Trying to book cruise through Princess USA site

[antsp]

Why is it that those from the UK insist on paying USA prices? When I go to the UK, I don't insist on paying US prices for gas, hotels etc. Trying to beat the system is shady at best, if not outright illegal.

 

Princess are shady in there pricing.

 

Why pay more if you don't have to.

[maz48]

Why is it that those from the UK insist on paying USA prices? When I go to the UK, I don't insist on paying US prices for gas, hotels etc. Trying to beat the system is shady at best, if not outright illegal.

 

Shady maybe but not illegal as far as I can make out, not yet at any rate People just want a fair deal and I would feel the same if it was the other way round, and we had a company that charged people from different countries dfferent prices for the same product. I would want to change it for you, not criticise.

[Mrs Moho]

Why is it that those from the UK insist on paying USA prices? When I go to the UK, I don't insist on paying US prices for gas, hotels etc. Trying to beat the system is shady at best, if not outright illegal.

 

I don't think UK hotels differentiate where you come for their pricing policy.

 

Please let's see each other's points of view and not get too personal.

[Ethel5]

Princess are shady in there pricing.

 

Why pay more if you don't have to.

 

Princess is not being shady. It's like saying that because the Pound is too high, I want to pay for my London vacation in US dollars!!! It's the same thing!

[antsp]

Bottom line is if it's cheaper to book with a us travel agent I will and do. To anyone in the uk who wants to do it, find a us address you can use, book and save money.

[SHayesShip]

Correct below. What Princess does is takes the commission back from the agent/agency.

 

The contract allows them to cancel for any reason at all, and I have heard of some lines cracking down (or threatening to crack down) on bookings with bogus addresses. If you are taking a cruise in the US, they will find out eventually, because they will want to see your green card at check-in (since you supposedly reside in the US). At that point you can simply say, oh no, my permanent address is bla-bla-bla, outside the US, and I'm here on a tourist visa. There's not much they can do about it then and there (I doubt you will be denied boarding or that they will recalculate your fare), but they may flag the discrepancy and take a closer look at you the next time you try to book a fare reserved for US/Can residents.

 

I think they would first go after TAs that take such bookings, since they are bigger targets and bound by additional contractual terms.

[antsp]

Correct below. What Princess does is takes the commission back from the agent/agency.

 

No one in the history of cruise critic has ever been denied boarding by booking with a us ta

[Ethel5]

No one in the history of cruise critic has ever been denied boarding by booking with a us ta

 

 

And since they read these boards, maybe they'll start checking more closely!:rolleyes:

[hawkeyetlse]

Bottom line is if it's cheaper to book with a us travel agent I will and do. To anyone in the uk who wants to do it, find a us address you can use, book and save money.

I have no problem with people doing this, as long as they are conscious of the small risks they are taking both in flouting Princess's rules (however unfair they may seem) and in doing business with a foreign travel agency. Meanwhile, you might also spare a thought for the poor travel professionals in the UK…

 

Bottom line is, the US and Canada are the largest markets for Princess, so that's where they will offer the best deals. Non-residents can usually get these deals with a little extra effort, but if people start doing this in significant numbers, Princess will tighten controls. It could be as simple as requiring the billing address of your credit card to be in the right country. (I actually assumed they did this already, but apparently not.)

[RDC1]

I have no problem with people doing this, as long as they are conscious of the small risks they are taking both in flouting Princess's rules (however unfair they may seem) and in doing business with a foreign travel agency. Meanwhile, you might also spare a thought for the poor travel professionals in the UK…

 

Bottom line is, the US and Canada are the largest markets for Princess, so that's where they will offer the best deals. Non-residents can usually get these deals with a little extra effort, but if people start doing this in significant numbers, Princess will tighten controls. It could be as simple as requiring the billing address of your credit card to be in the right country. (I actually assumed they did this already, but apparently not.)

 

Yep, as long as the leakage is relatively small they can claim that they are complying with contracts and regulatory requirements of the areas in which their corporate entities are located. Leakage gets too high and they start getting pressured on either the contracts or regulatory side then they will tighten to reduce it.

[antsp]

And since they read these boards, maybe they'll start checking more closely!:rolleyes:

 

Princess has approx 17000 new bookings a week, there sure going to busy checking all these passengers addresses.

[MMDown Under]

I use my Australian address and my Australian credit card, with an Australian billing address, although I do have access to a US address.

 

If this ceases to be acceptable to Princess, I will take my business elsewhere.

 

Princess aren't just competing with other cruise lines, but with other forms of holiday transport such as ferries, flights, trains, and coaches, all of which can be booked direct on the internet.

[RDC1]

Princess has approx 17000 new bookings a week, there sure going to busy checking all these passengers addresses.

 

If it came to it. Pretty easy with computers. A program to run a comparison between payment addresses and address declared at time of booking would take about 30 minutes to write and about 5-10 minutes to execute on 17 thousand entries.

 

It all comes down to if those parties with who Princess has contracts (think travel agents) or if regulatory authorities (those that enforce laws related to consumer protections in the UK and Australia) or taxing authorities (because the revenue bypasses their country and is recognized in the US, not in the local country) complains and forces them to recognize the issue and tighten. as I understand it that is what happened last time when travel agent organizations raised the issue that the cruise lines were not compliant with their agreements.

[DrivesLikeMario]

If it came to it. Pretty easy with computers. A program to run a comparison between payment addresses and address declared at time of booking would take about 30 minutes to write and about 5-10 minutes to execute on 17 thousand entries...

