Price drop -but Windstar won't reduce our price

My husband and I are booked on our third Windstar cruise in October. (we loved our first two). Final payment is due tomorrow.

On checking the website today I discovered that the price has dropped by $500 per person. This would be a significant saving for us, particularly as because we are from the UK the price of our cruise has increased by over £500 due to the drop in the exchange rate between the pound and the dollar.

However when my husband phoned them today they have refused to reduce the price, because it is less tha 120 days to our sailing, even though if we cancel and rebook at the reduced price we would pay less, even after losing our deposit.

I have seen posts in the past where Windstar have allowed price drops up until final payment is made.

Does anyone else on the forum have experience of this/any advice?

Thanks for any help

Did you use a TA? They can sometimes help. If they will not lower price try to get difference in obc. I also thought they would honor lower price before final payment but not after.

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Last year, WS had a fare sale less than 120 days prior to our embarkation. I found out about it late on a Saturday afternoon, hours before the special offer was due to expire. I contacted my TA, who was able to arrange for us to receive the lower fare, a saving of over $1700! The TA is always available by cell phone. A good TA is invaluable.

Phoned again today and spoke to another agent and they honoured the price drop so very happy. I emphasised this was our third Windstar cruise and we were struggling with the price increase because of the drop in the value of the pound after the Brexit vote.

Very pleased with Windstar once again, and looking forward to our cruise! Xx

Phoned again today and spoke to another agent and they honoured the price drop so very happy. I emphasised this was our third Windstar cruise and we were struggling with the price increase because of the drop in the value of the pound after the Brexit vote.

 

Very pleased with Windstar once again, and looking forward to our cruise! Xx

So glad they stepped up and did the right thing.

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I think new management is on top of things more. So glad this happened to you. Happy Sailing

I also contacted Windstar because our cruise price dropped significantly. We were also under 120 days. They told me to call the TA. I did and they called while I was on the phone. When she got back to me, she said we could get that price. BUT, we would lose the 2 nights in the hotel pre-cruise and our AMEX on board credit and AARP discount. I dont really believe the last two as those are through 3rd parties. But the nights in the hotel and the cabin we have were worth leaving as is.

The hotel nights are special offers as well as other ammenities. You have to do the math. Happy Sailing

Yes and the special sales don't include any additional discounts so if you booked with a welcome home, b2b, or yacht club discount and there's a price drop, you just have to see how it comes out at the end and make a decision about which deal ia better.

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I just received this email from Wind Star with their new policy:

Guests who purchase a cruise on Windstar will be eligible for reimbursement upon request if the fare published by Windstar for their specific departure and cabin class is reduced after they have made a booking and deposit, and if the request is received by Windstar at least 7 days prior to sailing. The reimbursement will be provided in the form of a shipboard credit, upgrade, fare reduction, or a future cruise credit. Windstar will determine the form of reimbursement, and the amount of reimbursement will be the difference between the fare actually paid by the guest and the published fare on WindstarCruises.com the day the request is received. Guests who select reimbursement will be eligible for any complimentary inclusive features (e.g., hotels, air, tours) associated with the new fare and will forfeit any complimentary inclusive features associated with the original fare. All requests for reimbursement must be made directly to Windstar Cruises at 1-877-271-5056 (during regular reservations hours) at least seven (7) days prior to sailing. Windstar's new fare pricing assurance policy will take effect with new bookings made on or after June 27, 2016. Windstar reserves the right to modify or terminate this policy at any time for bookings not yet made.

Information contained herein is accurate at time of publication and subject to change without notice.

Also received this tonight. It makes a lot of sense and gets rid of that bad feeling of begging for adjustments. Also makes me far less nervous about booking a year out. They really are making great strides and I think this step gives them an edge in their end of the market.

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I agree. It is a great step forward. I had resolved to wait until later to book in future but will now probably continue to book earlier with this reassurance.

While this new policy is definitely better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, I would like it much better if they would just guarantee a reduction in fare. Onboard credit could be difficult to use up if the reduction is significant. Their idea of a cabin upgrade might be quite different from mine (I need to be on a lower deck, midship) and a future cruise credit is kind of pie in the sky.

In the wording of the new policy, there will be some kind of compensation for price reductions. Upgrade, on board credit, and future cruise certificates,etc. Can you choose what type of compensation you receive?

It is all clearly stated on the WS website. Policy, terms, conditions, etc.

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http://www.windstarcruises.com/terms-conditions/

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In the wording of the new policy, there will be some kind of compensation for price reductions. Upgrade, on board credit, and future cruise certificates,etc. Can you choose what type of compensation you receive?

Windstar chooses, not the purchaser. That's what I don't like about it.

My airfare for a September trip on BA dropped 2k. I would lose 3k to rebook at the current price. As they say, that's life! It could have just as well gone up and I'd be congratulating myself for being so smart by booking ahead. Check around in the cruise and airline industry as a whole. I think their new policy is fair and above board. We would all like cash but they also have a business to run, staff to pay, etc. I'd like them to be around and will always find a way to use obc's or enjoy another perk. If I didn't think the trip was worth it at "x" dollars I would not have booked so anything else is a nice bonus. On the other hand they never asked for more money when two of my cruises went up in price from my initial booking.

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The only thing like that is when they used to have a oil price surcharge but of course that was set when you paid...but it was a variable up to that point. At least for the moment none of that!

Last weekend we spotted the fact that the price had dropped on both our individual as well as the following weeks large group Med cruises. Not the easiest job to get ahold of our Windstar rep, but net result is that we saved hundreds on each cabin with a minimum of effort.

It makes the point that it is important to keep track of the current offerings on your booked cruise, and call if the price goes down. Windstar will not call you to voluntarily offer the lower price.