Crown Princess unscheduled stop in Dover!

[suzyed]

Perhaps I am wrong, but I thought the purpose of a site named "Cruise Critic" is to post our experiences, both good and bad. I am doing just that. I am obviously a new poster, and if I am mistaken, please let me know.

 

While it will help my situation out this time, on average, I think paying $145 per person for extra insurance is a poor investment, given that the maximum possible payout is $500 per person. I thought this was the proper venue to alert others to properly evaluate the risk/ reward coupled with paying so much for trip insurance that pays out so little should one need it.

 

And, furthermore, while I understand that travel emergencies do happen, at the very least, Princess should have alerted us as soon as they knew. Instead, they never alerted us at all. No matter how one looks at the overall situation, this failure to give any notice is absolutely a failure on Princess.

 

Mark

You are right in that informing others of your plight is appropriate on this forum. You are giving a "heads up" on what happened to you.

What I take from this is that one should really inspect the docs for any insurance policy that I am thinking of purchasing. There are MANY different policies out there for all levels of coverage for all kinds of prices.

 

I think suggesting that others not sail on Princess because you had unknowingly under insured your trip and maybe didn't know about the possibility of the ship missing a port, is, I think why people are pushing back on your suggestion not to sail on Princess.

 

I had an incident too, (see my previous post) and the lesson I learned was that I will only purchase Princess' insurance while sailing on Princess. But I will and have, sailed on Princess even though I was disappointed with their handling of this issue.

 

I am sorry this happened to you.

[Astro Flyer]

Again, I strongly recommend all to avoid Princess at all costs in the future.

 

Mark

 

Perhaps I am wrong, but I thought the purpose of a site named "Cruise Critic" is to post our experiences, both good and bad. I am doing just that. I am obviously a new poster, and if I am mistaken, please let me know.

 

Mark

Empathy & opinions have already been written...it's undoubtedly a bad experience. :(

 

However by repeatedly encouraging everyone to avoid Princess at all costs due to your one bad experience, it appears to be an attempt to hurt their business because you're unhappy at how your unfortunate situation was handled.

 

Most people who post on CC realize that things can go wrong on any cruise line but few attempt to convince anyone else to avoid any cruise line due to a bad experience.

 

Exchanging experiences & opinions are a good thing...telling all passengers to "avoid Princess at all costs in the future" seems to be much more vindictive than informative.

[Times Prince]

So, morals of the stories so far:

1. Read the cruise contract, especially sections describing changes in itinerary.

2. Get adequate insurance to cover any possibility.

3. Be sure to keep Princess informed of any problems meeting the ship, and follow their instructions. This includes mobile contact information.

 

Like others, we have been on cruises with substituted and/or skipped ports, and delay in reaching port which would have impacted additional travel plans. We have found that if one is insured through Princess Cruises that one will be covered, whereas independent arrangements, although initially cheaper, will not be covered. The same goes for excursions.

 

I thank the original posters of the issues for their post, and hope the balance of their vacation was not severely affected.

 

I plan to cruise Princess Cruises in the future. They have served us well.

[trajan]

Am pretty surprised Princess did not notify the embarking passengers that the ship was going to miss the port. That's pretty bad. Medical emergencies happen. I get it. That's a shared risk. But sending out a message in that situation should be standard practice.

 

I won't boycott Princess but I appreciate the words of warning.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[jwattle]

Yes, we paid $145 each for travel insurance, but if you read the fine print, no matter what happens, insurance covers no more than $500 per person total (not per day). So, yes, I will recover about 1/3 the total cost for an event that was entirely not our fault, even though we paid a lot of money for the insurance.

 

Again, I strongly recommend all to avoid Princess at all costs in the future.

 

Mark

 

Six of us were supposed to embark on the cruise in the Stavanger port. Princess did not ever notify us that this travel leg was canceled. The ship simply did not show up when it was due. When we reached out to Princess, they offered no help or assistance at all. Here is the exact email we received from the customer service representative at Princess:

"Hello,

 

I have just spoke to guest relations who have advised the ship will be making its way to Skjolden/Sognefjord, Norway to arrive 4 th July.

 

You will need to make your way to the port.

 

The port authorities in Stavanger will be able to assist you with this if you need help.

 

The ship was diverted due to a medical emergency and had to divert to Dover.

 

Kind regards

 

Tina James

Reservations Consultant

100 Harbour Parade | Southampton, SO15 1ST

t: +44 (0)843 373 0333"

We have had to make our own arrangements at the last minute to travel to the next port. Princess has refused to compensate us in any way for the inconvenience and expense they have caused us.

