Can we expect anything else from Princess? (7/20 sailing)

[firstcruise05]

I think that 50% refund was VERY fair and if I was on the 7/20 sailing I would go and be happy about it.

 

As others have stated, the princess site states that they will cover some OOP costs for the change in itinery which makes it even better.

 

I wouldn't expect anything more.

 

And you can have a very relaxing vacation without going to St. Thomas. Just being on the ship can be a very relaxing vacation.

[DrivesLikeMario]

While I am satisfied with the 50% refund, I am absolutely crestfafllen that we

will be missing St. Thomas....the ONLY port I was really interested in going to.

 

I am beyond upset over this, and I know everyone is saying, "Just deal with it and be thankful that you weren't on the ship when it listed", but I had this trip planned for over a year, and I need a relaxing vacation more than I care to explain.

 

If missing St. Thomas is that upsetting to you, why not cancel this cruise and book again for another week? :confused:

 

I wouldn't expect a thing other than the 50% off. I think expecting more (not saying you are, but anyone else) is a bit greedy, IMO.

[galateaparty]

never book any cruise on any line with any itinerary without knowing that at any time, ports can be changed or cancelled. Your scheduled itinerary is never guaranteed.

 

So true. We were on Princess a few years ago (forgot which one) and we missed Barbados because of some mechanical issues that prevented the ship from docking. We were late into Trinidad on the same cruise. It happens.

[cruzjunkie22]

So, I think some of the extra perks of the July 22nd sailing will be

-fewer people in a giant ship, which means an easier time finding seats in the shows and by the pool. Perhaps even a shorter, easier time around the buffet, which I heard was annoying to try to get through.

 

-Perhaps, service will be better. If I were an Steward and I thought that many of my staterooms were going to be empty, yet a bunch of "roll with the punches" cruisers showed. I would be thrilled that not all tips would be lost for the week and perhaps be extra attentive.

 

 

I bet an extra perk for those who have a "guarentee" category, get bumped up if people cancel!!!!:p

[signman]

Please don't walk around barefoot, ANYWHERE. I can't imagine how they will get every sliver of broken glass vacuumed up.

[MaryPoppinz]

Let's face it, Princess P.R. is in a very bad situation.

 

I think Princess is looking very, very good. By all accounts, in both major incidents, the crew was contientious during the events and the passengers were compensated fairly for their losses. I think people can sail with confidence (and then some) on Princess.

 

And, I don't think you are going to see a crushing mass of people rushing to cancel the 7/20 cruise.

[rubrrick]

My DW and I were aboard the old Crown Princess in '99 (she is now the AIDA Blue) doing the inside passage to Alaska. At about 3 AM we started to heel. I awoke to the sound of a flower vase sliding off of the desk and shattering on the floor. We found out the next morning at breakfast that the ship needed to maneuver very quickly to avoid another ship.

 

It was not anything like what Carol, Nancy and all of the others onboard experienced on the new Crown, but never the less, there was much to be cleaned up in the shops that morning.

 

Rick

[Chat Noir]

You have the luxury of knowing in advance what they're offering. Anything else will be a bonus, but don't have expectations and you won't be disappointed.:)

I think they're offering fair compensation for the 2 days, all things being equal, otherwise.

We sailed Carnival (Alaska) last year, boarding a ship which suffered iceberg damage to the propulsion system on the previous sailing. This was known to the captain, to corporate... probably to all the staff, everyone except the boarding passengers. It was sure kept hush, hush until the next morning, when they had to tell us why we were in the open ocean rather than sailing the 'highlight' of the cruise...glacier viewing in College Fjord.

Ultimately we sailed at 1/2 speed, with noise, vibration, and less stablization than normal (seasick!). We made a slow beeline for Juneau where Carnival had flown in mechanic divers. We skipped the glacier cruising of College Fjord, skipped Sitka, and had significant reduction of time in Ketchikan. Repair at Juneau took 1 1/2 days. Even then, we weren't back up 100%.

Compensation? Ha, $50pp for putting us on a damaged, limping ship with a whacked itinerary. A good portion of the $50 was a return on Sitka port fees. It probably bothers me less that they gave little in compensation than the fact that it was devious to let us board and set sail before announcing problems. As they say... they got us from point A to point B in those 7 days, and that's all they promise.

