Does Princess not send "Deal" email when you have an upcoming cruise?

[nho9504]

I remember in the past once you have booked an upcoming cruise, Princess stops sending you Flash sale email or last minute deals.

 

I have been receiving those Last Minute emails pretty steadily, also could see those after I logged in My Princess - UNTIL on 3/16 we booked the Crown Transatlantic sails on 04/28. Now not only I dont have any flash sale email but I can no longer see any "Last Minute" sales on Princess website!

 

My SIL got a flash email late last week on an incredible sale of Crown's 5/12 Egypt and Agean Sea that immediately follows our cruise. She did not tell me until she and 5 others booked the cruise then she asked me about the shareholder benefit that I told her before. When I logged in My Princess I did not see the same price which was $300 cheaper than an already very low price.

 

I have monitored the 5/12 sailing on and off and debated whether we should book that also because we like the 2 days in Alexandria but the ports that followed, are not of interest to us as in 2010 we have spent extensive time on land trip in the region. So we were quite undecided. However if we saw the price my SIL got, we would probably book that also.

 

Holland America on the other hand, would continue to send you the sale emails regardless you have an upcoming cruises or not.

 

I honestly think this Princess practice is detrimental to its loyal customers who have booked their cruises already.

 

What are your recent experiences?

[caribill]

My SIL got a flash email late last week on an incredible sale of Crown's 5/12 Egypt and Agean Sea that immediately follows our cruise. She did not tell me until she and 5 others booked the cruise then she asked me about the shareholder benefit that I told her before. When I logged in My Princess I did not see the same price which was $300 cheaper than an already very low price.

 

 

The pricing you saw at My Princess were not the Flash sale prices as those are not usually posted there.

 

Contact Princess or your Travel Agent to get the flash sale pricing.

[dw64]

I was receiving " flash fares, & deals". Then I booked a cruise, nothing since. Hummm.

Very interesting. Thanks for pointing that out.

[Coral]

You got it. Once I book a cruise, I stop getting specials.

[lovevacadays]

I've got a cruise booked and I am still getting specials. Got two last week.

[Coral]

I've got a cruise booked and I am still getting specials. Got two last week.

 

Give it a week or two. Sometimes it takes a few weeks for the emails to stop.

[Treven]

I don't recall getting those.

[dog]

Me too, I haven't received any in a very long time.

[cormike1]

I have had our cruise booked for a couple of months and I am still getting Princess sale stuff. In fact they are really advertising the Alaska/Mediterranian cruise area sales. I am still getting brochures in the mail for sales to.

[nho9504]

I have had our cruise booked for a couple of months and I am still getting Princess sale stuff. In fact they are really advertising the Alaska/Mediterranian cruise area sales. I am still getting brochures in the mail for sales to.

 

Those are not flash sales.

 

Flash sales prices are drastically reduced to a level that makes your jaw dropped.

 

We booked our 4/26 Crown Transatlantic crossing sailing on 3/16. I was still able to see some very low price last minute deals on My Princess for about a week or so and then they no longer showed up. The 5/12 Egypt and Agean never dropped below $899 inside. Last week my SIL got the Last Minute email and the price was so cheap, at $569 including taxes, they could not resist it but immediately purchased it. That is despite they would be on a 4/14 Liberty of the Sea Transatlantic that disembarks on 4/28 at Barcelona, and they would fly home on 4/30. Then 9 days later they would fly to Rome on 5/10, spend a day in Rome, then board the Crown on 5/12 for the sailing to Venice. The airfare is $866 from Airtransat (Toronto departure).

 

The $569 including tax price really irks me when all the time Princess shows a $899. The cruise was still not closed when I looked it up this past weekend.

 

So there, the flash price could be 50% off from the regular sale emails you got, and those prices in the brochures pretty much are jokes. Though I am sure there would be folks paying for those.

 

HAL on the other hand the similar flash price is the same as on its website when you log in. Last year we did the 14 days Transatlantic on Neuw Amsterdam for $999 balcony all in.

[Victoria_BC_Mom]

I remember in the past once you have booked an upcoming cruise, Princess stops sending you Flash sale email or last minute deals.

 

What are your recent experiences?

 

My TA sent us an -mail about a Princess flash sale on a bunch of sailings, including one we are booked on. When I go to the Princess site there is no flash sale listed in the dream deals. I also can't see the flash sale prices on the website. Seems a little deceptive. If Princess has a cruise on sale, then you should be able to see the sale prices when you access the princess site. There are many claims on Cruise Critic that friends or relatives see different prices when looking at the same cruise, so perhaps some can see the flash sale prices, but we can't.

