How do I see Princess Cruise price in USD on the website?

[MAXII]

Hi: I am a long time Celebrity cruiser but thinking of "jumping ship" for awhile:D

 

Is there a way I can switch to seeing the prices in USD on the Princess web-site? It defaults to CDN pricing as I am in Canada. Thanks.

[AE_Collector]

You cant. If the price you see in Canadian ends in .90 it has a Princess exchange rate of 1.10 applied to it and if it ends in .80 it has an exchange rate of 1.20. You can do the match to work backwards to see what the US$ price would be.

 

For example, if the price is $768.90 CDN it is a $699 US price multiplied by 1.10 to get $768.90. Of course many people checking a particular cruise might see different prices depending on many factors but the Canadian and US prices for that same person will be the same except for the exchange rate factor.

 

There is a lot of pertinent info for Canadians booking on Princess in this topic:

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1968249&page=37

Terry

Edited August 1, 2015 by AE_Collector

[Steelers36]

Still, it's annoying that Princess has not adjusted their website to allow customers to change pricing to currency of choice, similar to many other websites.

 

Know that the exchange rate will change again around February. Generally, it's 20% right now because the 10% rate is expiring at various times in September. The exact date varies by ship and is generally being done as they switch over seasons from one region to another. Unless Princess feels the CAD has dropped too much to bear, you should be able to book at 20% for some time.

 

If you are booking ahead, your reservation will remain at the exchange rate booked. Some lucky cruisers do have fall cruises booked at 10% because they booked them prior to February, 2015, rate adjustment. Our November cruise would have been at 20% since we booked after Feb (but we booked with a US TA for better net price).

[AE_Collector]

I heard a number of years ago now (so this may or may not still be accurate) that Princess only allows you to book cruises in your own currency based on the passport you have registered with Princess *except* for Canadians. Canadians can choose between booking in CDN or US dollars. Now there must be a whole bunch of countries that Princess doesn't publish prices for so I would assume that those countries likely default to US$ or maybe a currency of a close by country that Princess does publish prices for.

 

Does NZ have their own pricing published by Princess or do they default to AUD, US$ or something else?

 

I know that going through a travel agent as opposed to booking direct with princess might get around that but in that case your rate is really just going to be the US price converted at the prevailing exchange rate as opposed to the Princess price which may be substantially better (or worse) than the prevailing exchange rate. They are preventing citizens of one country from booking in the currency of another country in order to take advantage of a preferential Princess exchange rate being offered to citizens of that country. Preferential exchange rates might be offered to lessen the impact of sudden adverse exchange rate changes such as the Canadian and/or Australian to US exchange rate this past year. Citizens of Canada and Australia are (I believe) the second and third largest groups of Princess customers and a more gradual change in the currency valuations might help prevent the sudden loss of large numbers of these customers.

 

So if most passengers have to book in their own local currency, there isn't a good reason to show what the price would be if you were booking in US$. It would just cause Princess more grief. And since the pricing structure of cruises is SO convoluted, most likely all you would see is the US$ price based on the exchange rate that Princess is currently using for your home currency anyway.

 

Terry

Edited August 2, 2015 by AE_Collector

[-Lew-]

I use a VPN (Virtual Private Network), for security on my iOS devices and MacBook Pro. In addition to providing a secure cellular and Wi-Fi connection it also allows me to appear to a website that I'm in different countries such as Australia, Canada, UK, France and others.

 

Using a VPN in Canada, you could select USA as your location to access the Princess website and see it as those is the US do...with US dollar pricing.

 

Lew

[Steelers36]

LEW is right, and many Canadians use this technique to appear as being in the USA for other purposes. (I am aware of this but have not signed up for something like this, although have thought about it a bit).

 

Toe AE_COLLECTOR - Princess is using system intelligence to detect where an IP address is coming from and then presenting their currency of choice. Perhaps I should have been more specific in my posting above in that Princess is already detecting source of customer coming to their website and could allow Canadian IP addresses to have a currency option. I have also read on here where UK customers have booked with a US agent, so I don't imagine there is any restrictions from Princess as to home address of a customer on a US TA booking.

Princess could restrict currency choice to only a few countries and it would be more convenient for some customers.

