Princess screwed our Med Cruise

[greatam]

Roberta, that is interesting since I am looking at our application for a China 2 entry Visa - 2 Day Processing Requirements from our Visa Service and it says:

 

 

Jackie

 

Your requirements are for a 2 ENTRY(or double) visa. Very easy to get and needed for most cruises to China. No extra documentation requireed.

 

I needed a MULTIPLE entry visa. Entry into Beijing by air, entry into Shanghai by ship, then a port stop in Pusan South Korea, which necessitated the THIRD entry to disembark in Tianjin (Beijing).

 

I was working with Zierer Visa service (recommended by Princess). They knew I needed the letter from Princess' port agent and were acting as liason between myself and Princess to procur the letter. It was after I did not get the Princess letter that I went to the consulate myself, hoping maybe they would overlook the necessity of the letter. I even posted on CC and a couple other bulletin boards, hoping someone may have a business contact in China who would be willing to write the letter I needed, all to no avail.

[MaryPoppinz]

Could your TA have stepped in somewhere and expedited getting the letter from Princess for you? I'm sure you considered this....just wondering why your TA couldn't make it happen with Princess??

[greatam]

Could your TA have stepped in somewhere and expedited getting the letter from Princess for you? I'm sure you considered this....just wondering why your TA couldn't make it happen with Princess??

 

After the 2003 cruise was cancelled due to SARS, all bookings and information was directly from Princess. Now I know how stupid that was-I did not take any of the compensation that Princess offered for the cancelled cruise. I only wanted an identical cruise. I wanted the same suite I had picked in 2002 and I wanted the same price. I really would have saved money if I would have taken their 50% off deal, but I didn't want to take the chance of not getting what I wanted and the deal was only good for one year. They sailed a smaller ship (Regal or Royal, can't remember) in 2004.

 

Since I wanted to rebook an identical cruise, and only reverse itinerary was available, and the TA I had originally worked with had already been paid commission, Princess told the original TA via conference call that they would handle the rebooking, making the arrangements to change the tickets with Qantas, etc. so there was no TA involved in the rebooked cruise.

 

I am really not sure if a TA would have been able to help. I needed the letter from Princess port agent in China. My brother is a maritime attorney and I am a transportation attorney (not practicing) and no amount of phone calls or letters were shaking the letter loose from China.

 

I leave Monday, October 3 for 31 days in China, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. I currently have a multiple entry visa. Letter I needed was sent in less than 3 weeks after request by the CTS agent who booked my Yangtze river cruise and arranged my trip to Tibet (which takes another special permit). I am happy with my trip. Don't like the idea of schlepping luggage and moving from hotel to hotel, but will really get to see the country.

 

Will conduct a little business in Thailand, see a whole LOT of Vietnam (15 days), get to see the Great Wall, the pandas in the mountains outside Chengdu, and take a quick look around Beijing. Am going back to China for the Olympics, so am not spending much time in Beijing. But I do want to see the Yangtze river before it is completely flooded and looking like Lake Powell and I want to see the highly endangered pandas in the wild. Thanks for your help.

 

Gina

[MaryPoppinz]

I'm not sure that having a TA would have helped you either. I just wondered whether yours was trying.

 

Thanks for the cautionary tale......

[KCTeach]

First of all I wish I could have been on this cruise. Any cruise is wonderful! Changing ports is something that can always happen. Taking food or beverages from the dining room is not a good thing. If you didn't have anything better to do than watch 7 people walk by your hot dog plate then why didn't you throw it away yourself? We do that in some help yourself eating places (on deck that would have been appropriate). Shame on the people that were rioting at the desk. Complaining about being in Athens early.....Get real....You were upset about 30 minutes different in your appointment...I wish my doctors appointments were on time, my hair appoints, dentist appts, ....I agree with the person that wrote maybe you shouldn't try cruising. I have been on other lines and they are all great but then that is my expectation and I am never disappointed. If you don't like the food don't cruise or go on a ship that specializes in food (more pricey).

 

KCTeach

[RetireeWannabee]

This has been a very educational thread.

 

I'm one of the "go with the flow" type people, but I do sympathize with those who have expectations that everything be perfect. It's an unrealistic expectation unless everything is under your own control, but everyone has their own priorities. Life is imperfect. If you aren't the type of person that can roll with it, I'm sure it's harder on you.

 

To me, a "ruined cruise" would be that horrible "cruise illness" where I couldn't do anything but puke and sleep. So long as I'm healthy, I'd be seeing whatever sights they brought me to, eating the food and otherwise availing myself of the amenities and other positive-minded shipmates.

