Booking cruise while on board or buying a future cruise voucher?????

[Galleon1234]

We have not purchased one on Princess before... I know they are different on all cruise lines. We are also stock holders.

 

Can you buy a voucher for an unspecified date? or can you select far out date and then move it to a cruise you decide to take earlier without penalty?

 

If you book a cruise while on board and then have to cancel can you reapply it to a future cruise without penalty?

 

What are the advantages of booking while on board? What is the breakdown of OBC per length of cruise?

 

Thanks so much for any information!!

[WatchHill]

Whenever we're on a Princess cruise, we take out a future cruise certificate for each of us, filling out a generic form and usually within 24 hours have the confirmation delivered to our room. Once we're home, we can then decide on where to go on our next trip. I hesitate booking while on the ship because I'm too caught up in the immediate cruise and really want time to look around at possible cruises and do serious price comparison.

 

Darcy

[Galleon1234]

So you can just buy a future cruise certificate and apply it later with the same benefits as selecting an actual cruise while onboard?

[chrysalis]

So you can just buy a future cruise certificate and apply it later with the same benefits as selecting an actual cruise while onboard?

 

yes, you can

[JF - retired RRT]

The Future Cruise Deposit costs $100 and is refundable if you change your mind. It is good for 2 years and can be extended for 2 years. If you decide to never use it, call and ask for a refund.

 

The OBC applied when you use the FCD:

3-6 days $25 balcony/mini/suite $15 inside/outside

7-10 days $50 balcony/mini/suite $25 inside/outside

11-16 days $100 balcony/mini/suite $75 inside/outside

17+ days $150 balcony/mini/suite $125 inside/outside

 

There really is no downside.

[skynight]

We have not purchased one on Princess before... I know they are different on all cruise lines. We are also stock holders.

Note that the OBC gained from a future cruise deposit is stackable with stockholder's credits, military credits and any other type of OBC.

Can you buy a voucher for an unspecified date? or can you select far out date and then move it to a cruise you decide to take earlier without penalty?

You complete a future cruise deposit form, drop it in the box by the future cruise sales office. The $100 future deposit is charged directly to the credit card registered with your onboard account. The charge does not appear in your onboard expense folio. The deposits are good for two years from the date processed. If you are on an extended cruise drop off the form toward the end to gain the few extra weeks. Unused deposits will be fully refunded if not used. The deposits can also be extended on request if the cruise you select to book is beyond the two year period. Note that future cruise deposits are per passenger. So each passenger gets the OBC, and if there are two of you, purchase one or more in each person's name. Speak with the Future Cruise Consultant on board if there are any questions.

If you book a cruise while on board and then have to cancel can you reapply it to a future cruise without penalty?

No penalty. The entire deposit is returned to your cruise deposit account.

What are the advantages of booking while on board?

No real advantages. We always wait and take time to think. Sometimes on board you can get cought up in the emotion. If you do choose to book on board you can assign the booking to your preferred T.A.

What is the breakdown of OBC per length of cruise?

Future Cruise Length Per Person Shipboard Credit*

17 + Days $125 Inside, $125 Outside, $150 Balcony, $150 Suite

11 - 16 Days $75 Inside, $75 Outside, $100 Balcony, $100 Suite

7 - 10 Days $25 Inside, $25 Outside, $50 Balcony, $50 Suite

3 - 6 Days $15 Inside, $15 Outside, $25 Balcony, $25 Suite

 

Thanks so much for any information!!

 

See above

Edited September 29, 2015 by sknight

[Seafoam Green]

So you can just buy a future cruise certificate and apply it later with the same benefits as selecting an actual cruise while onboard?

 

Yes, and that gives you time to think about where and when, and also to look for good deals.

 

Some people buy multiple certificates when they know they will book more than one cruise, and that way they don't miss out on the OBC.

 

:D

[cruzsnooze]

Has anyone applied an OBC to an existing booking that is before final payment.

[EightFurryPaws]

Can't add an FCC to a current booking. The only way you would be able to do that is cancel your current cruise, pay any deposit penalties or insurance penalties and rebook using the FCC.

 

Pam

Edited September 29, 2015 by EightFurryPaws

[NavyVeteran]

Can't add an FCC to a current booking. The only way you would be able to do that is cancel your current cruise, pay any deposit penalties or insurance penalties and rebook using the FCC.

 

Pam

 

Slight correction. You can add a Future Cruise Deposit to a current booking, and they will give you credit for the $100. However, you do not get the OBC, so there's hardly any reason to do so. You can also apply more than one Future Cruise Deposit to the same cruise if you want, but you only get the $100 payment - no additional OBC.

 

The only way to get the OBC for a Future Cruise Deposit is to use it as the initial deposit on the cruise.

[NavyVeteran]

The Future Cruise Deposit is good for any cruise booked by the expiration date - two years after you purchase it. It doesn't matter how far in the future the cruise embarkation date is.

 

Princess used to use Sail by dates on Future Cruise Deposits, but they changed them to Book by dates - much better.

[hm9912]

Yes, and that gives you time to think about where and when, and also to look for good deals.

 

Some people buy multiple certificates when they know they will book more than one cruise, and that way they don't miss out on the OBC.

 

:D

 

We now have two future cruise deposits because when we booked a previous 5 day cruise to Mexico last year and then wanted to book our just completed TA cruise we lost out because our credits went to the cheaper cruise rather than the 23 day one

Lesson learned!

in the future we will always have two deposits on file

 

Howard

[Cruise Raider]

We always try to have several on the books as we love to book way out in the future but also take advantage of those last minute deals from our home port.

