Caribbean Princess delayed!

[bermuda triangle]

If anyone read the sticky at the top of the page, I would not count on a well managed repair or communication to those sailing this weekend. I was on CB in February and know what it would be like if on Wednesday, I did not know if I should fly to San Juan. According to one poster who was on this sailing, they cut internet access after the announcement that passengers could stay onboard.

HELLO? DOES ANYONE AT PRINCESS HAVE A BRAIN??

I feel for you all and hope each of you are able to work things out the best that you can.

I am not an expert, but why did they not fix this problem before it became a crisis?

 

A ship, that passengers could stay on in a port is not a crisis. A crisis would be a ship floating around with no electricity in the middle of no where, with no a/c, no means to prepare food, no toilets, etc.

Let's not over react.

[jrzebird]

If anyone read the sticky at the top of the page, I would not count on a well managed repair or communication to those sailing this weekend. I was on CB in February and know what it would be like if on Wednesday, I did not know if I should fly to San Juan. According to one poster who was on this sailing, they cut internet access after the announcement that passengers could stay onboard.

HELLO? DOES ANYONE AT PRINCESS HAVE A BRAIN??

I feel for you all and hope each of you are able to work things out the best that you can.

I am not an expert, but why did they not fix this problem before it became a crisis?

 

Why would they cut Internet access? That makes no sense. Plus, a lot of people have been posting, both from St. Marteen and SJ. And, as far as I know, you don't need, nor want, the ship's Internet access when in port.

[TahoeSierra]

So far I have only heard rumors about Princess making a decision by Friday regarding the March 18 cruise. I don't know where that information came from.

 

The ship has been in PR for almost 12 hours. How long does it take to inspect the problem? Two days seems like way too long.

[Loucat]

A ship, that passengers could stay on in a port is not a crisis. A crisis would be a ship floating around with no electricity in the middle of no where, with no a/c, no means to prepare food, no toilets, etc.

Let's not over react.

It depends on your definition of a crisis. Lack of communication leading to passenger frenzy is not just a day in the park IMHO.

[ahracer]

Just booked RCCL 9 night on 3/16 and changed air to FLL. Had to cancel the CB in January the day before now this. Guess it wasn't meant to be. But not going to complain about a 9 night cruise.:)

[Loucat]

Why would they cut Internet access? That makes no sense. Plus, a lot of people have been posting, both from St. Marteen and SJ. And, as far as I know, you don't need, nor want, the ship's Internet access when in port.

Read the post on the sticky. This was done post leaving St. Marten. As I was not on board, I can only relate what a sincere passenger reported on that sticky. I do use the ship's Internet while in ports, and if your have been to the Pan American pier, there is nothing but an airstrip nearby. I used their system on our last SJ sailing and in every port we sailed to.

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

Anyone recall the Sea Princess coming in dry dock to get a tiny leak fixed, sea water was coming in to a shaft, it was filmed and was put out as a couple of TV shows,

 

it took days to strip down , some poor bloke crawl along a shaft to find a tiny seal needing replaced,

 

we were on the Sun a few years ago when she limped around the Caribbean, when wemade it back to Barbados parts had to be flown out and we were late out and they knew which part it was,

 

now if this is a major failure, with large internal parts, parts might not be to hand,

 

and if worse case a dry dock, and a big hole cut in the side of the ship.

 

its not like changing a spark plug on your car

 

yours Shogun

[jrzebird]

Let's see...bird flu, Chilean earthquake, Japanese tsunami, hurricane hitting NYC, and now this. As I've said before, Princess does a wonderful job with its cruises. But when things go wrong (and it's the nature of the environment they operate in), they always seem to drop the ball a bit when it comes to corporate communications. It's clear that, despite year after year of learning opportunities, they're not improving on that measure.

 

I feel badly for all those affected. We Americans don't get the vacation time of other countries...a week spent like this counts as a week's vacation just the same to employers. I certainly appreciate that. If moaning here makes you feel better, have at it. If we don't want to hear it, we can click away. But it's entirely inappropriate for us to discount your right to feel that way. We are not all coming from the same place.

 

And, as for the "at least I'm not in the office" mentality...I equate it with the "if I don't have to cook it, it's good food" mentality. I guess my expectations for a Princess cruise are a little higher than that, and I'm not going to apologize for them.

