Free Internet eliminated from all suites

[compozer]

So by the same token, you shouldn't get any additional perks that were not offered when you booked - right?

 

 

That's fine with me too. We already are getting a dinner thru our AMEX-PLAT card so one per cruise is enough.

 

Ann, I hope you have a wonderful cruise. I'm going to check out Regent.

[gottagocit]

I was patient. I called and asked for their official position on the matter. After talking with three customer service folks a supervisor told me the issue was being discussed at the highest level and a suitable resolution was being discussed. I was asked to allow them time to consider options and she would personally call me when they had a resolution.

 

That was last Friday. Today I did indeed receive a call from Kathy who was obviously not excited about breaking the news to me. Though professional and trying to appear sympathetic she explained that management at Princess had decided to flush passenger satisfaction and any appearance of commitment to their customers down the toilet. Sorta of a burial at sea it seems. (my words not hers).

 

Although the DW and I have paid in full for our voyage which was booked 7 months ago, they have made the decision not to provide one of the key amenities that was promised to us in an email sent following our booking.

 

Yes this issue has been discussed a great deal over the last few days but until this afternoon an official position which was taken by the senior management of the cruise line had not been officially released to my knowledge. Until now it was only circumstantial evidence that even fully paid customers who have paid full price for a suite would also have complimentary Internet taken away.

 

Eliminating an aneminity for future clients is one thing but doing so for those who have paid in full is pathetic. So is offering to waive cancellation fees to those upset with the decision when they have weeks of travel and other nonrefundable reservations in Asia after a 17 day voyage. No one on this cruise or others like it can cancel at this point of the planning without flushing several thousand $'s along with the companys commitment.

 

This is not a matter of the $'s we will now be required to pay in order to follow our small business and elderly family members condition while away from home but rather it's a matter of one companies disrespecting its passengers and never once offering so much as an apology.

 

If any one reading this believes they will not do it to any one of you! you are mistaken. This company is absolutely capable of it. If fact I now expect it from them as should you. It's been my experience that once a company becomes comfortable with putting the almighty $ above its customers for matters of service or commitment it is always just a matter if time before it spreads to cutting corners with their comfort and eventually their safety. I wish them no harm but anyone considering booking with them in the future should carefully consider alternatives.

[Eaglecw]

What did Princess do to you to get yourself all worked up?

[4cats4me]

I was patient. I called and asked for their official position on the matter. After talking with three customer service folks a supervisor told me the issue was being discussed at the highest level and a suitable resolution was being discussed. I was asked to allow them time to consider options and she would personally call me when they had a resolution.

 

That was last Friday. Today I did indeed receive a call from Kathy who was obviously not excited about breaking the news to me. Though professional and trying to appear sympathetic she explained that management at Princess had decided to flush passenger satisfaction and any appearance of commitment to their customers down the toilet. Sorta of a burial at sea it seems. (my words not hers).

 

Although the DW and I have paid in full for our voyage which was booked 7 months ago, they have made the decision not to provide one of the key amenities that was promised to us in an email sent following our booking.

 

Yes this issue has been discussed a great deal over the last few days but until this afternoon an official position which was taken by the senior management of the cruise line had not been officially released to my knowledge. Until now it was only circumstantial evidence that even fully paid customers who have paid full price for a suite would also have complimentary Internet taken away.

 

Eliminating an aneminity for future clients is one thing but doing so for those who have paid in full is pathetic. So is offering to waive cancellation fees to those upset with the decision when they have weeks of travel and other nonrefundable reservations in Asia after a 17 day voyage. No one on this cruise or others like it can cancel at this point of the planning without flushing several thousand $'s along with the companys commitment.

 

This is not a matter of the $'s we will now be required to pay in order to follow our small business and elderly family members condition while away from home but rather it's a matter of one companies disrespecting its passengers and never once offering so much as an apology.

 

If any one reading this believes they will not do it to any one of you! you are mistaken. This company is absolutely capable of it. If fact I now expect it from them as should you. It's been my experience that once a company becomes comfortable with putting the almighty $ above its customers for matters of service or commitment it is always just a matter if time before it spreads to cutting corners with their comfort and eventually their safety. I wish them no harm but anyone considering booking with them in the future should carefully consider alternatives.

