Crown Princess Alaska May 21st

[MommyOTwins]

I hope everyone on the Crown has an enjoyable cruise.

 

I would like to say a few words in defense of Princess.  This is not really a solution that has an easy fix--they are likely months away from being able to get replacement parts and a reserved time at a drydock.  They can cancel and refund all cruises for the Alaska season, but then they will infuriate guests who have to scramble to get a replacement vacation at current inflation-elevated prices.  People seem to want more compensation, but Princess can't just give everyone a free vacation--it costs a lot of money for Princess to provide food, entertainment, fuel etc. to sail these cruises and many of the guests on the Crown already have steeply discounted fares so I'm sure their margins are razor thin to begin with. 

 

And frankly, I know others have said it but it bears repeating--itinerary changes are VERY common a part of cruising.  I know it sucks when it happens, but is it really so different to miss a port because of any other reason?  We usually sail DCL, and their cruises in January very frequently miss their private island due to rough seas--it's a known issue and it happens every year.  All cruise lines that planned to sail to Grand Cayman, Key West, and Russia this year had to drop those ports. I've been on multiple sailings where we had to have a drastic itinerary change because of a medical emergency onboard. It really is a lot more common than you might think.  In all those cases, saying "this isn't what I paid for, I had my heart set on x, y, and z" is a recipe for a bad vacation.  Instead, we always take the attitude that the point of the cruise is being on a beautiful ship with good food, entertainment, and relaxation on the open ocean, and the port stops are just bonus. If the destination is all you care about, a land trip is probably a better for it for you, because that's just not how cruising works.

[OKCruiseMan]

9 minutes ago, MommyOTwins said:

I hope everyone on the Crown has an enjoyable cruise.

 

I would like to say a few words in defense of Princess.  This is not really a solution that has an easy fix--they are likely months away from being able to get replacement parts and a reserved time at a drydock.  They can cancel and refund all cruises for the Alaska season, but then they will infuriate guests who have to scramble to get a replacement vacation at current inflation-elevated prices.  People seem to want more compensation, but Princess can't just give everyone a free vacation--it costs a lot of money for Princess to provide food, entertainment, fuel etc. to sail these cruises and many of the guests on the Crown already have steeply discounted fares so I'm sure their margins are razor thin to begin with. 

 

And frankly, I know others have said it but it bears repeating--itinerary changes are VERY common a part of cruising.  I know it sucks when it happens, but is it really so different to miss a port because of any other reason?  We usually sail DCL, and their cruises in January very frequently miss their private island due to rough seas--it's a known issue and it happens every year.  All cruise lines that planned to sail to Grand Cayman, Key West, and Russia this year had to drop those ports. I've been on multiple sailings where we had to have a drastic itinerary change because of a medical emergency onboard. It really is a lot more common than you might think.  In all those cases, saying "this isn't what I paid for, I had my heart set on x, y, and z" is a recipe for a bad vacation.  Instead, we always take the attitude that the point of the cruise is being on a beautiful ship with good food, entertainment, and relaxation on the open ocean, and the port stops are just bonus. If the destination is all you care about, a land trip is probably a better for it for you, because that's just not how cruising works.

I am not upset with Princess for having mechanical issues or changing the itinerary. I am upset that they kept telling me the excursions I had booked were not canceled and were being rescheduled until it was too late for me to make changes. The itinerary changes should have been handled better for at least the 21st and 28th departures. Maybe the 7th and 14th could be considered learning experiences.

Edited May 27, 2022 by OKCruiseMan

[cruzin4us]

I think it's the issue of transparency.   If Princess has mechanical issues and they are going to miss ports AND they knew ahead of time, the passengers should be informed and given the option to cancel knowing all the facts.   If things happen along the way and you miss a port that's one thing.   But knowing in advance is a whole different ball of wax.

I'm probably in the minority, but I don't usually do excursions (especially with covid still around) and I'd be happy on any ship just sailing around looking at the scenery.   But, I'm not everybody and I sincerely get the frustration.

[wolvey]

Hey @Crow9, never thought your thread would take on a life of its own, eh? 🙂

 

I wonder if anyone will be doing a thread for the 28th sailing as I will be on it but will be off the grid for once!

