Beware - Future Cruise Deposits

[Thorpe]

Quick question , where did you see those dates. My cruise in March booked through Princess only shows final payment date in my personaliser. Or where should I be looking ? Have you paid extra on top of the FCD for your deposit , for you to lose 20% and the FCD? Losing the FCD before final payment would be bad enough. ( not that you personally are )

 

 

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Answered my own question -

 

Just looking at old invoices from 2015 and can see where you saw the 20% . I have the same on mine , although some say 5%, one 20% and saw one for 30%. (Guessing it depends on price ) Showing for the cancel fee about 3 months before final payment.

 

Now I just need to find time to see if I've ever cancelled in that time period as so far I haven't lost a FCD . But as it's apparently something new this year , I hope I don't have to ever cancel in that period from now on.

 

 

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[cheznandy]

I don't care that the FCD deposit was lost (although aggravating) but I DO care that Princess do not advise passengers of rule changes that affect their deposits. In Australia, when any company that you deal with change their terms and conditions, they have an obligation to notify their customers (passengers) of those changes.

In this case, the conditions were changed without any notification.

 

 

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I had cancelled a cruise and lost my FCD, only because it was out of date.....they transferred the money into my account. That is when I was told about this new ruling, I called my planner back the next week as she was away when I cancelled the cruise and she confirmed again that the FCD is treated as a deposit in terms of cancelling.

 

Quick question , where did you see those dates. My cruise in March booked through Princess only shows final payment date in my personaliser. Or where should I be looking ? Have you paid extra on top of the FCD for your deposit , for you to lose 20% and the FCD? Losing the FCD before final payment would be bad enough. ( not that you personally are )

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Answered my own question -

 

Just looking at old invoices from 2015 and can see where you saw the 20% . I have the same on mine , although some say 5%, one 20% and saw one for 30%. (Guessing it depends on price ) Showing for the cancel fee about 3 months before final payment.

 

Now I just need to find time to see if I've ever cancelled in that time period as so far I haven't lost a FCD . But as it's apparently something new this year , I hope I don't have to ever cancel in that period from now on.

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Helen, Yes, the dates are on the confirmation Princess email.

I checked mine again and have a 20% cancellation on one and 25% on the other:confused:.......I am sure in the past I have had 10% as well.

I do not know how or why they are all different?

No wonder everyone is confused, different rules for different countries.

[cherylandtk]

FCD (unused, refundable) => Deposit (used FCD, subject to terms of booking)

 

An FCD is only fully refundable as an FCD. Once it is used on a specific booking it becomes a deposit just as if you had used cash or a credit card and is subject to the terms and conditions on the booking. If it is a refundable booking, the FCD can be transferred to another cruise should you need to cancel the first booking. If it is a NR booking, then the FCD becomes non-transferable, non-refundable.

 

Since booking rules differ from region to region, not all FCDs which are used can be refundable, but the unused FCD is always refundable.

[Griller]

There was a poster here (I'm not making this up) who complained that the reason he

couldn't find a cruise he wanted was because so many people booked up everything

using FCDs as deposits, and then cancelling before final payment.

 

I love it when a lot of people book a cruise and its marked sold out - then when it comes to final payment they cancel - suddenly there a gazillion unsold cabins and I can book at firesale prices closer to departure.

I really wouldn't cruise much at all if that didn't happen.

[IECalCruiser]

Duplicate post.

Edited June 24, 2017 by IECalCruiser

[IECalCruiser]

I checked the Passage Contracts online and there has been no change since mid 2015 for most cruises and mid 2014 for Australia and Asia.

 

We really need to see the terms on the Future Cruise Deposit letter. Ours from December of 2016 states that the FCD is fully refundable if cancelled before the final payment date (90 days for cruises of less than 30 days and 120 days for cruises of 30 days and longer). The only exception would be if you used the FCD on a promotion with a non refundable deposit. If you cancelled you would lose your FCD.

 

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[OzKiwiJJ]

The change is in the fine print on the FCD confirmation letter.

 

From a purchase in September 2015:

" The FCD is available to use on new future bookings only and is non-transferable. The FCD currency is non-changeable. The FCD will be automatically refunded if not applied to a new booking created within two years from the date of purchase. The FCD may be combined with most promotions, e.g. Early Booking Discounts, Princess Captain's Circle® rates or regional rates. The FCD is fully refundable if your new booking is cancelled prior to final payment date, unless it is used in conjunction with a non-refundable deposit booking.

