PRINCESS NEEDS TO MODIFY THEIR REFUND POLICY

[ANagy]

My parents have been on many cruises worldwide.  Always with Princess.  Once on a month-long trip around the world.  They've even taken me with them several times.  They were booked on this 21 night Sapphire Princess Southeast Asia cruise out of Singapore.  Literally one day prior to departing from Oregon, they decided to see their doctor due to their fear over the exploding cases of covid-19 in the region they were about to explore.  Their doctor told them that considering their age and my father's compromised immune system, they better cancel their trip.  He provided a letter memorializing his advice.  They cancelled their trip and submitted the doctor's letter with their request for a refund.  They received a denial of their claim from Princess Cruises' underwriter AON stating that since they weren't sick or dead and didn't have a severe illness or death of a family member, they didn't qualify for a refund.  Then, as Princess clearly recognized the danger of possible covid-19 transmission in Asia/Singapore/Thailand/Vietnam and their Diamond Princess ship quarantined in Japan with 218 cases of coronavirus infected passengers on board, they cancelled the second half of their voyage with a one-day notice.  My parents were so glad that they didn't have to go through the inconvenience a mid-trip termination of their cruise would've entailed.  So far, their claim for reimbursement is still denied and only their shore excursions have been refunded.  I can't imagine how such business practices benefits Princess' reputation.

[thinfool]

4 minutes ago, ANagy said:

My parents have been on many cruises worldwide.  Always with Princess.  Once on a month-long trip around the world.  They've even taken me with them several times.  They were booked on this 21 night Sapphire Princess Southeast Asia cruise out of Singapore.  Literally one day prior to departing from Oregon, they decided to see their doctor due to their fear over the exploding cases of covid-19 in the region they were about to explore.  Their doctor told them that considering their age and my father's compromised immune system, they better cancel their trip.  He provided a letter memorializing his advice.  They cancelled their trip and submitted the doctor's letter with their request for a refund.  They received a denial of their claim from Princess Cruises' underwriter AON stating that since they weren't sick or dead and didn't have a severe illness or death of a family member, they didn't qualify for a refund.  Then, as Princess clearly recognized the danger of possible covid-19 transmission in Asia/Singapore/Thailand/Vietnam and their Diamond Princess ship quarantined in Japan with 218 cases of coronavirus infected passengers on board, they cancelled the second half of their voyage with a one-day notice.  My parents were so glad that they didn't have to go through the inconvenience a mid-trip termination of their cruise would've entailed.  So far, their claim for reimbursement is still denied and only their shore excursions have been refunded.  I can't imagine how such business practices benefits Princess' reputation.

They might have some success if they follow Chris Elliott's advice.  http://elliott.org

[shepp]

 I doubt that any travel insurance company would take "I'm afraid I might get sick if I go" as a valid reason for medical reimbursement. Really, unless you have cancel-for-any-reason you're pretty much screwed unless Princess takes pity.

 

When you book, you agree to a set of terms that give Princess the legal upper hand. Even completely changing an itinerary doesn't mean passengers get an automatic refund. In an unprecedented situation like this, Princess seems to be pretty much foundering around from moment to moment. I find it difficult to believe they'll make passengers eat the cost of a cancelled sailing, though if the passengers have already cancelled the booking...

Edited February 16, 2020 by shepp

[jagoffee]

ANagy, what type of insurance did they purchase?

[Thrak]

That's why we have the "cancel for any reason" insurance. If you don't buy insurance you take your chances. Bummer but there it is.

[cruiserchuck]

1 minute ago, Thrak said:

That's why we have the "cancel for any reason" insurance. If you don't buy insurance you take your chances. Bummer but there it is.

 

Some insurance policies, including cancel for any reason coverage, do not cover losses from pandemics/epidemics.  So insurance might not cover a decision to not travel due to the Coronavirus.

[shepp]

7 minutes ago, cruiserchuck said:

 

Some insurance policies, including cancel for any reason coverage, do not cover losses from pandemics/epidemics.  So insurance might not cover a decision to not travel due to the Coronavirus.

 

I was under the strong impression that PVP platinum gives you the right to cancel for any reason whatsoever before the ship actually sails, even getting assigned at the last minute to a cabin you hate. If you say "I'm cancelling because my cat is sick," who's going to check up?

 

You do, of course, only get credit toward a future cruise and not cash, though.

