Come back new? Come back never....Crown Compensation

[Kristifabulous]

Sorry to hear you had a bad experience. We sailed on the Crown early this year around South America and the whole cruise was a nightmare - there was a total lack of leadership on board, no communication at all. The staff seemed very fed up and at times were rude for no reason. There were to many problems to list with tendering etc and cancellation of tours. This was our third cruise on The Crown and we have never experienced problems like it, yes the ship is getting old and in some places it shows, but nothing that would spoil the enjoyment of our cruise, it was just staff attitude and incompetence. To be honest if this had been our first cruise with Princess I doubt if we would of returned but having just reached elite we knew it wasnt the norm. We have tried other lines and have enjoyed the experience but felt we couldnt let one bad cruise put us off forever and have booked two more with Princess for next year - one being for 4 weeks - so I am hoping and am sure Princess will redeem themselves

 

Do you recall: who was your captain?

[travelgirl45]

Sorry, but you lost my interest after the first 10 lines......this rant is way too long. :rolleyes:

 

 

I agree ! I just hope you can find another cruise line that won't have any issues. Sorry you were so disappointed, however, it is all in what you make it. Laugh, Live, Love !

[TNTLAMB]

Sorry to take the thread off topic, but what Liverpool bombing??

 

Sorry I skipped over a bunch The bombing itself was in Manchester. One of the supects was arested and the cell (similar to the 2005 cell and subway bombings) in Liverpool. The connection for these folks was in blegium, sweeden etc and they were locking down everything at that time trying to locate the rest of the cell lest there was a repeat of the Liverpool station bombings

[Alaskanb]

Announcements may also be heard on the cabin TV, usually on the channel which has the bridge cam showing.

Thanks for sharing --not a channel we have on regularly.

[Alaskanb]

Sorry I skipped over a bunch The bombing itself was in Manchester. One of the supects was arested and the cell (similar to the 2005 cell and subway bombings) in Liverpool. The connection for these folks was in blegium, sweeden etc and they were locking down everything at that time trying to locate the rest of the cell lest there was a repeat of the Liverpool station bombings

We were on the May 25 sailing of the Caribbean Princess from Southampton followed by a week with family near Manchester. Terrorist activity was the daily focus of the news. The night after the Manchester bombing on May 22 we had just flown in from the US and were in Winchester Cathedral praying for the victims and the people of the area. Then on June 3 the London Bridge attack occurred with more victims. Security throughout the British Isles and Europe was on extremely high alert.

[Crystal Niffler]

Sorry I skipped over a bunch The bombing itself was in Manchester. One of the supects was arested and the cell (similar to the 2005 cell and subway bombings) in Liverpool. The connection for these folks was in blegium, sweeden etc and they were locking down everything at that time trying to locate the rest of the cell lest there was a repeat of the Liverpool station bombings

 

Gotcha thanks.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Nothing was ever mentioned to us regarding 'political unrest.'

 

Ship captains, like airline pilots, have to thread the needle to inform passengers without arousing panic among the more easily upset. IMHO the captain was exercising good judgement to blame the wind rather than terrorism, if that was indeed the case.

[Lucky TGO]

I did not find the OP's post too long or having too much detail.

 

(When someone just says something went wrong, other posters ask for more details.)

 

It is not as if the OP had one problem, there were a number of them. Some (for example the missed port because of weather) were not Princess' fault and the OP did not blame Princess for them.

 

It was how the problems under Princess' control were handled (or not handled) on board which is the focus of the post.

 

Making major announcements such as staying in a port for another day while most passengers are off of the ship and then not repeating the announcement once everyone is back on board is a major failing.

 

Having the passport collection fiasco multiple times is inexcusable.

 

 

I am sure passenger services knew no more about what was happening than the passengers did, so a lack of answers from them is to be expected.

 

I thank the OP for giving a rational explanation of the problems encountered.

 

I agree with you!!

Tony

[land lover]

First of all, I want to thank so many of you for your understanding and compassion.

