Ugh! Cruise is now $3600 cheaper

[DarkCrystal]

Wazoo.......$3500 PP for probably 15 nights......man were they proud of that cruise ! $1700 is a little more realistic (35 minus 18)

not that it matters a real lot, but was that $3500 PP CDN ?

 

Yes, it was Canadian.

[caribill]

They offered an upgrade to a mini suite for another $900 LOL

Very close to sailing, about 9 days. I'm not particularly ticked off about it, these things happen, and I'm going to enjoy the cruise in spite of. I was just curious if this happens on a regular basis and I should wait before I book, if the cabin isn't important to me.

 

Sometimes the price goes down as it gets close to embarkation day and sometimes it goes up.

 

I am on a cruise that departs in three weeks. A balcony cabin at the time I booked was $4399/person. Today it is $5699/person, an increase of $1300 per person, and does not include the free gratuities that were included at the time I booked.

[Valiamo]

Just looked at this itinerary, and they have sold out in ZERO cabin category on this sailing. Every single cabin category (except for M1) has availability.

 

At least it will be a nice quiet cruise for you. I would call back on Monday, and try to get them to upgrade me to Mini-Suite at no extra charge. I am sure that they will be discounting further. Use the knowledge that the ship has 42% occupancy available.

Edited March 27, 2016 by Valiamo

[Loonbeam]

Not knowing what the original price paid was (I saw upgrade to mini-suite, so I am assuming balcony?) this seems like an exceptional price drop, meaning either the price paid for cabin was above average or the ship is really empty.

 

The highest I have ever seen on one of my cruises post-final was about 25 percent less than I paid (which for this drop for 2 people would mean price was about $6000pp!)

 

What they offer all depends on how much you paid and how open the upgrade categories are, if the next class up is almost full as well and they are deep discounting yours, they don't have a lot of incentive to move you for free. Conversely, if your class is popular (and you wouldn't seet this kind of drop) and the class above is empty, they are happy to move you.

 

Well, I'm actually not upset about the decrease, I'm just in shock about how big the drop is and wondering if this happens a lot. I keep reading other posts about Princess offering OBCs or upgrades when this happens, and instead, Princess offered me an upsell.

 

I have a cabin on my favourite deck, in a good spot, I'm satisfied.

[easyboy]

I am using a TA, he's phoned several times to speak to different customer service people, they have all said there's nothing they can do about it. He's a lot more upset about it than I am.

Am impressed with your patience.

[Keith1010]

Certainly a large drop in price. Are you sure this is correct?

 

Keith

[Oh2B@C]

Well, I'm actually not upset about the decrease, I'm just in shock about how big the drop is and wondering if this happens a lot. I keep reading other posts about Princess offering OBCs or upgrades when this happens, and instead, Princess offered me an upsell.

 

I have a cabin on my favourite deck, in a good spot, I'm satisfied.

 

I assume this is the Star Princess Hawaii cruise out of Vancouver April 4? I've been watching that price go down for a while and would have jumped on it had I not booked the Emerald TA leaving April 2. This won't make you feel any better but it is the first time EVER I have seen a Hawaii cruise price go down by that much and so close to sail date. Just don't let it affect your enjoyment, as I know you won't. Have a great cruise. If it is the Star Hawaii cruise, hey at least you're doing a r/t leaving and returning close to where you live.

[mmckm]

What rate did they give you on the Canadian dollar when you booked. The dollar has come back about 10% in the last while. Some of the price change could be that also. Princess was at 45% for a while now I think its 35%.

[VTX-AL]

Round trip from Vancouver to Hawaii. Balcony cabin cost us $7000.

 

The same thing happened to us on our Van/Hawaii RT 15 dayer last March, only not quite as severe a price drop (think it was about $1000.00 or so) after we had booked at least six months previously. Fair warning: prepare to be inundated by locals who are savvy enough and have the capability of waiting until the last moment to book, while on board. :D It's a great trip with lots of sea days so enjoy ! I want to do it again. :)

 

...VTX-Al

[newcruzer2]

Surely you purchased travel insurance for a $7000 trip.

And obviously the ship isnt sold out. Couldn't you call and cancel with a human , therefore snagging the same cabin by rebooking on the same phone call.

Problem solved.

