$1 deposits... brilliant or a mess waiting to happen?

[Dreamer333]

From a sales/marketing standpoint, I have mixed thoughts on the $1 deposit promo.

 

On one hand, the $1 deposit is certainly motivating me to look at cruises I wasn't previously looking at, and I'm seriously considering booking a second cruise for this year.

 

On the other hand, I wonder if it is going to end up being a mess for Princess when final payments are due? I run the sales division of a company where our average sale is about $7,000. I know for a fact (in my industry) that the less of a deposit someone puts down, the more likely they are to cancel when final payment comes due. In many many cases, people who are on the fence will put down a small deposit, and then end up refunding.

 

I wonder if Princess is going to be scrambling to get these ships filled??

[sonomaphil]

I don't get it at all. It almost seems that people thing they are getting a cruise for $1. You still have to pay the same amount when final is due.

 

And for those of use with FCC's, who cares?

[Coral]

Other lines have been running $25 deposits all the time.

[LACruiser88]

Using a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) makes more sense...

[Amtrack Springfield]

We use FCC to get our OBC. Do the math!

[Jeremiah1212]

I see what you're saying and I am guilty of it myself. I have a Princess and a Celebrity cruise booked currently, knowing that I will 100% be cancelling one of them. My Celebrity deposit was $25 and we're 11 months out. But, it can't work out that poorly for the cruise lines. They all frequently offer some sort of reduced deposit incentive. Maybe it keeps bookings up enough to offset early price drops?

 

I was on the fence about Princess vs Celebrity (and still am to some extent) but when the price and incentives are attractive on both lines it's hard to pass up booking when you only have to come out of pocket $25 while you mull over your options.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Jeremiah1212

[Kruzin Karen]

Well, we fell for it, and we'll go. I wasn't looking at cruises right now, as we have one in April and then one in May already; not a great time to put down a big deposit as we just paid in full for those. It sounded like a good promotion for us, so we locked down a Land and Sea trip to Alaska at a great price with OBC and free gratuities in September. We'll absolutely be ready mentally and financially when final payment is due, I wouldn't have booked without the $1 deal, and we are absolutely going. We don't do FCC's as we change cruise lines often and don't want to lock ourselves in.

Edited February 29, 2016 by Kruzin Karen

[spiceyxi]

The $200 refundable deposit isn't really that much different. I suppose it makes it harder to book 5 cruises at once, but the behavior is probably similar. I usually have 2 cruises booked knowing I will cancel at least one of them. I am sure Princess will overbook these cruises with the expectation x% will end up canceling.

 

It would be interesting to see how many rooms get booked today and then how many of those are paid in full.

[TriumphGuy]

Just booked a 15 day Hawaii cruise for April 2017. Got the $1 deposit AND $720 OBC. This is to celebrate our 40th anniversary. Worked for me!

[masterty]

I booked 4 Twice and Nice cruises today for $8 online. All but 1 or 2 will most likely get canceled or rebooked with FCC's. Today's deal did allow me for the cost of a happy meal to tie up cabins of my choosing for dates and locations on my maybe list. I get to pay in full more than 400 days from now or rebook under the next wiz-bang deal of the day should something better come along. $1 per person per cabin is cheap insurance should the date/itinerary/cabin I would not normally consider turn out to be one that my DW, friends, or family want to attend.

 

Worst case, I cancel everything and move on. No harm no foul on my end. Others? Possibly unable to book my choice cabin. For that I apologize.

[kendon]

May be working for us...holding a booking for a dollar? Nice.

[blkspy]

I booked 4 Twice and Nice cruises today for $8 online. All but 1 or 2 will most likely get canceled or rebooked with FCC's. Today's deal did allow me for the cost of a happy meal to tie up cabins of my choosing for dates and locations on my maybe list. I get to pay in full more than 400 days from now or rebook under the next wiz-bang deal of the day should something better come along. $1 per person per cabin is cheap insurance should the date/itinerary/cabin I would not normally consider turn out to be one that my DW, friends, or family want to attend.

 

Worst case, I cancel everything and move on. No harm no foul on my end. Others? Possibly unable to book my choice cabin. For that I apologize.

 

I agree with your view.......Here's how it works for me..

I met a cpl who got me into this from hearing their story.

 

Im Retired.. Thank God........ like many....I receive a great pension and free medical benefits etc.....I own 2 Homes...Kids doing well and my health is good. Im just starting to receive my Social Security benefits. ....

 

The couple I met uses their SS income to cruise/travel each month......I love to cruise....so this sounded like a great way to see the world.....The $1 deposits with the OBC allows me to book sets of B2B2B cruises next year.Of course you still have to pay for the cruises....but this makes your planning very easy. I had quite a few cruises already planned....I just added a few more for next year.....Works for me.

