Princess air left us stranded!!!!!

[Toto2Kansas]

without looking up my seapass, I would say it was 10 years ago. What was done for

my friends impressed the heck out of me.

.

 

Although some of these stories are very interesting, and nice to hear that all worked out so well, things that happened 10 years ago are not going to happen today. So much has changed in the last 10 years, 5 years, heck in the last year they have changed.

Others read these accounts when they are not dated and expect the same type of service and reaction from Princess now without insurance. It just isn't going to happen today. ;)

[greatam]

I just wanted to advise anyone NOT to book with Princess Air. We have missed our cruise and they are not willing to do anything about it!

 

The problem with sending us to Detroit was that there were no other airilines that could get us to New York other than the airline we were already booked on, Northwest.

 

This was the crux of the problem. You had consolidator class tickets and they are NO GOOD on any other airline. Read through the first few pages of this thread. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=530322

 

I wrote it in response to ANOTHER missed Princess cruise with Princess air a couple years ago. It will point out all the pitfalls of booking cruise air with ANY cruise line. This includes "custom air" UNLESS you paid an upcharge for the air IN ADDITION to the deviation fee.

 

 

Trust me, we are fighting this! So after 17 hrs in the Detroit airport with a group of 13 including young children, and an infant, we are home, and felt abandoned! And, the wedding doesn't get to happen.

 

Don't book with Princess Air!

 

I am truly sorry you missed your cruise and wedding, but the cruise line books consolidator class tickets with just a few exceptions. You are truly at the bottom of the barrel for rebooking with consolidator class tickets, which is why you saw other people boarding and your entire group was not.

 

With planes flying full, 11 seats was the best the airline could do for you with your class of ticket. By not taking the 11 seats, you have most likely voided any recourse you have through Princess. Travel insurance may or may not help in this situation.

 

I am truly surprised that no one has posted the Princess cruise contract wording. The cruise line does NOT have to give you back anything EXCEPT the air fare in cases of missed connections/a missed cruise. And since you turned down the Princess offer of 11 seats, those 11 people have very little recourse. Here is the Princess cruise contract. Please note Paragraph 15, section F. The cruise lines have NO responsibility for any actions of third party providers/vendors-hotels, shore excursions, transfers AND air. They do not have to get you to the ship. They do not have to provide a hotel when you are stuck in transit. They do not have to provide anything EXCEPT a refund on the air fare.

 

http://www.princess.com/legal/passage_contract/index.jsp

 

PS: I am a non practicing transportation attorney operating a global logistics company. I move people and freight every day of the year on airlines worldwide. I have asked and asked all my contacts in the airline business and all but one have repeatedly stated cruise air/consolidator class tickets (sold by online companies) is the WORST deal you can possibly get yourself into if there is a problem.

[grandmato4]

Can't think of a thing to add about booking Princess Air that hasn't already been said, but very little has been said about the fact that the op did have insurance.

 

If the op even wants the slightest chance of recouping anything from their insurance they need to contact the insurance company immediately and not wait any longer even though I doubt that will do any good at this point.

 

Most insurance companies require that the customers contact them immediately if they have had problems that could result in their insurance paying them. Had the op contacted their insurance company while still in the airport, as they should have done, they could have known if the conditions of the cancelled flight would have covered up to their limits the cost of getting to NY and then on to the first port to catch up with their cruise and would have been told what they should do. Most insurance companies do require that customers do everything possible to catch up with their cruise if flights are missed or cancelled. Most will not reimburse the cost of the cruise unless it is impossible to catch up with the cruise before more than half the cruise is completed. Most people do not realize that you can not just decide to go home if you miss your flight and will not make it to the ship before it sails and still be reimbursed for the total cost of your missed cruise by most insurance plans.

 

The op may have made what many of us would consider some bad decisions but its a good reminder that very few cruisers actually understand exactly what they are getting and aren't getting when they book cruiseline air so the op is certainly not alone and has my sympathy for their misunderstanding of how things actually work. I've lost count of the number of people through the years that I've personally run across that truly to think that if they book cruiseline air that the cruiselines are going to take care of everything if anything should not go as planned and is actually the number one reason why they choose to book cruiseline air. I also find is sad that so many people think that as long as they have purchased insurance that if anything goes wrong they will simply get their money back also not understanding the rules and conditions that have to be met before insurance will reimburse them. Good Luck to to the op.

[happy cruzer]

Greatam and grandmato4 have said it all. Thanks.

 

I would add that alot of the "stories" of what the cruise lines did for folks that had a cruise air are really the particular air line going the extra mile to get their ticketed passengers delivered. Most of the folks in trouble don't really know who is pulling the strings trying to get them on the next plane. But usually it is the air carrier (anyone notice that some are better than others?) living up to the contracts that they have with the cruise lines or the actual ticket. JMHO but as usual there is alot more to some of the stories.

[Lookingforfacts]

I don't get what the problem is here. Who books a flight so close to embarking? Any and every cruiser knows that you are far better off flying in a day early... and early in the day too.

.......

Why is it that when people fail to plan for continencies it is always "someone else's" fault. No. It is YOUR fault for not taking into account potential flight/weather/airport issues. We are 20+ cruises in now and we have missed plenty of connecting flights... been delayed for hours in airports.... been held up by weather.... and we've always made it with plenty of time to spare. No, we are not retirees with nothing better to do. We are 30-somethings who know it is better to take an extra day than get screwed.

 

Plan. Plan intelligently. That is the key. The cruise line, nor your travel agent, can control the weather, air traffic, or overbooking of flights. Take some responsibility for yourself and stop blaming everyone else.

 

I bolded parts of your post. The OP booked Princess Air. Replace you, who and your with Princess. Princess is the entity that booked a flight that close to embarkation, didn't allow enough time for weather/airport issues and didn't plan intelligently.

 

I guess your point is a cruise line can't be trusted to properly plan.

 

This a good example of potential issues with cruise air.

 

I agree with pp. 11 people should have gone.

[iancal]

The cruise lines are just following that age old saying...buy low, sell high.

 

Passengers need to follow the old saying buyer beware!

 

I suspect 11 are out of runway. Two will be OK.....if they had insurance.

[goldesq]

I have over 50 cruises and have never taken out travel insurance. The premiums I've saved would easily cover a missed cruise as in this scenario.

Unfortunately, one helicopter medical evacuation and/or flight home where you need to remain lying down and.orneeding oxygen and/or a nurse will change your mind quickly.

[nrdsb4]

I would say YES! These threads act as a reminder to the less experienced, sophisticated, knowledgeable, travelers what can so wrong before we get on deck. It only takes one bad experience for some to be tainted for ever. It has never taken several of the same kind of disaster before I decide enough is enough. In the end we can use the information to make decisions that will work best for us. If no one shared, good or bad, then there would be no point to a travel board.

 

"Fool/Screw me ONCE, shame on you. Fool/Screw me TWICE shame on ME";)

 

 

LOL, you said EXACTLY what I was just thinking. :D

[Princesscruisers2]

One of the first things I learned on these boards before I took my first cruise was ------ go a day early. It annoys me sometimes to have to do that, but I do it anyway. As far as booking with Princess Air - I have in the past found airfares that were far cheaper and far more convenient than what they had to offer.

[spongerob]

You would think that more travel agents would give that advice to their customers.