Can you hold 2 identical bookings at the same time?

[nho9504]

I know airlines systems do not allow you to hold 2 identical bookings, i.e. same passengers, same flights, same date.

 

How about Princess system?  Is it possible to have one cruise fully paid (with final payment due date many months away), and then also put a New booking on the identical cruise with the same passengers?

 

Reasons I ask the above is, we have some FCCs from previous cancellation that would expire on 02/11/2023.  Circumstances now mean we might not be able to squeeze a cruise between Dec and January.  So we would like to use the FCCs for a Nov 17th Regal sailing that is already fully paid for.

 

The fully paid Nov 17th Regal cruise is undergoing a refare since 03/23.  I have not seen the fare difference refund yet, plus we are supposedly to lose the OBCs on the specialty dining promotion.  However those OBCs are still in the credit section of this cruise.  It seems Princess has not yet processed the refare although my cruise agent sent me her agency receipt showing a refund is due.  (The payments ALWAYS are directly made to Princess system thru her end, always show up as Princess being the merchant on the transactions and all refunds are from Princess,  in case anyone wonders).

 

I could do a cancellation / rebooking so we can use the existing FCCs.  However I am afraid doing so now would mess up the accounting when the refare refund is still "In Process".  The cancellation would most likely go by the already refared pricing (agency's side sees that new price) but the refare refund has not yet materialized, i.e. we have not received it.

 

But if we do a brand new booking with the same thing,  we can use the FCCs as deposits, and then once the refare refunds hit the payment card, we can cancel the existing booking - that would release a small FCC used in this booking, and the bulk of payment made by CC will go back to the payment card - last time we canceled a Mar 12th Sky sailing, the refund to the AMEX took only 3 days - cancellation was done by agent on Jan 31st, AMEX alerted me "a merchant credit is on your card" on Feb 2nd - it was posted.  The related FCCs took 11 days (Feb 11th) to show in our Princess accounts - those are the FCCs mentioned above.   I expect this time it would be the same time frame.

 

The key is, whether Princess system allows you to hold 2 identical bookings ?!   I would think the mechanism outlined above if possible, is the easiest way for my agent to handle as everything can be done online, no need to endure the hassles of calling Princess - versus trying to get Princess moves the FCCs to the existing booking, then refund the excess back to CC - the latter would involve multiple dept and lots of manual processing...  We all know multiple depts and manual processing are the 2 weakest links in Princess operation, from the passengers as well as agents stand point.  Things can be done online seem to be rather smooth the past several months.

 

I welcome anyone's input - be it the experiences or thoughts, they are all much Welcome!

[DUCHESSRN]

I recently had a problem with this , had a 28 day booked and also had a 14 day , didn’t know if I could swing the 28 day .

The 28 day got cancelled … was OK as we had decided too long to leave cat!!!!!  

[*Miss G*]

Not sure if this is helpful, at all, but I had a fully paid booking when I saw a drop in price that my PVP couldn’t see.  He had me make a booking with the new price so he could see what I was seeing.  So, in effect, I had two bookings for the same cruise, one fully paid for and one a courtesy hold.

[cruisingrob21]

The booking system isn't that smart to see two people with the same names and captains circle number so book as many as you need.  However, you don't be able to book the same cabin under both reservations.

[nho9504]

Thank you for the inputs.

 

I have sent an email to my agent around noon, also called to leave a message with her assistant to let my agent know that please read my email then contact me.  I haven't heard back from her yet.  I would be willing to give her the benefit of doubt that she is overwhelmed due to just just returned from Europe a week ago and then all the cancellations caused by the war...

 

The idea from "Miss G" and cruisingrob 21 of making a new booking online as courtesy hold sounds appealing. 

 

The same category currently have a few very similar cabins available, though the original booking has the most desirable location.  But it is not a big deal.  Also I assume once we cancel the original booking, the cabin would most likely released back to the inventory.  If we catch it in time, we might be able to move back to that cabin.

