More 2021/2022 Australia Cruises Cancelled

[azbirdmom]

When will it stop!  Soon I hope.

 

https://www.princess.com/news/notices_and_advisories/notices/pause-extension-in-australia-through-mid-january-2022.html

[Thrak]

It's about time. It was obvious we wouldn't sail. I was hoping they would offer replacement cruises with price protection. I need to find a list of replacement options and get my request in place.

[srpilo]

t this point I think its very doubtful that Princess or any USA cruise line will be repositioning any ships to Oz/NZ in mid-January to start what would be only a 2 month long season down under. While these cancellations are no surprise, this is probably the nail in the coffin for the entire 2021/2022 Oz/NZ season even though it's just not published yet.    IMO 2022/2023 is no lock either

 

Anyway, sad news for all those who've been booked over the long Pandemic, and were thinking like all of us, that surely by 2022 there'd be no problems remaining down under and it would be smooth sailing from Oz... . My Condolences

[kiwimum]

We have lost another one.  Was hoping this would be an easy way to visit family.   Back to the drawing books.

[Astro Flyer]

1 hour ago, Thrak said:

It's about time. It was obvious we wouldn't sail. I was hoping they would offer replacement cruises with price protection. I need to find a list of replacement options and get my request in place.

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/plan/impacted-and-cancelled-cruises/cancelled-select-cruises-australia-through-april-2022.pdf

[azbirdmom]

Not quite sure how Princess' explanation for these cancellations fits with the Sapphire situation.  They already pulled the Sapphire from Alaska and substituted the Royal Princess.  Now the Sapphire isn't scheduled to cruise until October 25, 2022 and that isn't a North American itinerary - it's in Australia.  So where will the Sapphire end up?

[Papa Yoda]

Keeping fingers crossed! With thanks to Astro for the info on available rebookings, managed to snag an aft Vista on the Sydney to LA Oct 25, 2022 24 day transpacific which has just opened up, after which we are booked for a 15 day LA-HI Nov 17.  Hope she sails and hope I can sell enough stock to pay for it!

[Janet&Carl]

The cancelled cruise update on the Princess website shows that all cruises departing Australia/New Zealand have been postponed until 

• Select Cruises from Australian Ports on the Following Ships:
  Coral Princess through January 17, 2022
  Royal Princess through March 9, 2022
  Sapphire Princess through April 8, 2022

• April 29, 2022 Pacific Coastal Cruise on Sapphire Princess

•  

[By The Bay]

I just got an email advising me of the changes. I am happy that I can select a straight swap for a year later. Hopefully our borders between Australia and the world will be open by then. 🤞

[leck57]

We had two Sapphire cruises booked for March. I am not transferring over to equivalent cruises in 2023 as I never book cruises 18 months out. By March 2023 I don't want to be locked in to Australian based cruises when I expect the world to be well and truly open by then.

Obviously Govt indecisiveness led Princess (and others I would expect) to just give up on the Australian season. They had already lost a couple of months with no cruises to mid December so it just became too risky.

[yes!yes!yes!]

My January 3rd b2b is cancelled.

I will look at my options, might just bump it over to 2023.

Although I would prefer going somewhere else, done New Zealand and Australia plenty of times.

[azbirdmom]

10 hours ago, Janet&Carl said:

The cancelled cruise update on the Princess website shows that all cruises departing Australia/New Zealand have been postponed until 

• Select Cruises from Australian Ports on the Following Ships:
  Coral Princess through January 17, 2022
  Royal Princess through March 9, 2022
  Sapphire Princess through April 8, 2022

• April 29, 2022 Pacific Coastal Cruise on Sapphire Princess

•  

 

If you try to look for a cruise on the Sapphire Princess, there are none for sale until October (Australia on the 25th).  This is what it looks like which is why I'm wondering what they are going to do with the Sapphire in the meantime.  

 

[srpilo]

12 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

Not quite sure how Princess' explanation for these cancellations fits with the Sapphire situation.  They already pulled the Sapphire from Alaska and substituted the Royal Princess.  Now the Sapphire isn't scheduled to cruise until October 25, 2022 and that isn't a North American itinerary - it's in Australia.  So where will the Sapphire end up?

 

Maybe back to the west coast and the Mexican Riviera cruises that were originally scheduled before the Royal switch ??????

 

Back to the guessing game 

[Thrak]

Soooo... How does this list of replacement cruises work?  Can I pick and choose replacement cruises or are there specific replacements one is locked into if they accept the replacement cruise option?

[LACruiser88]

40 minutes ago, Thrak said:

Soooo... How does this list of replacement cruises work?  Can I pick and choose replacement cruises or are there specific replacements one is locked into if they accept the replacement cruise option?

Check this link...

 

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/plan/impacted-and-cancelled-cruises/cancelled-select-cruises-australia-through-april-2022.pdf

[Papa Yoda]

7 hours ago, Thrak said:

Soooo... How does this list of replacement cruises work?  Can I pick and choose replacement cruises or are there specific replacements one is locked into if they accept the replacement cruise option?

