Help me understand a price drop

[AndiandMike]

I have a category BC booked on the Caribbean Princess for 11.27.04. I notice that everyone talks about getting refunds and pricedrops. Can somebody explain this process to me? I know I must sound a bit on the ditzy side, but my TA mentioned something about it but barely elaborated. Any insite?

[Baxter]

If the price drops between the time you booked the cruise and the time you make final payment, in most cases your cruise fare will be adjusted to reflect the lowest price. In a perfect world, your TA would monitor the prices and notify you of the adjustment.

I always monitor the prices on sites like travelocity, and then notify my TA when the price drops. It's that old saying "if you want something done right, do it yourself!"

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2004;11;11;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]
Sapphire Princess

[Budget Queen]

Always keep track of pricing trends YOURSELF. Look at several online sites and get on their email lists. Be especially agressive a couple weeks before final payment, sometimes a lot of pricing action. Immediately notify your TA, if you are attached to your cabin etc, then this may not be for you. Sometimes it can really benefit if you are willing to change cabins.

[chrob]

What happens if the price drops after final payment has been made?

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2004;05;16;12;00;00&timezone=GMT+0100[/img]
Until we sail on Star Princess

[geoherb]

It depends. Most prices after the final payment date are for "new bookings only." Sometimes a TA will be able to get an onboard credit or an upgrade because of a price drop.

As Budget Queen said, though, the best time to watch for price drops is before final payment. On our last cruise, we were able to switch from a BD to a BA for less money. On the one before that, we switched from an inside to an outside for the same price (and our onboard credit doubled since we had booked it on a previous cruise).

[GottoCruise]

Some reductions are Promotions that expire quickly - best to call Princess frequently- Agencies websites are sometimes not accurate - but good for watching "changes"...


<IMGSRC="http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;07;25;12;00;00&timezone=GMT
Until PACIFIC PRINCESS
7/25/04
ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC THEATER

GOLDEN PRINCESS B2B
7/31/05 & 8/10/05
EUROPEAN CAPITALS & BRITISH ISLES

[srphnx]

All the above is true, we have rec'd a change after final payment but it wasn't $$ it was in a cabin upgrade, they were selling a better cabin for what we had paid, our Pitt-TA got us the deal despite being told it was "new bookings only".

[B] Life is at it's best when your address floats [/B]
[B]<FONT color=red>Alaska</FONT>[/B]
Diamond Princess 05/04 ~~ Mercury 06/02
Rhapsody o.t. Seas 05/98 ~~ Legend o.t. Seas 09/95
[B]<FONT color=red>Mexican Riviera</FONT>[/B]
Diamond Princess 12/04
Diamond Princess 11/04 ~~ Diamond Princess 04/04
Sea Princess 01/02 ~~ Vision o.t. Seas 04/02[B]<FONT color=red>
West Coast-Baja Mexico</FONT>[/B]
Ecstacy 09/01
[B]<FONT color=red>Eastern Carribean</FONT>[/B]
Century 12/97
[B]<FONT color=red>Western Carribean</FONT>[/B]
Century 9/96

[BJS]

We have received money back and moved up 3 categories after final payment when price dropped.

Future cruises:
5/04 HAL-Amsterdam-Alaska
9/04 Star Princess-Med.x2 Venice to Barcelona/ Barcelona to Rome
11/04 Dawn Princess-Southern Caribbean
Jan. 05 Diamond Princess-Mexican Riviera
July 05 Star Princess-Baltics
Aug. 05 Star Princess-Baltics
Past cruises:
04 Dawn Princess- Southern Caribbean x2
03 Grand Princess-W.Caribbean
03 Sun Princess -Mexico
03-Tahitian Princess-Tahiti/ Cook Islands
03 Royal Princess-x2 British Isles & Norwegian Fjords/ Iceland
03 Island Princess-Panama Canal
01 HAL Ryndam x 2-S. America San Diego to Valpariso/ & around Cape Horn to Rio
00 Sky Princess-China/Orient
79 Sitmar's Fairwind- Caribbean/Panama Canal

[GottoCruise]

Wow! I'm trying to understand all this -seems to me that if you are receiving all those upgrades and $$ back after final payment - you were paying too much! If you monitor price drops, and are lucky enough to "catch" the specials - you should be "credited" and re-booked at the new rate as you go along....or am I mistaken and Princess has "drastic" rate drops after final payment??? Seems to me, Upgrades are not really "perks" unless you are paying the least amount that was available (at any time) for your category, and THEN are upgraded besides.
If you are paying more for your category than was available at some time (promotion that you were not aware of - and so did not request/get)------what's the upgrade??? - you could have just booked a higher category at the "higher" rate from the beginning????

