Princess cancelled my BVE!

[perfect match]

We had booked a BVE on the Royal out of Ft Lauderdale several months ago on the Dec 15 sailing. We have friends who are sailing on that cruise, so we were really looking forward to it, and so were they.

 

Today I got a voice mail message that our BVE had been cancelled, and they would be refunding our payment. I called Princess to verify this, and also to let them know how disappointed we are. I was told it was for "operational reasons". I didn't really expect them to tell me the real reason for the cancellation, but felt that I was getting a lot of double talk around it.

 

I was totally planning to buy some FCC's for DH and I, and had 2 sailings I was looking at booking. The first Princess rep I spoke to seemed to offer some hope that I might be allowed to purchase my FCC's anyway, a sort of consolation for not getting to do the BVE. Unfortunately, the supervisor I spoke with did not offer me that opportunity. Feels to me that Princess doesn't want my business. At this point, I will probably just do an onboard booking with Disney on our cruise coming up in Sept since they do have a very similar itinerary to one of the ones I was looking at on Princess.

 

About the only good thing I can say right now is that at least Princess did give me notification now instead of waiting until Dec to let me know. Still, we are very disappointed, and so are our friends. :(

[vmom]

I have friends who are just off the Royal Princess and had a phenomenal cruise, but they did say there are a few minor glitches to work out.

 

I think you should take Princess at their word, that they are some operational issues that are preventing them from offering the BVE (Bon Voyage experience) on the particular cruise you are planning.

 

Ships that are new tend to have minor issues that make take awhile to work out.

 

I have a hard time believing that you would actually refuse to cruise Princess just because you can't have the BVE package on that particular sailing. Seems like "cutting of your nose to spite your face" as the saying goes. Did I misunderstand and you were only going to be visiting the ship before the actual cruise and not actually on the cruise as a passenger? Either way, Princess offers a great cruise product and to refuse to sail them in the future because of a cancelled BVE seems like a bit of an over reaction.

 

I think your reaction that Princess doesn't want your business anymore just because they informed you they can't offer the BVE package on that day seems a bit over blown to me. Seems to me like Princess did the right thing. They were not able to offer that extra on that cruise and gave you plenty of notice to make other arrangements.

Edited August 20, 2013 by vmom

[Love.II.Cruise]

We had booked a BVE on the Royal out of Ft Lauderdale several months ago on the Dec 15 sailing. We have friends who are sailing on that cruise, so we were really looking forward to it, and so were they.

 

Today I got a voice mail message that our BVE had been cancelled, and they would be refunding our payment. I called Princess to verify this, and also to let them know how disappointed we are. I was told it was for "operational reasons". I didn't really expect them to tell me the real reason for the cancellation, but felt that I was getting a lot of double talk around it.

 

I was totally planning to buy some FCC's for DH and I, and had 2 sailings I was looking at booking. The first Princess rep I spoke to seemed to offer some hope that I might be allowed to purchase my FCC's anyway, a sort of consolation for not getting to do the BVE. Unfortunately, the supervisor I spoke with did not offer me that opportunity. Feels to me that Princess doesn't want my business. At this point, I will probably just do an onboard booking with Disney on our cruise coming up in Sept since they do have a very similar itinerary to one of the ones I was looking at on Princess.

 

About the only good thing I can say right now is that at least Princess did give me notification now instead of waiting until Dec to let me know. Still, we are very disappointed, and so are our friends. :(

 

Personally, I'd call back and try again. If you get the same answer from another supervisor, ask for their manager and see how that goes. They should at least allow you to buy FCC.

[pris993]

Don't blame you for being disappointed... I would call Princess again and press your desire to buy FBCs... you should aleast be able to go on the Royal for a BVE at a later date.

 

I too am very disappointed we a cruising on the Grand the end of Sept out of San Francisco. We live near San Francisco and have made it a practice to invite others on board when we cruise from our home port.

 

For this up coming cruise I wanted to invite my sister on board again, it is her 65th birthday in September so would have been fun. I was advised no BVE available for this cruise. Can't understand why Princess is not offering it, no explanation was provided. I do plan to let the Princess Rep on board know of our disappointment and will mention in our critique as well.

 

HOpe you get your FCCs.

[Pam in CA]

There could be a number of reasons why the BVE was canceled and Princess is under no obligation for a further explanation. It could have been a TSA issue if a lot of ships are in port at the same time, it could be something else. The good news is that you have months of advance notice.

 

You can ask for an FCC but I'd be very surprised if even talking to a Supervisor will help. The criteria is very clear: you have to be on board the ship to book. If you live near the port, you have the option to book another BVE at another time and get FCCs.

[KruzPrincess]

When my friends did the BVE with me in November they were not allowed to buy FCC's at all. They were told they didn't take deposits from people on a BVE. The Future Cruise Consultant sort of argued with me on the subject. So, imagine how upset you'd be if you'd gone on the BVE and then was turned down on placing the deposit? My friends still went ahead and booked the same Panama Canal cruise they had planned. They love the Princess product and wouldn't let that small disappointment keep them from going on the cruise they wanted. We had a great time on the BVE. I'm sorry you were cancelled, but I'm sure things happen that can't be helped.

