caribbean princess jan 18th 09 cancelled?????????

[bwchippie]

Ok. Decided Couldn't Hang Around To Be Notified Of The Cancellation Of Our Cruise, So Took The Bull By The Horns And Rang Princess U.k. Offices Today To Sort Things Out.

It Turns Out That They Are Still Putting An Action Plan In Place For Their Affected U.k Customers, (as A Direct Result Of Us Phoning Them On Tues To Notify Them Of The Dry Dock Situation And Them Contacting The U.s. To Confirm My Report)

So A Big Thankyou To All Contributors And The Site For Bringing It To Our Attention.

Anyway, Thanks To Sienna (princess U.k.) For Taking Up Most Of Her Working Day In Sorting Out Alternatives For Us Today And I Am Pleased To Report That Thanks To Her We Are Re-booked On Caribbean Princess For A Two Week Cruise Starting 1st Feb 2009, In The Same Cabins As We Booked Previously For Our Party Of 10, With The Exception Of Ourselves (As Our Cabin Is Already Assigned) But We Have A Guarantee Of The Same Grade Or Higher.

The Wedding Has Also Been Re-booked For Day 7 Of The Cruise On The Beach In St. Thomas.

So All's Well That Ends Well And If Any Of You Are Sailing On These Dates Maybe We Might See You.

Again Many Thanks For All Your Support...:) :) :) :) :)

[bwchippie]

how do i change the countdown clock!!!!!!!!!;)

2 extra weeks to wait:eek:

[bwchippie]

have asked if u.k. customers are going to be given the obc. waiting for princess to confirm!!!!!!;)

[helpmesailaway]

Have a wonderful wedding. From now on - there won't be any more problems because you have filled your wedding problem quota!!!!

 

Wishing you a lifetime of happiness and smooth sailing!!:)

[bwchippie]

Just Thought I'd Let Everyone Know Who Contributed To This Thread, I Have Had Final Confirmation Today That We Have All Been Confirmed On The 1st Feb 09 Cruise, Wedding Changed To St. Thomas, And All Adults Recieving $100 Obc. We Even Managed A 1 Category Upgrade For Ourselves From Ad To Ac Mini Suite On Dolphin Deck (overlooked But More Sun I Guess Being Only Half Covered)

Was Really Worried About The Whole Dry Dock But Got A Good Result In The End. (by The Way Princess U.k. Have Still Not Set Up The Team To Contact Other U.k. Customers Ref The Dry Dock Situation) Cant See Much Availability Being Left For Those Poor People Who Will Be Affected.......

[FIRELT5]

http://www.cruise-community.com/ShowStory.asp?ID=14164

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Just Thought I'd Let Everyone Know Who Contributed To This Thread, I Have Had Final Confirmation Today That We Have All Been Confirmed On The 1st Feb 09 Cruise, Wedding Changed To St. Thomas, And All Adults Recieving $100 Obc. We Even Managed A 1 Category Upgrade For Ourselves From Ad To Ac Mini Suite On Dolphin Deck (overlooked But More Sun I Guess Being Only Half Covered)

Was Really Worried About The Whole Dry Dock But Got A Good Result In The End. (by The Way Princess U.k. Have Still Not Set Up The Team To Contact Other U.k. Customers Ref The Dry Dock Situation) Cant See Much Availability Being Left For Those Poor People Who Will Be Affected.......

 

Hi bwchippie,

 

If I understand your post correctly and you have an AC mini on Dolphin deck your balcony will have no cover.

 

Just don't want you to be surprised when you get on this beautiful ship.:)

 

Bill

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Glad to hear it all worked out and you will have wonderful memories of your wedding cruise.

[grits]

just called princess direct to verify cruise for next week, may 8, 08. Stated I was concerned about dry dock. They said not to worry that was for Jan 09. Hopes this helps.

[Sunny AZ Girl]

I read that the dry dock will be to upgrade the amenities on the CB to be more like the Emerald. Can anyone elaborate on this? I have only been on the Golden. I have never been on the Emerald and will be a first for us on the CB.:)

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I read that the dry dock will be to upgrade the amenities on the CB to be more like the Emerald. Can anyone elaborate on this? I have only been on the Golden. I have never been on the Emerald and will be a first for us on the CB.:)

 

I have added all the information that Princess released about the update on my website. Just click on the link in my signature below.:)

 

Bill

[F858MM]

I am a TA and where also booked on Jan 18 got a email from Princess two weeks ago about the cancellation. We rebook our group for Feb 1 2009, everyone received an onboard credit of 100.00 and princess is reinbursing up to 100.00 for the airline change fee. If you booked your own air.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I am a TA and where also booked on Jan 18 got a email from Princess two weeks ago about the cancellation. We rebook our group for Feb 1 2009, everyone received an onboard credit of 100.00 and princess is reinbursing up to 100.00 for the airline change fee. If you booked your own air.

