Princess UNFAIR pricing

[coiran]

Princess is currently showing balconies starting at $4399 for this sailing - any good TA can get you a better price.

 

Ron

[sunsetbeachgal]

We have had the same problem with our last two bookings-I (we are Platinum as are our cruisng companions) received the targeted e-mails and our friends did not...we booked and our friends fought to get the discount which amounted to $100 p/p on a Panama Canal cruise...on the Europe 2 for 1 promo that came out last week the difference is much, much greater. My friend has cruised the same amount of times on Princess as we have, and lives in the same zip code. All of these are new bookings-not trying to get the discounts on existing bookings.

 

This "targeted" stuff is creating some very ill will among those who aren't targeted, understandably. :(

[techheather]

Well today after I posted here, I figured I would check with my moms number( as she is computer illiterate) and BAM:eek: her prices got the promo today,,but not yesterday...so I call the TA,,and now we are all set with a refare.. The only reason I know what she pays and what the other cabins pay because i pretty much booked them all and I am coordinating all this stuff.. So maybe keep checking, the promo might just make it to you as well. I felt like we won the lottery..:).

[zacc]

This marketing tactic is not unique to Princess. It is used by most if not all cruise lines as well as hotels, resorts, airlines, casinos,etc. Prices vary for many reasons. In addition to those already mentioned, prices for the same cruise can vary based on the booking location i.e. east coast vs. west coast. I seem to remember reading that life isn't suppose to be fair.

[caribill]

 

If you think Princess pricing is unfair, just ask the persons sitting around you on your next flight what they paid for their seat.:eek:

 

 

Once read about a full fare airline passenger whose flight was cancelled and he ended up in a middle seat with the window seat and the aisle seat occupied by passengers who paid a deep discount price. He was not a happy camper.

[land lover]

What is the best price?

The one we accepted when we booked the cruise/trip.

Don't look back...look ahead to the great time you will have.

One of my favorite trips was a 2007 River cruise in Russia, it dropped 1500.pp besides an upgrade 4 months before we sailed, the vendor would do nothing for us.....to this day that is still one of my most memorable trips...worth every cent... Don't let money get in the way, you were pleased with the date and price when you booked...so let it go....... one never knows what tomorrow will bring.

 

[chubbypiggy]

Well today after I posted here, I figured I would check with my moms number( as she is computer illiterate) and BAM:eek: her prices got the promo today,,but not yesterday...so I call the TA,,and now we are all set with a refare.. The only reason I know what she pays and what the other cabins pay because i pretty much booked them all and I am coordinating all this stuff.. So maybe keep checking, the promo might just make it to you as well. I felt like we won the lottery..:).

 

 

Can you please tell me what do you mean "check with my mom's number" and found out she got the promo? What numbers were you talking about? The Captain Circle number? When I sign on to www.princess.com, it only asks for e-mail address and password. Is there another site that you can check the price with the CC number?

Thank you.

[G'ma]

My ORIGINAL booking was for "balcony same price as inside" @ $4,000 for the inside room

.

This deal is inside $2,300 or outside $2,400 limited availability on balcony.

 

It is NOT apples to oranges:

 

1. I originally booked "at same price as inside" - inside prices have dropped, by I am "stuck" with an "old" inside price.

 

2. I am not "eligible" for the $2,400 price (even if I switched to an outside room and dropped my balcony room) because I am NOT the Member who received the flyer.

 

I'm sure somewhere on the information, the term "valid with new bookings only" or some such language is there.

 

That's the chance you take when you book "several months" out.

 

Besides, if you were happy with the deal you received, what's the problem? It's like buying a book case in April and finding the store has a deep discount on the same bookcase in December - and getting angry about it.

 

Free and open marketplace.

[Pia1913]

Can you please tell me what do you mean "check with my mom's number" and found out she got the promo? What numbers were you talking about? The Captain Circle number? When I sign on to www.princess.com, it only asks for e-mail address and password. Is there another site that you can check the price with the CC number?

Thank you.

 

Each person should be registered with an email address and password. She's logging on using her mother's info. I do it all the time for myself, my daughter, a friend and my sister. You would be surprised how those prices can differ.

[Carolina Cruisr]

I have read your posts in the past that you have fought to get the discounts if you did not receive the same emails as your sister. Have you always been successfull in getting those "special targeted" rates.

 

We are the folks SunsetBeachGal is traveling with. We were successful with the Panama Canal but our Princess Cruise Vacation Planner is still working on the Europe for 2010.

 

I am going to keep my booking for 2010 but will cancel if the pricing does not improve. I will keep my fingers crossed, it is a year away! I have not cruised with any other cruise line in the last few years as I do enjoy them.

