Princess Tour passengers left behind

[startedwithamouse]

14 minutes ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Actually that language disappeared a while ago.  This is the current marketing promise, and of course the fine print distances Princess from issues that may arise on one of their shore excursions.  In the recent case though Princess did the right thing even if they ended up returning the group 2 ports later.

 

Try telling that to a tide schedule in Alaska.

[Steelers36]

21 hours ago, satxdiver said:

We (50) started out on a Princess tour to Cape Breton Island from the port in Sydney NS on a tour bus.  The bus broke down about 15 miles from the port and we were stranded on the side of the road for 3+ hours when a new bus came to pick us up and return us to the ship.  They had to use a bus that was supposed to take a tour that afternoon which was canceled at the last minute.  When we returned to the ship they canceled the tour and gave us each $100 OBC along with apologies from a ship officer. Princess had chartered all the busses in the area.  The tour operator was profusely apologizing but no more busses to be had.  I had often wondered about pax left behind on ship tours and what happened.  It made me realize the benefit of using a ship tour versus a private one.  Interesting story.

 

Sorry, but this story sounds like the reverse to me.  A small group in a van would not likely have had the breakdown (low probability) and been out of options.

[Steelers36]

18 hours ago, TRLD said:

An example.  A few years ago on a South American cruise Princess passengers were on two different planes leaving Cusco after visiting Machu Picchu.  The first plane departed on schedule.  The second plane had a bird strike on takeoff, aborted and slide off of the runway.  Cusco airport was closed for 24 hours.  On that plane were some passengers on the Princess excursion, a group that coordinated the excursion on cruise critic, two couples that booked through American Express and one other couple. The ship could not wait in Lima and had to depart.

 

The ship made an unscheduled stop in Mantra Ecuador.

 

Princess took care of all of their passengers handling all hotels and transportation to get to Manta.  It is my understanding that they did get some OBC for the missed time on the ship, but do not recall how much.

 

The two couples that booked through AMEX also made it to Manta with AMEX taking care of the arrangements necessary.

 

One other couple doing it on their own also made it to Manta but at their own expense.

 

The group that coordinated on cruise critic (I remember one comment in the  Roll call where they were planning the tour - we are on the same plane as the Princess tour what can go wrong).  Did not meet the ship until a few days later at the normally scheduled stop is Costa Rica.  They were responsible for all expenses to get there. No compensation.

 

A guarantee from a local tour company may not mean much when the next stop is in another country.

True enough, but with good planning, we are normally going to go for the small group experience for better tour experience and better value.  Chances are pretty low for a catastrophic event and both examples given so far in this thread have been in that nature.  I know it isn't for everyone, but we will continue to go independent where it makes sense.

[Incognito1]

21 hours ago, satxdiver said:

  It made me realize the benefit of using a ship tour versus a private one.  Interesting story.

 

Guess it depends upon your level of comfort with risk.  I'd say we save a conservative average of $100 per excursion for the both of us by using private tour operators.  For most places, I'll take my chances.

[TRLD]

33 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

True enough, but with good planning, we are normally going to go for the small group experience for better tour experience and better value.  Chances are pretty low for a catastrophic event and both examples given so far in this thread have been in that nature.  I know it isn't for everyone, but we will continue to go independent where it makes sense.

In our case we did neither. it was less expensive to do a 12 day tour of Peru including Machu Picchu with flights from the US at a later date than it was to use either the Princess or CC organized tour.

 

The point is that Princess does take care of it tour passengers when something does go wrong. For those that "saved" money on thr CC organized trip, they ended up paying much more as well as missing several says on board until the ship made it to Costa Rica.

[TRLD]

1 hour ago, startedwithamouse said:

Try telling that to a tide schedule in Alaska.

Or when the folks got stuck in Haines due to a storm stopping the ferry service Princess organized a charter because there was not a commercial flight to get the passengers to meet the ship the next day. 

[no1racefan1]

There is such a misconception on CC about ship-sponsored excursions being all big, obnoxious, less enjoyable, etc. We've had exceptional tours through the cruiselines, you just have to do your research and know what you are getting.

 

Our experiences (from various cruise lines) have included:

Rainforest & Waterfall Hike on Maui--8 people on the tour, and the guide was a 20+ year local (actually relocated from MT, as almost everybody we met in Hawaii had moved there from somewhere else). It was a muddy, wet, active, fabulous excursion!

Volcano Hike in Hilo--6 people on the tour and the guide was also weirdly from MT. She worked for a local tour company. We walked across an old volcano, visited the national park, and then since we were three couples (all strangers) celebrating anniversaries, she let us vote to get back a little bit late in order to take a detour to see a black sand beach. It was amazing and so was she!

Private Beach Getaway in Cozumel--this was probably the biggest ship excursion we've been on and I think it was about 20 ppl. We were taken by bus to a beach house and waited on hand and foot while we laid on the beach, got massages, etc. They made fresh guacamole for everyone, including making a special batch for my DH who's allergic to onions. Then they cooked lunch for us right on the grill and brought us whatever we wanted. It was heaven and DH tipped them very generously, lol.