[caribill]

My TA sent us an -mail about a Princess flash sale on a bunch of sailings, including one we are booked on. When I go to the Princess site there is no flash sale listed in the dream deals. I also can't see the flash sale prices on the website. Seems a little deceptive. If Princess has a cruise on sale, then you should be able to see the sale prices when you access the princess site. There are many claims on Cruise Critic that friends or relatives see different prices when looking at the same cruise, so perhaps some can see the flash sale prices, but we can't.

 

Flash sales are for new bookings only and thus those already booked are not eligible for these lower prices.

 

The Princess web site usually only shows prices available to all, including those already booked. Thus, most of the time those already booked are eligble for a lower price if it is shown on the Princess web site.

[cormike1]

There is a $!00 price reduction on the Panama cruise I booked for Nov. I usually go in on the Princess site and go right through as if I was booking as a new person. It keeps saying if you are a past passenger to sign-in as you might get additional savings. It is correct as once I go and sign in there is an additional $100 taken off. It is still about $50 higher than what my TA is giving it to me for so no deal so far. If it does drop anymore, I will definitely call my Ta and ask for the discount. I have done that before and the discount has been honored. Love when that happens!

[nho9504]

The point I am making is NOT for getting flash sale price matched to cruise already booked.

 

The point I am making is we who have upcoming cruises booked, should be able to see all flash sale prices as well - how can Princess take it for granted that we would not book another cruise, before or after our sailing?

 

There are plenty of us who can go on an unplanned cruise if the prices are right regardless whether we have one, two or how many existing booked cruises as long as we can manage the schedule.

 

This Princess policy is totally unfathomable to me. There are several reasons why the last few cruises to bring us to the Elite level take much longer than expected because HAL constantly sends us its sale even we have had cruises booked already. Needless to say, HAL gets our cruise $ instead of the cruise $ goes to Princess because of this stupid Princess policy.

[Matcodixon]

The point I am making is NOT for getting flash sale price matched to cruise already booked.

 

The point I am making is we who have upcoming cruises booked, should be able to see all flash sale prices as well - how can Princess take it for granted that we would not book another cruise, before or after our sailing?

 

There are plenty of us who can go on an unplanned cruise if the prices are right regardless whether we have one, two or how many existing booked cruises as long as we can manage the schedule.

 

This Princess policy is totally unfathomable to me. There are several reasons why the last few cruises to bring us to the Elite level take much longer than expected because HAL constantly sends us its sale even we have had cruises booked already. Needless to say, HAL gets our cruise $ instead of the cruise $ goes to Princess because of this stupid Princess policy.

 

Only 5 minutes of your time each week to check the Princess web site for price drops and other sales will solve the problem completely. I have gotton 2 price drops since I booked in January.. It's not really that difficult..

[nho9504]

Only 5 minutes of your time each week to check the Princess web site for price drops and other sales will solve the problem completely. I have gotton 2 price drops since I booked in January.. It's not really that difficult..

 

You did not get the point. Or you have not bothered to read the previous posts on this issue, not even my post right above yours.

 

We are not talking price drop on your existing cruise here. We are talking about unable to see excellent deals that only on Flash Sales.

 

The price drops you can see are nothing, especially if they are for cruise that sail months ahead because the initial prices are ridiculously inflated anyway.

 

You probably do not realize this is a tactic Princess uses - to make the initial price very inflated, then drop the prices regularly if the cruise does not sell like hot cake, thus making people like you feel good, that you have had price drop X times... not realizing you are paying an inflated price to begin with.

 

But then we are not even talking about price drop on existing cruise as you talk about. :rolleyes:

 

Have you read my post and others posts that the Flash SaLes do NOT show up on Princess site. All we see are the regular sales or normal price drops, not even the last minute sales once you have an upcoming cruise booked - upcoming in my book is defined as in the next 30 to 45 days. All Princess flash sales you previous received, suddenly stops coming. There are posters said they do not see any more last minutes in the Princess Deals once they have a cruise coming up.

 

Did you read my post about the Crown 5/12 sailing inside cabin on Princess site is $899 and $70 tax but on the flash sale email is $500 and my SIL was able to get it all in $569? It is a $400 price difference, or put it this way, a whopping 50% off from the price shown on Princess website.

 

How good is to spend the 5 minutes to check Princess site when it would not let you see anything once you logged in as the system is designed to block you from that information because you already have a cruise in the next 45 days? :rolleyes:

[chris2597]

I was wondering just the other day why I had not received any Princess sale emails. I was receiving them weekly prior to booking our AK cruise. Too bad as we are looking for other itineraries.

