Quick questions for past Princess cruisers...

[tulips*n*truffles]

I know once you've cruised, you generally get a bit of a discount on future cruises. Does the discount increase as you cruise more? And can anyone give me an idea of what the discount really is? Like if I pay $1299 for a balcony stateroom, are you paying less than $1000? Varies? You see what I'm getting at. Then last...what is the real benefit of booking your NEXT cruise while you're cruising? I've heard this is something you should do if you know what/where/when you want. Yes? If the cruise fare is discounted later, will they honor the discount?

 

Thanks a ton ton ton!

Natalie

[caribill]

The discount for past cruisers varies with the cruise. You can also get the past passenger pricing if you have previously sailed on any of the Carnival owned lines.

 

The price does not go down the more cruises you have had.

 

The pricing you get when you book onboard is the same pricing you can get if you book (as a past passenger) directly with Princess that day if not on the cruise. Yes, if the price goes down before final payment, you can request the lower price be applied to your booking. It will not happen automatically.

 

What needs to be done on board is to purchase one or more Future Cruise Credits (FCC) for $100 each. With an FCC, you can book (onboard or later) and the $100 you paid for the FCC is your total down payment instead of 20% of the cruise cost. The deposit for the 2nd person in the room will then be only $100 or a 2nd FCC. (The world cruises require a higher down payment.)

 

But wait, there's more. If you book using an FCC, the first and second persons in the cabin will each get an on-board credit (OBC) ranging from $25 to $150 depending on cabin location (inside or outside) and the length of the cruise. This is "free money".

 

If you do not make a booking within four years of purchase of an FCC, you can ask for a refund of the $100.

[FredS]

Don't book on board, buy an FCC or 2 on board. If you do, you will have a letter in your stateroom by the end of the cruise telling you how many FCC (Future Cruise Credit) you have and when you need to use them (4 yrs) or they will be refunded to you. You won't get interest on the amount but you get your $100, or whatever amount you paid, back.

 

No discount really for past passengers. Once you cruise with Princess you will get e-mails, and Postal mailings with cruise deals. Some are good and some you can do better using a TA.

 

If you buy FCC you can book with Princess using the FCC if you find a cruise you like. If you have made a reservation with Princess then find a TA you like you can always transfer the booking to the TA to handle. But once you have a TA handle the booking Princess will only talk to them about your cruise, they will not talk to you about it.

 

Often times you can get a better deal going through a TA if you find the right one. No discount for more cruises, and many "specials" have a note that they are for NEW BOOKINGS ONLY. So if you have a cruise booked and you get a Princess notice showing it is cheaper, check the fine print.

 

With an FCC you don't have to know when/where you might cruise, you keep it handy in case you decide to go within 4 years.

[CruznMooses]

I just used my FCC that I had purchased on a cruise 2 years ago (Which I purchased on a cruise 2 years before that). I am Getting $50 onboard credit for me and another $50 for my wife ($100 total) and like someone else said the $200 I put down on FCC'S is my deposit. So I am starting my cruise +$100 on onboard credit that I would not have otherwise.

Now if you have a Future Cruise Credit deposit Princess will send you everything under the sun, both e-mail and snail mail about discounts for you next cruise.

[Chat Noir]

Here's my recent experience. We are past passengers, and I was looking at bookings for family members who are not. Same sailing, their price for a balcony was $400 more than my pricing for a mini-suite (Princess, Alaska, mid-summer). If I weren't so budget conscious as a mid-life student, I'd've snapped one up in a hurry instead of my cheapo-inside mid-May. :)

[brightonguys]

Regarding the OBC, do you have to ask you TA for it or does it just appear on your account automatically? We asked our online-TA to apply the FCC we purchased on the Diamond a couple of years ago to our upcoming cruise on the Crown, but I was unaware of the OBC associated with this. Thanks in advance for any info.

[Pia1913]

Regarding the OBC, do you have to ask you TA for it or does it just appear on your account automatically? We asked our online-TA to apply the FCC we purchased on the Diamond a couple of years ago to our upcoming cruise on the Crown, but I was unaware of the OBC associated with this. Thanks in advance for any info.

 

If you used the FCC for your booking (which means you paid no additional deposit), then yes, it's already on your account. Did you not get a confirmation from your TA showing this OBC? If the TA took additional monies from you when you booked, then the answer is questionable. Go on to your personalizer and see what's there.

[cacy6893076]

If you are on the eastern carribean 7 day it will be 25.00 pp for an inside or 50.00 pp for an outside stateroom., based on the fact that you applied the fcc deposit to the booking, in which case if you had 2, that would have been all the deposit necessary and no other monies required until final payment.

[tulips*n*truffles]

Great information! So regardless of what you have for FCCs, $100 or $400 - that is your down payment for the next cruise you book. Is that right? And when you book and pay your down payment with FCCs, that's when you qualify for an OBC. Did I read that correctly? Hard as a newbie to wrap my head around this stuff!!

 

Thanks!

Natalie

[Pia1913]

Great information! So regardless of what you have for FCCs, $100 or $400 - that is your down payment for the next cruise you book. Is that right? And when you book and pay your down payment with FCCs, that's when you qualify for an OBC. Did I read that correctly? Hard as a newbie to wrap my head around this stuff!!

 

Thanks!

