On board bookings

[twocats]

I saved this thread from quite awhile back but my question never came up so I will post now with this new information I received. This is a partial quote from the old thread.

 

Every time I cruise Princess I visit the onboard agent to book another open booking. They charge $100 per person to your credit card, they will not charge your shipboard account - so this is a separate thing. In return you get that $100 as a deposit when you book your next cruise. Also, you get a shipboard credit which will vary depending on the length of the cruise you book. For a 7-9 day cruise you get $25 pp shipboard credit for an inside cabin and $50 pp for an outside. For a 10-15 day cruise you get $75 pp for an inside cabin and $100 pp for an outside.

 

The bottom line is, if you KNOW you will cruise Princess again in the next 4 years - this is a must do. You will get the shipboard credits just for committing now.

I just talked to my TA regarding my desire to pre-book, for an undecided cruise, during our upcoming cruise. She told me not to talk to the booking agent until the last couple of days of our 15 day cruise because we would need to be available to talk to the TA about purchasing travel insurance within 15 days after downpayment. I do realize that my current policy states ins. must be purchased 15 days after booking in order to cover pre-existing conditions of which I have several. I am very glad she told me this because I never heard this in discussions here before. Any comments, has anyone heard this before?

[Kallen]

This sounds more than a little strange to me since the downpayment isn't actually applied to anything until you are ready to book - which might be in three years! Our TA insists on purchasing the insurance when you book and she had no problems at all last June in applying the future cruise credit (which we purchased last year) and obtaining the insurance once we decided that we were ready to cruise again. Besides, if you do it the way your TA wants and decide not to cruise after all and request your money back, you've paid for the insurance for nothing.

 

Kerry

[bjboothman]

Kerry is exactly right about this. I've had exactly the same experience. One additional warning about going to the onboard booking office late in the cruise, you may well end up standing in a long line because everyone else waits until the last minute. Do it early and get it over with. There is nothing to lose with this scenario and everything to gain.

[lgarner]

So, if I book in advance and then decide not to do another Princess cruise, do I get my money back?

[GottoCruise]

Everyone's answers are indeed correct --- 'I assume u are speaking about a private Ins. policy - not Princess ---

Princess insurance does NOT have to be taken out any days after deposit ---HOWEVER - Preexisting condition waiver is good only ifyou are STABLE for 60 days prior to FULL PAYMENT of the insurance - Keep that in mind if that is what you are seeking!

Otherwise you can pay the Princess insurance w/ Final Payment...............

GotToCall (aka Renee)

[MichTraveler]

So, if I book in advance and then decide not to do another Princess cruise, do I get my money back?

 

Last time I did a future booking, it was 4 years or you can get your deposit back (no interest). I've used all of my bookings so far.

[ericosmith]

I just looked at several insurance web sites and every one of them states that you must purchase within 15 "days of initial payment" in order for preexisting condtions to be covered. They don't say anything about 15 days after booking.

 

It would appear that if you took these statements literally (which I'm sure in the event of a claim any insurance company would), preexisting conditions would not be covered if you made an open booking without actually purchasing a policy.

 

Can anybody point me to someplace in writing where this is not the case? It may be the determining factor for me.

[jerseygirl3]

When you make an open booking, you have not yet decided on a date, so the travel insurance waiver policy wouldn't kick in until you actually selected a cruise date. However, if you do an onboard booking and actually select your sailing date at that time, then you would have to purchase your insurance within 14 days to cover pre-existing conditions.

[laurieb]

when we were on the Tahitian Princess last month, we got a card delivered to our room for booking a future cruise. you could just fill out the card and turn it in instead of waiting to talk to the future cruise rep.

[Toto2Kansas]

Since a future booking on an undetermined ship means you are not actually booking a cruise, but just putting down a deposit TO book a cruise in the future, it is a totally different thing when it comes to insurance.