 

 

Bird flu? When did they have that? I must have missed it.

 

I agree with most of your post, except the first paragraph. And, I'm not picking on you, because I've read a lot of similar thoughts here. Yours was just easiest to copy. It was also far gentler than most I've seen.

 

I was on the Hurricane Irene cruise (before not during) and I have to say that the information and updates that we got ON THE SHIP were amazing. I could not believe how they arranged to get all of the people off the ship who had to get off, arranged accommodations for those who were not going to make their connections for flights because the airports were closed and did all of this seamlessly. There were over 3,300 passengers on that ship and everyone was treated as if they were the only one. Those staying onboard for another go-round were given free Internet access. Those who were able to make the ship for the following cruise were brought on 3 hours early. Obviously, there was communication. And it was amazing.

 

I seriously think that those of us sitting here in our living rooms are being far too critical (I am not referring to those who are supposed to leave Sunday). We have no idea what's happening on the ship, nor what the people know or don't know, nor how long the repair will take. And why don't we know what to do about Sunday? I'd guess because they don't know yet. If it was me, I think I'd assume it was going to be a no go and decide from there. If this happens to me next month, I'll be heartbroken. And maybe even a bit irritated. OK, a lot irritated.

 

Do I think that insurance should pay for airfare for this trip? No, because you have the option to stay on board and leave as planned. I do think it should pay for any future missed trips.

 

Princess is going to lose a lot of money from this incident. Refunding fares, giving 25% off future cruises, paying the staff, paying for provisions and whatever else they need to keep the lights on, so to speak, with no income for whatever time it takes.

 

I think I'll reserve my criticism for later, when we know what's really going on.

[bermuda triangle]

It depends on your definition of a crisis. Lack of communication leading to passenger frenzy is not just a day in the park IMHO.

 

Passengers had communication 1 person didn't hear announcements others have said they were prompt and seemed to be updated as needed.

 

It is also possible they cut down on electrical use to conserve engery for engine consumption. OMG I sailed without internet and didn't have DTs. Passengers aren't in the middle of nowhere.

They are in the US on a nice ship with all the amenities theyexpected. The only difference being they can't gamble onboard.. there is a casino in OSJ. They missed some ports, but come on..they are being fully reimbursed and they have 25% back in future cruise credits.

No one HAS to change their air travel..that is a choice to do so. No internet for 12 hours isn't a crisis.

 

ps that same person on the sticky referred to the cruise as a a cruise to nowhere-pretty sure st. maarten isn't nowhere.

Laura

[TahoeSierra]

It's not because they want to keep your money. The more people that are en route, the more it could cost them to resolve the issue.

 

Remember it is the bean counters that are deciding what to do next.

Here is some interesting information from another board. Take notice of the sentence beginning with "I realize within a few minutes that"

 

 

 

Princess Crew Incompetence

We just got off the Caribbean Princess on our "cruise to nowhere." This was our fourth Princess cruise, which we have enjoyed in the past...and have a cruise booked in the future. But now that will be reassessed.

 

Crown Princess and Caribbean Princess have had propulsion issues these past six months noted on these boards. This should have alerted Princess/CCL to fix these problems. These are not just random unexpected occurrences anymore.

 

Princess was very good to refund our cruise fare and give us some credit towards a future cruise. They should have, given the following. They were fair in this regard. But in terms of management of passengers, crew, and information, it was a giant mess. An avoidable one.

 

We left San Juan expecting to arrive in St. Maarten, our closest stop, about 11 hours later. First mistake: The Captain made an announcement, but did not make it in Staterooms, that we had a "propulsion issue" and would not arrive until after 3pm in St. Maarten. There was no indication of severity, future plans, length of stay in St. Maarten, time of departure. Just a couple of sentences from the Captain. A vague mention of "compensation and impacted itinerary" were all that were mentioned. No one on board, especially Guest Services, had any information at all.

 

This was our closest stop. I realized within 15 minutes of that announcement that it was likely we would not make it to our last three stops, since they were far away from San Juan. If it took 50% longer to make it to our first stop...a close one, the others would be impossible to reach in a week, or even two. The Captain obviously knew, or he would have never mentioned the words "compensation" or "impacted itinerary" but made no mention to passengers or crew.

