Live from the Emerald: Many pissed off passengers

[notentirelynormal]

I think my favorite part of the protest is - they didn't get off the ship to protest. Umm, so you missed going into port and seeing what you paid to see to make a point. That's funny. I'm sure the exec's at the home office really care that you never got off the ship and ruined your own vacation. So you get home and all your friends say, "How was your cruise ports?" I dunno - I never got off the ship, I really showed them, didn't I?

[Colo Cruiser]

Karma, people...Karma. All those "adults" acting like children over this matter will get theirs sooner or later.

 

 

We don't know how many people are actually involved or PO'd. ;)

[NSWP]

Crikey is all this drama about a measley $70 fuel surcharge. I mean we pay thousands of dollars for a cruise, plus airfares, then quibble about $70, come on, $70 is just a day's drinking on board, or a 3 hour bus ride in a Princess chartered tour bus. Just bring your own wine on board, you will save that much in a day or so.:p

 

Please don't blame the hardworking service crew, not their fault.:mad:

[cruiserbryce]

I especially love how all those pax booked the cruise with the knowledge that they would have to pay the surcharge and were fine with it then, but now that there was a chance they were getting it back feel that they are owed something. For our Jan cruise we are excited to receive an unexpected OBC for the surcharge, but would have enjoyed the cruise just as much without it

[NevadaHiRoller]

I completely agree that those people are being ripped off and don't blame them if they cancel excursions, spend less on the ship, whatever, but it is NOT right to punish the crew by taking away their tips!

[bhopal21]

You can voice your opinion all you want, whether to the purser, in a letter or email to Princess. But when this cruise was booked, these passengers knew they were going to pay the fuel surcharge. Protesting it now, after months of having their cruise paid in full, is the most childish thing I have ever read. There is no 'effective' way to protest something that you knew was there from the day you booked. IMHO!

 

Protest by either not booking on this cruise line, or cancel and move to another cruise line. It's not like this was a big surprise to all the passengers, they knew this ahead of time. :rolleyes:

 

Who can argue with that?

 

Mike:)

[quincytoo]

We don't know how many people are actually involved or PO'd. ;)

 

All we have is that first (and only post in this thread) of Aussiewhoever......as some Aussie's (not all) are first to start screaming about how unfair Auto-tipping is and how the first thing they do is remove it beacause Australia doesn't tip as a rule ...well....so it just isn't fair :cool:

 

well......... makes me wonder if this protest is a protest of one, two or how many Aussiewhoever has in their party and perhaps the auto-tip removing protest might have been because to the pools being too cold, the weather being too cold, someone stubbed their toe......:mad:

[NSWP]

I agree quincytoo, it does appear to be a storm in a tea cup, albeit an Aussie one. Only a minority involved I would think.:o

 

If there are a lot of Aussies currently on Emerald, as they do, many of them would have altered or quashed their autotips on embarkation day, before they found out about this fuel surcharge issue.

 

As I said above, if you are upset about it, just drink your own vino or miss a Princess shorex, don't punish the service crew on board, they are working just as hard for you.

 

Also..I just read on Princess website that the fuel surcharge does NOT apply to Australian and New Zealand Passengers? The Emerald is currently is in the West Indies, and the non fuel surcharge to Aussies and Kiwis should still be the same. So why the moaning and groaning?

[murmar]

Here you are on a nice cruise being pampered and looked after so much it gives you lots of time to complain and financially punish those that are trying to make your holiday a good one. Do you realize what a none hero you and the rest of your

bellyacking ingrates are yes yes i know this is caps and yes iam shouting if you can't afford the lousy few $$ for fuel charge you shouldn't be sailing . Get real these are real people looking after you.

[Caribbean Sunsets]

yes yes i know this is caps and yes iam shouting

 

ROTFLMAO! :D:)

 

I don't think you 'cap lock' button was engaged.;)

[murmar]

Roflmo see how made i was lol

[trikeman]

Keel haul the Dishwasher that will show the corporate office a thing or two.:rolleyes:

[Pam in CA]

I really have nothing to add -- you've said it all; I've known two-year-olds who are better behaved than what has been reported. What a wonderful holiday gesture.

