will inform the Passenger of any such cancellation or change of Package as quickly as possible (with, where appropriate, written confirmation as soon as reasonably possible thereafter). If Princess makes a significant alteration to the Package it will inform the Passenger or his travel agent as soon as reasonably possible. The Passenger will have the choice of either accepting the alteration, accepting an offer of an alternative Package of comparable standard if available (Princess will refund any fare difference if the alternative is of a lower value) or cancelling the Package and receiving a full refund of all monies paid. The Passenger recognises and agrees that it will not normally be possible for Princess to offer an appropriate substitute Package which is available at about the same time as and/or with a similar itinerary to that originally booked, but Princess will do its best to provide a suitable alternative Package of similar duration and value. The Passenger must notify Princess of his decision as soon as reasonably possible and in any event not later than 14 days of being informed of the significant alteration.

 

ALTERATION AND CANCELLATION BY PRINCESS AFTER DEPARTURE

38. After departure, Princess does not guarantee that the ship will call at every port on the itinerary or follow every part of the advertised route or schedule or that every part of the Package will be provided. Princess reserves the absolute right to decide whether or not to omit any such port(s) and/or to call at additional ports and/or to change the advertised route, schedule or Package. If Princess is unable to provide a significant proportion of the Package, it will make suitable alternative arrangements, at no extra cost to the Passenger, for the continuation of the Package. If the Passenger does not accept them, for good reasons, or, if it is impossible to make suitable alternative arrangements Princess will, where appropriate, provide the Passenger with transport back to the place of departure or to another place to which Princess and the Passenger have agreed. In both cases Princess will, where appropriate, compensate the Passenger. Please note that compensation will not be payable if an alteration is minor or if Princess is not able to provide a significant proportion of the Package due to force majeure.

[Harris Jeffer]

I was just in San Juan and did not see any activity on the CP.....no crew no activity at all! It looked like a ghost ship! It has been at the pan american pier for 2 weeks!:eek:

[AMAC86]

So she's still sitting there? The plot thickens...

[fishin' musician]

It actually moved from the Pan American last Friday. It is now on the same side of the bay as the Old San Juan pier, but about 1 mile east. I suspect the move coincided with the beginning of the actual repair operations.

[Matcodixon]

I am guessing that getting the necessary parts took a bit of time. I really doubt that they were in stock in Puerto Rico. A drive motor will not fit in a Fed Ex overnight package. You can bet that Princess is doing everything that they can to get this ship repaired and back in service. Every cruise that they have to cancel costs them a tremendous amount of money. I certainly feel for those of you that had your cruise cancelled. I know how I would feel if our Mediterranean cruise in August is cancelled at the last minute.

 

For those of you that have complained that somehow Princess ignored a problem, I wonder just what you would suggest? Every cruise line keeps their ships running day after day without a day off. They arrive at the port in the morning and depart later the same day with a shipload of new people. The only way that they put a ship out of service is with a great deal of advance preparation and notice. Any other time involves cruises cancelled and disappointed, even angry, customers. There is not a "rent-a ship" handy as a last minute replacement and even if there was, where would you keep it? How often do things like this happen anyway? Who could afford to keep a nice, current ship sitting empty, just in case? And who would be happy with an old, retired ship instead? Cars yes, even airplanes, but cruise ships?

 

For those of you scheduled to depart on the 1st, I hope it is repaired for you by then.

[Cruisin' & Breezin']

I am guessing that getting the necessary parts took a bit of time. I really doubt that they were in stock in Puerto Rico. A drive motor will not fit in a Fed Ex overnight package. You can bet that Princess is doing everything that they can to get this ship repaired and back in service. Every cruise that they have to cancel costs them a tremendous amount of money. I certainly feel for those of you that had your cruise cancelled. I know how I would feel if our Mediterranean cruise in August is cancelled at the last minute.

 

For those of you that have complained that somehow Princess ignored a problem, I wonder just what you would suggest? Every cruise line keeps their ships running day after day without a day off. They arrive at the port in the morning and depart later the same day with a shipload of new people. The only way that they put a ship out of service is with a great deal of advance preparation and notice. Any other time involves cruises cancelled and disappointed, even angry, customers. There is not a "rent-a ship" handy as a last minute replacement and even if there was, where would you keep it? How often do things like this happen anyway? Who could afford to keep a nice, current ship sitting empty, just in case? And who would be happy with an old, retired ship instead? Cars yes, even airplanes, but cruise ships?

 

For those of you scheduled to depart on the 1st, I hope it is repaired for you by then.

 

This is the most intelligent post regarding this situation I have seen so far. You are totally right. What do people expect Princess or any other cruise line to do? The problem arose at a moment when a drydock was not scheduled so other than cancelling scheduled cruises, there was absolutely no other option for a permanent fix of the problem. They tried to fix it in St. Marteen and probably tried to fix it before, if it is true that this exact thing was happening before (it may have been a different issue). No matter when, people were going to be disappointed. It happened to the March cruisers. It could have happened on a different month and the same amount of people would have been affected.

