Unwelcomed on Princess if solo wanting interior room

[brian1]

15 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

Oh yes I am fuming and it is not right to treat solos this way in my opinion.

I called about a cruise out of Southampton UK for 2 weeks trip to Norway and Iceland for July 2019.

Their interior rooms that are available are just not available to a solo traveler.  Nothing the agent could do.  hmm really.

 

So when you call and they thank you for your business, eventually you just might find out how thankful they ARE NOT.  I mean a solo pays double anyways so it makes no sense.

 

Oh and of course always with Princess, their hotel packages for London are never available.  They seem to book less that other lines and never have them even for a year out,

 

So with their mean policies and issues with London hotels, I will give up on this cruise line.  

I hope those interior rooms stay empty and would serve them right for losing money.  

Marella do this itinerary,almost same date.No grats AI booze and quite a few grand cheaper than Princess.

[fishin' musician]

 

15 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

I have no ill feelings toward Princess

 

22 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

I hope those interior rooms stay empty and would serve them right for losing money.  

 

hmmm

[JF - retired RRT]

8 hours ago, brian1 said:

Marella do this itinerary,almost same date.No grats AI booze and quite a few grand cheaper than Princess.

Huh. I looked at their website (used to be Thompson). Prices looked OK, but I didn't see any obvious way to choose a cabin. I got all the way to "what is your name". Is it "you get what we give you"? Or do you choose a cabin choice after you pay?

[shellgirl61]

Sorry you were not able to book solo cruise or hotel. I am booked on a Princess cruise out of Southampton this fall  as a solo. I am also staying at the Holiday Inn Kensington as a solo. I did not encounter any problems booking these. I used a TA.

[Colo Cruiser]

Something fishy 🐠 🐟 🎣 going on.  🤔

[brian1]

25 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

bHuh. I looked at their website (used to be Thompson). Prices looked OK, but I didn't see any obvious way to choose a cabin. I got all the way to "what is your name". Is it "you get what we give you"? Or do you choose a cabin choice after you pay?

You book a class of cabin and then pay extra for a particular cabin number.We took potluck last year and were happy with our location.We are platinum on Princess,but the itinerary overruled.

[crochetcruise]

On ‎3‎/‎19‎/‎2019 at 4:02 AM, chengkp75 said:

Note that the OP stated "interior cabins available".  They may be down to only interiors that hold 3/4 persons, and don't want to sell that to a single.  The cruise is only a few months away.

 

I have a Handicapped Accessible Interior cabin on the Ruby in February 2020. I needed that specific cabin due to permanent physical handicaps. I got my TA to phone Princess directly while I sat across the desk while she organised the booking here in Australia. I am a repeat cruiser, do not know if this made any difference.

 

Looking forward to boarding the Ruby, have sailed on the Golden for my 1st cruise, and thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[Steelers36]

The OP is complaining about Princess' hotel offerings and supply.  Forget about booking with Princess and paying per passenger as well.  Book your own room for less and manage it that way.  No fuss and save money in the process.

 

[kruisey]

I feel really sorry for the OP  this booking was denied. Shame on you Princess

Edited March 28, 2019 by kruisey

[flag fan]

I always travel solo and on occasion have had trouble getting a solo reservation online when the reservation is available when I check on booking for 2 people.  (I actually always book through a travel agent but do bookings online (book until passenger info is requested) to determine the cost.)  I learned on a different board that some lines have a quota of cabins available for solo passengers.  As a poster above noted, the cruise line does not make as much money with one person in a cabin as it would with two people because of all the extras sold on board (excursions, drinks, spa, casino, specialty dining, etc.).  The farther out you book the more likely you can get a solo cabin. 

 

It is annoying but this is a business so I can't really argue that the cruise line is being "unfair"--it is making the most of the product it has to sell.  I would not boycott Princess over this; other cruise lines do this as well.     

[Mytravellove]

Very interesting thread...it is the first time I have heard of a cruise line not wanting our money or sell us a cabin when we sail solo v/s as a couple. I have done numerous cruises as a 'solo' since my better half doesn't like cruising as much as I do, and never had an issue. I have booked inside, oceanview, balcony cabins as a solo, depending on the price and my budget. In fact, I board Grand Princess later today in an oceanview (asked and paid the price for an inside cabin, but got upgraded) as a solo and  2nd week of April board the Celebrity Eclipse, also as a solo in an inside cabin.

If this has been a recent change, it will be interesting and I may have to resort to adding my husband to a reservation to get a cabin and he just doesn't show up. The only question...would they charge me his share of port fees & taxes & gratuities if he doesn't show up?...hmmm

[Coral]

I don't think it is a recent change. I think it was an inexperienced agent. The sad thing is that the OP didn't pursue it to find out for sure.

 

I spoke with my agent recently and she has not had problems and she books solos all the time with Princess.

Edited March 30, 2019 by Coral

[Pearlyshells]

I booked a round the world cruise for May 2020 outside cabin for one but paying for two, my agent told me I can cruise on my own or take another person when the time comes, no problem.

