Group Cruise Booking was Cancelled

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, dog said:

 

I was responding to a question asked of me, so sorry it was not to answer the OP.  AND,  no the OP said her friend lives near cruise port so they are not using an Ontario, Canada travel agent, I assume.

 

TICO IS  PROTECTION FOR THOSE BOOKING WITH TRAVEL ORGANIZATIONS WHO PARTICIPATE IN ONTARIO CANADA.

 

 

It is unfortunate in some ways that we need this "nanny state" situation to protect people from themselves.  I certainly seek out reputable travel organizations to deal with, be they hotels, airlines, third-parties like Travleocity or Expedia, rental car companies, cruise lines, or agencies.  Many internationally recognized brand names that are thoroughly reputable are not TICO registered as they do not originate in Ontario.  If you feel you need to deal only with a local TA in Ontario who must be registered, that is fine, but there are other options out there that will save you money and not introduce any real risk.

 

[dog]

******

Edited September 8, 2019 by dog

[Coral]

7 minutes ago, steelers36 said:

It is unfortunate in some ways that we need this "nanny state" situation to protect people from themselves.  I certainly seek out reputable travel organizations to deal with, be they hotels, airlines, third-parties like Travleocity or Expedia, rental car companies, cruise lines, or agencies.  Many internationally recognized brand names that are thoroughly reputable are not TICO registered as they do not originate in Ontario.  If you feel you need to deal only with a local TA in Ontario who must be registered, that is fine, but there are other options out there that will save you money and not introduce any real risk.

 

They have a local agent who they trust, they have used for 20 years and they want to continue using. I see nothing wrong with this. This probably is more valuable to them than saving a few dollars.  I only wish I had a local agent that I thought was valuable and trusted.  I personally had to go out of state for this.

 

The fact that TICO insures them is probably just icing on the cake. The bottom dollar is not always everything.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Coral

[dog]

21 minutes ago, Coral said:

They have a local agent who they trust, they have used for 20 years and they want to continue using. I see nothing wrong with this. This probably is more valuable to them than saving a few dollars.  I only wish I had a local agent that I thought was valuable and trusted.  I personally had to go out of state for this.

 

The fact that TICO insures them is probably just icing on the cake. The bottom dollar is not always everything.

 

Coral. thank you!

I value each and everyone of your posts. Isn't it wonderful to have a website like cruise critic where seasoned travelers can share their personal experiences and in many ways benefit others.

dog

[dog]

30 minutes ago, steelers36 said:

It is unfortunate in some ways that we need this "nanny state" situation to protect people from themselves.  I certainly seek out reputable travel organizations to deal with, be they hotels, airlines, third-parties like Travleocity or Expedia, rental car companies, cruise lines, or agencies.  Many internationally recognized brand names that are thoroughly reputable are not TICO registered as they do not originate in Ontario.  If you feel you need to deal only with a local TA in Ontario who must be registered, that is fine, but there are other options out there that will save you money and not introduce any real risk.

 

 

I will respond. Nobody is being critical of your choices.

I thank you for your responses to my posts.

[MCC retired]

As a former TA myself , 17 years booking only cruises , I would put the TA 100% responsible  .

She has the responsibility for collecting payments ,monitoring every one of those bookings from deposit, to final payment ,

to the day that they return.

 

 

 

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

They have a local agent who they trust, they have used for 20 years and they want to continue using. I see nothing wrong with this. This probably is more valuable to them than saving a few dollars.  I only wish I had a local agent that I thought was valuable and trusted.  I personally had to go out of state for this.

 

The fact that TICO insures them is probably just icing on the cake. The bottom dollar is not always everything.

You are right.

[Steelers36]

19 hours ago, dog said:

Exactly believe you are correct. And I've dealt with this TA for 20 years. Sometimes a good price, but does not usually compare to what I see my USA friends pay. Covered by TICO here in Ont.

I actually missed this post.

[geocruiser]

51 minutes ago, MCC retired said:

As a former TA myself , 17 years booking only cruises , I would put the TA 100% responsible  .

She has the responsibility for collecting payments ,monitoring every one of those bookings from deposit, to final payment ,

to the day that they return.

 

 

 

I agree with you.  I have a wonderful TA for years.  Once she was going to make final payment for me (directly) to the cruise line.    I gave her my credit card number and she said that she would run it in a few minutes after she finished something else.  All the other times she did it right away.  So, I said OK.  About five days later I check my Princess booking on line with Princess and it was canceled.