 

As for the issue of compensation, read the contract that you agreed to when you paid final payment. You will see that Princess went above and beyond what they were required to do. I understand you may be unhappy with it, I would be, but legally, they have absolutely no more responsibility and any legal action will end up costing even more money, to the passenger, not Princess!

 

And dont think it is only Princess or Carnival Corp. I bet if you read the RCL contract it will be worded practically the same way.

[cayugashue]

I am guessing that getting the necessary parts took a bit of time. I really doubt that they were in stock in Puerto Rico. A drive motor will not fit in a Fed Ex overnight package. You can bet that Princess is doing everything that they can to get this ship repaired and back in service. Every cruise that they have to cancel costs them a tremendous amount of money. I certainly feel for those of you that had your cruise cancelled. I know how I would feel if our Mediterranean cruise in August is cancelled at the last minute.

 

For those of you that have complained that somehow Princess ignored a problem, I wonder just what you would suggest? Every cruise line keeps their ships running day after day without a day off. They arrive at the port in the morning and depart later the same day with a shipload of new people. The only way that they put a ship out of service is with a great deal of advance preparation and notice. Any other time involves cruises cancelled and disappointed, even angry, customers. There is not a "rent-a ship" handy as a last minute replacement and even if there was, where would you keep it? How often do things like this happen anyway? Who could afford to keep a nice, current ship sitting empty, just in case? And who would be happy with an old, retired ship instead? Cars yes, even airplanes, but cruise ships?

 

For those of you scheduled to depart on the 1st, I hope it is repaired for you by then.

 

How refreshing and right you are! I too would be totally disappointed if my crusie were cancelled, however I'd rather have it cancelled (and receive my compensation than be stranded at sea...) As far as claims that the ship should have been repaired soon, perhaps yes, but whenever they chose to do the repairs, customers would have been "inconvenienced". No crusie line wants to cancel a cruise. How often does it happen? And how often does a customer file a lawsuit under these conditions and win? The answer to both questions is "seldom".

[StillPooh]

The only way that they put a ship out of service is with a great deal of advance preparation and notice. Any other time involves cruises cancelled and disappointed, even angry, customers.

So it's better to ignore continuing problems and just cross fingers they don't get worse? I am betting that's what happened with the 2 fairly recent engine fires (on the Carnival Splendor and the Costa Allegra) ending with passengers stranded at sea for days.

 

Are they planning a shakedown cruise (sans passengers) prior to the April 1 sailing? If not this will happen again, sooner or later.

 

I am very grateful all I lost was a night's sleep (when the ship was making so much noise we were up all night, on Friday, February 3rd). It could have been us that this happened to.

[fishin' musician]

So it's better to ignore continuing problems and just cross fingers they don't get worse? I am betting that's what happened with the 2 fairly recent engine fires (on the Carnival Splendor and the Costa Allegra) ending with passengers stranded at sea for days.

 

Are they planning a shakedown cruise (sans passengers) prior to the April 1 sailing? If not this will happen again, sooner or later.

 

I am very grateful all I lost was a night's sleep (when the ship was making so much noise we were up all night, on Friday, February 3rd). It could have been us that this happened to.

 

So it sounds like you're saying they should have cancelled your cruise and fixed it that week?

[FLACRUISER99]

This is the most intelligent post regarding this situation I have seen so far. You are totally right. What do people expect Princess or any other cruise line to do? The problem arose at a moment when a drydock was not scheduled so other than cancelling scheduled cruises' date=' there was absolutely no other option for a permanent fix of the problem. They tried to fix it in St. Marteen and probably tried to fix it before, if it is true that this exact thing was happening before (it may have been a different issue). No matter when, people were going to be disappointed. It happened to the March cruisers. It could have happened on a different month and the same amount of people would have been affected.

 

As for the issue of compensation, read the contract that you agreed to when you paid final payment. You will see that Princess went above and beyond what they were required to do. I understand you may be unhappy with it, I would be, but legally, they have absolutely no more responsibility and any legal action will end up costing even more money, to the passenger, not Princess!

 

And dont think it is only Princess or Carnival Corp. I bet if you read the RCL contract it will be worded practically the same way.[/quote']Except often there is a big difference between whats in the contract and whats right!

[ChaChaBoy]

My wife and I were on the CB for two weeks, Mar 4-11 & Mar 11-18. From Mar 4 - 13, everything was great, even arriving in St. Martin hours late. Mar 14 wasn't supposed to be a sea day, but, what the heck. However, arriving in San Juan, and for the rest of our time on the ship, we were virtual prisoners on the ship until 10:30 in the morning.

 

If you wanted to do anything anywhere else besides Old San Juan, you basically couldn't get started until noon. We wanted to go snorkelling out of Fajardo, but the bus picked up at 8:00am, so that was out of the question. No consideration was given by either Princess or the port facilities to accomodate anyone for earlier shore times.

