Canceled, not postponed

[Cinnamon2]

I just canceled my Alaska cruise which is due to sail next week and am in process of submitting my insurance claim (for a valid reason).  My TA asked Princess if I could move my sailing to a date two month out and they refused so I had to cancel.  You would think it would be a win-win for Princess to transfer my booking.  That way I would still be sailing with them and they would keep my money.  If I had rebooked, I would have had to pay in full immediately when my insurance refund will take a few weeks to get.  So now Princess will not have my money, I have no cruise booked and can use the refund money to cruise on another line or take a different type of vacation.  I just feel that Princess should have been more accommodating.  

[Papa Yoda]

PCL booking systems don't seem to be set up to allow for "transfers", they always have to cancel and rebook.

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, Cinnamon2 said:

I just canceled my Alaska cruise which is due to sail next week and am in process of submitting my insurance claim (for a valid reason).  My TA asked Princess if I could move my sailing to a date two month out and they refused so I had to cancel.  You would think it would be a win-win for Princess to transfer my booking.  That way I would still be sailing with them and they would keep my money.  If I had rebooked, I would have had to pay in full immediately when my insurance refund will take a few weeks to get.  So now Princess will not have my money, I have no cruise booked and can use the refund money to cruise on another line or take a different type of vacation.  I just feel that Princess should have been more accommodating.  

What am I missing? If you cancel a booking within 14 days of the sail date for a non COVID reason, doesn’t Princess get to keep 100% of the cruise fare you paid? Sure, if you cancel for a reason covered by your cruise insurance, you may get some $$$ back from your insurance company. But I would think that would be between you and your insurance company. 

 

https://www.princess.com/plan/standard-cancellation-refund-policy/

 

 

[AE_Collector]

Yes insurance and Princess are two different things. Plus if they let passengers change their cruising date on a whim they will be in here telling everyone about it and soon everyone wants the same treatment. They just can’t do that. Similar to those that come on here incensed that Princess won’t give them a refund when one of their travel party has an accident or medical emergency and no one has insurance. They see this as different than simply not wanting to go now so Princess should just be reasonable. 

[AF-1]

good luck with the insurance company.  All the best and I hope you get to sail another day

[dog]

Princess had a fair policy IMO letting me cancel with confidence twice in the past year, prior to 30 days before sailing.

I also purchase their Platinum insurance policy to include cancel for any reason, right up to embarkation.

 

[Coral]

Princess did get to keep the money.

 

It is insurance that pays out.

[Cinnamon2]

OP here . . . just for clarification:  I am confident that my insurance will refund my entire cruise including air, minus insurance premium.  I have 2 valid reasons to cancel so that's not the issue.  My disappointment is that Princess was unwilling to move the booking.  They would keep a loyal customer and make money off of us.  They expected us to pay for another cruise in full long before we had our refund.  So, no, we won't be cruising at all and if we do, might try another line.  We will likely use the money elsewhere.

[Daniel A]

10 hours ago, Cinnamon2 said:

I just canceled my Alaska cruise which is due to sail next week and am in process of submitting my insurance claim (for a valid reason).  My TA asked Princess if I could move my sailing to a date two month out and they refused so I had to cancel.  You would think it would be a win-win for Princess to transfer my booking.  That way I would still be sailing with them and they would keep my money.  If I had rebooked, I would have had to pay in full immediately when my insurance refund will take a few weeks to get.  So now Princess will not have my money, I have no cruise booked and can use the refund money to cruise on another line or take a different type of vacation.  I just feel that Princess should have been more accommodating.  

I could be wrong about this, but if your valid reason is Covid-19 related for you or a member of your travel party in your stateroom, your entire cruise fare would be returned to you as future Cruise Credits.  You should be able to apply those credits to the cruise departing in two months.

 

If you cancelled for a non-Covid reason, since your sailing is next week, (well past final payment date) Princess keeps 100% of your payments and it is up to you to get reimbursed from your insurance.  If you got the insurance money right away, and you booked to replacement cruise with that money, then Princess would get a second fare from you.  If Princess gets to keep your money from next week's sailing, why would they let you apply their money to cover another cruise?

 

I don't think it would be fair to Princess to blame them for following the terms and conditions you agreed to when you booked the cruise.  Sorry, but these situations rarely make everybody happy.

[Cinnamon2]

AZ and John, yeah, I understand.  Princess got their money so they don't give a crap.  No, not covid related.  We will just get our money back and spend it elsewhere.  Cruise wasn't meant to be . . .

[Crystabel]

3 hours ago, Cinnamon2 said:

OP here . . . just for clarification:  I am confident that my insurance will refund my entire cruise including air, minus insurance premium.  I have 2 valid reasons to cancel so that's not the issue.  My disappointment is that Princess was unwilling to move the booking.  They would keep a loyal customer and make money off of us.  They expected us to pay for another cruise in full long before we had our refund.  So, no, we won't be cruising at all and if we do, might try another line.  We will likely use the money elsewhere.