That said, I'm thankful with a damaged system, and low use of the stablizers, our sailing didn't have the trauma of the Crown. Makes me do a little rethinking about whining about our cruise. But as you can see, I am still whining...:rolleyes: We did have an excellent sailing to Alaska this year on the Sapphire Princess!

If anyone deserves 'extra' compensation, it's those who endured what had to be a very frightening, tramatic experience.

[mikenike]

Originally Posted by dustythreads

Let's face it, Princess P.R. is in a very bad situation.

Lets see... a FATAL fire on the Star

a serious LIST on the Grand

and now a VERY serious LIST, w/ many many injuries on their flagship, The Princess Crown.

these combined incidents are the ONLY reasons princess

is being "generous" in regards to full refunds for the 7/11 cruisers

and the 50% discount for this weeks pax. it is only to help their PR.

other people have stated serious incidents in the past where the line has not come through for even an 'open bar' after people were hurt.

princess/carnival is a business doing damage control right now

[DrivesLikeMario]

Sym66 - That's what Cunard did to the QMII boarding passengers in FL last year - they KNEW there was a serious problem with the engine (or was it the azipods? I forget now) and yet, they boarded everyone and set out to sea, missing all their port stops. The ship limped down to the next embarkation/disembarkation port in South America with a shipload of furious passengers. :mad:

 

At least Princess is being up front about what they're offering and I think it's pretty generous. :)

[mikenike]

QM2 lost an azipod in that incident actually she is still sailing now w/o one azipod.... due to be replaced during nov 2006 overhaul

[DrivesLikeMario]

Thanks, Mike. I knew someone would remember the specifics! ;)

[celebrity]

The eyes of the world will be watching this ship. I am more excited about this cruise than any other that I have taken since it almost slipped through my fingers. I am certain that the crew cannot wait to welcome us onboard. You can be sure that the media will decend enmasse to Red Hook for our sailaway and again upon disembarking asking passengers about their experience. Princess cannot afford any more bad press so they will tripping over us to ensure that we have the most amazing cruise ever!! I bet the food, entertainment, etc will be top notch!!

[JanMD]

Okay the thread has gone in a different direction.

 

For the people that are asking is there anything else that Princess will give us. NO. you are getting the 50 percent off.

 

Yes, you are missing St. Thomas- I would recommend not going and rebooking.

But, if you are like most of us that work- then you have the time off- go enjoy yourself. And think of the next cruise to book that is NOT during huricanne season and go to St. Thomas.

 

Think of it this way- if there was a huricanne down in the leeward islands then you wouldn't be going to St. Thomas anyway. Thus- go during non-huricanne season.

thanks.

[OuiOnboard]

The eyes of the world will be watching this ship. I am more excited about this cruise than any other that I have taken since it almost slipped through my fingers. I am certain that the crew cannot wait to welcome us onboard. You can be sure that the media will decend enmasse to Red Hook for our sailaway and again upon disembarking asking passengers about their experience. Princess cannot afford any more bad press so they will tripping over us to ensure that we have the most amazing cruise ever!! I bet the food, entertainment, etc will be top notch!!

You are probably "right on the money"!!! Have a great cruise!!

[kendon]

Celebrity, I think you've got a point there!

[Chat Noir]

Sym66 - That's what Cunard did to the QMII boarding passengers in FL last year - they KNEW there was a serious problem with the engine (or was it the azipods? I forget now) and yet, they boarded everyone and set out to sea, missing all their port stops. The ship limped down to the next embarkation/disembarkation port in South America with a shipload of furious passengers. :mad:

 

At least Princess is being up front about what they're offering and I think it's pretty generous. :)

 

 

 

And these are all now under the Carnival Corporation umbrella. Seems it would be much better to just be up-front when the ship has damage rather than board passengers who haven't a clue, wait until they're captive at sea, then spring it on them that the ship is damaged. Of course, get a conglomeration, absorb the competition, and I guess they can pretty much set the rules.

 

I'm glad there is media coverage to help protect the upcoming cruise passenger on the Crown. I hate that this incident happened in the first place, but I'm sure Princess (Carnival) will be on the straight and narrow while in the spotlight. It will do Carnival some good to have to watch how they treat passengers right now.

