So why wouldn't a UK passenger......

[CALMOM]

I have been on CC Boards for a few years and unless I am misunderstanding, it seems like the UK has much stiffer penalties then US, even if their sailing in, from, or to the US. Why is that, doesn't seem fair? Why wouldn't then a UK passenger book through a US TA and get the better price and easier penalties. Is this not allowed and why?

 

I live in the US, I was just wondering. I think the UK passengers are pretty nice, give them a break.

[G'ma]

Different country, different contract rules, different prices....supply and demand.

 

Most cruise lines require a U.S mailing address on U.S. bookings....

[fridaythecat.u.k.]

Some US TAs will let you book through them, other's won't - the latter say that Princess / HAL exclude them from doing so. Bit of research and luck of the draw is required. My HAL cruise was booked through a US TA with no issues and many £££ saved....

 

Just wondering, though, why we need to be "given a break" and why OP would point out that we are "pretty nice" - is there any particular reason why we wouldn't be :confused:

[CALMOM]

Some US TAs will let you book through them, other's won't - the latter say that Princess / HAL exclude them from doing so. Bit of research and luck of the draw is required. My HAL cruise was booked through a US TA with no issues and many £££ saved....

 

Just wondering, though, why we need to be "given a break" and why OP would point out that we are "pretty nice" - is there any particular reason why we wouldn't be :confused:

 

I was just kidding, I didn't anything bad by it. I'm sorry, if you were offended. Sorry, for trying to be funny, guess I'm not.:o

[fridaythecat.u.k.]

I was just kidding, I didn't anything bad by it. I'm sorry, if you were offended. Sorry, for trying to be funny, guess I'm not.:o

 

No worries :D No offence taken, sometimes when you write things, they come across differently to how you meant them (no body language, voice tone etc, just the written word) ;) I can sleep safely now, being as it is nearly Saturday here and I think it is time for me to retire for the night :D

[h3rjp]

I've never tried booking through a US based travel agent, but I managed to get fairly keen prices on both of my cruise bookings, but they certainly took some hunting out!

 

The cancellation penalties are rather severe, but then again it's pretty much standard practice in the holiday business over here, so I guess they [the travel agents] are happy for it to continue.

[CALMOM]

I've never tried booking through a US based travel agent, but I managed to get fairly keen prices on both of my cruise bookings, but they certainly took some hunting out!

 

The cancellation penalties are rather severe, but then again it's pretty much standard practice in the holiday business over here, so I guess they [the travel agents] are happy for it to continue.

 

I guess all you would need is a US address. I would think it's worth a try.

[chasetf]

Different country' date=' different contract rules, different prices....supply and demand.

 

Most cruise lines require a U.S mailing address on U.S. bookings....[/quote']

.... and most of us do not know ....but it could be different tarriffs, taxes, ??????

 

Only some inner Princess cruise employee would probably know.

[pg.]

Canadians certainly don't seem to have the same issues, I have never had any problem with US online agencies, or booking directly, and I do get good prices. I do think the Ukers do not get a fair deal,, but have no idea how it is justified.

[Patsfan3]

I live in the US and always book cruises for my in-laws who live in England.

I book their flights too and most of the time it is cheaper for me to do it from over here.

[iancal]

We have met a number of Brits on other lines who no longer cruise with Princess...they disliked being ripped off and they did not want to run the risk of a problem on embarkation if they booked thru a US or Canadian TA. The only way for Brits to stop this is to completely boycott Princess. Voting with your feet can sometimes work...if enough people do it. Problem is, not enough people know that they are being truly ripped off by Princess and by other lines who practice/enforce this policy. UK TA's will certainly not tell them.

[soccerref]

This isn't just a problem for UK travellers who use Princess. We have the same issues with other cruise lines too. It is not easy to have a US address unless you have friends or relatives in the US who are willing to take on the booking procedure. UK passengers also miss out on some of the past passenger perks (no lounges at airports or atlas). I find this very frustrating when I know we have paid considerably more than our North American cousins for the same product but, because we are limited to specific holiday dates and if I want to do a particular itinerary, I have to put up with it. UK passengers also lose their deposit if they cancel before final payment. The good thing is that we have to have travel insurance.