 

Wow I wish I was going with you guys. You get to cruise on the CB right after the renovations and watch the Super Bowl on MUTS.

 

Bill

[kkpcruiser]

BW chippie...i am so glad your alternate plans worked out.

 

Interestingly i am booked on the 1/4/08 CB...just searched for something totally unrelated online yesterday and found a post regarding a january drydock for the CB. It is mid june..this info has been known for over one month and my TA nor myself have any notification of this.

 

I would be furious if this was my wedding and still no notification. It isn't but this being our second booking with Princess after a great experience on the CB in Oct 07, I will really think long and hard before booking with Princess again ( long time RCL cruisers) after the way this has been handled.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

BW chippie...i am so glad your alternate plans worked out.

 

Interestingly i am booked on the 1/4/08 CB...just searched for something totally unrelated online yesterday and found a post regarding a january drydock for the CB. It is mid june..this info has been known for over one month and my TA nor myself have any notification of this.

 

I would be furious if this was my wedding and still no notification. It isn't but this being our second booking with Princess after a great experience on the CB in Oct 07, I will really think long and hard before booking with Princess again ( long time RCL cruisers) after the way this has been handled.

 

If you booked directly with Princess they are the ones responsible for contacting you.

 

If you booked with a TA thaen the TA is responsible for contacting you.

 

As you say this has been public knowledge for awhile now. If your TA hasn't contacted you than he/she fell down on the job.

 

If you don't want to cruise Princess in the future because of your TA that is your preogative as it's your money.

 

I personallly would place the blame at your TA's feet.

 

Whatever you decide to book in the future I hope you have a great cruise.:)

 

Bill

[kkpcruiser]

If you booked directly with Princess they are the ones responsible for contacting you.

 

If you booked with a TA thaen the TA is responsible for contacting you.

 

As you say this has been public knowledge for awhile now. If your TA hasn't contacted you than he/she fell down on the job.

 

If you don't want to cruise Princess in the future because of your TA that is your preogative as it's your money.

 

I personallly would place the blame at your TA's feet.

 

Whatever you decide to book in the future I hope you have a great cruise.:)

 

Bill

 

Bill you're right. I think the blame will likely be with the TA, but as someone else responded, there has been the experience where the TA wasn't notified by Princess. As i mentioned the TA moved to part time but is a very on the ball person so i hesitate placing the blame with her until i get the story tomorrow. If she were working fulltime, she likely would have seen this announcement with regard to other bookings with Princess she may have been checking...oh well.

 

I haven't been on these baords in a while even with the Jan 09 cruise planned or likely i would have found this out alot sooner. I am not sure why Princess changed the original drydock date as i was aware of that...so i guess i am still ticked that Princess changed the original drydock plans.

 

Not much i can do about it now.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

I don't think Princess changed the drydock date the dock yard probably did. Princess is going to loose a fortune missing out on the holiday sailing and from mad passengers but can only go when the dockyard has the availibility.

[ChrissyBTX]

I have a question that I hope someone can answer. I've never had a cruise cancelled, but then again, I haven't been on that many....about 10 I think and only one on Princess (my last one, which I loved by the way). Is this typical when Princess plans a drydock for a ship? Do they book passengers and then decide to cancel just for a drydock? Or do they normally plan it in advance, before any passengers book? I would think they would run off passengers if this happened frequently.

 

I was reading on the Carnival board last night about a similar situation. Someone had booked the new Splendor and then found out by reading CC that his cruise had been cancelled. Carnival never told him. And it wasn't cancelled for a dry dock. Some company came along and decided to book the entire ship for some special occasion. As of last night, he still hadn't gotten the official word from Carnival, but he knows for sure that the other company has it booked. If this happened to me or if it happens frequently on any cruise line, I would have second thoughts about booking a cruise with them.