During our onboard mtg with the Customer Relations Mgr, I was advised that my email to CR should be as specific as possible and discuss ALL issues, even trivial. This was reiterated in my initial phone call to CR, once shoreside. Please forgive me if my post is "lengthy", but I just tried to follow their instructions. I'm not familiar with writing a "complaint" email, as I've never written one in 12yrs of cruising. Again, this is what happened to ME, and IMO Princess should be held accountable for the poor decisions they made regarding issues they HAD control over: efficiently collecting passports, notifying psgrs of missing Helsingborg, and tours that were not as advertised. Being offered $100 OBC is totally unacceptable. IMO, the Crown on May 27th, was FAR below Princess standards (speaking as an Elite psgr with 222 daastport situations

 

 

 

ys across 8 different Princess ships). I am still hopeful that CR will resolve this by offering me additional compensation in an effort "to try and make it right."

 

I have read all the posts so far and am just planning to response to this one and then stop.....so plz understand if my suggestion has already been stated.

 

How frustrating your cruise was and certainly more communication was needed. I have sailed Crown 5 times in the last 2 years most recently with Lawes to South America, all cruises were above average. I just returned from Asia after sailing 21 days on Majestic,where we had some very interesting immigration situations.

 

I hope you have told Guest Relations...what you expect to be appropriate compensation and not because you are Elite but because you have had better than average experiences with Princess in the past and that is what you have come to expect from Princess Cruise Line.

 

 

Good Luck ...

Edited July 14, 2017 by land lover

[deltaqueenie]

To the OP-

 

I, too, read your entire posting because I have an upcoming cruise on Crown in November.

 

I would expect the Consumer Relations person at Princess to read every word as well.

 

By your "cut/paste" remark, I gather that you've already sent your comments to Princess. So all the lectures on writing style are moot-- especially since you didn't ask for critiques or advice.

 

As I took in the details, I certainly could feel your frustration.

 

Let me ask rhetorically, how much was your on board account, and did you pay by credit card? Have you considered calling your credit card company and disputing this charge, pending an outcome to your liking?

 

It could be argued --that while you did consume the items listed on your account-- you were due a credit to your on board account for the overcharge of your cruise fare due to the issues that you had on board.

 

If you consider this stance, point out to the credit card issuer that you have already spoken with Princess management to resolve the issue, and they have not to your satisfaction. That's a requirement before initiating a chargeback of this kind: the card holder must first attempt to resolve the issue with the merchant (Princess, in this case.) At the end of the day, if you still are not happy with the goods and services provided, you do NOT have to pay the charge. [As a side note, the merchant may still feel you are obligated and may pursue collections. Given the circumstances and the total amount you refuse to pay, they may just forego the trouble.] Lastly, note that this only works if you have NOT paid the charged amount; it must be an outstanding charge; hence the reason you cannot attempt to charge back your cruise fare payment made 4 months or more ago.

 

I would also tell the representative from Princess assigned to handle your case what you plan to do, as I believe it places you in a stronger position.

 

I'm speaking from personal experience, when I had a tour issue. I didn't even attempt to "argue" with the tour desk, which some believe are on commission. I waited until I returned and called Consumer Relations. She asked me to send a written complaint via facsimile. I did so, stating the issue, that I expected nothing less than a full refund of the tour, and that I was prepared to charge back that amount to the credit card. Withing 48 hours I received a call back stating a full refund would be credited withing 5 to 7 days; no arguments, discussions, or just meeting me half way.

 

Thank you so much for your credit card suggestions: however, I was unable to do this, balance had been paid. I appreciate your help, and sharing your CR experience. And I hope your Crown experience will be up to the high Princess standards we've become accustomed to- not the incompetence I experienced. I'm still hopeful of resolving...

[DRPWDunIL]

Since a few pot shots have been taken at my post about my experiences in how to complain, I feel I should respond. In my opinion, there are many consumers of this board including but not only the OP. Including more inexperienced cruisers and travelers. I don't think constructive comments about how to express dissatisfaction when things go wrong are either inappropriate or off topic in such a thread.

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Forums mobile app

[dverzic]

That really sounds awful. I understand that things sometimes go wrong, and ports are changed, but the lack of communication is inexcusable. You definitely deserve more than a token credit fir your next cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[elliair]

The OP mentioned a couple of times being the "elite" status. Elite doesn't hold much clout these days on Princess, so I never expect special treatment for anything. Even standing in the customer service line for elite and suite passengers, they still take people in the other line before you. Reading the complaint wore me out. I still don't know what compensation the OP is looking for.

[Bookited]

Ship captains, like airline pilots, have to thread the needle to inform passengers without arousing panic among the more easily upset. IMHO the captain was exercising good judgement to blame the wind rather than terrorism, if that was indeed the case.