 

Second mistake: That evening, the Captain announced that we would stay in St. Maarten overnight to "assess the situation." No mention of departure date or future plans. Officers and crew have no information, but only say, "Wait for future information from the Captain." The captain asks passengers to be back on board by midnight.

 

Next morning: (Tuesday): Everyone wants to know how serious this is and what we will do. The Captain makes an annoucement that we will stay a second day in St. Maarten to "further assess the damage to the port propulsion motor." Passengers are given vouchers worth $6.00 round trip for a free water taxi round trip to Philipsburg, the capital of St. Maarten. The Captain requests that all passengers be back on board by 6pm, with an anticipated sail time of 7pm. No mention is made as to where we will sail or for how long, or what kind of damage has been done or length of repairs. No guidance is given as to future itinerary, airline departures, future disembarkation times and dates...nothing.

 

7pm Tuesday: We leave St. Maarten after two days docked there. No announcement is made for 30 minutes...no one knows where we are sailing. A fellow passenger and I together realize we are sailing north...towards San Juan, Puerto Rico, our port of embarkation.

 

7:30pm Tuesday: The Captain gravely asks for everyone's attention. He announces that we are "sea worthy" but that we must return to San Juan for lengthy repairs to the port propulsion motor. No mention is given as to length of repairs for those passengers on back-to-back cruises. No mention is made as to disembarkation. The Captain says everyone on board will get a full refund and a credit towards a future cruise. He invites us to stay on board from Wednesday - Sunday and take our original flights home. Sounds great...stay on a dead ship for four days, docked in San Juan.

 

I realize within a few minutes that the reason Princess has done this is to avoid liability related to insurance and airlines...by not technically cutting the cruise short, and allowing passengers to stay on a "floating disabled hotel" they have no liability for airfare or other arrangements for passengers. People will just be stuck in San Juan for four days.

 

No mention is made at all as to disembarkation, immigration forms, times or dates, or flight arrangements. No internet usage is provided, no phone usage is provided. Nothing. In fact, as soon as the Captain made his annoucement, all internet and smart phone connectivity was cut by Princess.

 

Wednesday morning: Big mess. Everyone is realizing that they cannot make flight arrangements because no one knows if or when we can disembark. A letter delivered overnight states we can disembark Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday, only. No times or instructions are given. No officers or crew have any information. No instructions as to closing out of accounts is provided. Nothing. Passenger Services is overwhelmed with long lines, angry passengers, and contradictory information. Each person on board says "Well, I think..." without actually knowing anything. No advance instructions, according to Guest Services, were provided to them. They received information the same way we did...via intercom from the bridge. That's all. Princess later says passengers are given two departure times on Wednesday. Later a crew member says we can leave any day. Another says only Saturday and Sunday and Wednesday afternoon. Yet another says he just came on duty, and has no idea...and he works in Guest Services!! Wow.

 

People cannot arrange alternate flights because they do not know if or when they can leave. As I said originally, in terms of pure compensation, Princess was fair. But there are so many other issues that are just maddening. Princess had three days to prepare for this. They could have made it easy. Just provide us with information and internet access and plan out with San Juan as to disembarkation and Customs. Just give people a chance to plan. Most of all, inform crew and passengers of plans and answers and advance information. We really may not sail with them again. Imagine a real emergency without three days warning. If this level of incompetence exists as to this type of issue, imagine what might be waiting in an emergency aka Costa Concordia...also owned by the parent company of Princess. Word to Princess...this could not have been handled much worse. Truly astounding lack of planning and information. So much for "Escaping Completely With Princess". More like: "Trapped with Princess with No Information or Guidance to Escape."

cruisedad2

Cool Cruiser

Join Date: Jul 2007

Posts: 38

[PescadoAmarillo]

Bird flu? When did they have that? I must have missed it.

Whoops, I misspoke. Swine flu. Bird flu was the issue with my trip in China several years ago.

[Loucat]

It's not because they want to keep your money. The more people that are en route, the more it could cost them to resolve the issue.

 

Remember it is the bean counters that are deciding what to do next.

