Crown Princess FLASH rates .

[MCC retired]

Just noticed great FLASH Rates for the Crown 7 night Caribbean sailings (after Thanksgiving, before Xmas).

Mini-suites from $749p/p

Balcony from $549p/p

Plus gov't tax .

 

If you can live with the non-refundability & cabin guarantee restrictions, now is the time . New Bookings only of course.

Your TA will have these rates .:rolleyes:

[Coral]

Pretty darn cheap!

 

Make sure you contact your TA as Princess direct doesn't often offer flash prices.

[lovevacadays]

Those are great rates!

[Aruba]

Can someone please explain to me what a FLASH rate is? I understand that it is a sale, but are there other implications involved? Thanks.

[MCC retired]

As prev. mentioned,FLASH rates are non refundable, Category guarantee cabins , new bookings only.

 

Other restrictions :

Insurance is not available thru Princess

Airfare is not available thru Princess

Not available for booking thru Princess.com

All TA's can book FLASH rates.

 

That's about it .

Don't wait too long , sometimes they disappear as fast as they appear .

[Coral]

Can someone please explain to me what a FLASH rate is? I understand that it is a sale, but are there other implications involved? Thanks.

 

Last minute specials along with what MCC said.

 

Just a way to fill a ship.

[Lady_Gamecock]

How far out in advance of the ship going underway do these FLASH Rates happen?

[Aruba]

But they're not available you say on princess.com? Only through a travel agent? Then how do you find out about them, other than having a travel agent make a cold-call asking if you're interested in cruising?

[MCC retired]

FLASH rates appear usually soon after Final Payment date (penalty period).This is to avoid people canceling & rebooking.

Not all ships or all sailings. Just the ones that need help filling up.

Soon as they get enough bookings , they disappear.:rolleyes:

 

All the cruise lines are doing simular .

Cunard also calls them FLASH , CCL calls them Pack & Go , etc..

 

These are the "Last Minute Deals" that people think are offered just days before sailing . 30 to 60 days out is "Last Minute".

[weberman]

Took this over last Christmas. Great Prices. Terrible ports (IMHO) in the Western Caribbean unless you are new to the Caribbean. We missed Georgetown because of rough weather and the tenders could not operate, however we have been there twice before..

 

Ports of Call:

Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Georgetown, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands | Cozumel, Mexico | Princess Cays, Bahamas

[Morgsmom]

Flash rates CAN change, too and still be called "flash" rates. I booked a flash rate for my upcoming Crown Cruise -- two weeks later a new flash rate was even lower (the prices the OP is showing). You never know when to jump in and book and after final payment it can go either way. (However it seems as soon as I book the price goes down within 24 hours so maybe I should post when I book so that others know to wait another day for the price to drop... :D)

[Morgsmom]

 

Ports of Call:

Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Georgetown, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands | Cozumel, Mexico | Princess Cays, Bahamas

 

The Crown is also stopping in Roatan this Caribbean season.

True, not GREAT ports, but if you've done quite a bit of Eastern, as we have lately, a change is also nice.

[Colo Cruiser]

How far out in advance of the ship going underway do these FLASH Rates happen?

 

Flash fares can happen anytime but as stated usually after the final payment date.

[momK]

Just noticed great FLASH Rates for the Crown 7 night Caribbean sailings (after Thanksgiving, before Xmas).

Mini-suites from $749p/p

Balcony from $549p/p

Plus gov't tax .

 

If you can live with the non-refundability & cabin guarantee restrictions, now is the time . New Bookings only of course.

Your TA will have these rates .:rolleyes:

 

Those are great rates, however, we've been booked for 3 months (12/11 sailing) and the mini-suites have only been $799 and up from that time on. That's why we chose this cruise. It is a VERY empty sailing. I don't think more than a handful of the suites are booked, and there are lots of mini-suites left, also.

[trv_agent]

As prev. mentioned,FLASH rates are non refundable, Category guarantee cabins , new bookings only.

 

Other restrictions :

Insurance is not available thru Princess

Airfare is not available thru Princess

Not available for booking thru Princess.com

All TA's can book FLASH rates.

 

That's about it .

Don't wait too long , sometimes they disappear as fast as they appear .

 

As a travel agent I still see the option to add EZAir to bookings that were booked using FLASH rates. So I believe air is still an option.

[Cruisebird]

Where/how can someone see a Flash Rate or even know they are available for that matter?

[Luvsprincess]

How do you know its a VERY empty cruise? Hopefully I will get an upgrade then. This will be my 30th sailing and I have not got a single upgrade yet.

[Coral]

Where/how can someone see a Flash Rate or even know they are available for that matter?

 

This is why it is good to have a relationship with a TA. I am only cruising one time this year (technically 2 cruises) but just knowing a TA that I can call when I want a special and say "any great rates in the next month or two" is priceless.

 

If you don't have a relationship with a TA, start one. They can save you a lot of money and guide you in the right direction.

[Luvsprincess]

We got the flash rate but still hoping for the upgrade.

[Putterdude]

There is something very curious about this itinerary or the ship, we are on it in early January and we have received over $700 in price reductions since booking.

[geoherb]

We took that itinerary in the spring and enjoyed it--although we treat the ship as our main destination. The only problem was the ship skipped Princess Cays because it was too rough to tender.

 

I'm seeing better prices on the Princess website--$547 for a balcony and $747 for a mini.

[Coral]

We took that itinerary in the spring and enjoyed it--although we treat the ship as our main destination. The only problem was the ship skipped Princess Cays because it was too rough to tender.

 

I'm seeing better prices on the Princess website--$547 for a balcony and $747 for a mini.

 

As a past passenger you may qualify for better rates.....

[Coral]

There is something very curious about this itinerary or the ship, we are on it in early January and we have received over $700 in price reductions since booking.

 

I am guessing two things.... October, November (hurricane season), Dec and January (minus holiday weeks) are usually less busy compared to February, March, April....

 

Secondly, I think there is a lot of cabins out there. Think of just the addition of the Oasis and the Allure of the Seas (regular sailings start first of December for Allure) ships out there competing with all the other lines. I bet prices for the Caribbean are going to continue to be low for awhile (minus peak weeks).

[Luvsprincess]

alot of people spend times with families on Thanksgiving so they dont leave for a week. I think thats why its so slow. Believe me, give it some time and it will be full. Wonder how many passengers are booked now and how many kids

[KruzPrincess]

I am guessing two things.... October, November (hurricane season), Dec and January (minus holiday weeks) are usually less busy compared to February, March, April....

 

Secondly, I think there is a lot of cabins out there. Think of just the addition of the Oasis and the Allure of the Seas (regular sailings start first of December for Allure) ships out there competing with all the other lines. I bet prices for the Caribbean are going to continue to be low for awhile (minus peak weeks).

 

I agree with you that there are a lot of cabins out there. Also, most people seem to want to go on the new Ruby Princess that is doing a weekly Caribbean route. I've been on the Crown twice, though, and it's a lovely ship.