[fridaythecat.u.k.]

I guess all you would need is a US address. I would think it's worth a try.

 

We have met a number of Brits on other lines who no longer cruise with Princess...they disliked being ripped off and they did not want to run the risk of a problem on embarkation if they booked thru a US or Canadian TA...

 

This isn't just a problem for UK travellers who use Princess. We have the same issues with other cruise lines too. It is not easy to have a US address unless you have friends or relatives in the US who are willing to take on the booking procedure.

 

You do not need a US address! You need to research a reputable US TA who will book for you! It is not impossible. Once you are showing on the cruiseline's on line personaliser you are not going to have problems boarding. Mine showed up within minutes of booking.

 

I researched just about every on line UK TA and the cheapest was still around £1,000 more than the price I paid for my HAL cruise, plus I got $150 OBC and a free specialty restaurant meal which weren't on offer through UK TAs. On top of that, if I need to cancel before final payment, I get my deposit back which I would lose had I booked through a UK TA.

 

It really is a no-brainer to go through a US TA if you can, the only gamble as far as I can tell is exchange rate fluctuations before final payment due date, but I doubt they will fluctuate by as much as £1,000 and they may even go in my favour, meaning even more savings!

[UKBayern]

This is an issue on most cruise lines for almost all nationalities except USA and Canada. There are a lot of threads on this forum, also from continental Europeans, South Americans and Australians about this subject. Actually in another thread, I had a hard time convincing an American that their rules are not our rules. We can only book if we are absolutely sure we are going to travel, since penalties apply and in some countries most times you even have to pay everything up front.

This is not a unique Princess problem, it is with almost every cruiseline. The vast majority of passengers is still American/Canadian, so voting with our feet is not exactly going to make much of a difference at the moment. Cruising is becoming increasingly popular in other parts of the world now, so maybe we can all strike in a few years time.

[Nylsor]

Before I booked our cruise on the Grand I phoned / e-mailed 14 cruise specialist TAs both here in the UK and in the US. I wanted Cruise Only as we want to stay in Fort Lauderdale for four days pre-cruise and two days post-cruise. We did not want to fly BA which is the line usually used by Princess as they have a contract to use them. All this was not possible with a package deal including airfare. I asked all the TAs to quote me for a BB Caribe balcony cabin for 14 February 2011. I received quotes varying from £2194 to £1472pp with $200 OBC per stateroom. The cheapest quote was from a UK TA. If I had booked a package the cost would have been £2160pp. The money I have saved will more than pay for our six day stay in FtL (already booked) and our return flights on either Virgin or AA (waiting for dates to be released) at a time of our own choice. Just shop around for the best deal and don't be afraid to tell each TA the lowest quote you have already been given. They will often lower their price immediately.

Princess UK and Princess US operate as two separate companies. Princess UK has to operate under UK law. The only beef I have is that cruises are released on to the US market three months or more earlier than the UK market and we get the cabins that are left - despite me receiving an e-mail from Princess UK assuring me that this doesn't happen and that cabins are reserved for the UK market. It does and they don't.

[Shogun]

Hi There,

 

It is possible to get a good deal out of Princess in the UK the best ones

 

have so far always been on a charter flight when some one cancels.

 

once got two weeks for two people cost for was £998 not each but as a

 

couple, if I made my own flights they would take £1 off the cost of holiday.

 

yours Shogun

[Pochahontas]

I would er on the side of caution when booking outside of the UK - we are covered by several associations should the company we book through go bust or we are left stranded - they are ABTA and ATOL. Your insurance wont cover you for a company going bust.

 

So by booking out of the country you are taking a risk whether its a slight risk or not - to me its not worth it but to book through the UK who are covered by ABTA/ATOL as Shogun points out - it is possible to get a good deal.

