Disappointed with Princess

[debfew]

I am booked on Golden Princess for Alaska cruise in May. There was a price drop recently. I called to upgrade to a balcony from my interior and Princess would not allow me to upgrade even though I would be paying some extra. Said it was a flash sail for new bookings only. So, rather then paying 242 extra per the current fair, they said it would be 800. Really??

 

Any other cruise line I've cruise with will let you upgrade your category if there is a price drop. I'm so disappointed. I think I'll stick with Royal Caribbean from now on. :(

[Ethel5]

Flash sales are used to fill unsold cabins. Since you are beyond the final payment date, it doesn't apply to you. Most lines will not allow upgrades after final payment. This type of marketing happens all the time and not just within the cruise industry.

[debfew]

I know they won't give a refund for a price drop in your same category, but thought they would allow an upgrade. I have gotten an upgrade after final payment on Royal Caribbean.

 

I need to change my travel planning strategy now that this has come to light. Guess I'll just hold out till the last minute, since it seems that just about every cruise has major drops at the last minute.

 

I would hate to be one of those folks that paid 1500 per person for a balcony cabin that is now listed for 841. :eek:

Edited April 11, 2014 by debfew

[Julia’s Journey’s]

I am booked on Golden Princess for Alaska cruise in May. There was a price drop recently. I called to upgrade to a balcony from my interior and Princess would not allow me to upgrade even though I would be paying some extra. Said it was a flash sail for new bookings only. So, rather then paying 242 extra per the current fair, they said it would be 800. Really??

 

Any other cruise line I've cruise with will let you upgrade your category if there is a price drop. I'm so disappointed. I think I'll stick with Royal Caribbean from now on. :(

 

It's after final payment and other cruise lines do the same flash sales after final with the same stipulations for new booking only and wouldn't allow the upgrade else everyone would be doing it.

[Loonbeam]

The issue with upgrades is they don't want people booking insides at cheapest prices, getting price drops, etc then trying to bump up after final payment.

 

Sometimes it is worth checking again, if they are seeing a demand for the class of cabin you are currently in, they may be more flexible.

 

The other thing to note about last minute flash sales is the cabin selection is usually pretty poor and consists of many less desireable cabins.

[Dudleydog73]

I would hate to be one of those folks that paid 1500 per person for a balcony cabin that is now listed for 841. :eek:

 

Some of us pay a premium to choose our own cabin and book way ahead of time to make sure we get where we want to be on the ship. Your strategy of waiting until the last minute hoping there is a flash sale may result in either a fully booked ship with you missing out on a cabin or a cabin that is in an "undesirable" location.

 

The key to waiting is flexibility. :)

[Julia’s Journey’s]

I know they won't give a refund for a price drop in your same category, but thought they would allow an upgrade. I have gotten an upgrade after final payment on Royal Caribbean.

 

I need to change my travel planning strategy now that this has come to light. Guess I'll just hold out till the last minute, since it seems that just about every cruise has major drops at the last minute.

 

I would hate to be one of those folks that paid 1500 per person for a balcony cabin that is now listed for 841. :eek:

 

Guess it depends on itinarary etc, probably work to wait on Caribbean cruises but others like TA's or more exotic maybe sold out if you wait as well as airfare prices if you book at last minute.

Enjoy your cruise:):)

[Kamloops50]

If you use Princess Protection , they will sometimes upgrade you on Flash Sales even if "only for New Bookings".

[debfew]

I'm a relative newbie when it comes to cruising and have very much come to appreciate the wealth of knowledge gained from this board. Thank you all!

 

I'm happy with my sideways interior on Aloha. The price for this category (IC) hasn't dropped much. And I did get the $100 excursion credit and free dinner for 2 which I would have had to give up. So, I really shouldn't complain. I will take the advice I got to keep watching and try one more time if there are still baclonies available in a few weeks. Never hurts to try. Those are words I've hard often on this board. :)

 

I was stoked last night when I saw that balcony price and really got my bubble burst this morning when I called my TA.