 

The bottom line is that everyone can choose where or where not to spend their money. If something unexpected happens, you can choose how to deal with it.

 

Please, if we are on the same cruise when we miss a port, do not try to enlist me in the riot or petition. While I will feel bad for you that it becomes an overpowering disappointment to you, I'll be the one making the most of my paid-for vacation, even if I just lost money on privately-booked excursions.

[ucalegend]

My husband and I are expecting our first child in February! Because of this we decided to take one final trip together before we have children. We chose to go on a Mediterranean cruise with princess because we had heard good things about the cruise line and we chose to go on the Grand Princess because it went to Istanbul which has the largest bazaar in the world! We can honestly say we were extremely disappointed in our choice and the quality of Princess Cruise Lines.

 

 

The first few days we were on the ship we were sadly disappointed in the food and cabin service. The buffet was the same every morning and the quality of the buffet was terrible. If we had wanted frozen food reheated we would have stayed home! The service on deck was also substandard. It took my husband 20 minutes to get a glass of orange juice and it cost us a small fortune. We have been on another cruise line and were offered juice at the buffet at all times. Juice on this cruise was only available at breakfast in the buffet and then you had to pay for it. Being pregnant, I am unable to drink coffee or tea so that left me the option of water and nothing else. This is unacceptable.

 

 

In the dining room the menu was also disappointing and only improved the last four days of the cruise. We found the staff very inflexible and if we asked for something that was not on the menu, such as vinaigrette dressing, it was not available- even if it had been available the night before. My husband got a cold while on the ship and I was unable to get a pot of tea for him from any of the staff. We also found that the upkeep of the boat was very inadequate. In the dining room we had to alternate seating between our tablemates as one of the chairs was wobbly due to the uneven floor.

 

 

The lack of communication by staff on this ship was our next point of contention. We were not told what was going on when there was a virus on board. We just found we were unable to serve our own food including ketchup and the staff spent all their time wiping down the ship with Virox disinfectant. We are all adults and would have handled the information that there was a flu virus in the Mediterranean with calmness. Because we could not get any information from any of the staff it caused more panic and upset. Also, when we did have maintenance issues the Captain waited until 10:30pm to make an announcement that we were stopping in the middle of the ocean in the middle of the night to perform routine maintenance and that we would be unable to make our stop in Istanbul. I am sure that Captain was aware of a problem well before this time. This happened again the next night when the announcement at 11pm was made that we would be unable to make it to Kusadasi. Because we had private tours, we were force to make late night calls to try and cancel tours.

 

 

As you are aware the ship had engine problems and we were unable to make our ports in Istanbul and Kusadasi. We also were in Athens a day early, which ended up making us have to switch tour guides on short notice. The tour guide we ended being with spoke poor English and was only filling in for his uncle so did not know how to be a tour guide. The passengers never were told what the problem was and this caused a great deal of animosity amongst the passengers toward the employees of the ship. Princess offered us back our port charges, which was about $400US per passenger as settlement for the inconvenience. On a 12 day cruise with at least 4 days of the cruise being affected and the service being substandard, this is unacceptable. We paid 3128.93CAD per person for this cruise and $400US is only 15% of our total fee. This is inadequate in the biggest possible way and we find it insulting.

 

 

My husband and I are frequent travelers but unfortunately with all of the incidents with Princess, we feel at this time we are unable to recommend or travel in the future with Princess Cruise lines. We appreciate your attention in the matter and expect a prompt and adequate response to this issue. If it is not addressed in a timely and professional manner we will be forced to call our credit card company and dispute the charges since the services promised were not provided. We are also planning on submitting to various websites such as cruisecritic.com, etc once this matter had been addressed. We look forward to hearing from you.

[ucalegend]

My husband and I are expecting our first child in February! Because of this we decided to take one final trip together before we have children. We chose to go on a Mediterranean cruise with princess because we had heard good things about the cruise line and we chose to go on the Grand Princess because it went to Istanbul which has the largest bazaar in the world! We can honestly say we were extremely disappointed in our choice and the quality of Princess Cruise Lines.

 

 

The first few days we were on the ship we were sadly disappointed in the food and cabin service. The buffet was the same every morning and the quality of the buffet was terrible. If we had wanted frozen food reheated we would have stayed home! The service on deck was also substandard. It took my husband 20 minutes to get a glass of orange juice and it cost us a small fortune. We have been on another cruise line and were offered juice at the buffet at all times. Juice on this cruise was only available at breakfast in the buffet and then you had to pay for it. Being pregnant, I am unable to drink coffee or tea so that left me the option of water and nothing else. This is unacceptable.

