Australians get a poor deal from Princess

[Kiwi Kruzer]

There is nothing new in regard to geographic pricing discrepancies...it has been going on for years.Aussies and Kiwis have almost always paid

more, it is the policy created by the cruise line's

marketing ploy. And it does not just affect prices either...availability is also monitored and adjusted. A current example is the December 10

Diamond Princess Sydney/Auckland cruise where

the prices on the Princess website at this moment are: Interior $2,316

Oceanview Obstructed $2,699

Oceanview $3,001

Balcony $2,084 !!!!!!!

per person, in NZ$, plus taxes $207

Even worse ...this is the cruise we tried to book a

balcony two months ago but were told they were

sold out...now it seems very freely available at a hugely discounted rate. Go figure. We are booked on the previous cruise Bangkok/Sydney and would have much preferred to have sailed back to NZ. In the meantime are now committed to air fare return. The moral of the story seems to be...if the fare and availability are to your liking..book it!.

If not theres a chance the cruise line will make a better offer, especially if enough potential cruisers feel as you do. Incidentally, our NZ TA

agrees that it is a huge ongoing problem with

Australian and NZ cruisers...and they are well aware of it......they too feel equally

frustrated but, as he says, there is nothing we can do.

[Ashryn]

We have booked our next Princess cruise via a US website. Originally it looked as though we wouldn't be able to do this but after an enquiry email I was told that they try and encourage people to book through local travel agents but I they would take my booking.

 

After exchange rates, conversion fees and charges, etc we still ended up saving $700 per person.

 

We also had a future cruise credit with Princess but have also been advised we cannot use it because it is through Princess Australia.

[Glesca]

Seems to me that cruise lines in general have a Base cruise rate for the USA and then that rate increases depending on where you live in the world! .... the UK gets a bad deal out of Princess on many routes, though there are sometimes good deals to be had for cruise only if you are prepared to get your own flights.

 

The stupidity of not allowing the OP to book through a TA in the UK is bemusing to say the least but in the end it comes down to money!

 

Here's some info that someone may find helpful.

I went to the webpage of the cruise agency I used, and found something interesting. The top right hand corner of the opening page had some little flags representing countries such as UK, Australia, etc. Under these flags was a click bar with the phrase - For International Customers. When opened up, it gave instructions how payments could be made with a foreign credit card. If your country wasn't mentioned you could phone or email them.

As per the CC rules I can't mention the big cruise agency by name, but by doing a thorough search, they should be found. (Rembmeber those flags)

The agency deals with all the major cruise lines.

Good Luck and Bon Voyage.

[AussieTJ]

A month ago we were on the RCI Mariner of the Seas to Mexico, it was a fantastic cruise and a beautiful ship, and cost alot less than cruising out of Australia and that included air fares.. We went to see about future cruises while onboard and were told because we are Australian that we were unable to get any future cruise discounts or Obc, we asked dont RCI want international customers and were told it was only a service they offer to pass passagers from the US and Canadians.. We were very disappointed... Its just not fair.. We had pre paid all our tips before boarding, and we had an excellent drink waiter and tipped him extra. :mad:

Make things fair

[MMDown Under]

Here's some info that someone may find helpful.

I went to the webpage of the cruise agency I used, and found something interesting. The top right hand corner of the opening page had some little flags representing countries such as UK, Australia, etc. Under these flags was a click bar with the phrase - For International Customers. When opened up, it gave instructions how payments could be made with a foreign credit card. If your country wasn't mentioned you could phone or email them.

As per the CC rules I can't mention the big cruise agency by name, but by doing a thorough search, they should be found. (Rembmeber those flags)

The agency deals with all the major cruise lines.

Good Luck and Bon Voyage.

 

Thank you Glesca.

 

I like your Aussie accent. :)

[iancal]

We are not fans of Princess pricing policy. Fortunately we can book in the US or Candada-and it whatever currency we choose. The cruise companies set US/CAD exchange rates in advance and they are in place for several months-in some cases up to six months is what we have been told. So, we just booked a Celebrity cruise 10 days ago. We booked it with a Canadian travel agent (unusual for us as we normally go to an US based internet TA). The price per person was quoted in USD and CAD by both Celebrity and our TA. USD: 1637 per person. CAD price 1667. Converted to USD, the CAD price equaled 1500 USD. So we booked in CAD as it was cheaper. First time ever that we have booked in Canada.

[fifa]

Hi Ashryn - we are just looking at booking a cruise via the US for next year but are a bit nervous due to stories of Aussies not being able to board and depart. Can you email me the details of the agency you used perhaps? My email address is karengeorge88@gmail.com and I would be very grateful for any info you cn provide. Thanks

 

Does anyone have any actual experience of being denied boarding because they were Australian and booked through the US?

We have only ever booked throught US travel agents and have never had a single problem.

 

Something I don't think anyone has mentioned - US travel agents often give OBC and gifts like wine, dinner in the specialty restuarants, photos and coupon booklets. I haven't seen them offered by Aussie travel agents!