 

Looks like you are locked in:

 

"Replacement Voyages for Cancelled Australia Cruises

The following cancelled cruises have an exact match. By selecting to move you are automatically choosing a specific cruise."

 

[Thrak]

17 hours ago, Papa Yoda said:

 

Looks like you are locked in:

 

"Replacement Voyages for Cancelled Australia Cruises

The following cancelled cruises have an exact match. By selecting to move you are automatically choosing a specific cruise."

 

 

Not exactly ideal. I spoke with Princess on the phone and was told that the "exact match" with price protection the one straight across from the cancelled cruise. That "mostly" works for two of our cruises but the third one is being replaced with another version of the second cruise. Not at all acceptable. We "may" go for the first two with the price and perk match but the third cruise will definitely have to be something other than they are offering.

Edited September 23, 2021 by Thrak

[Janet&Carl]

On 9/23/2021 at 5:05 AM, Thrak said:

Soooo... How does this list of replacement cruises work?  Can I pick and choose replacement cruises or are there specific replacements one is locked into if they accept the replacement cruise option?

 you get the same cruise a year later basically - or you take a FCC or refund

 

 

[Thrak]

The first two cruises are being offered a reasonable replacement. The last one is simply not acceptable. Of course I can't actually look at the itineraries yet...

 

Original

Sapphire Princess
3-Jan-22
7 Days
Southern Australia Explorer
Roundtrip Melbourne
 

Replacement

Grand Princess
3-Jan-23
6 Days
Southern Australia Explorer
Roundtrip Melbourne
Grand Princess

=================================

Original

Sapphire Princess

10-Jan-22
13 Days
New Zealand
Roundtrip Melbourne
Sapphire Princess

 

Replacement

Grand Princess

9-Jan-23
13 Days
New Zealand
Roundtrip Melbourne
Grand Princess
22-Jan-23

=================================

Original

Sapphire Princess

23-Jan-22
6 Days
Tasmania
Roundtrip Melbourne

 

Replacement

Grand Princess

22-Jan-23
5 Days
Southern Australia Explorer
Roundtrip Melbourne

Edited September 23, 2021 by Thrak

[that]

The Grand is NOT like the Sapphire

 

[diecastaussie]

On 9/23/2021 at 1:00 PM, Papa Yoda said:

 

Looks like you are locked in:

 

"Replacement Voyages for Cancelled Australia Cruises

The following cancelled cruises have an exact match. By selecting to move you are automatically choosing a specific cruise."

 

Exact match - NOT!

 

We were booked on Sapphire Princess 28 nights Sydney to San Francisco at the start of April 2022.

The offered "Exact Match" replacement cruise is only 24 nights Los Angeles to Sydney in September on Sapphire again.

This cruise is not only shorter but also has fewer ports, but Princess is adamant that this cruise is the only option other than cancelling for a cash refund or a 110% FCC.  They will not enter into any discussion about compensation for the 4 "lost" nights which in the cabin category that we booked amounts to almost $1200pp.

They did say that we can choose an alternative cruise but that would be treated as a new booking at the current (very expensive) pricing and that "price protection" could not be applied.

 

Princess has dropped the ball very badly on this one!

 

Garry 🛳️ 🛳️

 

 

[diecastaussie]

On 9/23/2021 at 2:27 AM, srpilo said:

 

Maybe back to the west coast and the Mexican Riviera cruises that were originally scheduled before the Royal switch ??????

 

Back to the guessing game 

We were "moved over" from a cancelled Royal Princess cruise next month to a Sapphire Princess cruise from Hong Kong to Sydney at the end of August 2022 so she will be in Australia from the middle of September.    We have also just had an April 2022 cruise on Sapphire cancelled and the offered "move over" is a cruise also on Sapphire Sydney to Los Angeles late in October 2022.  So, it would appear that she will only spend about 5 weeks in Australian waters before heading back to the US. 

 

Hope that this helps explain Sapphire's movements next year.

 

Garry 🛳️ 🛳️

[diecastaussie]

30 minutes ago, diecastaussie said:

Exact match - NOT!

 

We were booked on Sapphire Princess 28 nights Sydney to San Francisco at the start of April 2022.

The offered "Exact Match" replacement cruise is only 24 nights Los Angeles to Sydney in September on Sapphire again.

This cruise is not only shorter but also has fewer ports, but Princess is adamant that this cruise is the only option other than cancelling for a cash refund or a 110% FCC.  They will not enter into any discussion about compensation for the 4 "lost" nights which in the cabin category that we booked amounts to almost $1200pp.

They did say that we can choose an alternative cruise but that would be treated as a new booking at the current (very expensive) pricing and that "price protection" could not be applied.

 

Princess has dropped the ball very badly on this one!

 

Garry 🛳️ 🛳️

 

 

Oops, that should read Sydney to Los Angeles in late October.

 

Garry 🛳️ 🛳️