Not happy with Princess

[bongaree]

I have put this on the Princess thread. We paid our deposit last July for our September cruise and yesterday I noticed that the fares have been reduced. If we had waited till yesterday we would be over $1500 better off. They are also offering free Balcony upgrades from Ocean View. If this happened in the US we would be able to access the new fare with no penality. WHY do Carnival continually treat us Aussies like second class as if we won't complain. We put up with all the old ships and also much poorer menu's and also entertainment. US passengers would not put up with the way we are treated. Maybe after all my years of loyalty to Princess I will be looking at RCL. There is going to be a lot more competition in Australian waters in the coming years.:mad:

[bobhsv]

I have put this on the Princess thread. We paid our deposit last July for our September cruise and yesterday I noticed that the fares have been reduced. If we had waited till yesterday we would be over $1500 better off. They are also offering free Balcony upgrades from Ocean View. If this happened in the US we would be able to access the new fare with no penality. WHY do Carnival continually treat us Aussies like second class as if we won't complain. We put up with all the old ships and also much poorer menu's and also entertainment. US passengers would not put up with the way we are treated. Maybe after all my years of loyalty to Princess I will be looking at RCL. There is going to be a lot more competition in Australian waters in the coming years.:mad:

 

Just a suggestion....ring a TA, explain the situation, as possibly they may be able to take over your booking, including deposit made, and get this better deal. I too had made enquiries, but with ours they couldn't beat the Princess price at the time. I am hoping ours comes down too.

Good luck.

Jen

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I have put this on the Princess thread. We paid our deposit last July for our September cruise and yesterday I noticed that the fares have been reduced. If we had waited till yesterday we would be over $1500 better off. They are also offering free Balcony upgrades from Ocean View. If this happened in the US we would be able to access the new fare with no penality. WHY do Carnival continually treat us Aussies like second class as if we won't complain. We put up with all the old ships and also much poorer menu's and also entertainment. US passengers would not put up with the way we are treated. Maybe after all my years of loyalty to Princess I will be looking at RCL. There is going to be a lot more competition in Australian waters in the coming years.:mad:

 

Depending on where you are at , with cancellation fees , you could cancel and rebook at the new deal. Lots of folk in the States do that and save themselves heaps. In fact I have read on the boards where TA's have actually done that for their client.

 

[bongaree]

Thanks Jen and David.

 

We have been looking into all avenues and as our deposit is $2000 it wouldn't save us much.

 

Our TA has been very good and she can't understand it at all as she said she has done it for people before and Princess say they can't alter our fare as it is a past passenger fare. That only saved us about $500.

 

I've sent Princess a strongly worded email but so far no reply. Our full payment is due on Monday and as it is a public holiday don't expect a reply from Princess before we make our final payment. I will leave it till Tuesday to make the payment and see what happens.

 

Will be looking elsewhere from now on - probably RCL.

Cheers, Janet

[Flipper133]

I obviously dont know who your TA is, but I find your/their comments a little odd.

 

I too am sailing on the Sun Princess later this year, and I booked last December. Like you I have seen the prices come down significantly since, and I have had no problems with my TA arrangeing a revision to my booking, which has been done twice. There has been a cancellation charge of $100 which I hope the TA gets to keep as they are the ones doing the work.

 

Here is copy from some emails I have rec'd :

 

Thank you for your patience I have spoken to Princess and my manager and of course we are more than happy to change your fare. The only issue is that in order to do this, as before we need to cancel and rebook this cruise and that would incur a $100.00 cancellation fee.

 

Thank you for your email and I do appreciate the situation that you are in. Please, if you see further reductions in your cruise - do not hesitate to contact us.[/I] In regards to the pricing you are right - it is definitely a little crazy at the moment. I think you will find that the influx of ships this season, Princess will have the Dawn, Sun and Sea Princess, Royal Caribbean will have the Rhapsody and the Radiance and Holland American will also have two ships, is causing these changes. There is obviously so much choice out there and we are seeing all of the companies moving prices around. Also I can see that in terms of Princess they are doing their best to offer their past passengers the best available rates which is good.

Perhaps you should press your TA a little harder

 

cheers

[rkmw]

on Princess cruises out of OZ we can buy a future cruise letter for $100 PP and that covers your deposit up to 42 day cruises but you can only buy them onboard by credit card.....much like the old ones where we didnt have to pay for them but it saves paying out a $2000 deposit

[bongaree]

Hi Flipper Thanks for your suggestions but I think you will find that as your cruise is over 180 days out, you would be able to change your booking, however we are only 103 days out so any cancellation now would result in full loss of our $2000 deposit which would defeat the purpose.

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

Cheers, Janet

[rugbypopsie]

I never book now without a FCC letter however that said it is absolutely ridiculous we have to put up with these unfair booking conditions. Dont just write here write to Fair Trading, write to the newspapers and TV programs...we are seriously ripped off compared to other areas. The cruise lines are making huge profits in the Australian/NZ market...all we want is a fair go.

 

Don't sit and suffer...whinge loudly!!!!