Natalie

 

When you buy the FCC you pay $100 for each. When you use it for a cruise, you can use two FCC's as your deposit (one per person), or just one. If using only one, you then pay an additional $100 at time of booking. That's all you pay. No other deposit needed and other other monies until final payment. We always have additional FCC's on hand because I never know when I intend to book another cruise. I prefer using one FCC per person when I book, just to keep things even. Not everyone agrees with me, but this procedure works for us.

[jfv379]

When you buy the FCC you pay $100 for each. When you use it for a cruise, you can use two FCC's as your deposit (one per person), or just one. If using only one, you then pay an additional $100 at time of booking. That's all you pay. No other deposit needed and other other monies until final payment. We always have additional FCC's on hand because I never know when I intend to book another cruise. I prefer using one FCC per person when I book, just to keep things even. Not everyone agrees with me, but this procedure works for us.

 

Pia,

 

I would have done the same as you suggested, use two FCC. Last week I read a post that suggested if you have two FCC, only use one FCC for booking and pay the extra $100.00. This way if a cruise you want to take comes up before your booked cruise, you still have an extra FCC to book earlier cruise.

 

Did this make sense.:confused: Made perfect sense to me.:D

[CruisinChris]

When you opt to actually book on board you can have the booking assigned to your preferred TA and you will get their pricing for the cruise. No need to make the reservation with Princess and have it transferred. YOu can cancel and have the FCC re-deposited into your account or change your reservation three times. If you know that you will cruise Princess again in the next 4 years, it would be silly not to buy a FCC and take advantage of the onboard credit.

 

Also as a past cruiser you will often receive special offers in the email or snail mail that are not available to everyone. These can be one of the best discounts and perks of being a former passenger. IF you have something booked, however, they typically won't send you many offers.

[FLACRUISER99]

I know once you've cruised, you generally get a bit of a discount on future cruises. Does the discount increase as you cruise more? And can anyone give me an idea of what the discount really is? Like if I pay $1299 for a balcony stateroom, are you paying less than $1000? Varies? You see what I'm getting at. Then last...what is the real benefit of booking your NEXT cruise while you're cruising? I've heard this is something you should do if you know what/where/when you want. Yes? If the cruise fare is discounted later, will they honor the discount?

 

Thanks a ton ton ton!

Natalie

I have received a past cruiser discount as high as 42%. I calculated this by going to the Princess site, pricing the cruise w/o signing in, then signing in and comparing the difference.

[Pia1913]

Pia,

 

I would have done the same as you suggested, use two FCC. Last week I read a post that suggested if you have two FCC, only use one FCC for booking and pay the extra $100.00. This way if a cruise you want to take comes up before your booked cruise, you still have an extra FCC to book earlier cruise.

 

Did this make sense.:confused: Made perfect sense to me.:D

 

I always buy multiples; never have less than four active FCC's. If I get down to two and can't replenish shortly, I use one and pay the extra $100. This has only happened once. You just never know when you MUST take a cruise. ;)

[brightonguys]

Thanks everyone for the input on the FCC/OBC question. We just booked this yesterday so we paid the full amount, and they just applied the FCC ($100 each) to the total. I will call the TA tomorrow to find out if we will be getting OBC since we used our FCC. Thanks again.

[Pia1913]

Thanks everyone for the input on the FCC/OBC question. We just booked this yesterday so we paid the full amount, and they just applied the FCC ($100 each) to the total. I will call the TA tomorrow to find out if we will be getting OBC since we used our FCC. Thanks again.

 

You definitely will. Don't forget to buy more when you're aboard. :D

[brightonguys]

I won't! I'm really curious to try one of the Princess smaller ships that are the equivalent of the Azamara Quest (which I thought was great!), so we'll definitely be plunking down on at least two FCCs.

[Pam in CA]

Thanks everyone for the input on the FCC/OBC question. We just booked this yesterday so we paid the full amount, and they just applied the FCC ($100 each) to the total. I will call the TA tomorrow to find out if we will be getting OBC since we used our FCC. Thanks again.

The FCC will be applied to your onboard account when you board and will show as a credit on the account. Then, the auto-tip and anything you purchase on the ship, from drinks to T-shirts to tours, are deducted from the credit until it's used up and you then have a debit.

 

A suggestion when you buy new FCCs is to have them designated as "Princess" FCCs rather than have them go to your current TA. If you're totally satisfied with your TA, then by all means have them go to the TA of record (the one who booked your cruise) but if you're not sure or want to shop around for the best price when you get home, you will have FCCs that are not attached to a specific TA. When you do book, all you have to do is to tell the new TA you have an FCC.

[caribill]

When you buy the FCC you pay $100 for each. When you use it for a cruise, you can use two FCC's as your deposit (one per person), or just one. If using only one, you then pay an additional $100 at time of booking. That's all you pay. No other deposit needed and other other monies until final payment.

 

And you will each get the OBC no matter if you used one or two FCCs.

 

After you get on board, have the Purser's desk give you a printout of your accounts. The OBCs should be on it (one on your account and one on your companion's). If not there, ask the Future Cruise Consultant on board to help track it down for you.

[brightonguys]

What great suggestions -- thanks so much again. As we all know, ever little bit saved helps, especially nowadays (oh, who am I kidding, a little savings ALWAYS helps). :)