What perks are offered to UK Cruisers

[EJNutz]

Looking around a number of cruise lines offer some incentives to UK cruisers. What perks have or incentives have you received? and were you impressed?

[Goldryder]

Looking around a number of cruise lines offer some incentives to UK cruisers. What perks have or incentives have you received? and were you impressed?

 

Costa don't offer perks to UK cruisers per se...however their repeat cruiser club - that goes across all nationality of cruiser, are available after the first one has been completed, are pretty decent...

 

http://www.costacruises.co.uk/B2C/GB/CostaClub/priv_soci/priv_soci.htm

 

I would imagine that if they were to do more cruises ex UK....this year will be the first with Costa Magica, they may offer carrots to entice Brits off other lines.

 

MSC are offering free shorex plus a discount on their Opera cruises ex UK this year...

 

http://www.msccruises.co.uk/uk_en/Cruise-Deals/Southampton_Cruise_Deal.aspx

[AmoMondo]

I get quite a few perks from being a repeat cruiser but not from being a UK cruiser.

 

However MSC were doing a UK promotion recently of free flight, free transfer, free cabin upgrade (pay for inside and get a balcony), so I was rather pleased to also be allowed my 20% discount too. usually it is one promo or another, not combining them. Guess they wanted to get cabins sold this month for the coming year.

[tartanexile81]

The only thing I've ever been offered by P&O is the usual obc plus free car parking / coach travel. Nothing by Celebrity or Princess in the UK

[salsalady]

All the cruises we have taken from Southampton, be it with P&O, Celebrity, RCI or Princess all seem to offer OBC and free parking at Southampton..

 

However, P&O are currently offering free flights to join their new ship Adonia in the Med, and free flights for all world cruise sectors for 2012. THis is quite a saving as we have paid in the region of £1000 for our flight our to HOng Kong next week.

 

Thats about it.....

 

Karen

[DEEDIA]

We sail with RCI and get the benifits on the tally of Cruises done, The last Cruise we did (Baltic) was predominantly Amercians, talk to them and they get more benifits than UK passengers. They can join a Forum, have a RCI credit card more points. Tips are pushed on to us brits as its not our Culture, Us Brits just have to struggle on. ---PS, I never pay my TIPS up front.

[sandian]

RCI offered OBC, Early booking discount, free parking and a bottle of Champagne, fizzy water probably.

[DEEDIA]

sandian, sorry I was talking about replying to perks, Yes I have had free parking, Yes I have had OBC, never had a Bottle of anything. But all the other Cruise Lines offer these. I suppose we don't do bad but we could do better.

[jocap]

The only lines we've repeated are NCL and P&O, and so far there's not been much...a drinks party on Norwegian, and something off onboard buys with P&O. I don't want to be too involved with perks, as I want to try a lot more lines first!

Jo.

[DEEDIA]

Don't know how many of you receive this free, but there was a debate on the price of drinks aboard the Cruise Ships. It made interesting reading. http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/blog/?p=2388# So if you think free parking and a bottle of Bubbly is free just read this, its paid for many times over.

 

We are not big drinkers so don't consume a lot, so not really affected.

[sandian]

Don't know how many of you receive this free, but there was a debate on the price of drinks aboard the Cruise Ships. It made interesting reading. http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/blog/?p=2388# So if you think free parking and a bottle of Bubbly is free just read this, its paid for many times over.

 

We are not big drinkers so don't consume a lot, so not really affected.

Deedia, nothing is ever free you just have to include it in the total cost. This is the first time we have received anything, apart from an upgrade on our first cruise to a suite from an outside. We consider ourselves fortunate and take anything offered.

[sidari]

We have a £100 obc for our xmas Costa cruise this year which was part of the deal offered by a certain Thomas, we had obc on Queen Victoria again as part of the booking.

 

But compared to the USA the UK market are poorly treated where perka are concerned.

 

We were on Oasis of the seas last year with friends from Canada who had booked with someone in the USA, they had a lot of perks for their trip which included a Free drinks party, T shirts and other stuff.

[penlanspice]

When we booked our Princess cruise last October for this October they were offering $600 on board ship credit. I also got a BA balcony for the same price as the lowest in the category by asking my TA.

 

If we sail with a ship that can be booked via a US agent I will usually do that as they often get a lower price or better perks, plus you can get the price dropped if it does. It would be great if UK agents did that too.

[DEEDIA]

penlanspice, where do you live, I ask, as you say about booking with a US Travel Agent. I also heard via US freinds about a RCI Cruise that dropped it prices to fill up, they wrote to RCI asking for a reduction being loyal customers, refused.

[penlanspice]

penlanspice, where do you live, I ask, as you say about booking with a US Travel Agent. I also heard via US freinds about a RCI Cruise that dropped it prices to fill up, they wrote to RCI asking for a reduction being loyal customers, refused.

 

We're in Wales.

It's common knowledge that in the US if they get a price drop then your TA will also get it for you, otherwise you could just cancel and re-book as they don't get cancellation fees/loss of deposit like we do.

 

When did your friends see a price drop? if it was after final payment then they wouldn't match that.

They quite often sell cruises cheaply in the run up to sail date just to fill cabins, they would rather sail full as the gratuities we pay make up the staff wages, so if cabins are empty no gratuities.

[mypleasure]

I have never got anything but a past guest party and 10% off a $5 lanyard on NCL. I see the americans getting vip status, upgrades, price drops and so on.

 

After my latest experience I will never, ever, book with a UK agent again unless there is no way I can possibly book with a US agent or US office of the cruiseline. I want those price drops and OBC that they get, plus refundable deposits for cancelling prior to full payment.

[seb530]

We have sailed with Princess twice and free OBC and parking at Southampton (very good) or bus is about it.

 

The other possible "perk" is that everything is set at the date you book.

So, for example, if you book in Jan and the rate is £1=$1.60 and you sail in August, then up to 10 days before the cruise you can phone them up and buy OBC. The rate you are given is as at the date of your booking. So, if the rate has taken a turn for the worse you can benefit.

 

However, theres always a downside... remember I said everything was set?

Well, lets sat you book an inside cabin and find the price of a balconly later drops. You CANNOT pay the new difference and upgrade to the balcony.

You must either pay for a balcony at the price it was when you booked OR cancel, lose your deposit, and re-book the balcony. I know this as it happened to me no matter how much I tried to get round it.

 

As has been previously stated, US passengers can cancel without penalty it would seem and can also call up their TA when the price drops and get their holiday reduced.

 

The higher price paid by non-US customers probably makes these routes very profitable and hence why more and more cruise ships are headed to Europe in my opinion.