 

Like I said I am willing to let our agent to work on it before I myself step in directly.  So I would give her a call again this evening and see what she thinks about it.

[Buckeye10640]

Short answer is yes, I have put a hold on a cabin on a cruise where I already had a booking. I wanted to switch rooms and it was after hours for my PVP.  I had been watching for something to open up and didnt want to lose the new cabin before I could teach the PVP.  Worked fine. 

[Shelly97060]

3 hours ago, nho9504 said:

 

 

The same category currently have a few very similar cabins available, though the original booking has the most desirable location.  But it is not a big deal.  Also I assume once we cancel the original booking, the cabin would most likely released back to the inventory.  If we catch it in time, we might be able to move back to that cabin.

 

 

If there are still cabins in the same category your agent could change the cabin number on your current booking to something less desirable and put your current cabin number on the new booking you plan to keep.  As long as both bookings are already created when they make the swap it should be quick and easy.  The only issue would be if someone grabbed the cabin before they had time to add it to the new booking ( which is why they would want to have the new booking ready to go). 

[nho9504]

So the approach would be -

 

1) Create the New Booking. 

2) Once the New Booking is in place, she can do the swapping of cabins between the Old and New.  Like she would change the old booking's cabin to a different one, thus release the desirable cabin.  Then she can swap the one in the New booking with this newly released one.

3) The only possible hiccup would be someone grab the released one in that tiny window while she is doing the thing.

 

Do I understand the mechanism correctly?

[nho9504]

Confirmed Princess system does not care you have identical bookings both active.

 

Agent created a new booking which Princess system automatically applied the FCCs in our accounts  The amount is more than enough for the deposit required so we now let both bookings sit before our agent figures out what is the best way to handle the cancellation of the old booking.

 

Also I discovered when doing a refare if the booking used FCC, then the refund from the refare is in the FCC, not going back to the CC even though final payment is months away.  (cruise is paid in full already),  Agent said she did not know that either,

[Steelers36]

As you found out, agreeing with others.  I have made an online booking to place a cabin on hold to grab a price drop in a category where cabins are scarce or just came back from a sold-out status in order to have something in off-hours or when TA off, in order to secure it so it could be acted on when TA has time to do it.  Not a problem.  That said, you would not be able to hold two cabins with money on them for any length of time and when Princess discovers, they might cancel the wrong one - or both.  But hopefully would reach out first.  Anyway, as a short-term thing for a purpose, I don't see an issue.

[nho9504]

Because of the refare on the old booking and how Princess refunded the difference, my agent does not want to guess what Princess has done.  She wants to talk to Princess after weekend to find out how much is the total $ would be refunded on cancellation of the old booking.

 

Though through “forensic accounting” I have been able to reconcile the numbers and fairly certain that Princess has refunded the difference to FCC, which then is automatically applied to the new booking the agent created Friday evening.   The refund is sightly less than the FCC used in the old booking.   In the FCC account I can see that Goodwill FCC which has been applied to the old booking, now splits into 2 amounts,  with one number identical to the refare refund.  I assume the other number is still attached to the old booking.   Though the description under the APPLY column only shows it is used to the new booking.   
 

Therefore I think when the old booking is cancelled, the full amount paid by credit card goes back to the card in 3 days and the amount paid by the Goodwill FCC now is reduced by the refare refund,  will goes to FCC in less than 2 weeks.   But my agent wants to check with Princess first before processing the cancellation.   She does not seem to be concern on the double bookings, one is fully paid for, one is held with more than required deposit.

 

Now I saw a price drop on BW balcony category.  While the extra is reasonable on the surface, the remaining cabins are all very obstructed.  I am not sure we would care for it.   It is a Mid Nov Transatlantic.  Balcony may not much usage anyway.  

 

Though this brings up my question,  When you upgrade an existing booking, how is it done?