Sun Princess - Original

[JimmyVWine]

23 minutes ago, tazza_0712 said:

But you're basing your question on the response of what would be most likely, the most 'unreasonable' person.

I guess you just described the people who post on social media sites. 

[tazza_0712]

1 minute ago, JimmyVWine said:

I guess you just described the people who post on social media sites. 

…what I think you mean to say, is that I’m describing all of us. 

[JimmyVWine]

1 minute ago, tazza_0712 said:

…what I think you mean to say, is that I’m describing all of us. 

I’ll go with “most of us.”  That gives everyone the ability to agree and yet exclude themselves from the insult!  

[cruisedoctor]

This was recently posted on the 2/28 Roll Call:

 

[tazza_0712]

2 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

I’ll go with “most of us.”  That gives everyone the ability to agree and yet exclude themselves from the insult!  

You’ll find cruise critic is in fact social media, and so you effectively solidified the insult at the outset. 
 

Note also that I don’t exclude myself from anything. I’m of sound enough mind to know that I too can become unreasonable when a cruise line cancels a “maiden” cruise with 96 hours notice when we (the collective, majority “we”) rightfully suspect and believe that there were potential ways to mitigate the fall out before it got to that late point. 
 

To your original point, had Princess released a statement to the effect that you drafted, I believe this would have gone some of the way to bridging the current gap. “Gap” is a loose term. Perhaps cavernous void is better suited. 

[Host CJSKIDS]

Emotions run high for anyone who had a dream vacation ruined. Or lost money. 
Let's all try and be understanding of those who are here to vent and complain about their cruise being canceled. 
Isn't that we are here for?  Sharing the positives thoughts, asking the questions, and venting!  
I know after my incident in 2005, I was so very grateful for the support I got on here. 
 

okay, off my soapbox!  

[New2cruise2022]

56 minutes ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

Emotions run high for anyone who had a dream vacation ruined. Or lost money. 
Let's all try and be understanding of those who are here to vent and complain about their cruise being canceled. 
Isn't that we are here for?  Sharing the positives thoughts, asking the questions, and venting!  
I know after my incident in 2005, I was so very grateful for the support I got on here. 
 

okay, off my soapbox!  

It’s not a soapbox, just another valid perspective. I don’t think anyone disagrees that the situation is disappointing and frustrating. Princess may have suffered from some bad planning and a series of unfortunate events. But, best laid plans. Life is about surprises. The surprises that bring us joy and the ones that make us sad — disappointed — frustrated. 
I’m not sure there is much good that comes from a litany of blame. I am sure there is a tremendous amount of people putting extra hours, consideration, and hard work into putting the Sun out to sea. There are people working hard to process refunds and claims for those affected. Perhaps I’m a little too glass half full, but it seems like everything is going to turn out ok. 😀

[Mary Kelly]

12 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

It’s not a soapbox, just another valid perspective. I don’t think anyone disagrees that the situation is disappointing and frustrating. Princess may have suffered from some bad planning and a series of unfortunate events. But, best laid plans. Life is about surprises. The surprises that bring us joy and the ones that make us sad — disappointed — frustrated. 
I’m not sure there is much good that comes from a litany of blame. I am sure there is a tremendous amount of people putting extra hours, consideration, and hard work into putting the Sun out to sea. There are people working hard to process refunds and claims for those affected. Perhaps I’m a little too glass half full, but it seems like everything is going to turn out ok. 😀

Very well said. I completely agree. 

[Mary Kelly]

Just now, Mary Kelly said:

Very well said. I completely agree. 

We took our 50% FCC and booked a TA on the Regal for April 5th. 

[CruizinSusan70]

On 2/15/2024 at 10:05 AM, Cdude said:

John Padgett should be FIRED!!!

 

No way to run a company, unless your mission is to destroy brand!

 

After this paid cruise on 3/9, should I be privileged enough to sail on her, I will NEVER sail on Princess again. Vacation is supposed to bring stress relief and that’s why we pay good money for it. Maybe I missed something in the small print.

If you're an experienced cruiser, then you should know to NEVER book a cruise within the first 2-3 months of the inaugural.  The crew needs to get acclimated to the new ship, even more so since this is a new larger class for Princess. And delays happen all of the time, whether it be with the delivery of the ship in general or specific venues on a ship that have not been completed or shows on a ship that are not quite ready 

 

This has happened on various occasions with all of the major cruise lines.  If you're unhappy with Princess and will never sail on them again, then you better get used to land based vacations because similar setbacks have occured on all of the major mass market cruise lines.

 

[New2cruise2022]

1 hour ago, Mary Kelly said:

We took our 50% FCC and booked a TA on the Regal for April 5th. 

Congrats! Happy sailing!

