Promo codes for only certain passengers

[that]

@Cruise Raider

not

The Princess Treatment

customer service expected.

So disappointing.

[Cruise Raider]

35 minutes ago, that said:

@Cruise Raider

not

The Princess Treatment

customer service expected.

So disappointing.

I am so dismayed by this.  It really makes me feel like looking into other ways to spend my discretionary dollars.  We have almost 100 cruises under our belts and over half of those with Princess.  
My CVP has been so wonderful to us but I am just so disappointed in this latest scenario.
My DH is urging me to send this concern, not a complaint, to corporate.  

 

[SCX22]

55 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

That was exactly the explanation that was given to me but as noted, it wasn’t what I see to be true.  
I get that some cruises didn’t offer the OBC .. I say, that is ok!  But to tell me it isn’t for those that that have not travelled in over a year wasn’t a true statement.  And the fact that I had it but then it was pulled, further irritated me.  Believe me, I am so much more calm about it now than I was over the weekend. 
The whole scenario has questioned my loyalty. I do love the staff so much on Princess … that’s the thing I struggle with the most.  

 

I think you need to move on and not take it so personally.  There needs to be an understanding that selective marketing isn't fair to all, but is good for business.  Take this as a lesson in the future that all promos won't be applicable to you and to have your CVP read the fine print before applying promos to your booking.  It even states on the Princess website T&Cs that they don't have to honor mistakes, see screenshot.  Princess will move on with or without your business.

 

Loyalty isn't a big thing in todays world anymore.  It used to be that airlines only gave perks to their most loyal flyers.  Now anyone can buy their way into an airline's reward program and get all the perks.  People threaten to leave the major domestic airlines all the time and they are all still in business.  That's just one example.  It's just a matter of until the next bad thing comes along and you'll be done with the other company.  Eventually, you'll run out of options.

[that]

@Cruise Raider

Agree With DH.

As much as you love the Princess Product,

the customer service handling of this issue is not acceptable.

 

[PATRLR]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

I am so dismayed by this

Which are you dismayed by, the fact that the promo isn't offered to you or the fact that they gave it you then took it away?  If the former, IMO you need to move on - targetted promotions are done everywhere and even if you don't know or understand who the targets are, it doesn't matter.  If it's the latter, I agree it's poor customer service but that's all it is - a sign of how bad customer service has gotten everywhere.  Seldom are frontline staff empowered to do the right thing and it's near impossible to communicate with anyone who is empowered.  That's just the way it has gone with just about every large consumer company.

 

Edited March 27 by PATRLR

[Cruise Raider]

13 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

Which are you dismayed by, the fact that the promo isn't offered to you or the fact that they gave it you then took it away?  If the former, IMO you need to move on - targetted promotions are done everywhere and even if you don't know or understand who the targets are, it doesn't matter.  If it's the latter, I agree it's poor customer service but that's all it is - a sign of how bad customer service has gotten everywhere.  Seldom are frontline staff empowered to do the right thing and it's near impossible to communicate with anyone who is empowered.  That's just the way it has gone with just about every large consumer company.

 

 Hmmm?  Good question!  Honestly, I think it is that it was given (or at least those optics) and then taken away.  Plus, it wasn’t really targeted as my friend that books a lot of cruises as well got the promotion but it wasn’t pulled from her.  
My bookings were corrected in the long run on the two sailings I had booked under the promotion, thanks to my CVP.  
I am really trying to move past this, which is why I posted once I had calmed down a bit.  But actually, I feel penalized just because we’ve booked a lot of future cruises with Princess.  Why punish us for that?  It makes no sense to me.  
And, as I’ve mentioned, I’m not looking to cancel everything I have booked with Princess but will also be looking at other options to spend my travel dollars.  


 

[that]

@Cruise Raider

Once you step onboard

the Discovery Princess

Sunday this will hopefully

no longer be top of mind 

Nothin’ better than being on a cruise

ship

Edited March 28 by that

[PATRLR]

11 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

Plus, it wasn’t really targeted as my friend that books a lot of cruises as well got the promotion but it wasn’t pulled from her.  

Yes, it was targeted, it's just that you nor anyone outside of Princess Marketing knows who the target was.  This happens all the time.  I used to see it when I was a United Airlines 1K+ - colleagues, some also 1Ks and some not, getting offers I didn't get.  And sometimes the other way around.  I'd see it with Marriott and Hilton also.  I am sure they all do it.

My interpretation of everything I've read that you've written is you are most bothered by the targeted offer and the fact that you were not part of the target.  I'm not sure what else I can say that hasn't been said.  This happens all the time, it's not personal, you shouldn't feel penalized, it's just the way marketing works.