[caribill]

How good is to spend the 5 minutes to check Princess site when it would not let you see anything once you logged in as the system is designed to block you from that information because you already have a cruise in the next 45 days? :rolleyes:

 

Spend the 5 minutes calling your travel agent. TAs have access to all flash sales.

[Matcodixon]

You did not get the point. Or you have not bothered to read the previous posts on this issue, not even my post right above yours.

 

We are not talking price drop on your existing cruise here. We are talking about unable to see excellent deals that only on Flash Sales.

 

The price drops you can see are nothing, especially if they are for cruise that sail months ahead because the initial prices are ridiculously inflated anyway.

 

You probably do not realize this is a tactic Princess uses - to make the initial price very inflated, then drop the prices regularly if the cruise does not sell like hot cake, thus making people like you feel good, that you have had price drop X times... not realizing you are paying an inflated price to begin with.

 

But then we are not even talking about price drop on existing cruise as you talk about. :rolleyes:

 

Have you read my post and others posts that the Flash SaLes do NOT show up on Princess site. All we see are the regular sales or normal price drops, not even the last minute sales once you have an upcoming cruise booked - upcoming in my book is defined as in the next 30 to 45 days. All Princess flash sales you previous received, suddenly stops coming. There are posters said they do not see any more last minutes in the Princess Deals once they have a cruise coming up.

 

Did you read my post about the Crown 5/12 sailing inside cabin on Princess site is $899 and $70 tax but on the flash sale email is $500 and my SIL was able to get it all in $569? It is a $400 price difference, or put it this way, a whopping 50% off from the price shown on Princess website.

 

How good is to spend the 5 minutes to check Princess site when it would not let you see anything once you logged in as the system is designed to block you from that information because you already have a cruise in the next 45 days? :rolleyes:

 

We have completely different points of view. As well as different methods of booking vacations. As a working person, I have to book well in advance in order to get the time off I need. Since I booked my Mediterranean cruise, I have gotten 2 price drops (so far) that total about $1000 which makes me quite happy since I was happy with the price I origionally booked at or I would not have booked it in the first place. I also have 4 different emails so I get news regarding all types of sales. And you can go to the Princess website without logging in and see any difference in price between my current cruise as a booked passenger and as a new customer with no previous history. BTW I did read all of your posts. For me to book a flash sale would require me to cancel and rebook completely, which I do not wish to do since I am very happy with everything about my current booking. I could care less if I later find out that someone booked for a few $$ less than me. It seems you are the unhappy one and not me..

 

But that is just my opinion.. I could be wrong..

[Infi]

Once I book a cruise, I stop getting emails. I still do get the specials by regular mail though. I can practically wallpaper my house with them some months. These past few months were particularly aggressive with Europe, but as a result of them I was able to snag an excellent deal on a Med cruise.

[cacy6893076]

You did not get the point. Or you have not bothered to read the previous posts on this issue, not even my post right above yours.

 

We are not talking price drop on your existing cruise here. We are talking about unable to see excellent deals that only on Flash Sales.

 

The price drops you can see are nothing, especially if they are for cruise that sail months ahead because the initial prices are ridiculously inflated anyway.

 

You probably do not realize this is a tactic Princess uses - to make the initial price very inflated, then drop the prices regularly if the cruise does not sell like hot cake, thus making people like you feel good, that you have had price drop X times... not realizing you are paying an inflated price to begin with.

 

But then we are not even talking about price drop on existing cruise as you talk about. :rolleyes:

 

Have you read my post and others posts that the Flash SaLes do NOT show up on Princess site. All we see are the regular sales or normal price drops, not even the last minute sales once you have an upcoming cruise booked - upcoming in my book is defined as in the next 30 to 45 days. All Princess flash sales you previous received, suddenly stops coming. There are posters said they do not see any more last minutes in the Princess Deals once they have a cruise coming up.

 

Did you read my post about the Crown 5/12 sailing inside cabin on Princess site is $899 and $70 tax but on the flash sale email is $500 and my SIL was able to get it all in $569? It is a $400 price difference, or put it this way, a whopping 50% off from the price shown on Princess website.

 

How good is to spend the 5 minutes to check Princess site when it would not let you see anything once you logged in as the system is designed to block you from that information because you already have a cruise in the next 45 days? :rolleyes:

 

The word 'flash' is empahsized so many times in your posts i am beginning to wonder if this is a verbiage use issue, the term 'flash' is often confused with a 'last minute' deal.....but in truth, a ta can only book a true 'flash' promo. Last minute deals are a bit different as they can be seen on the website and are coded differently to those in the industry...kind of like airline seat promos. Caribill, at the top was correct, but maybe had not given enough info, a true 'flash' as called in the industry would not be seen on the princess website, only on a ta website, but a last minute flyer or email should still come to you directly from princess for all areas...europe, carribean, alaska, depnding on the season....just not the word 'flash' on those, but wording like 'last minute'......

