Booking Problems....anyone else?

[lmmn]

I am absolutely furious about the issues I've had with Princess trying to book five cabins for a cruise one year out. This is so ridiculous, I cannot even believe I'm going on this cruise. I had three cabins booked...no problem. Then all of sudden......oh, that category has filled, I cannot book those other two cabins, "the computer locked up and we cannot over-ride it". These other two cabins were still available, but she could not book them. I had to book other cabins, go on a waitlist, wait for the waitlist to clear and then book the cabins I originally wanted. One year out.....this is absolutely crazy!!!! I have no patience for this type of service....had it been just me, I would have simply switched to another cruiseline. Having gone on over 10 cruises, this is worst customer service I have ever encountered. Do they want you to cruise or not to cruise?

[TNTLAMB]

They must be pleasing somebody or the cabins wouldn'tbe filling quite so fast. :) Did you try a TA they don't cost anymore and infact usually cost less than direct booking and the will have access to the blocks of rooms you can't get to and have all the hassle! Usually you can transfer the booking without any trouble.

[lmmn]

They must be pleasing somebody or the cabins wouldn'tbe filling quite so fast. :)

 

Anyone who has encountered this same problem.....will not be back!

[DesrtDrmr]

Immn,

The above suggestion to go through a travel agent is a good one. I've gotten better deals, especially if the rates drop, through a travel agent than I have through Princess.

Also, since you ARE booking a year out, and you are so unhappy with Princess booking, you probably have plenty of time to change all five cabins to a cruiseline you feel very comfortable with.........which looks like it would be Royal Caribbean.

If you like all the rock climbing, skating, etc, on RCI, you will not find that on Princess......................and would probably be disappointed.

Of course, if you like warm water pools, open 24/7, and anytime dining, you might enjoy Princess.........along with their terrific shore excursions, and the feeling of being connected to the sea while onboard..........but no free ice cream 24/7. (Of course, when I was on the AOS, the ice cream machine was broken for the entire week, and I never had any ice cream................ :)

Good luck, and enjoy your cruise, whichever line you choose.

[lmmn]

Thank you for your suggestion...I may get a travel agent. Booking as an individual, I would still expect to get good customer service. I am not loyal to any particular cruiseline. I have sailed Princess before, and just got off a Celebrity cruise, and will try Carnival in May. I like them all for different reasons. It is my kids who like the free ice cream, and me being almost 50 and afraid of heights...not real crazy about rock climbing nor spinning on the ice rink. The reason we selected Princess was mostly because of the itinerary.....do you honestly think what happened during my booking was good customer service????

 

 

Immn,

The above suggestion to go through a travel agent is a good one. I've gotten better deals, especially if the rates drop, through a travel agent than I have through Princess.

Also, since you ARE booking a year out, and you are so unhappy with Princess booking, you probably have plenty of time to change all five cabins to a cruiseline you feel very comfortable with.........which looks like it would be Royal Caribbean.

If you like all the rock climbing, skating, etc, on RCI, you will not find that on Princess......................and would probably be disappointed.

Of course, if you like warm water pools, open 24/7, and anytime dining, you might enjoy Princess.........along with their terrific shore excursions, and the feeling of being connected to the sea while onboard..........but no free ice cream 24/7. (Of course, when I was on the AOS, the ice cream machine was broken for the entire week, and I never had any ice cream................ :)

Good luck, and enjoy your cruise, whichever line you choose.

[TNTLAMB]

If you tried to book all 5 cabins at the exact same time, I would say there may be a problem. I have however watched my cruise personalizer change before my very eyes (actually I hit the refresh button) as I was speaking to the rep. Things change rapidly with computer booking. The lockouts are normally a system upgrading situation In the early booking process huge block of cabins are moved through the inventories of the consolidators and large TA's especially the online agencies.. Cabins are traded back and forth among the players which is why your wait listed cabins probably cleqared later. Someone was looking out for you. This is one of the reasons to use a TA for a group cruise. That being said, we just completed a cruise with 6 cabins and three different airports, We all ended up next door to each other, at Houdton International within 15 minute of each other etc. I did all. The number of phone calls and emails it took not only with PC but airlines, limo service etc was unbelivable. I enjoyed it, but my wife said if I tried it again we'd be deciding who got the cabin in diorce court:) The 6th cabin incidently was booked two weeks beforer the cruise as a last minute decision and done through Expedia. I wasn't being trite we are ruled by computers not people. The person at the keyboard truly has no control. If you don't like the game then let the TA earn their commision because they do earn every penny of it. As a side note companies such as PC that make their products avaiable directly will rarely be the lowest price as they need to protect their wholesalers and TA's profit margins as these folks provide the bulk of their business and their loss would be irrecoverable. Hope this helps.