Daisyloo Posted October 27, 2015 #1 Share Posted October 27, 2015 We just found out that our April 2017 cruise has been cancelled by Princess. :(They don't say why, other than for operational reasons. We don't usually book that far ahead, but we did it this time on a Princess one day sale. We got the beverage package included which was an inducement to book early. They are offering $15 OBC each for our trouble. Not impressed. We have to let them know if we want to rebook on another sailing within 30 days. If they don't hear from us they will refund us the deposit. If we pick another sailing will we get the beverage package included again? If we decide we don't want to sail with them again at this time, will they refund our deposit as future cruise certificate? That's what we used for this cruise. I am waiting to hear from our TA regarding this but thought I would ask here as I am sure it's happened to many others and you might have words of wisdom for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffstew Posted October 27, 2015 #2 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Most of the April 2017 Caribbean cruises have been cancelled as the ships are being redeployed- mine included. There is currently another thread on this. If you used an FCC and don't rebook at this time it should be redeposited back into your account. Not sure about the perks if you do book another cruise that doesn't offer them. I would doubt the perks would be protected though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosethorn40 Posted October 27, 2015 #3 Share Posted October 27, 2015 $15 OBC? Did I read that correctly? I realize that you are almost a year and a half out, and I suppose that the thought process was you have plenty of time to choose something else, and you can't possibly be out any money, but I have to agree that if only $15 in OBC that is almost an insult. Sorry about your cruise. Even if it is a year + out, you may have had a special reason for booking THAT cruise, during THAT time period. Hope you find something else to your liking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky61 Posted October 27, 2015 #4 Share Posted October 27, 2015 If we pick another sailing will we get the beverage package included again? If we decide we don't want to sail with them again at this time, will they refund our deposit as future cruise certificate? That's what we used for this cruise. I'm sure that your TA or princess can give you a more definite answer to your questions.:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare hcat Posted October 27, 2015 #5 Share Posted October 27, 2015 We just found out that our April 2017 cruise has been cancelled by Princess. :(They don't say why, other than for operational reasons. We don't usually book that far ahead, but we did it this time on a Princess one day sale. We got the beverage package included which was an inducement to book early. They are offering $15 OBC each for our trouble. Not impressed. We have to let them know if we want to rebook on another sailing within 30 days. If they don't hear from us they will refund us the deposit. If we pick another sailing will we get the beverage package included again? If we decide we don't want to sail with them again at this time, will they refund our deposit as future cruise certificate? That's what we used for this cruise. I am waiting to hear from our TA regarding this but thought I would ask here as I am sure it's happened to many others and you might have words of wisdom for me. What ship, itin and date, pls? We are booked for a coastal Ca cruise on Ruby for April 2017... Sorry you were cancelled...happened to us recently on X.....also many months ahead...but we saw it coming and jumped to another date...so no compensation expected or offered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iceleven Posted October 27, 2015 #6 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Most of the April 2017 Caribbean cruises have been cancelled as the ships are being redeployed- mine included. There is currently another thread on this. If you used an FCC and don't rebook at this time it should be redeposited back into your account. Not sure about the perks if you do book another cruise that doesn't offer them. I would doubt the perks would be protected though. Redeployed where? Why "most"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffstew Posted October 27, 2015 #7 Share Posted October 27, 2015 Redeployed where? Why "most"? We can only guess at this point but sending the ships to Europe early seems like a good bet since they've done the same thing several years in a row now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare hcat Posted October 27, 2015 #8 Share Posted October 27, 2015 (edited) OOPS! Just saw it in your countdowns..hope it works out.... odd that the one Celebrity re-arranged also involved the ABC Islands... Guess we have to keep an eye on ours.... Edited October 27, 2015 by hcat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CA Posted October 27, 2015 #9 Share Posted October 27, 2015 (edited) It's not unusual for Princess and other lines to shift ships and itineraries. Always follow the money. If you see sales on a group of sailings you can be sure that Princess will shift/redeploy ships elsewhere to reduce capacity and increase pricing. Unlike hotels, ships are mobile and can sail to where higher fares can be asked and paid. While disappointing, you usually have at least a year's advance warning. A $15 OBC is more than I've received in the past for a canceled cruise. Any promotion you booked under wouldn't be valid on a replacement cruise unless it is being offered on that cruise and you are eligible. If you booked using an FCC, that'll go back into your Captain's Circle account. If you paid a deposit, it'll be refunded unless you rebook and apply the deposit. Edited October 27, 2015 by Pam in CA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribill Posted October 28, 2015 #10 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Redeployed where? Why "most"? All it takes is a decision to redeploy one ship. Then others get shifted to fill in the hole(s). