New Princess policy on exchange rates

[snow bunny]

Just an FYI since the rates have changed, Princess is no longer holding the date of booking exchange rate.  For example, when we booked it was at $1.30 and now it is at $1.35.  Others may have a significant jump as I have heard about someone who had a $1.25 rate and it is now the $1.35.  Not happy since there was no notice provided that they were changing their exchange rate policy.

 

snow bunny

[gerelmx]

The booking is in US Dollars

[snow bunny]

5 minutes ago, gerelmx said:

The booking is in US Dollars

 

As a Canadian, my booking shows up in Canadian.  OBC, excursions, specialty dining, etc are all in Canadian dollars.  Effectively they all went up 5%.  I understand that they can change policies but it would be nice to have been informed of said policy change.  Princess has previously held the rate on your cruise based on the booking window.  But hey, at least we Canadians will be able to continue visiting Cuba!  Just wanted unsuspecting cruisers to know that if they check, they will now be paying a higher rate of exchange.  

 

snow bunny

[gerelmx]

9 minutes ago, snow bunny said:

 

As a Canadian, my booking shows up in Canadian.  OBC, excursions, specialty dining, etc are all in Canadian dollars.  Effectively they all went up 5%.  I understand that they can change policies but it would be nice to have been informed of said policy change.  Princess has previously held the rate on your cruise based on the booking window.  But hey, at least we Canadians will be able to continue visiting Cuba!  Just wanted unsuspecting cruisers to know that if they check, they will now be paying a higher rate of exchange.  

 

snow bunny

 

If your booking is in CAD why are you worried about the exchange rate? Here in Mexico Princess bookings are in in USCy, Celebrity do the bookings in pesos, and the same OBC, excursions, etc is in pesos and the price fluctuates with the exchange rate but the booking is fixed at the exchange rate of the date you book.

[joe d]

Since I booked my January cruise the exchange rate on my cruise has gone up from 1.25 to 1.35 and the daily gratuities have also gone up.  What else can they do?  Are they trying to turn everyone off?  

It does not look like you can rely on anything when you book with Princess.

 

P.S. Princess, the actual exchange rate is 1.34 (not 1.35).  

[Coral]

14 minutes ago, joe d said:

Since I booked my January cruise the exchange rate on my cruise has gone up from 1.25 to 1.35 and the daily gratuities have also gone up.  What else can they do?  Are they trying to turn everyone off?  

It does not look like you can rely on anything when you book with Princess.

 

P.S. Princess, the actual exchange rate is 1.34 (not 1.35).  

I got this from my TA on May 24th:

 

Notification: A change in USD-CAD exchange rate 

Hi everyone, Effective with new bookings made after June 5, 2019, the Canadian currency exchange rate will change to $1 USD = $1.35 CAD. The updated exchange rate will be applied to new groups opened after June 5, 2019.

[neverbeenhere]

Finally getting that tariff from the Canadians we’ve been talking about. 😯

[CruisinFinsUp]

2 hours ago, snow bunny said:

Just an FYI since the rates have changed, Princess is no longer holding the date of booking exchange rate.  For example, when we booked it was at $1.30 and now it is at $1.35.  Others may have a significant jump as I have heard about someone who had a $1.25 rate and it is now the $1.35.  Not happy since there was no notice provided that they were changing their exchange rate policy.

 

snow bunny

 

 

 

I just checked ours -cruise is Dec 2019 - rate has has STAYED THE SAME at 1.30. 

At least thats what it is right now.   I'll check it again in a few days.  

 

 

[ceilidh1]

I have a booking that was made at 1.25. I can still buy $100 of US onboard credit for $125 CAD. I don't think anything has changed on mine - soda package is still less in CAD than it is on the cruise I booked last week...so thinking it is staying at the same rate.