 

Yes, I got my money back, and a 25% credit for a future cruise, and it didn't mess with my travel arrangements, but I am still disappointed. I would have preferred to stay in St. Martin for four days. You can't tell me that repairs couldn't be done just as easily there as in San Juan. If repairs didn't start in San Juan until this week, then there was no valid reason to strand us in San Juan

[StillPooh]

So it sounds like you're saying they should have cancelled your cruise and fixed it that week?

If my choices were to either be canceled ahead of time or be trapped like those on the 3/11 sailing' date=' then [b']yes[/b]. I always buy insurance.

 

Ideally the ship should have been taken out of service as soon as Princess became aware of the propulsion issue. Waiting for her to break down miles from her home port (or God forbid, catch fire at sea) is not the best idea. :rolleyes:

[PrincessE]

So it's better to ignore continuing problems and just cross fingers they don't get worse? I am betting that's what happened with the 2 fairly recent engine fires (on the Carnival Splendor and the Costa Allegra) ending with passengers stranded at sea for days.

 

Are they planning a shakedown cruise (sans passengers) prior to the April 1 sailing? If not this will happen again, sooner or later.

 

I am very grateful all I lost was a night's sleep (when the ship was making so much noise we were up all night, on Friday, February 3rd). It could have been us that this happened to.

 

But that's just it. You're "betting" that this is what the cruise lines did - ignore the problem. You don't KNOW this is what they did. Honest to goodness...really? Do you think these professional cruise lines hire dimwits to maintenance and run their multi-million dollar ships? Do you honestly think they're all running around with their fingers and toes crossed hoping and praying the old girl stays afloat?

 

As for, as you put it, a "shakedown cruise", I'm sure Princess has everything in hand when it comes to sea trials and making sure the Caribbean Princess is prepared to go to sea under her own power.

 

I'm really floored by all the arrogance on these boards from people who have an opinion, which they practically state as FACT, on the workings and running of a mega-ship.

[Cruisin' & Breezin']

Except often there is a big difference between whats in the contract and whats right!

 

Yes, but a contract is a contract and wether it is right or not, if you agreed to it, then there is very little legal argument...

[pcsunlover]

Except often there is a big difference between whats in the contract and whats right!

 

I agree. What do I expect Princess to do? I expect them at this point to give me adequate notice whether or not my cruise is going to be cancelled so I can commit to another cruise or plan. They've been working on the ship for 2 weeks and should have a reasonable idea at this point if next weeks cruise and the one leaving on the 8th (my cruise) are going to happen. Everyone says to have a Plan B, but how can I have a Plan B if I am legally contracted still to Plan A? I can't make plans to switch my flights to go on a different cruise or put a deposit down for a land vacation if they wait until a day or 2 before we are supposed to leave to cancel.

 

I'm trying really hard to remain positive, but all of this waiting and wondering is stressful and has taken away some of the joy and anticipation for this cruise. I won't be bitter about a cancellation if I'm given at least a fighting chance to salvage the vacation that I've saved for all year. I feel very sorry for the cruisers who are stuck blindly flying to San Juan later this week without knowing for sure that their cruise is still on.

[PescadoAmarillo]

New update from Princess. This just gets better and better. I was transferred to a Customer Service manager today. She said they cancelled my trip insurance when the cruise was cancelled, so I can't file a claim through that. Funny thing is, they didn't refund my insurance cost, only cruise fare and taxes. So right now they are saying too bad about your air fare booked through ezAir and insurance costs. They said I get a air credit, but as I stated before, they already sent me an email stating my air credit is zero. The interesting thing about that email was that they included an FCC id number on it. I guess I can contact the FCC to see what they have to say about a company taking money through a credit card and not delivering on it.

 

As for the person stating they didn't get any emails from Princess. We booked directly through Princess, so I'm guessing that is the reason for the communications.

 

My wife is really losing it now. She's wanting to find others that this has happened to and file a class action lawsuit, lol.

 

Wahlct- I have just read your four posts. I'm kind of shocked by what you're being told, and I would challenge anyone else to read your comments and not be shocked. You booked everything through Princess, AND had Princess insurance. Based on your 25% FCC, it seems that your cruise fare was $1598. The difference between that and your $1753 credit must be taxes and port charges.

 

You've been told the insurance doesn't cover anything since Princess cancelled the cruise, not you, but you're not getting the insurance associated with the cancelled cruise refunded. You're only getting back on your air what someone without any insurance would get (the value less $150 per ticket change fee, in the form of a credit to be used within one year).

 

The air and insurance portions of all this just don't seem right. Why are you being charged for insurance and then not being given any compensation different from someone who didn't purchase insurance? I really hope that everyone who, like me, purchases insurance for every cruise reads about what's happening to you. To me, it's a huge cautionary tale.