Booking while onboard vs. online or FCC

[KenNBarbie]

Looked for an answer, but wasn't clear on just what best option might be.

 

Q1) Book a cruise while on board vs. self booking online - any OBC or reduced down payment offered? I assume :o you can book while on board.

 

Q2) Read that FCC may have changed and don't include OBC's, so what is advantage to buying while on board?

[OnlineMom]

We always try to put a deposit down while on a cruise - even if we don't have a particular future sailing in mind. The benefits to doing this onboard are 1.) a reduced deposit and 2.) OBC (amount varies depending on length).

[cr8tiv1]

There is a difference between purchasing a Future Cruise Credit and booking a cruise while on Board. Yes, buy one, two, or even three FCC's for later cruises.

 

Now, for booking a cruise. Here is my horror story. I went in to pick up 3 FCC's and then decided to have her book a cruise. She did tell me that she was not a travel agent and booked a couple of (repositioning) cruises me with the reduced 50% off deposit. Then my Travel Agent picked up the booking and used the FCC to make the deposits. Pretty much, that negated what the FCC person did on board. Bottom line, she booked the wrong cruises. I wanted a one day to Vancouver, overnight, and 3 days to LA. She booked it so that I had a 2 day overnight in Vancouver. My travel agent is terrific. She fixed everything (by canceling and starting again).

 

Be sure you know the difference between a booking and FCC. Be sure to know exactly what you want to book. It is fixable and nothing gained, nothing lost.

 

Renee

[cherylandtk]

I usually pick up FCC's while onboard. Quick form, drop it in the box, and I am done.

 

I don't waste time trying to fit the Future Cruise person's limited office hours into my schedule and I never wait behind someone who has no idea where they want to go and spends their time at the desk flipping through the brochures trying to make a decision.

 

There are no discounts or price breaks for booking onboard, it is the same price as what you see online. And a good TA will beat that every single time.

[born2cruize]

I usually pick up FCC's while onboard. Quick form, drop it in the box, and I am done.

 

I don't waste time trying to fit the Future Cruise person's limited office hours into my schedule and I never wait behind someone who has no idea where they want to go and spends their time at the desk flipping through the brochures trying to make a decision.

 

There are no discounts or price breaks for booking onboard, it is the same price as what you see online. And a good TA will beat that every single time.

 

True the price that you pay on the ship is the same online, but if your TA is in there system they transfer the booking to your TA and then the TA will discount if they do it normally. THe only advantage is the added OBC compared to booking online.

[Pam in CA]

True the price that you pay on the ship is the same online, but if your TA is in there system they transfer the booking to your TA and then the TA will discount if they do it normally. THe only advantage is the added OBC compared to booking online.

Actually, if you book a cruise while onboard, you can have it set as a Princess-booked cruise as opposed to automatically assigned to the TA on record for the cruise you're on. You can then get quotes from a variety of sources to get the best price and perks. You get the FCC OBC whether you book through Princess or any TA.

 

The only time I think booking onboard is to your advantage is if there is a special promotion for, for instance, double FCC. Special promos like this are rare. Otherwise, you get the cabin, OBC, etc. whether you book on the ship or after returning home.

[Times Prince]

Looked for an answer, but wasn't clear on just what best option might be.

 

Q1) Book a cruise while on board vs. self booking online - any OBC or reduced down payment offered? I assume :o you can book while on board.

 

Q2) Read that FCC may have changed and don't include OBC's, so what is advantage to buying while on board?

Q1) One should get about the same price onboard as one gets booking directly from Princess online. We did have a rep quote us a price that was a little less for a cruise than was online, but there was a special offer at the time we talked with her.

 

Q2) FCC changed, but still includes OBC's which may be reduced from what was offered before, and a shorter time to use the FCC. It is still a good deal, and there are OBC's. I saw a really good comparison on another thread here on Cruise Critic.

[caribill]

Looked for an answer, but wasn't clear on just what best option might be.

 

Q1) Book a cruise while on board vs. self booking online - any OBC or reduced down payment offered? I assume :o you can book while on board. Price booking onboard will be exactly the same as if you had booked it the same day over the internet or by calling Princess on land. Of course if you wait to book, by the time you get home the price may be higher, lower, or exactly the same. If you do book onboard, your deposit (except for world cruise segments) will be the cost of an FCC ($100) and carry with it the appropriate OBC.(It's like buying an FCC and immediately using it.) Whether you book aboard or not, you can buy FCCs to use at a future time to take advantage of the reduced deposits and the OBCs. And as others have pointed out, if you book on board, you can have the booking assigned to a TA or keep it with Princess. If kept with Princess, you can still xfer it to a TA before final payment date.

