Do I have any say in this - help please!

[masonchar]

I booked a 14 day Alaskan cruise directly with Princess back in January.  Final payment was three days ago.  We couldn't afford an oceanview cabin or better, this time around.   But, we decided to book an obstructed view cabin.  There weren't many left, but we found one with a pretty good view. ( I used a website that shows pictures of the views).  Last night I got an email saying they are moving us to a cabin beside the one we had booked.  They said the reason was that the one we booked could accommodate 4 people and there are only 2 of us.  The new (they call it an upgrade) does not have as good a view.  The one we had booked was between two tenders.  The new one is blocked by the front of the tender.   We aren't happy about this change at all.  Before I get on the phone today, is there anything I can do?

[Globaler]

I don’t know but doesn’t seem right to me!

[ChutChut]

Call your travel agent ASAP and see if you can get it back or if he/she can negotiate a true upgrade to a balcony, etc.

[masonchar]

4 minutes ago, ChutChut said:

Call your travel agent ASAP and see if you can get it back or if he/she can negotiate a true upgrade to a balcony, etc.

We booked directly with Princess

[Globaler]

2 minutes ago, masonchar said:

We booked directly with Princess

I’d call ASAP. The worst they can do is say no. I wouldn’t take no for an answer - be polite but persistent.

[ChutChut]

3 minutes ago, masonchar said:

We booked directly with Princess

I would call your Princess contact (or supervisor, if necessary) then and try to get it back or negotiate a true upgrade. It appears they, in fact, gave you a worse cabin and I would press Princess to rectify. 

[karatemom2]

And if after everything they won’t give you your cabin back, push for any other perks you can get them to give you to compensate - on board credit, free Plus package etc. Or ask for a real upgrade to an unobstructed balcony. A move to the cabin next door is not an upgrade. Good luck!

[1025cruise]

Yes, Princess can do what they did. Alaska sailings are very popular. They want 4 people in a 4 person cabin, not 2.

[tobyt]

Call now!

[Wishing on a star]

Yes...   Call now... 

We do not know if they can truly call this an upgrade unless we know where the cabin is.

Have they moved you from an AFT to a mid-AFT..  or from a FWD to a mid-FWD.

If they moved you and it isn't an upgrade, then they can not 'claim' that they moved you to a better cabin.  What is the actual category of the cabin you had, and the one they moved you to.

Expect that you will have to be calm, and very persistent, until you have somebody (some kind of manager) to help you handle this.  

 

 

[Abercrombie2019]

If it is a 4 person obstructed ocean view cabin, where are the two upper berths?  Are they projecting from the walls beside the queen bed, or do they come down from the ceiling? 

 

If the two upper berths are on the side walls they could be hazards (if the bed is set up as a queen bed).

[masonchar]

8 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

Yes...   Call now... 

We do not know if they can truly call this an upgrade unless we know where the cabin is.

Have they moved you from an AFT to a mid-AFT..  or from a FWD to a mid-FWD.

If they moved you and it isn't an upgrade, then they can not 'claim' that they moved you to a better cabin.  What is the actual category of the cabin you had, and the one they moved you to.

Expect that you will have to be calm, and very persistent, until you have somebody (some kind of manager) to help you handle this.  

 

 

We were in OZ and now in OY - but it is right next door to the original cabin

[masonchar]

9 minutes ago, Wishing on a star said:

Yes...   Call now... 

We do not know if they can truly call this an upgrade unless we know where the cabin is.

Have they moved you from an AFT to a mid-AFT..  or from a FWD to a mid-FWD.

If they moved you and it isn't an upgrade, then they can not 'claim' that they moved you to a better cabin.  What is the actual category of the cabin you had, and the one they moved you to.

Expect that you will have to be calm, and very persistent, until you have somebody (some kind of manager) to help you handle this.  

 

 

I have a call in.  Person who answered couldn't help me.  Waiting for a supervisor to call back

[Wishing on a star]

We are wishing you good luck and happy sailing!!!