 

It did occur to me that perhaps some of these people were looking for a way to stiff the crew and decided on their "protest."

 

As for those who are cruising soon and haven't received their fuel refund, since you've already paid, it'll be an onboard credit. It's a pretty complicated process to refund money since people pay by a wide variety of methods so cruiselines don't refund or send you a check if it's between final payment and sailing. Instead, they give you a credit for an equal amount which is easier to process, less fraught with error, and requires less bookkeeping.

[quincytoo]

I agree quincytoo, it does appear to be a storm in a tea cup, albeit an Aussie one. Only a minority involved I would think.:o

 

If there are a lot of Aussies currently on Emerald, as they do, many of them would have altered or quashed their autotips on embarkation day, before they found out about this fuel surcharge issue.

 

As I said above, if you are upset about it, just drink your own vino or miss a Princess shorex, don't punish the service crew on board, they are working just as hard for you.

 

Also..I just read on Princess website that the fuel surcharge does NOT apply to Australian and New Zealand Passengers? The Emerald is currently is in the West Indies, and the non fuel surcharge to Aussies and Kiwis should still be the same. So why the moaning and groaning?

 

A huge thank you to Nswp :)

 

I didn't want my post to appear like I was slamming Aussie's as I know not all Aussie's remove auto-tips.

 

I am Canadian and ALWAYS tip at least 20-25%, tip at All-Inclusives, keep my auto tips on cruises and then tip over and beyond to those amazing staff members who go out of their way to make my vacation great :) Sadly I know we Canadians are not always as good at tipping :o

[Rollexx]

Hmmmmm, Why do I think this "many pissed off people" may only be a few? Come on, how many of you really believe that someone after spending thousands of dollars, to protest, would, stay on the ship and eat?? I realize that you're sure to find a few stupid people in any large group, but really, think about that.

[riteonglor]

If you are lucky enough to have the money to cruise you should be ashamed taking anything out on the crew whom have no control over what Princess decides to do with fuel charges. Sounds like a few people are trying to make it right in their minds why they won't leave a tip. Try as hard as I could.... I could not make that right in my mind!!

[Iamcruzin]

IMO, it's unfair to take the auto tips away from the hardworking crew. They didn't have any part in the decisions made by Princess.

 

Please keep us posted.

 

I have to agree. These people are under contract and are at the mercy of Princess. If Princess has no reguard for providing customer service for the paying passengers do you think that they are really going to be sympathic towards wages lost to their employees. I think that Princess really should have made an exception in the case of the fuel charge. They should have at least prorated the charge and refunded a portion back to the passengers in good faith. The sad part is that the passengers let this spoil their cruise so they lost all the way around.

[gargoyle999]

We had the same problem on our Thanksgiving cruise, we only had one day according to Princess's formula above $70 and thus did not receive the refund/credit. While that was frustrating, I booked my cruise when the fuel surcharge was in full effect, and I viewed the possibility of a refund/credit as a bonus, since I knew about it when I booked and was OK with it at that time.

I've already booked my next cruise in the spring, and somehow expect the fuel surcharge to return and hit me then as well.

 

Mike

 

I sailed on the Sapphire Nov 29th and think that one day bit me too. But I'm glad there was no complaining on my cruise and I sure had a great time. I lost almost as much in the casino as I did paying the fuel surcharge.

 

People need to learn to chill out...

[Cruisin' Chick]

IMO, it's unfair to take the auto tips away from the hardworking crew. They didn't have any part in the decisions made by Princess.

 

Please keep us posted.

 

Another person in full agreement.

