Am I being unreasonable?

[T&J]

...that is so true Lynda...could be hit or miss when you dial that "rookie hotline" over at Princess....I am happy to hear they had showed some compasion and consideration given your circumstances.

[Lynda90]

...that is so true Lynda...could be hit or miss when you dial that "rookie hotline" over at Princess....I am happy to hear they had showed some compasion and consideration given your circumstances.

Thanks, Tony. Haven't seen you around in a long time. Everything ok with you and yours.

[T&J]

Thruthfully Lynda, my mother passed away Feb 28th after fighting lung cancer for 6 months...it was a very difficult past 6 months for her and me whereby I took a leave from work and took care of her and cruised the Regal all of March just to rest in South America for 28 days....but thank you for asking...I hope yours is doing OK?

 

Nice to see you again old friend!

 

T.

[Lynda90]

Tony, I am sooo sorry. I had a feeling something was wrong when you disappeared and I knew your mom was very ill. Please accept my sincerest sympathy; I know how close you were. My mom is so-so; still around but not able to cruise anymore. I truly miss her as my cruising buddy. Anyway, I hope you have lots of good plans ahead.:o

[Hondu]

"Contract" or not, one has a "reasonable expectation" of certain things, like a clean cabin, etc....Lot's of things are not in a "contract"..That does not mean you are "Out of luck", When you book a cruise certain things are implied, such as basic sanitary conditions being met....Apparently this was NOT met...

 

Couldn't agree more. The cruiser did not get what they paid for. As a result, Princess should make an exception.

[T&J]

Lynda you are perceptive my dear...I will miss her as well as my cruising buddy and a great friend...please enjoy everyday with yours....and yes I havee a very busy cruise shecdule this year and next so far.

[jerseygirl3]

Princess could and should extend the offer. We went on a less-than-perfect cruise on Carnival in 1997. They offered 15% off whatever the best rate we got on a future cruise, but the cruise had to be booked within 18 months from the date of the offer. Our friends (who cruised with us and got the same offer) didn't use theirs, for no specific reason. When we made plans to get married onboard a Carnival cruise in 2003, they asked Carnival if they would still honor the discount (they had saved the letter), because they wanted to come on the wedding cruise. Carnival said they would honor the original letter, but they would only give them a 10% discount. However, they gave them 10% off for themselves and their two children, so it actually worked out better for them in the long run, as the children weren't on the first cruise where they were given the 15% discount.

[Cruiseteach]

First, I think a bottle of wine and a future shipboard credit was pretty stingy, to say the least. I feel you should have gotten immediate shipboard credit if they could not have given you a new room, along with the purser's abject apologies. There is no excuse for the "mess" in the toilet. Surely the steward checked it, or should have, just before you boarded. I would have complained loud and long. However, since you did not and since you accepted their "offer", I think you are stuck. It's just like the airline credit you are given if you get bumped off a flight. There is a one year limit and a ton of "blackout" dates, no negotiating. Sorry!

 

Having said that, however, I see nothing wrong with calling Princess, asking for someone at the supervisor level and pleading your case. What's to lose? Be sure to tell them that all your friends at Cruise Critic think you were wronged. (Believe me, they do monitor these and other Princess boards.

[cossitt]

Lynda and T., I'm sorry to hear about your moms. It was my dad I lost and it just upsets your whole world.

 

Everyone has given me a lot of interesting reading, thank you. I will certainly mention to Princess that I have some support on Cruise Critic! I have been on 5 cruises with Princess which I know is not a lot compared to many of you here, however every little bit counts for them, I suppose. I will certainly keep everyone posted of the outcome.

 

Thank you again.

 

Diane.

[Gator83]

I am just curious if the OP asked to be moved to a different cabin during the cruise. I think I would have started with that.

[Lynda90]

Lynda and T., I'm sorry to hear about your moms. It was my dad I lost and it just upsets your whole world.

 

Everyone has given me a lot of interesting reading, thank you. I will certainly mention to Princess that I have some support on Cruise Critic! I have been on 5 cruises with Princess which I know is not a lot compared to many of you here, however every little bit counts for them, I suppose. I will certainly keep everyone posted of the outcome.

 

Thank you again.

 

Diane.

Diane, don't give up. Call the Captain's Circle phone extension (#6) and ask to speak to a supervisor. Tell them that you are a loyal Princess passenger and you want to book your 6th cruise with many more to come. Then explain what happened. Be very nice, as we all know that a little bit of honey goes a long way. Hopefully, you will get someone on the phone with heart. If not, you have lost nothing except the time it took to make the call. Definitely worth a phone call. Let us know what happens. So sorry about your dad.

[cruise fairy]

Gotta say it.....shame on Princess for even placing an expiration on good customer service.

You PAID for a cruise with the reasonable expectations of a clean, dry stateroom. I don't care if you took 10 cruises with RCI in that timeframe, you should still be compensated for the 'less than standard' cruise you took with Princess.

You should not have to explain to Princess why you did not cruise with them within THEIR designated timeframe. They should be appreciative that you are giving them another try. Just my opinion.

[cossitt]

Hi Gator -

 

Excellent point - the first thing we did was ask to be moved to another cabin but were told the ship was full. Our third night out, when the cabin returned to normal, we were informed there was another cabin available down the hall as someone had failed to show (I guess they have to wait til end of first port day before declaring someone a no-show). We declined as we seemed to have weathered the worst and the cabin was fine at this point.