[sunviking90]

23 minutes ago, masonchar said:

I have a call in.  Person who answered couldn't help me.  Waiting for a supervisor to call back

Good Luck. If you don’t have your call back in a day or 2 call again. 

[startedwithamouse]

You'll be much happier with the 2 person cabin. 

 

It's really tricky to move around the queen sized bed setup with two berths hanging on the wall. 

[cnice515]

I would love to hear an outcome.  If your booking allowed Princess to choose your cabin then you might not have an argument but if you picked the room then that might be (I hope for you) a different story. 

 

My understanding of the categories (thought the lower the letter the better the category...A is best in that category and then B, C, etc,), but going from OW to OY is not an upgrade but maybe I am wrong. 

 

I do understand why Princess bumped you since you are a twofer and the cabin allows for a fourfer but it just stinks that your view might not be useable outside of ambient lighting so I get why you are seeking a better solution.

[mtnesterz]

My hope is that you can get this resolved to your satisfaction.

Two things for future reference, particularly with Obstructed View, which we find a good value, request "no upgrades" when booking a specific cabin and since you prefer to book direct with Princess, do your booking and receive continuing follow-through only by a CVP.

[Tedferg]

Best of luck to you, however, I would not be too unhappy with the new location. For me the Oceanview is to have daylight versus an inside cabin. I don't think you will spend much time with the 'View'. Especially in Alaska, viewing is best done on deck.

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, masonchar said:

We were in OZ and now in OY - but it is right next door to the original cabin

If there is any other availability within the OY category, one that is more desirable in terms of less obstruction, they will most likely move you within the same category without any hassle.  You will have to call or use the chat feature.  

[memoak]

One more reason to use a CVP who could help you out. We once had a cruise where they changed ships and because the new ship did not have any aft vista suites they suck us forward. Our CVP got us moved to an aft penthouse with no extra charge

[masonchar]

Thank you everyone for your replies.   I am still waiting for a call back from the supervisor.  It's annoying, because when I booked, they knew there were only 2 of us.  I was never asked whether I wanted to be put on a list for an upgrade either.  The cabin I had is showing as available on the Princess website, so, obviously nobody has booked it yet.  And there are no other cabins with an obstructed view that I would consider.  If they had told me when I booked it that I might get bumped I would not have taken it.

[Globaler]

3 minutes ago, masonchar said:

Thank you everyone for your replies.   I am still waiting for a call back from the supervisor.  It's annoying, because when I booked, they knew there were only 2 of us.  I was never asked whether I wanted to be put on a list for an upgrade either.  The cabin I had is showing as available on the Princess website, so, obviously nobody has booked it yet.  And there are no other cabins with an obstructed view that I would consider.  If they had told me when I booked it that I might get bumped I would not have taken it.

I’d try the chat option also. Never hurts to work through multiple channels.

[cr8tiv1]

I would not wait for a supervisor to call you back (they rarely do). Get on the phone and ask for one.  Tell them you will wait to speak to one.  

[2 cruises a year]

4 hours ago, masonchar said:

I booked a 14 day Alaskan cruise directly with Princess back in January.  Final payment was three days ago.  We couldn't afford an oceanview cabin or better, this time around.   But, we decided to book an obstructed view cabin.  There weren't many left, but we found one with a pretty good view. ( I used a website that shows pictures of the views).  Last night I got an email saying they are moving us to a cabin beside the one we had booked.  They said the reason was that the one we booked could accommodate 4 people and there are only 2 of us.  The new (they call it an upgrade) does not have as good a view.  The one we had booked was between two tenders.  The new one is blocked by the front of the tender.   We aren't happy about this change at all.  Before I get on the phone today, is there anything I can do?

I can't find it now, but it has always been my understanding that if you book a four passenger cabin it is with the understanding that Princess can move you IF they need it for four passengers.  A more extreme, and unlikely scenario is that you can book a handicap cabin if you so choose, even if you are not disabled, with the understanding that IF Princess needs the cabin for a disabled passenger, you can be moved.