 

 

CLASSIC BAIT AND SWITCH. Princess offered you a cruise which not only did you believe that the Internet would be free, but it was in writing on their own brochures and web site that it would be free, so you ACCEPTED their OFFER, only for them to reneg on what had been PROMISED.

[4cats4me]

What did Princess do to you to get yourself all worked up?

 

 

Not delivering what had been promised

[paul929207]

So the critical thing for you when going on a cruise is having internet for free? Seems a little over the top to me.

[Loonbeam]

If you haven't been following the other threads, Princess discontinued free unlimited internet for those passengers in full suites as of (I think) June 27th.

 

That in itself would not be so much of an issue, but A> Their communication was crappy at best and short noticed and B> they did this to people who already paid in full and C> documentation STILL on their website says its free (and some no longer mentions it)

 

While not the worst example of customer service I have seen, it does rank up there as a pretty serious FUBAR given how easily it could have been mitigated.

 

Please see the other threads for more info.

 

What did Princess do to you to get yourself all worked up?

[compozer]

I got a call today and was told they will honor the internet package on all of my cruises I have booked.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

So the critical thing for you when going on a cruise is having internet for free? Seems a little over the top to me.

There are so many reasons that someone would need to have internet to stay in touch. But, I think the main thing here is that the OP and other people booked and paid for a suite that INCLUDED free internet. If a company wants to stop giving a product, thats fine but they should give that product to the ones that have already paid for it.

 

OP, I'm sorry that this happened to you.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

I got a call today and was told they will honor the internet package on all of my cruises I have booked.

Just saw your post. Thats wonderful news.:) Thank you Princess.

[gottagocit]

I got a call today and was told they will honor the internet package on all of my cruises I have booked.

 

Now that, if true, really pisses me off. I was told by Kathy that no one will after the announcement being sent throughout their company. I strongly urge you to check again as it sounds to me someone was trying to get you off the line. I was told that shops currently on the water would but not others.

 

Just saying.

[caribill]

Although the DW and I have paid in full for our voyage which was booked 7 months ago, they have made the decision not to provide one of the key amenities that was promised to us in an email sent following our booking.

 

 

Bring a hard copy of that e-mail with you when you board.

[BugsyCruiser]

Yes Princess did away with the complimentary internet access for suite passengers... I'll admit it is upsetting especially to those already booked in suites for upcoming cruises to have one of the perks eliminated, but it's not a deal breaker for me sailing on Princess again.

 

I'm not hear to flame the OP, but while I can see why it would be frustrating to lose this, it wouldn't be to the point of accusing the company of backstabbing or flushing passenger satisfaction down the toilet to me anyway

 

I found my Princess cruise to be very enjoyable and I have another one booked. Even with the complimentary internet access I had being a suite passenger, I didn't use it a great deal because it was slow

[spunkyhungry]

I sympathize with the OP. My parents own their own internet business, and since they are the only two people working for this business they still have to work a lot when they go on vacation. They would be so upset if they signed up for a room, thinking it came with free internet, only to learn that they had to now pay for it, possibly in the hundreds of dollars. I think Princess should honor free internet for everyone who booked their cruise before they changed this policy. It's really not fair.

[Pam in CA]

I agree that it should be honored for those already booked but as I said in my post it's not a deal breaker for me to sail on Princess again.

It IS being honored. That's the bottom line. While people were calling and complaining, the PTB were meeting and decided to grandfather it in for booked guests. Don't blame to CS people; they are probably just finding it out now. Take a deep breath and relax. You're going to get your Internet. Let's move on.

[jeromep]

Every time someone asks which is the best line to cruise with for this place or that place, people always say pick by itinerary, or dates that work for you, sometimes price. I never hear anyone say that you need to pick by which cruise line gives the best perks for a suite. Isn't the point of a cruise the places you'll be seeing & not a list of free stuff? Perks come & go, and again this is not in reference to people who already booked with internet, but happy memories and great pictures don't come from the free pair of slippers you get while surfing the net.

I agree with your post. An itinerary of places that you want to visit that fits with the time you have available generally is the greatest reason to pick a particular line or cruise vacation. And I'll be back on Princess some time in the future and will do my best to save my pennies to get another suite in spite of the changes to the suite perks. However, it is important that even in financially challenging times that companies that provide direct customer service work to maintain their levels of service. If Princess is having issues with the free Internet time that is given to suite passengers, it should bend on its Internet provider to lower their prices or pass through the suite passenger Internet use for free to keep Princess's other Internet business.