[Cruise Raider]

10 hours ago, that said:

@Cruise Raider

Once you step onboard

the Discovery Princess

Sunday this will hopefully

no longer be top of mind 

Nothin’ better than being on a cruise

ship

I’m getting better every day .. just needed to get that off my chest!  now, I can let it go!  Thank you! 
 

[Coral]

Princess has done this for years. I have always gotten better pricing and or OBC when I have nothing booked compared to when I have cruises booked.

 

It is targeted marketing.

[Cruise Raider]

3 minutes ago, Coral said:

Princess has done this for years. I have always gotten better pricing and or OBC when I have nothing booked compared to when I have cruises booked.

 

It is targeted marketing.

That seems so wrong to me but it is what it is.  Guess I shouldn’t book so many cruises.  😂 

[PATRLR]

31 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

Guess I shouldn’t book so many cruises.

It probably has nothing to do with number of cruises.  It might be something like your onboard spending habits, maybe they were targeting people who spend less than you do typically on board.  Or maybe targeting people who spend or don't spend in/on specific venues.  It could be geographic - they might be targeting people who live in specific areas.  

There are limitless ways these things can be targeted.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

I am the “friend”. Hi @Cruise Raider 😊

 

I have no idea who they were marketing as none of the suggestions so far fit the bill.
I have sailed 91 days in 2023 alone with Princess 

I have 72 days booked with Princess spanning from this Sunday thru spring 2026 booked. 
I spend a very minimal amount of time in the casino & on only an occasional cruise here and there

I usually don’t spend more than a few dollars in the shops and then only occasionally, but have dropped a couple of thousand in the jewelry store once when I had it in OBC.  

Sometimes I buy a package sometimes I don’t. No pattern to it. 
@Cruise Raider and I live close enough that we’d both be considered the same “close to the port” people 

The only difference between us is that I’m now sailing on and have multiple future cruises booked on WS, O and Cunard. But I also have a bunch of Princess in there. 
 

I think it really stinks that the offer was given and taken away from @Cruise Raider

Edited March 28 by HaveDogWillTravel

[Cruise Raider]

3 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I am the “friend”. Hi @Cruise Raider 😊

 

I have no idea who they were marketing as none of the suggestions so far fit the bill.
I have sailed 91 days in 2023 alone with Princess 

I have 72 days booked spanning from this Sunday thru spring 2026 booked. 
I spend a very minimal amount of time in the casino & on only an occasional cruise here and there

I usually don’t spend more than a few dollars in the shops and then only occasionally, but have dropped a couple of thousand in the jewelry store once when I had it in OBC.  

Sometimes I buy a package sometimes I don’t. No pattern to it. 
@Cruise Raider and I live close enough that we’d both be considered the same “close to the port” people 

The only difference between us is that I’m now sailing on and have multiple future cruises booked on WS, O and Cunard. But I also have a bunch of Princess in there. 
 

I think it really stinks that the offer was given and taken away from @Cruise Raider

Thank you for that my dear friend.  

[HaveDogWillTravel]

18 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

You have me curious. Where is this OBC promo listed on the website, or does it magically appear somewhere when I log onto the Personalizer? We currently have 8 cruises booked with PCL and it would be nice to see if any of them qualify?

When I’m logged in I go to Cruise Deals and select the 35% off, $99 deposit and 3rd& 4th guest sale free offer. Click on view cruises and then a portion of them will also say $x OBC to spend. 
here are screen shots of the offer. 
Sorry the fine print pages aren’t in order. It seems to say the extra OBC is if you have a package?  But I got it on a thanksgiving cruise where I do not have a package. So idk. 

 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

17 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

Well,  we went to correct that 'hold' and book the 7 day that we wanted...  

BECAUSE OF THAT 'HOLD' THEN THIS WAS NOT A 'NEW BOOKING' AND THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY THAT PRINCESS WAS GOING TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR GIVE ONE LITTLE BIT.

My CVP cancels my booking and rebooks it under the new promo when that happens. Such was the case with 2 of my bookings that he just cancelled & rebooked for me under this promo. The exception is when I have a full suite booked and the category is sold out. He has said that if he tried doing that my cabin goes to the waitlist before he can get it back. 

[azbirdmom]

The part about the targeted offer doesn't bothers me, it is what it is and will be for the future as it does seem a good way to reach and entice new customers.  Everyone does it.