I called her.  Then she remember that she was to make my final payment.  She came right out and told me it was her fault.  This really did not get me upset, because we were living in Fl at the time a it was only a 3 hour drive to the port, no air fare.  I told her to calm down and if it we can get on that cruise fine, if not we will pick another ship on the lines we like, or go another week.

She then said that she would call me back.  She did.  She got us on the same cruise.  She put us in a mid- ship balcony (we originally had a inside).  Gave us dinner to two in  special  restaurants.  Also a bottle a wine, and a nice OBC.  

I thank her and told her that she went beyond what she had to do.  I told her that getting back the same type of cabin we had would have been fine.  Her answer to me was, it was her fault, and she takes care of her clients.  I also check the price of the cabin she gave us.  It was quite a few dollars more in price.

I still use the same TA today for all my booking.  

Edited September 8, 2019 by geocruiser

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, geocruiser said:

I still use the same TA today for all my booking

Great story.  And no wonder you still work with her.  Not only that, you must feel 100% comfortable recommending her to friends.  Suppliers who do something like that earn my loyalty for life.

 

[idahospud]

6 hours ago, Dlady47 said:

 

If there is a TA in here, I would really like to know if this issue could have been caused by Princess as the TA has claimed. My friend was able to log in and complete a portion of her check-in before the cruise suddenly started showing up as "cancelled" about a week ago. What would cause that?

 

I would need to know more about everything included in the cruise package you purchased before chiming in on that. Yes, it is possible but highly unlikely that Princess would make a mistake like that. If it was a Princess error they would be working hard to make it right. I would suspect it was the TA who applied the paid cruise fare to the wrong things first (like drink packages or excursions). If you want to know more and don't want to share on a public forum, feel free to email me. My email is in my signature.

[Dlady47]

Idahospud--It won't let me email you. It says I'm only allowed to send 0 emails. I'd love to discuss this more. I' checking Help to see why I can't send email, but I'm finding nothing.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Dlady47

[idahospud]

8 minutes ago, Dlady47 said:

Idahospud--It won't let me email you. It says I'm only allowed to send 0 emails. I'd love to discuss this more. I' checking Help to see why I can't send email, but I'm finding nothing.

My email is cruisingandcrafting at gmail dot com. 

[caribill]

On 9/7/2019 at 9:50 AM, Dlady47 said:

I'm part of a group cruise that sets sail in a week on Princess.

 

19 hours ago, Dlady47 said:

My friend was able to log in and complete a portion of her check-in before the cruise suddenly started showing up as "cancelled" about a week ago. What would cause that?

 

Final payment was months ago. The booking disappeared last week, two weeks before the cruise.

 

Normally if Princess had not been paid, the booking would have disappeared right after final payment time, not two weeks before the cruise.

 

Truly there is something happening here that none of us understand what it is.

[Aus Traveller]

14 minutes ago, caribill said:

Final payment was months ago. The booking disappeared last week, two weeks before the cruise.

Normally if Princess had not been paid, the booking would have disappeared right after final payment time, not two weeks before the cruise.

Truly there is something happening here that none of us understand what it is.

That makes sense. I also feel it is up to the TA to try her utmost to rectify the situation.

[dog]

2 hours ago, caribill said:

 

 

Final payment was months ago. The booking disappeared last week, two weeks before the cruise.

 

Normally if Princess had not been paid, the booking would have disappeared right after final payment time, not two weeks before the cruise.

 

Truly there is something happening here that none of us understand what it is.

 

Agree with you on these points. Isn't it 75 days prior to sailing that docs can be printed (in most cases?) After making final payment the TA/Princess emails you your receipt with in a few days.

 

To   OP: Hope all turns out for your friend and you enjoy the cruise.

[Coral]

4 hours ago, caribill said:

 

 

Final payment was months ago. The booking disappeared last week, two weeks before the cruise.

 

Normally if Princess had not been paid, the booking would have disappeared right after final payment time, not two weeks before the cruise.

 

Truly there is something happening here that none of us understand what it is.

I think it has to do with the nature of group bookings and how they are handled (as opposed to us when we book into a group that our agent has). I was in a group many years ago and my final payment wasn't processed until a week before we sailed. It was explained to me that the cruise line had "enough money in the group booking to the cruise line" that it was fine and it was. This was before you could print your boarding pass ahead of time.

