Grand Princ. Cabin noise & Billing

[mediaman]

Hi;

 

1. I was on the Grand Princess with a forward cabin C203. I thought that it would be well above the theatre and stage BUT...! During evening stage shows, I could clearly hear much of the music from the areas below me. I'm not sure where it was coming through but it was a bit disturbing if you were in the cabin during a big stage show. I did finally get my cabin changed for the second half of my back-to-back cruise but cabins were not available for the first fifteen days. Many were empty but they were,"...being worked on...."

 

2. I was caught by the Princess billing procedures that, I am told, is not what accountants may recognize. At the end of the first cruise section my folio showed an amount in the "credits" column with a minus sign. When transferred to the second portion of the cruise, it became part of the "debits" column. A "credit" with a minus sign is really a debit, I was informed. Beware of "credits" that may not be what they seem.

 

PS- The cruise was quite nice and these are just two small items for a special note.

[Pia1913]

Hi;

 

1. I was on the Grand Princess with a forward cabin C203. I thought that it would be well above the theatre and stage BUT...! During evening stage shows, I could clearly hear much of the music from the areas below me. I'm not sure where it was coming through but it was a bit disturbing if you were in the cabin during a big stage show. I did finally get my cabin changed for the second half of my back-to-back cruise but cabins were not available for the first fifteen days. Many were empty but they were,"...being worked on...."

 

2. I was caught by the Princess billing procedures that, I am told, is not what accountants may recognize. At the end of the first cruise section my folio showed an amount in the "credits" column with a minus sign. When transferred to the second portion of the cruise, it became part of the "debits" column. A "credit" with a minus sign is really a debit, I was informed. Beware of "credits" that may not be what they seem.

 

PS- The cruise was quite nice and these are just two small items for a special note.

 

Would appreciate further info on number two. A credit is a credit until it becomes a debit. Princess doesn't turn a credit into a charge. Please clarify.

[Pam in CA]

2. I was caught by the Princess billing procedures that, I am told, is not what accountants may recognize. At the end of the first cruise section my folio showed an amount in the "credits" column with a minus sign. When transferred to the second portion of the cruise, it became part of the "debits" column. A "credit" with a minus sign is really a debit, I was informed. Beware of "credits" that may not be what they seem.

Thanks for the info and the warning. I always stay away from cabins above theaters and below public decks for just that reason. If you're above the sound system, you're going to get sound. If you're below a deck, you're going to hear people walking and moving furniture at all hours of the day and night.

 

For onboard accounts, Princess uses a very simplified debit/credit system. If you start with an onboard credit, for instance, you start with that amount of credit and everything charged to your onboard account is debited (subtracted) from the credit until you get a minus (-) amount. That's the amount due at disembarkation. Pretty much every hotel or resort I've ever stayed at has a similar simplified system. It makes sense to me that if you ended the first part of your cruise with a minus that it would start as a minus for the second half as long as you didn't pay that in full before your 2nd cruise.

[Pam in CA]

Would appreciate further info on number two. A credit is a credit until it becomes a debit. Princess doesn't turn a credit into a charge. Please clarify.

It makes sense to me. :) He ended the first 7 days with a debit (minus amount). That was transferred to his new onboard account as a minus credit.

[Pia1913]

Thanks for the info and the warning. I always stay away from cabins above theaters and below public decks for just that reason. If you're above the sound system, you're going to get sound. If you're below a deck, you're going to hear people walking and moving furniture at all hours of the day and night.

 

For onboard accounts, Princess uses a very simplified debit/credit system. If you start with an onboard credit, for instance, you start with that amount of credit and everything charged to your onboard account is debited (subtracted) from the credit until you get a minus (-) amount. That's the amount due at disembarkation. Pretty much every hotel or resort I've ever stayed at has a similar simplified system. It makes sense to me that if you ended the first part of your cruise with a minus that it would start as a minus for the second half as long as you didn't pay that in full before your 2nd cruise.

 

I understood him to say that the credit from his first cruise turned into a plus charge on the 2nd. :confused:

[Pam in CA]

I understood him to say that the credit from his first cruise turned into a plus charge on the 2nd. :confused:

He said, "my folio showed an amount in the "credits" column with a minus sign." which means that he had an amount due that was transferred to the new sailing.