YES, if you book a certain ship for a sailing date while onboard another cruise, then the 14 or 15 day pre-existing condition clause would come into play. BUT if you book a ghost booking with no ship or cruise specified, then you do not buy insurance UNTIL the cruise is actually booked and you have choosen a ship and sailing date.

That might be why there is some confusion to this.

[chefajax]

AHHHHH, there is a fly in the ointment. We did the pre-booking thing, but when we tried to book with our online TA, they prefered not to deal with it. We checked with a few others, same story. We booked with Princess directly, which was fine......Dennis

[maggie27]

I am real new to this. Thank you for this information. We leave on the 12th on CP, and was interested in doing this. This will be our 2nd time with Princess. Anything else we should know? We have 7 rooms on this cruise. Back in 06/03 we had 5 rooms on the Coral.

[MCManders99]

I have a question about this too. If I use onboard booking, can I book for others too but in my name. Like if me and my fiance book 2 for each of us and we decide to cruise with another couple can they use two of our bookings? Just curious.

[DoreenD]

AHHHHH, there is a fly in the ointment. We did the pre-booking thing, but when we tried to book with our online TA, they prefered not to deal with it. We checked with a few others, same story. We booked with Princess directly, which was fine......Dennis

 

Hmmm. . .our online TA didn't have any problems at all with our future cruise credit. And, the cruise we chose happened to be one of her group cruises so we are receiving additional on-board credit and a photo package.

[laurieb]

when you do an open booking, they will give you two coupons that you can give away that will allow your friends the same 100pp deposit and onboard credit.

[GottoCruise]

I am repeating myself here as some have not understood....Princess Insurance Pre-exsisting Condition Waiver has nothing to do with when you put down a deposit ---It has a 60 day clause - in other words there must be no pre-exsisting condition for the 60 days prior to final payment of the INSURANCE (Not the cruise payement) - you can do these final payments separately and individually if you need to protect yourself!!!) All the discussion here pertains to other Private Insurance w/pre-exsisting waiver - NOT Princess Insurance!!!

I checked into this VERY thoroughly w/Princess and the Princess provider)

Hope this helps to clarify..........GotToCruise (aka Renee)

[DesrtDrmr]

GottoCruise, isn't it true that the Princess Insurance 60 day clause means that you cannot have any CHANGES in any preexisting conditions for that 60 days before insurance payment is made? :confused:

I'm confused, your statement is that you must not HAVE any preexisting conditions within the 60 days before insurance payment......I thought it was CHANGES of condition or medication during the 60 days prior to payment.

Can anyone clarify this?? Thanks in advance.

[Lynda90]

Another little know trick about onboard bookings. They may be split, therefore giving you twice as many bookings and OBC. For example, two people each purchase a future cruise booking, each paying $100. They decide to book a cruise after they get home and call their favorite TA and say they want to use one of their future bookings. The TA books, using one future cruise deposit and one $100 payment for second person. Each person has the advantage of the $100 deposit and they both will get the OBC. They still have one future cruise booking remaining and can do the same thing when they decide to book again at some future date. This way you are really getting four bookings instead of 2. I have done this with several crises.

[GottoCruise]

GottoCruise, isn't it true that the Princess Insurance 60 day clause means that you cannot have any CHANGES in any preexisting conditions for that 60 days before insurance payment is made? :confused:

 

 

TRUE!! (sorry I did not make myself clear! -If you have a change ---ie medication etc. then it's a pre-exsisting condition --otherwise - no change and they WAIVE the pre-exsisting condition that is STABLE!!)

 

GotToCruise (aka Renee)

[trudzie]

Lyndabaker, my friend and I just did the open booking for a future cruise. I like your idea but I'm not clear on how BOTH people will get the onboard credits, if only one booking is used. What am I not getting? The booking is tied to your name from what I can see. So how would my friend get OBC if we only used my future booking?

[MCManders99]

That kind of confuses me too. I love that idea, but can it be clarified.