Until PACIFIC PRINCESS
7/25/04
ISLANDS OF THE PACIFIC THEATER
<IMG
SRC="http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=0000ff&cdt=2004;07;25;12;00;00&timezone=GMT

Until GOLDEN PRINCESS B2B
7/31/05 & 8/10/05
EUROPEAN CAPITALS & BRITISH ISLES
<IMG
SRC="http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb0000ff&cdt=2005;07;31;12;00;00&timezone=GMT

[BJS]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Wow! I'm trying to understand all this -seems to me that if you are receiving all those upgrades and $$ back after final payment - you were paying too much! If you monitor price drops, and are lucky enough to "catch" the specials - you should be "credited" and re-booked at the new rate as you go along....or am I mistaken and Princess has "drastic" rate drops after final payment??? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>First HAD monitored it all along and Second HAD been re-booked at new rate. YES there was a drastic rate drop after final payment and that was preceded by a re-book 3 days before that.

First and only time that had happened after final payment and yes we were totally shocked that Princess honored the price drop and gave a refund to our credit card.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>you could have just booked a higher category at the "higher" rate from the beginning <HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Never saw that category down that low even with close monitoring. Do we ever know what kind of promos are out there for everyone? I seriously doubt it!

You have the right to question our actions and doubt what happened but I was just relating that it DOES happen after final payment in response to "What happens if the price drops after final payment has been made?"



Future cruises:
5/04 HAL-Amsterdam-Alaska
9/04 Star Princess-Med.x2 Venice to Barcelona/ Barcelona to Rome
11/04 Dawn Princess-Southern Caribbean
Jan. 05 Diamond Princess-Mexican Riviera
July 05 Star Princess-Baltics
Aug. 05 Star Princess-Baltics
Past cruises:
04 Dawn Princess- Southern Caribbean x2
03 Grand Princess-W.Caribbean
03 Sun Princess -Mexico
03-Tahitian Princess-Tahiti/ Cook Islands
03 Royal Princess-x2 British Isles & Norwegian Fjords/ Iceland
03 Island Princess-Panama Canal
01 HAL Ryndam x 2-S. America San Diego to Valpariso/ & around Cape Horn to Rio
00 Sky Princess-China/Orient
79 Sitmar's Fairwind- Caribbean/Panama Canal

[DcnLee]

After watching a similar thread here a few weeks ago, I started checking on the rates for our already booked November Panama cruise on the Regal. I found the TA's own agency website had the rate $200/pp less than what we had booked for a month or so earlier. I wrote to her and she got us the price drop. I'll always wonder if we'd have gotten it had I not asked. I'm checking almost daily now. There are still some suites and mini-suites open---maybe we'll get upgraded!!! A dream for a dream cruise.

[srphnx]

Don't wonder, no you wouldn't. Strictly speaking it isn't a TA's job to monitor every rate on every sailing they have booked. It could be seen as great service but the expectation that it will happen is a bit optimistic. No one is more concerned with your booking and price than you are.

My TA does over 900 bookings a month herself how could she make time to go back and check each one?

[B] Life is at it's best when your address floats [/B]
[B]<FONT color=red>Alaska</FONT>[/B]
Diamond Princess 05/04 ~~ Mercury 06/02
Rhapsody o.t. Seas 05/98 ~~ Legend o.t. Seas 09/95
[B]<FONT color=red>Mexican Riviera</FONT>[/B]
Diamond Princess 12/04
Diamond Princess 11/04 ~~ Diamond Princess 04/04
Sea Princess 01/02 ~~ Vision o.t. Seas 04/02[B]<FONT color=red>
West Coast-Baja Mexico</FONT>[/B]
Ecstacy 09/01
[B]<FONT color=red>Eastern Carribean</FONT>[/B]
Century 12/97
[B]<FONT color=red>Western Carribean</FONT>[/B]
Century 9/96