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisyloo Posted October 28, 2015 Author #11 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Thanks all for your input. We are a little annoyed as we were travelling with others and that time frame worked for all of us as, well as the itinerary appealing to us all. Oh well, it is what it is. We will find something else. What bugs us the most is that the Canadian dollar was a lot higher when we booked it. Now comparable cruises will be that much more expensive. We will probably just get a refund and maybe book closer to departure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steelers36 Posted October 28, 2015 #12 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Thanks all for your input. We are a little annoyed as we were travelling with others and that time frame worked for all of us as, well as the itinerary appealing to us all. Oh well, it is what it is. We will find something else. What bugs us the most is that the Canadian dollar was a lot higher when we booked it. Now comparable cruises will be that much more expensive. We will probably just get a refund and maybe book closer to departure. I would ask them if you are prepared to re-book a new cruise, will they do it at the same exchange rate as your cancelled booking? Tell them you booked that far ahead as it was a group booking and you wanted to lock in the exchange rate. If you cannot get them to agree, then ask for a full refund if that is your other option. They may think you intend to book with someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Putterdude Posted October 28, 2015 #13 Share Posted October 28, 2015 We had a cruise cancelled for January of this year as a result of the ship being redeployed. We received about 17 months notice of the redeployment and while we were disappointed we did have plenty of time to book an other cruise. Our compensation....well we got our FCCs put back and a 'sorry'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bUU Posted October 28, 2015 #14 Share Posted October 28, 2015 (edited) I'm not sure about Princess Cruise Line specifically, but for most of the travel and hospitality industry there is a cut-off point that divides speculative plans from firm plans. For most providers, that's 330 days prior, a reflection of legacy considerations over fifty years old, that you can trace back to the original electronic booking systems. While the legacy limitations no longer apply, I bet most T&L purveyors still regard that as the point when advance reservations become real. Edited October 28, 2015 by bicker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ontheweb Posted October 28, 2015 #15 Share Posted October 28, 2015 We just found out that our April 2017 cruise has been cancelled by Princess. :(They don't say why, other than for operational reasons. We don't usually book that far ahead, but we did it this time on a Princess one day sale. We got the beverage package included which was an inducement to book early. They are offering $15 OBC each for our trouble. Not impressed. We have to let them know if we want to rebook on another sailing within 30 days. If they don't hear from us they will refund us the deposit. If we pick another sailing will we get the beverage package included again? If we decide we don't want to sail with them again at this time, will they refund our deposit as future cruise certificate? That's what we used for this cruise. I am waiting to hear from our TA regarding this but thought I would ask here as I am sure it's happened to many others and you might have words of wisdom for me. Having had a cruise cancelled in the past, I feel for you. But, at least you have a long time frame to find something else. The cruise we had cancelled was AFTER WE MADE OUR FINAL PAYMENT. It was to be a river cruise with Uniworld, but they chartered the ship. Then they acted like it was a big favor to us crediting our payment back to our credit card! