Alaska Cruises Suspended Through July 1st by Celebrity. Princess to Follow?

[jennybenny]

6 minutes ago, pseudoswede said:

 

I understand that. But if the cruise gets cancelled before departure, then you are entitled to a full refund.

I didn’t think so, but I’m unclear as well. 
It makes a difference for us.

Final payment is in a few weeks for our cruise. If Princess cancels and it is Money refundable/not FCC, I’ll pay. 

Edited March 30, 2020 by jennybenny

[lderochi]

The official passenger contract is much stingier in what Princess is obligated to pay in the event they cancel (especially for reasons arguably outside of its control) - so to say you’re entitled to your money back Is not quite accurate. But traditionally, yes - If Princess cancels they usually give you an option to get a full refund, plus some bonus in future cruise credit. 

[lderochi]

FWIW here’s the “legal” rights you have if Princess cancels - Which would cause a riot if they ever tried it. 
 

Except as otherwise provided, Carrier may, for any reason, without prior notice, cancel the Cruise . . . In the case of mechanical failures that cause the scheduled cruise to be cancelled, You are entitled to a full refund of the Cruise Fare and the Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses . . . You shall have no claim against Carrier, and Carrier shall not be liable for damages or a refund of the Cruise Fare . . . or other payment, compensation or credit of any kind; nor for hotel or meal charges, travel expenses or other loss, delay, inconvenience, disappointment or expense whatsoever, which shall be the Guest's responsibility, whenever the cancellation or change was otherwise beyond Carrier's exclusive control.  😲

[cruiseaholic78]

https://www.rockymountaineer.com/covid19-keeping-you-updated

 

[Kennact]

3 hours ago, cruiseaholic78 said:

https://www.rockymountaineer.com/covid19-keeping-you-updated

 

Wow! I will for sure never book a trip with them!

[Jetstreamer]

3 minutes ago, Kennact said:

Wow! I will for sure never book a trip with them!

 

A lot of airlines are restricting refunds too in favour of future credit.  I worry that is the logical next step for the cruise lines 😧

[Kennact]

I'm OK with FCC for my May cruise because I have a back up cruise in August. Right now holding out for more than 100% FCC. But people who have no choice need to be offered refunds for sure!

[lderochi]

Not uncommon. In anticipation of my May cruise being cancelled, I cancelled two independent excursions (Vancouver sightseeing and Juneau whale watching). Both of them Pointed to their Terms and Conditions and gave me a credit, not a refund. Live and learn.  The train from Anchorage to Whittier gave me a prompt refund. 

[Kennact]

I'm glad I booked most of my excursions through Princess. I do have a private whale watching tour in Juneau, and they moved my reservation to August at my request. I have only paid deposit, so would have lost that for sure, but not rest of it. Sorry you didn't get refunds and hope you get to go soon!

[caribill]

16 hours ago, lderochi said:

Not uncommon. In anticipation of my May cruise being cancelled, I cancelled two independent excursions (Vancouver sightseeing and Juneau whale watching). Both of them Pointed to their Terms and Conditions and gave me a credit, not a refund. Live and learn.  The train from Anchorage to Whittier gave me a prompt refund. 

 

The problem is that you cancelled being on the cruise, not that the cruise line cancelled. Most private tour providers will give a full refund (not a future credit) if the ship does not make port which is the case if the cruise line cancels the cruise.

 

But since you cancelled while the ship still had a possibility of making port, their T&C  for a voluntary cancellation applied.

 

You should have waited for Princess to cancel the cruise.

[Guindalf]

Am I the only one who is disappointed with Princess for not announcing cancellation of Alaskan cruises through July 1st?

 

Carnival, which we all know is Princess' parent company, made this announcement a few days ago, but nothing from P? Come on! I already cancelled my May 17th Emerald cruise, knowing that as it was starting in Vancouver and stopping in Victoria, will not happen. I Cancelled almost two weeks ago while I could still get 100% back as a refund (less $200 deposit, which will be FCC). It makes no difference to me when it's announced, but I'm an avid cruiser who is trying to keep up with the effects on the industry this virus situation is making.

 

If possible, I will try to get that deposit refunded too. I'm not feeling the love for Princess right now. This was to be our 20th cruise overall but our first with P and I'm not inclined to try again. I'll stick to my regular line that announced their cancellations over a week ago!

 

 

[Cruise Raider]

34 minutes ago, Guindalf said:

Am I the only one who is disappointed with Princess for not announcing cancellation of Alaskan cruises through July 1st?

 

Carnival, which we all know is Princess' parent company, made this announcement a few days ago, but nothing from P? Come on! I already cancelled my May 17th Emerald cruise, knowing that as it was starting in Vancouver and stopping in Victoria, will not happen. I Cancelled almost two weeks ago while I could still get 100% back as a refund (less $200 deposit, which will be FCC). It makes no difference to me when it's announced, but I'm an avid cruiser who is trying to keep up with the effects on the industry this virus situation is making.