 

Happy sailing everyone.

Edited March 1, 2016 by blkspy

[Flafun888]

Wish the May 2017 sailings were included. Maybe another offer will come down the pike.

[Colo Cruiser]

Why would it be a mess? Either you pay for your cruise in full at final or you cancel and get your $1 back.

[spiceyxi]

Why would it be a mess? Either you pay for your cruise in full at final or you cancel and get your $1 back.

 

I would imagine it could get difficult for Princess to manage the inventory. They might get to the pay in full period and have sold too many cabins or have too many people cancel the deposit and be stuck trying to fill a cruise ship in a couple of months.

 

That of course depends on how successful this was for Princess.

[cruzsnooze]

Why would it be a mess? Either you pay for your cruise in full at final or you cancel and get your $1 back.

 

Why bother cancelling. It will automatically terminate if final payment isn't made. I think it will be problematic for the reasons already stated. People can book 12 cruises in a row and watch to see which ones get good promos or price reductions and let the 11 cancel and keep the best of the 12. Princess won't know until final payment which cabins are really going to get paid for.

[TriumphGuy]

Why bother cancelling. It will automatically terminate if final payment isn't made. I think it will be problematic for the reasons already stated. People can book 12 cruises in a row and watch to see which ones get good promos or price reductions and let the 11 cancel and keep the best of the 12. Princess won't know until final payment which cabins are really going to get paid for.

 

Because it will free up cabins for others? Seems like a nice thing to do.

[shredie]

I was tempted. But no dates work for us. When booking for a family, the $1 deposit is a good idea. We do family cruises with 9 people. Not all of them have FCC. It can be a good deal for some people.

[Colo Cruiser]

Why bother cancelling. It will automatically terminate if final payment isn't made. I think it will be problematic for the reasons already stated. People can book 12 cruises in a row and watch to see which ones get good promos or price reductions and let the 11 cancel and keep the best of the 12. Princess won't know until final payment which cabins are really going to get paid for.

 

 

Book 12 cruises? Really?

What would be the point if they are still available getting closer to final payment whether one deposits them or not.

You could still wait until the promo comes out and then book.

 

I don't think people will book many more then normal. I would never consider booking more then I do now just because the deposit is cheaper.

[need2cruisesoon]

I was at Trader Joes tonight and stopped in the wine aisle for some wine, but then it struck me that perhaps instead of the $2 for that bottle wine why not reserve a cruise for the fall. A California Coastal sounds just fine and dandy.:D

[happy traveler69]

I booked with the dollar deal because I probably wouldn't have booked with princess otherwise. I could've put more down, but I just wanted to brag. I think it was a win/win situation between princess and me

[4cats4me]

I booked cruises tonight because, quite frankly, we were going to do a land trip to Hawaii and prices are ridiculous. A cruise with lots of OBC (double what we would have otherwise gotten) is what really enticed us more than the $1 pp. We booked using an our FCC s on one cruise, so even more OBC. We are very happy, and we plan to transfer said bookings to our TA, who indicates she can probably give us a further discount or more OBC.

Now we're off to Mexico instead plus we won't have to fly, another added bonus [emoji3]

Edited March 1, 2016 by 4cats4me

[cruzsnooze]

Book 12 cruises? Really?

What would be the point if they are still available getting closer to final payment whether one deposits them or not.

You could still wait until the promo comes out and then book.

 

I don't think people will book many more then normal. I would never consider booking more then I do now just because the deposit is cheaper.

Colo Cruiser Read posts # 7-10-11-21 It is a perceived value not a tangible one and it's working well for Princess.

Here's the scenario I was thinking could happen. Since I book suites it wouldn't work for me because suites seldom if ever get price reductions.

Book 12 B2B for the same itinerary, say a Calif coastal. Now watch all the dates and see which ones have a price reduction or a perk added such as OBC or free grats and keep that one and dump the others and get the cabin you wanted. It has the potential for abuse. I'm reading on this thread alone how it was a good enough incentive to book a cruise. It's a lure, an incentive with no dollar value because the cruise still costs what it costs regardless of the deposit. I booked the twice as nice promo last week to the Panama canal with a $100 deposit , no price difference today. It makes no difference to my bottom line.

Edited March 1, 2016 by cruzsnooze

[cruzsnooze]

Because it will free up cabins for others? Seems like a nice thing to do.

 

It gets cancelled on the day after final payment regardless of calling to cancel so it's the same.

Edited March 1, 2016 by cruzsnooze

[GUT2407]

I don't see a disaster coming out of it.

 

Lines have been offering low deposits for ages.

 

I think what it does is tempt people to book.