[Coral]

3 minutes ago, Pearlyshells said:

I booked a round the world cruise for May 2020 outside cabin for one but paying for two, my agent told me I can cruise on my own or take another person when the time comes, no problem.

Welcome to CC and congrats on the world cruise!

Edited March 30, 2019 by Coral

[Pearlyshells]

Thank you, this is my first post on CC although I have been a frequently visitor until I decided to sign up today.

[BarbinMich]

On 3/18/2019 at 8:39 PM, Oceansaway17 said:

. . .

I am unsure why Princess has issues with hotels.

But as another side story, for a RCI cruise I could get the cruise but the agent could not book me a single occupancy room for Holiday Inn in Kensington London.  However, their sister cruise line Celebrity (yea) could and has me booked for the same hotel for this coming fall.  I asked them why and they said each company has different experiences.

. . .

We have always booked our own pre- and post-cruise accommodations with no problem.  It's usually less expensive than doing it thru Princess although probably not as deluxe as what the cruise line books.  If one is uncomfortable doing this, there are many online sites that do hotel bookings and we've used several of them over the years that we've done EB and WB TAs.

Edited March 30, 2019 by BarbinMich

[jagoffee]

On 3/28/2019 at 3:30 AM, kruisey said:

I feel really sorry for the OP  this booking was denied. Shame on you Princess

 

7 hours ago, Coral said:

I don't think it is a recent change. I think it was an inexperienced agent. The sad thing is that the OP didn't pursue it to find out for sure.

 

I spoke with my agent recently and she has not had problems and she books solos all the time with Princess.

I am not sure the OP every talked to a person at Princess or a TA.  She quit trying and vented when the on line system would not not let her book it.

[kruisey]

I too did not believe but tried to book as solo single inside for that cruise (as a test) it would not let me although there were inside cabins available. That is why I shamed Princess for doing this

[Colo Cruiser]

22 minutes ago, kruisey said:

I too did not believe but tried to book as solo single inside for that cruise (as a test) it would not let me although there were inside cabins available. That is why I shamed Princess for doing this

I just pulled up the Sapphire for July 13th 14 days from Southampton.

Lots of interiors available.

Simple fix and no need to shame anyone.

Book for 2 and cancel the second person before making the deposit.

You have waited all this time and could have booked by now.  

 

 

FWIW ....I just called Princess. Sapphire July 13th 2019 14 day r/t Southampton

There are lots of interiors/OV"s/balconies.

They said customer relations can waive this issue if you contact them

[geoherb]

If the OP needs a name, he or she can use mine. 

[kruisey]

This should not have been allowed in the first instance. Whether this is a new policy ?I have been around Princess website for 18 years now and this is a first timer for me.

I always book with an agent at Princess myself after looking at the website first they are always most obliging and helpful finding me a suitable cabin each time if not fully booked. Maybe this was just  a website error .

[Coral]

21 minutes ago, geoherb said:

If the OP needs a name, he or she can use mine. 

I get it - then you show up for the cruise :)

[Charles4515]

 
 FWIW ....I just called Princess. Sapphire July 13th 2019 14 day r/t Southampton
There are lots of interiors/OV"s/balconies.
They said customer relations can waive this issue if you contact them

I have noticed in different discussions that a lot of people are hesitant to move up the food chain to resolve an issue. There is often a way to override the default. I will call back and see if a different rep gives the same answer. If they give the same answer I ask if there is someone else I can talk too. Usually there is. Or they say hold on they will talk to a supervisor and then they come back and say the supervisor okayed it. A lot of time the bottom level reps have no authority but to give a rote answer but a higher level does have authority.

[Colo Cruiser]

4 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

 

I have noticed in different discussions that a lot of people are hesitant to move up the food chain to resolve an issue. There is often a way to override the default. I will call back and see if a different rep gives the same answer. If they give the same answer I ask if there is someone else I can talk too. Usually there is. Or they say hold on they will talk to a supervisor and then they come back and say the supervisor okayed it. A lot of time the bottom level reps have no authority but to give a rote answer but a higher level does have authority.

 

This rep said he had never seen this issue before. He replicated the issue while I was on the phone.

It is in fact a sailing that excludes solo sales at a certain point of the ship sales for that cruise.

I repeated the fact that the solo is paying for 2 anyway and he agreed but had to defer.

[Charles4515]

This rep said he had never seen this issue before. He replicated the issue while I was on the phone. It is in fact a sailing that excludes solo sales at a certain point of the ship sales for that cruise.

I repeated the fact that the solo is paying for 2 anyway and he agreed but had to defer.

 

 

Unlike others I have run into the issue in the past of solo sales being excluded. I don’t usually cruise alone but I always book a solo cabin which increases the odds of encountering it. We always worked around it by either my TA finding someone who would override the exclusion or if none would she put a “ghost” in the cabin. I had a wife named Cindy and once a son named Harry. After final payment she removed the “ghost”. But you do want to remove the ghost because they might charge gratuity for the ghost. That happened to me with a group where a TA put someone’s kid with me who was on the ship to save me money. Had to go to guest relations and get the kids gratuity removed from my cabin and to the parents.

 

 

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