Edited February 16, 2020 by shepp

[azbirdmom]

Since their claim was denied by AON, why don't they try again for a refund through Princess?  Under the circumstances, it's worth a try.  They certainly would have cost Princess more money had they traveled to Singapore and required lodging and new flights home.  Did they book through a travel agent who may be willing to talk to Princess on their behalf?  If not, they can try to submit a refund claim through the process that Princess has included in the cancellation letters they have been sending out.  It's worth a try.  Normally I would say they are out of luck but this is such a unique circumstance that it's worth pushing it a little further.

[Maui Girl]

14 minutes ago, shepp said:

 

I was under the strong impression that PVP platinum gives you the right to cancel for any reason whatsoever before the ship actually sails, even getting assigned at the last minute to a cabin you hate. If you say "I'm cancelling because my cat is sick," who's going to check up?

 

You do, of course, only get credit toward a future cruise and not cash, though.

I think you are correct, I scanned through all the fine print on PVP platinum, and didn’t see any mention of epidemics or pandemics for excuses not to pay.   Someone had mentioned a problem with another insurance company so I was curious.   As you mentioned though, cancel for any reason is going to be a credit not a refund! 

[cruiserchuck]

5 minutes ago, Maui Girl said:

I think you are correct, I scanned through all the fine print on PVP platinum, and didn’t see any mention of epidemics or pandemics for excuses not to pay.   Someone had mentioned a problem with another insurance company so I was curious.   As you mentioned though, cancel for any reason is going to be a credit not a refund! 

 

I just read through the fine print, and also did not see an exclusion.  I usually purchase insurance from a third party company, and the one I have been using lately excludes epidemics/pandemics.  I guess there is a reason they are usually less expensive.l

[LoriPhil]

But with the Princess insurance you aren’t actually out the cash because you get the money applied to a future cruise, so hopefully they will be able to find another cruise that pleases them.  I’m glad they elected the prudent course for their own health needs and stayed home.

[Pushka]

46 minutes ago, shepp said:

 I doubt that any travel insurance company would take "I'm afraid I might get sick if I go" as a valid reason for medical reimbursement. Really, unless you have cancel-for-any-reason you're pretty much screwed unless Princess takes pity.

 

When you book, you agree to a set of terms that give Princess the legal upper hand. Even completely changing an itinerary doesn't mean passengers get an automatic refund. In an unprecedented situation like this, Princess seems to be pretty much foundering around from moment to moment. I find it difficult to believe they'll make passengers eat the cost of a cancelled sailing, though if the passengers have already cancelled the booking...

They certainly won’t.  It’s considered as a change of mind. 

[Colo Cruiser]

42 minutes ago, cruiserchuck said:

 

Some insurance policies, including cancel for any reason coverage, do not cover losses from pandemics/epidemics.  So insurance might not cover a decision to not travel due to the Coronavirus.

Negative

[Maui Girl]

7 minutes ago, cruiserchuck said:

 

I just read through the fine print, and also did not see an exclusion.  I usually purchase insurance from a third party company, and the one I have been using lately excludes epidemics/pandemics.  I guess there is a reason they are usually less expensive.l

In the past we have always used other travel insurance, but as we get older and go on longer more expensive trips it has become ridiculously high.  We are going to Australia in a couple weeks and this time I did the Princess insurance because we can get platinum coverage for the lower price.  I then purchased a medical/medical evacuation policy to supplement that, it was under 200 dollars.  Doing it that way saved us more than a grand, but you just have to hope for the best.  Just like this corona virus thing, it’s impossible to anticipate everything 😔

[PhoenixCruiser]

Welcome to CruiseCritic

I believe the round the world cruises are a tad bit longer than a month.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[PescadoAmarillo]

This is simply the way Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) claims are handled with Princess Vacation Protection. AON denies reimbursement, they send the claim and their denial to Princess, and in just a couple of weeks (which could be longer now, with everything going on), your parents receive notification that a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) has been set up in their Captains Circle account. This must be applied to a cruise booked by December 31 of the following calendar year or it is lost. 

 

If your parents don’t have an online Captains Circle log in and password, this would be a good time to get one set up, so they will be able to see the FCC. 
 

CFAR coverage is just that. There are no exclusions for pandemics.

