Question about Windstar Fair Price Assurance Policy

[Grayboots]

So I found out that the fare was reduced on our upcoming cruise by $500 per person.  I asked the travel agent to see if we could get a price adjustment.  After checking with Windstar, he advised that Windstar would give us an onboard credit of $300 per person and a $200 future cruise credit (which I don't know if we will ever use).  I don't understand why they would do that because all I would need to do is cancel and re book and lose $50 per person as long as we are within the 120 day cancellation policy.   We would still be a net $900 to our advantage.  Is there something I am missing?

[CruiseOrLand]

Among the issues are: Your travel agent's percentage commission, your possible Windstar brand travel insurance (which may have to be re-bought if you rebook), non-discountable parts of your fees, and discounts that you may have been given in the original booking (like repeater offers.) While I'm not crazy about the 300/200 offer you describe, I do expect to take another cruise, so I would accept it.

 

All our Windstar (direct, no TA) purchases have involved multiple discounts. You have to expect some of them to go away or be different once some time has passed. That's modern marketing, like at a clothing chain or a hotel-not some Windstar scheme to cheat you.

 

You have not provided a link to the "120 day cancellation policy" for me to read. It seems posible that the response you got could possibly comply. Does it specify cash adjustments?

[Grayboots]

Thank you for your response. You brought up some interesting points.  Here is the cancellation policy

CANCELLATION POLICY:  Each cruise booking cancelled before 120 days prior to initial departure will be subject to a $50 per person cancellation fee. A full refund (except for the amounts paid for air transportation, Cancellation Protection Plan and the $50 per person fee) will be made for written cancellations received by Windstar Cruises at least 121 days prior to the date on which you are to commence travel by any mode of transportation booked through Windstar Cruises (air, sea, or land). Guests who cancel after that date for any reason, including medical or family reasons, are subject to the following cancellation fee schedule:
*  120-90 days before commencing travel  – 15% of gross fare;
*   89-60 days before commencing travel  – 35% of gross fare;
*   59-30 days before commencing travel  – 50% of gross fare; 
*   29-0 days before commencing travel  –  100% of gross fare.

 

I did purchase cancellation insurance through an outside company (not Windstar) and I guess I should check with them as to what happens if I rebooked.   I don't know if we will ever travel on Windstar again as I had to pull teeth to get my husband to go on this cruise. (He is not a cruise lover BOO!) so the $200 per person incentive doesn't appeal to me.  We booked 2 suites as we are a party of 4 (my 21 and 23 year old kids are traveling with us).  Windstar did give us an upgrade to a balcony suite on both cabins. (YAY!)  We would keep one suite "as is" and downgrade the other (since my kids don't really care about the balcony)  But the extra $$ would really help with the excursion prices.   Also, if we do decide to rebook, not sure if going with the guaranteed suite or choosing a particular suite would be best.  

[Grayboots]

Also, here is the Price Assurance Policy

Guests who purchase a cruise on Windstar will be eligible for reimbursement upon request if the fare published by Windstar for their specific departure and cabin class is reduced after they have made a booking and deposit, and if the request is received by Windstar at least 90 days prior to sailing.  The reimbursement will be provided in the form of a shipboard credit, upgrade, fare reduction, or a future cruise credit.  Windstar will determine the form of reimbursement, and the amount of reimbursement will be the difference between the fare actually paid by the guest and the published fare on WindstarCruises.com the day the request is received.  Guests who select reimbursement will be eligible for any complimentary inclusive features (e.g., hotels, air, tours) associated with the new fare and will forfeit any complimentary inclusive features associated with the original fare.  All requests for reimbursement must be made directly to Windstar Cruises at 1-888-660-8185 (during regular reservations hours) at least 90 days prior to sailing.  Windstar’s new fare pricing assurance policy will take effect with new bookings made on or after August 15, 2018. Windstar reserves the right to modify or terminate this policy at any time for bookings not yet made. Policy does not apply to certain promotions or guests outside of the US or Canada.

[CruiseOrLand]

Thanks for your additional posts. It appears that the 300/200 offer you got does comply with the guarantee.

 

I might add that our recent Windstar cruise (huge discount, bought on a 7-for-7-day sale, if you know what I mean by that term) was additionally discounted after we bought it. I called Windstar, and (as I had seen from the "new" discounting) the cabins on sale were not the same cabins that were on sale at the time we bought. Because I have a 93-year old mother, and because the Premium Winstar Cancellation policy is priced on the actual price paid (i.e. the discounted price), I had bought it-my first time buying a NON-third party travel insurance. I was told that I'd have to re-buy it if we took the new fare. (I was aware, for instance, that the Cancellation coverage is full-refund for future travel, not cash in hand. This is not a thread about travel insurance, but it's relevant to the 300/200 offer you got, it seems to me.)

 

It's an individual thing, but I didn't feel like they were screwing me. It seemed like a reasonable business practice, and we already had a great price. I happen to have worked in a business where the same transition in from predominantly far-advance purchases to many closer-in purchases has occurred over the last 20 years. So I can accept a transition in refund and incentive policy, as long as it seems fair to both parties. Your story seems "fair" to me. That doesn't mean you shouldn't be a little bit disappointed.

[Grayboots]

Thank you CruiseOrLand.  I don't think they are trying to screw me either.  I just want to get the most bang for the buck, if you know what I mean.  After discussing it with my hubby, I think we are just going to go with the onboard credit.  $600 is better than nothing, I guess. Hoping our TA can maybe negotiate a better credit. (Don't even know if that's possible though)  It just seems like such a hassle to rebook and go through all of the hoops for that.  Thank you again for your thoughtful responses!!  Also, wondering if it is better to go with a guaranteed suite or one that we should confirm? Do we have a chance for a better suite?

[CruiseOrLand]

Grayboots, I am not an authority on Upgrading. We have, on our last two of nine cruises, been offered (by email) an upgrade, first come first served, to a list of six or eight specific cabins, for something like $300-$400 paid in advance total. We took it once, and declined it once. Because we took it for a 21-night (Back to Back) cruise, it really was a bargain.

 

After reading here (in another recent thread) how "easy" it is to ask for an Embarkation-time upgrade, I would think that a thrifty (?) traveler would wait for that. I personally don't want to have to sit in my suite without unpacking for hours while waiting for the upgrade. I should add that our last cruise had (advance notice) greatly delayed embarkation time, with a posted 5PM boarding and 6PM departure from Colon, Panama. In fact, we didn't leave the port for several more hours, but I think the greatly compressed Embarkation procedures time might have made the last-minute upgrade process unpleasant on all sides. (OPINION, of course.)

 

We did enjoy the Balcony addition (whose value depends on month, climate and weather), but since all MV suites are essentially the same floor area, I don't attach a lot of importance to upgrading. We do think about cabin location, with reference to potential noise, distance to the Yacht Club, and ship motion. So if we get what we want at purchase time, we are less inclined to want a change.

[6rugrats]

Your TA can always ask if they’d convert the future cruise credit to OBC.  It would be worth a try.