Current Sale-Would you do it?

[Crzn-Life]

With the current Labor Day Sale Princess has going, just found out we can switch 2 b2bs we have booked and save over $500 on one and $300 on the other. Plus there would be an additional $100 per cruise OBC. That would be a net savings of about $1000. However, the deposit becomes non-refundable. So, if we had to cancel, that would be a loss of $400.

 

We would only not go on this cruise if something very serious happened to one or both of us.

 

Right now we're split on what to do. One says go for, the other says let's play it safe & keep what we have.

 

We'll work it out, but am curious about what others think. What would you do in this case?

[TLC535]

Personally we would switch...

Don't know the answer to this, but maybe some of our seasoned pro's do...If you had private insurance & had to cancel before or after final payment, wouldn't your deposit still be returned to you when filing a claim ?

Or does the "non-refundable" apply to that also ?

I would think you would get that also...but have never been there...:confused:

[Captain Canuck]

I do not buy travel insurance. I self insure. what I have saved on cancellation insurance would now more than pay for giving up on a totally paid for trip I could not take.

You are in the same situation. $400 is about what you would pay for cancellation insurance..which only covers defined emergencies. on your own you decide it you cannot go.

[Alaskanb]

We went for it and saved significantly.

[bjcanady]

I do not buy travel insurance. I self insure. what I have saved on cancellation insurance would now more than pay for giving up on a totally paid for trip I could not take.

You are in the same situation. $400 is about what you would pay for cancellation insurance..which only covers defined emergencies. on your own you decide it you cannot go.

 

We never bought insurance until the last couple of years, always figured with what we had saved on insurance we could afford to loose a cruise.....but now with our ages creeping up (well not really creeping, more like flying) we have started buying it just in case we would have to be air lifted.....the price of the cruise, no big deal, but the cost of emergency evac is a different story......

[Captain Canuck]

always have travel medical insurance..just not cancellation

[Pia1913]

With the current Labor Day Sale Princess has going, just found out we can switch 2 b2bs we have booked and save over $500 on one and $300 on the other. Plus there would be an additional $100 per cruise OBC. That would be a net savings of about $1000. However, the deposit becomes non-refundable. So, if we had to cancel, that would be a loss of $400.

 

We would only not go on this cruise if something very serious happened to one or both of us.

 

Right now we're split on what to do. One says go for, the other says let's play it safe & keep what we have.

 

We'll work it out, but am curious about what others think. What would you do in this case?

 

 

If it's only the two of you with no other extraordinary obligations, I would go for it. Of course, under the assumption that you are both currently in good health.

[Astro Flyer]

If you haven't already read it, there's a current thread that may be helpful also...:)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1698062

[pizzalady1]

Personally we would switch...

 

Don't know the answer to this, but maybe some of our seasoned pro's do...If you had private insurance & had to cancel before or after final payment, wouldn't your deposit still be returned to you when filing a claim ?

Or does the "non-refundable" apply to that also ?

I would think you would get that also...but have never been there...:confused:

 

If you have insurance, it would cover ALL expenses, including the Princess non-refundable deposit.

[thinfool]

I do not buy travel insurance. I self insure. what I have saved on cancellation insurance would now more than pay for giving up on a totally paid for trip I could not take.

You are in the same situation. $400 is about what you would pay for cancellation insurance..which only covers defined emergencies. on your own you decide it you cannot go.

 

This may be so for a Canadian...not so much in the US.

[Captain Canuck]

have not priced out insurance in a long time as don't get it so not sure as to amount..but usually US prices on EVERYTHING way lower..cost of socialism

[Nebr.cruiser]

I'd go for it too; the nonrefundable part doesn't matter too much to us as we do buy insurance; mostly for the medical part, including pre-existing conditions waiver (elderly parents), but we wouldn't want to loose all or part of the trip costs either.

 

We've had to use our insurance 3 times, so we are far, far ahead of the game. We used to self-insure too, but as our parents aged, and we are too, insurance becomes more important. Of course, things can happen even to the very young and healthy.

[Putterdude]

If we didn't already have a discounted "group fare" thru or TA that is lower than the current sale price and I was sure that I would be taking the cruise....then sure I would book it.

[Times Prince]

With the current Labor Day Sale Princess has going, just found out we can switch 2 b2bs we have booked and save over $500 on one and $300 on the other. Plus there would be an additional $100 per cruise OBC. That would be a net savings of about $1000. However, the deposit becomes non-refundable. So, if we had to cancel, that would be a loss of $400.

