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Pause of global ship operations extended thru June 30th;
Compensation packages offered for cancelled cruises
Hi everyone,
After extensive review of the global landscape, we have extended our pause of global ship operations through June 30, 2020. This was an extremely difficult decision; however, it is the responsible thing to do in light of the continuing COVID-19 situation and is consistent with our commitment to making the health and safety of our guests and crew our highest priority.
In addition to cancelling all cruises and cruisetours departing through June 30, 2020, there are a number of modifications to our global deployments, most notably including:
- All 2020 Coral, Grand, Pacific and Royal Princess Alaska cruise and cruisetour itineraries departing after May 11, 2020 have been cancelled. The shortened summer season has made it not viable to operate our five Princess Wilderness lodges, trains and motorcoaches in 2020. These fleet changes also result in several of our ships not returning to service until later in the fall.
- Alaska cruises roundtrip San Francisco on Star Princess and Los Angeles on Golden Princess departing after May 11, 2020 have been cancelled. We remain optimistic that Emerald Princess and Ruby Princess will still be able to offer roundtrip cruises from Seattle in the late summer. We will, of course, continue to evaluate our plans in the weeks ahead.
- Enchanted Princess sailings in Europe through July 31, 2020 have been cancelled due to the significant impact the COVID-19 outbreak has had on Italy and our shipbuilding partners.
- Sun Princess sailings are cancelled through September 4, 2020 due to rescheduling of the 2020 Summer Olympics.
- Diamond Princess sailings departing May 11 through August 4, 2020 are cancelled.
Please note that each ship in our fleet will have a unique return to service date, based on the previously published cruise itineraries, with some modifications, departing after July 1. Details about the canceled voyages can be found here.
We know that the past several weeks have been challenging for you and your clients with bookings affected by the COVID-19 situation. We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as these decisions were unavoidable, particularly given the recent order from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other government restrictions in response to the current global pandemic.
To support you in managing your clients, we kindly ask that you review our rich compensation package for those whose bookings were canceled, as well as our extremely flexible cancellation terms for those still booked on voyages beyond June 30th.
Guidance on May 11—June 30, 2020 bookings canceled by Princess
You or your client should not cancel cruises sailing May 11–June 30, 2020. Their booking has been automatically canceled by Princess. You and your client should receive an email regarding the cancellation which will cover their two compensation options. Your client will default to Option 1, the richer compensation value, shown below.
For those who have paid in full, we hope your client will stick with us by accepting Option 1, which requires no action from you or on your client’s part, and give our team a chance to shine at a later date by transferring the money paid on a cruise or cruisetour as a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) plus an additional 25% bonus FCC that can be used on any voyage through May 1, 2022.
Alternatively, your client can request Option 2 and receive a refund for all money paid on your booking through this online form. If we don't hear from you by May 31, 2020, your client will automatically receive Option 1.
If you have not paid in full, Option 2 will be your default and any money paid will be refunded to the original payment form.
If your client paid Princess anything toward a booking, that will be refunded to the original method of payment. This includes upgrades, Princess EZair, prepaid shore excursions, special service items, gratuities, taxes, fees and port expenses.
We are pleased to advise that Princess will protect travel advisor commission on bookings for cancelled cruises that were paid in full, in recognition of the critical role you play in our business and success.
Given the volume of requests and the care being dedicated to make sure each one is handled accurately, it may take approximately 60 days from the date we receive your client’s preference for FCCs and refunds to be processed. Please allow sufficient time for us to manage this process and know we are doing everything in our power to expedite where possible.
Updated: Cruise with Confidence final payment & cancellation policies
For full details and FAQs, click here:
Cancel up to 30 days prior for cruises sailing Aug. 1—October 15, 2020
- Cancel up to 30 days before sailing to receive the full amount paid either as a future cruise credit and/or as a refund to the original payment method.
- Final payment due date moves to 60 days prior to departure; no fees assessed prior to 60 days and all deposits are refundable. Applies to new and existing bookings on cruises and cruisetours.
- Beginning with October 16th, the final payment date returns to our published policy.
Cancel up to 48 hours prior for cruises sailing through July 31, 2020
- Cancellations can be made up to 48 hours prior to receive the full amount paid as a Future Cruise Credit and/or as a refund to the original payment method.
- Final payment remains at 60 days prior to departure.
We’ll protect your Travel Advisor commission!
For existing and new bookings and for sailings through October 15, 2020 (retroactive to March 6, 2020), Princess will protect commissions for bookings that are paid in full and cancelled within final payment. We will also continue to pay your full commission on the new cruises booked using your client’s Future Cruise Credit.
Now, normally, I would have a video for you to go over the details, but I’m dutifully sheltering in place with my family. So instead, I invite you to join me for Princess Update Webinar #4, at 11 am PT / 2 pm ET on Wednesday, April 15. I will cover these new developments, share new findings on attitudes toward cruising and travel in general and, of course, take some questions. Register Now.
Given how the situation is continually evolving, you will no doubt want to be prepared for any questions your clients may have about the state of travel. For the latest on travel advisories and restrictions, visit our Notices & Advisories page. on princess.com. And be sure to visit our Cruise with Confidence page at OneSourceCruises.com for the latest updates, webinars and support tools.
We know these have been trying times and we will continue to do everything we can to support you and your clients, as we navigate through these extraordinary circumstances.
Thank you for your ongoing support!
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Best Regards,
John Chernesky
Senior Vice President
North America Sales & Trade Marketing
Princess Cruises
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