Booking specialty dinner with Premier package

[Ramblin Wreck Cruiser]

Here is the end to my saga. This weekend, I wrote an email to the CEO as well as the Vice President of Guest Services and the Director of Customer Relations. I briefly explained what I’ve been through and that I have once again been charged for my reservations. I asked to have the $156 credited back to my credit card which seems to be a reasonable request.  I just received a call from someone in Guest Services. She told me that while they are aware of the problem, there was nothing she could do to resolve it. If I want to keep my reservations, which I do, I will need to go to guest services once onboard and get it credited back to me in the form of refundable on-board credit. I will do this, but think it’s terribly unfair that I have to spend my time fixing their problem. I’m actually amazed that there is no way to get around this. While I won’t let this spoil my vacation, it certainly leaves a sour taste in my mouth regarding Princess Cruises. 

[voljeep]

1 minute ago, Ramblin Wreck Cruiser said:

Here is the end to my saga. This weekend, I wrote an email to the CEO as well as the Vice President of Guest Services and the Director of Customer Relations. I briefly explained what I’ve been through and that I have once again been charged for my reservations. I asked to have the $156 credited back to my credit card which seems to be a reasonable request.  I just received a call from someone in Guest Services. She told me that while they are aware of the problem, there was nothing she could do to resolve it. If I want to keep my reservations, which I do, I will need to go to guest services once onboard and get it credited back to me in the form of refundable on-board credit. I will do this, but think it’s terribly unfair that I have to spend my time fixing their problem. I’m actually amazed that there is no way to get around this. While I won’t let this spoil my vacation, it certainly leaves a sour taste in my mouth regarding Princess Cruises. 

#metoo - Sun P - the 'app' has me as a first time cruiser - not at the highest level - a "CHAT" was worthless, as usual at least for me.  I've got a CVP, maybe, as they didn't respond to my last inquiry ... I've still got some time before final payment is due...

[rhobbkf]

Do you need any documentation when you request Guest Services to refund the charges for the specialty dining?  I was told by customer service that was the only way to secure the reservation was to pay and then get a refund once onboard.  But now I wonder what I need to show for the refund.  

[Hlitner]

Just last week, I talked to a Princess rep about the problem of booking Premiere reservations (pre cruise).  The standard answer remains, "it happens for some folks" and they still offer no solution other than to pay for the dining and seek reimbursement, at Guest Services, once aboard.  Of course that means waiting in a queue, dealing with the Guest Services folks who often say "we will send an e-mail to the appropriate department" and than you wait for a postive result.  If you are lucky it will be refunded to your on board account.  

 

Last year, on the Sky Princess, we really had trouble getting reservations onboard.  Our cruise was full and so were the alternative restaurants.  Since we like dining late (8 is fine) we were able to get in to the venues.  We once asked the manager of the Crown Grill if he could squeeze us in and he finally got us a table round 8:45 (we were not finished dining until after 10pm).

 

I think the problem is that Princess sells a lot of Premiere packages and many other folks get a lot of OBC.  In fact, we almost always have over $1000 of OBC, and since we do not take cruise line excursions, we try to use that money in the restaurants or with a decent bottle of wine.  I do think that folks that take shorter cruisers (such as 7 day) do have some tough times getting reservations.  It is easier on longer cruises.

 

Hank

[duchess7]

I went through the same and had a hell of a time onboard getting a refund.  Even staying in a signature suite using the "concierge" didn't resolve it right away.

 

I had to speak to them at least 5 times and once we finally agreed on the amount to be refunded, (they kept listing it as a nonrefundable OBC), I just charged the balance to my room in the casino and then cashed out.

[duchess7]

to rhobbkf, bring anything you have.  They claimed they didn't see where I had paid for my dining with my credit card and requested I go online to show them my statement, even though they were aware of the "glitch" that wasn't allowing passengers to book without paying.  I was entitled to 2 specialty dinings with the premier package.

 

they finally on evening before last day confirmed in an invoice all refunds.

 

this was on Sun princess.

 

 

[adamtoonarmy]

I share this just to demonstrate once again the inconsistencies with Princess Customer Service. I too was charged for a specialty dining reservation that was included as part of the premier package. 
 

i was reimbursed the money back to my credit card after a couple of weeks of hounding customer services. I was told I could either opt for on board credit or the refund and I went for the latter.

 

I am in the UK and dealt with the UK based customer service team.

[rhobbkf]

Now I have to remember which cruise we were charged on. 🙂 For one, the premier worked as it should have.  Another it wouldn't go through without charging.  😐  So, I contacted customer service and they said the only option I had was to pay and then go to guest services once onboard.

 

We were on the Sky in Feb and there were no Crown Grill reservations available (even prior to the cruise the Crown was showing N/A).  We asked to be put on a wait list, and still never got a table.  So, it does happen that you have Premier and can't book the specialty dinner you'd like. 

[Ramblin Wreck Cruiser]

1 hour ago, rhobbkf said:

Do you need any documentation when you request Guest Services to refund the charges for the specialty dining?  I was told by customer service that was the only way to secure the reservation was to pay and then get a refund once onboard.  But now I wonder what I need to show for the refund.  

I’m not sure about this. I was told it was as easy as going to Guest Services and requesting the refund. But after seeing what @Hlitner and @duchess7 just said, I think it could be complicated. I guess I will print off my credit card statement to prove we paid. 
 

@duchess7, would you mind explaining how exactly you cashed out at the casino? We rarely go to the casino and don’t know how it works. Please explain it to me as if I am a child. 😅

[Hlitner]

14 minutes ago, Ramblin Wreck Cruiser said:

I’m not sure about this. I was told it was as easy as going to Guest Services and requesting the refund. But after seeing what @Hlitner and @duchess7 just said, I think it could be complicated. I guess I will print off my credit card statement to prove we paid. 
 

@duchess7, would you mind explaining how exactly you cashed out at the casino? We rarely go to the casino and don’t know how it works. Please explain it to me as if I am a child. 😅

Always good to have some hard copy proof such as the credit card bill.  Guest Services folks are usually very friendly but will often serve as a conduit to send e-mails to other onboard staff who actually deal with the issue.  Always check your account (which you can do on the Princess app) or you can also stop near Guest Services where they have an automatic machine that will spit out your detailed account.   When we need to see Guest Relations, I usually go early in the morning (I am an early riser) or late at night, when there is no queue.  Those folks are there 24/7 so no need to go during the day when there can be a long queue.

 

Princess has both refundable and non-refundable items on the onboard accounts.  Non-refundable are a use it or lose it proposition and you need to use it before the end of your cruise.  The refundable On Board Credit (OBC) will be refunded to you although any larger amounts are sent to you, via check, a few weeks after the cruise.  If you get a pre-paid meal refunded, it should be refundable.

 

Hank