Major itinerary change

[eastender]

We booked Regal Princess, Aug 7, around UK cruise, a major draw being stops at Dublin and Liverpool. Email this morning says both ports are cancelled and are replaced with Holyhead, Wales  and Falmouth, so 2 huge cities replaced by 2 towns with water shuttles involved.

Definitely would not have booked the cruise with the new itinerary but after talking to customer service, the changes are not considered major enough to get our deposits of £750 refunded. Not very fair IMHO.

[john watson]

Can you get the booking transferred to another date?  Are the cancelled cruise ports still accepting other ships? Does your travel insurance cover you for cancelled ports?  I think the booking conditions are harsh and in extreme cases, like hurricanes all ports might be cancelled.

 

Regards John

Edited December 13, 2023 by john watson

[eastender]

Changes are due to port congestion. Have to ask about possible transferring. Thanks.

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

While I realise that cruising is a dynamic activity and itinerary changes are just a part of cruising that cannot be avoided I don't know what Princess, or other lines for that matter, considers a major change sufficient to allow a refund or change of cruising date.

 

2 of my ports on my next cruise have been cancelled and replaced with ports I have been to before making this cruise now already a disappointment for me. I have asked to cancel and of course the answer is not without losing the deposit. I have asked to swap to another date and the answer is again no, not without cancelling and loss of deposit.

 

I wish it was more clear-cut.

[david63]

That is certainly a significant change and if you cannot have a full refund tell then that you will take it to ABTA

[SargassoPirate]

Having been to all of those ports, that is indeed a major change and I would be raising Cain with Princess, my warehouse TA, and the credit card company I used for the deposit.  If nobody complains and makes a fuss, the suits will think they can pull things like this with impunity.

[Paddymunich]

We’re booked on Regal 26 July (just before you) and Liverpool and Kirkwall are replaced by Holyhead and Portland. Gutted like you since Kirkwall was a major draw for us. Portland is a joke of a port to stop at.

Unlike you I was not even informed. I found out a week ago when checking available excursions.

It will be our first Princess cruise and might well be the last.

I would never complain about missing ports due to unforeseen circumstances or bad weather but so far in advance it reeks of disrespect for the client I am, carefully choosing the most desirable itinerary and then bleeding money to join a cruise that eventually won’t be what was hoped and sold.

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

I too agree that Princess are totally disrespectful to their customers over changes to itineraries.

 

I chose a particular cruise to go to a specific port that I had never been to. They have now cancelled that port. Now, I know that cruising is never guaranteed and a lot of operational factors and the weather can all mean itineraries must be changed. But when those port cancellations are core to the purpose of the cruise... in my case, the cancellation of one of the main fjords in Norway... in the previous post's case a stop in Scotland's capital city... then these are major changes and people should be given the option to cancel without penalty with the minimum of FCC offered or a refund.

[New2cruise2022]

In this case, it seems like you are well before final payment and will have no problem securing a full refund. 
It is also another good plug for travel insurance. I do believe some policies cover for things beyond Mother Nature and sickness and can include itinerary changes. 
I certainly believe it is a disappointing change but it may be a stretch to consider it unfair. Cruising has long been known to be the sailing and not the ports. The cruising industry is built on this. The entertainment and activities, the food and drinks, the comfort of the amenities and the spa, come at great expense and business risk when cruise lines commission a ship to be built. The business model is an experience at sea, not the ports on the itinerary. 

[david63]

1 minute ago, New2cruise2022 said:

it seems like you are well before final payment and will have no problem securing a full refund. 

There are different rules in the UK to those in the USA and unfortunately canelling with a full refund is not possible in the UK.

2 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

I do believe some policies cover for things beyond Mother Nature and sickness and can include itinerary changes. 

I have never seen that option in a travel insurance policy in the UK where it occurs prior to the cruise.

[milolii]

I think the

5 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

In this case, it seems like you are well before final payment and will have no problem securing a full refund. 
It is also another good plug for travel insurance. I do believe some policies cover for things beyond Mother Nature and sickness and can include itinerary 

I think the OP & others are in the UK or EU.  Some rules/laws are different.  

[dog]

I did this cruise twice. I’d be really ticked off with those changes!

[BlerkOne]

I think the cruise contract is clear. I think all cruise lines are the same.

 

I might be careful disputing a credit card charge - you might find yourself banned from Princess. Of course, if you don't care...

[New2cruise2022]

2 hours ago, david63 said:

There are different rules in the UK to those in the USA and unfortunately canelling with a full refund is not possible in the UK.

I have never seen that option in a travel insurance policy in the UK where it occurs prior to the cruise.

Is the decision to not offer a full refund common practice in the UK or just a Princess practice?

[cruzsnooze]

Last month I went on a cruise I wished to cancel but couldn't after Israel was removed from the itinerary. Of course it was a reasonable reason to cancel the two ports but it was the reason I booked this cruise. 

[suzyed]

33 minutes ago, cruzsnooze said:

Last month I went on a cruise I wished to cancel but couldn't after Israel was removed from the itinerary. Of course it was a reasonable reason to cancel the two ports but it was the reason I booked this cruise. 

We have a to Israel next year and that is exactly what we are worried about.  We will keep our fingers crossed that it is safe and that we can still hit the ports we booked this cruise for!