I’ve only told my hubby of the itinerary change. Probably tell my kids later when we’re on the ship. No need to get them riled up.

 

for those who will be with me on this journey, I probably pass by you on the ship several times and never know it.  Have fun and make the best of the situation.

 

Best wishes for a safe trip, calm seas and nice weather!

[jk04]

17 minutes ago, wolvey said:

Hey @Crow9, never thought your thread would take on a life of its own, eh? 🙂

 

I wonder if anyone will be doing a thread for the 28th sailing as I will be on it but will be off the grid for once!

I’ve only told my hubby of the itinerary change. Probably tell my kids later when we’re on the ship. No need to get them riled up.

 

for those who will be with me on this journey, I probably pass by you on the ship several times and never know it.  Have fun and make the best of the situation.

 

Best wishes for a safe trip, calm seas and nice weather!

I hope you have a great time!!

[JeffT237]

25 minutes ago, MommyOTwins said:

People seem to want more compensation, but Princess can't just give everyone a free vacation--it costs a lot of money for Princess to provide food, entertainment, fuel etc.

In defense of myself and many passengers I spoke with we do think the compensation is low, 50% FCC almost seems like the same number people come up with, I believe that to be a fair amount.  I don't think anyone here is asking for a free cruise.  For myself I completely acknowledge that I received a lot in the way of food, service, Glacier Bay, etc.  But I also feel I lost out on quite a bit as well.  It appears this was a known issue that caused the disruption, the May 7th sailing felt like a test cruise and the handling of it by Princess pre and post cruise has been poor IMO.  

 

 

31 minutes ago, MommyOTwins said:

Instead, we always take the attitude that the point of the cruise is being on a beautiful ship with good food, entertainment, and relaxation on the open ocean, and the port stops are just bonus. If the destination is all you care about, a land trip is probably a better for it for you, because that's just not how cruising works.

 

This point I would generally agree with you with the exception being Alaska.  I think the Alaska itineraries are the reason most chose Princess.  For myself I take a Caribbean cruise for the fun, sun, entertainment, food, and newness on the latest cruise ships. That's our preference, the ports are really a low priority for.  But Alaska was for the ports and the very expensive excursions that were offered, the ship was secondary.  Trust me with what amounted to mostly sea days, an older ship with less amenities was not desirable to us.  I don't feel most passengers interested in Alaska would feel like cruising in mostly colder weather with periods of rain as the main reason to sail Alaska and consider if they got to stand on a Glacier,  whale watch on a small vessel, visit a musher camp or view wildlife up close on a tour as a bonus. At least the following cruises post May 7th got an entire day in Skagway to enjoy some of that.

[caribill]

8 hours ago, Sunwanabe said:

First time cruisers, big bucks forked out for what is supposed to be a memorable cruise.

 

It will be memorable, just for the wrong reasons.

[Riley_Mon]

imagine going to Disney and riding the monorail all day

 

that was a analogy someone else used that seemed appropriate

 

and then people that had been to Disney before you telling you that you should just be happy for your chance to be in the park.

Edited May 27, 2022 by Riley_Mon

[caribill]

8 hours ago, memoak said:

Get real people. Stuff happens on cruises and with cruise ships. I have been on cruises where we were stuck in the embarkation port for over 2 days due to weather. Lost 3 ports and had another changed out. That was my 25th cruise and I now have had 40. Nuff said 

 

What happened to you on your 25th cruise was totally unknown in advance and unplanned.

 

These reduced experiences on the Crown are known in advance by Princess and are planned.

 

A big difference.

[JeffT237]

19 minutes ago, Riley_Mon said:

imagine going to Disney and riding the monorail all day

 

that was a analogy someone else used that seemed appropriate

 

and then people that had been to Disney before you telling you that you should just be happy for your chance to be in the park.

 

This is my favorite comment I've read so far, great analogy!

[MarcsSharon]

I tried to switch to the Discovery cruise the next day. Princess said sure…you have to pay a cancellation fee and give up the airline tickets that were booked and pay a cancellation fee for the airlines. There are cabins available for June 5th but there was no way Princess would just move us over. All said and done we would be paying well over $1000 to change, and lose her seats on plane.
 