 

 

In the dining room the menu was also disappointing and only improved the last four days of the cruise. We found the staff very inflexible and if we asked for something that was not on the menu, such as vinaigrette dressing, it was not available- even if it had been available the night before. My husband got a cold while on the ship and I was unable to get a pot of tea for him from any of the staff. We also found that the upkeep of the boat was very inadequate. In the dining room we had to alternate seating between our tablemates as one of the chairs was wobbly due to the uneven floor.

 

 

The lack of communication by staff on this ship was our next point of contention. We were not told what was going on when there was a virus on board. We just found we were unable to serve our own food including ketchup and the staff spent all their time wiping down the ship with Virox disinfectant. We are all adults and would have handled the information that there was a flu virus in the Mediterranean with calmness. Because we could not get any information from any of the staff it caused more panic and upset. Also, when we did have maintenance issues the Captain waited until 10:30pm to make an announcement that we were stopping in the middle of the ocean in the middle of the night to perform routine maintenance and that we would be unable to make our stop in Istanbul. I am sure that Captain was aware of a problem well before this time. This happened again the next night when the announcement at 11pm was made that we would be unable to make it to Kusadasi. Because we had private tours, we were force to make late night calls to try and cancel tours.

 

 

As you are aware the ship had engine problems and we were unable to make our ports in Istanbul and Kusadasi. We also were in Athens a day early, which ended up making us have to switch tour guides on short notice. The tour guide we ended being with spoke poor English and was only filling in for his uncle so did not know how to be a tour guide. The passengers never were told what the problem was and this caused a great deal of animosity amongst the passengers toward the employees of the ship. Princess offered us back our port charges, which was about $400US per passenger as settlement for the inconvenience. On a 12 day cruise with at least 4 days of the cruise being affected and the service being substandard, this is unacceptable. We paid 3128.93CAD per person for this cruise and $400US is only 15% of our total fee. This is inadequate in the biggest possible way and we find it insulting.

 

 

My husband and I are frequent travelers but unfortunately with all of the incidents with Princess, we feel at this time we are unable to recommend or travel in the future with Princess Cruise lines. We appreciate your attention in the matter and expect a prompt and adequate response to this issue. If it is not addressed in a timely and professional manner we will be forced to call our credit card company and dispute the charges since the services promised were not provided. We are also planning on submitting to various websites such as cruisecritic.com, etc once this matter had been addressed. We look forward to hearing from you.

[bdjam]

Interesting letter.

 

When did Princess stop offering juice at the buffet at breakfast? If you want fresh squeezed juice, you have to pay for it, but this is the first I’ve heard you weren’t able to get the regular stuff at the juice station. And on the cruises I’ve been on, even if juice wasn’t at the buffet after breakfast, one could get it by asking.

 

What does it mean that the menu was disappointing? And the entire ship’s upkeep was questionable because of one uneven chair? When did Princess stop delivering hot tea via room service?

 

Where did the information on the virus come from? Were the passengers really panicked over a lack of information regarding a virus? If they were not given information, how did the author know about the virus?

 

Princess offers tours through the ship – their tour companies would have been notified the ship’s schedule was changing and alternate arrangements would have been made. Princess really isn’t responsible for private tours – and can’t change anything about a nephew taking the place of an uncle on a private tour.

 

My understanding was that the passengers did know that there was engine issues and when didn’t get prompt progress notifications, got upset – but the letter says they knew nothing. The on board credit – no matter what the percentage of the over all fee – was for the missed ports, not for anything else.

 

What is a prompt and adequate response to the letter? The author should have stated what they wanted. And how timely is timely and how professional is professional? Certainly up to interpretation. The author can dispute with the credit card company, but Princess can simply prove the charges to be valid and they’ll end up back on the author’s account.

 

Sorry, call me a cheerleader, call me someone who never sees the negative from Princess – but this letter is poorly written, ambiguous and will probably not get the author any further compensation.

[bdjam]

Interesting letter.

 

When did Princess stop offering juice at the buffet at breakfast? If you want fresh squeezed juice, you have to pay for it, but this is the first I’ve heard you weren’t able to get the regular stuff at the juice station. And on the cruises I’ve been on, even if juice wasn’t at the buffet after breakfast, one could get it by asking.

 

What does it mean that the menu was disappointing? And the entire ship’s upkeep was questionable because of one uneven chair? When did Princess stop delivering hot tea via room service?