[MMDown Under]

I never book now without a FCC letter however that said it is absolutely ridiculous we have to put up with these unfair booking conditions. Dont just write here write to Fair Trading, write to the newspapers and TV programs...we are seriously ripped off compared to other areas. The cruise lines are making huge profits in the Australian/NZ market...all we want is a fair go.

 

Don't sit and suffer...whinge loudly!!!!

 

 

I agree.

 

If we all spread the word amongst potential cruisers and stop booking under such unfair booking conditions, the cruise lines/TAs will stop their discriminatory booking practices, in Australia.

[NSWP]

Princess Australia are unforgiving in their treatment of us. These cancellation charges etc. Look what the Americans get, they book and cancel with no penalty. I could go on and on, look what the Americans get re price cuts, amount of vino you can take on the 'American Princess' ships, as opposed to Dawn/Sun Princess, based in OZ. No it ain't right.

 

We always use FCC letters on booking for the OBC and low deposit on the shorter cruises. However I was unaware we could purchase a FCC letter for $100 on board, for deposit on longer cruises. For instance we had to put $1500 deposit down each for our 30 day Ruby cruise, that is for a $5000 pp cabin. However on the following Coral 14 night cruise, I only put down $200 using the FCC letters. Got OBC for each though.

 

So make sure you get plenty of FCC letters folks, use the system.

[rugbypopsie]

With FCC letters be aware if booked through Aussie agent you can only use them for another booking through Aussie agent. US ones can be used when booked through US agents..but we would never book in the US would we:rolleyes:. Prices have become more competitve through our Australian agents but we want the fairer booking conditions too.

 

Keep complaining and be persistent....polite.... but persistent. Your agent should be able to get you a better deal and if they cant then find a different agent in future.

[stki]

With FCC letters be aware if booked through Aussie agent you can only use them for another booking through Aussie agent. US ones can be used when booked through US agents..but we would never book in the US would we:rolleyes:.

 

Thats why we also get a FCC on board. Even on our last cruise on the Sapphire to Alaska in May, we booked via a OZ TA, but because we also have booked via the US previously & have a US TA, we were able to buy US FCC. Even though the prices may be in line, the booking & cancelling conditions in the US are so much better. We would love to give our business to OZ TA's, but until they have the same booking & cancelling conditions, our US TA will get our business.

 

Cheers

 

Tanya

[pacificlover]

This is not Princess related, but I thought I'd share my experience of just this week. I saw a cruise on Celebrity with fantastic price for over 55s. When I checked with an Aussie cruise specialist they required $1,900 non refundable deposit for a 17 day cruise. Unbelievable!!! I then contacted my favourite US vacation site and was able to book with a fully refundable deposit of $US450.........no comparison. Guess which company I'm going with.

[cassarina]

Princess Australia are unforgiving in their treatment of us. These cancellation charges etc. Look what the Americans get, they book and cancel with no penalty. I could go on and on, look what the Americans get re price cuts, amount of vino you can take on the 'American Princess' ships, as opposed to Dawn/Sun Princess, based in OZ. No it ain't right.

 

We always use FCC letters on booking for the OBC and low deposit on the shorter cruises. However I was unaware we could purchase a FCC letter for $100 on board, for deposit on longer cruises. For instance we had to put $1500 deposit down each for our 30 day Ruby cruise, that is for a $5000 pp cabin. However on the following Coral 14 night cruise, I only put down $200 using the FCC letters. Got OBC for each though.

 

So make sure you get plenty of FCC letters folks, use the system.

 

Excuse my ignorance but what is a FCC letter I need to know, at the moment I have booked a cruise through an agent and now I can book through Princess at a $1.000 cheaper, but i have paid a deposit of $1,200 to the agent, I am going to contact them:eek:

[bobhsv]

Excuse my ignorance but what is a FCC letter I need to know, at the moment I have booked a cruise through an agent and now I can book through Princess at a $1.000 cheaper, but i have paid a deposit of $1,200 to the agent, I am going to contact them:eek:

 

Hi

A FCC means Future Cruise Credit. When onboard any Princess ship you can get a letter offering you onboard credit for any future cruises you may book with them and it covers you for up to four years. You may also pay a small amount, again whilst onboard, and be entitled to a reduced deposit. We did this last time, and it is a great system. I personally have found that booking with Princess itself has been great, and with our cruise coming up, the prices were better than elsewhere. Last time we also booked straight through Princess online/phone. They are always helpful, and have longer opening hours via phone than most TA's.

So for us we are very happy with Princess.

Jen and Bob

[rkmw]

Excuse my ignorance but what is a FCC letter I need to know, at the moment I have booked a cruise through an agent and now I can book through Princess at a $1.000 cheaper, but i have paid a deposit of $1,200 to the agent, I am going to contact them:eek:

 

cassarina, with the FCCL when you cruise with Princess you go and see the Princess travel rep in the Wheelhouse Bar on deck 7 and you pay $100 PP and that is your deposit paid for cruises up to 46 nights and you receive OBC depending on the length of the cruise and what category you booked

 

you are allowed to cancel out as long as you dont make final payment....if you are not sure when you want to cruise its valid for 4 years and is fully refundable if not used and is only good for the first two passengers

[sherri3802too]

I understand where you are coming from.

