On board

[ukellie]

Hi seasoned Cunard cruisers - I am aware of FCC but wondering if you can book actual cruises on board and if discounts are good in other words is it worth waiting to book a cruise on board

Thanks :)

Edited November 9, 2016 by ukellie

[Ray66]

Yes, you can book a cruise on board at the future cruise sales office. But we just pay for the FCC and come home and buy the cruise from an online travel agent at a lower price.

Edited November 9, 2016 by Ray66

[babs135]

Yes, you can book a cruise on board at the future cruise sales office. But we just pay for the FCC and come home and buy the cruise from an online travel agent at a lower price.

 

Sorry, not sure what you mean by paying for the FCC on the ship but then using an online travel agent. Is it just a deposit? How does the agent fit in and finally (for now!) is there a 'use by date'. Do you have to have a specific cruise in mind when you take the FCC or can you change it if you see something you really fancy before any final payment.

Edited November 9, 2016 by babs135

[Ray66]

For us in the UK, we pay £50pp and we then need to book a cruise within one year. Cunard will send you an email to your home address confirming this.

You can book a cruise there and then on the ship or go home and book it with either Cunard or a travel agent. No you don't need to have a certain cruise in mind.

 

This £50 is then deducted from the cruise price when you book. The OBC amounts to:

 

Sailings of 6-9 nights:

Suites $200 per person

Balcony $150 per person

Inside & Outside $100 per person

 

Sailings of 10 + nights:

Suites $400 per person

Balcony $300 per person

Inside & Outside $200 per person

 

The cruise you choose must either be Cunard Fare or Early Saver. You can't use the OBC against a (late) Saver fare.

 

You will sometimes be left a booking form in your cabin with your daily programme and newspaper. If not, you can pick one up from the future sales office. As I remember it, the QM2 and the QV both have drop-off boxes for the forms outside the sales office. But on the QE you have to go into the office and pay the £50 with your credit card.

[Underwatr]

Yes, you can book a cruise on board at the future cruise sales office. But we just pay for the FCC and come home and buy the cruise from an online travel agent at a lower price.

When my onboard bookings get referred to my TA he reprices them and confirms them at his lower price.

[babs135]

Is there any real advantage with FCC?

[Ray66]

Is there any real advantage with FCC?

 

Yes. You get the amount of OBC mentioned in my post above (as long as you book a cruise within a year). Pretty good if you ask me. :)

[BMT]

Is this obc in ADDITION to the obc's in many offers?

[Ray66]

Is this obc in ADDITION to the obc's in many offers?

 

Yes.

[Underwatr]

I picked up $600 in OBC for booking onboard (it's $300/person for 12 nights, I think) plus $600 in other OBC (shareholder, military, plus other promos) for the upcoming cruise.

[babs135]

Will have to give this some serious thought. We tend to fall into the 'book later in the hope of a good deal' group as we are simply just happy to be on board :D

 

On that basis booking an early saver fare is something we've not done before. Can I persuade DH to do something slightly 'out of the norm'? Truth is I'm not sure but I have eight weeks before our second voyage on the QM2 so we will just have to see how it goes.

[Dajo5601]

Can I add my recent experience on this post please, as recent as October 2016 on board the Queen Elizabeth. As per usual I went to the Future Cruise office and asked if they were still doing the offer of the "Future Cruise Letter" which I have purchased each Cunard cruise that I have been on for many years. The letter means that you pay £50 per person and providing that you book (not take) another Cunard cruise within 12 months of the date of your letter, you receive $300 pp OBC.

 

The sales lady told me that I could have such a letter (although it was not advertised anywhere) but said that if I had some idea of which cruise we wanted for next year she could offer double that OBC providing that we paid a deposit of £175pp and when we had booked the cruise we could elect to have it put through our usual TA. We went away, chose a cruise for next September and went back and put her to the test. She offered us the brochure price minus £100 pp plus OBC of $600 pp and free coach travel from the North of England.

 

I then went to the IT Centre and sent an email to our TA and outlined what was on offer, he said "Snatch their hand off, nobody can offer a better deal on the OBC". Back to the Future Cruise Office, booked the cruise, they found our TA's details and put the booking through him and when we got home we found out that he had also reduced the fare shown by Cunard by a further £125.pp.

 

Bottom line with regards to all that's been written here, great deal on OBC offered on the ship, our TA is happy as he has another booking and he discounted his commission on top of that by reducing our charges even more, as far as I am concerned - booking on board is a "no brainer" - hope this helps somebody

 

David

[babs135]

Sounds brilliant. Can I show my absolute ignorance and as someone who has never had obc (:() what do or can I spend it on?

[Underwatr]

Sounds brilliant. Can I show my absolute ignorance and as someone who has never had obc (:() what do or can I spend it on?

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