 

We would only not go on this cruise if something very serious happened to one or both of us.

 

Right now we're split on what to do. One says go for, the other says let's play it safe & keep what we have.

 

We'll work it out, but am curious about what others think. What would you do in this case?

I take it you are on the "let's do it" side of the discussion and are looking for support.

 

Assuming you are in good health and financial conditions, the $800-$1,000 benefit seems to far outweigh the $400 risk. As a matter of fact, if something very serious did occur, the cancellation cost may very well be the least of your worries (at least that was our thought process when we booked one of these non-refundable fares), and that's what trip insurance is for.

[freetocruise]

Just be aware that they will cancel your current bookings and make new bookings which means new reservation numbers and you'll need to go online and re-enter your personal info. You also mighty lose your cabin. I know because we did this during the last sale but the savings were worth it.

[KruzPrincess]

For me, it would depend on how far out the cruise is. I have a cruise that has final payment next week. I held off on offers for a couple months and finally took the one they offered a week or so ago. I got a good deal and the price I booked at is now about $600 less than the going rate today. If your cruise is well sold already I'd probably go for it. If the ship has a lot of space available and it's still quite a distance in the future, I'd probably wait. If you want no risk, keep what you have.

[caribill]

We would only not go on this cruise if something very serious happened to one or both of us.

 

 

This would only matter if it was before final payment was due.

 

After the final payment date, the penalty for cancelling would be more than the deposit amount. As you get close to embarkation date, the penalty becomes 100% of the price paid.

[PescadoAmarillo]

For us, the savings isn't enough (less than $50pp) to offset the risk. But if our savings were in the $100s, we'd definitely do it.

 

Final payment for some of these cruises isn't for months...I'm still hoping for better.

[PunkiC]

We have three cruises booked and the sale prices aren't as good as the prices we got when we originally booked.

 

We never book until we are almost certain that the price we select is rock bottom. So far that has always worked for us.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

With the current Labor Day Sale Princess has going, just found out we can switch 2 b2bs we have booked and save over $500 on one and $300 on the other. Plus there would be an additional $100 per cruise OBC. That would be a net savings of about $1000. However, the deposit becomes non-refundable. So, if we had to cancel, that would be a loss of $400.

 

We would only not go on this cruise if something very serious happened to one or both of us.

 

Right now we're split on what to do. One says go for, the other says let's play it safe & keep what we have.

 

We'll work it out, but am curious about what others think. What would you do in this case?

If you don't switch you lose $1000. If you switch and you have to cancel you lose your $400 deposit. I would switch.

[CaribbeanIsland]

I refuse to take advantage of the non-refundable sales. Eventually, I can get the same price with out a sale.

[Minoushka]

always have travel medical insurance..just not cancellation

 

Just to let you know my visa card with a yearly fee covers me for cancellation,trip interruption,baggage loss or damage and health

I have a Desjardins Visa card ..it is a travel card with all the benefitd nI have needed to cancel I was totally refunded without problem .it was a medical issue...both my sister and I got our refund

Check it out

My girlfriend got it .her hubby got sick on ship She was so thankful the card took care of a 3000$ bill

You really do need insurance

Card costs about 100$ ...I travel more than once a year so it gets paid up quickly when you think how much each trip would cost

 

Michele

[SoBaycruiser]

I too have to make a choice. My trip is 9 months away and I expect it will be discounted later. But my question to all of you is if one already HAS insurance on a booked trip and the sale requires rebooking it to get the lower price, do you have to buy the insurance again? If not, why would it be any different then canceling and going on a different cruise? We have an elderly mother to consider and buying insurance again would offset much of the gain.

[Alaskanb]

I know that my insurance through Travelguard did not require us to state what trip we were on just the time period and amount to be covered. Don't know how Princess deals with it.

[srpilo]

Just be aware that they will cancel your current bookings and make new bookings which means new reservation numbers and you'll need to go online and re-enter your personal info. You also mighty lose your cabin. I know because we did this during the last sale but the savings were worth it.

 

Absolutely Not true...

 

I've switched 2 cruises in the last year since they started offering the non-refundable deposits, including my upcoming TA on the Grand, and they did not change our booking number or anything else except the balance due on the new discounted fare.

 

OP, as stated by many here, IMO the discount out-weights the risks... But as always here, opinions vary :)

Srpilo