Cowardly Princess Cruises treats passengers with contempt

[Pam in CA]

The only thing Princess can do in this case is help them buy a new ticket at full price, which will not be an option for many.

Maybe that's exactly what Princess should have done: automatically purchased a ticket using their consolidator to the passenger's originating destination and written it off as PR. That would have been extremely helpful and avoided middle-of-the-night phone calls to TAs and airlines and elimated all the worry and concerns about getting home. Even though there are 600 people on the ship, I'm betting that quite a few booked air with Princess so it's a matter of picking up the cost for perhaps 400-500 passengers.

[Loonbeam]

If its not arranged through the passengers originating airline, the first airline can consider the second leg abandoned and revert the overall ticket to the one-way price. The airlines could make exceptions, but I wouldn't guarantee it.

 

Maybe that's exactly what Princess should have done: automatically purchased a ticket using their consolidator to the passenger's originating destination and written it off as PR. That would have been extremely helpful and avoided middle-of-the-night phone calls to TAs and airlines and elimated all the worry and concerns about getting home. Even though there are 600 people on the ship, I'm betting that quite a few booked air with Princess so it's a matter of picking up the cost for perhaps 400-500 passengers.

[DrSch]

What would have happened if the earthquake took place the day they were supposed to arrive in Japan, and they were told they couldn't land, and they had to go to another port at that point? Would they expect Princess to compensate them at that point?

 

I feel sorry for the people that didn't know about the change in itinerary before they got on the ship. Princess should have told them about it when they got their cruise cards, before they boarded.. that is where I see the biggest error for Princess.

 

I did check a few of the CC Boards for cruises in that area, and there was one dated on the 18th from someone going on the cruise asking if anyone had seen the itinerary change, so some people did indeed get advance notice. For people traveling that might have missed the communications, I truly feel sorry for you. I am still however, jealous that you are cruising around Asia, while I sit here in an office in Phoenix.

[mfk68]

I have been reading this tread as it has been happening. I am curious to know if any other cruise line had a cruise ending in Japan and changed its last port to another country and how they are handling to situation? That would be the only fair way to know if Princess is acting above, below, or right in line with industry standards.

[Loonbeam]

Just a note, no one on here has mentioned compensation... Yet.. The prevailing complaint appears to be a lack of assistance and information.

 

I'm sure compensation will come up, but no one has made a point of it.

 

What would have happened if the earthquake took place the day they were supposed to arrive in Japan, and they were told they couldn't land, and they had to go to another port at that point? Would they expect Princess to compensate them at that point?

 

I feel sorry for the people that didn't know about the change in itinerary before they got on the ship. Princess should have told them about it when they got their cruise cards, before they boarded.. that is where I see the biggest error for Princess.

 

I did check a few of the CC Boards for cruises in that area, and there was one dated on the 18th from someone going on the cruise asking if anyone had seen the itinerary change, so some people did indeed get advance notice. For people traveling that might have missed the communications, I truly feel sorry for you. I am still however, jealous that you are cruising around Asia, while I sit here in an office in Phoenix.

[ONT-CA]

Remember that Princess's staff cannot touch a booking not made by them. Not that they don't want to, they CAN'T. They don't have control of the PNR and control can't usually be changed once an itinerary has been started. The only thing Princess can do in this case is help them buy a new ticket at full price, which will not be an option for many.

 

What we had in mind was Princess activating their staff as intermediaries. They ask for and therefore have each passenger's final disembarkation plan information so they then need only to work with the passenger on suggestions and to relay assistance. How about Seattle or wherever they are located doing the leg-work and then phoning the passenger with alternate suggestions. They are the professionals not the passengers.

[Pam in CA]

I feel sorry for the people that didn't know about the change in itinerary before they got on the ship. Princess should have told them about it when they got their cruise cards, before they boarded.. that is where I see the biggest error for Princess. -- The situation was very fluid and it was difficult to get accurate information. Also, a ship can't just sail in a different direction or go to a different port without coordinating a lot of things, such as docking facility, arrangements with Customs and Immigration, etc. This can take quite a bit of time. I don't think anyone would have been served if they'd announced a week before, "We are working on changing the port but don't have details yet"; three days before, "We are arranging to end the cruise in Hong Kong but don't change your plans until everything is finalized", etc. Can you imagine the chaos and problems resulting from that? It sounds like that's what some people wanted Princess to do.

 

I did check a few of the CC Boards for cruises in that area, and there was one dated on the 18th from someone going on the cruise asking if anyone had seen the itinerary change, so some people did indeed get advance notice. For people traveling that might have missed the communications, I truly feel sorry for you. I am still however, jealous that you are cruising around Asia, while I sit here in an office in Phoenix.

