Cancel and rebook same cruise?

Has anyone cancelled a booked cruise and rebooked the same cruise at a drastically lower price? We currently have a cruise booked on Royal Princess and are more than 150 days out from final payment. The price for our stateroom has dropped more than $1500.00.

I had been trying to get our TA to see if we could take advantage of a price drop of $990.00 several weeks ago and keep getting the run around (the agency is in a state of chaos) and can't get a confirmed answer. I was told more than two weeks ago we could get a price drop of $970. I'm wondering if it would be easier to cancel the cruise and rebook at the much lower price. We also used a FCC, can we get that recredited to our account? Any info would help. This is only our third cruise with Princess in the last two years.

Yes! I booked a new cabin at a much lower price and then called TA and they cancelled the original booking! I did not want to miss out!

Got our FCC back also

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Has anyone cancelled a booked cruise and rebooked the same cruise at a drastically lower price? We currently have a cruise booked on Royal Princess and are more than 150 days out from final payment. The price for our stateroom has dropped more than $1500.00.

Very likely, as you are outside of final payment, and inside the USA.

Some cruises have non-refundable deposits, so that might be the only snag.

It still might be better to cancel (and possibly lose a deposit) and re-book at a

much lower rate.

I would be cranky if my travel agent didn't respond within a few hours.

Yes you can book with new price and have the previous one cancelled

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As long as you're not in love with the cabin that you have booked<3...book the new cabin, notify your TA by email to cancel. You'll get your FCD back, it goes into your account within a couple of hours of cancellation.

Hopefully, you have an FCD in your account that you can use for the "new" booking.

AND don't use that TA again!! Find someone who is more responsive.

If the deposit isn't one of the non-refundable deals and the FCC time (2 years) hasn't run out there should be no problem cancelling and re-booking at the lower rate. Also, "the agency is in a state of chaos", hmm, maybe time to get a new TA? :confused:

And while you are at it, find a new TA. Your current one is clearly not doing its job

Getting a previously booked "repriced" is a normal procedure. We use 4 different Cruise Agencies (we like to shop for the best deals) and if I want to reprice its just a matter of calling their Customer Service folks who will generally contact the cruise line and do it...while I am on the line.

So my message to the OP is that you have a problem with your cruise/travel agency. The best way to deal with that is to properly vett the agency before you book! Now, it is a real problem. So, since you are getting no satisfaction you should call that agency and demand (politely) to speak with the manager or owner. When you run into resistance from the person on the phone, tell them you are frustrated with trying to get answers and you are on the verge of canceling the entire booking. Many cruise lines do protect the commissions of cruise/travel agencies when they drop prices (so the agency does not lose commission money)...but that is always not the case. So 3 rate fly by night cruise/travel agencies will try to string you along and hope you go away (which is what you should do with any future business).

As to canceling and rebooking. you can do this but it might cost you some previously promised promotion or amenities. And the normal way to cancel is with the same agency who booked the cruise...and it sounds like your (the OPs) agency will also make that difficult. But stop playing the game with the agency and take control! If the agency stiff refuses to carry out your instructions..your next step is to call the cruise line and try to get to a senior supervisor and tell them your problem. As long as you are not close the final payment deadline, there is probably little reason to cancel immediately.

Another step is to help others not to deal with that agency by making it known that there is a problem. Contact the Better Business Bureau and lodge an official complaint. This does help others and will often get the attention of the agency. You can also look up the agency on the Better Business Bureau and usually obtain information on who is the owner (they also usually have a phone number).

This entire situation is lousy....but its why we always talk about using only very reputable cruise agencies and performing your own due diligence....before using an agency. But when things go bad....the ball is in your court to be assertive.

Hank

And while you are at it' date=' find a new TA. Your current one is clearly not doing its job[/quote']

I totally agree with you.

Tony

There are a couple of issues that you will have to deal with.

1. Yes, you can cancel and rebook. Your original cabin may not be returned to inventory right away or....someone else may snatch it before you can get rebooked.

2. If your cabin category is sold out, you will not be able to re-fare your booking for the same location.

3. You will lose a non-refundable deposit.

4. You reside in the US.

If you are happy with just being on the ship, you may cancel and rebook any stateroom.

I have been trying to re-fare a window suite. Because there are none available, I am "stuck" with the Sip and Sale package or risk losing my stateroom.

There MAY be issue for YOU to cancel. If TA did booking, possible only TA can cancel.

Before our 1st cruise, I read these boards for about two weeks. We walked into TA and were amazed at the ignorance. A lot of TA's just fill in forms to make arrangements and know little about the product..

I had no problem in achieving this in the UK, on a cruise which is way out in the future, in order to get the benefit of a promotion without losing my preferred location.

All sorted by my TA (can't mention the TA on here, but think of a very vocal MP)

Princess told my TA that they would have to cancel and re-book, and initially wanted to charge a £100 cancellation fee, which the TA managed to get waived.

Princess also told them that they would do the change in a matter of minutes but that 'momentarily' (their word not mine), during the short period between it being released to inventory and me being re-booked into it, there was a risk of losing my existing stateroom, (a suite on the South American side for a Panama Canal cruise which were showing as all sold - though there were two suites in the same category on the other side of the ship),

Discussed the strategy with my TA and the risk that my original stateroom might disappear in the short period of time between it being released to inventory and me re-booking it, but as this was going to be just a few minutes, I took the risk, especially as we were doing it in the morning before North America was awake.

So, my TA made a new booking for a same category suite on the other side of the ship, and then cancelled the original booking with Princess whilst promising to keep checking for my old suite to come back onto inventory so that they could move me back into my original suite.

