Who to contact at Princess about new cruise contract policy?

[NMTraveller]

So are the deposits refundable?  How do I tell?  I only have a small deposit amount.  I suppose that I will wait and find out what some recent cruisers find out while on board.

[paddingtonbear]

16 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

So are the deposits refundable?  How do I tell?  I only have a small deposit amount.  I suppose that I will wait and find out what some recent cruisers find out while on board.

Quite a few of us have written to the director of customer relations who apparently is responsive to emails so we should get some feedback from him soon. 
 

Ask your TA if you don’t know if your deposit is refundable. 

[A Lifes Journeys]

I did a bit more digging on the vaping in staterooms issue.  Looking at old Patters, the published smoking policy as recently as 2017/2018 permitted vaping in cabins.  All of the current published policies prohibit it.  I have not been able to locate a copy of the passage contract from that period.   I would not be surprised if the language we are concerned about now has existed in the cruise contract since that time and: (i) none of our fine members of this board noticed it was there; and (ii) the Princess legal department still hasn't realized that they didn't delete it following a policy change.  Whatever the case, with this divergence of published policy and contract terms, it is imperative that Princess promptly clarify their position and rectify their documentation.

[Torfamm]

4 hours ago, SCX22 said:

May be this is an attempt to attract a younger demographic and deter the old guard from cruising Princess. 

 

Based on 2021 data from the CDC used in a report from 2023, the below 45 age group is most likely to use e-cigarettes.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db475.htm

Interesting report. Why Princess wouldn’t have noticed that vapers are a small minority of that target group escapes me though. The percentage is even smaller among those with higher incomes who are most likely to have discretionary income for cruises.

 

More passengers are likely to be put off by this policy than would find it attractive.

 

[EDVM96]

37 minutes ago, A Lifes Journeys said:

I have not been able to locate a copy of the passage contract from that period.

I have one from 2016.

 

Passage Contract 2016.pdf

[mina]

39 minutes ago, A Lifes Journeys said:

I did a bit more digging on the vaping in staterooms issue.  Looking at old Patters, the published smoking policy as recently as 2017/2018 permitted vaping in cabins.  All of the current published policies prohibit it.  I have not been able to locate a copy of the passage contract from that period.   I would not be surprised if the language we are concerned about now has existed in the cruise contract since that time and: (i) none of our fine members of this board noticed it was there; and (ii) the Princess legal department still hasn't realized that they didn't delete it following a policy change.  Whatever the case, with this divergence of published policy and contract terms, it is imperative that Princess promptly clarify their position and rectify their documentation.

This is correct.  As a vaper, it used to be allowed in staterooms, but not balconies and then was banned in about 2020.  I believe they just have outdated language.  

[A Lifes Journeys]

Thank you @EDVM96.  That 2016 contract has the same language about vaping in staterooms that is in the current contract.  So, we have all been fussed about something that is not new language and does not reflect a policy change.  At some point, the update of the passage contract was probably assigned to a junior lawyer or paralegal, this point  got missed and nobody picked it up on review.  The result is that the language remains in the contract, even though the policy has changed.

[Steven_&_Daniel]

1 hour ago, Torfamm said:

More passengers are likely to be put off by this policy than would find it attractive.

That's exactly what I stated in the email I just sent to Princess. 

[NMTraveller]

Here was my response from Princess:

 

Thank you for your feedback. We will forward your concerns to management for consideration.

Danyelle P.
Guest Services

 

 

There is no denial of policy.

---

[dockman]

On a recent princess cruise there was a guy who seemed to always hang around the starboard deck 7 prom deck vaping....he would blow out a cloud of vape mist smoke  that was massive...overall i could not smell the vape but all the cig and cigar smokers smoke blew down to the back of the ship and was very apparent.  So if its a choice of vapers or tobacco smokers i think vapers less smell by far.

[Paula_MacFan]

12 hours ago, A Lifes Journeys said:

I did a bit more digging on the vaping in staterooms issue.  Looking at old Patters, the published smoking policy as recently as 2017/2018 permitted vaping in cabins.  All of the current published policies prohibit it.  I have not been able to locate a copy of the passage contract from that period.   I would not be surprised if the language we are concerned about now has existed in the cruise contract since that time and: (i) none of our fine members of this board noticed it was there; and (ii) the Princess legal department still hasn't realized that they didn't delete it following a policy change.  Whatever the case, with this divergence of published policy and contract terms, it is imperative that Princess promptly clarify their position and rectify their documentation.

I wondered why everyone was getting so worked up about this 'new' issue that's been around for years AFAIK. Sounds like people just read the small print but I really thought this had been discussed here years ago. 

[NMTraveller]

I found the same on the HAL board.  People did not know about it even though they have vaping in the cabin in the cruise contract.

[MacMadame]

 

2 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Here was my response from Princess:

 

Thank you for your feedback. We will forward your concerns to management for consideration.

Danyelle P.
Guest Services

 

 

There is no denial of policy.

---

There is no confirmation either.

 

1 hour ago, dockman said:

On a recent princess cruise there was a guy who seemed to always hang around the starboard deck 7 prom deck vaping....he would blow out a cloud of vape mist smoke  that was massive...overall i could not smell the vape but all the cig and cigar smokers smoke blew down to the back of the ship and was very apparent.  So if its a choice of vapers or tobacco smokers i think vapers less smell by far.

It depends on the vape cartridge. Some of them are pretty smelly IME.

[laslomas]

Just to add to this.

 

I posted a query on X / Twitter 2 days ago to ask for confirmation of the policy on this. I had no response till today when I had a voicemail left from Princess. I had not left a phone number - so they must have searched for it. The answer was thet vaping was classed as smoking and only in designated areas. The caller from Celebrity said they would call back - and I missed that call too.

