What is your experience with Standby Offers?

[PescadoAmarillo]

Its not standby as in standby at the gate for a flight. Its just an email that comes out with a short timeframe to book. Its still a regular booking.

They just call it standby fares because its close to sailing. Could be 1 week up to 2 months or so.

We met a couple two years ago who were on the standby program and received a call from Princess the day before the cruise. They paid $199pp for a Guaranteed Inside cabin on a 10-night cruise, and were assigned an inside cabin when they arrived at the pier. They lived in Fort Myers.

 

We've frequently seen FLASH sales offers, and offers for sailings in the next two weeks, but have never been personally contacted by Princess at the last minute.

Edited May 31, 2014 by PescadoAmarillo

[PescadoAmarillo]

I haven't been able to cruise for the past three years (my husband thinks I should get a job first) and I still have received no offers. I live in greater LA too.

That is just RUDE! :D

[Colo Cruiser]

We met a couple two years ago who were on the standby program and received a call from Princess the day before the cruise. They paid $199pp for a Guaranteed Inside cabin on a 10-night cruise, and were assigned an inside cabin when they arrived at the pier. They lived in Fort Myers.

 

We've frequently seen FLASH sales offers, and offers for sailings in the next two weeks, but have never been personally contacted by Princess at the last minute.

 

 

That would probably be a waitlist....

I have been on waitlists where I was called at 3pm the afternoon before sailing for the Emerald.

Other then the waitlist I don't know of a program where you will recieve a call in regards to these standby email deals.

Edited May 31, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[PescadoAmarillo]

That would probably be a waitlist....

I have been on waitlists where I was called at 3pm the afternoon before sailing for the Emerald.

Other then the waitlist I don't know of a program where you will recieve a call in regards to these standby email deals.

Definitely not a waitlist. Clearing the waitlist would be unlikely to get you a rate of $199pp. They had no intention of taking the cruise until they received the call.

[Colo Cruiser]

Definitely not a waitlist. Clearing the waitlist would be unlikely to get you a rate of $199pp. They had no intention of taking the cruise until they received the call.

 

 

I know on the wailists you are at the mercy of yield mgmt to set the fare and its usually a full fare when space becomes available.

 

I don't know how you would sign up. We just book the standby deals just like a normal booking. If someone knows please give us the details??

Never heard of Princess calling to solicit cruises at the last minute.

[shoreham01]

We would love to receive these offers, but I don't think they are available in the UK. Does anyone know if we are included now?

[geejay]

We were in Yuma this year and got a great deal on a Mexican Riviera cruise. We booked it exactly one week before sailing. We were in our 5th wheel, so didn't have any formal clothes or luggage, but found some inexpensive luggage at WalMart and decided to just skip formal nights. A short drive for us from Yuma which was great.

 

We booked a balcony cabin and the night before we left we got an email wetitled "you have been upgraded." I was so unhappy thinking we would be in an uncovered balcony, but we got a covered mini-suite. Great price, great cabin - a perfect vacation.

 

I would book last minute again in a heartbeat if we were able to drive to port.

[happiness is cruising]

Yes

Southampton is one of the ports

Just follow ..how to sign up .. On the first page

 

I just did it

Hope this helps!!!!

Ann

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[PescadoAmarillo]

I know on the wailists you are at the mercy of yield mgmt to set the fare and its usually a full fare when space becomes available.

 

I don't know how you would sign up. We just book the standby deals just like a normal booking. If someone knows please give us the details??

Never heard of Princess calling to solicit cruises at the last minute.

 

You sign up in your Captains Circle account online. Below Member Profile there is a link to the StandBy program. You select from which embarkation cities you'll willing to cruise stand by, and the amount of advance warning you need, and it states that "as soon as deals or information become available that match your preferences, we'll contact you!"

 

Haven't yet been contacted, and we're open to sailing from either coast.

[Colo Cruiser]

You sign up in your Captains Circle account online. Below Member Profile there is a link to the StandBy program. You select from which embarkation cities you'll willing to cruise stand by, and the amount of advance warning you need, and it states that "as soon as deals or information become available that match your preferences, we'll contact you!"

 

Haven't yet been contacted, and we're open to sailing from either coast.

 

I have done that but thats for the email offerings (like I recieved yesterday).

I have been signed up for years. Never heard of them calling anyone unitl you just said that in your post and if it was 2 years ago sounds like its still not happening. Oh well, the deals in the email are excellent and all I need.

[AZJerry]

The only annoyance is that they stop sending the specials and clearance specials as soon as you have a cruise booked and then it starts up again about one week before your final booked cruise ends. They shouldn't stop sending specials as we could easily grab a cruise before we do the next one we have booked!

 

This explains why we haven't seen any of these offers for quite awhile. We almost always have a cruise already booked.

[caribill]

We met a couple two years ago who were on the standby program and received a call from Princess the day before the cruise. They paid $199pp for a Guaranteed Inside cabin on a 10-night cruise, and were assigned an inside cabin when they arrived at the pier. They lived in Fort Myers.

 

 

Reason they got the phone call (and not an e-mail) is that:

a) It was only one day until the cruise

b) Princess had a cabin to sell

c) They lived close enough to get to the port easily

d) They were probably on the e-mail list, but a phone call would not be effective in this situation. If the answer was "no" of if the call did not reach a person, then Princess could have quickly called somebody else.