From a purchase in April 2016:

The FCD is available to use on new future bookings only and is non-transferable. The FCD currency is non-changeable. The FCD will be automatically refunded if not applied to a new booking created within two years from the date of purchase. The FCD may be combined with most publically offered fares and promotions. Once applied to a booking, the FCD is considered money and is subject to the terms and conditions in the Passage contract.

 

These were both cruises ex Sydney. As I understand it the latter one means that normal deposit penalties apply if you cancel within 180 days of the departure date.

As far as I know there had been no notification from Princess that the conditions for FCDs had changed.They just snuck it in.

[cheznandy]

The change is in the fine print on the FCD confirmation letter.

 

From a purchase in September 2015:

" The FCD is available to use on new future bookings only and is non-transferable. The FCD currency is non-changeable. The FCD will be automatically refunded if not applied to a new booking created within two years from the date of purchase. The FCD may be combined with most promotions, e.g. Early Booking Discounts, Princess Captain's Circle® rates or regional rates. The FCD is fully refundable if your new booking is cancelled prior to final payment date, unless it is used in conjunction with a non-refundable deposit booking.

From a purchase in April 2016:

The FCD is available to use on new future bookings only and is non-transferable. The FCD currency is non-changeable. The FCD will be automatically refunded if not applied to a new booking created within two years from the date of purchase. The FCD may be combined with most publically offered fares and promotions. Once applied to a booking, the FCD is considered money and is subject to the terms and conditions in the Passage contract.

 

These were both cruises ex Sydney. As I understand it the latter one means that normal deposit penalties apply if you cancel within 180 days of the departure date.

As far as I know there had been no notification from Princess that the conditions for FCDs had changed.They just snuck it in.

 

I just went through some emails I had saved and found old FCD.......one purchased in September 2015 on the Sapphire in Asia has the same as your September 2015, and the other one I puchased on the Dawn Princess in April 2016, a cruise from Sydney to PNG, states the same as your second one.

 

Can anyone from the US that has purchased a FCD in 2016/2017 confirm which terms they have? Would be interested to know if is just a "Downunder" thing:rolleyes:

[OzKiwiJJ]

FCD (unused, refundable) => Deposit (used FCD, subject to terms of booking)

 

An FCD is only fully refundable as an FCD. Once it is used on a specific booking it becomes a deposit just as if you had used cash or a credit card and is subject to the terms and conditions on the booking. If it is a refundable booking, the FCD can be transferred to another cruise should you need to cancel the first booking. If it is a NR booking, then the FCD becomes non-transferable, non-refundable.

 

Since booking rules differ from region to region, not all FCDs which are used can be refundable, but the unused FCD is always refundable.

 

That is no longer the case in the Australian region.

 

If you use an FCD and cancel a cruise within a specific time before final payment date ie under 60 nights before a cruise that is 5 nights or less, under 180 nights (that's six months before the cruise!) for all other cruises, you lose your FCD completely, you can't transfer it to another cruise.

 

No prior warnings of this, either about the FCD usage change or the cancellation policy change - I believe, but can't find proof, that this cancellation period used to be a lot shorter.

[JoAnneNYI]

My FCC states " March2017...* This letter has been issued from the Future Cruise Sales Department for a Future Cruise Deposit (“FCD”) in the amount specified above. The

FCD is available to use on new future bookings only and is non-transferable. The FCD currency is non-changeable. The FCD will be automatically

refunded if not applied to a new booking created within two years from the date of purchase. The FCD may be combined with most publically

offered fares and promotions. Once applied to a booking, the FCD is considered money and is subject to the terms and conditions in the Passage

contract. Shipboard credits will be applied at the time of booking and applies to the holder of the FCD only and is not applicable to 3rd and 4th

berth guests. Shipboard credit may only be used on a single voyage and expires at the end of that voyage. FCDs are not applicable to bookings 45

days or longer.. For those bookings a 3% cruise fare discount is given and reduced deposit requirements may vary based on booking date. To make

your next booking, please contact your Travel Agent, or Princess Cruises at 1-800-PRINCESS.

Page

[richsea]

jpom18 provides the key to this. I just recently (a couple weeks ago) changed from the Jan 18, 2018 Hawaii cruise on the Star to the Jan 22, 2018 Hawaii cruise on the Grand. My TA got me a better price with the Red, White and Blue sale but before booking it, called me to tell me that if I want the better pricing that my FCC that I used to book the cruises would become non-refundable. She gave me the option to book the better price making my FCC unrefundable or the higher price but my FCC would still be refundable if I cancel. So, if your deposit is refundable, you will not lose your FCC.