[fridaythecat.u.k.]

Each to their own...

 

It depends on how risk-averse you are, I suppose... I would always recommend thorough research in order to minimise your risk, but if I can save over £1,000 as compared to the cheapest UK TA I could find, plus get OBC and other benefits, you only need to do this around 3 times or so and you have saved the price of a cruise! :D Therefore, on the small chance that the well established US TA you have researched goes bust, if you have booked 3 or more cruises, you are still ahead of the game!

[Bowie MeMe]

I do believe that market place pressures will make this rather a non-question in very few years. With anybody being able to go on the computer and order directly from almost anyplace on the earth (I just ordered olive oil from the shop I found in Olympia Greece last year) and the customer will rule and demand fairness despite addresses. It seems that boundaries (especially after EU) don't mean as much as it used to.

 

I would think that you could use an on-line agent and use the agency address for correspondence that is needed. Since you have to go through the TA if you want to deal with the company anyway. Credit cards are worldwide. Buy travel insurance like an American to get benefits like an American (I envy the one policy for a year travel insurance in Britian as we go on bunches of small trips that we "self insure").

 

What are the penalities if you do not use TA from your country???

[AnDeNo.UK]

Different country' date=' different contract rules, different prices....supply and demand.

 

Most cruise lines require a U.S mailing address on U.S. bookings....[/quote']

 

Only Princess of all the different lines we have been on need a US address.

 

Most of our cruises have been booked thro' the US, either direct with the cruise line or a TA. ;)

[Wilma's Mum]

There seem to be a few differences in the way travel agents operate between the UK & the US/Canada. One thing I've noticed especially is that if the cruise price drops, you get that price. Hasn't ever happened for me! And I'm looking for a new TA after this year's special - the company's latest newsletter showed $200 onboard credit on the cruise I'm taking on Ruby Princess in June, so I contacted them & asked what we were getting; the answer? Not a cent. We paid a 'special low price' which, strangely enough, seemed to be exactly the same as the new 'special low price' and onboard credit they were now advertising. Ah well! Let's see what the next lot offer!

[windsor26]

I've never tried booking through a US based travel agent, but I managed to get fairly keen prices on both of my cruise bookings, but they certainly took some hunting out!

 

The cancellation penalties are rather severe, but then again it's pretty much standard practice in the holiday business over here, so I guess they [the travel agents] are happy for it to continue.

 

 

Thats the sticker - the cancellation copsts. We in Australia aave exactly the same problems as UK people and although the prices are higher in both our countries it is the fact that we DO NOT GET the reductions when they come even if we booked with Princess direct NOR do we get the deposit back up to final payment day YOU NEVER get the deposit back. And so far I have not found a TA in Australia who gives incentives like the USA ones do nor lower their prices by much.

[SueFrankuk]

I am happy to book with a UK TA I do like the fact that when I have checked in at Heathrow I am on holiday and Princess do such wonderful pre-stay packages it makes it all worth while.

Last year we tried 2 P&O cruises on Ventura at a very cheap price my TA is now offering a 14 nt Med cruise for 1299 in Mini suite, but we found the food very poor compared with Princess.

Looking forward to flying to Buenos Aires tomorrow to pick up our next cruise, just think on our last cruise one of our USA table mates had a $3000 OBC, can you match that!!!!

just enjoy

 

Sue

[triple7tahoe]

For years we enjoyed cruising with P&O but found that there were different prices for us in the "Colonies";). Many of the offers that were available to the folks in the UK could not be used for us. We tried booking through a British TA and found that sometimes we could get the special offers but more often than not, they were not available. As recently as five years ago, we tried to get portions of the World Cruise only to be told that because the fare included air (that we did not need) it was still going to cost us more than those who booked in the UK.

To top that, we arranged a pre-cruise package in Hong Kong that included pickup at the airport only to get to the HOng Kong Airport and not be met. OK with that except we had not been told which hotel our pre-cruise package incuded. Made for an interesting three days:mad: