"Launch Fares"

[LovetheSea]

This may be a stupid question.  But does "Launch Fares" mean NEW bookings only?

[skynight]

I don't believe there is a single answer. Past passengers receive a discount from the published fares, which used to be $100, for early bookings made maybe a year or so in advance. Launch fare discounts disappear as the sailing gets closer. So yes, it implies new bookings. But, if you cancel and rebook you may receive the discount. 

[LovetheSea]

I tried to upgrade our cruise in August, I thought I could go with the fare they are advertising right now, today, and pay the difference , But when I tried the gal at Princess said I could not get that price because it was for new bookings only. When I read the fine print it said it was a Launch Fare. Which instead of $300 extra They wanted over $900.00

[Mike45LC]

I had not heard the term "Launch Fares" before and feared from the subject line that Princess has now started to charge extra fees if you want to take the tender.  Sorry, there is a new term for "tender", but I don't recall it.  "Passenger Disembarkation Vessel" or some such.  

 

Glad to see it isn't that.  But now I've suggested it to Princess, if they read these posts!

 

[hapster85]

7 hours ago, LovetheSea said:

I tried to upgrade our cruise in August, I thought I could go with the fare they are advertising right now, today, and pay the difference , But when I tried the gal at Princess said I could not get that price because it was for new bookings only. When I read the fine print it said it was a Launch Fare. Which instead of $300 extra They wanted over $900.00

Isn't it a new booking if you cancel the old one first?

[Steelers36]

11 hours ago, LovetheSea said:

This may be a stupid question.  But does "Launch Fares" mean NEW bookings only?

"Launch Fares" is a term used when Princess releases new voyages for sale.  So these are the initial "list" prices.  As others mentioned above, past passengers generally get $100/pp off the listed fare.  You are shown the lower fare when you are logged into the website.

 

Once a voyage is "Launched" for sale, prices may change when various promotions come along.

[Syracusefan44]

16 hours ago, LovetheSea said:

I tried to upgrade our cruise in August, I thought I could go with the fare they are advertising right now, today, and pay the difference , But when I tried the gal at Princess said I could not get that price because it was for new bookings only. When I read the fine print it said it was a Launch Fare. Which instead of $300 extra They wanted over $900.00

It seems that Princess is making it more and more difficult to re-fare a cruise.  For the past 20 years I would simply call about a lower price and it would be applied to my current booking but this year every time I have called they say the lower price is for “new bookings only.”  If I want the new price I need to re-book my cruise.

 

I assume it is due to the fact the Carnival Corporation is billions of dollars in debt and the old days of simply re-faring a cruise are over.