Here is some interesting information from another board. Take notice of the sentence beginning with "I realize within a few minutes that"

 

 

 

Princess Crew Incompetence

We just got off the Caribbean Princess on our "cruise to nowhere." This was our fourth Princess cruise, which we have enjoyed in the past...and have a cruise booked in the future. But now that will be reassessed.

 

Crown Princess and Caribbean Princess have had propulsion issues these past six months noted on these boards. This should have alerted Princess/CCL to fix these problems. These are not just random unexpected occurrences anymore.

 

Princess was very good to refund our cruise fare and give us some credit towards a future cruise. They should have, given the following. They were fair in this regard. But in terms of management of passengers, crew, and information, it was a giant mess. An avoidable one.

 

We left San Juan expecting to arrive in St. Maarten, our closest stop, about 11 hours later. First mistake: The Captain made an announcement, but did not make it in Staterooms, that we had a "propulsion issue" and would not arrive until after 3pm in St. Maarten. There was no indication of severity, future plans, length of stay in St. Maarten, time of departure. Just a couple of sentences from the Captain. A vague mention of "compensation and impacted itinerary" were all that were mentioned. No one on board, especially Guest Services, had any information at all.

 

This was our closest stop. I realized within 15 minutes of that announcement that it was likely we would not make it to our last three stops, since they were far away from San Juan. If it took 50% longer to make it to our first stop...a close one, the others would be impossible to reach in a week, or even two. The Captain obviously knew, or he would have never mentioned the words "compensation" or "impacted itinerary" but made no mention to passengers or crew.

 

Second mistake: That evening, the Captain announced that we would stay in St. Maarten overnight to "assess the situation." No mention of departure date or future plans. Officers and crew have no information, but only say, "Wait for future information from the Captain." The captain asks passengers to be back on board by midnight.

 

Next morning: (Tuesday): Everyone wants to know how serious this is and what we will do. The Captain makes an annoucement that we will stay a second day in St. Maarten to "further assess the damage to the port propulsion motor." Passengers are given vouchers worth $6.00 round trip for a free water taxi round trip to Philipsburg, the capital of St. Maarten. The Captain requests that all passengers be back on board by 6pm, with an anticipated sail time of 7pm. No mention is made as to where we will sail or for how long, or what kind of damage has been done or length of repairs. No guidance is given as to future itinerary, airline departures, future disembarkation times and dates...nothing.

 

7pm Tuesday: We leave St. Maarten after two days docked there. No announcement is made for 30 minutes...no one knows where we are sailing. A fellow passenger and I together realize we are sailing north...towards San Juan, Puerto Rico, our port of embarkation.

 

7:30pm Tuesday: The Captain gravely asks for everyone's attention. He announces that we are "sea worthy" but that we must return to San Juan for lengthy repairs to the port propulsion motor. No mention is given as to length of repairs for those passengers on back-to-back cruises. No mention is made as to disembarkation. The Captain says everyone on board will get a full refund and a credit towards a future cruise. He invites us to stay on board from Wednesday - Sunday and take our original flights home. Sounds great...stay on a dead ship for four days, docked in San Juan.

 

I realize within a few minutes that the reason Princess has done this is to avoid liability related to insurance and airlines...by not technically cutting the cruise short, and allowing passengers to stay on a "floating disabled hotel" they have no liability for airfare or other arrangements for passengers. People will just be stuck in San Juan for four days.

 

No mention is made at all as to disembarkation, immigration forms, times or dates, or flight arrangements. No internet usage is provided, no phone usage is provided. Nothing. In fact, as soon as the Captain made his annoucement, all internet and smart phone connectivity was cut by Princess.

 

Wednesday morning: Big mess. Everyone is realizing that they cannot make flight arrangements because no one knows if or when we can disembark. A letter delivered overnight states we can disembark Wednesday, Saturday or Sunday, only. No times or instructions are given. No officers or crew have any information. No instructions as to closing out of accounts is provided. Nothing. Passenger Services is overwhelmed with long lines, angry passengers, and contradictory information. Each person on board says "Well, I think..." without actually knowing anything. No advance instructions, according to Guest Services, were provided to them. They received information the same way we did...via intercom from the bridge. That's all. Princess later says passengers are given two departure times on Wednesday. Later a crew member says we can leave any day. Another says only Saturday and Sunday and Wednesday afternoon. Yet another says he just came on duty, and has no idea...and he works in Guest Services!! Wow.

