Hutchinj

That does it. Should they cancel my 4 July cruise, I am definitely going to fight them for a refund via lawsuit and/or credit card chargeback. We'll see how well those French laws hold up. At this point, I don't want to cruise with a company that treats their customers like this. If they fight my attempts at a refund, which I fully expect, I will make it my life's work to destroy their reputation via every social media outlet I can get access to. I encourage all others to do the same.

If FP opens up to tourism in time and PG does NOT cancel the cruise prior to the >31 day deadline for no penalty cancellations, I'm not certain what we will do. Our health is obviously important but I can't afford to risk about $14K either. Breaks my heart given how much we were looking forward to this trip and how many people here have loved the PG in the past.

That figures. The French changed horses (refund rules) mid-stream. Seems like Ponant learned from the very best... we don’t care what our contract with you said, here’s our new terms and conditions. If you don’t like it, tough luck!

15 minutes ago, daetchief said:

I fully agree with all posts in regards to contract obligations.  I too have $5,000.00 tied up in deposits for a July 2021 PG sailing that we were expecting to forfeit only $200.00 by cancelling.  It is not fear of any virus or disease that lead us to request the refund - it's merely a scheduling issue with a Regent cruise that I already have $40,000.00 tied up in.  By circuitous message to PG/Ponant I would like to say "If you stay on this course you might hold on to $5K and loose $20K immediately, or you can allow clients to be served under the agreement in hand - and maybe earn far more in the years to come."

Ponant needs to realize that we are NOT isolated individuals, we're each vocal spokespersons for or against a product or service.  A negative incident like this could effect a half-dozen or more future bookings.

[Not to mention these threads on CC...]

Well said! Couldn't agree more. Ponant's short-sightedness could (and likely will) cost them much, much more in future revenue if they continue on their current course of ignoring the needs of their customer base in such trying times.

I'm curious though... you said you requested a refund from PG. Any luck with that given their current insistence on FCC only?

Daetchief -- Don't misinterpret PG's cancellation policies or intentions.

The unfortunate truth is that they have CHANGED their terms and conditions AFTER cruisers have already booked and paid their deposits or pre-paid the entire cruise fare. Not only is that entirely unethical, it is NOT the way one would go about fostering "good customer relations" as you claimed. What good is a contract if one party can change the terms whenever they choose?

I feel badly not only for the cruisers who have or will potentially lose hundreds if not thousands of dollars from such poor business decisions, but also for the wonderful crew of the PG who have been caught up in the middle of all this.

I pray this COVID-19 situation gets resolved soon, at least to the point so that we may continue with our cruise plans and enjoy all that the PG and FP have to offer. But if PG chooses to cancel our cruise, passengers should be offered the option of a refund or FCC since some of us simply may not be able to travel in the future.

Many CC folks questioned if the recent acquisition of PG by Ponant, was a good thing or not. Read what my TA just posted:

• Even though we had a GREAT time with “Paul Gaugin Cruises” in Tahiti and we still VERY MUCH recommend you take a Cruise there, we now STRONGLY suggest you DON’T sail there with “Paul Gauguin Cruises”!!!!! Unfortunately after we sailed with them, they were bought by “Ponant” (a French based company) and during the “Coronavirus Crisis” we saw their “true colors” and their dis-interest in treating clients & travel agents right! When people wanted to cancel their Cruise due to health concerns (even as long as 4-8 months before their sailing), even though the “terms & conditions” said they’d only lose $100 per person when they booked, Ponant changed the terms and kept ALL of our client’s money… that was $3,000-$4,000 for some people… which was very distressing for people who had no intention to re-do this trip later, who had lost their jobs and needed the money back, etc. We can NOT ethically work with/recommend any Cruiseline who changes agreed upon terms AFTER our clients have booked… it’s not fair to our clients nor to us as agents as we take the brunt of our client’s being upset about this. Again though, we STILL think Tahiti is a GREAT destination and wholeheartedly recommend you Cruise there but NOT with “Paul Gauguin Cruises”… if you do so you’re RISKING losing your hard-earned money! 

Keep in mind this is coming from a TA who previously booked a LOT of PG cruises for his clients.

This, in combination with PG change to their cancellation policy (NO REFUNDS whatsoever) sickens me. After two years of planning a true once-in-a-lifetime trip to FP, now I'm wondering if it will ever happen at all. The option of a FCC in lieu of a refund does me little good if health or other issues prevent us from sailing within the FCC timeframe, not to mention it will cost us considerably more. Our (very) expensive trip insurance policy is worthless with its epidemic/pandemic exclusion. And of course, if PG/Ponant goes bankrupt then it's all down the tubes, anyway.