 

This is how I interpreted it also. This Red, White, & Blue sale with its non refundable deposit made me think twice about booking & using our FCC now. We decided to just wait and book at a later date, because I figured that if something happened that made us cancel, we would lose the FCC, which we only purchased to take advantage of the potential OBC. To me, a $100 deposit on a cruise is not an incentive to book. In fact, I'd rather pay a higher deposit and and therefore a lower final payment anyday.

[cherylandtk]

That is no longer the case in the Australian region.

 

If you use an FCD and cancel a cruise within a specific time before final payment date ie under 60 nights before a cruise that is 5 nights or less, under 180 nights (that's six months before the cruise!) for all other cruises, you lose your FCD completely, you can't transfer it to another cruise.

 

No prior warnings of this, either about the FCD usage change or the cancellation policy change - I believe, but can't find proof, that this cancellation period used to be a lot shorter.

Would you mind explaining to those of us In the US what the standard Aussie booking and cancellation penalties dates are?

 

We (US) have seen the same wording changes as you have stated, but it really did not make any difference other than clarifying that if used on a NR deposit booking, it became NR immediately.

 

How is this different in Australia? I believe your penalty period starts before your final payment date, but am not sure of exactly what this difference is. In the US, if we canceled a cruise after penalty period date we lost the FCC. Was that not the same rules for you? Is your FCD transferable if you do so more than six months out?

 

I believe in the U.K. that penalty period starts immediately upon booking; so for them just using the FCC makes it subject to penalty and not transferable or refundable. Regardless of how far in advance the cruise is booked.

Edited June 24, 2017 by cherylandtk

[likeadisguise]

It appears that although the policy change went into effect a couple of years ago (as evidenced by the language on the FCC confirms), they weren't actually enforcing it in Australia until recently.

[cherylandtk]

Hi all

 

Thought I would comment on this as it has been previously discussed on the Australia/NZ board.

In Australia, a FCD is now treated like a deposit when it comes to cancelling, so when the cancellation penalty time starts, the FCD is treated as such.

In the past I have been able to transfer my FCD before final payment and retain it, now if I want to cancel it needs to be before the penalty date starts.

Here is a shot from our next cruise on the Golden, you can see the 20% starts before the final payment date in July. If I cancel now I will lose 20% including the FCD.

I agree that the rules are different for those in the US and UK, but this is how Princess are doing things here. Confirmed by my Princess Holiday planner.

Just have to be more committed 6 months out:eek:

Ok, that copy and paste didnt work!!

 

The Final payment date on the cruise is July 8th 2017, but the 20% penalty date started on March 25th 2017.

Further to my post above, kindly help me understand how these things work for you in Australia.

-Is your FCD accepted as full deposit on a cruise until final payment is due?

-Do you have to make an extra payment at penalty date start? If not, how is the 20% enforced if you cancel after penalty start but before final payment?

 

With the US penalty date and final payment date being the same day, there is no essential change. But I can see that it would be a change for you if the penalty date is long before the final payment date.

[Thorpe]

Further to my post above, kindly help me understand how these things work for you in Australia.

 

-Is your FCD accepted as full deposit on a cruise until final payment is due?

 

-Do you have to make an extra payment at penalty date start? If not, how is the 20% enforced if you cancel after penalty start but before final payment?

 

 

 

With the US penalty date and final payment date being the same day, there is no essential change. But I can see that it would be a change for you if the penalty date is long before the final payment date.

 

 

Happy to be corrected but here is how I see it for us in Australia.

 

The FCD is accepted as full deposit until final payment.

 

No extra payment required at penalty start date.

 

I'm presuming the 20% (or other %) is for people who pay a normal deposit not using a FCD. The deposit is usually 20% of the fare here so guessing they lose their deposit.

 

Apart from my first Princess cruise, I've always had a couple of FCD up my sleeve, which I assume most others on this board also have. So my answer about the 20% penalty is guesswork [emoji848]

 

It would be so much easier if the policy was worldwide......