 

It seems you DID have the offer as evidenced by the documents you had and then they took it away.  That's the part that is unacceptable.  While I'm glad that your CVP got it back for you I just don't understand how your CVP could think it was OK to tell you that you're not worthy to get what they had originally offered.  Are they so numb to this kind of stuff that they don't realize that it's not right to do this to anyone let alone a long time customer?

 

I had a similar experience last year when I booked a casino comp cruise online right after they enabled those bookings on their website.  I had a variety of issues none of which the Philippines staff could solve the biggest of which was that the comped Princess Plus that appeared as I was booking the cruise disappeared once it was booked.  Fortunately I made screen shots all of the way through the booking process (it was all so new, I wanted proof of the details) and I shot it all off to the management group via email.  Within hours I got a call from a wonderful woman who restored Plus to my booking and fixed another casino booking for me.

 

I know your CVP did the right thing eventually but if you have it in you, it might be worth it to send something in to Princess management about this.  At some point they need to make sure their employees know that it's never OK to claw back a comp after it's been given to a customer - whether it was a mistake on their part as it seems to be on your part or otherwise.  "Eating" the value of it is a small price to pay and better than alienating a long time customer.

[Cruise Raider]

@azbirdmom you make good sense.  
If I gave the impression a that my CVP said I was not worthy of the offer, I should clarify that is meant to say, I did not qualify for the offer.  She did mention that I should take screen shots of the offerings next time but I was so sure I didn’t need them as, it was showing up on several cruises. Next time, I will be wiser.  
@HaveDogWillTravel and I have a pact that we notify each other of deals, price drops, cruise planning, when a whale shows up “port side”, “starboard side”, etc .. we always text each other.  So, when she told me about it, I just assumed it was a new promo for all.  
You still make a good point about notifying corporate .. not to complain about my CVP.  I think we’re good!  It’s more about offering something and then not following through with it without an argument from my end.  Is it there IT dept?  Was I never supposed to receive the promo, as it is now gone?  Those would be my questions.  
 

[memoak]

38 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

@azbirdmom you make good sense.  
If I gave the impression a that my CVP said I was not worthy of the offer, I should clarify that is meant to say, I did not qualify for the offer.  She did mention that I should take screen shots of the offerings next time but I was so sure I didn’t need them as, it was showing up on several cruises. Next time, I will be wiser.  
@HaveDogWillTravel and I have a pact that we notify each other of deals, price drops, cruise planning, when a whale shows up “port side”, “starboard side”, etc .. we always text each other.  So, when she told me about it, I just assumed it was a new promo for all.  
You still make a good point about notifying corporate .. not to complain about my CVP.  I think we’re good!  It’s more about offering something and then not following through with it without an argument from my end.  Is it there IT dept?  Was I never supposed to receive the promo, as it is now gone?  Those would be my questions.  
 

In addition to taking shots of offers I also take screen shots of travel summaries as I have had issues in the past with casino free plays showing up on ship 

[Cruise Raider]

1 minute ago, memoak said:

In addition to taking shots of offers I also take screen shots of travel summaries as I have had issues in the past with casino free plays showing up on ship 

Great advice!  

[Coral]

4 hours ago, PATRLR said:

It probably has nothing to do with number of cruises.  It might be something like your onboard spending habits, maybe they were targeting people who spend less than you do typically on board.  Or maybe targeting people who spend or don't spend in/on specific venues.  It could be geographic - they might be targeting people who live in specific areas.  

There are limitless ways these things can be targeted.

It has a lot to do if you have cruises booked or not.

 

When I have no cruises booked, I get amazing specials. The moment I book one cruise, they stop.

 

I agree it could be directed at where they live also.

Edited March 28 by Coral

[memoak]

25 minutes ago, Coral said:

It has a lot to do if you have cruises booked or not.

 

When I have no cruises booked, I get amazing specials. The moment I book one cruise, they stop.

 

I agree it could be directed at where they live also.

We usually ignore free inside cabin offers for a while and then at some points we start getting balcony offers again. Since we 7 cruises booked through 2025 we will wait for a while 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

It has a lot to do if you have cruises booked or not.

 

When I have no cruises booked, I get amazing specials. The moment I book one cruise, they stop.

 

I agree it could be directed at where they live also.

While that may be so for other promos it is not true for this promo. @Cruise Raiderand I live in the same basic area and we both have multiple future cruises booked. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

This is a new promo I just got in an email. Anyone else?  
 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

It’s also false advertising.  I booked excursions prior to the sale and paid $10 less on each.  No bueno Princessa.

Edited March 28 by HaveDogWillTravel