[jkw2765]

I am booked on Golden Princess for Alaska cruise in May. There was a price drop recently. I called to upgrade to a balcony from my interior and Princess would not allow me to upgrade even though I would be paying some extra. Said it was a flash sail for new bookings only. So, rather then paying 242 extra per the current fair, they said it would be 800. Really??

 

Any other cruise line I've cruise with will let you upgrade your category if there is a price drop. I'm so disappointed. I think I'll stick with Royal Caribbean from now on. :(

 

Good Luck with that! I just had a similar situation with RCCL. The price of my cabin dropped $600 and I had two, one with my kids. We had paid full price but had already made final payment 3 days before. No upgrades, OBCs or anything! I even called twice to see if I got a different answer from another rep-NO! Most of them won't if final payment has been made!

[islandatsea]

 

The other thing to note about last minute flash sales is the cabin selection is usually pretty poor and consists of many less desireable cabins.

 

Very true, we would prefer to pay a little more & be happy with our stateroom that we will be in for the week.

[PescadoAmarillo]

If you use Princess Protection , they will sometimes upgrade you on Flash Sales even if "only for New Bookings".

Even then you generally lose your PVP purchase price. Sometimes the $ still make sense but the flash sale cabins might be guarantee only.

[EddieCruzer]

I am booked on Golden Princess for Alaska cruise in May. There was a price drop recently. I called to upgrade to a balcony from my interior and Princess would not allow me to upgrade even though I would be paying some extra. Said it was a flash sail for new bookings only. So, rather then paying 242 extra per the current fair, they said it would be 800. Really??

 

Any other cruise line I've cruise with will let you upgrade your category if there is a price drop. I'm so disappointed. I think I'll stick with Royal Caribbean from now on. :(

 

 

Good idea!

[Cruisin' Chick]

Some of us pay a premium to choose our own cabin and book way ahead of time to make sure we get where we want to be on the ship. Your strategy of waiting until the last minute hoping there is a flash sale may result in either a fully booked ship with you missing out on a cabin or a cabin that is in an "undesirable" location.

 

The key to waiting is flexibility. :)

 

So true. That's why many of us book a specific cabin and then mark our booking "no upgrade."

 

Our last three cruises were basically the same cruise about the same time of year (give or take a few days). The first of these we booked 13 months ahead and got an inside midships on the Island. The next one we booked less than two months ahead of the cruise and didn't have much choice and we grabbed an OV midships on the Golden, and we decided we really liked it. So for the third of these cruises, that would have been our first choice, but alas, there were no more in that category (and I believe none became available from that point on). We were offered many far forward cabins and we decided as a family to turn these down and keep our fingers crossed for a midships. In the meantime, we were offered an inside aft on the Aloha deck (almost right under the Horizon) and we grabbed that, just a few days before final payment. That turned out to be fine.

 

So we were gambling that an acceptable (for us -- which meant insides or OVs that weren't far forward as it was a Hawaiian cruise and I'm susceptible to movement) cabin would become available. But if one waits until closing to the sailing date, you would have to be flexible.

 

BTW, we really enjoyed the Golden (notice that we repeated our 4th and 5th cruise on Princess on this ship).

[debfew]

Good idea!

 

Are these kinds of comments really necessary? :confused:

[sunsetbeachgal]

I am booked on Golden Princess for Alaska cruise in May. There was a price drop recently. I called to upgrade to a balcony from my interior and Princess would not allow me to upgrade even though I would be paying some extra. Said it was a flash sail for new bookings only. So, rather then paying 242 extra per the current fair, they said it would be 800. Really??

 

Any other cruise line I've cruise with will let you upgrade your category if there is a price drop. I'm so disappointed. I think I'll stick with Royal Caribbean from now on. :(

 

Well...I just had the exact same thing happen with Royal Caribbean as you experienced above..I called TA within a few days after final to try to upgrade from a balcony to a Junior Suite when I saw a good price on the JS, and was willing to give them more money and was told, sorry no for new bookings only.