See post #4.

[Daniel A]

If somebody bought tickets to see Hamilton on Broadway next Wednesday and they had something come up and couldn't attend, do some think it is reasonable to expect the Richard Rogers Theater to just issue free tickets for another performance two months later?  What about the empty seats on Wednesday that someone else could have purchased?  It's just not the way the world works.  This is why there are non-refundable deposits and cancellation time limits in many businesses.  Again, it's very sad when at the last minute someone cannot go on a long-anticipated cruise, and I can sympathize but when all is said and done, this is not Princess' fault and they shouldn't be left holding the bag.  

[dog]

I understand your annoyance, so I recommend you get the information up front before you put down money on another vacation.

 

if you find one that meets your standards, please come back and share with us!

[Guest ldtr]

5 hours ago, Cinnamon2 said:

AZ and John, yeah, I understand.  Princess got their money so they don't give a crap.  No, not covid related.  We will just get our money back and spend it elsewhere.  Cruise wasn't meant to be . . .

Actually they are doing exactly what they are supposed to do..  The cruise line and the insurance company are two separate entities.  If you cancel for any reason then the cruise line will issue an FCC after the claim is processed.  If it is a cash refund for a covered reason then it is the insurance company that pays the claim.  

 

In either case the claims must be processed for either the FCC or the refund is issued.  When you canceled, even with insurance, the money you paid in is gone according to the Terms and conditions.  That money will get replaced once the claim is processed.  If the claim meets the requirements of the policy.

 

So Princess is doing exactly what they are supposed to do under the insurance and the terms and conditions under which you agreed to cruise.

[jagoffee]

16 hours ago, Cinnamon2 said:

I just canceled my Alaska cruise which is due to sail next week and am in process of submitting my insurance claim (for a valid reason).  My TA asked Princess if I could move my sailing to a date two month out and they refused so I had to cancel.  You would think it would be a win-win for Princess to transfer my booking.  That way I would still be sailing with them and they would keep my money.  If I had rebooked, I would have had to pay in full immediately when my insurance refund will take a few weeks to get.  So now Princess will not have my money, I have no cruise booked and can use the refund money to cruise on another line or take a different type of vacation.  I just feel that Princess should have been more accommodating.  

 

7 hours ago, Cinnamon2 said:

OP here . . . just for clarification:  I am confident that my insurance will refund my entire cruise including air, minus insurance premium.  I have 2 valid reasons to cancel so that's not the issue.  My disappointment is that Princess was unwilling to move the booking.  They would keep a loyal customer and make money off of us.  They expected us to pay for another cruise in full long before we had our refund.  So, no, we won't be cruising at all and if we do, might try another line.  We will likely use the money elsewhere.

Sorry for your troubles.  The reason for the necessary cancellation is most likely out of your control and not something you desire.

 

1.  Cancelling a cruise departing in a week before departure will almost certainly result in a lost booking and a loss of profit without insurance.  You were smart enough to buy insurance, so Princess will not lose the revenue and you will be getting a full cruise refund.  A win for you and Princess, but a lose for the insurance company.  If Princess allowed you to move your cruise by six weeks, it would have been a win for you and a win for the insurance  company, but a loss for Princess.  Surely you can understand the logic and fairness of the policy.  

 

2.  If your finances are such that you cannot afford to pay for a cruise departing in six weeks, it is understandable.  If your insurance company processes your payment quick enough, perhaps you can  book the Princess cruise “last minute”.  You might even save some money.  Booking with a different cruise line will in no way change that dynamic.  (It might be more expensive or less expensive)

 

3.  Obviously you are not receiving a lot of support for your position that Princess’s policy is not fair and reasonable.  Assuming Princess is the cruise line you preferred, you might want to reconsider your position.  You have already mentioned that the root cause of the cancellation is not Covid related, so I really do not think the policy would be any different with any other cruise line.  (It certainly would be with an Airline).  The root cause of this issue in the underlining cause of the need to cancel.  Many of us feel bad for you in that respect.

 

Best of luck and I hope everything works  out with your issues.  

[Cinnamon2]

Thanks for your replies, everyone!  I was just hoping Princess would move our booking to keep us happy and on their ship.  I was willing to pay the extra airfare etc.  It's just that they already have about 6 grand and we would need to shell out another 6 grand and have to wait for refund.  No problem, just feeling bad and venting.  

[Guest ldtr]

30 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

 

Sorry for your troubles.  The reason for the necessary cancellation is most likely out of your control and not something you desire.

 

1.  Cancelling a cruise departing in a week before departure will almost certainly result in a lost booking and a loss of profit without insurance.  You were smart enough to buy insurance, so Princess will not lose the revenue and you will be getting a full cruise refund.  A win for you and Princess, but a lose for the insurance company.  If Princess allowed you to move your cruise by six weeks, it would have been a win for you and a win for the insurance  company, but a loss for Princess.  Surely you can understand the logic and fairness of the policy.  