Our PG cruise is not until 4 July so it has not yet been cancelled. Time will tell but I become less optimistic as time goes on and frankly, more than a bit anxious about cruising so soon even if they do open it up in time.

Thanks for the continuing updates. Looks like they are taking it seriously. We pray for the health and safety of all, especially FP residents. 

Fingers and toes crossed that this all gets resolved in time for our PG Cruise of July 4th. Gotta remain hopeful!

Ty for sharing, TBK. Good to know you are home safe and that you made the best of your trip even though it was curtailed somewhat. Let's face it, I can think of worse things than being stuck in Tahiti for a few days! 🙂 And it was nice you were able to take day trips to Moorea, too.

1 hour ago, FlightMedic555 said:

It is a long way off but this is not looking good.  The ship is supposed to go into dry dock soon and that is questionable as to whether that will happen.  The number of COVID-19 cases in the US is far from what will probably be the peak.  It is quite ugly here at the hospital.  All of us are just trying to stay safe.

Understood. Our PG cruise is 7/04, not that much later than yours. I'm trying to remain hopeful as the cruise is just one part of a land and sea bucket list trip which at our age and financial situation is most likely to be our first, and only, visit to FP. 

As you are on the front lines of this war, we thank you for your efforts and pray for your safety.

15 hours ago, FlightMedic555 said:

We are on the 6/17 cruise. Doubtful it will happen. 

That's still quite a ways off. What makes you feel so doubtful? 

On 3/7/2020 at 6:52 AM, AMKujo said:

Yes we would like that! Nothing like having 300 people at your surprise party!  I am trying to stay positive about it all with current circumstance. We were really looking forward to the refurbished ship but not sure the dry docking will happen. Did you hear of anything in regards to this?

Haven't heard anything about changes to PG's plan for the refurb or if that would affect any cruises after that. But things seem to change on a daily basis so keeping an ear to the ground.

More info on FP's first case of coronavirus. Can you say, "brilliant?" (sarcasm intended)...

"French Polynesia has announced the first case of Covid-19 in Tahiti, the first confirmed case of the coronavirus across the Pacific Islands. President Edouard Fritch, said that French Polynesian politician Maina Sage had been confirmed with the virus after returning from Paris on 7 March. Sage is resting at home in self-isolation in Papeete. French Polynesia, which comprises more than 100 islands, the largest of which is Tahiti, is a French overseas collectivity. Sage is French Polynesia’s representative in the French National Assembly. During her time in Paris, Sage served on a National Assembly commission with France’s culture minister Franck Riester, who has also been confined in France after contracting Covid-19. Announcing the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in Tahiti, President Fritch reassured people about government plans for monitoring, testing and isolation. He stated, however: “I invite the population to avoid travel outside the country."

Perhaps a good start would be blocking non-essential travel by your own politicians?

AMKujo -- We opted for the Renewal of Vows Ceremony on Motu Mahana in Tahaa in celebration of our 50th Anniversary.  Well, at least I did. She doesn't know about it yet. 😉

Since we are on the same 4 July sailing, hope you can help us celebrate... when you're not celebrating your own Honeymoon, of course! 😄

Aft balconies are all about the view. Here's a pic from a Mediterranean cruise we took on a Norwegian ship with an aft cabin. Simply mesmerizing! 

Penga - You make some valid points, specific to your situation. I hope you ultimately get some satisfaction out of PG.

But even more than that, I hope you have a fabulous time on your Marquesas cruise. I'm kinda thinking you will. 🙂

35 minutes ago, Pengawin3 said:

Cabin 767 will be gone after the 2020 dry dock. The 5 aft cabins will become 2 suites. I picked the cabin specifically for its unique layout, shower and location and got an email December 31 saying I am moved to a cabin on 8 now. Not really happy about it.

 

Yeh, I broke this news to our group last week. At least you got an email from PG about the change. I got nothing from them and only learned the news from my TA.

I have mixed emotions about it too but planning to make the best of it. After all, a week cruising French Polynesia in a butler equipped deck 8 cabin can't be all that bad. Run your butler ragged to make up for it! <LOL> 😄

Thanks, TBK.