[techheather]

yeah Pia is correct. my mother is not computer savvy or I guess trip planning savvy either lol. I have to do it all...totally worth it though when the boat sails...yes im logging in her CC acct to check and fill in her stuff....:rolleyes:

[Richard]

We booked a Princess Cruise on the Pacific Princess (26 days) for the Dec 18th sailing. We booked many months ago at a Princress "special" for "any balcony same price as an inside room". Our balcony room costs approximately $4,000 per person based on the DEAL above at the time we booked.

 

My 93 year old father-in-law received a flyer from Princess offering $1,000 discounts ON OUR CRUISE. We did NOT receive the same flyer. The flyer quotes "outside" rooms for $2,400 pp (way lower than the fare we booked).

 

We called our TA and we were told that the $2,400 price was ONLY AVAILABLE to the Princess Circle members receiving the flyer (no one else was eligible and it is non-transferable).

 

This would be a saving of approximately $1,600 pp. BUT WE CANNOT AVAIL ourselves of this price (I believe the promo code was PL7).

 

We are Platinum (12 cruises) with Princess and find this type of pricing to be UNACCEPTABLE and UNFAIR. We are certainly outside of the 90 day timeframe for pricing changes.

 

THIS WILL DEFINITELY BE OUR LAST CRUISE ON PRINCESS!!!!!!

 

I guess you won't fly either since the person sitting next to you is flying on a cheaper ticket. There could be as many as 20 different prices on the same plane depending when and how the ticket was purchased. So if you won't sail Princess again I hope you won't be flying again. Enjoy the walk!

[unboringuy]

This practice, which IMHO is NOT unfair, is commonplace not only in the hospitality industry but anywhere involving wasting assets. This actually helps to offer generally lower pricing. If Princess could not use targeted marketing and adjust prices to ensure a capacity sailing, they would have to generally raise prices across the board. Sorry the OP doesn't see things that way.

[steponboard]

I'm sure somewhere on the information' date=' the term "valid with new bookings only" or some such language is there.

 

That's the chance you take when you book "several months" out.

 

Besides, if you were happy with the deal you received, what's the problem? It's like buying a book case in April and finding the store has a deep discount on the same bookcase in December - and getting angry about it.

 

Free and open marketplace.[/quote']

That's not a fair analogy. The "bookcase" was taken and used already. THE CRUISE is still cancellable and that's the difference.

[steponboard]

I guess you won't fly either since the person sitting next to you is flying on a cheaper ticket. There could be as many as 20 different prices on the same plane depending when and how the ticket was purchased. So if you won't sail Princess again I hope you won't be flying again. Enjoy the walk!

Another wrong analogy. The airfare is non refundable and all sales final and you know that when you bought it. The cruise hasn't come to final payment and can be canceled and rebooked.

[Toto2Kansas]

Another wrong analogy. The airfare is non refundable and all sales final and you know that when you bought it. The cruise hasn't come to final payment and can be canceled and rebooked.

 

But the point here is, not all passengers are targeted for the promotional price. So, even cancelling and rebooking may not do the OP any good, as if she wasn't listed for the new lower discounted price, she wouldn't have to cancel and rebook, they would have given it to her. But it seems she isn't able to as she was not one of those targeted with this new promotion. Plus, if I remember correctly, she wanted one specific stateroom only when she fought the first fight. If she cancels, she is liable to loose that particular stateroom and have to settle for something else.

The only option for her if she feels this is so unfair is to just cancel the entire cruise and start the search for a new one. Especially since she never plans to cruise on Princess again. ;)

[cruiserus]

Hubby is a part-time travel agent. He said you should ask your travel agent to speak to the Princess District rep and see if he/she can work out a deal for you. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

[chubbypiggy]

Each person should be registered with an email address and password. She's logging on using her mother's info. I do it all the time for myself, my daughter, a friend and my sister. You would be surprised how those prices can differ.

 

 

Thank you.

[DaisyRose]

I have to say that I agree with the OP. I do think it is unfair that Princess offers a special "sale" price to only certain cruisers. If there is a sale price, I think it should be available to anyone that wants to book.

 

That said, I have booked cruises and then read on CC about others getting great deals on the cruise I paid more for. I have not cancelled. But, it makes me feel like I should wait to book until I receive special deals. If Princess targets sales to those who don't currently have any bookings, then I guess it is to my advantage to not have any bookings and not book in advance. I like to do that so I can choose the cabin I want, but maybe to save so much money I could go on another cruise, I should just not worry about which cabin I get. If everyone waited for sales and did not book in advance, Princess bookings would go way down. Maybe then Princess would offer sales to anyone who wished to book at the current sale price.