I also kept an eye on the website for the suite to come back onto inventory and, as soon as I saw it, I phoned the TA who said 'I hope it's not there if you look now as I have just moved your new booking over to that stateroom/suite' and sure enough when I went back to the website my original suite was no longer showing as available and the temporary suite we had booked on the 'wrong' side had re-appeared in inventory.

So, although I was monitoring what was going on, my TA was on the game, and had been ahead of me with the result that I got my original suite and the promotion.

We are past full payment but more than 57 days out. Can we cancel and rebook? We have FCC so we should only loose $200. Our TA is very good so I will offer to pay his cancellation fee.

Yes, we do this all the time. And yes, my T.A. did this for me two days ago, all the things you mention for two February 2018 cruises. The only issue is the T.A. has to be firm when they speak with Princess that you want to retain your same cabin (assuming that is what you want). Your FCD's will be re-used.

Something to be aware of. A good T.A. will do this without any question or charge. Some T.A.'s have a small charge for changes. The T.A. will, in the end, receive a lower commission from Princess, and thus may eliminate some T.A.'s OBC.

Thanks to all of you for the quick replies and straightforward information. To clarify, we are 76 days out from final payment due, 155 days out from sailing.

To provide some more info: We have been with this TA for over 14 years. The problem began when the owner died (this agency is in Arkansas and Sky is in the name) and her spouse and others took over the agency. We NEVER had a complaint about this agency in the previous 14+ years. This issue of a price drop would have been taken care of by Lori, I wouldn't have even had to ask! This ISN'T the same agency it was eight months ago and I doubt we will continue to use them.

We are not in "love" with the stateroom (it's a D4 aft premium balcony) we would like to keep it but others are available.

When we booked, this wasn't a non-refundable deposit situation.

The only thing we will lose is our Princess paid gratuities. This was the promotion when we booked.

We did use a current FCD, and still have another we can use with a new booking.

Hank, I have let the agency know. All I'm getting is excuses and unfulfilled promises to call me back. I started this process to get a price reduction on September 29th. I am ready to cancel and rebook on Princess website myself!

Could you move the booking to Princess, get the price drop and keep the prepaid tips?

Thanks to all of you for the quick replies and straightforward information. To clarify, we are 76 days out from final payment due, 155 days out from sailing.

 

To provide some more info: We have been with this TA for over 14 years. The problem began when the owner died (this agency is in Arkansas and Sky is in the name) and her spouse and others took over the agency. We NEVER had a complaint about this agency in the previous 14+ years. This issue of a price drop would have been taken care of by Lori, I wouldn't have even had to ask! This ISN'T the same agency it was eight months ago and I doubt we will continue to use them.

 

We are not in "love" with the stateroom (it's a D4 aft premium balcony) we would like to keep it but others are available.

When we booked, this wasn't a non-refundable deposit situation.

The only thing we will lose is our Princess paid gratuities. This was the promotion when we booked.

We did use a current FCD, and still have another we can use with a new booking.

 

Hank, I have let the agency know. All I'm getting is excuses and unfulfilled promises to call me back. I started this process to get a price reduction on September 29th. I am ready to cancel and rebook on Princess website myself!

You know that you can request that Princess take your booking back...and then you can request whatever you like, in essence, acting as your own travel agent.

My opinion, this will get the attention of your current agent.:cool:

I am familiar with that agency (used them 20 plus years ago, though for only one cruise). I would ask Princess to transfer the booking to them and just tell them they have been un responsive. I usually don't recommend booking direct with Princess but for you, it would be an improvement.

My guess is that you are not the only one having problems here.

Geo, I don't know. I hope someone here with more knowledge about this can help me.

Thin, I know I could but it is a somewhat formal process, I believe.

Coral, I'm not the only one with problems. You can go to the Celebrity board and view the thread "transferring a reservation from a TA" and see some of the same complaints I have.

Coral, I'm not the only one with problems. You can go to the Celebrity board and view the thread "transferring a reservation from a TA" and see some of the same complaints I have.

I only used that agency once and had problems 20 years ago.

I would just call Princess and speak with a Supervisor. It would be worth it to transfer it back IMO due to the pre-paid gratuities. Then if you want to transfer it again, you can before final payment.

Good luck.

 

I would just call Princess and speak with a Supervisor.

As crazy as it sounds, I thought the agency had to agree to give up the booking.

Which never made sense to me, as the customer should always control the booking.

As crazy as it sounds, I thought the agency had to agree to give up the booking.

 

Which never made sense to me, as the customer should always control the booking.

Honestly - if someone calls and says the agency has neglected to return any calls for weeks (and obviously if it is a repeat issue that they have heard from others), I have no doubt Princess will take this back. It is a small agency but did large volume. Maybe they do require it is writing but this would put some pressure on the agency to respond to the OP if the Cruise Line contacts the agency.

I had heard of the death of the agent and know agents who have picked up former clients as they are not pleased with the current situation. I just assumed they were new bookings but hadn't thought they are probably existing bookings that are having issues also.

I found the thread on Celebrity's board and Celebrity/RCCL is pulling reservations back when people have asked. I would guess Princess would do the same given the situation.

Well, we have canceled this cruise and sadly are ending our relationship with what was once a great travel agency. I re-booked the cruise this afternoon and saved $1510. Too bad this agency couldn't have done this for me, eight months ago they would have!

Well, we have canceled this cruise and sadly are ending our relationship with what was once a great travel agency. I re-booked the cruise this afternoon and saved $1510. Too bad this agency couldn't have done this for me, eight months ago they would have!

Glad it worked out, but sorry to hear it was such a hassle! I have mixed feelings about using agencies. I like to be able to address price cuts myself ASAP but enjoy the OBC they can offer. Enjoy your cruise!!