I simply hope that anyone who reads this post will choose any cruise line other than Princess for all future travel, as they clearly do not care the slightest bit about customer relations or service. Also, I hope everyone who reads this post and also thinks we have been treated unfairly to call the number in the email and tell them that you will not vacation with them again.

Thank you in advance for your support.

 

 

Mark

 

 

1) Welcome to Cruise Critic.

2) your first post is a suggestion to never cruise Princess, while you are on the Princess Boards...on your first day joining no less (I can tell as it is July first, and your join date is July 2017) ...juevos of steel, or brass at least, so pardon if we aren't all joining your boycott brigade. :p

3) Most insurance is worth far more than just the get-you-to-the-next-port cost. For example, if you have to cancel, it can be worth thousands. :)

[Aus Traveller]

I can understand why the OP is upset about events, but he/she is probably also upset about the inadequate insurance that they purchased, possibly not realizing its limitations. I feel that the insurance policy was totally inadequate for that cruise or for any cruise. A policy with a $500 maximum payout would be of little use if the insured required a medical evacuation by helicopter.

 

I don't know whether the OP didn't read the terms and conditions of the policy beforehand or whether he/she didn't realize what could go wrong and the possible costs.

[likeadisguise]

It's likely that the $500 is the maximum payout for embarkation delays, not overall.

[Aus Traveller]

It's likely that the $500 is the maximum payout for embarkation delays, not overall.

Could be. From the wording from the OP ("maximum possible payout") I took it to be $500 for any one event. You could be correct that it is for a delay in embarkation. :)

[caribill]

When we reached out to Princess, they offered no help or assistance at all. Here is the exact email we received from the customer service representative at Princess:

"Hello,

 

I have just spoke to guest relations who have advised the ship will be making its way to Skjolden/Sognefjord, Norway to arrive 4 th July.

 

You will need to make your way to the port.

 

The port authorities in Stavanger will be able to assist you with this if you need help.

 

The ship was diverted due to a medical emergency and had to divert to Dover.

 

Kind regards

 

Tina James

Reservations Consultant

100 Harbour Parade | Southampton, SO15 1ST

t: +44 (0)843 373 0333"

 

Princess should have included the contact information on how to reach their port agent.

[laktex]

I would like to repeat my comment about what actually are the Terms and Conditions for this particular OP when they are boarding "within a cruise schedule". Does article 35 - Alteration & Cancellation prior to departure - actually apply in their particular case. If it does, it would appear to me that the passengers have a claim against Princess.

[sunsetbeachgal]

I really wasn't aware that passengers could arrange to embark at a port other than the regular embarkation point for that particular cruise. You learn something new every day! I know that with advance approval from Princess you can disembark early.

 

Deviations like this carry a risk of not making it to the port, and if I was doing either I would have Plan B thought out and in my hip pocket. Hope it worked out for those who missed Stavanger and that they can enjoy the rest of the cruise.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited July 4, 2017 by sunsetbeachgal

[Lizzyanne]

I really wasn't aware that passengers could arrange to embark at a port other than the regular embarkation point for that particular cruise. You learn something new every day! I know that with advance approval from Princess you can disembark early.

 

Deviations like this carry a risk of not making it to the port, and if I was doing either I would have Plan B thought out and in my hip pocket. Hope it worked out for those who missed Stavanger and that they can enjoy the rest of the cruise.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

There was a post on Facebook from someone whose flight had been cancelled,they said that they had been advised by Princess to fly to Stavanger, via Frankfurt and Oslo, to meet the ship there. A family member (?) onboard had advised them that the ship was not stopping in Stavanger just as they were about to board the flight from Oslo. I assume that they are the same people.

[upwarduk]

Not sure if this applies to Princess, but in the past we have booked flights via Celebrity, who will then guarantee that they will get you to the ship. This applies in U.K. as the holiday then becomes a package.

 

On another note, these boards have had discussions in the past about ports being missed in the Caribbean, when wedding guests should have attended a wedding on one of the islands.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[ghstudio]

Perhaps I am wrong, but I thought the purpose of a site named "Cruise Critic" is to post our experiences, both good and bad. I am doing just that. I am obviously a new poster, and if I am mistaken, please let me know.

 

While it will help my situation out this time, on average, I think paying $145 per person for extra insurance is a poor investment, given that the maximum possible payout is $500 per person. I thought this was the proper venue to alert others to properly evaluate the risk/ reward coupled with paying so much for trip insurance that pays out so little should one need it.

 

And, furthermore, while I understand that travel emergencies do happen, at the very least, Princess should have alerted us as soon as they knew. Instead, they never alerted us at all. No matter how one looks at the overall situation, this failure to give any notice is absolutely a failure on Princess.