 

No matter what the excuse, I hope you and every other passenger got port fees back for your missed ports.

[Purples]

We sent a complaint to customer services after a less than satisfactory Princess cruise and after a month got a reply thanking us for our feedback. It will be while before we book again. They need to raise the quality of their product like it used to be. They are taking us for granted and don't seem to care.

[newport dave]

I also read the whole thing. It was not a whiny, convoluted repetitive rant - it was very specific complaints about an alarming number of things that went wrong. I'm very sorry to hear about your experience. We're booked on the Crown in February and I'm getting discouraged at the number of negative posts. Yes, of course I realize that people with negative experiences are more likely to post, but the sheer number of negative posts about the Crown has me concerned.

 

We will still go, we anticipate a great cruise, we don't "look" for problems but we also understand that when something is blatently bad, or wrong, that it's not a bad thing to mention it.

 

Good luck with your efforts to get a more satisfactory resolution from Princess (if that's your intent!)

 

We were on the Crown the cruise immediately after this one. The ship for it's age is in good health(plenty of ongoing maintenance). Staff were great especially Entertainment team and bar waiters. Never got into the MDR has the queues were ridiculous because one Anytime dining room only open at 1945 because of the early sitting. Food in the buffet was great, plentiful and varied.

[upwarduk]

We were on the cruise prior to this one.

I would agree about the lack ot truth in the Captain's announcements.

We didn't go into Genoa, due to 'operational reasons.'

We were talking to passengers from Majestic Princes in Florence a few days later and they had been into Genoa the previous day. So why were we unable too go in? We were taken to Santa Margarita instead and tendered, so no weather problems!

When I asked for a refund later for the missed bus portion of the tour, I also asked why we didn't go into Genoa and was told,'it was the Captain's decision.'

 

I have written a mainly positive review of our cruise.

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2503410

 

However, I have been angry that I have had to claim our unused OBC from Southampton.

Apparently, this is automatic for U.S passengers as the currency is the same, but Southampton has to request a copy of the final account before a cheque can be made out. This has taken 7 weeks, the cheque eventually came today, but I do wonder if I would have been sent it without:

a) emailing my request.

b) ringing to request the refund.

95% of passengers were from U.K., Princess will have made a tidy profit if UK passengers have not requested the refund!!!

Edited July 15, 2017 by upwarduk

[latserrof]

The OP mentioned a couple of times being the "elite" status. Elite doesn't hold much clout these days on Princess, so I never expect special treatment for anything. Even standing in the customer service line for elite and suite passengers, they still take people in the other line before you. Reading the complaint wore me out. I still don't know what compensation the OP is looking for.

 

The "elite" aspect was the only angle that rankled me about the OP's account. I appreciate that the OP paid (a lot) for the cruise (and expects to receive decent treatment in return), but didn't every passenger.? Does elite mean you should get special treatment at every turn? ( Priority lifeboats?) Did the missed ports and poor communication impact the OP more than us poor slobs in steerage?

 

Otherwise, I appreciated the detail supplied by the OP. I'm usually impressed by how well cruise ships operate under normal circumstances. But I've found that generally ships' staffs are poorly equipped to handle events that are out of the ordinary, and the events of the OP's cruse seem to have snowballed.

 

 

I've also found that often the staffs' approach is to prevaricate and delay until inevitably the cruise ends and the "problem," if it persists, becomes someone else's>

[upwarduk]

I've also found that often the staffs' approach is to prevaricate and delay until inevitably the cruise ends and the "problem," if it persists, becomes someone else's.

I couldn't agree more.

As well as my problem detailed in post #92 I had 2 other occasions to request help:

 

1) I requested compensation for the missed bus portion of our tour from Genoa to Portofino. At first, I was told 'you could have gone to Santa Margarita'- well everyone else on the ship also could. They didn't have to pay for the tender ride!

At my 2 nd request for the refund, I was told they would phone me.

Late in the morning of our final sea day I went to the Excursion desk for a 3rd time. This time I was told ' you must have been out when we phoned.'

No, I had been in the cabin packing all morning. I was then told that I had indeed been refunded $35p.p. I have waited 7 weeks for that to be sent to me.

