JG&Lcruisingnewbies

Thank you! No worries, I’ll makes sure we’ll all have a fantastic cruise. No way would I let something like this get in the way. My complaint shall remain shoreside & the cruise will be fun 😃

I understand what you are saying. I can choose to not get room service, not use Ocean now and not use casual dining options. however these are all items that were free at the point of booking and items I would take advantage of. Cost wasn’t a consideration because there wasn’t one Personally I think there is a big difference between increasing the price of items you have listed such as massage, and drinks, and reducing the number of free amenities. I would have hoped that Princess would have saved the new package for new bookings and not added charges to current bookings. And because the number of free amenities is less than when I booked, that feels like a fair time to expect communication & notice.

Reading the contract (UK) it does say they can vary provision for operational & commercial reasons. But I wonder if the main complaint should be lack of communication about the change & a lack of notice. my understanding of contracts is rudimentary however, with basic training around them in relation to consumer and debt issues. even IF they have committed a contract violation, it still requires a person with enough knowledge & commitment to take them to task over this and get a good result from it. And if they haven’t, well I’m of the opinion that just because they CAN do something doesn’t mean they SHOULD. It’s all been very poorly handled, no communication, no notice & will mean my holiday already paid for in full will cost more than when I booked. Ive put in a complaint to Princess & await a response.

Will having to pay for Ocean Now, room service & casual dining not affect you? genuine question. Maybe you use none of those things. It’s just that I believed that those booking standard fares are the most affected

Same on the UK site too

Can I add that they are not just upsetting loyal customers. They are deterring new & potentially new cruisers from cruising Princess again, or at all. Some customers lost they won’t care. But right now, if you are looking at reviews, social media and very prominent bloggers/vloggers to see if Princess is right for you, you will be met with a whole load of discontent. Not just grumbles. It’s not encouraging. The scale of the upset now will only increase too. As unhappy cruisers who only just heard about these changes onboard go on to review the cruise. So many passengers who have booked standard or old packages will step on board with no knowledge of changes until a letter is given to them as they begin their holiday. Spare a thought for the staff having to field these complaints too. And the atmosphere on board for cruisers & staff on the first voyages. Because It’s not just the ££. It’s the poor implementation & communication and tbh right now it feels like they are treating passengers like numpties. They are telling us that charging for things we thought we’d paid for already months ago is giving me & others in a similar boat (so to speak) more value for this cruise. 🤔 I don’t believe this is all to reduce food waste either 🙄 I hope time shows that these extra costs can improve offerings. Quality of food, speed of service etc. so with that said, OP I hope you get the better experience you hope you will get, & I hope you enjoy your cruise. I’m sure I’ll enjoy mine too. I’ll make sure of it whatever happens 😊

Yes, was definitely fully expecting that. where I think we have more of a leg to stand on is my argument around the lack of communication about these changes as well as the very short notice. I suspect a lot of the folk on the Sapphire Princess receiving the letter about the changes had no idea that they existed never mind how these changes will impact them The food waste comment I was not expecting though!

update: have been informed today that the email above is only for POST cruise queries and ‘concerns’. my email has been passed to a pre cruise support team. They also said to either call or live chat if sailing was close. as it’s 16 days away I live chatted. And was told they can make changes to t&c’s whenever they need to and they made these changes to, umm *checks notes* reduce food waste Interesting line to take 😂 ‘if you don’t finish your dinner, at least you paid us for it. Go and waste what you want in the main dining room and buffet though’ sorry. Default response to nonsense is sarcasm. Can’t help it 😂 anyway I was then told this was an enhancement to services although they did apologise & say they were sorry I felt like this was not an enhancement to services. and apologise for the late notice of these ‘enhancements’ After all that am now awaiting a call or email from a team lead 🤔

I thought the ‘trust us’ was a nice touch. ‘We would like to extend an invitation to upgrade. trust us……’ Yes yes Princess, sure I’ll trust you, because if I don’t upgrade I won’t get the things I already paid for. Clearly It’s great value 😏 To those on The Sapphire…. Please let us know how well this letter was received if you can. And if there are any fireworks 💥

I get it. I don’t want lots of Spam. But remember when you sign up you don’t have to accept any form of communication from them. You might miss out on offers but if you don’t want it, don’t get it. one of the benefits of our Data Protection laws we don’t have to remember to opt out if we don’t want the spam/offer email/texts etc. We have to literally opt IN once signed up however you can manage the app, your booking and your loyalty points much easier I believe

Then here’s to a great cruise for us despite Princess nonsense! 🥂 At least we’re forewarned I guess. Unlike many who will be stepping onboard, I’m sure of it. I’m feeling sorry for the staff onboard tbh. Not their fault head office have stuck them with all the changes with a little over 3 weeks notice. Looks like we are the first on Sky Princess under the new terms. I did wonder if there was a chance Sky Princess staff wouldn’t follow through with the changes due to systems not yet set up properly to implement them. Or maybe Princess HO will delay the start of the terms. Probably a hope in vain

Nothing. Cynical me says that’s deliberate. It’s hard to spin ‘we’re now charging you for things you already paid for months ago’ What I’d like is for what we booked to be honoured. As many have mentioned on CC Princess could have made these changes for new bookings only. when do you cruise?