I think what is annoying is you are the earlier customer and while I can understand that different priced fares do come up and maybe we can't access them, I always think it is mean that the upgrades of cabin don't go to the earlier bookings.

Last year we booked inside cabins on Pacific Dawn, well in advance. I noticed that a few months out from the cruise, but getting closer to cruise time, an agent suddenly threw in a special with a balcony cabin for less than we were paying for the inside.

I felt like ringing the agent (it was our agent) and asking them to transfer our booking but I am not sure we could have.

And no, we didn't get an upgrade of any kind.

 

If agents would sometimes upgrade the bookings of earlier clients, even if they didn't reduce fares etc, it would make some people (me at least) feel a lot more inclined to book earlier.

As it is, you often seem to end up paying a heap more for less.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I cant see why they dont do what they used to do....

As you say, book an inside cabin early, then they just keep selling them at the lower price, but as the bookings roll in, those who booked early get moved up a a grade or two .

 

 

[rkmw]

Hi

A FCC means Future Cruise Credit. When onboard any Princess ship you can get a letter offering you onboard credit for any future cruises you may book with them and it covers you for up to four years. You may also pay a small amount, again whilst onboard, and be entitled to a reduced deposit. We did this last time, and it is a great system. I personally have found that booking with Princess itself has been great, and with our cruise coming up, the prices were better than elsewhere. Last time we also booked straight through Princess online/phone. They are always helpful, and have longer opening hours via phone than most TA's.

So for us we are very happy with Princess.

Jen and Bob

 

hi Jen, Princess AU have changed the FCCL as you only pay $100 pp by credit card and thats your deposit paid so you dont have to outlay the big deposit and you get the other benefits also

 

bob

[bobhsv]

hi Jen, Princess AU have changed the FCCL as you only pay $100 pp by credit card and thats your deposit paid so you dont have to outlay the big deposit and you get the other benefits also

 

bob

 

Thanks for clarifying this Bob. This will come in very handy in Nov when we book onboard for our first ever US cruise. Just out of interest, when did it come in....please don't tell me this option was available when we were on the Diamond Jan 2010:eek:, cos if it was, then we weren't told about it:mad:.

Also, does this new option apply when booking with TA, or both TA and Princess?

Thanks again.......handy, this board isn't it:)

Jen

[rkmw]

Thanks for clarifying this Bob. This will come in very handy in Nov when we book onboard for our first ever US cruise. Just out of interest, when did it come in....please don't tell me this option was available when we were on the Diamond Jan 2010:eek:, cos if it was, then we weren't told about it:mad:.

Also, does this new option apply when booking with TA, or both TA and Princess?

Thanks again.......handy, this board isn't it:)

Jen

 

Jen, we cruised on the Hawaii cruise in april and i believe it started then but you can book with a TA or Princess...you can buy as many as you like and we ended up buying four (two each) but you must pay by credit card

 

bob

[The_Big_M]

hi Jen, Princess AU have changed the FCCL as you only pay $100 pp by credit card and thats your deposit paid so you dont have to outlay the big deposit and you get the other benefits also

 

bob

 

I believe you only pay if your booking is with a US agent - Australian bookings don't have a charge.

[rkmw]

I believe you only pay if your booking is with a US agent - Australian bookings don't have a charge.

 

they have changed it as us Australians have to pay $100 each....i dont know if you can get the old FCCL but why would you as i have stated once you pay your $100 thats the deposit paid even for a 42 nighter to China

 

when you log into Princess it got that you have so much in your Circle Savings Account and if you get a quote off a TA they know that you have a credit in your account once you give them your number

[bobhsv]

they have changed it as us Australians have to pay $100 each....i dont know if you can get the old FCCL but why would you as i have stated once you pay your $100 thats the deposit paid even for a 42 nighter to China

 

when you log into Princess it got that you have so much in your Circle Savings Account and if you get a quote off a TA they know that you have a credit in your account once you give them your number

 

 

That makes sense. So when were on the Diamond this couldn't have been implemented, as when we booked with Princess earlier this year for Sea Princess, we had to get the letter out and quote the number. Nothing appears on our Circle Savings (says nil), we just got OBC, same as everyone else due to campaign, and had to pay $800 deposit. From what I can work out now, the rules have altered since, and this will be of great advantage to us when booking onboard in Nov. Will have to take the laptop with us to suss out other current prices at the time:D.

Thanks again,

Jen

[rkmw]

That makes sense. So when were on the Diamond this couldn't have been implemented, as when we booked with Princess earlier this year for Sea Princess, we had to get the letter out and quote the number. Nothing appears on our Circle Savings (says nil), we just got OBC, same as everyone else due to campaign, and had to pay $800 deposit. From what I can work out now, the rules have altered since, and this will be of great advantage to us when booking onboard in Nov. Will have to take the laptop with us to suss out other current prices at the time:D.

Thanks again,

Jen

 

Jen, i think its a very good idea where you dont have to pay the big deposit and if you cancel out before final payment you get your $100 back

 

before you leave home for your cruise ring around a few TA's and see what they are offering

 

bob