Help settle an argument.

[scott4020]

So our cruise on Princess is six weeks out today (48 days) and the fares are lower now, even a mini suite is lower.

 

My friend called Princess and tried to get rebooked at a cheaper fare or upgraded to a mini and Princess said "no it's too late" I'm not surprised, but he is mad as hell and says he'll never book Princess again.

 

He also said Carnival would do it. Is this true? I have never cruised with them before would Carnival actually do this?

[riffatsea]

If you book an Early Saver fare on Carnival you can get the difference in fare as on board credit after final payment.

IF those price difference had come before 60 days out before final payment was due then you could rebook at the lower fare.

[springs741]

It would depend on the rate booked and when final payment was due.

 

As riffatsea posted with Early Saver you can price match until two day before sailing and get the savings in the form of on board credit.

 

With most other fare codes after final payment you are pretty much done price matching.

 

At 48 days from sailing you would be well past final payment. With Carnival it is 75 days prior to sail date on a 7 day cruise and 60 days prior on a 5 day.

 

Now what you might be able to do on Carnival is upgrade. It has been so long for me to find a cruise that goes down in price I really don't remember.

 

I am sorry your friend is unhappy with the situations. This, in my opinion, is yet another example of someone not understanding the conditions of the agreement and then being angry when things don't go their way. I hope he quickly lets go of his frustration and enjoys his cruise.

[ray98]

Yes....especially on the early saver fare. You would get an OBC to match the lower price.

[RHilla619]

As others have said, Carnival does "price matching" depending on when and what type of rate you booked. If booked decently in advance, most Carnival bookings fall under what they call "early saver", which allows you the ability to submit a "price protection claim" if you see a lower fare and they credit your account the difference. I've gotten $185 back so far on my upcoming cruise on the Pride!

[Micahs Grandad]

Why do people get made when they do not understand the terms of the agreement they agreed to?

[winddawn]

Just be aware if you book early saver in the future, it tends to be one of Carnival's most restrictive fares. Be sure you understand the fare rules you are accepting in exchange for a lower fare and the ability to price match if future price drops occur. Carnival has many fare types and each has its own set of rules.

 

https://www.carnival.com/legal/specials-terms-conditions.aspx

 

Examples of Carnival's more restrictive early saver fare rules are non-refundable and no name changes allowed once booked.

 

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2705/~/early-saver-and-early-saver-last-call-promotions

Edited October 17, 2016 by winddawn

[Aquahound]

So our cruise on Princess is six weeks out today (48 days) and the fares are lower now, even a mini suite is lower.

 

My friend called Princess and tried to get rebooked at a cheaper fare or upgraded to a mini and Princess said "no it's too late" I'm not surprised, but he is mad as hell and says he'll never book Princess again.

 

I'm actually surprised at that story. Unless the new price was labeled "new bookings only," Princess should have let him upgrade.

[mrpayroll]

Why do people get made when they do not understand the terms of the agreement they agreed to?

 

I agree.. Every day there is someone on here complaining about the cruise line " not honoring " things. Worse is the people telling them to call back and try to get another answer.

[tonit964]

So our cruise on Princess is six weeks out today (48 days) and the fares are lower now, even a mini suite is lower.

 

My friend called Princess and tried to get rebooked at a cheaper fare or upgraded to a mini and Princess said "no it's too late" I'm not surprised, but he is mad as hell and says he'll never book Princess again.

 

He also said Carnival would do it. Is this true? I have never cruised with them before would Carnival actually do this?

 

Have your friend call back. Unless it's for "new bookings only" they should at least upgrade him. Even then, sometimes they will do it.

[poobears]

I see why they wouldn't let them do a price drop or anything but I'm surprised they wouldn't just let them upgrade into the other room with no price reduction. I personally would call back and not ask for a rebook or price reduction. Just politely ask if I could bump up into the mini suite and see what they say, they might get lucky.

[Aquahound]

Worse is the people telling them to call back and try to get another answer.

 

Why is that such bad advice? :confused: On every line I've sailed (except CCL...only because the opportunity didn't arise for me), they still allowed upgrades after final payment. Like I and tonit 964 said, Princess should have allowed him to upgrade to the mini suite, unless the price was restricted to new bookings only. If it wasn't labeled as such, he most certainly should call back.

 

The only thing he certainly can't get is a credit in his current cabin for the price change.

Edited October 17, 2016 by Aquahound

[poobears]

For the record I've had a CCL rep tell me things that were 100% wrong and refuse to admit they were wrong so calling back is a very good idea, not all reps know what they are talking about.

[lazydayz]

We have sometimes been successful, but usually have to pay a nominal amount to upgrade. Other times, no dice.

[xitappers2bx]

So our cruise on Princess is six weeks out today (48 days) and the fares are lower now, even a mini suite is lower.

 

My friend called Princess and tried to get rebooked at a cheaper fare or upgraded to a mini and Princess said "no it's too late" I'm not surprised, but he is mad as hell and says he'll never book Princess again.

 

He also said Carnival would do it. Is this true? I have never cruised with them before would Carnival actually do this?

 

This is a complicated answers... in my own experience with Carnival, we had booked not the early saver, and about a month before the cruise date it was a small 150 or so to upgrade ourselves to an OS. I think it also depends on how you approach the person on the phone, but if you're willing to lose the difference in price (or maybe even get it in OBC) there is no harm asking them to do something.

 

I've only cruised Princess once, so I don't know their policies, but that's what I would do. But, your friend can't be surprised that they'd hold him to the price he paid---if they increase the price of your room after you paid, they don't come back looking for the increased price from the passenger.

[DebJ14]

We sail Princess and some of their sales are for new bookings only, especially their Drop and Go fares. We have never had a problem getting a price reduction before final payment on Princess and in fact got $1200 with 3 price drops and $200 in OBC on the Princess cruise we took in January 2016. But, once final payment passed I noticed that all the sales were for new bookings only. My TA tried to get a price adjustment for us, but was turned down. No big deal - I had the cabin I wanted at at price I was willing to pay.

[loveJake]

The last time we sailed Princess the cost of a mini suite was on $40 pp more a few weeks before sailing from our reg balcony price. Called up and they upgraded no problem. In fact the did not even charge the price difference, just said enjoy your cruise. But they will not give OBC or price drop for price changes after final payment, but will help you out with a better cabin if the price had dropped.