 

Q2) Read that FCC may have changed and don't include OBC's, so what is advantage to buying while on board? Answered in the post just above by Times Prince.

 

see above in red

 

Also note that if you book onboard, the deposit (cost of FCC) will not be charged to your onboard account. It can either be charged to the same credit card you used for the onboard account or to any other credit card you wish to use. Same for any FCCs you purchase.

 

And FCCs can only be purchased in the names of people on the ship. You cannot buy them for friends and relatives who are not on that cruise.

[jhenry1]

Can the FCC still be used as the initial deposit? It has been a while since we cruised Princess but I had purchased on on our last Med. cruise for myself and my husband and that was 3 years ago.

 

when I booked our cruise on Princess for Northern europe in august of this year the FCC were used as my initial deposit and i was not required to put up any more deposit. Is this still the case?

 

Kandy

[flamomo]

I have purchased FCCs and then booked cruises while onboard, and have gotten better pricing a few times. I must have just caught it right for some special pricing on those occasions.

[flamomo]

Can the FCC still be used as the initial deposit? It has been a while since we cruised Princess but I had purchased on on our last Med. cruise for myself and my husband and that was 3 years ago.

 

when I booked our cruise on Princess for Northern europe in august of this year the FCC were used as my initial deposit and i was not required to put up any more deposit. Is this still the case?

 

Kandy

 

Yes!!! Still the same. Although I do think a bigger deposit is reqired if you were booking a world cruise. LOL!!!

[PescadoAmarillo]

I have heard of waits of more than 2 hours to actually meet with the Future Cruise Consultant on board. That's insane. We just fill out the form to purchase the FCCs early in the cruise, drop it in the box, verify that the FCCs appear in our Captains Circle account before we leave the ship (it's free to use the internet to do this) and deal with the rest at home.

[lhsail]

Can anyone tell me of their experience with having used their FCC then needing to cancel (prior to final payment, etc.)? I am very interested in the Royal next March during our son's spring break and there are a limited number of Mini-suites in the bottom category already. I'd like to go ahead and book and use our FCC, but with it being a year out I'd want to know all the repurcusions of cancelling.

[caribill]

Can anyone tell me of their experience with having used their FCC then needing to cancel (prior to final payment, etc.)? I am very interested in the Royal next March during our son's spring break and there are a limited number of Mini-suites in the bottom category already. I'd like to go ahead and book and use our FCC, but with it being a year out I'd want to know all the repurcusions of cancelling.

 

The FCC will be put back into your Captain's Circle account at least one time if you cancel (not sure what happens if you cancel a second booking using it).

 

This assumes the booking did not have a non-refundable deposit feature.

[brenderlou]

Where do I go to fill out a FCC form and is it good for only a specified time frame?

Are there different FCC amounts?

 

Ive never heard of this before & I'll be on Caribbean Princess on 3/23 and would like to look into this.

[lhsail]

The FCC will be put back into your Captain's Circle account at least one time if you cancel (not sure what happens if you cancel a second booking using it).

 

This assumes the booking did not have a non-refundable deposit feature.

 

Thank you. In 40 cruises I think we've cancelled twice, but our lives are more of a moving target right now. Just want to be prepared.

[caribill]

Where do I go to fill out a FCC form and is it good for only a specified time frame?

Are there different FCC amounts?

 

Ive never heard of this before & I'll be on Caribbean Princess on 3/23 and would like to look into this.

 

You purchase the Future Cruise Credits at the future cruise consultant's office. You do not have to see the consultant (unless you want to) as there will be a form there you can fill out and place in his/her mail slot.

 

On the Caribbean Princess, that office is on Deck 6, port side, near the Crown Grill.

 

Each FCC costs $100 and can only be purchased in the names of people on the cruise, so you cannot get any for friends and relatives not on the caribbeam Princess with you. The cost of all FCCs is the same, but the amounts of OBC when you use them depends on the length of the cruise and the type cabin booked. Details will be on the form you fill out.