[Matcodixon]

The word 'flash' is empahsized so many times in your posts i am beginning to wonder if this is a verbiage use issue, the term 'flash' is often confused with a 'last minute' deal.....but in truth, a ta can only book a true 'flash' promo. Last minute deals are a bit different as they can be seen on the website and are coded differently to those in the industry...kind of like airline seat promos. Caribill, at the top was correct, but maybe had not given enough info, a true 'flash' as called in the industry would not be seen on the princess website, only on a ta website, but a last minute flyer or email should still come to you directly from princess for all areas...europe, carribean, alaska, depnding on the season....just not the word 'flash' on those, but wording like 'last minute'......

 

Now I understand more.. I have not had much experience working with a TA. I have booked directly with Princess in the past. I did switch over my current booking to a TA at the recommendation of this board and did get some OBC as a result. I now trust him to handle this part of it. I am pleased to find out that future price drops can still be accomplished after final payment. Now, in the case of a flash promo, do they require cancel and rebook? It sounds like they can be some extremely reduced pricing.

[caribill]

Now, in the case of a flash promo, do they require cancel and rebook? It sounds like they can be some extremely reduced pricing.

 

Flash sales are always "for new bookings only."

 

Thus, you would need to cancel and rebook.

 

If in a penalty period, you would have to pay the penalty which most of the time will likely be more than any savings from the rebooking.

 

In addition, you may not be able to get the same cabin you already have and, if in traditional dining, may not be able to get that again.

[caribill]

The word 'flash' is empahsized so many times in your posts i am beginning to wonder if this is a verbiage use issue, the term 'flash' is often confused with a 'last minute' deal.....but in truth, a ta can only book a true 'flash' promo. Last minute deals are a bit different as they can be seen on the website and are coded differently to those in the industry...kind of like airline seat promos. Caribill, at the top was correct, but maybe had not given enough info, a true 'flash' as called in the industry would not be seen on the princess website, only on a ta website, but a last minute flyer or email should still come to you directly from princess for all areas...europe, carribean, alaska, depnding on the season....just not the word 'flash' on those, but wording like 'last minute'......

 

Some current last minute (flash?) fares available:

 

26 days from Ft. Lauderdale to Venice on Ruby Princess®

Itinerary: Ft. Lauderdale, Madeira (Funchal), Rome (Civitavecchia), Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Rome (Civitavecchia), Naples, Mykonos, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Athens (Piraeus), Venice (overnight) From $1299

14 days from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles on Island Princess®

Itinerary: Ft. Lauderdale, Aruba, Cartagena, Panama Canal, Fuerte Amador (for Panama City), Puntarenas,

Los Angeles From $599

19 days from Beijing (Tianjin) to Vancouver on Diamond Princess®

Itinerary: Beijing (Tianjin), Dalian, Busan, Vladivostok, Sapporo (Muroran/Hokkaido), Anchorage (Seward), Hubbard Glacier (scenic cruising), Juneau, Ketchikan, Vancouver From $899

Of course last minute airfare can raise the cost considerably.

 

Naturally, some taxes additional as are the daily suggested auto-tip amounts.

 

Try to have a land based vacation including food and entertainment for prices like these.

[Matcodixon]

Some current last minute (flash?) fares available:

 

26 days from Ft. Lauderdale to Venice on Ruby Princess®

Itinerary: Ft. Lauderdale, Madeira (Funchal), Rome (Civitavecchia), Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Rome (Civitavecchia), Naples, Mykonos, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Athens (Piraeus), Venice (overnight) From $1299

 

14 days from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles on Island Princess®

Itinerary: Ft. Lauderdale, Aruba, Cartagena, Panama Canal, Fuerte Amador (for Panama City), Puntarenas,

Los Angeles From $599

 

19 days from Beijing (Tianjin) to Vancouver on Diamond Princess®

Itinerary: Beijing (Tianjin), Dalian, Busan, Vladivostok, Sapporo (Muroran/Hokkaido), Anchorage (Seward), Hubbard Glacier (scenic cruising), Juneau, Ketchikan, Vancouver From $899

 

Of course last minute airfare can raise the cost considerably.

 

Naturally, some taxes additional as are the daily suggested auto-tip amounts.

 

Try to have a land based vacation including food and entertainment for prices like these.

 

Nice prices! Wish I could take advantage, problem is that naggy work stuff keeps getting in the way of my Vacation time!!