 

People cannot arrange alternate flights because they do not know if or when they can leave. As I said originally, in terms of pure compensation, Princess was fair. But there are so many other issues that are just maddening. Princess had three days to prepare for this. They could have made it easy. Just provide us with information and internet access and plan out with San Juan as to disembarkation and Customs. Just give people a chance to plan. Most of all, inform crew and passengers of plans and answers and advance information. We really may not sail with them again. Imagine a real emergency without three days warning. If this level of incompetence exists as to this type of issue, imagine what might be waiting in an emergency aka Costa Concordia...also owned by the parent company of Princess. Word to Princess...this could not have been handled much worse. Truly astounding lack of planning and information. So much for "Escaping Completely With Princess". More like: "Trapped with Princess with No Information or Guidance to Escape."

cruisedad2

Cool Cruiser

Join Date: Jul 2007

Posts: 38

That is the post on the Sticky I referred to.

[Harris Jeffer]

I appreciate all of the great ideas and valuable input from everyone that this is not effecting.

 

So, can someone help us out here? We are scheduled to sail Sunday. This is our only week off this year, so we're looking for alternatives to have an enjoyable vacation. If the cruise is cancelled after we've flown to San Juan, does anyone have suggestions as to where we can get a hotel room for the week, with a balcony overlooking the ocean, and all of our food and entertainment for $800 a person?

 

 

Ha Ha Ha Thats a good one....having spent agreat deal of time in PR, I can tell you that it is one of the most expensive places to Get a good Hotel. If you don't want a roach room, expect to pay upwards of $270 per night. Florida would be a better alternitive.:rolleyes:

[ahracer]

I appreciate all of the great ideas and valuable input from everyone that this is not effecting.

 

So, can someone help us out here? We are scheduled to sail Sunday. This is our only week off this year, so we're looking for alternatives to have an enjoyable vacation. If the cruise is cancelled after we've flown to San Juan, does anyone have suggestions as to where we can get a hotel room for the week, with a balcony overlooking the ocean, and all of our food and entertainment for $800 a person?

 

 

Ha Ha Ha Thats a good one....having spent agreat deal of time in PR, I can tell you that it is one of the most expensive places to Get a good Hotel. If you don't want a roach room, expect to pay upwards of $270 per night. Florida would be a better alternitive.:rolleyes:

 

 

Go to VRBO.com and find a nice condo. You probably going to want to rent a car so you are not trapped. $800pp for a room, food and entertainment is probably not realistic though.

 

However you might be able to get on the Carnival Victory for less than that.

 

I too was on this Sunday's cruise.

[bermuda triangle]

 

 

Go to VRBO.com and find a nice condo. You probably going to want to rent a car so you are not trapped. $800pp for a room, food and entertainment is probably not realistic though.

 

However you might be able to get on the Carnival Victory for less than that.

 

I too was on this Sunday's cruise.

 

Carnival Victory is sold out, it was as of this morning.

Laura

[thecaribs]

My wife and I are boarding the CB on Sunday.

 

Even if we had to sit at the port in San Juan for a week, it's much better than a week at work.

 

I agree 100% but weather network says it's going to rain in San Juan all week, let see if we can get enough of us to paddle that dam ship south. Retired now not worried about getting back.

[Astro Flyer]

So far I have only heard rumors about Princess making a decision by Friday regarding the March 18 cruise. I don't know where that information came from.

 

The ship has been in PR for almost 12 hours. How long does it take to inspect the problem? Two days seems like way too long.

 

3/14/2012

 

Caribbean Princess Update

 

Caribbean Princess has experienced a problem with her port propulsion motor and it has been determined that the ship's current sailing must be canceled to allow for repairs.

To facilitate this, the ship has returned to San Juan where the repairs will take place. All passengers will be able to stay onboard through Sunday to enjoy an extended visit to San Juan until their previously scheduled flights home.

Passengers will receive a full refund of the cruise fare plus a future cruise credit equal to 25% of the cruise fare paid on this voyage. Further information will be communicated to passengers onboard.