[Cruzin-K]

Surely you purchased travel insurance for a $7000 trip.

And obviously the ship isnt sold out. Couldn't you call and cancel with a human , therefore snagging the same cabin by rebooking on the same phone call.

Problem solved.

 

How/why would travel insurance pay for that? :confused:

[PescadoAmarillo]

How/why would travel insurance pay for that? :confused:

 

Princess Platinum Vacation Protection...Cancel for any reason and get 100% of cancellation penalty back to use for travel by the end of the following calendar year. The only things you lose are the original insurance costs (surely less than $3600) and possibly a specific cabin.

[smslms]

I understand what Darkcrystal is talking about as we are on the same cruise. For whatever reason this sailing was not filling up and Princess slashed prices pretty dramatically, as a result of which the ship is now full or very close to it.

 

The other result is some disappointed passengers, but it is what it is. In our case we had booked a balcony, first one in years, usually book a mini or suite. For this cruise we booked in Cdn funds, although we use a US TA.

 

Like most people we talked to our TA about the situation. At first the Princess reps seemed to be stuck on the fact that we had been offered an upsell and hadn't accepted it. The reason we didn't was that the amount offered was hundreds of dollars higher than the currently published price for the cabin. Our TA persisted, indicating that we weren't seeking a reduction in price or any further OBC. Reason prevailed, probably because we have a very persuasive TA and also are elite. Bottom line was we had pretty good price to begin with but have now been bumped up to a nice mini, so overall no complaints.

 

We have two other cruises booked at the moment. One is about 6 months out and the ship is nearing full occupancy. We booked a suite early on and, as the sailing seemed to be popular, prices have steadily increased, to the point where our suite costs us considerably less than what is being asked for a mini. Again no complaints.

 

Some of it is just the luck of the draw, some the laws of supply and demand.

 

The next cruise is a ways off, booked in US dollars, using FCC's, so we'll just keep an eye on things and proceed accordingly.

[sfaaa]

For some reason, repositioning Hawaiian cruises were not selling that well this year. There were some unbelievable deals from Princess, Celebrity and RCL a few weeks ago. The markdown was so steep (some even came with OBC) the discount price was cheaper than Carnival. Imagine that.

[Gwendy]

We were offered a travel "guarantee" by out TA for a very small price. If the price we paid dropped we would get a refund of difference. Unfortunately our price is not dropping, but would have been useful in this case. The only reason we signed up is that we booked a long time (for us) out.

[cruisequeen4ever]

PescadoAmarillo, thank you for the insurance tip; I had never thought of that. We always book 3rd party travel insurance to save money (mid 30s so nice, low price), but one could potentially really benefit from re-booking post final payment, like the OP.

OP, I can understand you feeling disheartened; that's quite a price drop!! By booking early, you paid for peace of mind and a form of insurance that you will get to do the cruise you want to do when you want to do it. It could have just as easily gone the other way and sold out early on, and you could have missed out if you hadn't booked early. It's great to wait for last minute deals if you're retired or flexible in time, but for those of us with fixed time options, we kinda have to take the risk of paying more to guarantee our vacation.

It would be awesome if you get an upgrade, though!

Bon voyage!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Montrealais]

I think what people are trying to figure out - is the $3600 per person or per cabin and if cabin, how many are in the cabin?

 

Reading the previous posts is always useful. The answer to that question was given in post no 9.

 

The amounts mentionned are in CADs I presume since the original poster is from beautiful British Columbia.

 

The CAD has lately regained some value compared to the USD. That is reflected in the prices offered on the Canadian Princess Cruises website and results in a decrease compared to what was available when the reservation and the final payment were made.

 

I have witnessed that for a cruise I booked but in my case, rebooking was not a good move because of the promotion I got on my original booking (AIBP).

[CZEE]

In another post I read, it appeared that they don't compensate Australians or Canadians.

 

There were some of each on the roll call who said they'd called and received upgrades and OCC. So. . . may not be hard and fast rule.

[Loonbeam]

If they think they can sell your cabin better than the one you want? They'll make exceptions.

 

There were some of each on the roll call who said they'd called and received upgrades and OCC. So. . . may not be hard and fast rule.

[Steelers36]

Booking in CAD always carries a currency risk in fluctuating markets. Passengers that booked at 10% and 20% rates over a year ago were laughing all the way to the ship and also buying up extra OBC. Princess didn't come back and ask them for more money.