[Griller]

Some of you folks make it sound as if you are only booking suites to get the free unlimited internet. If what you want is unlimited internet, book a less expensive cabin and buy all the internet minutes you need.

 

Anyone who hasn't made final payment and is really that PO'd should cancel their cruise. I sincerely doubt you are going to find any cruise line giving away free unlimited internet. If so, perhaps sail with them.

 

Besides, who goes on vacation so they can spend 24/7 on the internet? I can do that at home. ;)

 

Regent do.

 

But look at the cost of the cabin, although it does include many many things.

[kuldalai]

A smart legal eagle needs to look at this one.

 

On the surface Princess could be seen to be in breach of contract as an advertised inclusion has now been withdrawn.

 

However if one reads the conditions of Cruise contract they probably have a cover all escape clause that gets them off the hook .

 

Shocking PR and greed on Princess part to just do it from a date to all booked and paid pax, rather than all new bookings from certain date .

 

Princess PR is bloody hopeless with their penny pinching, it seems they are deliberately setting out to antagonize their customers .

[Bippie]

As others have observed, taking away free Internet from suite passengers is similar to deciding to charge for meals. When the cruise was booked and paid for, this was included. Taking it away increases the cost of the cruise if Internet usage was planned. Using the term "Complimentary" does not indicate to me that Princess can simply choose not to provide a promised amenity.

 

Whether the service is slow, intermittent, etc. is irrelevant. The OP and others are not getting all they were promised when they booked and paid for their cruise. Unless there is something in the agreements (and I've not looked), the cruise line should somehow compensate passengers who are not getting all they were promised. The agreement says they can substitute/rearrange ports but if something happens onboard and Princess cannnot deliver on what they promised, they are known to compensate passengers with credits for current or future cruises, etc. Princess should consider providing a credit or, better yet, at least a limited number of free Internet minutes to those who have booked a suite on a future cruise. I'm not sure I understand why they want to upset their highest-paying passengers - seems like a questionable business decision.

 

I am very disappointed to hear that Princess discontinued this perk because free internet for suite passengers is one of the major reasons I choose Princess over similar competitors and why I select a suite. This change will push me towards HAL when dates and itineraries are similar.

[Bippie]

In all likelyhood' date=' this change was brought about by consistent complaints of slowness. The onboard internet gurus can view usage by account. They can see the amount of data being transferred and the time spent online. If you have free access, why not leave it on all the time? Why not skype? Why not stream movies? My guess is that there was an inordinant amount of data being used by the suite patrons and elimination of free internet is not so much a cost savings scheme, but a bandaid means of improving overall network performance.[/quote']

 

I'm just now reading this thread so please forgive me if someone else provided a similar reply. Skype? Movie streaming? You've don't appear to have used Internet on a ship. The speed is entirely too slow to successfully use any Internet service that requires a fast connection. I understand why the service is slow (the cruise lines have chosen to provide only very limited bandwith to be shared among passengers) but I seriously doubt passengers are attemting to stream movies.

[Coral]

As others have observed, taking away free Internet from suite passengers is similar to deciding to charge for meals. When the cruise was booked and paid for, this was included. Taking it away increases the cost of the cruise if Internet usage was planned. Using the term "Complimentary" does not indicate to me that Princess can simply choose not to provide a promised amenity.

 

 

I went on 3 cruises in May of this year (coastal and Alaska) with 2 of them booked the day they opened up and the other we added months earlier. I booked these to take my mom on an extended vacation as she had a pretty tough year. She doesn't care where the cruise goes, but just likes to be served. We love dining in the dining room for lunch as we are not buffet people and due to her disability (visually impaired with a service dog), it makes the buffet pretty difficult to navigate and I have to run back and fourth which makes the meal more like a chore for me then a meal.

 

After we booked, Princess stopped having lunch in the dining room on port days (at the same time they reduced Horizon Court hours). While this may not have been big for some, it was huge for us and it was a decline of services by the cruise line for us.

 

We felt the same way. We enjoyed the cruise but it wasn't the cruise that we had planned. As I said earlier, she likes to be served and part of her love for Princess is the dining room service for all meals.