[acmjjm]

I have spent hours searching the various internet t/a looking for prices on Princess cruises but they all seem to quote identical prices.

 

Is this because their profit margin is low and they cant afford to cut the fares quoted or do the cruise lines somehow forbid t/a from cutting fares.

[badgerdee]

Australians booking international cruises through Australian travel agents are being completely fleeced.

 

I am more than happy to forgo any OBC to continue to book our Princess cruises through a US Internet travel agent, particularly now the Aussie dollar is on the rise again.

 

The exception is our December 2009 cruise from Sydney to Tasmania. It was cheaper for us to book that one through an Australian Internet cruise agent.

 

Incidentally, while the Sun and Dawn Princesses may have seen better days, they're probably on a par with the Sea Princess (currently cruising to Alaska from San Francisco). So we don't get all the old ships ;)

[campingman]

No Body Likes Getting Ripped Off.

 

Princess Australia is a inferior product in comparison to Princess.

 

Having sailed on the Star Princess in US$ and the Pacific Princess during its annual Australian season in Australian $ there are noticable differences of downgrading and that includes a much altered menu on the Pacific Princess.

 

We will never return to anything managed by Princess Australia let alone P&O Australia.

 

We have almost given up cruising Princess its all too difficult.

 

When you go into a website then your blocked,ie Contact your Australian Travel Agent.(We dont want to use an Australian agent that wont compete with booking conditions that are available via global internet sites)

 

Our 3 cruises last year were with Celebrity and RCCL and were to or from US ports and Barcelona.

 

Between ourselves and our other friends we spent US$22,000 with Celebrity and RCCL, just last year alone.

 

Its ashame that Princess make it so difficult for us to spend our money because they do have a good product.They discriminate with the intent to rip Australians off by blocking us to their Head Office website in Santa Clarita C A and other deals ie,we cannot go into the CC homepage online advertising for Princess as we are blocked.

 

Its interesting that they havnt learnt the simple things re marketing.

 

Before the global internet we looked in the phone book or yellow pages and we phoned a number to do business.If they didnt answer or were busy we simply went elsewhere.

 

Thanks to the original poster for highlighting the published newspaper letter.

[Stuartm]

Booking page shows -

 

Pricing is currently not available. Please check back later, you may alternatively contact your local AFTA travel agent or call our reservations team on 13 24 88. :)

 

I used to be frustrated with this message when trying to check prices on the Princess site....until I spoke to a Princess rep on the phone.

I mentioned this annoying message and he told me that when you get that message you simply click on the "itinerary" tab above the pricing box, go to the itinerary then click the "pricing and availability" tab and hey presto...the pricing is there.

Why Princess can't iron this glitch out of their website is beyond me!

 

Stu

[acmjjm]

Maybe someone here on the posts would know if what Princess is doing in Australia is illegal under provisions of the Australian Trade Practices Act relating to restrictive trade practices within Australia. As far as I understand Princess is forcing (ie restricting) Aussies to deal with Aussie t/a's and, as a result of the higher prices, unfairly discriminating against a certain class of buyers of cruises. This would be especially so if there was any 'arrangement' between the Aussie Travel agent conbsortium and Princess.

[Stuartm]

I'm not trying to prove any point here, just offering some comparison figures that I found on the internet.

 

I chose a few cruises at random making sure I included at least a couple of Australian based cruises.

The quotes are from the US and Princess websites and are all for BA category cabins including taxes (no air fares)

All prices are shown in AU$ with the exchange rate of AU$1 = 81c

 

 

US Site /AU Site

Diamond Princess Sydney to Auckland $3516 /$3437

Diamond Princess Sydney to Beijing $ 5586 /$5828

Dawn Princess Melbourne to Auckland $2768 /$3689

Sun Princess Sydney to Vanuatu $3426 /$3308

Golden Princess 7 day Alaska $2416/ $2398

Coral Princess 15 day Panama Canal $3522 $4565

 

What I find interesting is I can get a better price on the AU site for an Alaskan cruise than on the US site.

On the other hand, I would like to know why it is $900 cheaper to book the Dawn Princess Melbourne to Auckland cruise from America than Austalia.

 

And to the person who asked if we got special deals with Captains Circle the answer is....no.

 

cheers

 

Stu

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

Maybe someone here on the posts would know if what Princess is doing in Australia is illegal under provisions of the Australian Trade Practices Act relating to restrictive trade practices within Australia. As far as I understand Princess is forcing (ie restricting) Aussies to deal with Aussie t/a's and, as a result of the higher prices, unfairly discriminating against a certain class of buyers of cruises. This would be especially so if there was any 'arrangement' between the Aussie Travel agent conbsortium and Princess.

 

Very good point. Maybe Tequilatamm could answer that one.

[Emma Chisit]

plus OBC plus a bottle of wine plus a voucher book plus an upgrade and a block of flats and Tasmania.

 

 

I'll take the OBC' date=' and the wine, and the voucher book, and the upgrade, and the block of flats - but not Tasmania..[/color']

[Billy and Charlie's Mum]

i'll take the obc, and the wine, and the voucher book, and the upgrade, and the block of flats - but not tasmania..

