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Princess Experience?

Princess Experience?

Old Sep 12, 2016, 2:16 pm
  #16  
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Join Date: Jan 2013
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Just Cancelled my Booking

Originally Posted by 747FC
I've been on multiple cruises each with Costa, Celebrity, and Holland America, and single cruise experiences with NCL and Seabourn.

Princess has an itinerary around Japan that interests me, which is on their Diamond Princess. I have not heard anything good about Princess: Does anyone have some good advice about sailing/not sailing with them? FYI, we are thinking of getting a min-suite or suite category.

Thanks!
Well, my first try on Princess started off with such frustration that I cancelled my booking. Buyer beware:

1. Booked mini-suite with a certain promotion package included.
2. Called agent, asked if I could upgrade to a Vista suite and still have the package included. Twice she said "Yes."
3. Paperwork emailed, and promotion package not included.
4. Called back and informed that I would hear from CS on Monday
5. Got paperwork emailed, has old promotion but charge is about $3.5k more per person on a promotion that would cost $901 if I charged it myself.
6. I call Princess and they refuse to honor the declaration of their agent. CSR wants to give me $100 OBC.
7. I cancel. No way am I doing business with such incompetence. I will assume incompetence rather than lies.

Thank you for all your help.

Last edited by 747FC; Sep 12, 2016 at 2:20 pm Reason: spelling error
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Old Sep 14, 2016, 11:40 am
  #17  
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
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Did you book with the drink package promotion that was running recently? It did end recently (like end of August), and it's definitely one that if you change or refare or whatever they don't let you keep once the promotion ends (which is true in general of all the promotions they offer, I'd expect most cruise lines would be the same way). I'm kinda surprised they told you that you could keep it if you changed after it ended, so yeah, I'd say that's incompetence on the part of whoever you were talking with. (I've been debating whether to refare my december cruise because the price is lower, but I'd lose the drink package, the amount of the difference in fare is borderline on whether it's worth it.)

I never book directly with the line myself, I've always dealt with a TA I've been using since I started cruising.
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Old Sep 14, 2016, 1:05 pm
  #18  
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Originally Posted by piper28
Did you book with the drink package promotion that was running recently? It did end recently (like end of August), and it's definitely one that if you change or refare or whatever they don't let you keep once the promotion ends (which is true in general of all the promotions they offer, I'd expect most cruise lines would be the same way). I'm kinda surprised they told you that you could keep it if you changed after it ended, so yeah, I'd say that's incompetence on the part of whoever you were talking with. (I've been debating whether to refare my december cruise because the price is lower, but I'd lose the drink package, the amount of the difference in fare is borderline on whether it's worth it.)

I never book directly with the line myself, I've always dealt with a TA I've been using since I started cruising.
Yes, it was the Sip and Save.
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Old Sep 14, 2016, 4:38 pm
  #19  
 
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Sounds they are trying to rebook you then recategorize your reservation. I would watch the reservation numbers on the invoices to make sure they don't change.
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Old Sep 14, 2016, 6:22 pm
  #20  
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Originally Posted by ktremor
Sounds they are trying to rebook you then recategorize your reservation. I would watch the reservation numbers on the invoices to make sure they don't change.
Thanks. I am finished with Princess.
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Old Sep 16, 2016, 9:44 am
  #21  
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
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Originally Posted by 747FC
Yes, it was the Sip and Save.
Interesting! I had a travel agent say that we would be able to change things about our booking and still receive the Sip and Save promo. It seems like not everyone is very familiar with the terms.

Sorry things went south for you. :/
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Old Sep 16, 2016, 10:15 am
  #22  
 
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Originally Posted by swise
Interesting! I had a travel agent say that we would be able to change things about our booking and still receive the Sip and Save promo. It seems like not everyone is very familiar with the terms.
Odd, I've never really seen any Princess promos that would continue if you refared the cabin (or other changes like upgrading to a different cabin type) after the promo ends. And I find it odd that any TA would say otherwise, because they should know better. (And I'd expect that policy would be pretty similar across all lines, otherwise you could refare under a couple of different promos, and end up with multiple promos stacked together.)
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