 

 

 

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[maxmia]

Heard this rumour on our last cruise (April 2017) spoke to the Captain's Circle host, and he confirmed the changes had been made for OZ cruising from April 2017 regarding the FCD. I had a cruise booked using FCD and wanted to switch to another sailing, and was told by Princess that the FDC would be lost in the future by switching, but as I had booked before the changes came into effect, it was refunded. These new rules make me cautious about booking anything too far ahead. These new rules may apply to NZ cruisers as well. He also said it was something to do with the OZ government protection laws, something I have never heard of in regards to cruising.

[OzKiwiJJ]

He also said it was something to do with the OZ government protection laws, something I have never heard of in regards to cruising.

 

:confused: That sounds like a load of bulldust to me! :eek:

[OzKiwiJJ]

Is your FCD transferable if you do so more than six months out?

 

I don't think anyone has "tested" this out yet. The implication is that it isn't transferable, and is refunded to you like any other deposit.

[cheznandy]

Further to my post above, kindly help me understand how these things work for you in Australia.

-Is your FCD accepted as full deposit on a cruise until final payment is due?

-Do you have to make an extra payment at penalty date start? If not, how is the 20% enforced if you cancel after penalty start but before final payment?

 

With the US penalty date and final payment date being the same day, there is no essential change. But I can see that it would be a change for you if the penalty date is long before the final payment date.

 

Someone above answered the first two questions, and as OZKiwi stated, not sure how the 20% is enforced if it is just the loss of the FCD and /plus other money's to make up 20%.......a question for me to ask Princess!!

Also, I think the difference as you state above, in the US your penalty date and final payment date are the same day. Our penalty is at least 3 months earlier than final payment.

 

My cruise for 21st September 2017 says:

 

Final payment date July 8th 2017

 

Cancellation schedule:

25th March 2017 20% of total charges

9th July 2017 25% of total charges

10th August 2017 50% total charges

7th September 2017 100% total charges

 

The 25% is when final payment is due, I will ask about the 20%, which is 6 months out, find out if it is just the FCD that is forfeited, or is it 20% of total cruise.

 

The wording prior to April 2016 is that the FCD was " fully refundable up until final payment" now it is "once applied to a booking it is considered money and is subject to the terms and conditions of the booking"

 

And because penalties for bookings made in Australia start 6 months out our FCD's are less flexible.

 

I can see how as you state above there is essentially no change for you, but for us there is. Not a big deal but one that others booking in Australia and using FCD should be aware of.

[tothemall&beyond]

I just read that the OP is in Australia. Our cruise buddies in the UK (Scotland) have told us that Princess' rules for bookings, cancellations, use of FCD's, etc. in countries other than US & Canada are quite different and much more stringent. There is nothing ANYWHERE in writing that substantiates what the OP says - at least not with regard to Americans.

[cherylandtk]

 

Final payment date July 8th 2017

 

Cancellation schedule:

25th March 2017 20% of total charges

9th July 2017 25% of total charges

10th August 2017 50% total charges

7th September 2017 100% total charges

This does not help you with your FCD issues, but I find it interesting to note the US rules are very different:

At final payment (75 days) deposit is NR.

At 56 days out, it becomes 50% NR, Oz is at 42 days.

At 28 days out it becomes 75% NR, Oz does not have this level.

At 14 days it is 100% NR, which matches Oz.

 

I wonder if Oz consumer protection laws have anything to do with the difference.....

[cheznandy]

This does not help you with your FCD issues, but I find it interesting to note the US rules are very different:

At final payment (75 days) deposit is NR.

At 56 days out, it becomes 50% NR, Oz is at 42 days.

At 28 days out it becomes 75% NR, Oz does not have this level.

At 14 days it is 100% NR, which matches Oz.

 

I wonder if Oz consumer protection laws have anything to do with the difference.....

 

Thanks for showing the cancellation dates for the US.

We (Australia) seem to have the 6 months out penalty of 20% that you (US) do not have which implicates the loss of FCD if cancelled. I am waiting on my contact at Princess to call me back to get a bit more clarification.

[cheznandy]

An update from Princess Australia......the FCD is refundable if the cruise is cancelled before 181 days (About 6 months) after that the penalty time starts.

If you have deposited with a FCD, that is all that is forfeited, not 20% of total cruise fare. Then the 25%, 50%. 100% kicks in as per the booking.

 

So the cancellation penalty times start 3 months earlier for Australia/NZ than those in the US/Can.

I was aware of all this a few months ago, but was not sure if it was just the FCD forfieted or a total 20%, so all sorted:D

 

To the OP, yes, there have been changes, but it does not affect those in the US/Can, just us Aussie and NZers:(