[Host CJSKIDS]

59 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

Since their claim was denied by AON, why don't they try again for a refund through Princess?  Under the circumstances, it's worth a try.  They certainly would have cost Princess more money had they traveled to Singapore and required lodging and new flights home.  Did they book through a travel agent who may be willing to talk to Princess on their behalf?  If not, they can try to submit a refund claim through the process that Princess has included in the cancellation letters they have been sending out.  It's worth a try.  Normally I would say they are out of luck but this is such a unique circumstance that it's worth pushing it a little further.

great advice! 

[PescadoAmarillo]

1 hour ago, shepp said:

I find it difficult to believe they'll make passengers eat the cost of a cancelled sailing, though if the passengers have already cancelled the booking...

Sadly, I don’t. I know for a fact that HAL is guilty of this, and believe that most of the administrative functions of these two companies are being handled in the same way or even by the same group of people. 

[Host CJSKIDS]

7 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

This is simply the way Cancel For Any Reason (CFAR) claims are handled with Princess Vacation Protection. AON denies reimbursement, they send the claim and their denial to Princess, and in just a couple of weeks (which could be longer now, with everything going on), your parents receive notification that a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) has been set up in their Captains Circle account. This must be applied to a cruise booked by December 31 of the following calendar year or it is lost. 

 

If your parents don’t have an online Captains Circle log in and password, this would be a good time to get one set up, so they will be able to see the FCC. 
 

CFAR coverage is just that. There are no exclusions for pandemics.

Even more great advice!

[npcl]

2 hours ago, ANagy said:

My parents have been on many cruises worldwide.  Always with Princess.  Once on a month-long trip around the world.  They've even taken me with them several times.  They were booked on this 21 night Sapphire Princess Southeast Asia cruise out of Singapore.  Literally one day prior to departing from Oregon, they decided to see their doctor due to their fear over the exploding cases of covid-19 in the region they were about to explore.  Their doctor told them that considering their age and my father's compromised immune system, they better cancel their trip.  He provided a letter memorializing his advice.  They cancelled their trip and submitted the doctor's letter with their request for a refund.  They received a denial of their claim from Princess Cruises' underwriter AON stating that since they weren't sick or dead and didn't have a severe illness or death of a family member, they didn't qualify for a refund.  Then, as Princess clearly recognized the danger of possible covid-19 transmission in Asia/Singapore/Thailand/Vietnam and their Diamond Princess ship quarantined in Japan with 218 cases of coronavirus infected passengers on board, they cancelled the second half of their voyage with a one-day notice.  My parents were so glad that they didn't have to go through the inconvenience a mid-trip termination of their cruise would've entailed.  So far, their claim for reimbursement is still denied and only their shore excursions have been refunded.  I can't imagine how such business practices benefits Princess' reputation.

Unless there is a change in medical condition travel insurance companies, Princess included, will not issue a refund for fear of getting sick.  Pretty much the same for all cruise and travel companies. In a case like this one either needs cancel for any reason insurance, or needs to cancel early, or do not cancel and hope the cruise line does.

 

If they had Platinum Princess insurance then they should be able to get a future cruise credit for most of the amount paid once they have the rejection from the insurance company.

Edited February 16, 2020 by npcl

[Te Aroha]

From the Book of Face princess page just updated.

 

Updated Cancellation Policy: Guests booked on an Asia cancelled cruise, and have cancelled their booking on or after January 20, 2020, will receive details on a compensation package in the coming weeks.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Te Aroha

[Aus Traveller]

27 minutes ago, Te Aroha said:

From the Book of Face princess page just updated.

 

Updated Cancellation Policy: Guests booked on an Asia cancelled cruise, and have cancelled their booking on or after January 20, 2020, will receive details on a compensation package in the coming weeks.

That is fantastic. Very generous of Princess.

[OzKiwiJJ]

6 minutes ago, Aus Traveller said:

That is fantastic. Very generous of Princess.

Indeed. Princess are doing a fantastic job given the circumstances. Kudos to them. Although I realise people will be disappointed over losing cruises they have been looking forward to Princess should be garnering at lot of goodwill over their generous compensations, unlike some other cruise lines.

[Coral]

7 hours ago, Aus Traveller said:

That is fantastic. Very generous of Princess.

It was the right thing to do.

[cruzsnooze]

This is a unique circumstance and I think Princess should issue a full CREDIT as a minimum for a cancelled cruise for those passengers who put their own safety first. Doesn't Princess always state safety first?