[Toto2Kansas]

The dry dock was scheduled for this past spring, but was cancelled (the reason princess added all those 3 and 4 day sailing that everyone jumped on). They have to take the drydock when it is available, and sometimes, the notice isn't as great as the cruise line would like. They have to take it as it is available, therefore since cruises are booked so far in advance, sometimes this does cancel some passengers plans unexpectedly. No, it is not normal, but it does happen occasionally.

[California Native]

Hi Chippie...

I was married 2 years ago.

I want to help you feel better so I am going to tell you my story,

because I have walked in VERY similiar shoes

 

It's long because when disaster strikes it's never a snowball and ALWAYS an AVALANCHE

All of this is true, there maybe doubters out there, but I swear to God it is the truth.

1. I was born and raised in the Catholic Church, after speaking with

3 local Archdiocese going up to the Bishop it was confirmed that I was unable to be married in a Catholic Church..

Why..because I am infertile ....god blessed me with stage 4 endometriosis a disease

that unless immaculate conception part 2 takes place no modern miracle will allow me to have children.

And according to the sacrament of marriage, the Vatican Law that was being interpreted in

Northern California claimed that since I couldn't go forth and procreate ...

we could not be married in the Catholic church...

and yes I stayed up reading Vatican law one evening just to prove them wrong..

.I was a bride what can say...

You would think I commited a cardinal sin, broke all 10 commandments..

nevertheless, I was not worthy enough to recieve the sacrament....

that is a direct quote from a sister at St. Lucy's Church in Campbell, CA

2. We moved to the Episcopalian church faithfully went to mass every week.

made donations and became active in the church which was St. Lukes Episcopal Church in Los Gatos, CA. ,

there is no fee to have a wedding there if you are member, we thought and acted like we were active members.

We booked our wedding HOWEVER because we had only been a member for 11 months

and not 1 year they decided to charge us the 2,000 USD.

They told me this 3 months before our wedding.

Thank GOD I didn't order the invitations yet

I believe the story of the money changers could be applied somehow.

days later......I call our coordinator at this very high end restaurant for our reception in Saratoga, California

The manager who I don't recognize answers and informs me the restaurant has been sold

and it's becoming a Mexican cafe. and anyway they don't do receptions

and this point I need a very strong Margarita

rebook at a restaurant back in Los Gatos at the Hotel Los Gatos (high end)

1 month later that restaurant closes for a TOTAL overall and different concept.

Will re open after our wedding...They had a waitercall me to tell me this. wedding countdown ...2 months out to HAPPIEST DAY of MY LIFE

back to the church/ we are now 2 months out

..we find another church based on the fact

I actually liked the priest/reverend..he seems warm fuzzy and caring.

We give the 1000.00 payment since we aren't members and quite frankly a little desperate.

I need to order invitations NOW!

3 days later the priests/reverend's secretary calls to say...

he can't do it because he's leaving 3 days after our wedding for Barcelona and it's too much for him to handle...

TOO MUCH for HIM to handle...I'm planning a fricking disaster of a wedding and I leave the day after my wedding for Milan!!!

I'm handling it and I'm the bride!

We have now been demoted to some asst. I've never met.

Bait and Switch...and I'm afraid to tell a man of god to go to hell

besides I need to order the invitations

So just to catch up to speed..

we are 2 months out ...

I have a bait and switch church

and my 2nd reception place has closed.

You might think this is bad...

BUT HOLD ON it's about to EXPLODE!

Have a mentioned my MIL yet?

She wore black to our afternoon, springtime wedding.

after the only request I made and I mean ONLY was no black...

The florist?

She has decided to retire after 20 years and has returned my deposit.

My long term hairdresser?

she doesn't like the pressure of wedding hair.

Honeymoon?

remember the Star Princess fire...end of March...

THAT was our honeymoon up in smoke and into drydock

we had to come up with another plan only 1 month before

our wedding day April 30th.

Now back to the reception..

we are at the point that my MOH and mom are offering up their 1700 square foot homes

for a reception...because the SFO Bay Area is

considered on of the most expensive places to live...

Fruit punch can be 40 USD a gallon.

Finally, the wedding angels begin to appear..

I find a florist that will do all my flowers for 1/2 the price as the other one all I have to do is work on Valentines Day for her...

I find a new hairdresser who is FAR SUPERIOR than the one I had. She does my hair and makeup...

my wedding hair is so awesome

that she submits one of my wedding photos and wins a huge contest through Bumble and Bumble for hairdressers.

