Forgot to say, most cruise lines will then protect you if the price goes down within a certain time period by giving the lower price or issuing credits. With them being all this fair, I don't understand the problem with them raising the price between an unbooked quote and actual time of booking.
Pricing on the PCL site have disclaimers. The site I book from has prices and disclaimers. It is very unfortunate when the price shown is incorrect. With most industries when that happens and a price is still up they honor the price. This industry does not typically do that. They change the price in their system and send out a live feed with the new pricing. That feed updates the cruiseline price and many of the other sites pricing electronically and most times immediately. Occasionally something goes wrong with the feed. The dates are programmed wrong, the wrong ship codes were entered, etc.
The cruise lines are not usually willing to eat the difference when some IT guy on staff screws up or their system hicups. I get nasty comments from clients about bait and switch, I get told we're doing false advertising and worse sometimes. The fact is the cruiseline holds the cards, makes the rules and runs the system. Some do the right thing most of the time, most do not if it would negatively impact their bottom line.
I can see and sympathize with both sides of this equasion. It would be great if there were never errors. It would be great if cruiseline were benevolent. As long as there are humans involved these issues will happen.
I am new to this site but it was recommended to me by a friend in hopes that someone might be able to help me with a problem I too, am having with Princess' non-caring and poor attitude. My husband and I and some friends booked a cruise on the Grand Princess, out of Galvaston, TX on March 3, 2007. This was our 6th cruise but only our second on Princess. We booked through a respected travel agent recommended by the friends we went with. When arriving that Saturday, we headed to our mini-suite. We opened to door to find our cabin D732 (Dolphin deck) was not a mini-suite at all but a complete handicapped room. While sailing to capacity and not another room to be had, we of course, made the best out of this situation, ASSUMING that when our vacation was over, this "oversite" would be taken care of since on the Princess website, www.princess.com it shows Grand Princess D732 to be a mini-suite, not a handicapped room. The beds were so horrible in this room, it was like sleeping in a hammick that you had to crawl out of each morning. NO ONE should have to sleep in these beds let alone someone who is not as able bodies as my husband or I. Now, it's not the fact that we were given a handicapped room. My problem is that on the Princess site, it has a picture and a description of D732 as a mini suite with walk in closets, bath and shower enclosure, when in reality it does not. I contacted Princess via the good old U.S. mail, as I was told I could not speak to anyone in customer service! I was shocked by this. After almost 8 weeks, I finally got my "response" letter stating that sometimes the rooms are "not exactly like they are shown" and that an asterisk by room D732 denotes that this room has 2 twin beds that do not make into a queen and a shower only. The "shower only" they speak of is a tiled room with a curtain you draw around yourself while water goes all over the entire room! My beef with Princess is D732 is completely different that Princess describes it and I want everyone to know that while cruising on Princess, everything is fine and good but God help you if you have a problem and want to discuss it with a human being, cuz it's not going to happen! They're "don't care attitude" is amazing to me as customer service is all that separates one company from another. I know I am rambling but the fact that their website hasn't been changed to protect other's from having this same disappointment is just amazing to me. They don't care. I have written a rebuttal letter and have copied the C/O of Princess. Oh, in their response letter, they offered my husband and I, $200 pp to apply towards another Princess cruise! We paid over $1600 EACH for a mini-suite and didn't get a mini-suite at all and that's all they offered us!
HOLLAND AMERICA is far superior to Princess in their customer service!. Be careful with Princess as you will spend hours writing to a "company" that doesn't care. After all, they already got our money! Shame on Princess!
Sorry to hear about your experience and the way Princess treated you.
One question; how does equipping a mini-suite for wheelchair access make it no longer a mini-suite?
I've heard that some passengers who are not disabled actually try to get wheelchair accessible cabins because of the extra room. I don't approve of this practice but it sounds to me like you lucked out without even trying.
Well, if one thing ain't right they start looking for everything to complain about. And is always about a refund, or what are they going to do for us. I only can dream of cruising Princess and don't believe their beds are hammocks.
Is like finally getting a vacation and all you are concerned with is comparing it to the optimal brochure picture without reading the * and fine print. "Get out there" there are "A million ways to have fun".