 

lol

[roseram]

I have just spent the last hour or so reading this forum. I do not post on this site but am an avid cruiser with Princess and have cruised to over 30 countries with them. Yes I and my DH have paid way too much over the last 5 years to Princess but now the final straw has changed our minds. Our much trusted Aus TA has added their own little fee of $50 everytime we alter anything on our bookings.

We booked a cruise for later this year with Princess and then transferred the booking to the TA, they charged us $50. We changed our transfer (Princess transfer) another $50. We decided to upgrade our cabin, another $50.

From now on we are using an internet TA, maybe in the US, and we refused to be ripped off again.

[roseram]

BTW forgot to mention we are Aussies and we ALWAYS tip.

[Toto2Kansas]

I have just spent the last hour or so reading this forum. I do not post on this site but am an avid cruiser with Princess and have cruised to over 30 countries with them. Yes I and my DH have paid way too much over the last 5 years to Princess but now the final straw has changed our minds. Our much trusted Aus TA has added their own little fee of $50 everytime we alter anything on our bookings.

We booked a cruise for later this year with Princess and then transferred the booking to the TA, they charged us $50. We changed our transfer (Princess transfer) another $50. We decided to upgrade our cabin, another $50.

From now on we are using an internet TA, maybe in the US, and we refused to be ripped off again.

 

Many TA's in the USA have this same practice, but there are just as many that don't. It is one of the first things I ask a TA when I am researching cruises and checking with different TA's here in the states. If they charge fees for changes or cancellations, I thank them and go about my way to find another. So, this isn't just Australian TA's, many in the U.S. do the same thing. :confused:

Not sure if this is widely done in AU or if it might just be the TA you are using that has started charging this fee. I would check around and see if they are all doing it, or it is just a new agency rule for yours specifically. Good Luck!

[Mrs RH]

Oh how interesting!! Are you sure these prices are without flights, I found you had to go into the 2nd page and they take the flight prices off there as even though you put no flight required on the first page the prices do still include them.

 

Yes it was via the website.[/quote

Prices are without flights, and without other taxes or fees.

My wording of 'first page' was misleading. I should have said with no other savings such as Captains Circle, etc. We do have a method to sign in, then get better prices, but this is not available to the first timer.

Whoa, I just thought of something the other poster brought up. Sometimes here they include port taxes in the posted fare. (In my case I think the figure of nearly $600 was included in my fares, and then I had some smaller fees to pay separate) This maybe where the discrepancy is. Go back and check your port taxes, and all other fees. I'll check here.

 

Mine included all taxes, just not tips. Sorry I had a very social evening last night and focusing is difficult today. Did we decide who actually pays the most and who pays the least??

 

Mind you I don't care, I've just got my tickets, marvelous!!:D

[Colo Cruiser]

Sorry I had a very social evening last night and focusing is difficult today.

 

 

Never heard it described this way before. :eek:

[Glesca]

 

Mine included all taxes, just not tips. Sorry I had a very social evening last night and focusing is difficult today. Did we decide who actually pays the most and who pays the least??

 

Mind you I don't care, I've just got my tickets, marvelous!!:D

 

I have no idea, and I think our mates 'down under' are tucked in for the night. Perhaps if we call Princess and tell them it came up as a trivia question, they might provide an answer.:)

Have a good alcoholiday,;)

Bon Voyage.

[Mrs RH]

 

I have no idea, and I think our mates 'down under' are tucked in for the night. Perhaps if we call Princess and tell them it came up as a trivia question, they might provide an answer.:)

Have a good alcoholiday,;)

Bon Voyage.

 

Thank you it's 4 weeks away, but I'm like a kid at Christmas. I have to drink copious amounts of wine as how else will my liver cope on my cruise, it's call cruise training. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.:)

 

Briefly looking at the figures which have been posted, there is not a lot in it. Definitely not 1000s as people were saying. However I have no problem with someone proving me wrong.;)

[Cal Cruiser]

You are not the only one. I have a friend in Florida who made our bookings and it was a cheaper price that I could get in California??? I do not understand why but my friend got a price for $100.00 per person less than I did??? I live less than five miles from Princess's office? We were both trying to book with Princess and my friend got the cheaper price? So I guess where you live is important.

[sandydownunder]

Maybe someone here on the posts would know if what Princess is doing in Australia is illegal under provisions of the Australian Trade Practices Act relating to restrictive trade practices within Australia. As far as I understand Princess is forcing (ie restricting) Aussies to deal with Aussie t/a's and, as a result of the higher prices, unfairly discriminating against a certain class of buyers of cruises. This would be especially so if there was any 'arrangement' between the Aussie Travel agent conbsortium and Princess.

 

A few years ago when this very issue got to me I called the ACCC because I was going to take it further. The person I spoke to (she also involved her supervisor) told me that there was nothing you could do about it. You enter into a contract with Princess. They set out their terms and conditions and if you agree with them you sign up. If you don't agree you walk away, and find someone with conditions more to your liking.

 

Sandra