Edited June 4, 2019 by ceilidh1
typo

[CruisinFinsUp]

21 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

I have a booking that was made at 1.25. I can still buy $100 of US onboard credit for $125 CAD. I don't think anything has changed on mine - soda package is still less in CAD than it is on the cruise I booked last week...so thinking it is staying at the same rate.

 

If the OBC is at 1.25, the drink packages will be the same. 

You can do the calculation of the price per day (new packages) x number of days x gratuity of 1.18 x exchange rate = CAD price

 

Very strange (but not surprising) that Princess is applying different policies to different bookings.  My guess is that in a few days the Princess computer minions will straighten it all out.   

[OzKiwiJJ]

We have similar issues in Australia when booking cruises with USD onboard costs (most Aussie-based cruises are AUD onboard). I've always found that checking the OBC purchase price is the surest way of seeing what the exchange rate is. 

[snow bunny]

1 hour ago, cruisintoddler said:

 

If the OBC is at 1.25, the drink packages will be the same. 

You can do the calculation of the price per day (new packages) x number of days x gratuity of 1.18 x exchange rate = CAD price

 

Very strange (but not surprising) that Princess is applying different policies to different bookings.  My guess is that in a few days the Princess computer minions will straighten it all out.   

 

I too think they will get this sorted out but not back to what I booked it at.  I purchased OBC two weeks ago at the 1.30 but it is now 1.35 so their wording is not correct as I booked this cruise last year.

 

snow bunny

[capriccio]

3 hours ago, Coral said:

I got this from my TA on May 24th:

 

Notification: A change in USD-CAD exchange rate 

Hi everyone, Effective with new bookings made after June 5, 2019, the Canadian currency exchange rate will change to $1 USD = $1.35 CAD. The updated exchange rate will be applied to new groups opened after June 5, 2019.

 

And you tried to spread the word by starting a thread on here on May 24th.

 

 

[ceilidh1]

1 minute ago, capriccio said:

 

And you tried to spread the word by starting a thread on here on May 24th.

 

 

The change in rate isn’t what is being questioned. It’s the fact that they are applying the higher rate to bookings made prior to June 5th - so not NEW bookings.

[Coral]

8 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

The change in rate isn’t what is being questioned. It’s the fact that they are applying the higher rate to bookings made prior to June 5th - so not NEW bookings.

I posted what my TA sent me as Joe said the exchange rate was 1.34, not 1.35.

[meatloafsfan]

12 hours ago, cruisintoddler said:

 

 

 

I just checked ours -cruise is Dec 2019 - rate has has STAYED THE SAME at 1.30. 

At least thats what it is right now.   I'll check it again in a few days.  

 

 

 

Same as mine - just logged in and still shows my exchange at 1.30

[newbrunswicker]

We have B2B cruises on the Emerald Princess for next February. After seeing the OP I checked our Feb 29 Panama Canal cruise which was booked at a $1.25 rate and now OBC purchase rate is showing $1.35. But our Hawaii and Tahiti cruse on Feb 1st which was booked at $1.30 is still showing a rate of $1.30.

[jpom18]

I have 3 cruises booked, NE in October at 1.25, Carib in February 2020 at 1.30 and Hawaii in February 2021 at 1.30.  None of them have changed as of today.

[dstables]

I just checked my two cruises I have booked. My 28 day cruise for February 2020 booked at 1.25 exchange rate now shows If I buy OBC it will be at 1.35 yet my cruise I booked in May for February 2021 at 1.30 exchange rate still shows I can buy my OBC at 1.30. Does not make sense. And the wording that Coral shared said the new exchange rate would effect new bookings effective June 5. It did not say the exchange rate was retroactive. Hopefully this is another one of Princess’s IT mess ups that will take a few days to sort out. 

[Ombud]

What am I missing?

 

I'm flying into Melbourne Au 3 nights early and have booked a room at the Doubletree in CBD. It's reserved in USD but the final price fluctuates daily based on the USD-AU exchange rate. 

 

Is this what Princess does or do they lock you in on day booked? Drawbacks?