[tedjazz]

There are alot of folks jumping on Aussiemate about this protest issue. He seems to be getting blasted for something he is just reporting. Did he make a stand on this issue? Maybe I missed it. Princess and Carnival in general has made a mess of this whole Fuel Surcharge issue. I'm not saying punish the Hard Working Service Staff, but that would be one very loud message if it got back to the /Princess/Carnival higher ups, but then again maybe they don't care. I'm not for punishing anyone except for the Carnival Corporation. An earlier poster made the comment regarding knowledge and payment of the Fuel Surcharge when their cruise was booked. That maybe correct, but in the legal world there is the concept of "Good Faith". I believe that when the Fuel Surcharges were put in place it was for "High Fuel Prices", but when those high fuel prices plummeted some time ago, Princess/Carnival has an obligation to make a reasonable correction. IMO, the convoluted relief plan is not at all reasonable. Again not the fault of the crew or ship's personnel, but you know how it works...poop rolls down hill. If you can't get to the CEO, then the dishwasher gets it. Not fair, but what is...

[tedjazz]

Same with all the lines, the policy they were going to put into affect was made very clear. It is sad this happened but it was spelled out. This is like a sale item goes into effect on Jan 1st and I buy it on the 30th of DEc, no I do not get the sale price..

 

Nita

 

Most retail stores will honor a sale price for one and sometimes two weeks after a purchase (just take it back), but that is really not the point here, Princess and other cruise lines instituted a "Fuel Surcharge", expressly for the "High Fuel Costs". As a good faith gesture, not only for PR, but in legal terms they should have removed the Fuel Surcharge (in a timely manner) when the price of fuel had dropped to these historic lows. Relief policy not withstanding there is an obligation to make it right, legally and morally. I don't think anyone here would argue that the price of fuel has now dropped to levels far below what warrants a Fuel Surcharge. That I think is where most people get hung up. Cruise ship personnel unfortunatley get caught in the crossfire.

[tedjazz]

Totally agree it's not the crew's fault and they shouldn't be penalized for the way Princess is handling the fuel charge. Like a poster above mentioned we all paid the fuel charge initially and no one expected a refund. It's the same when you purchase something and then it goes on sale a few weeks later. Are you suppose to bring it back to the store weeks later to get a refund? You had no idea the item was going to be on sale afterwards and when you bought it originally you did so with enjoyment and did not complain. It's a shame these people are expressing their feelings in such a manner.

 

We sail this Saturday and even if we had sailed this week and didn't get the fuel refund we wouldn't have handled it like some people are doing. Yes, I would have been upset that it was just a difference of a week but I wouldn't take it out on the staff since it is not their fault. Hope things clear up and get back to normal next cruise and that the staff don't take out their frustration on the next group of passengers!

 

Analogy not even close, sale item at a retail outlet would not be considered a stated surcharge for particular purpose (ie. Fuel Surcharge) when stated item or charge changes, then an expected price change should follow, sooner, not later. Cruise lines are bound by "Good Faith" agreements, if they state why you are recieving a price increase, such as a Fuel Surcharge for high fuel prices, then they are responsible to implement timely relief plans for for lower fuel prices, which is where we are today and the past couple of months.

3 posts, Just want to be clear on what I think the issues here that may have been missed. Sorry if it was repetative.

[JLC@SD]

Hmmmmm, Why do I think this "many pissed off people" may only be a few? Come on, how many of you really believe that someone after spending thousands of dollars, to protest, would, stay on the ship and eat?? I realize that you're sure to find a few stupid people in any large group, but really, think about that.

 

 

Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

[sidari]

Are you kidding??? After that post by the OP you think anyone will then give cash back to the ship in any way. Your living in a dream world. :rolleyes:

 

Colo ....1 they are not giving cash to the ship but to the staff! and at least some after thinking about their actions may well decide to pass on the tips to some of the crew!

 

2 I live in the real world unlike some of the people on these boards who think they own the world and the people in it just because they go on a cruise and then treat the staff there like slaves....and there are plenty of them.

 

3 I am suprised at your comment because i had you down as one of the sensible ones!! :rolleyes:

[ocnlvr3]

My opinion- don't short the staff and I bet it is only a few people involved in the "protest".

By the way I cruise on March 27th and instead of an onboard credit I received the fuel charge credited to my credit card.

 

 

Andrea