Princess Cruises has notified visitors booked on a 2024 Japan voyage that their crusing has been canceled, leaving restricted choices for upset cruisers. The cruise was a part of a spring sequence of voyages starting from 5 to 19 days, however the impacted crusing will now be a constitution cruise as a substitute.
Japan Voyage Nixed on Diamond Princess
Cruise visitors booked on a 19-day “Southern Islands & Sea of Japan” voyage on Diamond Princess attributable to depart in spring 2024, have been instructed that Princess Cruises will as a substitute constitution the total ship to an unnamed group.
The road issued a cancellation discover to visitors for the Could 16, 2024 departure, which was to function roundtrip from Tokyo (Yokohama).
The notification stated that booked visitors will obtain a refund of all monies paid inside 10 to fifteen enterprise days. Refunds will likely be made to the unique type of fee.
There may be an choice to rebook on a later cruise, nevertheless, if visitors are prepared and in a position to modify their journey plans. Princess Cruises steered that visitors contemplate an alternate, 18-day Southern Islands & Sea of Japan, the same itinerary additionally aboard Diamond Princess and roundtrip from Tokyo, departing on June 22, 2024. Visitors who want to rebook to the June date have been requested to contact the cruise line or their journey advisor.
The June 22 itinerary doesn’t embrace 4 ports scheduled on the canceled cruise, together with Aomori, Sakata, Toyama, and Sakaiminato, all in Japan. Two new ports are on the alternate itinerary, nevertheless – Kagoshima and Akita.
The discover additionally sweetened the take care of a monetary incentive, providing visitors who rebook for any 2024 Japan or Singapore voyage $50 onboard credit score per stateroom, with the credit score making use of to the primary two visitors on the reserving, for reservations made by August 31, 2023.
“We sincerely apologize for any disappointment this cancellation could trigger and stay up for welcoming you aboard one other Princess cruise,” the notification stated.
Port calls on the prolonged, now-cancelled itinerary included well-known locations, equivalent to Sakata, Ishigaki, and Nagasaki, Japan; Busan, South Korea; and Hualien and Keelung, Taiwan, amongst others.
All cruise traces do sometimes cancel voyages in favor of full-ship charters. Whereas it might appear unfair to booked visitors who’ve their journey plans disrupted, such cancellations are sometimes made many months prematurely, permitting loads of time for revised plans.
In Could 2023, for instance, Norwegian Cruise Line canceled almost the entire Norwegian Spirit’s Alaska cruises in 2024. Initially, the road gave no motive for the cancellation, however a month later revealed the ship could be chartered to a Taiwanese tour firm for cruises in Asia.
Crusing Was A part of a Broader Return to Japan
Princess Cruises returned to the Japan area in spring 2023 for the primary time for the reason that industry-wide shutdown. The road had introduced in December 2022 that it could redeploy to Japan after the federal government determined to permit worldwide cruise ships to return to its ports.
The cruise line launched each a spring and summer time 2024 sequence of cruises onboard the two,670-guest Diamond Princess, which entered service in 2004.
Among the ship’s summer time itineraries will showcase native festivals, providing visitors late-night stays in port for occasions that embrace the Aomori Nebuta Competition, Kochi Yosakoi Dance Competition, and the Kumano Fireworks Competition, all taking place in August 2024.
Japanese Visitors Launched to Medallion Providers
Japanese visitors crusing onboard Diamond Princess in 2023 are having their first expertise utilizing the Princess Medallion expertise. The quarter-size Medallions are wearable gadgets that allow touch-free boarding, keyless stateroom entry, finding different visitors onboard the ship, making eating reservations, ordering meals and drinks, and accessing different shipboard companies.
The expertise, which is accessed by downloading the Medallion app, was launched by Princess Cruises in 2017 however was not in use on Diamond Princess throughout pre-pandemic Japan sailings.
The 115,875-gross ton Diamond Princess is a Grand-class ship that provides eight stateroom classes and a number of other specialty eating places, together with Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, Sterling Steakhouse, Kai Sushi, Chef’s Desk Expertise, and Final Balcony Eating. It has 5 predominant eating rooms and 12 bars, and loads of different options for cruisers of all ages to get pleasure from.