 

If possible, I will try to get that deposit refunded too. I'm not feeling the love for Princess right now. This was to be our 20th cruise overall but our first with P and I'm not inclined to try again. I'll stick to my regular line that announced their cancellations over a week ago!

 

 

 

I can say I am anxiously awaiting their announcement as well and would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed in how they are handling this. 

Initially, I felt they were to be commended for how they were handling their cancellations.  They have actually been very generous with their compensation but it is now just taking so darned long to see any of that.  I tried to have them pull it for another cruise I was booking but they stated that they were longer allowing us to use that FCC that was granted unless our refund was already finalized and the FCC was sitting in our account.  Well, then many people said their FCC was showing up but then disappeared.  Following that, I've heard that there were some further restrictions put on the FCC ... you can only use it for a new booking ... but then again, not if it's not already in your account.  Oh geez ... So, if they delay giving any refunds and they delay getting our FCC to us, they obviously just want to draw this out so they can get more of our hard dollars, where, if they cancel that next cruise, we can expect to wait even longer for that refund.  I'm anxious to cruise again but am disappointed in how they are dragging things out ... first 30 days for a refund, then extended to 60 days and I've heard (but cannot confirm) that it will be up to 90 days.  I am trying to be patient with them and realize that they have a very chaotic situation to contend with.... but, seeing they are still booking sailings that they know cannot possibly happen and only allowing us to pay for it with hard dollars,  it does sort of feel like these delay tactics are just adding to my feeling they are being less than honest.   

We cruise a lot across different lines and really like Princess a lot ... too bad this is just starting to wear thin ... not that they are having to cancel any cruises, I get that... but, with their apparent lack of candor and the constant changing of their terms. 

I'm still willing to give them another chance but they need to step up here:  cancel the cruises you know aren't going to happen, allow passengers to book using the FCC as originally promised even if not yet posted (I'm sure they can look it up ... they were allowing it for a few days), stop changing the rules for people using their FCC, expedite cash refunds and FCC's ... 45 days should be acceptable on both sides and take down those cruises you know aren't going to happen.  Perception is half of satisfaction.  

[Guindalf]

Glad I’m not alone. 
 

I will add that I’m not concerned with making a profit, either in cash or extra credit. As long as I could book something equivalent, I would have been happy. However, my first experience is likely to be my last, even if I end up losing my $200 fcc.

 

I also realize that these are trying times and some decisions are pretty major and will cost the cruise lines millions, but I sincerely feel that how they treat their customers AND the ports will be key to their futures.

 

This is not intended to be one of those ‘I’m not getting double my money back so it’s not fair’ posts. 

[WmFCoyote]

We also would like to hear something from Princess Cruise Lines. The first thing we would like them to tell us is if they intend to implement the "Fit to Sail" letter as it would let us determine in what direction we go as a cruiser. (we are both over 70 and have underlying conditions that according to the CLIP proposal would deny us boarding) Second thing we would like to know is weather they are canceling cruises and from May 10th until ..........? 

Based on their response we could determine our coarse of action. If PCL intends to implement the use of the "Fit to Sail" letter then our only recourse is to receive a cash refund as a FCC would do us no good for either a self or cruise line canceled cruise. IF PCL announces the cancellation our cruise (16 May, RT to Alaska from LA) and PCL does not intend to use the FTS letter then we could take either FCC or a Cash refund.  This thought is not a money making scheme but a way to best utilize our funds currently held by PCL. We could ,under current guidelines from PCL, cancel up to 48 hours before our cruise and receive all of our money back with the exception of our $200 deposit. I am also assuming that the Princess Platinum insurance would also be refunded.

[robsaw]

IMHO, all the cruiselines are being unrealistic in their return to service dates but Princess is perhaps one of the more realistic. None of them want to admit that they will have to postpone or cancel cruises even longer than currently planned despite the certainty that major European, Canadian and even some US ports are closed to foreign ships and will remain so for quite some time. When it comes to Alaska cruises - the law prohibits foreign flagged ships (almost all of them) from sailing directly between US ports without a foreign port (i.e. Canada) stop, so right now, without a US Federal Gov't legislative change - there is no possibility of sailing to Alaska before July 1 when Canadian ports MAY re-open.

 

[CRUZBUDS]

Folks like us are scheduled to sail from LA to Alaska for 14 days.  Theoretically it would be possible to swing into Ensenada to full-fill the foreign port requirement.   Though the Mercy is docked at the main terminal in San Pedro (LA) 

 

I seems to be a matter of time before they cancel.   

[wolfie11]

Glacier Bay just announced that they are closed (no visitor services) which means no cruise ships until July 1.  I would take that as a sign...

[lderochi]

The Alaska Railroad also announced they will delay the start of service until July. 

[Mrs.Ripper3785]

I want to say I'm disappointed in how they are handling it as well.  But I'm metering that with the fact that they have another ship at sea that was refused foreign ports and has sick passengers aboard that is heading to FL on Saturday.  They have had their hands full.  I imagine an announcement is forthcoming. They've acknowledged the issue in tweet replies on twitter.  