How is it advance notice if Princess announced it on the 18th here in the U.S. but most passengers would have arrived or were on their way to the embarkation port on the same day, where it was already the 19th? I'm not following that logic. If you would clarify.

[DrSch]

How is it advance notice if Princess announced it on the 18th here in the U.S. but most passengers would have arrived or were on their way to the embarkation port on the same day, where it was already the 19th? I'm not following that logic. If you would clarify.

 

 

People are saying they didn't find out about it until they were in their staterooms.. I just said it is something that should have been related to them when they were checking in. Maybe had some TA or such at the pier to help before they got on the ship.

 

They were notified, some people got the information, others did not. If they were in transit on the 18/19th, they still were not on the ship until the 19th/20th. I was saying just that, that for many in transit, they did not get their emails / phone calls. But they did arrive at the port on the 19th / 20th, and should have been informed before they boarded the ship.

[Pam in CA]

People are saying they didn't find out about it until they were in their staterooms.. I just said it is something that should have been related to them when they were checking in. Maybe had some TA or such at the pier to help before they got on the ship.

 

They were notified, some people got the information, others did not. If they were in transit on the 18/19th, they still were not on the ship until the 19th/20th. I was saying just that, that for many in transit, they did not get their emails / phone calls. But they did arrive at the port on the 19th / 20th, and should have been informed before they boarded the ship.

There are some things to consider: one is the International date line which means that when the announcement was made on the 18th, it was already the 19th at the embarkation port. Two is that notifications go to the TAs, not directly to passengers, unless you booked directly. This creates another whole set of circumstances. How rigorously should Princess have been to notify all of the passengers? I'm assuming, perhaps falsely, that all passengers or TAs were notified on the 18th (19th at the embarkation port.) If Princess had emailed every passenger directly (for those that have email addresses, some don't), many don't check their email once they leave home nor do they check their cell phones. Even if Princess had contacted the "contact" on their PIF, the difficulties in reaching the passenger would have been challenging.

 

What you're saying is that at check-in, passengers should have been informed of the disembarkation change and given the opportunity to cancel the cruise. That creates it's own set of questions such as since the cruise itself wasn't canceled, just the disembarkation port and passengers would technically complete the cruise, the passenger would have had to make an instant decision to cancel based on whether their insurance would cover the cancelation or not. And that creates it's own set of issues. :(

 

I don't think there's any one "good" solution to this that's right for everyone. For instance, if people are compensated for having to change their flights, should people who booked Princess air be equally compensated? The questions and variables go on and on. It's a very big can of worms.

[Loonbeam]

Actually I can see where this might have worked. Perhaps not by offering the option to Cancel, but at least making the people aware prior to boarding where they may have had easier access to cell service or internet access than once the ship was underway. Then they could have shot off messages to TAs to be seen next business day.

 

Of course, there also would have been a lot of people screaming, but again a separate area could have been set up for that. But its not a bad idea in principle..

 

There are some things to consider: one is the International date line which means that when the announcement was made on the 18th, it was already the 19th at the embarkation port. Two is that notifications go to the TAs, not directly to passengers, unless you booked directly. This creates another whole set of circumstances. How rigorously should Princess have been to notify all of the passengers? I'm assuming, perhaps falsely, that all passengers or TAs were notified on the 18th (19th at the embarkation port.) If Princess had emailed every passenger directly (for those that have email addresses, some don't), many don't check their email once they leave home nor do they check their cell phones. Even if Princess had contacted the "contact" on their PIF, the difficulties in reaching the passenger would have been challenging.

 

What you're saying is that at check-in, passengers should have been informed of the disembarkation change and given the opportunity to cancel the cruise. That creates it's own set of questions such as since the cruise itself wasn't canceled, just the disembarkation port and passengers would technically complete the cruise, the passenger would have had to make an instant decision to cancel based on whether their insurance would cover the cancelation or not. And that creates it's own set of issues. :(

 

I don't think there's any one "good" solution to this that's right for everyone. For instance, if people are compensated for having to change their flights, should people who booked Princess air be equally compensated? The questions and variables go on and on. It's a very big can of worms.

[Pam in CA]

Actually I can see where this might have worked. Perhaps not by offering the option to Cancel, but at least making the people aware prior to boarding where they may have had easier access to cell service or internet access than once the ship was underway. Then they could have shot off messages to TAs to be seen next business day.

 

Of course, there also would have been a lot of people screaming, but again a separate area could have been set up for that. But its not a bad idea in principle..

