Cruise cancelations, suspensions, and other moves are easy to blame on the pandemic, and in many cases that’s true, but the sale of Pacific Princess is only partially connected to the pandemic. I think the sale was arranged earlier than Princess planned due to the pandemic but in any case not a sign of doom and gloom but instead forward-looking.

Princess Cruises, the world’s leading international premium cruise line, today announced the sale of Pacific Princess to an undisclosed buyer. The sale of the cruise ship is in line with parent company Carnival Corporation’s plan to accelerate the removal of less efficient ships from its fleet. As a result of Pacific Princess’ departure, her remaining voyages have unfortunately been cancelled.

Princess

How can I spin the sale of Pacific Princess as a good thing when it means more cruises have been canceled? Princess has new ships in various stages of completion, and it simply makes sense to retire some of the older ships in preparation for the new ones. Not only are the new builds more modern, but they’ll also be more economical to operate and more environmentally friendly, something Princess has had issues with in the past.

Sailings canceled by this announcement were Mediterranean, South Pacific, and Asia itineraries from June 28, 2021 – March 28, 2022. Guests booked on these cruises have the option of accepting future cruise credit or requesting a refund.

Future Cruise Credit

• 100% value of cruise fare paid as a refundable Future Cruise Credit (FCC) 
  • This requires no action from the guest and gives our team a chance to shine at a later date by using the above Future Cruise Credits on any cruise booked by May 1, 2022, and sailing by December 31, 2022.     
• Bonus non-refundable FCC: equal to 25% of the cruise fare paid
  • Bonus FCC minimum of $50 per person (minimum varies by FCC currency:  $50USD, $50CAD, $50AUD, £50GBP, €50EUR, ¥5,000)

Refund

• Alternatively, guests can forfeit the bonus FCC offer and request a refund for all money paid on their booking by using this online form. Guests have until February 28, 2021 to decide, or they will automatically receive the default offer listed above.    
  • In the event a guest paid for any portion of their cancelled cruise’s fare using a previously issued FCC, that FCC will be returned to their My Princess Account and the amount will be deducted from the FCC calculations laid out above.
• Extras: Money paid in excess of the cruise fare for Princess Vacation Protection (North America only), taxes, fees and port expenses, EZair or hotel packages will be refunded, as will any prepaid shore excursions and/or any special service items.   
  • If any part of a cruisetour was booked through a Tour Operator or similar third party, guests must contact them for more information as other booking and cancellation conditions and policies may apply. 
  • Most airlines and other travel-related services such as hotels, transportation, and tours are allowing refunds or waiving change fees due to COVID-19; guests should work directly with those operators regarding their charges.