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Sale Price Adjustment


CoralReef
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Windstar is running a sale on selected cruises:https://www.windstarcruises.com/specials/september-one-week-sale/

 

 

If you have not yet made final payment, it's worth checking to see if your cruise is one that is on sale. Mine was. I called them and got a price reduction of $600 per person, to match the sale price. Nice!

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I booked my b2b cruises when each one was on 7 for 7 special.

 

The May 17 Wonders of Alaska and Canada cruise is way more (like $1000 per person) on the September Sale than it was on 7 for 7 a few weeks earlier. Perhaps bookings are going well so now they didn't drop the price much.

 

On the other hand, the May 4, Japan and North Pacific crossing cruise may be lower on the September sale than on 7 fo 7. It looks like it might be slightly lower on the September sale. (I neglected to write down the 7 for 7 double occupancy price and I'm having trouble working back from my solo fare to figure it out. I've asked my travel agent to check.)

 

So check the September sale price, but it may also pay to check for a 7 for 7 price each week.

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Windstar is running a sale on selected cruises:https://www.windstarcruises.com/specials/september-one-week-sale/

 

 

If you have not yet made final payment, it's worth checking to see if your cruise is one that is on sale. Mine was. I called them and got a price reduction of $600 per person, to match the sale price. Nice!

 

Did you receive a reduction of the total fare amount or did they offer you onboard credit? Just asking because we had a slight reduction in our fare before we paid the final amount and were given onboard credit in lieu of a reduction in fare.

 

Thanks!

 

Sandy

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Do check to see what the onboard credit can be used for. They told me that it can't be used to purchase a beverage package however it can be used to purchase wine. I believe they also said that the credit can't be use for excursions or in the casino. I'm guessing spa services? What else is there?

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Do check to see what the onboard credit can be used for. They told me that it can't be used to purchase a beverage package however it can be used to purchase wine. I believe they also said that the credit can't be use for excursions or in the casino. I'm guessing spa services? What else is there?

 

I don't know who "they" is. It definitely can be used for excursions that you book on board, for drinks and for the laundry package. We used it for those on our sailing. I'm not sure about the drinks packages but I expect it can. There are two things that Windstar told me that it can't be used for:

  • expenses that you book in advance - so if you want to book an excursion in MyWindstar in advance because it might sell out, then you can't use OBC.
  • gratuities

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I don't know who "they" is. It definitely can be used for excursions that you book on board, for drinks and for the laundry package. We used it for those on our sailing. I'm not sure about the drinks packages but I expect it can. There are two things that Windstar told me that it can't be used for:

  • expenses that you book in advance - so if you want to book an excursion in MyWindstar in advance because it might sell out, then you can't use OBC.
  • gratuities

 

The "They" I was referring to was Windstar customer support. The man I spoke with wasn't super clear with how I can use my onboard credit. Thank you for the clarification!

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So what's the rule on price adjustments? You can get a price adjustment as long as you haven't already paid in full? We are sailing in November so we had to pay in full in August. . .

 

OK, I just got my own question answered. Part 1 of the answer was that any fare reduction offered on the cruise alone cannot be applied to the package cruise+air booking, which is what we have. Part 2 of the answer was that the actual cruise portion of our cruise+air package was still less than the newly advertised sale price after deducting the hotel and transfers (which I'd forgotten about. I had only deducted the $1500 pp RT airfare). Not saying we wouldn't have found a cheaper hotel and transfers on our own, but it was clear that any savings would have been negligible.

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As far as what the policy is, here's the word from Windstar's site:

 

WINDSTAR PRICE ASSURANCE POLICY



 



Terms & Conditions

 





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 1-888-989-5946 (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. Policy does not apply to certain promotions.

 

So it applies up to 7 days prior to sailing. It doesn't say anything about before final payment. Of course there is that last sentence. All of the current specials say they are valid on "new bookings only," but apparently Windstar still often gives the discount or OBC so I'm not sure when the policy doesn't apply to a promotion.

 

My TA checked and said my 7 for 7 price on Japan and North Pacific is slightly better than the September sale price. As an ocean crossing, it's regular price per day is already pretty low so I guess they don't have much room to lower the price. The 7 for 7 price on Wonders of Alaska and Canada was $3899 pp for an ocean view S1 and it's $4899 on the September sale price.

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  • 4 weeks later...
So what's the rule on price adjustments? You can get a price adjustment as long as you haven't already paid in full? We are sailing in November so we had to pay in full in August. . .

I have only just started reading about Sales Adjustments, etc. We are doing our 2nd Windstar Cruise this coming November 25th on the Surf and I am now really paying attention to posts. So, we have already paid our full amount (which apparently is required 90 days before the cruise), and I was under the impression that if it dropped in price , we could get an adjustment as long as we contact Windstar up to 7 days prior to sailing. Are you saying we do not qualify for any price adjustment if we paid on full???

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I have only just started reading about Sales Adjustments, etc. We are doing our 2nd Windstar Cruise this coming November 25th on the Surf and I am now really paying attention to posts. So, we have already paid our full amount (which apparently is required 90 days before the cruise), and I was under the impression that if it dropped in price , we could get an adjustment as long as we contact Windstar up to 7 days prior to sailing. Are you saying we do not qualify for any price adjustment if we paid on full???

 

See my follow-up post above. I'd recommend contacting Windstar and asking.

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Sure thing.

We'll watch the website and sales prices and phone WS with our questions. We've been pretty quiet and understanding, in light of the revisions that they been forced to make.

We're hoping there will be some perks offered as well, to make up for the changes, and the fact that several of us are still planning to go, and have not decided to cancel!

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We actually just got a second price drop. So don’t be shy, ask!

 

According to their T&C, you can get an adjustment up until 7 days. I have read that the adjustment is usually in cash before final payment, and in OBC afterwards. But it’s their call.

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My understanding is that after final payment, you will be compensated for a price drop in other ways.

 

We took our family of 6 this summer on a 7 day Windsurf. We booked very very early once we found a week we could all travel.

 

There was a substantial price drop about two weeks before the cruise. We each got several hundred dollars in onboard credit and much more in a future cruise discount.

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Thanks to Cruise Critic and the suggestions you all made as I posted questions, I feel much informed in several areas - namely the price drop! We contacted Windstar and spoke to a representative who was very helpful and who, also, adjusted a glitch with our new hotel arrangements from St. Maarten to Barbados.

We mentioned the price drop and he quickly made the adjustments resulting in a significant OBC!

What we are unclear on, are the various suggestions as to what you can or cannot use these credits for???

I'd really love to know exactly (before we cruise) what we can do with them. Lots of different comments on this one!

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We have used our credits for spa treatments, alcohol - we didn't get the package and didn't ask, ship store, shore excursions purchased onboard and laundry package.

 

I don't think it can be used in the casino or for gratuities.

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Can I use OBC for tips if it was given to me by my travel agent? My travel agent said that the OBC that he gives us is posted as a gift. It is like cash that we can use for anything. He said that we could cash that OBC on the cruise. The OBC given to us by Windstar cannot be cashed out or used for the casino or tips. It can be used to book excursions on the ship. On my most recent cruise in May, I had OBC that was used for excursions, laundry, spa, and internet. The OBC is like frosting on a birthday cake. It makes the cruise really yummy.

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