The whole situation just sucks and the Princess response is awful. I am not looking forward to this cruise at all…and worry more disappointments could be possible.

[caribill]

2 hours ago, MommyOTwins said:

 

I would like to say a few words in defense of Princess.  This is not really a solution that has an easy fix--they are likely months away from being able to get replacement parts and a reserved time at a drydock.  They can cancel and refund all cruises for the Alaska season, but then they will infuriate guests who have to scramble to get a replacement vacation at current inflation-elevated prices.

 

 

I disagree in that there is something Princess can do which would satisfy many of those booked on the Crown for Alaska while this propulsion problem exists.

 

Most of the Princess Alaska cruises are nowhere near fully booked. Just allow Crown passengers to "lift and shift," move to another Princess Alaska cruise this season on another Princess ship in the same category now booked and at no increase in price.

 

If a cruise with different departure/arrival port is selected and the passenger has flights booked via  Princess, assist in having the flights changed with minimal cost to the passengers.

 

Then take the Crown out of service until the propulsion problem is fixed.

 

The cost of losing future trips on Princess by both long-time and new Princess passengers if the current Crown sailings continue like this is much more than what it would cost Princess for "lift and shift."

[strickerj]

39 minutes ago, MarcsSharon said:

I tried to switch to the Discovery cruise the next day. Princess said sure…you have to pay a cancellation fee and give up the airline tickets that were booked and pay a cancellation fee for the airlines. There are cabins available for June 5th but there was no way Princess would just move us over. All said and done we would be paying well over $1000 to change, and lose her seats on plane.
 

The whole situation just sucks and the Princess response is awful. I am not looking forward to this cruise at all…and worry more disappointments could be possible.

That's just sad. You'd think they'd be bending over backwards to accommodate passengers who want to switch rather than dealing with the barrage of complaints afterwards.

 

This is our last night aboard Eurodam. My parents have always sailed Princess, but I picked HAL this time due to the itinerary and price. I'm glad I did, or I'd probably be on Crown (it left Seattle around the same time as us).

[MarcsSharon]

39 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

I disagree in that there is something Princess can do which would satisfy many of those booked on the Crown for Alaska while this propulsion problem exists.

 

Most of the Princess Alaska cruises are nowhere near fully booked. Just allow Crown passengers to "lift and shift," move to another Princess Alaska cruise this season on another Princess ship in the same category now booked and at no increase in price.

 

If a cruise with different departure/arrival port is selected and the passenger has flights booked via  Princess, assist in having the flights changed with minimal cost to the passengers.

 

Then take the Crown out of service until the propulsion problem is fixed.

 

The cost of losing future trips on Princess by both long-time and new Princess passengers if the current Crown sailings continue like this is much more than what it would cost Princess for "lift and shift."

Nope..no lift and shift…I was willing to pay more..within reason. But all we got was the equivalent of “thoughts and prayers”…Princess says there’s nothing they can do.

[suzyed]

3 hours ago, JeffT237 said:

In defense of myself and many passengers I spoke with we do think the compensation is low, 50% FCC almost seems like the same number people come up with, I believe that to be a fair amount.  I don't think anyone here is asking for a free cruise.  For myself I completely acknowledge that I received a lot in the way of food, service, Glacier Bay, etc.  But I also feel I lost out on quite a bit as well.  It appears this was a known issue that caused the disruption, the May 7th sailing felt like a test cruise and the handling of it by Princess pre and post cruise has been poor IMO.  

 

 

 

This point I would generally agree with you with the exception being Alaska.  I think the Alaska itineraries are the reason most chose Princess.  For myself I take a Caribbean cruise for the fun, sun, entertainment, food, and newness on the latest cruise ships. That's our preference, the ports are really a low priority for.  But Alaska was for the ports and the very expensive excursions that were offered, the ship was secondary.  Trust me with what amounted to mostly sea days, an older ship with less amenities was not desirable to us.  I don't feel most passengers interested in Alaska would feel like cruising in mostly colder weather with periods of rain as the main reason to sail Alaska and consider if they got to stand on a Glacier,  whale watch on a small vessel, visit a musher camp or view wildlife up close on a tour as a bonus. At least the following cruises post May 7th got an entire day in Skagway to enjoy some of that.