 

2.  If your finances are such that you cannot afford to pay for a cruise departing in six weeks, it is understandable.  If your insurance company processes your payment quick enough, perhaps you can  book the Princess cruise “last minute”.  You might even save some money.  Booking with a different cruise line will in no way change that dynamic.  (It might be more expensive or less expensive)

 

3.  Obviously you are not receiving a lot of support for your position that Princess’s policy is not fair and reasonable.  Assuming Princess is the cruise line you preferred, you might want to reconsider your position.  You have already mentioned that the root cause of the cancellation is not Covid related, so I really do not think the policy would be any different with any other cruise line.  (It certainly would be with an Airline).  The root cause of this issue in the underlining cause of the need to cancel.  Many of us feel bad for you in that respect.

 

Best of luck and I hope everything works  out with your issues.  

Also keep in mind that even though Princess gets to keep the fare, Princess still loses when one considers that a percentage of their revenue is from on board sales, including excursions.  Pre-Covid that was around 25% of revenue.  A cancellation this close to sailing, in this post Covid time, means that the cabin will likely not be filled and therefore the loss of sales.

[JimmyVWine]

15 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Also keep in mind that even though Princess gets to keep the fare, Princess still loses when one considers that a percentage of their revenue is from on board sales, including excursions.  Pre-Covid that was around 25% of revenue.  A cancellation this close to sailing, in this post Covid time, means that the cabin will likely not be filled and therefore the loss of sales.

They might be able to fill the cabin at a "Drop and Go" fare, or send a blast email to TAs hoping that one might take the cruise or find a client who will.  Much easier if this is a Northbound sailing from Vancouver or a R/T out of Seattle.  The Princess website currently shows availability on the cruises leaving out of Seattle on 5 and 6 days from now respectively.  

[ontheweb]

42 minutes ago, ldtr said:

Also keep in mind that even though Princess gets to keep the fare, Princess still loses when one considers that a percentage of their revenue is from on board sales, including excursions.  Pre-Covid that was around 25% of revenue.  A cancellation this close to sailing, in this post Covid time, means that the cabin will likely not be filled and therefore the loss of sales.

And the OP wanted to go instead a few weeks later. They would have got their onboard revenue then. Now they lost that, and the OP does not get to cruise. A true lose/lose outcome.

[latebloomer56]

8 hours ago, Cinnamon2 said:

OP here . . . just for clarification:  I am confident that my insurance will refund my entire cruise including air, minus insurance premium.  I have 2 valid reasons to cancel so that's not the issue.  My disappointment is that Princess was unwilling to move the booking.  They would keep a loyal customer and make money off of us.  They expected us to pay for another cruise in full long before we had our refund.  So, no, we won't be cruising at all and if we do, might try another line.  We will likely use the money elsewhere.

We had the same issue this past spring. Got 25% back on credit card from Princess and the balance from AON insurance minus the insurance fee. Others may have had issues but they were very good to deal with. We had to cancel a trip on a different line as well same insurance company both checks were here just over a month from time we called and filed.

Sorry your giving up on Princess we rebooked the same trip different ship for this Oct.

Good luck and hope it all works out for you.

[Guest ldtr]

53 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

And the OP wanted to go instead a few weeks later. They would have got their onboard revenue then. Now they lost that, and the OP does not get to cruise. A true lose/lose outcome.

That would have been onboard revenue on a future cruise, it would not be onboard revenue on their current cruise.  they still have more potential to sell the future cruise.  they forever lose that opportunity for revenue on the currently booked cruise.

[ontheweb]

14 hours ago, ldtr said:

That would have been onboard revenue on a future cruise, it would not be onboard revenue on their current cruise.  they still have more potential to sell the future cruise.  they forever lose that opportunity for revenue on the currently booked cruise.

But it is one more cabin providing revenue on that future cruise. And there still is a possibility of a last minute booking on the current cruise.

[JimmyVWine]

2 hours ago, ontheweb said:

And there still is a possibility of a last minute booking on the current cruise.

I don't think people give enough credit to what data and analytics teams are capable of today.  If Princess wanted to, it could figure out based on past behavior, who the biggest spenders are in terms of onboard spending, or who the biggest bettors are in the casino, and then offer the open cabin to one of those people for free, (or a greatly reduced fare).  No lost revenue from the sale of the cabin since the fare was not refunded to the original booker and Princess already has that money.  Add to that the possibility of big onboard spending/gambling by someone who has a past history of doing so and Princess might come out ahead.   If Princess sends out a blast email to 200 such people and says that this is an extremely limited offer and will be filled on a first come, first served basis, I'll bet they would fill the cabin and recoup whatever lost onboard spending may have been generated by the original occupant of the cabin.