At this time it is unknown how the repair process may impact the ship's next sailing, departing March 18. We will communicate any impact to the next voyage as soon as information is available.

We sincerely regret that our passengers' cruise vacations have been affected. Caribbean Princess was sailing on a seven-day Southern Caribbean voyage from San Juan, which departed March 11. The ship was scheduled to call in St. Maarten St. Lucia, Grenada, Bonaire, and Aruba before returning to San Juan on Sunday, March 18.

 

http://www.princess.com/news/article.jsp?newsArticleId=na1221

[Massman]

 

 

Go to VRBO.com and find a nice condo. You probably going to want to rent a car so you are not trapped. $800pp for a room, food and entertainment is probably not realistic though.

 

However you might be able to get on the Carnival Victory for less than that.

 

I too was on this Sunday's cruise.

 

 

So we get our $1,600 back from Princess and get to spend upwards of $3,000 to spend a week in San Juan? :confused: Cool .......

 

On another note, do you happen to have an extra $1,400 I can borrow??? :rolleyes:

[StillPooh]

Princess had three days to prepare for this. They could have made it easy. Just provide us with information and internet access and plan out with San Juan as to disembarkation and Customs. Just give people a chance to plan. Most of all, inform crew and passengers of plans and answers and advance information. We really may not sail with them again. Imagine a real emergency without three days warning. If this level of incompetence exists as to this type of issue, imagine what might be waiting in an emergency aka Costa Concordia...also owned by the parent company of Princess. Word to Princess...this could not have been handled much worse. Truly astounding lack of planning and information.

Princess actually had way more than three days warning. The ship was having propulsion issues when we were on her 6 weeks ago. Obviously they were praying their spit and duct tape repairs could keep it going without having to cancel any cruises.

 

Looks like we dodged a bullet! Sorry you got hit.

[ahracer]

So we get our $1,600 back from Princess and get to spend upwards of $3,000 to spend a week in San Juan? :confused: Cool .......

 

On another note, do you happen to have an extra $1,400 I can borrow??? :rolleyes:

 

Really?? Sorry for trying to help people make the best of a bad situation.

 

Now I remember why I don't post on here anymore.

[Massman]

Really?? Sorry for trying to help people make the best of a bad situation.

 

Lighten up. It's called humor ......

 

Put yourself in our situation. We are trying to make the best of a bad situation.

 

 

In all seriousness, the worst part of this is just the not knowing. For us, we live about 1/2 hour from Ft. Lauderdale. We could just as easy drive to the port Saturday morning and board the Crown or Grand ....... if we only knew.

[CruisingMouse]

Lighten up. It's called humor ......

 

Put yourself in our situation. We are trying to make the best of a bad situation.

 

 

In all seriousness, the worst part of this is just the not knowing. For us, we live about 1/2 hour from Ft. Lauderdale. We could just as easy drive to the port Saturday morning and board the Crown or Grand ....... if we only knew.

 

I believe she is in your shoes!

[fcpg]

spoke to princess --said problem is still being worked on--I cruise on 3/18 so I need to find out if any others have any additional info---thanks

[decibel123]

so is this cruise on for March 18 on or off

today is Thursday and still no communication from Princess

don't they realise that for many of us, we need to know asap, baby sitter, dog sitter, flights etc....

un real

[luvtheships]

so is this cruise on for March 18 on or off

today is Thursday and still no communication from Princess

don't they realise that for many of us, we need to know asap, baby sitter, dog sitter, flights etc....

un real

if you are booked with PCL directly..remember they are unable to assess your situation..but of course..they should have contacted you..via email at the very least with an update...because for all they know..you are totally unaware of the situation..which is to PCL's benefit, btw...as they do not know if you are on CC or not.

 

if you booked via TA..then the email goes to them..and they contact you...just adding another day's delay to the communication process...

 

I know pax fly in early....but remember that they have until Sunday to get it fixed and it is only Wednesday...

 

it is a miserable situation all around...but just think...if they get it fixed..and if you were not a CC member...you would have had no idea of the problem and would go on your cruise none the wiser....

 

while I always have plan B and C in my back pocket...I have to admit..sometimes..ignorance is bliss:)