Skipped port - How long for port fee & excursion refund?

[DCwom]

We skipped two ports on our western Caribbean cruise so we should be getting port fees & excursions refunded, right? Our onboard account was credited, then zeroed after the cruise, this was a couple of weeks ago. Anyone know how long Princess takes to refund these things? Should I get into the customer service call waiting pool to find out or is this normal to drag there feet refunding money?😑

[MainePrincess]

You should get a check in the mail.  Mine took 6 weeks.  It comes from a third party.

 

[travelin.sisters]

our OBC refund was 3-4 weeks for our March cruise...watch the mail as it kind of looks like junk mail

[Mike45LC]

Junk mail from "Bottomline Technologies, Paymode X."  I received it about two weeks after disembarkation.  Thanks to warnings from this Forum, I didn't simply throw the junk mail out!

 

 

[Desert Cruisers]

If it happens in the future, you can get it cashed out onboard.  We just did this on the Discovery Princess.

[Honolulu Blue]

6 hours ago, DCwom said:

We skipped two ports on our western Caribbean cruise so we should be getting port fees & excursions refunded, right? Our onboard account was credited, then zeroed after the cruise, this was a couple of weeks ago. Anyone know how long Princess takes to refund these things? Should I get into the customer service call waiting pool to find out or is this normal to drag there feet refunding money?😑

I'm surprised to hear your experience and that of others for a couple of reasons. I've traveled on several different cruise lines and have always had refunded port fees and canceled excursions delivered to me by OBC onboard within two days. I've never had to wait for a check. In fact, Princess refunded me about $27 in port fees prior to my last cruise with them last week. I guess the fees went down before our cruise?

 

Experience and a bunch of posts here have taught me that billing issues are a lot tougher to resolve when you've left the ship. I wish you luck, though patience will perhaps get you your just rewards with a lot less stress.

[travelin.sisters]

1 hour ago, Honolulu Blue said:

I'm surprised to hear your experience and that of others for a couple of reasons. I've traveled on several different cruise lines and have always had refunded port fees and canceled excursions delivered to me by OBC onboard within two days. I've never had to wait for a check. In fact, Princess refunded me about $27 in port fees prior to my last cruise with them last week. I guess the fees went down before our cruise?

 

Experience and a bunch of posts here have taught me that billing issues are a lot tougher to resolve when you've left the ship. I wish you luck, though patience will perhaps get you your just rewards with a lot less stress.

 

2 hours ago, Desert Cruisers said:

If it happens in the future, you can get it cashed out onboard.  We just did this on the Discovery Princess.

 

I thought that the OP was referring to having the OBC refunded...that was what my answer was about anyway...we missed 2 ports on our March Hawai'i itinerary & so had several hundred returned to us in refundable OBC, & didn't want to spend it on anything else onboard...Princess will only cash out a limited amount of OBC, otherwise they return it by check

[Honolulu Blue]

2 hours ago, travelin.sisters said:

I thought that the OP was referring to having the OBC refunded...that was what my answer was about anyway...we missed 2 ports on our March Hawai'i itinerary & so had several hundred returned to us in refundable OBC, & didn't want to spend it on anything else onboard...Princess will only cash out a limited amount of OBC, otherwise they return it by check

After a clearer reading of the original post, I think you're right - they got the original OBC onboard for their ports and excursions being missed, somehow didn't use it onboard, and are now waiting for a refund from Princess. I've never let it get to that point, but once that happens, then yes, they're going to mail a check - which might take a while.

 

I apologize for the confusion.

[DCwom]

An update, here we are about 2+ months later and still no refund, but here's the really infuriating part, no communications! After calling and being dropped after wadding through the queue, I had to call again only to be told that I had to email. So I emailed twice, no response to either email. Last week I found one of those contact forms, that you fill out and it sent an email response that my concern was received, still nothing! I guess the next step is registered mail to Princess/Carnival so I can document my contact.

 

So my question, has anyone had success using postal contact or am I wasting my time and I just have to eat the loss of my excursions?

[DCwom]

Ok, an update for posterity. 4 months later and 4 phone calls I finally received a check in the mail. Princess now moves from never again to probably never... We'll see.

[Rick&Jeannie]

@DCwom...sorry you had to go through that ordeal.  Many have posted similar experiences.  Princess (as with most other cruise lines) are really hurting for cash...in my opinion they are stretching out refunds and such as far as they think they can get away with it.  It certainly adds to the frustration of what is *usually* a great vacation.  I think *all* the cruise lines are doing this to some extent...doesn't make it right, though!

[LynnSD]

I’m not so sure they are doing it on purpose.  Every vendor transaction that used to take a few weeks now takes a few months; they are probably understaffed.

[DCwom]

On 8/10/2023 at 12:19 PM, LynnSD said:

I’m not so sure they are doing it on purpose.  Every vendor transaction that used to take a few weeks now takes a few months; they are probably understaffed.

I'd like to think they were just slow and understaffed, but it wasn't until the 4th phone call that the agent actually went through a claim process with me, the previous 3 calls didn't seem to know what to do, one even told me I had to use email to make a request. The email by the way is just a black hole, nothing ever comes back. By the 4th call I'd had enough so I immediately asked for a supervisor, which I never got to, but was eventually handed off to an expediter. I shouldn't of had to fight so hard.

[shirazcruiser]

I made numerous calls to the incompetent outsourced phone center and my TA eventually made 2 - 2 hour phone calls to get my $2,000 refund processed on my credit card after a month.  I was advised by the Suite Concerige Host that it would take 3-5 days to process the refund on my credit card; however, after speaking to Princess and reading on CC...that's not the case. Next time I have a credit balance on my ship account...even if it's $2,000....I'm getting cash to avoid the hassle.  

 

 

 

 

[DCwom]

On 8/12/2023 at 7:38 AM, shirazcruiser said:

"Next time I have a credit balance on my ship account...even if it's $2,000....I'm getting cash to avoid the hassle. "

 

Yeah, I didn't realize I could do that before leaving the ship, I wondered why there was a long line at the desk.

 

 

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by DCwom

[MissP22]

On 8/10/2023 at 12:19 PM, LynnSD said:

I’m not so sure they are doing it on purpose.  Every vendor transaction that used to take a few weeks now takes a few months; they are probably understaffed.

Well just look at the mess they've created with the packages. I'm sure they never anticipated such an increase in call volume from their booked passengers.