True, and I agree. But you'd still have the same issue of time difference that some onboard have complained about. Maybe if they'd had an area set aside with reps or agents who would assist passengers, if possible, and if they had landline phones and Internet available. The ship would probably have had to sail late to give passengers this opportunity. If they'd missed the next port, would that have been fair to those who booked air through Princess and most likely don't have this booking problem? Many people don't have international calling and/or data set up on their cell phones.

[DrSch]

True, and I agree. But you'd still have the same issue of time difference that some onboard have complained about. Maybe if they'd had an area set aside with reps or agents who would assist passengers, if possible, and if they had landline phones and Internet available. The ship would probably have had to sail late to give passengers this opportunity. If they'd missed the next port, would that have been fair to those who booked air through Princess and most likely don't have this booking problem? Many people don't have international calling and/or data set up on their cell phones.

 

 

Pretty much what I was saying, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it wouldn't be possible. Problem is, the staff on the ship, are not trained to handle this kind of problem.. they aren't travel agents, they are waiters and dancers... There may be a bunch of travel agents on board, and I would hope they are doing what they can to help the other passengers, but there is no real win solution here.

[Pam in CA]

Pretty much what I was saying, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized it wouldn't be possible. Problem is, the staff on the ship, are not trained to handle this kind of problem.. they aren't travel agents, they are waiters and dancers... There may be a bunch of travel agents on board, and I would hope they are doing what they can to help the other passengers, but there is no real win solution here.

I was thinking more help in the way of setting up phone calls or email accounts, if the passengers don't have one. Some people are not used to making international phone calls or even using email. Local reps could help with that. Ships staff are not allowed to do anything off the ship, at least in every port I've ever been to. I believe it has to do with local unions and/or liability. Even if you're in a wheelchair, locals must wheel you to the gangway and ship's staff will wheel you onto the ship.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I don't think there's any one "good" solution to this that's right for everyone.

 

Actually, there is, and you came up with it!

 

Maybe that's exactly what Princess should have done: automatically purchased a ticket using their consolidator to the passenger's originating destination and written it off as PR.

 

Not even that much...they could have purchased flights from Hong Kong to Osaka.

 

The ship, docked a day early, could have acted as a hotel. People could have left as necessary for a flight to Osaka, and then connected to their originially scheduled flights (or gone on with their trip, as planned, if that was their choice).

 

We're not talking about 3000 passengers here. We're talking about 670, probably most of which purchased Princess air in the first place.

 

As far as it being "fair" to those who didn't book Princess air to begin with (and as I say so often in these circumstances): It doesn't hurt those who booked Princess air, or negatively impact them in any way. Why would any feeling, caring person care that Princess was funding flights to Osaka for everyone, regardless of how they purchased their flights?

 

And, finally, in looking at the passenger contract, it is now pretty clear that Princess ("Carrier") probably IS contractually liable to get the passengers to the original disembarkation port if at all possible (i.e. if the port is open, and it is). See post #68. Why did Princess drag their feet on this?

 

So, at a minimum, they should have allowed internet usage at no charge for several more days. At the maximum, they could have flown everyone to Osaka at cruise line expense. It's too bad that Princess didn't even do the minimum in this case.

 

JMVHO

[cruisemom42]

Given the itinerary of this voyage and the ship (one of the smaller Princes ships with longer, more exotic and hence more expensive itineraries), and given that I went back and read a lot of the roll call, I think it's kind of disingenuous to say that "a lot" of passengers don't know how to use email or have international cell plans, etc, etc. These sound like pretty savvy and well traveled people to me who were planning to do extended touring on their own before/after the cruise. This isn't your typical "first cruise, let's spend time in Carlos 'n Charlies" crowd.....

 

FWIW, I agree Princess should have communicated the info to them UPON boarding, if not sooner (e.g., should've emailed them once a decision was made, whether or not folks were en route). A LOT of people check their emails even when traveling; I know I do.

 

And yes, I think people would've had a bit more time to strategize and make plans even if they got the info when boarding. For only 600 or so passengers (some of which would have Princess air and would not presumably need assistance), having time to try to make a few calls or use the Internet prior to the ship leaving port could have been VERY helpful. And not only that, it would've helped reduce the bandwidth crunch once on board ship.

 

So for me personally, Princess doing a few things better (sending out that email in advance of boarding, letting pax know AT boarding, perhaps setting up a bank of phones and/or computer terminals at the embarkation port........all of this would have shown me that Princess was making a good faith effort to make the situation workable.