Edited May 31, 2014 by caribill

[PunkiC]

We almost always have a Princess Cruise booked, but it happens at the moment that we only have two Cunard Cruises booked--the prices were so ridiculously cheap that we couldn't resist.

 

So, who knows, maybe we will get a Standby Offer to Alaska this summer. We have already been on five Alaska cruises, but if is a good enough deal, we will do it. We always have friends who want to go and it is always fun to be a tour guide.

[remydiva]

We used to plan and book our cruises.

Now we let princess do it for us...flash sales come and if we can get decent last minute air we go. ( our avion air miles require 14 days notice) so sometimes have to pay $$$$.

 

We get an email every week.

 

Have gone on a 16 day TA with 8 days notice, a 7 day Alaska with 5 days notice and just off a 5 day coastal with a weeks notice but at $199 for a Caribe balcony how could we not go!

 

Living life via a roulette wheel i guess but have always had fun doing it. :)

Edited June 1, 2014 by remydiva

[NRWPA]

I've been signed up for around 10 years and have yet to receive an offer. I haven't been able to cruise for the past three years (my husband thinks I should get a job first) and I still have received no offers. I live in greater LA too.

 

I booked a Transatlantic on 5/27 & received a standby deal email on 5/30. I was receiving nothing last year and was not booked for any cruise at all in 2013. I went into my princess and just re-saved my choices and a couple of weeks later started receiving the standby offers again.

[notentirelynormal]

I booked a Transatlantic on 5/27 & received a standby deal email on 5/30. I was receiving nothing last year and was not booked for any cruise at all in 2013. I went into my princess and just re-saved my choices and a couple of weeks later started receiving the standby offers again.

 

I've resaved it many times but still nothing.

[AZJerry]

I believe I've seen posts where some of you have checked more than one time period for the standby cruises. How do you do that? All I get is a drop down list where I can pick only 1 time period.

[tjwa]

We would love to receive these offers, but I don't think they are available in the UK. Does anyone know if we are included now?

 

Doesn't appear that UK members are included.:(

[insidecabin]

Not offered to UK captains circles by the looks of it.

 

will check when I can get on princess(us)

 

Allthough we did get an email a couple of weeks back with special rates.

 

anyone got a link to the US site page, it might let us in

Edited June 1, 2014 by insidecabin

[PunkiC]

I booked a Transatlantic on 5/27 & received a standby deal email on 5/30. I was receiving nothing last year and was not booked for any cruise at all in 2013. I went into my princess and just re-saved my choices and a couple of weeks later started receiving the standby offers again.

 

So I take it that not everybody gets every Standby Offer. I wonder how they pick and choose.

 

The statement on their website--"As soon as deals or information become available that match your preferences, we will contact you!"--makes it sound like if you sign up you get all offers, which is what I hope would be true.

 

Insights?

[remydiva]

So I take it that not everybody gets every Standby Offer. I wonder how they pick and choose.

 

The statement on their website--"As soon as deals or information become available that match your preferences, we will contact you!"--makes it sound like if you sign up you get all offers, which is what I hope would be true.

 

Insights?

 

THAT question has been discussed here many times and I think at the end we were no farther ahead.

 

There are so many variables that can or could affect the algorithms that Princess obviously use such as did you check some or ALL cruise destinations, did you check some or ALL ports of departure and what standby notice did you check.

 

Do you live on the west or east coast? Are you already booked on that itinerary but a different time? ( I still get them even when i have the same cruise booked as they lump them all in the same email)

 

It is hard to compare apples to oranges to meatballs when we here on CC have so many variables in the mix.:confused:

[tjwa]

Not offered to UK captains circles by the looks of it.

 

will check when I can get on princess(us)

 

Allthough we did get an email a couple of weeks back with special rates.

 

anyone got a link to the US site page, it might let us in

 

It will not let you in as it picks up your IP address as being UK based.

[PunkiC]

THAT question has been discussed here many times and I think at the end we were no farther ahead.

 

There are so many variables that can or could affect the algorithms that Princess obviously use such as did you check some or ALL cruise destinations, did you check some or ALL ports of departure and what standby notice did you check.

 

Do you live on the west or east coast? Are you already booked on that itinerary but a different time? ( I still get them even when i have the same cruise booked as they lump them all in the same email)

 

It is hard to compare apples to oranges to meatballs when we here on CC have so many variables in the mix.:confused:

 

Well I live in Seattle, so I can easily do any cruise out of Seattle or Vancouver the next day. I could probably do any cruise out of SFO or LA in a day or so as well.

 

I checked all departure points and checked "Less than a week".

 

Hopefully I will start getting some offers.

[remydiva]

Well I live in Seattle, so I can easily do any cruise out of Seattle or Vancouver the next day. I could probably do any cruise out of SFO or LA in a day or so as well.

 

I checked all departure points and checked "Less than a week".

 

Hopefully I will start getting some offers.

 

I note your signature....when will you find the time to squeeze in MORE cruises????!!!!!....:p

[insidecabin]

Well I live in Seattle, so I can easily do any cruise out of Seattle or Vancouver the next day. I could probably do any cruise out of SFO or LA in a day or so as well.

 

I checked all departure points and checked "Less than a week".

 

Hopefully I will start getting some offers.

 

I know that but a direct link through a proxy might work.

 

will try from the ship next week

 

They may just asume that for UK CC it is southampton/dover and harwich although often there are still cheap flights to the Med.