Cruise transferred to travel agent

[FrankieSue]

Thanks to info I read here, I was able to transfer my late Fall Princess cruise to one of the Big Box travel agency and get myself a great big bonus from the Agency..So thanks for all the knowledge CruiseCritic members share….my question is that during the call to transfer I noticed that the price of my cruise had gone down a bit. Will my price be automatically adjusted during the transfer process or do I need to ask? Again thanks everybody for sharing.

PS… one info that I read, which turned out to be incorrect for me is the advice to « make a booking with a curtesy hold with Princess and then call Agency to transfer » The Agency said that only bookings made with a deposit paid, and no older than 60 days could be transferred.

[travelin.sisters]

6 minutes ago, FrankieSue said:

Thanks to info I read here, I was able to transfer my late Fall Princess cruise to one of the Big Box travel agency and get myself a great big bonus from the Agency..So thanks for all the knowledge CruiseCritic members share….my question is that during the call to transfer I noticed that the price of my cruise had gone down a bit. Will my price be automatically adjusted during the transfer process or do I need to ask? Again thanks everybody for sharing.

PS… one info that I read, which turned out to be incorrect for me is the advice to « make a booking with a curtesy hold with Princess and then call Agency to transfer » The Agency said that only bookings made with a deposit paid, and no older than 60 days could be transferred.

I have never had an automatic price adjustment, so I would definitely ask, it will depend on a lot of factors...refundable v. non-redundable deposit, if it is a new booking only sale, etc.

[JF - retired RRT]

Depending on which big box store, you may not be able to adjust your price. We booked a couple of times with one and found that if there was a price adjustment we were SOL.

[FrankieSue]

Thank you for your input…. It is much appreciated

[kokopelli-az]

21 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Depending on which big box store, you may not be able to adjust your price. We booked a couple of times with one and found that if there was a price adjustment we were SOL.

We always book with big box based in Washington State and have never not been able to take advantage of a lower fare if one came up.   You have to compare the lower fare with what you have booked to be sure you aren't losing any perks (or if you lose perks, that the lower price makes up for it).  

[jagoffee]

On 10/30/2023 at 12:00 PM, FrankieSue said:

Thanks to info I read here, I was able to transfer my late Fall Princess cruise to one of the Big Box travel agency and get myself a great big bonus from the Agency..So thanks for all the knowledge CruiseCritic members share….my question is that during the call to transfer I noticed that the price of my cruise had gone down a bit. Will my price be automatically adjusted during the transfer process or do I need to ask? Again thanks everybody for sharing.

PS… one info that I read, which turned out to be incorrect for me is the advice to « make a booking with a curtesy hold with Princess and then call Agency to transfer » The Agency said that only bookings made with a deposit paid, and no older than 60 days could be transferred.

You transferred the booking with a phone call to Princess.  I always fill out the form and emailed it.

[LAX]

On 10/31/2023 at 9:49 AM, kokopelli-az said:

We always book with big box based in Washington State and have never not been able to take advantage of a lower fare if one came up.   You have to compare the lower fare with what you have booked to be sure you aren't losing any perks (or if you lose perks, that the lower price makes up for it).  

 

That's a bummer. Can you cancel and rebook at the lower fare before final payment is due with the big box TA? I guess one would run the risk of losing the original stateroom.

 

On 11/17/2023 at 9:59 AM, jagoffee said:

You transferred the booking with a phone call to Princess.  I always fill out the form and emailed it.

 

Are phone and email both available to transfer?

 

 

For those who frequently cruise on Princess, how often do fares drop? Is there a "best" time to book to get a really good fare? I have been looking at Alaskan cruises for 2025 and trying to figure out when to pull the trigger.

 

LAX

 

[JF - retired RRT]

6 hours ago, LAX said:

For those who frequently cruise on Princess, how often do fares drop? Is there a "best" time to book to get a really good fare? I have been looking at Alaskan cruises for 2025 and trying to figure out when to pull the trigger.

Generally, the best fares are when the sailing is first published. I usually book early and have gotten price drops exactly once and that was after final payment. Didn't get the price drop, but the rep gave me OBC in the same amount.

[MacMadame]

There have been 3 times since I booked my cruise this past July that the price has been lower than what I booked. Every time it was part of an announced sale. This last time, I not only got the best price so far, but I got that price for a cabin in a better location. Which makes the cost savings even better!

 

Based on this, my advice is to always check your cruise for a price drop when there is a sale.

[jagoffee]

21 hours ago, LAX said:

 

That's a bummer. Can you cancel and rebook at the lower fare before final payment is due with the big box TA? I guess one would run the risk of losing the original stateroom.

 

 

Are phone and email both available to transfer?

 

 

For those who frequently cruise on Princess, how often do fares drop? Is there a "best" time to book to get a really good fare? I have been looking at Alaskan cruises for 2025 and trying to figure out when to pull the trigger.

 

LAX

 

From my experience, you complete a form and email it.  I have never transferred over the phone.

[LAX]

3 hours ago, jagoffee said:

From my experience, you complete a form and email it.  I have never transferred over the phone.

Thanks. Have you ever been able to refare with the big box TA after you transferred it?

 

LAX

 

[jennybenny]

We normally book holiday cruises as soon as the schedules are released, and then I watch prices regularly. We have repriced each cruise, at least once, up to 3 times per cruise. This was all prior to the restart (covid) so things may have changed. 

 

Our next cruise, booked for the summer, has only gone up in price, but I still watch for price changes. 

I book my Princess cruises with a PVP because with all my price checking, I felt it was annoying to my TA. I book non Princess cruises with a TA, because as far as I know, you cannot refare all cruise lines.

 

[jagoffee]

11 hours ago, LAX said:

Thanks. Have you ever been able to refare with the big box TA after you transferred it?

 

LAX

 

Yes, the only reason I would transfer the booking is because of the savings.    It was soon after I booked it, but I need use the Big Box company.