 

Mark

 

If that's what you paid for insurance and that's all the pay out you're entitled too. Then I think you have been royally ripped off big time.

 

We pay £100 per couple for Annual Insurance which will cover upto £5000 per person for the cost of the cruise.

 

This wasn't a trip cancellation or interruption...it was an event that would be covered under trip delay. Most all of the policies that we all buy for many $'s may cover thousands for cancellation or interruption, but you'll find the limits on trip delay are typically $1000 or less. Travel insurance is very specific about what is considered a cancellation or interruption.

 

Many, of course, don't know this because they don't actually read their policies to see what's covered....the devil is in the fine print.

 

We had a cruise cancelled after it's first day due to mechanical problems...we were sure it covered by our travel insurance. Guess what.....mechanical breakdown/problems with the ship after the cruise has started is not a covered event.

[laktex]

 

We had a cruise cancelled after it's first day due to mechanical problems...we were sure it covered by our travel insurance. Guess what.....mechanical breakdown/problems with the ship after the cruise has started is not a covered event.

 

But surely the cruise company had obligations under the booking conditions. eg. Princess has a condition (38) relating to alteration/cancellation after departure.

[aquilegia]

There was a post on Facebook from someone whose flight had been cancelled,they said that they had been advised by Princess to fly to Stavanger, via Frankfurt and Oslo, to meet the ship there. A family member (?) onboard had advised them that the ship was not stopping in Stavanger just as they were about to board the flight from Oslo. I assume that they are the same people.

 

I don't think so. The poster said the ship simply did not show up when it was due, which suggests they were already in Stavanger.

[ghstudio]

But surely the cruise company had obligations under the booking conditions. eg. Princess has a condition (38) relating to alteration/cancellation after departure.

 

Actually it's section 7. I was on Celebrity and they did just what the Princess section says...they refunded our payment, took us to the point of embarkation, paid for one night's hotel stay. However, about 50 folks were taking a B2B from Barcelona to Ft Lauderdale....so we purchased a one way ticket from the US to Barcelona. So when the cruise was cancelled, we had paid for that one way ticket...and we had to purchase a one way ticket home....after having no cruise vacation. Have you tried to purchase a one way ticket from Europe to the US??? Insurance would cover us....right? no wrong. Our Travel Insurance gave us $1000 and called it a delay because mechanical breakdown is not a listed condition for trip cancellation or trip interruption.

 

It all worked out in the end...Celebrity stood up and did the right thing and we found a reasonably but still expensive airfare home.....but the message is: don't think that travel insurance will just cover anything that happens. Read the fine print.

[Lizzyanne]

I don't think so. The poster said the ship simply did not show up when it was due, which suggests they were already in Stavanger.

Oh dear, I hope that does not mean that more people had problems.

[peety3]

Again, I strongly recommend all to avoid Princess at all costs in the future.

Not as strongly as I recommend you read the fine print of contracts.

[laktex]

Actually it's section 7.

 

Apologies, I am reading the UK Booking Conditions, which are categorised differently.

[gerelmx]

According to marinetraffic.com Crown Princess does not stop at Stavenger, currently sailing in Sognefjord heading to Olden.

[Slugsta]

I feel very sorry for all concerned - the poor passenger who had a medical situation (someone said a broken back, is this certain?) , the peeps who were stuck at Stavanger and anyone else who had more than an un irritating missed port.

 

Surely Princess have let themselves and their presumptive passengers down by not ensuring they were aware of the missed port as soon as it was decided? I understand that these things happen but would not be happy if I was in Stavanger waiting for a cruise ship that never turned up!

[Esprit]

Just hypothesising here.

 

Could the OP planned a trip to Europe including Scandinavia and concluded they would save money and time by not flying back to the UK to join Crown Princess at its embarkation port (Southampton). They also saved themselves a sea day by embarking in Stavanger instead.

 

Perhaps a good idea but with no back up plan or adequate travel insurance (specifically including cruises) then "Sod's Law" happens!

[Kansas Gal]

If everyone who had a major problem with a cruise line urged a boycott, there would be no cruise lines left. Things happen (especially with air travel these days). I have been on seven different cruise lines since we cruise for itinerary, good and bad on all of them. It's good to let people know about these inconveniences but I doubt anyone will not cruise a particular line because of someone else's misfortune.

[laktex]

According to marinetraffic.com Crown Princess does not stop at Stavenger, currently sailing in Sognefjord heading to Olden.

 

Cruise No 3717: Sou/Stavenger/Skjolden/Olden/Bergen/Sou.

 

They omitted Stavanger because of the medical situation.