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CKCruising Posted October 28, 2015 #16 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I had my March 2016 RCCL (Booked May 2014) cancelled in July 2014. They offered an OBC of at least $200 and the same price/category on several "similar" sailings. If you didn't want one of their price matched sailings, you could rebook anything at the current price (and still keep the OBC). I wasn't overly happy at the time but went with one of the price protected sailings. Looks like my offer was more than fair compared to others here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare geoherb Posted October 28, 2015 #17 Share Posted October 28, 2015 All of the cruise lines cancel cruises for operational reasons as well as when an entire ship gets chartered. One of the benefits of booking late is not having to worry about this happening to us. Considering it is so far in advance for the OP, the offer is OK. Once people have been able to purchase airfare, I'd expect more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisyloo Posted October 29, 2015 Author #18 Share Posted October 29, 2015 Having had a cruise cancelled in the past, I feel for you. But, at least you have a long time frame to find something else. The cruise we had cancelled was AFTER WE MADE OUR FINAL PAYMENT. It was to be a river cruise with Uniworld, but they chartered the ship. Then they acted like it was a big favor to us crediting our payment back to our credit card! Wow that's awful. :eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisyloo Posted October 29, 2015 Author #19 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I had my March 2016 RCCL (Booked May 2014) cancelled in July 2014. They offered an OBC of at least $200 and the same price/category on several "similar" sailings. If you didn't want one of their price matched sailings, you could rebook anything at the current price (and still keep the OBC). I wasn't overly happy at the time but went with one of the price protected sailings. Looks like my offer was more than fair compared to others here. Sounds like you got a fair deal. Better than most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LMaxwell Posted October 29, 2015 #20 Share Posted October 29, 2015 $15 OBC? Why not $9 and a poke in the eye:rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCalTraveler Posted October 29, 2015 #21 Share Posted October 29, 2015 In 2004 we had this happen with a tour to Italy we had booked through the Auto Club. If I recall the timing correctly, the operator cancelled 61 days out because the tour group was only 29 people and they had a minimum of 30 required. We did not know how many had booked until much later. 61 days out was the last day the operator could cancel, but as one can imagine, we had our planes reserved and paid for and had arranged work schedules. DW quickly re-arranged everything on our own, and while it cost a bit more, we had a great time and were not beholden to someone else's bathroom schedule. When we returned from Italy we still did not have a refund, and, of course, we had paid in full long enough ago that with 61 days to go it was too late to complaint to Citibank. (We tried, and Citibank bounced the charge back to the Auto Club, and the Auto Club and the tour operator both noted that the dispute was outside of the legal time for such things. But at least Citibank tried.) The Auto Club finally refunded a portion of what we paid, keeping the contractual cancellation fee as if we had cancelled. That was either 25% or 50%, I do not recall, but it was a 4 figure sum. That necessitated a personal visit to the Auto Club and some angry words. They essentially wanted us to take the refund as a credit on a future booking, and we said we would never book with them again. That is the point where I learned that this tour operator had cancelled just one tour that year, ours, and it was only 1 person short. At least that was the story they were telling. We learned from this experience that with a passport and an American Express card we could go pretty much anywhere on our own. And, as I said, we had a great time in Italy. Much longer ago, on a tour to Israel from Los Angeles, the tour operator changed our itinerary in Israel and thought to tell us about it as we boarded our connecting flight at JFK. The excuse was that they had a different group that had to go on our itinerary, so they made up a new one for us. That necessitated a bunch of phone calls to rearrange when we would meet up with people. The tour operator on that one was thoroughly non-apologetic. The changed itinerary added one town and subtracted another. Since the tour included Bethlehem and Nazareth in the West Bank, that is not a place I would go alone even with an American Express card. Although at one hotel, where the operator had not paid the hotel, the American Express card worked just like magic in getting us a room at the inn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LEtue Posted October 29, 2015 #22 Share Posted October 29, 2015 I normally don't book that far our either but I just did - 2 days ago. The price was too good to pass up so I booked now rather than wait. If you can sail later (April 14) you may want to look at Royal Caribbean and the Navigator of the Seas. It is a 9 night from Miami to their private island and the ABC's :D There are other sail dates if this date doesn't work for you. I hope this helps.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisyloo Posted October 30, 2015 Author #23 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Thanks again to all who replied. We decided just to cancel. We won't re-book anything right now. I think we will just wait and see what is available closer to that time. DH might be retired by then and we will have more freedom to do a last minute cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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