It's just a suggestion... :cool:

[AE_Collector]

When visiting relatives in WA State I see US pricing at Princess, until I log in and then it changes to my Canadian pricing. So the problem with using VPN would be that if you then want to see what your pricing would really be and log in you will no longer see the US pricing. What I mean by "what your pricing would really be"'is we all get dofferent pricing based on many factors including where we live, our age, our loyalty level to Princess etc.

 

I book cruises for my mom if she comes with us and she doesnt have email so her email address is my email address. I frequently get promotions and then realize that they are targeting her with better prices, not me. Sometimes her pricing is better and sometimes it is worse than mine. She might have a better balcony price but I have a better OV price. I suspect that the pricing strategy is very sophisticated. Better prices for her when the computer says that people in her demographic arent as likely as I am to do a certain cruise.

 

Terry

[-Lew-]

When visiting relatives in WA State I see US pricing at Princess, until I log in and then it changes to my Canadian pricing. So the problem with using VPN would be that if you then want to see what your pricing would really be and log in you will no longer see the US pricing. What I mean by "what your pricing would really be"'is we all get dofferent pricing based on many factors including where we live, our age, our loyalty level to Princess etc.

The OP simply wants to see US pricing. For that, a VPN works well. I agree that once logged in, Princess will use whatever information they have to formulate pricing.

 

Below are screen shots of a cruise showing US and Canadian pricing...

 

Lew

 

 

[MAXII]

You cant. If the price you see in Canadian ends in .90 it has a Princess exchange rate of 1.10 applied to it and if it ends in .80 it has an exchange rate of 1.20. You can do the match to work backwards to see what the US$ price would be.

 

For example, if the price is $768.90 CDN it is a $699 US price multiplied by 1.10 to get $768.90. Of course many people checking a particular cruise might see different prices depending on many factors but the Canadian and US prices for that same person will be the same except for the exchange rate factor.

 

There is a lot of pertinent info for Canadians booking on Princess in this topic:

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1968249&page=37

Terry

 

Awesome - thanks so much, the thread you provided is a super resource.

 

 

I use a VPN (Virtual Private Network), for security on my iOS devices and MacBook Pro. In addition to providing a secure cellular and Wi-Fi connection it also allows me to appear to a website that I'm in different countries such as Australia, Canada, UK, France and others.

 

Using a VPN in Canada, you could select USA as your location to access the Princess website and see it as those is the US do...with US dollar pricing.

 

Lew

Great idea - I'll do that. LOL, quite the coincidence but the itinerary we are thinking of is the 10 day Eastern C. you provided screenshots of in a later post!

 

Thanks to all.

[toberman]

Not about pricing, but sort of related.... We live in a border city and closest real airport with decent prices is in the US. Princess's eZAir will not give me airfares for anyplace but Cdn airports - therefore pretty much useless when I want to shop for prices. I can call Princess and they will reset me to show US airports, but I can only access this the one time they reset it. If I go back tomorrow I'm back to Cdn airports. Plus, I have to have a cruise booked for them to do it. I'm not saying I would use eZAir, but would like to check it out.

Edited August 2, 2015 by toberman

[-Lew-]

 

I can call Princess and they will reset me to show US airports, but I can only access this the one time they reset it. If I go back tomorrow I'm back to Cdn airports. Plus, I have to have a cruise booked for them to do it. I'm not saying I would use eZAir, but would like to check it out.

This is another good use of a VPN...

 

There is no need to have a cruise booked in order to check airfare on Princess' US website. Click on View Details on the page I posted above, if the cruise is within the booking window, you'll see an option to check eZAir.

 

Lew

[toberman]

This is another good use of a VPN...

 

There is no need to have a cruise booked in order to check airfare on Princess' US website. Click on View Details on the page I posted above, if the cruise is within the booking window, you'll see an option to check eZAir.

 

Lew

 

Thanks Lew - still an aggravating thing about the web site. Yes... I can access eZAir without booking a cruise but it only gives me Cdn airports. When I called Princess about it they wanted my confirmation # in order to reset my priorities to US. The VPN sounds like a good tool for some people, but since we can pay in either US or Cdn currency, they should show us both options.

[Steelers36]

Not about pricing, but sort of related.... We live in a border city and closest real airport with decent prices is in the US. Princess's eZAir will not give me airfares for anyplace but Cdn airports - therefore pretty much useless when I want to shop for prices. I can call Princess and they will reset me to show US airports, but I can only access this the one time they reset it. If I go back tomorrow I'm back to Cdn airports. Plus, I have to have a cruise booked for them to do it. I'm not saying I would use eZAir, but would like to check it out.