 

 

2) We reached Platinum status half way through the cruise. Next to the last Sea Day I spoke to the Captain's Club person who said we would have a letter sent to our cabin that evening- no letter!

So back I went again. The C.C person then went to check on the computer. Nothing was said, but a letter was printed and given to me, together with 2 pins.

I wasn't going to leave this, because if we ever sail with Princess again, I will now get a very decent Internet allowance.

[mrs and mrs]

The OP mentioned a couple of times being the "elite" status. Elite doesn't hold much clout these days on Princess, so I never expect special treatment for anything. Even standing in the customer service line for elite and suite passengers, they still take people in the other line before you. Reading the complaint wore me out. I still don't know what compensation the OP is looking for.

 

Lol Elites are the new Blue carders

[likeadisguise]

I couldn't agree more.

As well as my problem detailed in post #92 I had 2 other occasions to request help:

 

1) I requested compensation for the missed bus portion of our tour from Genoa to Portofino. At first, I was told 'you could have gone to Santa Margarita'- well everyone else on the ship also could. They didn't have to pay for the tender ride!

At my 2 nd request for the refund, I was told they would phone me.

Late in the morning of our final sea day I went to the Excursion desk for a 3rd time. This time I was told ' you must have been out when we phoned.'

No, I had been in the cabin packing all morning. I was then told that I had indeed been refunded $35p.p. I have waited 7 weeks for that to be sent to me.

 

 

2) We reached Platinum status half way through the cruise. Next to the last Sea Day I spoke to the Captain's Club person who said we would have a letter sent to our cabin that evening- no letter!

So back I went again. The C.C person then went to check on the computer. Nothing was said, but a letter was printed and given to me, together with 2 pins.

I wasn't going to leave this, because if we ever sail with Princess again, I will now get a very decent Internet allowance.

#1 should have been a credit to your folio if you were still on board, not something sent to you afterwards.

 

#2 unless you booked a cruise that could have been purchased as two separate cruises, there's no such thing as switching status levels partway through a cruise. You would be Platinum on your next cruise.

[upwarduk]

#1 should have been a credit to your folio if you were still on board, not something sent to you afterwards.

 

#2 unless you booked a cruise that could have been purchased as two separate cruises, there's no such thing as switching status levels partway through a cruise. You would be Platinum on your next cruise.

 

#1It was credited to our folio , but not until late that last sea day. BUT, as it was so late there was no way to spend it.

If I had been on Celebrity, the surplus credit would have been credited back to my Credit Card on disembarkation.

Not so on Princess, I have had to wait 7 weeks for a cheque to be sent.

 

#2. I knew that, but other passengers were telling me that you would be informed before you left the ship.

[notentirelynormal]

#2. I knew that, but other passengers were telling me that you would be informed before you left the ship.

 

That's right. Before you left the ship. Not half way through. You became Platinum beginning after the last day of your completed cruise. Why do you think they should do special paperwork when there is zero value to you or them to do so. At the end of your cruise you graduate to the next level regardless of what "other passengers" told you. Basically you created your own problem and are ticked off they didn't respond the way you wanted to a problem that didn't exist except in your mind.

 

 

There are many many cruisers that make the next level during a back to back cruise. After the first one they become one level up. That is when they get the benefits for the next level - on the next cruise. Again, this was a problem that you created based on nothing. A few minutes of reading any brochure or a moment with the appropriate ship personnel would have informed you.

 

As for the credit - again... you got it. Just not when you wanted it. I'm sure it would have been credited to your credit card just like everyone else gets their credits once they leave the ship. Was it really so much money that it impacted your cruise. Did you really have to spend it on board or are you just making a bigger deal of it then need be?

 

I go on a cruise for relaxation. It seems like you created your own aggravation.

[upwarduk]

Basically you created your own problem and are ticked off they didn't respond the way you wanted to a problem that didn't exist except in your mind.

Except that I was told my the C.C person that letters would be sent to our room later. Others had them on either side of us.

[rdsqrl]

Except that I was told my the C.C person that letters would be sent to our room later. Others had them on either side of us.

On my fifth (Platinum-qualifying) cruise, I did not receive a letter nor a pin nor anything else. And guess what? On my next cruise, there was my silver cruise card and my Preferred boarding pass and my free internet minutes. In other words, the existence or not of a letter does not confer status; you got yourself way too wound up about something completely insignificant.

And stop snooping through your neighbours' mail.