If one has a negative type attitude about things, they can always find things not perfect. I am just the opposite. I say "I am on a cruise" Thank you Lawd!
RichC, cabin D732 is not a handicap cabin that was assigned as a substitute for a mini-suite; it IS a mini-suite that happens to be wheelchair accessible.
What is the difference between a handicapped room and a wheel chair accessable room? I thought they were both the same.
Others have commented they really like the larger room but the shower flooding the room is a draw back.
As we who have been on several cruises know you can not rely on the generic diagram provided by the cruise line. One has to look for and know what the * and other symbols stand for and should then research to find out exactly what makes these rooms different whether it be the shower, pull down wall or ceiling beds, etc.
At first I thought Gina from San Diego was talking about one of the mini-suites without a balcony but that does not appear to be the case. I'm at a loss as to why she says she did not receive the mini-suite she has paid for and Princess is probably also. If she has been offered $200/pp on another cruise for the inconvenience of the shower I don't read it as having a "don't care attitude" especially since she had not inquired as to any differences between a wheelchair accessable cabin and a regular cabin. I wonder what she expected- a refund? If every person who was unhappy about one thing or another were given refunds there wouldn't be a cruise line in business.
It is frustrating dealing with any company, not just a cruise line, if you are refused to be transferred to someone who will listen to your problem. Having dealt with Princess for years now I've learned you might have to make several calls to finally accomplish the task but that is no different from dealing with others. I had a recent experience where princess.com quoted a fare and when calling to book the cruise using future cruise credits I was told the price was higher and they would not honor the lower price that I had to book online and make the "huge" deposit. (I had to instruct the rep how to go onto the Princess web site and find out what they were quoting for the cruise!)This was after the rep checked with customer relations. A phone call the next day accomplished the booking,at the price on the web site, after the rep called customer relations several times. Doubt it is Princess who has the "don't care attitude" but rather certain employees who won't go the extra mile because of their "don't care attitude".
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Future cruises:
Star Princess - Dec. 2007-Rome- TA
Crown Princess- May 2008 TA & Baltics
Pacific Princess-Nov. 2008-Holy Land & Egypt
Diamond Princess- Apr. 2009 Asia- Bangkok to Whittier
Past cruises:
Golden Princess-2007-Alaska
Sea Princess-2005 Canada/New England
Diamond Princess- 2005 Mexican Riviera
Star Princess- 2004 x2 Med. Venice to Barcelona/ Barcelona to Rome
Dawn Princess - 2004 x3- Southern Caribbean
Grand Princess- 2003 x2 W.Caribbean/ 2004 Panama
Sun Princess- 2003 Mexico
Tahitian Princess- 2003 Tahiti & Cook Islands
Royal Princess- 2003 x2- British Isles / Norwegian Fjords & Iceland
Island Princess- 2003 Panama Canal / 2007 Hawaii
Sky Princess- 2000 China & Orient
Sitmar's Fairwind - 1979 x2- Caribbean/Panama Canal
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HAL-Amsterdam- 2004 Alaska
HAL Ryndam - 2001 x 2- S. America
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Viking Spirit/Pride -2006 Budapest to Amsterdam
Don't mean to split hairs with you BJS, but as far as we the customers are concerned, the rep IS Princess. Princess is very proud of its service credo; Courtesy, Respect, Unfailing In Service Excellence (C.R.U.I.S.E.); but that dosen't mean everybody observes it.
I guess all I'm saying is, the employees ARE the company. It dosen't matter what the policy is; when they put you through what they did for you to get the price you knew you were entitled to, that's bad business. It's not the kind of thing that would keep you or me from ever going with Princess again, but it does say something about the culture of that company. And if it goes on long enough it will eventually hurt them.
Well stated f-mattox. The corporate culture of many cruiselines could use and overhaul. It's not just PCL but they are among the worst offenders. It's amazing to me that companies that provide such a great product on thier ships can't seem to translate that into their offices, Guest Relations Dept., Supervisors, even some of their Res Agents.
When I have a client call with a major issue and ask for thier booking # to look 'm up I pray for it to be a few lines that seem to at least pretend to care. Those are few and far between and becoming more rare each year.
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