Helicopter to Dogsledding Camp in Juneau--Only us and one other couple in the helicopter--I think there was one other helicopter. This is very obviously a local tour company as I think most of them are in Alaska, contracted by the cruise line. It was a magical experience and probably what sold me on cruising and cruise excursions.

 

We have, on occasion, also done things on our own in ports, but if I'm booking tours I almost always book through the ship. It's not even about the whole 'getting back to ship' thing. It's just the ease of booking through the cruise line, getting tickets in our cabin, being directed where to go, and having all the scheduling arranged for us. Never have to worry if the ship arrives late, departs late, doesn't make it to a port, etc. Don't have to coordinate or communicate with any tour operators. It's all arranged. Just tell me where to go, lol. Some places we could have saved a few bucks probably; however, I've noticed especially in AK that booking direct is the same price or nearly the same price as booking through the cruise line. Might as well let them do all the work!

 

 

 

 

[MacMadame]

On our upcoming cruise, we booked one non-Princess tour where the return time was 3 hours before the ship sailed. I figured, if we had to, we could walk back to the ship in that timeframe. 😉

For the others, the excursions were much farther away and much longer. To me, it makes sense to book with Princess if you have little leeway for things going wrong. Plus one of them combined two excursions into one and doing that with private tour operators was not possible in the time allotted.

 

We still have one stop where we haven't booked anything. We are waiting to see what the Princess options are. (For some reason, they aren't available yet.) There is a private tour we may do that we're pretty sure Princess won't have but, again, the tour is over hours before the ship leaves. Hopefully, if we book that one, we won't be sorry. 😄

[Over from NZ]

On 12/19/2023 at 2:24 AM, Waynetor said:

This is based on post in the current Royal Princess New Zealand thread but I thought it may be worth a separate post.

 

The Royal is doing a circle NZ cruise and was in Picton a couple days ago.  Picton is the port on the South Island where ferries from the North Island come and go.  It is a major wine production area. 

 

The Royal was to leave Picton at 6pm but the Captain announced departure would be delayed due to a late arriving Princess tour group.  When the group had still not arrived by 10:45 the ship prepared to leave and set sail at 11PM

 

Turns out the tour group were caught behind a major accident that blocked the hwy. With all the other vehicles similarly caught it took a long time to get clear and then was clear it would be a 5 hour detour to get back to port.  The next port, after a sea day is Tauranga but there are no flight there so Princess will fly them to Auckland to catch up with the ship there. Their personal valuables, passports and medications were taken off the ship and were to be taken to the passengers.

 

No mention of how many people or if any private tour groups were also affected.  No mention in the thread, but I assume Princess is covering all expenses - not sure about any refund for missed time but I would think likely enough to cover missed days on the ship. 

 

This is rare, but can happen in areas with few roads.  I seem to recall a case several years ago when ferries between mainland Mexico and the island of Cozumel were cancelled due to rough sea and a lot of people were stuck on the mainland missing their ships.

 

Private tours can save you a bundle but in a case like this, anyone on a private tour would have a huge expense. 

Have you got a link? Sounds like a bit of a tall story really. 

[azbirdmom]

7 minutes ago, Over from NZ said:

Have you got a link? Sounds like a bit of a tall story really. 

 

I know of 19 people (5 personally) who wish it was a tall tale.  Here are some links to articles about the accident that foiled their excursion:

 

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/state-highway-1-closed-after-serious-crash-near-kekerengu-serious-injuries/E7DQKB3TTJHUVFFJZP5L7KIHGY/

 

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/301023888/person-dies-after-headon-car-crash-in-marlborough

[phoenixxx]

On 12/19/2023 at 2:24 AM, Waynetor said:

This is based on post in the current Royal Princess New Zealand thread but I thought it may be worth a separate post.

 

The Royal is doing a circle NZ cruise and was in Picton a couple days ago.  Picton is the port on the South Island where ferries from the North Island come and go.  It is a major wine production area. 

 

The Royal was to leave Picton at 6pm but the Captain announced departure would be delayed due to a late arriving Princess tour group.  When the group had still not arrived by 10:45 the ship prepared to leave and set sail at 11PM

 

Turns out the tour group were caught behind a major accident that blocked the hwy. With all the other vehicles similarly caught it took a long time to get clear and then was clear it would be a 5 hour detour to get back to port.  The next port, after a sea day is Tauranga but there are no flight there so Princess will fly them to Auckland to catch up with the ship there. Their personal valuables, passports and medications were taken off the ship and were to be taken to the passengers.

 

No mention of how many people or if any private tour groups were also affected.  No mention in the thread, but I assume Princess is covering all expenses - not sure about any refund for missed time but I would think likely enough to cover missed days on the ship. 

 

This is rare, but can happen in areas with few roads.  I seem to recall a case several years ago when ferries between mainland Mexico and the island of Cozumel were cancelled due to rough sea and a lot of people were stuck on the mainland missing their ships.

 

Private tours can save you a bundle but in a case like this, anyone on a private tour would have a huge expense. 

Do you have a link to the Royal Princess New Zealand thread or advice where I can find it please?