PG's cruise schedule indicates departure from both islands at 5:00pm so I wasn't sure how close they would cut off the last tender service.

Is there a list of PG Tender Schedules posted anywhere? I realize they are subject to change.

I'm most interested in when the last tender returns to the ship on Day 2 of both the Bora Bora and Moorea stopovers (during the 7-day Society Islands cruises).

Need to know how much leeway I should allow between the end of an excursion and the last tender of the day.

Thanks!

Ha ha... I’m sure you’re right about our TA taking credit. But I won’t beat him up about it too badly since he did give us $500 in OBC and got PG to throw in another $200 OBC from their “Sweetie” promotion, even though we missed PG’s deadline.

And yes, as much as we love aft cabins, we’re really looking forward to the category B cabin on deck 8 and butler service. It’s all good! 🙂

On 12/27/2019 at 1:28 PM, JIMinNC said:

Another advantage is these Veranda Suites have a king-sized bed instead of a queen.

Not sure this is true for all the Category B Veranda Suites. It seems that five of them (those marked with a "dot" in the attached deck plan) come with two twin beds that can be pushed together to make a bed about the size of a Queen. We've been assigned one of these rooms and while I would prefer a single large King bed, I'm sure it will be fine as is.

11 minutes ago, Larro9 said:

Yes, they upgraded us all who were booked on pg cruises past June 2020, but it is not the same in any way or form...we booked 1.5 years ago for a 10/2020 cruise to get that specific cabin....we were on the boat in 2015 and were in 766...aft cabins will be missed ! ..I honestly don’t need a butler ....

Yep, we specifically booked #767 in August 2018 for a July 2020 cruise. Not to be informed about the change by PG is disappointing, to say the least.

17 minutes ago, ScotsLady said:

I have just seen this and so upset .

 We booked 767 2 years ago for my special birthday cruise, we love aft cabins.

i logged in and we have been upgraded to category B.

 

irene

I well understand. We love the aft cabins, too. Something very special and serene about them, especially when you are underway. Kind of have to experience one to understand. ;)

The upgrade to a Cat B cabin will be OK even though I see little use in a Butler for this cruise. What bothers me most is that PG has not bothered to contact us to notify us of the change or give us our options, if there are any. Finding out by accident or via your TA is not how this should be handled. Very poor form, IMHO.

Thanks as always, TBK. Appreciate your insight. This upgrade just makes us all the more excited for our upcoming 50th Anniversary trip! 👍

Not meaning to hijack another thread ("Feedback on Cabin 767") but thought that was important enough to create a new Topic...

Sad to say but the Category C aft cabins will be no more after the refurb in May 2020. Seems they are converting those 5 cabins into 2 suites (Grand or Owner types?). We booked cabin #767 over a year ago for our 4 July 2020 cruise but that cabin will no longer exist.

The good news is that PG wanted to move us to some other Cat C room but our TA talked them into upgrading us to a Category B Veranda Suite for free. We love aft cabin views but maybe the larger room, balcony, and Butler will help ease the pain. 🙂

We likely never would have opted to pay the $3K or so to upgrade so we will look upon this as a bonus. Would appreciate any comments on those who have stayed in these cabins on Deck 8. Seems to be convenient to the pool and pool bar but hopefully not too noisy. The Cat B veranda balcony appears to be a bit deeper, too, if not as wide as others. Kind of like the idea being up high on the ship and having no cabins above us. We shall see!

Larro9 -- Yes, as nice as I'm sure the Cat B suite upgrade is, we too will miss the aft cabin we were so looking forward to.

Number8 -- We were assigned cabin #818 in the upgrade. It's on the port side and closest to the pool bar. There's actually quite a distance between our balcony and the bar area itself so we're hopeful noise won't be an issue. I kind of like the idea being close to the pool and bar, actually. No stairs! And deck 8 should be nice with no cabins above us. 

Sad to say but the Category C aft cabins will be no more after the refurb in May 2020. Seems they are converting those 5 cabins Into 2 suites (Grand or Owner types). We booked cabin #767 over a year ago for our 4 July 2020 cruise but that cabin will no longer exist.

The good news is that PG wanted to move us to some other Cat C room but our TA talked them into upgrading us to a Category B Veranda Suite for free. We love aft cabin views but maybe the larger room, balcony, and Butler will help ease the pain. 🙂

Wish they’d give us one of those 2 new ginormous aft suites but I guess that would be wishing for too much. 😉