We Booked a QE Cruise Less Than a Month Ago and Fares Just Went Down $1,000.00 Dollars

[LewiLewi]

What can we do? Anyone have experience with this happening to them? We’re you able to get OBC for the difference? Any suggestions as to whom to speak with and will it make any difference?

[LewiLewi]

1 minute ago, LewiLewi said:

What can we do? Anyone have experience with this happening to them? We’re you able to get OBC for the difference? Any suggestions as to whom to speak with and will it make any difference?

Also, we paid in full at the time.

[BigMac1953]

It happened to us a few years ago. We cancelled, lost our deposit, rebooked the same room and saved a couple of thousand pounds.

[WestonOne]

This is one of the less prominent differences between the Saver fares and the Cunard fares: they have different charges for any cancellation that should arise.  As BigMax1953 says, sometimes the price changes are enough that you can cancel and rebook and still be better off.  But  watch those cancellation charges!  For a Cunard Fare you lose the deposit if cancelled more than 3 months beforehand.  For Saver Fares, you lose the whole fare.

See page 11-12 of this:  These are the terms and conditions which will apply to your holiday (cunard.com)

Edited April 5, 2022 by WestonOne
clarification

[LadyL1]

As the thread title mentions $$$, this is probably a US booking. T&Cs are different across the pond!

[WestonOne]

Good point!  However, UK cruisers should be aware of the difference, and those on the US side should check their T&Cs. My guess is that something similar would apply.

[Colin_Cameron]

It's happened to us and it definitely sucks.

 

But, if it had gone UP by $1000 would you be posting on here asking how to go about paying the extra?

[majortom10]

11 minutes ago, Colin_Cameron said:

It's happened to us and it definitely sucks.

 

But, if it had gone UP by $1000 would you be posting on here asking how to go about paying the extra?

Nobody would but that is human nature and nobody would be happy if that situation happened to them.

[Bell Boy]

8 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

What can we do? Anyone have experience with this happening to them? We’re you able to get OBC for the difference? Any suggestions as to whom to speak with and will it make any difference?

Join the Club LewiLewi, It's fluid pricing ,  it can go either way before departure. 

[Victoria2]

27 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

Join the Club LewiLewi, It's fluid pricing ,  it can go either way before departure. 

Certainly can. We usually have the opposite and the prices of our booked cabins go up but I do feel sorry for those who ''lose out'' on $$$$.

[lissie]

9 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

What can we do? Anyone have experience with this happening to them? We’re you able to get OBC for the difference? Any suggestions as to whom to speak with and will it make any difference?

Your TA is the only one that maybe able to help. We'd booked  2 years in advance - and when the cruise dropped in price -we cancelled the cruise and rebooked -saved quite a lot  despite losing the $50 of the deposit. 

[LewiLewi]

The problem is that we have already paid in full for the cruise, this is not a deposit or cancellable. Our TA was not able to get Cunard to do anything at all. I was hoping that there was someone out there who had this same experience that could offer any suggestion as to whom to speak to at Cunard to possibly get more OBC, etc.

[Solent Richard]

6 hours ago, Colin_Cameron said:

It's happened to us and it definitely sucks.

 

But, if it had gone UP by $1000 would you be posting on here asking how to go about paying the extra?

 

Beat me to it again Colin.

 

I cannot for the life of me understand why, once you've booked and paid, anyone would want to spend time price checking.

[imacruizer]

16 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

What can we do? Anyone have experience with this happening to them? We’re you able to get OBC for the difference? Any suggestions as to whom to speak with and will it make any difference?

What is the date of your cruise?

[navybankerteacher]

13 hours ago, WestonOne said:

This is one of the less prominent differences between the Saver fares and the Cunard fares: they have different charges for any cancellation that should arise.  As BigMax1953 says, sometimes the price changes are enough that you can cancel and rebook and still be better off.  But  watch those cancellation charges!  For a Cunard Fare you lose the deposit if cancelled more than 3 months beforehand.  For Saver Fares, you lose the whole fare.

See page 11-12 of this:  These are the terms and conditions which will apply to your holiday (cunard.com)

Saver Fares are lower because you are giving up the right to cancel and rebook.  A regular fare is higher because you keep that right.  It is a matter of being willing to pay for what you want.  It should be looked at like an investment.

[alc13]

9 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

The problem is that we have already paid in full for the cruise, this is not a deposit or cancellable. Our TA was not able to get Cunard to do anything at all. I was hoping that there was someone out there who had this same experience that could offer any suggestion as to whom to speak to at Cunard to possibly get more OBC, etc.

Is it possible that you get perks with your fare that have been dropped with the new price?  That might take the sting out of it a bit.

[LewiLewi]

3 hours ago, alc13 said:

Is it possible that you get perks with your fare that have been dropped with the new price?  That might take the sting out of it a bit.

We got no perks at all. I will try calling Cunard Customer Service and see if they will do anything at all. I’m not very hopeful.

[WestonOne]

14 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

Saver Fares are lower because you are giving up the right to cancel and rebook.  A regular fare is higher because you keep that right.  It is a matter of being willing to pay for what you want.  It should be looked at like an investment.

Yes, in part.  But that has not been mentioned when I have booked them (which is rare).  The agents talked about giving up on-board credit, the ability to choose room and dining time, sometime coaches that may be included and so on.  All true, but the possible impact on cancellation was not discussed.

When booking, you should also pay attention to 'Early Saver' and 'Saver' fares, which may differ in cancellation terms too.  For Cunard, Early Savers and Cunard Fares have the same cancellation charges.

Edited April 6, 2022 by WestonOne

[navybankerteacher]

3 hours ago, WestonOne said:

Yes, in part.  But that has not been mentioned when I have booked them (which is rare).  The agents talked about giving up on-board credit, the ability to choose room and dining time, sometime coaches that may be included and so on.  All true, but the possible impact on cancellation was not discussed.

When booking, you should also pay attention to 'Early Saver' and 'Saver' fares, which may differ in cancellation terms too.  For Cunard, Early Savers and Cunard Fares have the same cancellation charges.

Of course the agent should have made the terms clear -- but there are many sales types who are more interested in booking a sale than in taking the time (and risk of loss of sale) of making full disclosure.   That said, when making a multi-thousand dollar purchase it is a good idea to make sure one is aware of all details.

[WestonOne]

56 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

 That said, when making a multi-thousand dollar purchase it is a good idea to make sure one is aware of all details.

Indeed.  I am an obsessive reader of Terms and Conditions for large purchases,  to the extent that I found that a clause for a major cruise line did not make sense.  I wrote to them and pointed this out, and they replied saying as someone who has cruised with them before they are prepared to waive that condition for me.  As far as I am aware, it is still in their T+Cs.