The confusion over these new changes seen on CC is really indicative of how poorly they have communicated & implemented these changes. Being from the UK we can’t re-fare anything. That’s another story though So, anyone in UK already booked wishing to complain email is: guestrelationsuk@princesscruises.co.uk When I said I was querying the impact the new changes to packages has on our already booked cruise Live chat gave me this email address immediately. No engaging in any details. Don’t blame them really. I’m sending a complaint because those already booked under the old packages or booked standard fare are now getting less than what they booked. In my mind that basically changing terms and conditions, with no communication from Princess of these changes or on how that impacts us. Additionally for us they have done this with little over 3 weeks notice to our cruise on the 19th. if I was to book now? That’s different. I can grumble, but I know what I’m getting & it is my choice if I choose a package or not under the new terms. and upgrading the packages? Sure, I can do that. And if I don’t I shouldn’t expect extra services like desserts, exercise classes etc. I don’t mind paying for extra. I do mind paying for things I thought I paid for already. That’s the difference. Once I get onboard I’m going to enjoy my holiday. Hope the atmosphere on Sky is a fun one despite all the complaints I foresee onboard, And I’ll let CC know how Sky Princess first cruise under the new terms go. As well as if this complaint gets me anywhere. Or indeed, more likely, if all the complaints from prominent vloggers, bloggers, on online forums & social media I'm reading collectively get us anywhere….

Oops didn’t see your pic before posting my own of the Kelpies, sorry!

My Parents were on this recently. No smells on the boat at all, so I think it must have been the boat you were on with the issue. I’m really disappointed for you that you had that experience. My Parents would have hated it if they had the same problem on their trip too. For another time, if you or anyone else is in the area I recommend going to the Kelpies & to do one of their 30 min tour discussing how they were designed, constructed and put together. Very interesting and the Kelpies themselves are imo beautiful. I was there last week as one of our stop over points, during a verrry long drive from the Scottish Highlands to England near Gatwick airport Anyway, silly side note: I waved at you guys from Nairn beach as your were coming through the Suitors in front of me, shortly after you left Invergorden. (the suitors are the 2 hills either side of you as you moved into the Moray Firth). I hope you all had a wonderful cruise & enjoyed the highlands too 😃

I also thought I could only tether/hotspot from cellular too. not off of Wi-Fi id also love to know if you can tether WiFi with limited device allowance from apple device to apple device. Because that sounds too good to be true

imo Package inclusions & exclusions seem to get more complex As I like things simple I do like the idea of an ‘all inclusive’ cruise with basics included. Perhaps all Non alcoholic drinks, 1 device internet, and CA as standard. these are things most will pay for regardless. And yes, thinking selfishly, it’ll improve value for those of us who are t-total too You can still pay more if you want more than what’s on offer with standard. Better internet, certain restaurants, alcohol etc. I’d pay for 2 out of the 3 of those. but in my not at all professional thinking wouldn’t marketing Princess as a cruise line where more is included as standard attract people to Princess specifically? really… how many holidays do you go on, other than cruises, where spreadsheets are shared so frequently on forums?! 😏 As I said, I like simple. my husbands the one happy doing the spreadsheets, not me! 😂

Apparently not. We have the same thoughts. That, and we don’t drink so quite a few things we wouldn’t want to win 😂 I think the only option is to decline the prize. It then goes back into the pot for others to win so to speak someone correct me if I’ve misinterpreted the t&c’s please?

Yep. For ESTA I’d need to pay $14 USD for 2 years I’ll also need to pay for Etias. It will be €7 (or $8) for 3 years Fwiw I don’t mind paying for either

Thanks for this. On the back of this thread I’ve just downloaded all the port guides now for our Norway Cruise 😃 Did try to download the Southampton (London) port guide but wouldn’t load 🤷‍♀️ it was just out of curiosity to see how Princess cover 2 places I’m very familiar with tbh (I’m from UK) Princess telling me ‘you live 30 min outside central London, don’t be silly’ 😂

this is relevant for cruisers from the UK too we must get one for European cruises next year 7 Euros, lasts 3 years, application online & to do at least 96hrs before travel here is link to info for UK passport holders…. https://etias.com/etias-requirements/etias-for-british-citizens

I’ll try and post any issues/ experience related to these changes on Sky seeing as I’m on the first sailing with the new packages note: this will also be my first ever sailing on Princess looking forward to it, even though I’m moaning on here 😂

I’m sad about this with my TA. But I’ve Used the same TA since I started Cruising & this is the only time I’ve felt like they should have informed me and haven’t so I’ll stick with them for the moment. yes it appears that my Sailing on the 19th August is the first one on Sky Princess with the changes. I can see the chaos & upset towards the poor staff at guest services & at Alfredo’s already

That is good communication. I booked via A TA. I’ve not received any info from TA or Princess regarding the new package arrangements. At least not yet, and I’ve less than 3 weeks until travel 😬 not much I can do about it. I feel for the staff on board more

This is me its frustrating. I’m tempted to pay the extra to ‘upgrade’ to the new Premier package now. Which is of course what they want. part of the frustration is also that I’m only 3 weeks away from my cruise & seemingly one of the first sailing from UK under this new system It’s not given us, or anyone sailing v soon any time to adjust, and as a result the poor staff are going to get much more frustration thrown at them. it’s also worth saying that Princess are not doing a good job informing currently booked cruisers of this change. Or how having the old packages will affect you. I wouldn’t know if it wasn’t for being on Cruise critic