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

7 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

In this case, it seems like you are well before final payment and will have no problem securing a full refund. 
It is also another good plug for travel insurance. I do believe some policies cover for things beyond Mother Nature and sickness and can include itinerary changes. 
I certainly believe it is a disappointing change but it may be a stretch to consider it unfair. Cruising has long been known to be the sailing and not the ports. The cruising industry is built on this. The entertainment and activities, the food and drinks, the comfort of the amenities and the spa, come at great expense and business risk when cruise lines commission a ship to be built. The business model is an experience at sea, not the ports on the itinerary. 

There are no full refunds in the UK 😞

 

Well, whatever the business model is to Princess it is the customer experience that determines just why people cruise and when talking to people I get the feeling that yes, the cruising experience is important but a lot of people cruise for the ports too. Princess obviously recognise that because they choose their cruise itineraries carefully to meet customer demand. If that was not the case they would not stop anywhere and we could just have the cruising at sea experience without needing to stop!

[IndyKid]

6 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

I might be careful disputing a credit card charge - you might find yourself banned from Princess.

Oh my, wouldn't want to upset all the suits at CCL....🙄

[david63]

7 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

Is the decision to not offer a full refund common practice in the UK or just a Princess practice?

The majority of cruise lines do not offer a full refund in the UK - the exceptions are at the "luxury" end.

[CruisingFox27]

12 hours ago, New2cruise2022 said:

Is the decision to not offer a full refund common practice in the UK or just a Princess practice?

 

We're not entitled to a full refund in the UK, it's at the discretion of the cruise line, depending on the circumstances. We had a cruise booked with a different cruise line in November, our planned ports included Egypt for the Pyramids and Valley of the Kings, also, Jordan for Petra. All of those were cancelled. We were offered the option of cancelling in full/FCC.

[david63]

1 hour ago, CruisingFox27 said:

All of those were cancelled. We were offered the option of cancelling in full/FCC.

I think that is a slightly different scenario than when a port is cancelled and replaced by another and it is the passenger who wishes to cancel and where the cruise line makes the offer.

[wolfie11]

On 1/10/2024 at 5:05 PM, New2cruise2022 said:

Cruising has long been known to be the sailing and not the ports. The cruising industry is built on this. The entertainment and activities, the food and drinks, the comfort of the amenities and the spa, come at great expense and business risk when cruise lines commission a ship to be built. The business model is an experience at sea, not the ports on the itinerary. 

Totally untrue for many people.  Maybe some people want nothing more to cruise around the Caribbean with an unlimited drinks package buying overpriced art and gambling, but for others that’s a cruise nightmare.  I cruise to see the world.  I pick a cruise based solely on itinerary and would be extremely upset if I booked a bucket port and it was canceled.  I put up with the madness of being nickeled and dimed, harassed over the loudspeaker every few minutes about Bingo and half-off sales in the shops, and bombarded with loud music in every venue of the ship, in order to get to the ports and get off the ship to enjoy being in a new place.

[New2cruise2022]

1 hour ago, wolfie11 said:

Totally untrue for many people.  Maybe some people want nothing more to cruise around the Caribbean with an unlimited drinks package buying overpriced art and gambling, but for others that’s a cruise nightmare.  I cruise to see the world.  I pick a cruise based solely on itinerary and would be extremely upset if I booked a bucket port and it was canceled.  I put up with the madness of being nickeled and dimed, harassed over the loudspeaker every few minutes about Bingo and half-off sales in the shops, and bombarded with loud music in every venue of the ship, in order to get to the ports and get off the ship to enjoy being in a new place.

That’s understandable, but there are more reliable ways to see the world. Just because you want to see the ports, doesn’t mean that cruise lines can magically make port guarantees a real thing. As the industry continues to grow, increasing port fees and congestion will be an ongoing problem. Cruising enjoys very little flexibility to adjust to the concerns of traffic, weather, and mechanical delays. The size of ships and the volume of passengers makes it more difficult to deliver your vision of seeing the world. If you travel by airlines, there are other carriers and multiple flights and airports that can adjust to weather, mechanical failures, and delays to help you see the world. Cruise ships are doing the best they can. They want to deliver your vision of seeing the world, but you can’t hold them responsible for changed itineraries and ports. It’s the risk you accept by traveling this way. And no cruise line is immune from these challenges. 

[Paddymunich]

On 1/10/2024 at 11:05 PM, New2cruise2022 said:

Cruising has long been known to be the sailing and not the ports. The cruising industry is built on this. The entertainment and activities, the food and drinks, the comfort of the amenities and the spa, come at great expense and business risk when cruise lines commission a ship to be built. The business model is an experience at sea, not the ports on the itinerary. 

I totally respect that you mostly enjoy the cruising itself, and all that the ship has to offer.

But the business model and the promise is different.

Princess themselves on their website (pages "new to cruising") present cruising as, in that order, the travel ("best of destinations", "waking up in the morning in the world's most exciting and interesting cities"), then the value (that includes gastronomy, entertainment and activities).

As I've written before, unexpected and unavoidable changes are acceptable (last summer it happened to us in the fjords due to storms in the North Sea).

Ditching two highly interesting ports for two very secondary ones months in advance (7 in my case) isn't. And I should be offered the possibility to change or cancel the booking.

Actually, I should be informed to start with (I haven't received any email so far).

I'll nevertheless certainly enjoy the cruise and also certainly not check Princess' offer when I look at booking my next cruise. I'll let them know why. I strongly believe in the consumer's power. If we all stop buying their product, they might adapt their conditions.

Edited January 19 by Paddymunich

[sunshine nana2]

In 2009 we wanted to go to Istanbul. We found out Princess cut that port for not a good reason, so we switched to Celebrity and loved it. We did take Princess a few years later and now do both. Buyer beware