This was posted on the Australian/ NZ board about FCD

[rkmw]

as the title says that if you cancel a cruise less than 6 months out you lose your FCD so is it going to affect everyone or only the Aus & Kiwis

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2483545

[OzKiwiJJ]

Thanks, rkmw, you beat me to it! :D

 

It will be interesting to find out of it's a world-wide change or whether they are testing the waters down under. Technically it's been in place for over a year, based on the FCD letters I have on file, but that was the first time I've heard of it being enforced.

[cheznandy]

Thanks, rkmw, you beat me to it! :D

 

It will be interesting to find out of it's a world-wide change or whether they are testing the waters down under. Technically it's been in place for over a year, based on the FCD letters I have on file, but that was the first time I've heard of it being enforced.

 

Just looked back on my FCD's.......the wording good until final payment is on the ones I purchased January 2015 on the Sapphire, the ones I purchased on the Dawn in April 2016 and Emerald in 2016 have the wording "considered money and terms and conditions apply etc"

 

I will be interested to see if the policy has changed for everyone or just when purchased in Australia, as the Sapphire cruise was from Singapore and the other two from Sydney

[OzKiwiJJ]

It was good until final payment wording in September 2015.

[rkmw]

this thread is pretty quiet so we dont know if it worldwide yet

[OzKiwiJJ]

Maybe no-one has noticed?

 

It's easy enough to check if you have a copy of the letter confirming the FCD purchase.

[rkmw]

Maybe no-one has noticed?

 

It's easy enough to check if you have a copy of the letter confirming the FCD purchase.

 

when you buy them now they email them to you so you would have to check your emails but i spoke to princess yesterday and 6 months is the cut off time and then you lose them

[mthomp5]

I checked the emailed letter I received from Princess when I purchased our FCD in November 2016. It does have the wording, "Once applied to a booking, the FCD is considered money and is subject to the terms and conditions in the Passage contract."

 

But the information Princess sent to my TA on the same FCD who forwarded on to me says,

 

IMPORTANT NOTICES

 

 

THIS OFFER IS AVAILABLE TO NEW FUTURE BOOKINGS ONLY AND IS NON-TRANSFERABLE. SHIPBOARD CREDIT APPLIES TO THE HOLDER OF THE FUTURE CRUISE DEPOSIT ONLY, AND IS NOT APPLICABLE TO UPPER BERTH PASSENGERS. SHIPBOARD CREDIT IS NOT REDEEMABLE FOR CASH. MULTIPLE SHIPBOARD CREDITS CANNOT BE REDEEMED BY SINGLE OCCUPANCY PASSENGERS. MORE THAN TWO FUTURE CRUISE DEPOSITS MAY BE APPLIED PER PERSON TO THE SAME BOOKING, HOWEVER THE SHIPBOARD CREDIT IS ONLY AVAILABLE ONCE PER PERSON. THE FUTURE CRUISE DEPOSIT IS FULLY REFUNDABLE IF CANCELLED PRIOR TO FINAL PAYMENT EXCEPT FOR VOYAGES 30 DAYS AND LONGER. DEPOSIT FOR VOYAGES 30 DAYS AND LONGERIS FULLY REFUNDABLE UP TO 120 DAYS PRIOR TO SAILING DATE. IF THE FUTURE CRUISE DEPOSIT IS NOT USED IN THE ALLOCATED TWO YEARS, IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE REFUNDED BACK IN THE FORM IT WAS PURCHASED. THIS OFFER IS NOT COMBINABLE WITH WORLD CRUISES, WORLD CRUISE SEGMENTS, SOME CRUISE NIGHT PROMOTIONS, AND ANY OTHER NON-PUBLIC FARE.

 

(Sorry...verbiage is all caps because I did a copy and paste from the actual letter and that's how it's printed).

 

So not sure how to interpret this. The important notice on the communication sent to the TA says it's fully refundable if canceled prior to final payment.

[likeadisguise]

For bookings made in Australia, six months out is the final payment date. So the policy is the same, the timing is just different.

[mthomp5]

For bookings made in Australia, six months out is the final payment date. So the policy is the same, the timing is just different.

 

Thank you for clarifying.

[cheznandy]

For bookings made in Australia, six months out is the final payment date. So the policy is the same, the timing is just different.

 

If booking direct with Princess, final payment is less than 6 months. We have a cruise departure on September 21, final payment date is July 8th.

6 months is when when the cancellation penalty kicks in.

[cherylandtk]

US/Canada bookings generally are not under any sort of cancellation penalty until final payment date which is usually 75 days out. But after final payment date penalties apply, so that includes the FCD.

 

Australian bookings appear to have both a penalty period (6 months out?) as well as a later final payment date. In that case the penalty period starts before final payment, so the FCD becomes non-refundable once the penalty period starts.

 

I believe that for U.K. bookings, the penalty period starts at the time of booking, so the FCD becomes non refundable once used.

 

The application of non-refundability of an FCD once in penalty period would be consistent worldwide; but there is a BIG difference in when penalty periods start for different countries.

[maxmia]

Just off Golden, heard this story from anther passenger. Spoke to the Captain's Circle rep.. and he confirmed it. He said it was something to do with the Australian Fair Trading rules. They are apparently different in the USA, He was a bit vague on the matter, said it had always been in force. To date we have not had to test the rule, so hopefully we will never have to.