New for Future Cruise Deposit

[phabric]

Yesterday on Carmen Roig’s webinar, she announced effective April (I think April 5) that FCD will only be good for 1 year.  If you have FCD before that date, your FCD will still be good for 2 years.

[Coral]

This is ridiculous! Most people overall don't/can't cruise every year.

 

Is it still refundable?

[cruzsnooze]

4 minutes ago, Coral said:

This is ridiculous! Most people overall don't/can't cruise every year.

 

Is it still refundable?

There's a solution, don't buy one if you can't use within the year.

[Coral]

29 minutes ago, phabric said:

Yesterday on Carmen Roig’s webinar, she announced effective April (I think April 5) that FCD will only be good for 1 year.  If you have FCD before that date, your FCD will still be good for 2 years.

Maybe it is book within a year. Still....

[Coral]

1 minute ago, cruzsnooze said:

There's a solution, don't buy one if you can't use within the year.

Do you realize most of your responses/posts are not very helpful?

[startedwithamouse]

6 minutes ago, Coral said:

This is ridiculous! Most people overall don't/can't cruise every year.

 

Is it still refundable?

It's not mandatory to purchase one. If you can't use it, don't purchase. 

[CaribbeanIsland]

It would benefit Princess to keep the program as it is as they get money to hold until people cruise.

 

Not everyone lives near a cruise port.

Edited March 24, 2023 by CaribbeanIsland

[voljeep]

a 'win' for Princess - see how it goes ... refunded back to original payment? - fine - then pay full deposit on no OBC on next booking.

 

got a booking - great - need to change that booking - oops - FCD gets refunded as above and you get to pay the full deposit with no OBC on the new booking

 

maybe

[Casey12]

This may be the change that stops me from cruising Princess - after dealing with several other changes. I do cruise yearly with Princess but every cruise lately has been beyond disappointing. And I am close to retirement where I will be spending more of my money traveling more. Stupid move Princess.

[Casey12]

2 minutes ago, voljeep said:

a 'win' for Princess - see how it goes ... refunded back to original payment? - fine - then pay full deposit on no OBC on next booking.

 

got a booking - great - need to change that booking - oops - FCD gets refunded as above and you get to pay the full deposit with no OBC on the new booking

 

maybe

Or people go elsewhere and they lose the booking all together.

[phabric]

Edited March 24, 2023 by phabric

[azbirdmom]

I believe they did say that nothing changed except for the the time to book was reduced for a year.  It wasn't said but I am guessing that they are moving towards increasing the deposit as other lines have done.

[memoak]

If you don’t use it you get the money back so no harm no foul

[Redwing55]

That's disappointing.  I'd be OK if they would offer an option to extend it if requested.  But refunding it after 12 months?  Seems short.  Selfishly, if they continue with the 1 year, they could add it as a perk for Platinums.  

 

Still, I wonder why after all these years and cycles, they determined that this is a good time to modify this program.

[voljeep]

1 minute ago, Redwing55 said:

That's disappointing.  I'd be OK if they would offer an option to extend it if requested.  But refunding it after 12 months?  Seems short.  Selfishly, if they continue with the 1 year, they could add it as a perk for Platinums.  

 

Still, I wonder why after all these years and cycles, they determined that this is a good time to modify this program.

Cruising is back to pre-pandemic levels ... Princess is throwing a lot of 'stuff' out there and seeing how or if it changes the booking patterns ... if it sticks, it stays

[Ken the cruiser]

Is it true we can now buy FCDs while onboard for family or friends that have previously cruised with Princess that are not on the same cruise? I had heard (on CC?) you could now do this, but I can't seem to find the details anywhere on the Princess website.

[phabric]

1 minute ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Is it true we can now buy FCDs while onboard for family or friends that have previously cruised with Princess that are not on the same cruise? I had heard (on CC?) you could now do this, but I can't seem to find the details anywhere on the Princess website.

You need to have their Captain Circle number for each person.  The $100/pp goes on your credit card.

[Guest ldtr]

15 minutes ago, voljeep said:

Cruising is back to pre-pandemic levels ... Princess is throwing a lot of 'stuff' out there and seeing how or if it changes the booking patterns ... if it sticks, it stays

I am waiting for Princess to follow HAL and make fares that do not include a package non-refundable.

[Ken the cruiser]

1 minute ago, phabric said:

You need to have their Captain Circle number for each person.  The $100/pp goes on your credit card.

Cool. That's what we had heard, and that's definitely a big positive for us as we periodically have our adult children and their family at different times joining us on a cruise (we pay for us of course)! 🤣

[dreaminofcruisin]

Hmmmm....after all these years to change it from 2 years to 1 year seems very odd. I wonder if this is just the first step before they go away all together? 🤷‍♀️

Maybe Princess doesn't like giving away all the OBC?

[that]

51 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Cool. That's what we had heard, and that's definitely a big positive for us as we periodically have our adult children and their family at different times joining us on a cruise (we pay for us of course)! 🤣

We purchase for our kids and invite them to cruise with us in future as a family reunion gift, 

if they decline, the deposit returned.  

😉

[Mingus]

1 hour ago, ldtr said:

I am waiting for Princess to follow HAL and make fares that do not include a package non-refundable.

No need to wait.....Princess has already made deposits for the lowest fare (guarantee) non-refundable.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2924089-new-all-guarantee-cabins-non-refundable/

 

[Guest ldtr]

18 minutes ago, Mingus said:

No need to wait.....Princess has already made deposits for the lowest fare (guarantee) non-refundable.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2924089-new-all-guarantee-cabins-non-refundable/

 

Guarantee fares yes. But basic fares where you choose cabins are still refundable. 

[VibeGuy]

Deposits aren’t an asset of the cruise line. Until they’re turned into an actual booking, since they can be refunded as cash at the expiration, they’re a liability (like any other loan).  
 

Carnival owes a *lot* of money and the interest rates aren’t great.   This is a way to move the liabilities off the books sooner. 
 

I suspect the shelf-life of FCDs comes in about three flavors in the real world - ones that result in a new booking within 90 days, ones that result in a new booking for a sailing within a year of the cruise where it was purchased, and ones that expire.   That last one is like those bananas you keep promising will be made into banana bread but end up throwing out anyway, and the costs (financial and administrative effort) associated with the latter can be reduced with shorter validity. 

[Mingus]

1 hour ago, ldtr said:

Guarantee fares yes. But basic fares where you choose cabins are still refundable. 

The new guarantee fares are what used to be the basic fares, i.e. basic fares have increased to allow for refundable deposits.