Agree...we have been to Alaska twice before.  We loved it and we are now taking the family...we were hoping that they would have the same great experiences we had.  But now missing ports changes the cruise somewhat.  Well I guess they won't know what they're missing!

Edited May 28, 2022 by suzyed

[Crow9]

Victoria has amazing tea

[xbatt8]

On 5/26/2022 at 11:08 AM, MarcsSharon said:

So I’m on the June 4th trip. I think it’s outrageous that Princess will wait until the day before to notify me of a change they are well aware will happen. 

 

 

 
Princess sent an email yesterday to our TA showing ISP is now cancelled, and Juneau is 5:30 to 10:45. So we get an effective 4 hours in Juneau and 8 hours in Skagway. More of a sea cruise than Alaskan cruise. 
 

Also, there was no mention of any compensation other than the original $100 for cancelling Ketchikan.

 

Bob

[xbatt8]

For those who just sailed (or will sail soon), did you all download the ArriveCan App and submit the info. I keep reading that it’s absolutely required for any cruise that stops in Canada (IE: Victoria).

 

Bob

[Crow9]

I did the Arrivecan app and the staff on  Crown Princess made sure I had it done. However, Canada had noone check it, or my passport, or vaccine card, or anything.  We all just walked right into and out of Canada without anyone checking anything other then the medallions.

[caribill]

23 minutes ago, Crow9 said:

I did the Arrivecan app and the staff on  Crown Princess made sure I had it done. However, Canada had noone check it, or my passport, or vaccine card, or anything.  We all just walked right into and out of Canada without anyone checking anything other then the medallions.

 

Princess probably supplied the needed info to the Canadian authorities thus eliminating the need for you having to present it when exiting the ship.

[byucruiser]

In Seattle now waiting to board today. Woohooo goooo Crown!!! I'll see you there wolvey!!!

 

Crow or others I'm still very interested in knowing when people are able to get off the boat today so keep me posted there if you can.

[Crow9]

1 hour ago, byucruiser said:

In Seattle now waiting to board today. Woohooo goooo Crown!!! I'll see you there wolvey!!!

 

Crow or others I'm still very interested in knowing when people are able to get off the boat today so keep me posted there if you can.

Everyone out of their rooms by 8:30am.  Here are pictures with instructions.

[wolvey]

13 minutes ago, Crow9 said:

Everyone out of their rooms by 8:30am.  Here are pictures with instructions.

Do you have port valet? I do for an afternoon flight.  How strict are they with the disembarkment times?

[jk04]

3 minutes ago, wolvey said:

Do you have port valet? I do for an afternoon flight.  How strict are they with the disembarkment times?

You flight has to leave after 1100 the day of disembark up to 0130 the following morning.  It is for specific airlines, American, Alaska Air, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and United.  With the exception of Delta, they will accept international flights.

 

Since you will already be on the sailing, I don't think you can sign up ahead, you will need to do that onboard.  But, here is the link to their site:

 

https://maketraveleasier.com/PortValet

 

We already made our reservations for our luggage so we don't have to worry about that once onboard.  Everything is supposed to be delivered to our rooms.  First time we have pre-registered, so we'll see how that works out. 

[wolvey]

Just now, jk04 said:

You flight has to leave after 1100 the day of disembark up to 0130 the following morning.  It is for specific airlines, American, Alaska Air, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest and United.  With the exception of Delta, they will accept international flights.

 

Since you will already be on the sailing, I don't think you can sign up ahead, you will need to do that onboard.  But, here is the link to their site:

 

https://maketraveleasier.com/PortValet

 

We already made our reservations for our luggage so we don't have to worry about that once onboard.  Everything is supposed to be delivered to our rooms.  First time we have pre-registered, so we'll see how that works out. 

I signed up for port valet and luckily my flight is at 335pm because for southwest, they said flights no later than 4pm.

 

im curious.  If we are in Victoria up to midnight, exactly by when are we to put our luggage out “that evening”?  I hope we get specific times because 1. I don’t want to miss the time frame and 2. Would I really have to leave the luggage out for hours if I am to do it before   going to Victoria?  Or do I have to come back to do it?