 

Where did the information on the virus come from? Were the passengers really panicked over a lack of information regarding a virus? If they were not given information, how did the author know about the virus?

 

Princess offers tours through the ship – their tour companies would have been notified the ship’s schedule was changing and alternate arrangements would have been made. Princess really isn’t responsible for private tours – and can’t change anything about a nephew taking the place of an uncle on a private tour.

 

My understanding was that the passengers did know that there was engine issues and when didn’t get prompt progress notifications, got upset – but the letter says they knew nothing. The on board credit – no matter what the percentage of the over all fee – was for the missed ports, not for anything else.

 

What is a prompt and adequate response to the letter? The author should have stated what they wanted. And how timely is timely and how professional is professional? Certainly up to interpretation. The author can dispute with the credit card company, but Princess can simply prove the charges to be valid and they’ll end up back on the author’s account.

 

Sorry, call me a cheerleader, call me someone who never sees the negative from Princess – but this letter is poorly written, ambiguous and will probably not get the author any further compensation.

[spingal]

Interesting letter.

 

When did Princess stop offering juice at the buffet at breakfast? If you want fresh squeezed juice, you have to pay for it, but this is the first I’ve heard you weren’t able to get the regular stuff at the juice station. And on the cruises I’ve been on, even if juice wasn’t at the buffet after breakfast, one could get it by asking.

 

Sorry, call me a cheerleader, call me someone who never sees the negative from Princess – but this letter is poorly written, ambiguous and will probably not get the author any further compensation.

I have always seen juices offered at the buffets. Brian is correct -- you only have to pay for fresh squeezed jiuce.

 

And I too can be called a cheerleader........I agree with Brian's points about this letter.

 

Sorry to hear that the OP and the person that wrote the other letter did not enjoy anything about their cruise. I hope they have better experiences on other cruise lines.

 

Jamie

[Pam in CA]

I agree with Brian on this one. Why didn't your husband just go to the buffet itself rather than "wait 20 minutes" for someone to get one for him? If you wanted to be waited on, I might suggest the dining room the next time you cruise. I've never heard of juice not available in either the buffet or dining room, plus in the buffet, there's always been someone with a juice cart going around and serving people directly at their table.

 

If you book an independent tour, then you assume all responsibility and costs related to that tour. Princess has no obligation to "make good" for something they didn't offer. If it was a Princess tour, you have the option of going to the Tour Desk and filling out a complaint. Chances are, you'll get a refund of some sort as long as the complaint is legitimate. Yes, ship's tours are more expensive but you also don't have to worry about being charged if the ship's itinerary changes or if there are other changes.

 

If we had wanted frozen food reheated we would have stayed home!

Here I thought every ship had crates of chickens and a herd of cows below decks. What a disappointment to find out that the food wasn't right off the hoof. Anyone had a tour of the vegetable garden or the waving fields of grain?

 

What services were in the passenger contract in your cruise documents that weren't provided? I'd be very interested to know what they were?

[coiran]

quote:

Here I thought every ship had crates of chickens and a herd of cows below decks. What a disappointment to find out that the food wasn't right off the hoof. Anyone had a tour of the vegetable garden or the waving fields of grain?

 

 

Do you mean to tell me that the food we eat has previously been frozen - and it took me 15 cruises to find this out!! We are doing a b/b in two weeks - I will make sure to demand fresh meats, poultry and seafood - none of that Swanson's frozen stuff. Thanks for the warning.:D

 

Ron

 

 

[bdjam]

Here I thought every ship had crates of chickens and a herd of cows below decks. What a disappointment to find out that the food wasn't right off the hoof. Anyone had a tour of the vegetable garden or the waving fields of grain?

:D :D :D In the old days before refrigeration, passengers used to sit down wind when at sea to escape the noise and smell from the slaughter house below decks. I suppose Grand Princess would be better equipped that way…at least the steaks would still be a-mooing...

[calikak]

Ditto Brian and Jamie on the juice issue. Unless the Grand has a different policy than the rest of the fleet, the juice (other than fresh-squeezed) and milk in the buffet at breakfast is free. Could some recent (say, in the last 2 months) cruiser on a different sailing on the Grand please explain the buffet breakfast beverage situation?

 

I reiterate my long-ago comments about Europe maybe not being the best cruise destination. If the point of your vacation is to see particular cities (which is why most people go to Europe), then a cruise is not a good choice because port cancellations can and do happen. I'm sorry that the folks on this particular sailing had to learn this the hard way, and hope they have a better time on their next vacation.

