FCC's and minors

[northerndynasty]

Good morning, All!

 

Not that I would ever want to "come down" on our beloved, favorite Cruiseline, but a little incident has transpired that I hope to get cleared-up today. But I wanted to pass this along to my fellow cruisers:

 

Every cruise, almost the moment that the Future Cruise Sales office first opens, we buy our FCCs for our next cruise. We always expect it to be a year from that cruise...we just don't know where it'll be to.

 

And every year, I book both cabins...my DW and I; and my DD and my Mom, who comes down from "north of the 48th parallel" for an escape from the cold and to spend time with her grand-daughter. However, just before final payment is due, I TRANSFER my DD's and Mom's reservation to my Mom's TA up in Canada so the TA can handle all my Mom's affairs. We do it this way every year, and it works out just fine. (plus, I get to monitor daily for price-drops, and can get the repricing done real easy while the reservation is under my control)

 

Well, as usual, I pay for my DD, even though she shares her cabin with my Mom. However, this year turned out a little different. I paid exactly what should be half of the total bill for their cabin, my mom ended-up having to pay an extra $100 for her "half". Why? We came to realize that my DD's FCC $100USD purchase was NOT applied (or moved) to the reservation when it was transfered to the TA's control!

 

Good thing I've kept all the FCC receipts, and my Mom has her Credit Card statement from the time the FCCs were purchased.

 

We'll be contacting Princess today to sort this out. But I wanted to throw this out there, because, when it comes to the overall cost of the cruise, some might not even remember their FCCs, or, might not even notice if it's being applied properly.

 

Lastly: I thought I heard or read somewhere that minor's cannot have FCCs? Funny, each cruise, each year, the FCC Office allows us to buy them no problem. I wonder if this is the cause of the issue...but, why this year and not previous years?

[skynight]

Good morning, All!

 

We'll be contacting Princess today to sort this out. But I wanted to throw this out there, because, when it comes to the overall cost of the cruise, some might not even remember their FCCs, or, might not even notice if it's being applied properly.

 

You may have already done this, but I think you should speak with the TA first. My experience is that Princess will not give you a satisfactory response on bookings booked through TA's. I had some issues, not FCC related, where the TA made a 3 way call and we corrected the issue.

[highheel girl]

Minors CC accounts are not useable until they turn 18.

They do build up their cruises on record.

 

Doubt that one (minor) could hold an FCC until that time.

If they did they would have to be one of the first 2 booked in the cabin as well.

[northerndynasty]

All:

 

Thank you for taking the time to read my plight (:rolleyes:), and I do have an update for you.

 

I just got off the phone with a most WONDERFUL (and I mean that whole-heartedly!!!) CSR at Princess. Wow, some of them folks - well, most from whom I've work with - are so, so so pleasant!

 

So, on the application of both FCCs for my Mom's cabin. I have been "assured" beyond a reasonable doubt, that YES, indeed BOTH FCCs were applied. There was NO change in the FCC application when the reservation was under MY control, nor did it change when it was moved to the TAs control. Of course, that now leaves an interesting question to be answered by...yep...the TA!!! Hmmm...?

 

On the FCCs and minors:

 

So, when Princess considers minors, they usually view them as 3rd and 4th passengers in a cabin. And if that were the case, then no, they could NOT acquire FCCs. However...

 

In OUR case, that's not the case for our DD. Our DD is a Full Paying, 2nd member of a reservation, and therefore FULLY qualifies simply as a "passenger", REGARDLESS of age, to be able to acquire FCCs and apply them to reservations. So, this is definitely good news!

 

Oh, and one other thing...it's too bad our DD can proudly walk about the ship sporting her currently Gold (soon to be Platinum) card. As a minor, she can't show off her loyalty...just yet. :(

 

Thanks again, everyone!!

[cherylandtk]

If you kept the booking confirmation from Princess you can easily verify that the FCC was applied and used as the deposit. You can also use that same page to compare prices/cost with the TA's invoice to find the discrepancy.

 

You are correct that as the second pax in the cabin, your DD gets all the use of the FCC, both as the deposit and for the associated onboard credit. You can verify that OBC in her online Personalizer, too.

[northerndynasty]

Thanks for your feedback...

 

We were indeed tracking the numbers all the way, and just couldn't understand why the discrepancy of the $100?! Well, it appears as though we HAVE found the discrepancy...and it was neither Princess NOR the T/A! Dear Mother is just getting, well, maybe a little forgetful as she "matures" to her 70's...although she swears that she's not a day over 17! :)

 

It seems as though THIS year she took out Trip Cancellation through her TA...to the tune of exactly $100. Princess assured us that they received exactly the same payments for both our cabins, so if my Mother is seeing a higher amount on her credit card, it would've had to have happen at the TA, but no more funds had been received by Princess.

 

We're in the process of verifying this Mom, but that's where the $100 difference is coming from. See...just takes a little bit of stepping back, assessing all angles, and cooler heads prevail!

 

Just a clarification on the Gold Card for minors I mentioned above: I can't edit that UPDATE I made any longer, but I meant to say: Too bad our DD CAN'T proudly strut about the ship showing off her Mariner experience as a GOLD-level member. I'm working with Princess on this... Our DD has ALWAYS been a full-fledged, full-fare-paying cruiser. And in my opinion, regardless of age, she should be able to proudly proclaim her loyalty status anytime she wishes! And trust me...she asks each and every time. She takes cruising very, very seriously and to heart! Pssst...I think we'll have one of our youngest, 400+ days cruising gals soon enough! ;)

 

Happy December everyone!

 

 

If you kept the booking confirmation from Princess you can easily verify that the FCC was applied and used as the deposit. You can also use that same page to compare prices/cost with the TA's invoice to find the discrepancy.

 

You are correct that as the second pax in the cabin, your DD gets all the use of the FCC, both as the deposit and for the associated onboard credit. You can verify that OBC in her online Personalizer, too.