 

On any given flight, it is true that the passengers on board have all paid a large variety of prices. But when airlines have sales, the price is available to everyone. Yes it is true that the price of flights fluctuates a lot, but on any given day, anyone who logs onto an airline web site can book at the current price, whether it is higher or lower than last week.

[kooljamming]

We booked a Princess Cruise on the Pacific Princess (26 days) for the Dec 18th sailing. We booked many months ago at a Princress "special" for "any balcony same price as an inside room". Our balcony room costs approximately $4,000 per person based on the DEAL above at the time we booked.

 

My 93 year old father-in-law received a flyer from Princess offering $1,000 discounts ON OUR CRUISE. We did NOT receive the same flyer. The flyer quotes "outside" rooms for $2,400 pp (way lower than the fare we booked).

 

We called our TA and we were told that the $2,400 price was ONLY AVAILABLE to the Princess Circle members receiving the flyer (no one else was eligible and it is non-transferable).

 

This would be a saving of approximately $1,600 pp. BUT WE CANNOT AVAIL ourselves of this price (I believe the promo code was PL7).

 

We are Platinum (12 cruises) with Princess and find this type of pricing to be UNACCEPTABLE and UNFAIR. We are certainly outside of the 90 day timeframe for pricing changes.

 

THIS WILL DEFINITELY BE OUR LAST CRUISE ON PRINCESS!!!!!![/quote]

 

May I suggest RCCL or Carnival.

RCCL has more activities, a livelier vibe, decent food and spectacular ships

Carnival is down right FUN....FUN....FUN! Instead of MADD- Movies All Damn Day, you have a live Reggae band. Instead of MUTS you have deck parties at night. You will miss the awesome pools on Princess, the elegant design, fantastic evening entertainment and all the learning@sea. Because of last minute sales and price drop I like the mantra, once you book don't look. Dec. 18th is a lucky day because it's my favorite sister's birthday. Well she is kinda my only sister;)

 

Good Luck!

[kestrel]

I can understand OP's feeling. This is really depressing. Moreover, based on my information from friends and relatives, it seems that Princess tends to offer those really good deals to customers who did not cruise so much. Maybe they think that they don't have to try so hard to get seasoned cruisers to book again :(

[shepp]

On any given flight, it is true that the passengers on board have all paid a large variety of prices. But when airlines have sales, the price is available to everyone. Yes it is true that the price of flights fluctuates a lot, but on any given day, anyone who logs onto an airline web site can book at the current price, whether it is higher or lower than last week.

 

On the other hand....

 

My partner and I both receive targeted e-mail from Delta. We simultaneously booked the same flight in December, but he'll be getting 10,000 bonus miles and I won't. I got an offer from a bank where we both have accounts. I get $125 to use my ATM card 5 times, he doesn't.

 

That is, as other posters have said, the way business works. And I have a suspicion that some of the people who most loudly extol the virtues of capitalism are the first to complain when some corporation's marketing decisions don't go their way.

 

Anyone who's ever sailed knows that fares go up, fares go down, specials come and go. I would, however, never interpret the OP's deal as "a balcony room for the same price as an inside, no matter what the inside eventually sells for." Sorry.

[j!m]

kooljammin has right attitude

 

if you happy with price when you book, dont look

 

who cares what others paid you are happy(?)

 

but never hurts to ask for reduction if price goes down so what if they say is "no" you r happy

[traveling1969]

We had booked a TA on the Ruby for 10/09 and received a call from our travel agent that there was a 2 for 1 promo mailing. She asked if we received it. We had not so she suggested I call Princess. I did so but had no luck. She took the bull by the horns and called Princess for me. No luck with the first call. She called again and the 2nd agent was able to offer the 2 for 1. Maybe she was lucky but persistance sometimes pays off.

[Ken076]

The point you seem to be missing is that we are OUTSIDE of the 90 price freeze. There is NOTHING STOPPING me from cancelling my cruise (giving up my cherished balcony room) and rebooking an outside room at a $1,600/pp savings.....that's another cruise we can go on (or it will pay for our airfare). I cannot do that because I did not receive the flyer my father-in-law did. At 93 years old (widower), he is not going on any more cruises.

 

 

If I, as a passenger, uncover better legitimate rates (advertised by Princess), there is NO REASON Princess should deny that advertised price. It IS IN WRITING, SENT OUT BY THEM!!

 

The whole Point is that this is a limited, restricted offer made only to certain customers - it's NOT a legitimate "advertised" price that they HAVE to give you.

 

 

sorry

 

Ken