The onboard credit used to be better than it is now ... oceanview rooms actually got you the same amount as a balcony cabin but now they are the same as the inside cabins. Also, they used to be good for 4 years instead of 2. However, no complaints from me as something is always better than nothing! There is no risk .....except for running out of them when you really want to book a great deal.

[west coast cruiser]

I always have at least 2 future cruise credits. I only have one left now as I just used one to book a cruise. I will buy another one when I am on the ship.

 

We have booked cruises while on the ship and it has worked out fine. They will transfer the booking to your Travel Agent if you prefer or you can just keep dealing with Princess.

WCC

[cactusrose]

The Future Cruise Deposit is good for any cruise booked by the expiration date - two years after you purchase it. It doesn't matter how far in the future the cruise embarkation date is.

 

Princess used to use Sail by dates on Future Cruise Deposits, but they changed them to Book by dates - much better.

 

When did this change. I recently booked a cruise using a FCC. It was expiring before the sail date so I had to get it extended to expire on the sail date in order to use it.

[Lucky TGO]

When did this change. I recently booked a cruise using a FCC. It was expiring before the sail date so I had to get it extended to expire on the sail date in order to use it.

 

FCC If it's going to expire how do you get it extended?

How long will Princess extend it for? Good to know I never did it.

Thank You,

Tony

[caribill]

When did this change. I recently booked a cruise using a FCC. It was expiring before the sail date so I had to get it extended to expire on the sail date in order to use it.

 

Ones I have from Feb, 2014 say must book (not sail) by the expiration date of two years.

[caribill]

FCC If it's going to expire how do you get it extended?

How long will Princess extend it for? Good to know I never did it.

Thank You,

Tony

 

Just call Princess. Sometimes you may have to call more than once to get a rep who will extend them.

 

The extension would be for two more years.

[satxdiver]

The FCC is a winning deal in that no money is risked if you do not use it by 2 years since they refund the money. Getting an OBC is always great. So if you intend to sail again in the near future, buy the FCC for each of you. We try to have two FCC each on the books. We are down to none on the books right now but will be boarding a cruise on Thursday and will be buying 2 each FCC. We have booked cruises on board but we had decided to take those cruises before boarding including the cabin we wanted. The best part of course is that they allow you to stack the OBC (FCC, military, shareholder) which another cruise line we used to use does not allow stacking, does not allow a refund if not used and has an expiration date. Our last cruise with them we decided what was the point of buying one.

[cr8tiv1]

A couple of additions:

 

You can also purchase a FCC when you are on a BVE (Bon Voyage Experience).

 

I always try to have at least 2 on the books. Right now I have one, but will be cruising soon and picking up a couple more.

 

I only booked once while on a cruise. That was a lesson learned. The FCC representative was not thorough in his information. The deposit was non-refundable/non-transferable. UGH...but it was forwarded to my Travel Agent. Good thing it was a cruise I wanted to do.

 

If I had to do again, I would place a hold on the cruise and have my Travel Agent review it for me before placing a FCC on it. She is wonderful and pays more attention to the details than I ever do. Do not get caught up in the emotions (as a previous poster had mentioned). There so much in the fine print now a days.

 

It is a great deal.

[NavyVeteran]

When did this change. I recently booked a cruise using a FCC. It was expiring before the sail date so I had to get it extended to expire on the sail date in order to use it.

 

The earliest "Book by" FCC I currently have is "Book by 23 September 2015". One with that date is currently active on a cruise embarking on 27 November 2016 - over a year after the "Book by" date. Another one with that date was recently refunded to my credit card.

 

So they changed from "Sail by" to "Book by" sometime before 24 September 2013. I don't know exactly when.

 

I have another FCC that is now marked "Sail by 19 January 2016". Princess also extended it before expiration to allow me to book a cruise embarking 10 January 2016.

[LeeW]

Not sure anyone made this clear, but the FCC (or FCD) is your full deposit for whatever cruise you use it for. No 10%, 20% - just that $100/pp, unless you are within the final payment date for that cruise. So you get a small deposit plus some extra cash on the cruise.

 

That said, the small deposit can be a disadvantage - means you get to pay more later.

[Corfe Mixture]

Slight correction. You can add a Future Cruise Deposit to a current booking, and they will give you credit for the $100. However, you do not get the OBC, so there's hardly any reason to do so. You can also apply more than one Future Cruise Deposit to the same cruise if you want, but you only get the $100 payment - no additional OBC.

 

The only way to get the OBC for a Future Cruise Deposit is to use it as the initial deposit on the cruise.

 

Slight correction again for UK customers who book directly with Princess.

 

Everything above is correct, BUT, I book directly with Princess in Southampton and on a couple of occasions I have made my next booking so far ahead that it was before I was able to get my FCDs. In both cases, when I got home from my cruise, I called them and said that I wanted to cancel and re-book in order to get the OBC, and they fixed it without me cancelling.

 

After applying my FCD, they refunded the deposit I had originally paid.

 

My booking reference did not change, though in both cases I did later cancel and re-book with a different reference number, using the same FCDs, in order to plug into promotions. Again this was done on the telephone with Southampton and processed in a manner which ensured that I did not lose my original stateroom selection.

 

I accept that this is not how the rules are meant to be and that, when booking through a TA, it is not possible to get the OBC and reduced deposit without cancelling and re-booking.

[wowzz]

As a matter of interest, if you buy the fcd, which is in $, and you pay for the next cruise in £, do they use the fx rate at the time you purchased the FCC, or at the time you book the next cruise?

[Rubynic]

If we purchase a FCD then this is for £75 each (approx $120). Not sure how it works if you book a cruise while on board but when booking direct with Princess via the website or by phone we are charged in GBP so there is no conversion required.

 

We did once try to purchase the FCD in $US when the exchange rate was favourable but were not permitted. Worth a try though !!