 

Lynda - thank you for the helpful tips. I'll give Princess a call tomorrow.

 

Diane.

[cruiseco]

Have you gotten your TA involved? If this situation had occured with one of our clients one phone call would get it settled. That's the difference between attacking it from a "customer service" angle and attacking it from a "sales" angle. "Gee, hi Mr District Manager, I'm negotiating with an organization for a 600 person group. If you want to be included in the possible choices of ships would you please handle this little problem for me? Thanks, I knew you could."

[cossitt]

Cruiseco, I have involved my TA although I have to say I am less than pleased with her advocacy (this is a new TA through the same agency I have used for years - my original TA has moved on to another area). When I asked her about it, she simply told me that, in her opinion, Princess would not honour the offer and that was the end of it on her part.

 

Perhaps you're right - perhaps I need to be pressing the TA a bit more. It sounds like you are extremely supportive of your customers - how admirable!

 

Diane.

[Sue L]

Maybe you should tackle this problem in writing, instead of the phone. Sometimes things in writing will get someone'a attention more so than talking to a voice on the phone. Or when you call ask to speak to a supervisor and keep escalating it to the next supervisor and next until you get someone who has the POWER to make that sort of decision. The first level people have their scripted answers to the most frequently asked questions and in light of the recent tradegies and everyone trying to rebook this one most likely near the top of the list.

[AtA]

Of course they should extend the offer! For all of you who say no way, and it's too bad, how about looking at it in terms of whether the OP will or will not sail Princess again, and what the lost revenue will be.

 

We're talking about $350 in credits. What will the OP spend aboard ship if he is happy with how he was treated? Probably alot more then $350. And what happens when he does get the credit?

 

He winds up happy because Princess has been "so nice" to them and realized that in extenuating circumstances, they might not be thinking clearly. Plus he spends more on board, and assuming his problem last time was an abberation, he books more cruises on Princess and lets all his friends know what a great line Princess is.

 

Now what happens if he doesn't get compensated?

 

1. He realizes that their offer was stingy at best and not worth the paper it was written on. (to have 3 days in a cabin with major problems like that is inexcusable and the compensation should have been comparable to at least 1/2 of the cost of the room per day refunded to them in CASH, IMHO)

2. He decides to take his business elsewhere from now on.

3. He lets all his friends know that Princess does not honor the implied room quality, so they decide to take their business elsewhere.

 

Let's not forget folks, even if Princess is your favorite line, there are still many others out there offering comparible or better.

[AtA]

Oh btw: I'd write a snail mail letter to the President of Princess Cruises explaining in detail (if you have photos to show the problems even better), the reason you didn't cruise, and a copy of the original letter from Princess. Send copies to anyone and everyone in the front office.

 

This past year my SO and I took a cruise on another line and booked a post cruise package through them. Our cruise was wonderful, but we had some major issues with the post cruise package and the pricing of it. My SO wrote the president of the company, along with the VP in charge of customer whatever, and the cruise lines in house lawyer. My SO explained his beef and how he felt he should not have been charged what he had been and why.

 

The president wrote him back to let us know he was looking into the matter and would write us back within two weeks. One week later we heard from the President as promised with an offer of a credit for the full amount of the cost of our post cruise package...(which cost more then some cruises.) He also offered an apology, and a very good explanation.

 

Needless to say, we kept the cruise booking we had already made, and booked a second one for later in the year.

 

Anytime I have had a problem (maybe 5-6 times in the last 20 years), I've immediately gone to the top and snail mailed them and/or emailed. Each time I've walked away with an excellent response.

 

Remember we are spending our hard on money on THEIR product and as such we deserve what we paid for.

[AtA]

oops, my bad Diane. I didn't look closely and see you are not a he, but a she

[cossitt]

AtA, no problem - I've been called worse things in the past than "he"!

[fnewman]

In my experience, the best shot in getting an extension to such an offer is to ask for it before the original offer expires the first time. Assuming there is a good reason, as in this case, you would have a pretty good shot at an extension (although perhaps not as long as you would like).

[cruiseco]

Cruiseco, I have involved my TA although I have to say I am less than pleased with her advocacy (this is a new TA through the same agency I have used for years - my original TA has moved on to another area). When I asked her about it, she simply told me that, in her opinion, Princess would not honour the offer and that was the end of it on her part.

 

Perhaps you're right - perhaps I need to be pressing the TA a bit more. It sounds like you are extremely supportive of your customers - how admirable!

 

Diane.

 

We were lucky in that although ours was a smallish agency ( I'm out of the business now) we specialized in large corporate groups up to full ship charters. Years ago our DSM's learned that we'd reject their bids on a group out of hand unless they made little pissant problems like this go away. A couple of large groups could mean missing or making their year-end quotas and bonuses. I realize all agents/agencies may not have that same pull to get things handled but this strikes me as a complete no-brainer

[Princess-of-Quite-alot]

I was given an offer which expired once with Carnival and when I called and asked, they extended it. Can't hurt to try...good luck!

[cossitt]

Again, thank you so much for all the feedback, both pro and con. I have learned a lot of helpful information, should this ever happen again and appreciate everyone's interest in my situation.

 

Diane.