[Pia1913]

He said, "my folio showed an amount in the "credits" column with a minus sign." which means that he had an amount due that was transferred to the new sailing.

 

But then he went on to say:

 

 

When transferred to the second portion of the cruise, it became part of the "debits" column.

 

Harvey......you want to check in here and clarify please.

[Toto2Kansas]

OK, what am I missing here? I don't ever remember a credit and debit column, all credits and debits have always showed up in the same column, just with the amount or a minus sign next to them?

 

Maybe I need something cold to drink, it's really hot today, cause my memory must be playing tricks on me here. ;)

[Pia1913]

OK, what am I missing here? I don't ever remember a credit and debit column, all credits and debits have always showed up in the same column, just with the amount or a minus sign next to them?

 

Maybe I need something cold to drink, it's really hot today, cause my memory must be playing tricks on me here. ;)

 

LOL. Example. When they charge your internet package it's in the left column. When they remove the charge it's on the right. When they charge your laundry it's on the left. When it's removed it shows on the right. You need a drink. :D

[Pam in CA]

OK, what am I missing here? I don't ever remember a credit and debit column, all credits and debits have always showed up in the same column, just with the amount or a minus sign next to them?

Just checked my final statement for my April cruise. The columns are: Date, Location, Reference, Charges, Credits and Balance. I guess it's confusing to someone not used to it but my Credits (OBC and reversed charges for Internet and laundry) appear as a minus so perhaps the OP is saying that what you think of as a credit is a minus and the debit doesn't have a minus. It all works out in the end since the balance due is the amount due.

[Pia1913]

Just checked my final statement for my April cruise. The columns are: Date, Location, Reference, Charges, Credits and Balance. I guess it's confusing to someone not used to it but my Credits (OBC and reversed charges for Internet and laundry) appear as a minus so perhaps the OP is saying that what you think of as a credit is a minus and the debit doesn't have a minus. It all works out in the end since the balance due is the amount due.

 

Now I think I need a drink too. :D:D:D

[Pam in CA]

Now I think I need a drink too. :D:D:D

I think that makes three of us needing a drink. :) What it comes down to is that any credit you have or receive is deducted from your charges to obtain the balance due.

[j!m]

i'm a retired accountant

 

i've hada drink

 

and i dont understand either

[Pia1913]

i'm a retired accountant

 

i've hada drink

 

and i dont understand either

 

 

[rdsqrl]

2. I was caught by the Princess billing procedures that, I am told, is not what accountants may recognize. At the end of the first cruise section my folio showed an amount in the "credits" column with a minus sign. When transferred to the second portion of the cruise, it became part of the "debits" column. A "credit" with a minus sign is really a debit, I was informed. Beware of "credits" that may not be what they seem.

 

PS- The cruise was quite nice and these are just two small items for a special note.

Well, what else would a credit with a minus sign be, if not a debit? If your bank statement shows "-$100.00" in your checking account, you're overdrawn by $100, you don't have $100 -- this seems self-evident to me and god knows, I'm no accountant. You ended your first cruise with negative credits because you overspent your on-board credit by whatever that minus amount was. For the beginning of your second leg, that overspent amount (the amount you owed Princess) showed up at the top of your statement as a debit, ready to have all your new charges added to it.

[peterv]

I think I understand what he is saying, and it is just the way Princess prints out the numbers in the columns.

 

A Credit column should not have a negative value as that would turn it into a debit.

 

In a similar fashion a Charge column should not have a negative value as that would be a credit.

 

They do handle the totalling correctly but it is sort of an incorrect way to display it when using separate columns for debits and credits.

 

For example when you start the account and had a $100 credit, there are two ways to show it, a negative value in the charges column or a positive value in the credit column.

 

Charges - Credits = Balance or 0 - 100 = 100- but if the value in the Credits column is 100- then it would be 0 - 100- = 100+ as subtracting a negative means you are adding.

 

Cheers,

Peter

[mediaman]

WOW from Mediaman!

 

As is seen here, there is some confusion among our group. I understand how Princess bills (after they explained it to me on the telephone). It's just my simple-minded concept that a Credit is a Credit and when it becomes a Debit it should move into the Charges section. A negative credit is just a bit confusing to me. Whatever... that's the way they do it and there will not be any changes whether I'm right, wrong or confused! Thanks for the comments.