 

When we returned, I realized that the service we are used to (even on small things like lunch in the dining room) is no longer present. I know the other main lines probably don't provide this so we will probably upgrade to a better line or do land vacations as she does spend more time on the ship compared to in port and she likes (liked?) Princess and cruises due to their service. We will now look into land vacations (or other lines) so we can eat lunch somewhere where we can get served.

 

Everyone has things about the cruise experience that they like and enjoy. For suites, it could be complimentary internet, for my friend, he loved the late night buffet which is no longer present, for my mom, it was all meals in the dining room and to be served (and avoiding the buffet which I also liked as I think it is a norovirus haven)..... For others, it is entertainment shows that last longer then 30 minutes. So while those who don't sale in suites may look at this thread and say "big deal I am not a suite person" - just realize that there may be a service you enjoy that gets eliminated. For us, it was the lunch in the dining room on port days.

 

Unfortunately we did not get this grandfathered in for our 3 cruises which cost quite a bit of money (more so then I have ever spent on cruises in the past as I expected the price to drop and it didn't).

 

I am not entirely saying we are done with Princess but for what we want, we will probably do land vacations in the future. It is weird how one small change can affect us but for us, it is a huge reduction in service if we have to go to Lido or the buffet for lunch. Not what we are used to and not what we want.

[gottagocit]

It IS being honored. That's the bottom line. While people were calling and complaining, the PTB were meeting and decided to grandfather it in for booked guests. Don't blame to CS people; they are probably just finding it out now. Take a deep breath and relax. You're going to get your Internet. Let's move on.

 

Pam,

 

Deep breathe or not, I spent a good deal of time on the phone with customer service yesterday after they called and there were very clear that we were not being grandfathered even though we have paid in full already for our suite. Someone is putting out conflicting info and I do not know why except to perhaps allow this issue to go away. If on the other hand they are grandfathering some and not others..........well that's a whole different issue.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I think I will wait for "something in writing" or direct contact by Princess. If they honor what was in place when we booked, then GREAT. If they don't, that just means they changed the perks - not a biggie, though I was looking forward to that.

 

On the Carnival cruise we debarked on Saturday, I purchased an EIGHT HOUR internet plan for something like $150-60 (can't recall precisely). By the end of the cruise I had 30 minutes remaining. All that time was not utilized optimally, for example - the phone would ring, someone would knock on the door, and I might "forget" that I was online for 10 minutes... :eek: As time passed, and as remaining time dwindled, I became much more aware of how to better use that time (kind of like life, huh? :D)!

 

I rarely use that kind of time on a cruise, but I was posting to a sort of "live from the Liberty" thread I started - and being my 50th cruise with them (Milestone sailing perks), 50th B-day, and the first week under their new past guest program, there was a lot of info to relay! We were the only Diamond members (200+ days) onboard. Carnival does not seem to have as many "high cruise count" guests as, say, Celebrity or Princess.

 

If I have to purchase a package on Princess, it would probably be one in the 2-4 hour range. If I am given a small package, I will use it sparingly. If I am given an unlimited package, I might use a bit more. If, however, any package which they may decide to "give me" is not wireless, then I will purchase my own anyway - I am not a fan of group use computers!

 

Tom

[Iamcruzin]

So by the same token, you shouldn't get any additional perks that were not offered when you booked - right?

I would say you are correct in your logic. However, you give them too much credit for being that sophisticated to be able to figure out who will be grandfathered for internet, who will not and who should get the new perks without internet. It sounds like a train wreck to me.

[JimmyVWine]

I would say you are correct in your logic. However, you give them too much credit for being that sophisticated to be able to figure out who will be grandfathered for internet, who will not and who should get the new perks without internet. It sounds like a train wreck to me.

 

Agree. The solution here is to eliminate the free internet effective immediately and give everyone who booked a suite prior to July 1 $100 OBC per cabin. The folks who want and need internet can use the OBC to buy minutes, and the folks who don't care about internet get a nice little surprise. While it is certainly possible to set up the system such that some people in suites (those that booked before July 1) get free internet and those that booked after July 1 do not, I can see that as being an administrative nightmare with human error causing hard feelings and long lines at the Passenger Services Desk. If it were up to me, I would just pull the plug on the internet and give people OBC.