Edited April 11, 2014 by sunsetbeachgal

[MCC retired]

Princess FLASH rates have been around for some time .

New Booking Only rule is enforced to fill the ship , not just let a cabin become available again while upgrading to another cabin . That will not fill the ship.

Makes sense to me ?

[debfew]

I've read in many posts that said you can't get refunds after final (thats well understood) but usually can get an upgrade to a higher category. So, I'm kind of surprised I'm hearing all this now.

 

I did get an upgrade after final on the Freedom of the Seas, and also on Carnival.

[debfew]

Princess FLASH rates have been around for some time .

New Booking Only rule is enforced to fill the ship , not just let a cabin become available again while upgrading to another cabin . That will not fill the ship.

Makes sense to me ?

 

What constitutes a FLASH sale? I didn't see any kind of sale advertised. In fact, if you go to Princess web site, the cruise for the week before my sailing does say "For new bookings only", but for the week of my sailing (May 24th) it does not. So, not sure what makes it a "FLASH" sale, other than the Princess rep called it that. :confused:

[RickEk]

I've read in many posts that said you can't get refunds after final (thats well understood) but usually can get an upgrade to a higher category. So, I'm kind of surprised I'm hearing all this now.

 

I did get an upgrade after final on the Freedom of the Seas, and also on Carnival.

 

It all depends on the promotion that is being run. If you find a non-Flash promotion that's not for new bookings only, they might be willing to possibly refare or upgrade even after final payment.

 

What constitutes a FLASH sale? I didn't see any kind of sale advertised. In fact, if you go to Princess web site, the cruise for the week before my sailing does say "For new bookings only", but for the week of my sailing (May 24th) it does not. So, not sure what makes it a "FLASH" sale, other than the Princess rep called it that. :confused:

 

Flash sales are only advertised to travel agents. You might see them something like them advertised on the website under Top Cruise Deals. The Princess reps would know which promotion is a flash...

Edited April 11, 2014 by RickEk

[Colo Cruiser]

What constitutes a FLASH sale? I didn't see any kind of sale advertised. In fact, if you go to Princess web site, the cruise for the week before my sailing does say "For new bookings only", but for the week of my sailing (May 24th) it does not. So, not sure what makes it a "FLASH" sale, other than the Princess rep called it that. :confused:

 

 

From what I know "flash" sales are usually only seen by a TA or Princess directly, unless you ask someone either you won't see that its a flash sale.

[debfew]

Ok. Called Princess and found out it's not a FLASH sale. She said sometimes the travel agents buy group bookings, and that's probably why I can't get the upgrade.

 

She did a tap dance trying not to discredit the TA for telling me it was a FLASH sale. So this is the second time I was booked in a group booking and not told about it, and ended up losing an upgrade in the process. :mad:

[Ethel5]

Ok. Called Princess and found out it's not a FLASH sale. She said sometimes the travel agents buy group bookings, and that's probably why I can't get the upgrade.

 

She did a tap dance trying not to discredit the TA for telling me it was a FLASH sale. So this is the second time I was booked in a group booking and not told about it, and ended up losing an upgrade in the process. :mad:

 

But by being in a group booking, you got a lower rate to begin with and maybe some amenities from yout TA.

[Loonbeam]

It all depends on what the revenue management thinks the odds are of selling your cabin for a good rate versus the one you want. If there are a ton of Aft OVs left and 2 forward insides and you have a forward inside and want aft OV they are more likely to consider it.

 

If there are many of your type of cabin left, not likely to happen. But it is worth asking.

 

I've read in many posts that said you can't get refunds after final (thats well understood) but usually can get an upgrade to a higher category. So, I'm kind of surprised I'm hearing all this now.

 

I did get an upgrade after final on the Freedom of the Seas, and also on Carnival.

[debfew]

But by being in a group booking, you got a lower rate to begin with and maybe some amenities from yout TA.

 

The TA should at least tell you it's a group booking. Don't ya think??