 

Incidentally, it would be very instructive to hear from someone on this cruise who had Princess air and find out what arrangements have been made and how Princess have handled it.

[Pam in CA]

Given the itinerary of this voyage and the ship (one of the smaller Princes ships with longer, more exotic and hence more expensive itineraries), and given that I went back and read a lot of the roll call, I think it's kind of disingenuous to say that "a lot" of passengers don't know how to use email or have international cell plans, etc, etc. These sound like pretty savvy and well traveled people to me who were planning to do extended touring on their own before/after the cruise. This isn't your typical "first cruise, let's spend time in Carlos 'n Charlies" crowd.....

You'd be Very surprised. I have several friends/relatives who are experienced cruisers, very travel savvy, but don't even own a computer. They have basic cell phones, no smart phones for them. From my experience, you're more likely to find this on an exotic cruise than the Carlos 'n Charlies afficiandos. Just saying. :)

[robgvic]

what does that red triangle upper right do?

[paul929207]

You can use it to alert the CC monitor of a violation of the rules.

[robgvic]

thanks, paul

[cruisemom42]

You'd be Very surprised. I have several friends/relatives who are experienced cruisers, very travel savvy, but don't even own a computer. They have basic cell phones, no smart phones for them. From my experience, you're more likely to find this on an exotic cruise than the Carlos 'n Charlies afficiandos. Just saying. :)

 

Goodness, how do they keep up with things at home when gone for an extended period of time?

 

I think you also made another comment that struck me -- about folks not even knowing their flight times (at least I think that was you....). How do they know when to get to the airport? :confused:

 

(Shaking my head and starting to think some people should perhaps not travel into unfamiliar territory if they aren't somewhat self-reliant.....)

[rdsqrl]

. . .

(Shaking my head and starting to think some people should perhaps not travel into unfamiliar territory if they aren't somewhat self-reliant.....)

I've had that thought pretty much throughout most of my membership here on CC . . . but especially on this thread.

That said, as Loonbeam has pointed out, Princess clearly needs to up their game in terms of crisis management. It's not so much that they need to actually do something, but at a minimum, they do need to appear to be seen as doing something -- is that too cynical?

[Pam in CA]

Goodness, how do they keep up with things at home when gone for an extended period of time?

 

I think you also made another comment that struck me -- about folks not even knowing their flight times (at least I think that was you....). How do they know when to get to the airport? :confused:

 

(Shaking my head and starting to think some people should perhaps not travel into unfamiliar territory if they aren't somewhat self-reliant.....)

I don't know... not my problem. I know that my sister and brother-in-law used a TA who did everything for them; the TA specialized in holding people's hands. They never double-checked anything and assumed that everything had been done. They just knew that they needed to get to the airport by a certain time. They even wouldn't use the electronic check-in at the airport but "had" to get in line for a representative. After we discovered 10 days before leaving for a Med cruise that my BIL hadn't made plans for a post-cruise hotel (he forgot to tell the TA), I made sure their TA sent me a copy of everything and I'd print it out and bring it with me when we traveled together. I can't tell you how many times I had to produce my copy because they didn't have theirs. When I wasn't with them, they were on their own. So far, they've sailed through life with people taking care of them as they go. My BIl is gone now but my sister hasn't changed, and doesn't plan to. At this point, I'm probably an enabler because I make sure everything is done and have copies of everything. :( I know others who do the same thing; they're not alone.

[Loonbeam]

I think that about sums it up, maybe not even just crisis management but exception management....

 

I've had that thought pretty much throughout most of my membership here on CC . . . but especially on this thread.

 

That said, as Loonbeam has pointed out, Princess clearly needs to up their game in terms of crisis management. It's not so much that they need to actually do something, but at a minimum, they do need to appear to be seen as doing something -- is that too cynical?

[caribill]

...letting pax know AT boarding...

 

If you mean at check-in, this may not have the better outcome one might hope for.

 

a) It would just mean that they would be handed the letter that is in their cabin 15 to 30 minutes earlier.

 

b) The check-in personnel are locally contracted people, trained only in check-in procedures, who would be unable to answer any questions that would ensue. They would just say to speak with Princess once on board.

 

Unless it is close to sailing time, passengers could get off the ship to use onshore telephones/internet. Obviously they would have to figure out how to dial internationally if using the phone. But if they wanted to reach their travel agent, it would be the middle of the night back in North America so the best they could do leave a voice mail.

[Coral]

Goodness, how do they keep up with things at home when gone for an extended period of time?

 

 

Probably the same way people did it 25 years ago (before people used the internet). You can often pay your bills ahead of time and have a relative open important mail. It is not that difficult.