[NauticalNelle]

We had booked a BVE on the Royal out of Ft Lauderdale several months ago on the Dec 15 sailing. We have friends who are sailing on that cruise, so we were really looking forward to it, and so were they.

 

Today I got a voice mail message that our BVE had been cancelled, and they would be refunding our payment. I called Princess to verify this, and also to let them know how disappointed we are. I was told it was for "operational reasons". I didn't really expect them to tell me the real reason for the cancellation, but felt that I was getting a lot of double talk around it.

 

I was totally planning to buy some FCC's for DH and I, and had 2 sailings I was looking at booking. The first Princess rep I spoke to seemed to offer some hope that I might be allowed to purchase my FCC's anyway, a sort of consolation for not getting to do the BVE. Unfortunately, the supervisor I spoke with did not offer me that opportunity. Feels to me that Princess doesn't want my business. At this point, I will probably just do an onboard booking with Disney on our cruise coming up in Sept since they do have a very similar itinerary to one of the ones I was looking at on Princess.

 

About the only good thing I can say right now is that at least Princess did give me notification now instead of waiting until Dec to let me know. Still, we are very disappointed, and so are our friends. :(

 

According to the Princess web site you can only book the BVE 3 months out. How could you book a BVE several months ago for Dec 2013?

 

It could be someone is having a wedding on board that day and the guest limit for the day will be reached with the wedding party. A wedding on board also ties up lots of other crew members on an already busy day.

 

Sounds rather childish that just because you can't go on a BVE you threaten to go to another cruise line and you expect some sort of compensation other than a full refund. :rolleyes:

[Kentchikan]

We had booked a BVE on the Royal out of Ft Lauderdale several months ago on the Dec 15 sailing. We have friends who are sailing on that cruise, so we were really looking forward to it, and so were they.

 

Today I got a voice mail message that our BVE had been cancelled, and they would be refunding our payment. I called Princess to verify this, and also to let them know how disappointed we are. I was told it was for "operational reasons". I didn't really expect them to tell me the real reason for the cancellation, but felt that I was getting a lot of double talk around it.

 

I was totally planning to buy some FCC's for DH and I, and had 2 sailings I was looking at booking. The first Princess rep I spoke to seemed to offer some hope that I might be allowed to purchase my FCC's anyway, a sort of consolation for not getting to do the BVE. Unfortunately, the supervisor I spoke with did not offer me that opportunity. Feels to me that Princess doesn't want my business. At this point, I will probably just do an onboard booking with Disney on our cruise coming up in Sept since they do have a very similar itinerary to one of the ones I was looking at on Princess.

 

About the only good thing I can say right now is that at least Princess did give me notification now instead of waiting until Dec to let me know. Still, we are very disappointed, and so are our friends. :(

 

I'm sorry to hear about your experience. I know how disappointing it you are. It's too bad that they didn't wait until they could talk to you in person instead of leaving the message on your answering machine. Having a live person express their apologies would have been a nicer let down. Some messages are better delivered in person.

[beg3yrs]

When my friends did the BVE with me in November they were not allowed to buy FCC's at all. They were told they didn't take deposits from people on a BVE. The Future Cruise Consultant sort of argued with me on the subject.

 

We had a similar experience last year as well. I've heard others mention you could purchase FCCs while on BVE and when we asked the consultant while on a BVE we also were told no.

[Pam in CA]

We had a similar experience last year as well. I've heard others mention you could purchase FCCs while on BVE and when we asked the consultant while on a BVE we also were told no.

Sounds typical of Princess, i.e., inconsistency. I wouldn't even ask but would fill out a form and drop it in the box. Take a photo of your filled out form before dropping it off.

[Kentchikan]

Sounds typical of Princess, i.e., inconsistency. I wouldn't even ask but would fill out a form and drop it in the box. Take a photo of your filled out form before dropping it off.

 

Sometimes the inconsistency can drive you bonkers. I guess it's true in every large organization but still very annoying.

[iceleven]

Sounds typical of Princess, i.e., inconsistency. I wouldn't even ask but would fill out a form and drop it in the box. Take a photo of your filled out form before dropping it off.

 

Good point. One doesn't need to actually meet with a future cruise agent. There are forms just outside of the office that can be filled in and dropped off in a mail-type slot just outside of the office. Whether they actually search the booked guests list of names, I am not sure. But certainly worth the effort.

[lovevacadays]

I'm sorry to hear your BVE was cancelled. Sounds like you were really looking forward to it. I know you wanted to do one when your friends were sailing but since you also want to buy FCC's did you ask if there were any other dates you could do your BVE?

 

I had one cancelled on me last fall and it was a little disappointing so I understand how you feel.

[Kentchikan]

Perfectmatch said her BVE was cancelled for "operational reasons".

OK wise CC boarders what does or could that mean?