 

I agree that a 50% refund with hotel/air reimbursment is quite fair for the Crown's next sailing. Good for Princess!

[Jane110]

I would be really disappointed that it was shortened after all the planning but we need to remember that these things happen and a cruise line is being very generous to give that since I haven't heard much about other types of vacations offering compensation. I would still go and have a blast and relax.

 

Princess also offered to let anyone cancel the 7/20 cruise and get a full refund.

[Jane110]

Several seconds later the Captain got on the loudspeaker and explained that we had to make a emergency manuever to avoid a pod of whales, which if we had hit would have most likely have crippled the ship. We listed about 12-14 degrees.

 

Sue

 

I find it curious that an emergency annoucement BEFORE the turn around wasn't made. Something to the effect, "Ladies & Gentleman, it's going to get rough in about one second. Get out of the reach of liquids and anything that might fall off a shelf NOW".

 

A 10 second warning could have done alot of good.

[waynes631ny]

50% is very good! I really don't think you will see anything to indicate that this incident happened. The clean up will be done underway and the restock of items will be made in Red Hook before you embark. The staff should have on all their happy faces!!

 

Enjoy you vacation!!

[bdjam]

Sym66 - That's what Cunard did to the QMII boarding passengers in FL last year - they KNEW there was a serious problem with the engine (or was it the azipods? I forget now) and yet, they boarded everyone and set out to sea, missing all their port stops. The ship limped down to the next embarkation/disembarkation port in South America with a shipload of furious passengers. :mad:

 

At least Princess is being up front about what they're offering and I think it's pretty generous. :)

I don’t think this is correct. Cunard did not know there was a problem with the azipod when people were boarding the ship. The azipod was damaged when the ship was leaving port through the channel. People were already on board when the incident occurred.

[Cruisin' Chick]

While I am satisfied with the 50% refund, I am absolutely crestfafllen that we

will be missing St. Thomas....the ONLY port I was really interested in going to.

 

I am beyond upset over this, and I know everyone is saying, "Just deal with it and be thankful that you weren't on the ship when it listed", but I had this trip planned for over a year, and I need a relaxing vacation more than I care to explain.

 

Oh well, at least I'll have substantial money to put towards my next vacation.

(As will everyone else on board.)

 

We had to skip Kona on our last cruise due to high waves and some of the other cruises of the IP this year had to skip Kauai because of bad weather. Disappointing but it'll give you a reason to book another cruise to St. Thomas in the future, right?

 

And imo (and in the opinion of my hubby), sea days are more relaxing than port days.

 

I'm guessing that if anyone cancels the 7/22 sailing, Princess will be offering a nice last minute fare to its NY/New England email list, and will end up sailiing near full, if not sold out.

[ozland]

Please don't walk around barefoot, ANYWHERE. I can't imagine how they will get every sliver of broken glass vacuumed up.

 

Don't worry . . . they began immediately to clean up. I didn't leave until 1:30 pm on Wednesday and it was amazing how good it looked by then. They still had wet carpet to totally dry (and obviously replace or repair damaged items) but everything looked remarkedly clean by dinner Tuesday night. The staff were great -- professional, friendly, eager to help, and they had been working LONG hours to get everything back to as normal as possible.

 

For those of you who have future sailings . . . this is a beautiful ship and our 7/11 cruise was wonderful until the "listing" incident. After that the crew still worked really hard to make the best of the rest of it for us.

[iancal]

Mikenike is bang on with his comments about why the refund. Nice has nothing to do with it. I mentioned to a business associate that I was taking a cruise in Dec. When he asked the about the cruise line and I said Princess, his first reaction was '....isn't that the cruise line that has had all the problems with their ships'. This type of perception/statement by joe public is exactly what Princess is trying to stem. Princess wants to nip this in the bud before the issue becomes a public conversation and hurts business. What next...expect to see some tv newsmagazine stories about 'safety at sea' and 'staff conditions' at sea. Just what the cruise industry does not want.

[Lynnees]

There's plenty of publicity out there now. It's been in our local paper two days in a row now.

 

Yesterdays had someone describing it as "Niagara Falls". Of course our paper would pick that up. We are in the Niagara Peninsula and Niagara Falls is ours (so to speak).:p

 

Any hope of stemming publicity good or bad, is too late.