 

Edited April 3, 2020 by Mrs.Ripper3785

[Fishstain]

We are booked on the May 13th cruise from Vancouver. According to my planner, my cruise is still on. I’m also booked to fly from the UK with Air Transat on the 10th - which is also still flying according to them. It’s obvious that neither will happen but I just wish they’d hurry up and tell me!

[jimmieg]

12 hours ago, Mrs.Ripper3785 said:

I want to say I'm disappointed in how they are handling it as well.  But I'm metering that with the fact that they have another ship at sea that was refused foreign ports and has sick passengers aboard that is heading to FL on Saturday.  They have had their hands full.  I imagine an announcement is forthcoming. They've acknowledged the issue in tweet replies on twitter.  

 

Handling a particular ship in crisis and adjusting a sailing schedule for future passengers are two different matters.

 

I would have expected more in the way of responsiveness from a veteran company.  They have a hole in their decision-making which will need to be addressed.

 

(BTW - I've seen this response quoted, but it is not easily found on their Twitter feed, nor would most of their passengers turn to Twitter to find out what's going on.) 

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, Fishstain said:

We are booked on the May 13th cruise from Vancouver. According to my planner, my cruise is still on. I’m also booked to fly from the UK with Air Transat on the 10th - which is also still flying according to them. It’s obvious that neither will happen but I just wish they’d hurry up and tell me!

 

That's the way I feel, too.  As of now, you can still book one of these early season Alaska sailings on the Princess website.  Shut that down and just let us know already so we can get our refunds started.  We do all know that will be the outcome of these sailings.  

[memoak]

I would be shocked if the Alaskan season happens at all

[SportsFanatic]

On 4/3/2020 at 12:52 PM, memoak said:

I would be shocked if the Alaskan season happens at all

 I agree with you and I think the reason they haven’t made an announcement yet is because they don’t want to have to pay out refunds all at once and they’re trying to delay it as much as possible to handle the ones they are already working on. I canceled March 5 and I still have not received anything back . Slow going.  First time that I had booked a cruise with princess and as of right now I am not very happy with the waiting time on my refund not sure I will be back 

[Rancher Dave]

lots of great points here.  I feel sorry for those who have been waiting a year for an early season Alaska sailing, especially where it's a once in a lifetime trip.  (I've been to Alaska many times and love going back and being there during the Texas Summer months since it is like Texas Winter temps where we go.) 

 

I see some talk about the cruises not being cancelled yet. A few considerations, not that I am defending Princess, they have lots of ships tagged to Alaska cruises, so it is a big job to go in and cancel each of the cruises. Also, keep in mind the cruise line can adjust the sailing without cancelling it. While technically possible, I don't know where they would be going for a week, especially departures out of YVR, but I suppose they could bus folks to Seattle and go South to Mexico and back...not sure if a week would be long enough.  Realistically, I don't see them doing that.  I do see that eventually they will cancel all of these sailings, if not all sailings until July 1st. 

 

Cash management may well be driving some of the decisions, and not creating a huge exodus of cash all at once may well be the key.  Of course they have all the sailings this month and about half next month to process off the books with refunds there so may just be processing them in order of sailing date.   

 

I'd imagine those who have had their finances turned upside down by CV19, which may affect some cruisers for whom this is a once in a lifetime trip that was saved for over several years, really want their cash back to cover other expenses they have that current income (with it gone for so  many) isn't covering.  I see a lot who prefer the cash back, which makes the most sense to me over a FCC, and if I were booked and given the choice would take cash to ensure I didn't completely lose out if the cruise industry crashes for a while. (While I doubt we would see it cease totally, it could be shaken up enough to warrant a wait for a while to get a cruise I want.) 

 

Princess probably has taken the biggest hit of all the lines, both in terms of knowing some ships are out of service longer than others, and of course having the Diamond Princess, which for a long time made the worldwide list of places for infection due to what happened on that ship.  Perfect example of how quickly patient zero can set off a domino effect infecting many due to casual contact. Up until yesterday they were still working to get an infected ship into port in Florida where deaths occurred etc. so I am sure the senior leaders of the company were focused on some of those immediate issues over cancellations a couple months out, not that they couldn't give their approval to mid level managers to get it done. 

 

I've sailed Princess several times and like the line quite a bit, also like Disney, Celebrity, and Royal Caribbean and plan to sail all again in the future. I just don't know when things will be good for going on new sailings, and how much we can look at sailings for later this year and know all of the ports will be available. A lot of the Caribbean ports, and even Alaskan ports, don't have infrastructure to handle an unknown case that hops off the ship and infects a bunch of folks while in port, so that could lead to longer waits before we can cruise like we were last Summer. 

 

Hope all are home and healthy and stay home and healthy while we flatten the curve and get towards a mostly recovered country status.