[dsawyer]

You definitely will be able to purchase FCCs from Princess. Just call them back and ask to purchase them. Last fall after Sandy hit, our Caribbean Princess cruise was 2 days late leaving New York. I was cruising with my mother and my husband took us to the ship. We had purchased the BVE for him but Princess cancelled it. When the cruise was over, I called Princess and explained the situation and they let me buy an FCC for him. I had no problem at all.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Loonbeam]

There are more than a few reasons to delay or cancel a BVE. Scheduled inspections or a maintenance crew boarding for work are two of them, there are also turnaround issues that could affect the capability to do so.

 

As I understood it, FCCs cannot be purchased during the BVE. You get a $39 FCC as part of the package to cover the cost of the BVE if you purchase the cruise.

 

That doesn't means some Future Sales person might not put the credit card through to get the numbers, but that is not a guarantee it will be available.

[caribill]

Perfectmatch said her BVE was cancelled for "operational reasons".

OK wise CC boarders what does or could that mean?

 

"Operational Reasons" is the explanation for almost every change that Princess makes.

 

a) Changing an itinerary months in advance to substitute Nassau for Grand Turk for "Operational Reasons"

 

b) Eliminating a port entirely on a cruise for "Operational Reasons"

 

c) Shortening the amount of time in a port for "Operational Reasons"

 

d) etc.

 

e) And, we now see, cancelling a BVE for "Operational Reasons"

[Woobstr112G]

Sometimes the inconsistency can drive you bonkers. I guess it's true in every large organization but still very annoying.

 

Ain't that the truth.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Kentchikan]

"Operational Reasons" is the explanation for almost every change that Princess makes.

 

a) Changing an itinerary months in advance to substitute Nassau for Grand Turk for "Operational Reasons"

 

b) Eliminating a port entirely on a cruise for "Operational Reasons"

 

c) Shortening the amount of time in a port for "Operational Reasons"

 

d) etc.

 

e) And, we now see, cancelling a BVE for "Operational Reasons"

 

Is "operational reasons" the cruise line equivalent of a parent's "Because I said so that's why"?

[caribill]

Is "operational reasons" the cruise line equivalent of a parent's "Because I said so that's why"?

 

Good analogy.

[beg3yrs]

Is "operational reasons" the cruise line equivalent of a parent's "Because I said so that's why"?

 

Good analogy.

 

"It's none of your darn business so sod off" comes to mind as well.

 

Note: Content edited as this is a family forum ... :o

[PescadoAmarillo]

I called Princess three months ago and tried to book the Royal Princess BVE for 12/29/13 and I was told that it was already fully booked. After doing some checking, I discovered the 90 day booking window so I phoned Princess back and asked why a BVE that couldn't yet be booked was already fully booked. After being put on hold for a long time, I was told that the original rep was wrong; it wasn't fully booked, it just wasn't open for booking yet. I have on my calendar exactly 90 days before 12/29/12, and I'm going to phone to see what I'm told then.

 

In the meantime, we actually booked three Royal Princess cruises sailing before 12/29/12, so I'm not certain we're still interested. Still, I'm curious (and even more now, in light of the OP's experience), and want to see what the real story is about Royal Princess BVEs.

[mm1251]

We had booked a BVE on the Royal out of Ft Lauderdale several months ago on the Dec 15 sailing. We have friends who are sailing on that cruise, so we were really looking forward to it, and so were they.

 

Today I got a voice mail message that our BVE had been cancelled, and they would be refunding our payment. I called Princess to verify this, and also to let them know how disappointed we are. I was told it was for "operational reasons". I didn't really expect them to tell me the real reason for the cancellation, but felt that I was getting a lot of double talk around it.

 

I was totally planning to buy some FCC's for DH and I, and had 2 sailings I was looking at booking. The first Princess rep I spoke to seemed to offer some hope that I might be allowed to purchase my FCC's anyway, a sort of consolation for not getting to do the BVE. Unfortunately, the supervisor I spoke with did not offer me that opportunity. Feels to me that Princess doesn't want my business. At this point, I will probably just do an onboard booking with Disney on our cruise coming up in Sept since they do have a very similar itinerary to one of the ones I was looking at on Princess.

 

About the only good thing I can say right now is that at least Princess did give me notification now instead of waiting until Dec to let me know. Still, we are very disappointed, and so are our friends. :(

 

Could be worse . . . you could be in Singapore today trying to get on the Sun and be told your two week cruise is cancelled!

[RASHOPPER2]

There are more than a few reasons to delay or cancel a BVE. Scheduled inspections or a maintenance crew boarding for work are two of them, there are also turnaround issues that could affect the capability to do so.

 

As I understood it, FCCs cannot be purchased during the BVE. You get a $39 FCC as part of the package to cover the cost of the BVE if you purchase the cruise.

 

That doesn't means some Future Sales person might not put the credit card through to get the numbers, but that is not a guarantee it will be available.

 

My friends were on a BVE with us and they were able to purchase FCC at that time. Unless they have changed the rules since last December you should be able to buy them when on the BVE.

[missymerv]

I did BVE last September on Caribbean Princess here in NY and had a wonderful time. I dropped my form in the box outside the Future Cruise office at 2:30pm and had the FCC posted by 5pm when I got home. I also applied the $39pp to my booking on the Royal Princess this coming December.

 

Does anyone know if the Dec 8 BVE on the Royal is cancelled as well?