We find a reception room at the Italian Restaurant called Maggiano's yes it's a chain, but I can't recommend them enough they do stellar banquets and the food is phenomenal and it tied into the fact that

instead of the Star Princess we were now going to Italy for 3 weeks.

The Church ~ it was lovely...but I prefer to practice my

spiritual beleifs outside of a House of God.

The MIL ....there's only so much wedding angels can do.

2 years later I look back and think how did I ever make

it through that without seriously losing my marbles.

I was never a bridezilla, I always responded with oh, ok

and then went into overdrive fixing the problem

Dont make your wedding day planning based in anger

The absolute most important thing is

you and your fiancee.

 

when we said our vows, nothing else mattered.

it didn't matter that the Catholic church said to me I was unworthy and it was God's will that

I wasn't allowed to have children, it didn't matter about the church hustle, the receptions, the Star Princess

and even my MIL...( I made sure to have the part that says does anyone object taken out of the ceremony).

it is not about the day, the party, the location

it is about you and him and the promise you make together!

 

I promise you, it will all work out in the end!

I wish you a lifetime of happiness!

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Bill you're right. I think the blame will likely be with the TA, but as someone else responded, there has been the experience where the TA wasn't notified by Princess. As i mentioned the TA moved to part time but is a very on the ball person so i hesitate placing the blame with her until i get the story tomorrow. If she were working fulltime, she likely would have seen this announcement with regard to other bookings with Princess she may have been checking...oh well.

 

I haven't been on these baords in a while even with the Jan 09 cruise planned or likely i would have found this out alot sooner. I am not sure why Princess changed the original drydock date as i was aware of that...so i guess i am still ticked that Princess changed the original drydock plans.

 

Not much i can do about it now.

 

Karen,

 

Even if the TA is working part time isn't she still working for a parent company? If so why didn't they tell their part time agents?

 

I have a question that I hope someone can answer. I've never had a cruise cancelled, but then again, I haven't been on that many....about 10 I think and only one on Princess (my last one, which I loved by the way). Is this typical when Princess plans a drydock for a ship? Do they book passengers and then decide to cancel just for a drydock? Or do they normally plan it in advance, before any passengers book? I would think they would run off passengers if this happened frequently.

 

I was reading on the Carnival board last night about a similar situation. Someone had booked the new Splendor and then found out by reading CC that his cruise had been cancelled. Carnival never told him. And it wasn't cancelled for a dry dock. Some company came along and decided to book the entire ship for some special occasion. As of last night, he still hadn't gotten the official word from Carnival, but he knows for sure that the other company has it booked. If this happened to me or if it happens frequently on any cruise line, I would have second thoughts about booking a cruise with them.

 

Charters can happen all the time. HAL seems to be the worst with charters. NCL has had Rosie O' Donnell charter out their ships a couple of times.

 

The ink is barely dry on the CCL Splendor contract. They can't notify clients and travel agencies before the charter is 100% locked up.

 

Bill

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I don't think Princess changed the drydock date the dock yard probably did. Princess is going to loose a fortune missing out on the holiday sailing and from mad passengers but can only go when the dockyard has the availibility.

 

What holiday sailing are they missing out on? The drydock doesn't start until after the December 28th cruise.:confused:

 

Bill

[California Native]

TOO MUCH for HIM to handle...I'm planning a fricking disaster of a wedding and I leave the day after my wedding for Milan!!!

 

*********************************

should've said Copenhagen....

Milan didn't come into play until

the Star Princess Honeymoon literally went up in smoke!

[kkpcruiser]

Karen,

 

Even if the TA is working part time isn't she still working for a parent company? If so why didn't they tell their part time agents?

 

 

Bill

Yes Bill this is true. I am not sure of the actual status since this company did not pay on commision, their TA's were salaried before leaving. But now i know she is working on percentage basis so i am not sure what the setup is and if other TA would cover her. But they should at least have notified her.

 

I'll update once i know more.

I NEVER book more than 3-4 months out either. First time EVER i booked so far in advance. WHich i think tends to put the plans and excitment on the back burner. Usually i sign onto cruise critic daily when i have a cruise planned and i would have known all this over a month ago! LOL

[CarolC]

Wheretonext,

While I am sure it was not at all amusing to you at the time, your recounting of your wedding story gave me a good laugh to start the day. What a great sense of humor and good advice. Thanks for sharing.