 

That wouldn't really work. I get payments all the time for multiple cabins using the same credit card (i.e. - grandparents paying for all their kids' cabins). Their address is different from the address on every other cabin they've booked and sometimes, their residence is in a different country from their kids'.

[antsp]

If it came to it. Pretty easy with computers. A program to run a comparison between payment addresses and address declared at time of booking would take about 30 minutes to write and about 5-10 minutes to execute on 17 thousand entries.

 

It all comes down to if those parties with who Princess has contracts (think travel agents) or if regulatory authorities (those that enforce laws related to consumer protections in the UK and Australia) or taxing authorities (because the revenue bypasses their country and is recognized in the US, not in the local country) complains and forces them to recognize the issue and tighten. as I understand it that is what happened last time when travel agent organizations raised the issue that the cruise lines were not compliant with their agreements.

 

Obviously then princess don't care otherwise they would have done it.

[RDC1]

Obviously then princess don't care otherwise they would have done it.

 

Like I said above, they care when it becomes a contractual, regulatory or tax issue. When one of those groups complain then they tighten, just like the last time.

[TOMCAT22]

Thanks for all the replies guys, I am going to book online using my "Canadian" address and see if it accepts the booking.

 

I have already tried a dummy booking but without entering credit card details so hopefully it will go through.

 

Just hope I am not discovered otherwise I might get thrown in San Quentin for years before being deported back to the UK:):) all for the dastardly crime of trying to save some money.:p

[Putterdude]

Princess is not being shady. It's like saying that because the Pound is too high, I want to pay for my London vacation in US dollars!!! It's the same thing!

 

Sorry, I don't follow your logic. A hotel in London is the exactly the same price for an American or Canadian as it is for a Brit and the price for a hotel in Fort Lauderdale is the same for everyone.

 

The issue here is why should a UK resident have to pay a higher price than a person in North America for exactly the same cruise. Now, I suppose the cost of doing business in the UK and corporate tax rates in the UK maybe higher then they are in Canada and the US which may contribute to some of it. I have also read on these boards that one of the other contributing factors is that because UK residents culturally have an issue with tipping, Princess does include the cost of the auto-tip in the cruise price. But even with these factors the price differential does appear high.

[Mrs Moho]

Sorry, I don't follow your logic. A hotel in London is the exactly the same price for an American or Canadian as it is for a Brit and the price for a hotel in Fort Lauderdale is the same for everyone.

 

The issue here is why should a UK resident have to pay a higher price than a person in North America for exactly the same cruise. Now, I suppose the cost of doing business in the UK and corporate tax rates in the UK maybe higher then they are in Canada and the US which may contribute to some of it. I have also read on these boards that one of the other contributing factors is that because UK residents culturally have an issue with tipping, Princess does include the cost of the auto-tip in the cruise price. But even with these factors the price differential does appear high.

 

Hi

 

Thanks for seeing our point of view. Just one thing though, Princess UK prices do not include the gratuities.

[pablo222]

Sorry, I don't follow your logic. A hotel in London is the exactly the same price for an American or Canadian as it is for a Brit and the price for a hotel in Fort Lauderdale is the same for everyone.

 

There are many 'Florida Resident Only' prices on things.

Hotels. Disney tickets, etc.

 

So, a 'Canadian', for instance is not going to pay the same price for a hotel in Fort Lauderdale.

 

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/florida-residents/

Edited September 23, 2014 by pablo222

[Putterdude]

There are many 'Florida Resident Only' prices on things.

Hotels. Disney tickets, etc.

 

So, a 'Canadian', for instance is not going to pay the same price for a hotel in Fort Lauderdale.

 

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/florida-residents/

 

Fair comment and there are times that Disneyland will have promos for residents of British Columbia and cruise lines even for different states and provinces. Currently we Canadians are paying about 10% more in CAD for a Princess cruise but that is because of the currency exchange rate. All of the foregoing I think we know, understand and accept.

 

However, what we are speaking about here is not a small surcharge for UK residents, we are speaking of many thousands of dollars for what appears to be no good reason other than that is what Princess UK believes they can charge. Now in this electronic age its very easy for UK residents to see what we are paying in North America and if the moccasins were on our feet wouldn't we be trying find a way to get around that surcharge? I mean the forum would be rife with North American posts, I can see them now...."we are getting ripped off by Princess", "corporate gouging", "need the name of a good UK travel agent" da, da, da.

[Putterdude]

Hi

 

Thanks for seeing our point of view. Just one thing though, Princess UK prices do not include the gratuities.

 

Thank you for setting me straight on that, I obviously have no experience in booking in the UK; the subject of the inclusion of auto-tips is something that I have read in this forum from time to time. This not being case the then the difference in fares makes it even a larger slap in the face for you.

[hawkeyetlse]

Princess UK prices do not include the gratuities.

They do continue to ask for daily gratuities from UK passengers, but one reason base cruise fares are higher in the UK may be because a larger percentage of UK passengers have these gratuities removed. And many UK passengers in turn see the higher prices as justification for removing their gratuities, and so the cycle continues.

if the moccasins were on our feet wouldn't we be trying find a way to get around that surcharge? I mean the forum would be rife with North American posts, I can see them now...."we are getting ripped off by Princess", "corporate gouging", "need the name of a good UK travel agent" da, da, da.

There would also be posts from the UK complaining about how their local travel agents are overwhelmed with American customers and how the residency requirements need to be enforced. As I said above, the market shares are just not the same, so if the shoe were on the other foot, the system would not be maintained for very long. Edited September 23, 2014 by hawkeyetlse