 

I disagree, or it depends on when you do this. If searching out cruises and your are set to CAD being in Canada, if you click on the flights tab (see below), you will be able to enter departure airport (e.g. YYZ versus BUF) and then compare options.

 

<darn .. I can't post the screen capture .. anyway, when searching a cruise and after selecting a trip, there are several tabs below the cabin types and prices. Click the tabs for flights and you can research all the available options from any airport - but you cannot book without booking a cruise.>

 

However, once booking is made, it includes a home airport, so then restricts what is shown. I agree once a booking is in place, it's a bit of a hassle. I've only booked EZAir once as price was unreal deal. Ever since then, it's always been more expensive or not offering flights I want.

[caribill]

However, once booking is made, it includes a home airport, so then restricts what is shown. I agree once a booking is in place, it's a bit of a hassle. I've only booked EZAir once as price was unreal deal. Ever since then, it's always been more expensive or not offering flights I want.

 

And (in the USA at least) if your TA forgets to set up your home airport, the default is LAX, near Princess HQ.

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes LAX. :p

[toberman]

I disagree, or it depends on when you do this. If searching out cruises and your are set to CAD being in Canada, if you click on the flights tab (see below), you will be able to enter departure airport (e.g. YYZ versus BUF) and then compare options.

 

 

Nope - won't work for me - I just tried it. Only airports that come up are Cdn. I tried SYR BUF & JFK and it doesn't recognize any of them. Put in YOW or YYZ and it works fine.

[Steelers36]

Nope - won't work for me - I just tried it. Only airports that come up are Cdn. I tried SYR BUF & JFK and it doesn't recognize any of them. Put in YOW or YYZ and it works fine.

 

Oh right you are. I am positive I have done this before.

 

Well Princess is being very short-sighted in creating this inconvenience since thousands and thousands of Canadians live close to border airports.

 

I apologize for the misinformation - I should have tested it again. Thought I used to do this. Also, I guess for our current booking, I must have played with EZAir after booking was made using Cruise Personalizer. Our current booking is in USD.

 

But then, it works other way too. Once have a USD booking, can't fly from Yxx. I guess the whole key to it is to have the home airport code set correctly for you. Didn't realize American residents default to LAX.

 

IDEA: Princess should add a home airport code to our CC profile and then reference that code from any reservation when presenting flight options (they will show neighboring airports I notice). Customers could then swap their home airport code online as desired.

Problem solved - perhaps.

[Steelers36]

I disagree, or it depends on when you do this. If searching out cruises and your are set to CAD being in Canada, if you click on the flights tab (see below), you will be able to enter departure airport (e.g. YYZ versus BUF) and then compare options.

 

<darn .. I can't post the screen capture .. anyway, when searching a cruise and after selecting a trip, there are several tabs below the cabin types and prices. Click the tabs for flights and you can research all the available options from any airport - but you cannot book without booking a cruise.>

 

However, once booking is made, it includes a home airport, so then restricts what is shown. I agree once a booking is in place, it's a bit of a hassle. I've only booked EZAir once as price was unreal deal. Ever since then, it's always been more expensive or not offering flights I want.

 

I was wrong - sorry for incorrect info. :o

[goofy559]

Oh right you are. I am positive I have done this before.

 

Well Princess is being very short-sighted in creating this inconvenience since thousands and thousands of Canadians live close to border airports.

 

I apologize for the misinformation - I should have tested it again. Thought I used to do this. Also, I guess for our current booking, I must have played with EZAir after booking was made using Cruise Personalizer. Our current booking is in USD.

 

But then, it works other way too. Once have a USD booking, can't fly from Yxx. I guess the whole key to it is to have the home airport code set correctly for you. Didn't realize American residents default to LAX.

 

IDEA: Princess should add a home airport code to our CC profile and then reference that code from any reservation when presenting flight options (they will show neighboring airports I notice). Customers could then swap their home airport code online as desired.

Problem solved - perhaps.

 

 

If you call princess they can change the default airport to BUF - then a whole list of close US airports pops up - that's how my March cruise is currently configured.

[goofy559]

Sorry - double post

Edited August 5, 2015 by goofy559