 

If OP, or anyone, books when Princess is charging 40% or 45% and CAD goes up, similarly they don't give refunds back.

 

IMO, best option is to use a US TA that discounts and book/pay in USD if currency is in flux because you might get burned. Certainly if CAD takes a swan dive, don't count on it staying down. Yes, you have to try and read the currency tea leaves, so why not just lock in your USD when booking and paying?

 

You might win, but you also might lose. Same in CAD.

 

Another plan, if you frequently visit the USA, is buy USD when CAD is doing well and put it in the bank. Then buy those trips with a USD credit card and you have much better control over your currency situation.

[DarkCrystal]

Booking in CAD always carries a currency risk in fluctuating markets. Passengers that booked at 10% and 20% rates over a year ago were laughing all the way to the ship and also buying up extra OBC. Princess didn't come back and ask them for more money.

 

If OP, or anyone, books when Princess is charging 40% or 45% and CAD goes up, similarly they don't give refunds back.

 

IMO, best option is to use a US TA that discounts and book/pay in USD if currency is in flux because you might get burned. Certainly if CAD takes a swan dive, don't count on it staying down. Yes, you have to try and read the currency tea leaves, so why not just lock in your USD when booking and paying?

 

You might win, but you also might lose. Same in CAD.

 

Another plan, if you frequently visit the USA, is buy USD when CAD is doing well and put it in the bank. Then buy those trips with a USD credit card and you have much better control over your currency situation.

 

I actually booked when our CAD dollar was higher. I have a CC that charges me the proper rate without tacking a percentage on, I could use that to get a better rate but, if the cruise is far away, I could get hit with an even higher charge if the dollar goes down even more. It's a crap shoot ;-)

[mmckm]

Booking in CAD always carries a currency risk in fluctuating markets.

 

When I book in Canadian the price won't change. If I book in US dollars the will change day by day as the dollars move up and down. More risk involved. Plus we lose about 5% to convert our Canadian dollars to USD. If the rates change a lot we have the option to rebook before final payment. If I would have booked my next cruise in USD it would have cost me 30% more at final payment time. Yes it could go the other way but I would rather d it this way and then sort out if there was a big change that didn't go in my favor. We book when cruises first become available and its to far down the road to even have a hint at what the dollars will do. I would rather not take the chance of not paying more and have a fixed price.

[rgmacm]

OK....I guess I'm a little confused. When I wrote a post on the Carnival forum comparing Princess and Carnival, I wrote that Carnival gives price adjustments and Princess does not. I was corrected by MULTIPLE people saying that Princess did indeed give adjustments (same date/cruise, same cabin category, etc...)

Now, if I understand this thread correctly, posters are saying Princess does NOT guarantee an adjustment...you can ask, but may be told 'yes' or 'no' depending on who you talk to? I'm confused! :o:confused:

 

After reading this, I went to the Princess website to try to find the answer to this (rather than just bringing my question here without trying to find the answer... :) ) I can't find any answer there....

Soooo....does anyone have 'official' information on this? maybe a link to someplace on the website about this (that I couldn't find in my search)?

[UT-Volsfan]

I don't have a link to their website but this has been our experience:

Prior to making final payment you typically are able to receive price adjustments from Princess if the price drops. However they will not always adjust if the price or sale offer is marked for new bookings only. After final payment you can request a price adjustment but many times it is turned down. What you may get is extra OBC or a cabin upgrade if price for a higher category drops to what you paid.

 

Also if you use EZ Air they will let you request price adjustments until 45 days before the cruise.

[Montrealais]

I don't have a link to their website but this has been our experience:

Prior to making final payment you typically are able to receive price adjustments from Princess if the price drops. However they will not always adjust if the price or sale offer is marked for new bookings only. After final payment you can request a price adjustment but many times it is turned down. What you may get is extra OBC or a cabin upgrade if price for a higher category drops to what you paid.

 

Also if you use EZ Air they will let you request price adjustments until 45 days before the cruise.

 

That «new booking only» is of no effect if you cancel your present booking and re-book in one operation. You will still keep the same cabin but you will benefit from a reduction in price if available. This can be done directly with Princess or through your TA without any trouble. I have done both.