Benefits of booking a new cruise on board?

[ctteach5]

We will be on a Princess cruise in June. Can anyone comment on any benefits of booking a future cruise while on a cruise? What are the benefits of booking through Princess vs. a Travel Agent? Thanks:

[-Lew-]

For me there's no benefit to booking onboard since I use a TA. I do buy Future Cruise Credits (FCCs) onboard and use them when booking cruises with a TA.

 

An FCC, which costs $100, allow the holder to book a cruise at no additional cost...the deposit is the cost of the FCC. You'll also receive an onboard credit...the amount depending on the length of the cruise an cabin type. You'll need two FCCs if there are two in your cabin.

 

The benefit of using a TA is discounted pricing and a more knowledgeable person to deal with. Also, if there are issues, a TA will represent your interests.

 

Lew

[paul929207]

While on board, you can purchase a Future Cruise Credit. They are $100 and become your $100 deposit when you book. In addition, you get OBC of $25 to $150 when you cruise. Amount depends on type cabin and length of cruise.

 

I prefer a TA because I can usually find about a 10 to 20% discount.

[Musky Ike]

We will be on a Princess cruise in June. Can anyone comment on any benefits of booking a future cruise while on a cruise? What are the benefits of booking through Princess vs. a Travel Agent? Thanks:

 

Usually no benefit to book onboard. I would however put down a Future Cruise deposit. That is a good deal. $100 deposit gets you OBC depending on the length of cruise and stateroom you use it on.

 

As for the advantage of a TA. Lot's of opinion here on CC but it really depends on the TA.

[Kamloops50]

Just buy FCC's . They give OBC credit ( as previously said) .

As to using a TA (in Canada) I don't get a discount , OBC's or anything else.

The price is the same as booking thru Princess direct . Many TA's in Canada don't seem to book group space on Princess.

[cr8tiv1]

You may buy more than one FCC while on board. I made the mistake of booking a cruise while on board a couple of months ago. "She did disclose that she wasn't a travel agent" and there were problems my TA had to fix when I got home. The only good reason is if you are on a long cruise and Princess just happens to have a great sale. But with the Internet, you can still contact your TA.

[paul929207]

By booking on line you may get a better cabin selection than waiting till you get home. I have booked onboard and then transferred it to a TA once I got quotes.

[Kinkacruiser]

We recently purchased 4 FCC's onboard and booked with our B2B with our TA when we returned home. You pick up credits at each point and the price will be lower too.

The lower deposit for this B2B was a big plus in our case.

[Colo Cruiser]

We just buy FCC's onboard and search for the cruise when we get home.

[Treven]

I bought a FCC for some cruise in the future, and booked a specific cruise while I was on my last cruise. Of course the total cost of the cruise remains the same but it's nice not having to come up with the entire deposit, especially if it's a long cruise.

[paul929207]

I sometimes book when I am on a cruise if I decide on one to take. When I get home, I get quotes and transfer the booking to a TA

[PunkiC]

We always buy future cruise credits but have never booked a cruise while on the ship.

 

We almost did once because they were having a great sale, but then we discovered that the deposit would be non-refundable so we waited until we got home. The next week they had the same sale again without restrictions so we bought it then. These days you really have to watch the fine print on those sales.