[trailercruiser]

This is why so many foriegners hate Americans. You sound liike over-indulged, selfish, brats with a ridiculous sense of entitlement.

 

I have four teens and they have been raised to know that sometimes things don't go as planned- ROLL WITH IT....

Maybe thats why so many Americans hate foriegners? Foriegners according to you never complain never whine:D what a joke. Did you teach your kids to roll with the punches when katrina hit? Because some decided not to leave now we have to here them blame everyone but themselves? I hate whiny self annointed america bashers. Talk about entitlement please lets talk about the French.

[trailercruiser]

You get to live in a beautiful City, don't get drafted, get Extra Monty Python AND originated my favorite show, SCTV. That really hurts.

It says your from Chicago, so please tell me who gets drafted in the usa? There has been no draft in the usa since democrat LBJ started the draft for vietnam? PS by the way its only a short drive from Chicago to Canada so feel free to leave whever your whing heart desires

[woodofpine]

There was a famous act called "The Butt Hole Surfers"...

 

C'mon, let's let this thread die a deserved if undignified death.

[spongerob]

I'm kind of with Woodofpine in sensing that this horse has been beat enough, but for anyone looking for some unsolicited advice, here it is.

 

This is a perfect example of how NOT to write a letter of complaint. It is destined for the round file. Our disappointed cruisers from Broken Arrow did not leave any room for an amicable conclusion. Threats and lists of minor complaints will not earn any sympathy.. State the nature of the complaint, any attempts made to resolve the complaint, and ask for a desired outcome. Be firm, yet fair, showing that you are willing to discuss the matter maturely. At best, this letter will elicit little more than a few chuckles as it is passed around the office.

[FitzLA]

People really need to read the fine print. Things happen and the cruise line is in no way held responsible. If you REALLY want to go somewhere, I would never recommened going there on a cruise as things happen all the time with port changes. Next time plan a land vacation and you will not be so dissapointed. I never plan a cruise for the ports, I cruise for the sake of cruising. That way I am not dissapointed if ports change. If I really want to see a certain place, I go to that place for a vacation. Not on a cruise.

[myangel]

I would have gladly switched places with you and would have had the time of my life!!! :):):)

[zductive]

Sorry that I had to chime in agan.

 

We paid a lot of money for a very nice cruise. Indeed, I enjoyed it quite bit. But, we did not get what we thought that we had paid for.

 

If you were in our shoes, I expect that you would ask for more than what we have been given.

 

At a minimum, about 8000 people have now seen that Princess has some dissatisifed customers. We were not dissatisfied until we were lied to and then after that, princess continued to lie by saying that the decision was being made by corporate while corporate now denies that and says that it was completely the decision of the captain.

 

8000 people have seen that they should not take a cruise with princess unless they really don't care what they get or where they go. We know this because Princess has very plainly told us that we were wrong to expect more.

 

Other cruise lines have just settled class action suits for things as trivial as not refunding port charges. Perhaps, litigation is the correct way to proceed with this issue. Too bad -- so sad -- bye by

[sandbag7]

Another thing about Canada-they have fewer white trash conservative nut jobs- My response referencing beautiful City, Monty Python, SCTV AND NO DRAFT, had nothing to do with you, so wave your flag elsewhere.

[sandbag7]

UCALegend and Zductive, you will find little support or respect here; these CC'ers are, largely, cold hearted creatures of habit who don't accept criticism of their favorite cruise lines (unless they favor a different cruise line, and then they support you for their nefarious purposes); they will offer to edit your criticism, but then will explain why things didn't really happen the way you said they did. Of course they see no disrespect in their denials of the events you describe. In any event, cruises are a bit of a crapshoot, mostly good with some annoyances, food in particular is not a high point, but if you enjoy the basic cruise concept you should not let this experience prevent you from cruising again-even on Princess.

[Pam in CA]

If you spent $3,000, $4,000, $5,000+ on something at home, wouldn't you do research about what you were buying? If you had an agent assisting you in the purchase, you would expect them to inform you in layman's terms of all of the possibilities and what could happen. Why would you spend that much money on a cruise and not do the same research or TA expectation?

 

Over and over again, the people who post that something went wrong say, "I didn't get what I thought I had paid for." Many of the people you are branding as "apologists" are really saying, "Why didn't you read and understand the cruise contract? Why didn't your TA inform you? Why didn't you do research?" It doesn't matter if it's a cruise, a boat, or a car... the same principal applies.