[Hollyann]

7 hours ago, timcahill98 said:

Perhaps they did.  But like me, my travel insurance doesn't consider a cancellation by the carrier to be a covered loss.  So please don't assume that "travel insurance" covers all expenses or situations.

So is your travel insurance not reimbursing you at all?  We are not booked for a few more weeks, but after reading about the two cancellations (with horror) I was at least somewhat comforted by the fact that the yearly travel insurance would cover the $1000 plus incidents such as the tickets I bought to the Acropolis Museum, Acropolis, Vatican, etc. and some non-refundable transports to the hotel, and tours.   I did not think about them denying the claim... .

[Cdude]

3 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

If you're an experienced cruiser, then you should know to NEVER book a cruise within the first 2-3 months of the inaugural.  The crew needs to get acclimated to the new ship, even more so since this is a new larger class for Princess. And delays happen all of the time, whether it be with the delivery of the ship in general or specific venues on a ship that have not been completed or shows on a ship that are not quite ready 

 

This has happened on various occasions with all of the major cruise lines.  If you're unhappy with Princess and will never sail on them again, then you better get used to land based vacations because similar setbacks have occured on all of the major mass market cruise lines.

 

Thanks for the lecture lady! Not that it’s any of your business, but I have been on plenty of both. I expected a few minor inconveniences and hiccups, hence the attractive rate I received, but not a cancellation on her 4th voyage. While that hasn’t happened yet, it certainly seems a real possibility.

 

I’m sure you’ll have a witty reply in defense of Princess. In the meantime, I just booked Celebrity Apex for later this year. Bye Princess!

[ivanp91]

1 hour ago, Cdude said:

Thanks for the lecture lady! Not that it’s any of your business, but I have been on plenty of both. I expected a few minor inconveniences and hiccups, hence the attractive rate I received, but not a cancellation on her 4th voyage. While that hasn’t happened yet, it certainly seems a real possibility.

 

I’m sure you’ll have a witty reply in defense of Princess. In the meantime, I just booked Celebrity Apex for later this year. Bye Princess!

 

What an overblown response to what was a pretty accurate and respectful post.

Edited February 17 by ivanp91

[Fuge]

1 hour ago, ivanp91 said:

 

What an overblown response to what was a pretty accurate and respectful post.

She has received the response she deserved, you defend companies as if they paid you when they fail to fulfill their services in an almost fraudulent way (canceling a cruise with 4 days left without giving any type of information with the pain that this causes to families and couples who have organized their vacations well in advance), you are people without any empathy.

[Jimmys Chippy]

1 hour ago, Fuge said:

She has received the response she deserved, you defend companies as if they paid you when they fail to fulfill their services in an almost fraudulent way (canceling a cruise with 4 days left without giving any type of information with the pain that this causes to families and couples who have organized their vacations well in advance), you are people without any empathy.

Nobody is defending Princess, more a case of saying it’s a bit of a gamble going on a ship’s first sailing as you may experience numerous problems or, in extreme cases, a cancellation. One close friend took his family on a ridiculously cheap Royal Caribbean inaugural cruise and had to deal with half of the ship being closed and flooding issues but, as he said when he returned, I guess that’s why it was cheap. I’d never sail on a ship that hadn’t been in service for at least 2-3 months.

[New2cruise2022]

Some people will choose the excitement and adventure of inaugural and early cruising. The same way some people stand in hours long lines for the latest technology. Being first has value. But it also has risk. If you can appreciate that risk, handle the disappointment when it comes, then do it. Sometimes you win and you’re the first one on a brand new cruise ship or you’re the guy with an unmatched technological breakthrough smartphone. Other times, you’re the one with a cruise that gets delayed or cancelled and you are left with a DeLorean that won’t start, sitting in your house watching a movie on Laser Disc. 
 

Both methods are great. Sharing the perspective that it isn’t the end of the world and there isn’t a conspiracy or cover-up in the works isn’t the same thing as defending Princess. 

[Mary Kelly]

7 hours ago, Hollyann said:

So is your travel insurance not reimbursing you at all?  We are not booked for a few more weeks, but after reading about the two cancellations (with horror) I was at least somewhat comforted by the fact that the yearly travel insurance would cover the $1000 plus incidents such as the tickets I bought to the Acropolis Museum, Acropolis, Vatican, etc. and some non-refundable transports to the hotel, and tours.   I did not think about them denying the claim... .

May I ask, what travel insurance do you have that covers all of that? Thank you 

[Mary Kelly]

7 hours ago, Hollyann said:

So is your travel insurance not reimbursing you at all?  We are not booked for a few more weeks, but after reading about the two cancellations (with horror) I was at least somewhat comforted by the fact that the yearly travel insurance would cover the $1000 plus incidents such as the tickets I bought to the Acropolis Museum, Acropolis, Vatican, etc. and some non-refundable transports to the hotel, and tours.   I did not think about them denying the claim... .