 

So I called back on the number I was given in the voicemail. The named person was not available, but will return my call. However the person I spoke to also confirmed what I had been told in the voice message. No vaping in cabins.

 

So, who knows???!!!  I await the call back.

[BDevilCruiser]

I had the 1/10/23 contract from my 4/23 cruise saved.  In section 5, the same wording was included:

 

...The use of electronic cigarettes, personal vaporizers, or electronic nicotine delivery systems is allowed within the confines of the Guest's stateroom (balcony not included) and within designated smoking areas only...

 

So, as others have said, the wording has been in the contract for a long time it seems.  So, it might be a lot about nothing other than the OP actually read the fine print!  (As one who doesn't drink or smoke, I likely skipped other the details in that section.)

 

 

[Bgwest]

18 hours ago, dockman said:

So if its a choice of vapers or tobacco smokers i think vapers less smell by far.

Why must one choose which poison they prefer?

[Muffinz]

On 9/30/2024 at 11:11 AM, NMTraveller said:

Thank you.  I posted the same on the Celebrity board and poof.  Here is the language.  I welcome all thoughts.  This is for a June 2026 Norwegian Fjords cruise.  I would prefer not to cancel.

 

I am not happy with this.... vaping should be treated the same as smoking and only be allowed in designated areas of the ship.

 

As others have said I'd hate to get into our stateroom on Crown Princess in December to find it smelling of vapes

 

I'd be more than a tad annoyed!

[dweeb]

On 10/1/2024 at 3:35 AM, insidecabin said:

Package regulations were introduced because of the corrupt package holiday industry in Europe.

 

Cruise lines claimed it did not apply to them when it did, now the requirements are in the contracts.

 

They still  regularly breach the regulations and ABTA code of conduct.

 

Then they need a good slap of a lawsuit to get in line and behave like a good corporate citizen.

 

[Geritol Gypsies]

Hi all.  I'm new to this thread and am looking for information about a Meet and Greet.  I now have a headache after reading the last 8 pages about vaping!  My cruise leaves from Sydney on 10/28 for Fiji and Vanuatu.  We have a lot of sea days and I'm wondering if there are others on this cruise who like to play games and cards.

[Outerdog]

I sent an email on this topic yesterday and received a phone call back today. The woman I spoke to indicated that there was a gigantic amount of inbound communication on this, so we clearly got their attention. She said that management is aware and they are going to resolve. She could not promise, but she indicated that everyone looking at it agrees that this is a typo in the contract and that it should indicate vaping is NOT allowed in staterooms. I reiterated the point in my email that aside from the odor (nuisance or otherwise) the devices themselves are a fire hazard with their manufacture begins from dubious origins. It seemed like a step backwards in terms of safety, I explained. She agreed and indicated that was also a concern on their part. 
 

I was promised another call when the issue is resolved. 
 

I did not expect an email response from them on this, let alone a phone call, so I have to say good on Princess and a real win in the customer service column for them. Great job so far. 

Edited 19 hours ago by Outerdog

[PacnGoNow]

33 minutes ago, Geritol Gypsies said:

Hi all.  I'm new to this thread and am looking for information about a Meet and Greet.  I now have a headache after reading the last 8 pages about vaping!  My cruise leaves from Sydney on 10/28 for Fiji and Vanuatu.  We have a lot of sea days and I'm wondering if there are others on this cruise who like to play games and cards.

Lol.  That’s because this thread is about Vaping!  
 

You will find a thread on the roll call for your cruise on here.  I suggest you ask about M & G, cards and games on there.

Here’s a link to roll calls, just find your ship, month and date.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/20-roll-calls/

Edited 19 hours ago by PacnGoNow

[azbirdmom]

43 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

She could not promise, but she indicated that everyone looking at it agrees that this is a typo in the contract and that it should indicate vaping is NOT allowed in staterooms

Except that doesn't answer why the same info was indicated on the TVs onboard the Crown Princess.  So if it's a mistake they need to clean up the onboard smoking notice too.  Thanks for sharing the response - I still haven't heard back from them.

[azbirdmom]

When I said I hadn't heard back from them I hadn't checked my voicemail messages.  Low and behold there was a message from a very nice lady from Princess.  She said basically the same thing that others have reported that it was being reviewed but also added that it's something new and not definite.  She said that the executive group heard quite a bit about this so I'll add my kudos to everyone who took the time to reach out.  She said she would call back when they finalize the policy.

[dockman]

3 hours ago, Bgwest said:

Why must one choose which poison they prefer?

As a former tobacco adict I absolutely despise nicotine and what it has done, and continues to do,  to millions upon millions of people and those around them.  I also understand how very addictive it can be and that many seem to turn to vapes to try to quit but also many are just as addicted to vapes as they were to smoking cigs.  I do try to not be too judgemental on people who have to have their fix...been there done that... though if it were my choice there would be zero nicotine in any form anywhere. I also do not want to be in a room where there are any odors or residues of nicotine...or anything else.  Walking around the prom decks i hold my breath as i pass by the smokers on aft starboard which i can usually smell well before i get around the back of the ship.  

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, azbirdmom said:

When I said I hadn't heard back from them I hadn't checked my voicemail messages.  Low and behold there was a message from a very nice lady from Princess.  She said basically the same thing that others have reported that it was being reviewed but also added that it's something new and not definite.  She said that the executive group heard quite a bit about this so I'll add my kudos to everyone who took the time to reach out.  She said she would call back when they finalize the policy.

Finalize the policy? 🙂 🙂 It is on their cruise contracts.  I would suppose that it would have to go through a bunch of legal reviews before it showed up there....