 

I found the original info about this cruise and nothing made sense. The agent said that cabins wouldn't be assigned until final payment was made. It also made it look like the agent had multiple jobs (this may not have been her primary focus).

 

The cruise was cancelled at least 2x and payments were made to the agency and not Princess.

Edited September 9, 2019 by Coral

[JF - retired RRT]

17 hours ago, Dlady47 said:

Idahospud--It won't let me email you. It says I'm only allowed to send 0 emails. I'd love to discuss this more. I' checking Help to see why I can't send email, but I'm finding nothing.

Cruise Critic doesn't allow instant messaging or direct emails. You have to share your email address as a post.

If you do that...be sure to add spaces where they wouldn't normally be and spell out every detail, example: fred smith at google dot com. Those in the know  will figure out that it's actually fredsmith@google.com.

[pms4104]

None of us, except perhaps the OP, really know how things went awry ... because we have not seen any of the promotional materials or written committments made by the organizers and TA.

 

If all was verbal promises ... red flag.

 

If prices were really high, with no explanation of the added benefits ... red flag.

 

When the TA became nonresponsive ... red flag.

 

All info so vague and elusive that we really know very little.

 

When the TA would not refare everyone to each and every promo ... understsndable because apparently there were to be events (enough for a tax write off) for which there are costs.

 

Never booked an affinity group trip, but I would expect clear details in writing upfront.  If not available ... red flag.

 

If bookings started nearly a year and a half ago ... no one saw a problem til May ..  really?

 

Buyer beware.

 

 

Edited September 9, 2019 by pms4104

[K.T.B.]

With rare exception, like with my upcoming cruise, I'll book through the cruise line directly.  In this case, I got a great deal that Princess could not match, so I went with an online TA.  Right after booking, and I mean within minutes, I signed on to Princess' website and registered.  My booking was there and I started filling things out immediately.  I took no chances.  I'm also anal enough to check every single day to make sure my booking is still there....  But I also do that when I book directly through the cruise line.  

 

I hope everything works out for the OP and her fellow travelers!

[Coral]

1 hour ago, K.T.B. said:

With rare exception, like with my upcoming cruise, I'll book through the cruise line directly.  In this case, I got a great deal that Princess could not match, so I went with an online TA.  Right after booking, and I mean within minutes, I signed on to Princess' website and registered.  My booking was there and I started filling things out immediately.  I took no chances.  I'm also anal enough to check every single day to make sure my booking is still there....  But I also do that when I book directly through the cruise line.  

 

I hope everything works out for the OP and her fellow travelers!

You missed the point. This is a group cruise where you have to book with the group to take advantage of the group theme. They have special dinners and special events that you are only invited if you book within the group.

[jasbo49]

42 minutes ago, Coral said:

You missed the point. This is a group cruise where you have to book with the group to take advantage of the group theme. They have special dinners and special events that you are only invited if you book within the group.

But wouldn't the passenger,  whether booking solo or in a group of 500, be able to go to the Princess site and confirm booking number, dining and bedding choices?

 

Jim

Edited September 9, 2019 by jasbo49

[geocruiser]

The OP says that the cruises were paid in full months ago.  But was that to the TA , and did Princess received the funds?  People may have paid months ago to the TA and never gone on line to fill forms out until now.  Therefore, they would not have know that their bookings had be canceled.  If Princess has their money, then I believe Princess would find them a cabin, even on a full cruise by offering others a move over offer.  Princess would do something for them.

 

OP please let us know how this works out.

[Coral]

1 hour ago, geocruiser said:

The OP says that the cruises were paid in full months ago.  But was that to the TA , and did Princess received the funds? 

The people paid the travel agent. Final payment was in June. The charges went through to the agency, not to Princess. So yes, did Princess receive the funds? I am guessing not.

Edited September 9, 2019 by Coral

[Dlady47]

We're all guessing, unfortunately. There was a post from the TA about Princess allocating the funds incorrectly. I'm thinking that she might have moved funds around and not realized she'd left some bookings hanging out there without full payment 1.5 weeks before the cruise. No idea. I'll probably never know. I will never book another group cruise again, of that you can be sure. This particular TA has been doing these types of cruises for 6 years, and the former cruisers spoke highly of her. It's only recently that I've heard negative things about past cruises. For some reason, people were afraid to speak up previously. I appreciate all the responses and insight into what might have gone wrong. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everyone who paid for a booking months ago gets a room. I'll keep you guys informed as to what happens.