May I ask, what travel insurance do you have that covers all of that? Thank you 

[TRLD]

4 hours ago, Fuge said:

She has received the response she deserved, you defend companies as if they paid you when they fail to fulfill their services in an almost fraudulent way (canceling a cruise with 4 days left without giving any type of information with the pain that this causes to families and couples who have organized their vacations well in advance), you are people without any empathy.

Since the ship was turned over on the 14th it was considered to be sea worthy and technically able to sail. Which is why they were initially planning to sail to the port with a large number of contractors on board.  

 

Would you rather have them have gone forward with the cruise, sailing and likely having some venues closed and work still being done.  Maybe some finishings/furniture missing if they had been delayed in shipping. I am quite sure many would have been equally upset if not more so. 

 

Instead of delivering a poor experience cruise they canceled it costing the cruise line over a million dollars a day. A decision certainly not easily done.

[Wishing on a star]

Just to chime in here...   This is not about something that is possible, and can happen....

This is something that was completely and totally mis-managed by this corporation.

Yes,  it is easy to throw around words like cover-up when there is absolutely NO transparency and due consideration to those who were cancelled.

Can a maiden-voyage be cancelled???  Yes, of course.

Should 2-3-4 voyages be cancelled, literally at the LAST MOMENT...   

Nope...  there is no defense, glass-half-full, here.

There are people here who have been affected by this in many many negative ways.

And, in light of other issues related to Princess in whole..  customer service, etc...

These 'complaints' are valid.

[New2cruise2022]

23 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

Just to chime in here...   This is not about something that is possible, and can happen....

This is something that was completely and totally mis-managed by this corporation.

Yes,  it is easy to throw around words like cover-up when there is absolutely NO transparency and due consideration to those who were cancelled.

Can a maiden-voyage be cancelled???  Yes, of course.

Should 2-3-4 voyages be cancelled, literally at the LAST MOMENT...   

Nope...  there is no defense, glass-half-full, here.

There are people here who have been affected by this in many many negative ways.

And, in light of other issues related to Princess in whole..  customer service, etc...

These 'complaints' are valid.

At some point you are screaming into a void. What happened, happened. Princess offered both an apology and a fair remedy, albeit not perfect because it never could be perfect. 
Those affected (and those not affected but complaining vicariously through the experience of the affected) can either accept Princess’ apology and response or move on and find something else that suits them better. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

12 hours ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

Emotions run high for anyone who had a dream vacation ruined. Or lost money. 
Let's all try and be understanding of those who are here to vent and complain about their cruise being canceled. 
Isn't that we are here for?  Sharing the positives thoughts, asking the questions, and venting!  
I know after my incident in 2005, I was so very grateful for the support I got on here. 
 

okay, off my soapbox!  

I agree with you 100% !!!

I do want to say that some act like they possibly work for the cruiseline… Same stuff over and over again. I am sorry to all that had their vacations ruined and/or lost money. 

Edited February 17 by MsSoCalCruiser

[Hollyann]

2 hours ago, Mary Kelly said:

May I ask, what travel insurance do you have that covers all of that? Thank you 

I have Allianz insurance, but have been hearing rumblings that if the cruise line has not gone out of business that it is up to the cruise line to make things right. I was just curious from those who did have travel insurance as to how much of their nonrefundable expenses they are covering. 

[TRLD]

3 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I agree with you 100% !!!

I do want to say that some act like they possibly work for the cruiseline… Same stuff over and over again. I am sorry to all that had their vacations ruined and/or lost money. 

Just as some post like they work for competitive lines.

 

1. All of us prefer that it did not happen. It is always an issue when something goes wrong with travel plans.

 

2. Princess also prefers that it was able to sail on schedule. Right up until they canceled it they had a plan that they expected to allow them to cruise. The ship was turned over, plans were made to have a large number of contractors on board to finish before sail date.

 

3. Then something happened that made them decide that they could not deliver a quality cruise and they canceled. A decision that cost them over a million per day. Certainly not an easy decision. The exact reason we will know it could be anything from some tasks taking longer, to some materials that they expected for finishing work not arriving in time for the sailing to the port. We will not know for sure. But it was enough to decide to cancel and keep the ship at the shipyard and finish the work there.  Have seen other lines in the past make different decisions and sail  with work taking place on board. Resulting in a poor cruise experience.

 

4. Travel enough and sooner or later one will encounter problems. There are ways that one can mitigate the impact of problems by planning or by having a mind set that if there is a problem having a willingness to do something else. In Europe and have the cruise cancel there are certainly a lot of things one can do to avoid wasting the flights. Once one is in Europe getting around it is cheap. It is off season so accommodations are in off season price.

 

It is a shame that it happened, it is up to each individual how they choose to handle it.  If it was me I would probably pop over to Malta or Greece spend some time.