This may sound terrible but....

[jeromep]

1 hour ago, Luckybee said:

I booked through the casino department as I was given a cruise certificate for a free suite from my local casino so I dont have the options that many have suggested. 

When I did my original booking a couple of months ago I didnt have any issues with the rep I dealt with. When I call now on the "already booked" line this seems to be where the problems arise.

I have travelled extensively but not with Princess. I think what surprised me the most is that I have dealt with companies all over the world for bookings since I always book without an agent and I have never seen the language issue this bad even when Im dealing with a hotel in Timbuktoo where one might expect a language problem

I have not dealt with a casino booking, so any advice I gave about transferring to a TA may not be accurate.

 

Do you wish to share with the group what issues you are trying to resolve?  We may have some insight.

[TRLD]

2 hours ago, Luckybee said:

I am a new Princess customer but have sailed on other cruise lines. I've called Princess 3 times within the last week to sort out a couple of issues and have been waiting for a call back from to no avail and have been totally unable to understand the various phone reps I have spoken with because of their extremely poor English. 

I explained my queries to one rep who didnt even understand what I was saying and it wasnt complicated , had to get another rep to repeat what they were saying 3 times before I could barely understand them and now when I called back to see why I hadn't as of yet heard back I have no idea what I was just told. 

In my profession I often deal with people whose first language is not English but they are not generally in first line customer service positions. Is this the norm for Princess or am I just not calling the right number or at the right time?

Very frustrating !

good opportunity to learn Tagalog

[Arizona Wildcat]

1 hour ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

The most 'fabulous' discount I ever saw from a TA was $75 OBC on a 14 day cruise.

I 'get' that some people have great TAs, but count yourself fortunate as they are more difficult to find than some seem to believe.....and yes....done the "ask someone onboard who loves their TA" thing....She was my last one and never did find any advantage to her either. 🤷‍♀️

I usually receive between 8-10% in a fare reduction or extra OBC.  

[memoak]

58 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

@Luckybee sorry you are having issues. I totally understand - we have had similar frustrations. We book our cruises through the Casino Department and generally have better experience with their team. Do you have a number for them? It may be the number you used to book as opposed to the general Princess Customer Service line. If you do, you might try reaching back out via that line and speaking to someone in the Casino Sales Department.

 

Best of luck!!

Just an FYI CVP’s can book casino deals we have not dealt with that department for years. They can now even book bounce back offers 

[Bgwest]

4 minutes ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

I usually receive between 8-10% in a fare reduction or extra OBC.  

As do we. 
If our TA provided us with only a $75 OBC, we would have immediately started shopping for another TA. 

[Luckybee]

1 hour ago, jeromep said:

I have not dealt with a casino booking, so any advice I gave about transferring to a TA may not be accurate.

 

Do you wish to share with the group what issues you are trying to resolve?  We may have some insight.

Thanks for asking...In post 18 I asked "When I first booked on a certificate (which I had to cancel because of expected surgery) I was able to get a PH on the Dolphin deck where the balconies look huge. This time there was only one suite available on the Aloha deck which has a much smaller balcony. The cruise is not until Febuary of next year so Im hoping to be able to move to any of Marina, Riviera, Baja or Dolphin decks and I have been stalking the website but of course I could miss an opening. Can one waitlist within a category that you are already booked in ?"

I also wanted to know if the suite perks apply with the certificate such as 1st night specialty dining (I have 2 different answers from reps on that)

I also wanted to know if there was a way of finding further info on shore excursions since for example a couple that I might be interested in such as beach breaks dot tell you which beach you are taken to so I can determine whether I should book or DIY

 

 

[memoak]

33 minutes ago, Luckybee said:

Thanks for asking...In post 18 I asked "When I first booked on a certificate (which I had to cancel because of expected surgery) I was able to get a PH on the Dolphin deck where the balconies look huge. This time there was only one suite available on the Aloha deck which has a much smaller balcony. The cruise is not until Febuary of next year so Im hoping to be able to move to any of Marina, Riviera, Baja or Dolphin decks and I have been stalking the website but of course I could miss an opening. Can one waitlist within a category that you are already booked in ?"

I also wanted to know if the suite perks apply with the certificate such as 1st night specialty dining (I have 2 different answers from reps on that)

I also wanted to know if there was a way of finding further info on shore excursions since for example a couple that I might be interested in such as beach breaks dot tell you which beach you are taken to so I can determine whether I should book or DIY

 

 

Anyone in a full suite will have a free specialty dinner on embarkation night you can book on board. Excursions have nothing to do with Cason deals or suites you need to research those on your own through Princess 

[ldubs]

1 hour ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

I usually receive between 8-10% in a fare reduction or extra OBC.  

 

X2.  We just saved over 10% booking through our TA vs directly with Princess.   And, there was much happiness!   

[azbirdmom]

1 hour ago, Luckybee said:

Thanks for asking...In post 18 I asked "When I first booked on a certificate (which I had to cancel because of expected surgery) I was able to get a PH on the Dolphin deck where the balconies look huge. This time there was only one suite available on the Aloha deck which has a much smaller balcony. The cruise is not until Febuary of next year so Im hoping to be able to move to any of Marina, Riviera, Baja or Dolphin decks and I have been stalking the website but of course I could miss an opening. Can one waitlist within a category that you are already booked in ?"

I also wanted to know if the suite perks apply with the certificate such as 1st night specialty dining (I have 2 different answers from reps on that)

I also wanted to know if there was a way of finding further info on shore excursions since for example a couple that I might be interested in such as beach breaks dot tell you which beach you are taken to so I can determine whether I should book or DIY

 

 

 

If you are already in the S3 suite just keep watching.  If one of the other cabins with the larger deck opens up you can just call to get them to move you to it.  We've stayed in both the larger and narrower aft suites and both will be wonderful.

 

Yes you will get all of the suite perks listed.  It doesn't matter how you got in one, you're in a suite so you'll get the first night specialty dining comped, as well as suite breakfast, nightly happy hours in the Suite Concierge lounge etc.  Don't worry about getting a reservation for the first night, visit the suite concierge after you board and they will take care of it for you.  Most of the suite perks are listed here: https://www.princess.com/en-us/ships-and-experience/ships/staterooms/suites

 

Regarding shore excursions the phone reps will be of little help so it's something you'll need to research on your own.  Joining the roll call for your cruise may be helpful.  There's separate sections of Cruise Critic for the ports where you can ask questions.  Generally it tends to be more cost effective to DIY but there are some where it might make sense to go with Princess.  It really depends on the port and of course your preferences.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

4 hours ago, kywildcatfanone said:

Princess only cares about your money, not your issues.  Get your TA to sort it out

I doubt that a TA will book a free Casino cruise. What would be in it for them?