[Mike45LC]

7 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

some tiny boat captain in a more or less impoverished Caribbean nation who ferries people to an island or a sandbar for $50 can hardly guarantee that.

 

But there are usually multiple small boats going to the same sandbar who can take you back to port.  I always evaluate whether there is an alternate bus/taxi/boat to get me back in case of a breakdown, in deciding whether to take a Cruise Line tour or a private tour!

[cr8tiv1]

5 hours ago, MabePearl said:

Passport, credit cards, phone and meds for a few days. Plus Princess agent phone number at port to coordinate meet up. Their contact info is on the port info sheet we get at every port.

 

Great suggestion and I would like to expand on this...

 

Leave inside the safe (in a zip lock bag):

label bag with your name

passports

a credit card

meds for a couple of days

and any other small personal item you may need

 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, Mike45LC said:

I always evaluate whether there is an alternate bus/taxi/boat to get me back in case of a breakdown, in deciding whether to take a Cruise Line tour or a private tour!

an alternative taxi wouldn't have helped in this situation, probably because it wasn't a breakdown:

 

On 12/18/2023 at 8:24 AM, Waynetor said:

Turns out the tour group were caught behind a major accident that blocked the hwy. With all the other vehicles similarly caught it took a long time to get clear and then was clear it would be a 5 hour detour to get back to port.

[railman]

On 12/18/2023 at 5:15 PM, satxdiver said:

We (50) started out on a Princess tour to Cape Breton Island from the port in Sydney NS on a tour bus.  The bus broke down about 15 miles from the port and we were stranded on the side of the road for 3+ hours when a new bus came to pick us up and return us to the ship.  They had to use a bus that was supposed to take a tour that afternoon which was canceled at the last minute.  When we returned to the ship they canceled the tour and gave us each $100 OBC along with apologies from a ship officer. Princess had chartered all the busses in the area.  The tour operator was profusely apologizing but no more busses to be had.  I had often wondered about pax left behind on ship tours and what happened.  It made me realize the benefit of using a ship tour versus a private one.  Interesting story.

 

We were with you on that broken bus.

[Coral]

This was a long time ago - I am pretty sure it was on Princess Cays. The water was very rough and they deemed it too dangers for the tenders to take the rest of the passengers back to the ship. So crew went on the tenders and got medication for the passengers and the passengers spent the night on the beach. They then returned the following day when the seas calmed down.

[Waynetor]

3 hours ago, phoenixxx said:

Do you have a link to the Royal Princess New Zealand thread or advice where I can find it please?

 

[PurpleTraveller]

4 hours ago, Over from NZ said:

Have you got a link? Sounds like a bit of a tall story really. 

 

As the person who originally posted about the situation where we had to sail without our passengers, unfortunately it is true. On Royal Princess on December 8 when in Picton, New Zealand one of the Princess shore excursions was unable to return to the ship after being caught up in delays due to a traffic accident. We waited for five hours but eventually sailed. The passengers on the Princess shore excursion rejoined us three days later in Auckland on December 11.

 

The relevant posts are #31, #33, #42 and #47 on my review.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/2979295-new-zealand-on-royal-princess-december-2-2023/page/3/

 

Edited December 20, 2023 by PurpleTraveller

[startedwithamouse]

4 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

Great suggestion and I would like to expand on this...

 

Leave inside the safe (in a zip lock bag):

label bag with your name

passports

a credit card

meds for a couple of days

and any other small personal item you may need

 

We've been doing this since we were on an ill-fated Princess voyage where multiple passengers were killed or injured during an excursion. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by startedwithamouse

[MabePearl]

3 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

We've been doing this since we were on an ill-fated Princess voyage where multiple passengers were killed or injured during an excursion. 

Was that in Ketchikan? I was there that day not on a ship but travelling up the marine highway towards Alaska.

[waltd]

Just now, Over from NZ said:

Have you got a link? Sounds like a bit of a tall story really. 

I was also on the same cruise.   Certainly no tall story.

[wolfie11]

10 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

We've been doing this since we were on an ill-fated Princess voyage where multiple passengers were killed or injured during an excursion. 

I was on that ship (or another one as it’s happened more than once).  They seem to crash seaplanes in Ketchikan every couple of years.

[startedwithamouse]

8 hours ago, MabePearl said:

Was that in Ketchikan? I was there that day not on a ship but travelling up the marine highway towards Alaska.

Yes, Royal inaugural Alaska cruise. 

[startedwithamouse]

1 hour ago, wolfie11 said:

I was on that ship (or another one as it’s happened more than once).  They seem to crash seaplanes in Ketchikan every couple of years.

Royal Princess 2019.

[worldtraveller]

On 12/18/2023 at 3:34 PM, msmoger said:

 

We were supposed to be on that tour.  Oh well, "stuff" happens 😉

We weren't on that tour but another one the same day where the bus also broke down.  We waited on the side of the road by a funeral home/wedding chapel until they could get a mechanic out to fix the bus.  The people at the funeral home/wedding chapel were very nice and let us us their bathrooms.  They also had food from an event that hadn't been served so we had sandwiches. We were about an hour or so late getting back to the ship but as it was a morning tour we were OK.  I think we got a small OBC.