3 for Free Fares Increasing?

[dstables]

Has anyone else noticed that some of the fares under the 3 for Free Sale have increased since the sale begin?  We booked the 28 day Hawaii/Tahiti Cruise on the Emerald sailing February 1, 2020 and we booked as soon as the sale started. I have been watching the price and I have seen the price go up three times since the sale started. It’s now $988.00 per person more today for our cabin then when we booked. I don’t think I have notice Princess increasing their price while a sale is on. 

[Coral]

Prices can change daily or even several times during the day. It is purely supply and demand. It actually has nothing to do with the sale going on. It has more to do with categories filling up and Princess feeling like they can get more for their cabin at a higher rate. It just happens that if you book during this specific time period - you get these benefits also.

 

The cruises I am booked on have stayed the same. I watch also. I was hoping one would go down in price!

[neverbeenhere]

15 minutes ago, Coral said:

Prices can change daily or even several times during the day. It is purely supply and demand. It actually has nothing to do with the sale going on. It has more to do with categories filling up and Princess feeling like they can get more for their cabin at a higher rate. It just happens that if you book during this specific time period - you get these benefits also.

 

The cruises I am booked on have stayed the same. I watch also. I was hoping one would go down in price!

 

 

Today’s winner: For correct answer. 

[Colo Cruiser]

35 minutes ago, dstables said:

Has anyone else noticed that some of the fares under the 3 for Free Sale have increased since the sale begin?  We booked the 28 day Hawaii/Tahiti Cruise on the Emerald sailing February 1, 2020 and we booked as soon as the sale started. I have been watching the price and I have seen the price go up three times since the sale started. It’s now $988.00 per person more today for our cabin then when we booked. I don’t think I have notice Princess increasing their price while a sale is on. 

I see it often......

Fares go up as the cruise sells.

[1emerald1]

Yes, my Mexico on the Royal and 14 day Caribbean on the Sky have both gone up since I booked.  So glad I booked early!

[Thrak]

I had a couple of cruises booked. When the Sip and Sail arrived they went waaaaaaaaaay up. Our cabin went up $1,000 ($500 (per person). Now it is even more. It started at $3,549. Today it is listed at $4,979 under the 3 for Free. $1,430 per person more. These "sales" are getting crazy.

 

I have a cruise booked in a Premium Ocean View. The cost when booked was $2,894 per person. I just now looked under the 3 for Free. There are no more Premium Ocean View cabins available but a regular Ocean View is listed at $3,799 per person. $905 per person more under the "sale".

[jennybenny]

My experience has been that the 3 for free is very similar in pricing to the Sip n sail, and yes, I have noticed that the previous pricing is slightly lower.  I only book refundable fares, and usually we book in advance, sometimes we have re-fared with either the 3 for free of Sip n Sail, but mostly, the best pricing we get is when the sailing opens up.  The prices constantly change, and I constantly watch my bookings looking for the best fare 🙂

[Ombud]

I booked a BB room on the NZ cruise for 2098 the day 3FF opened ... it was 600 more the next day .... now unavailable. Ocean view is now 2498!

Edited October 30, 2018 by Ombud

[crystalspin]

We're on the same sailing as the OP -- just checked yesterday and the fare appears to be a few hundred more apiece, but I thought maybe that was the savings for the "free upgrade" where you get charged the lowest price in the category for a potential higher cabin. I didn't take a screenshot of the booking listing, but I do know there was a discrepancy between the rate that was shown and what we paid. Not $988! I wish!!!

[caribill]

I checked a cruise I booked the first day of Three4Free. The pricing today is the same as the day I booked.

[Thrak]

23 minutes ago, caribill said:

I checked a cruise I booked the first day of Three4Free. The pricing today is the same as the day I booked.

 

It depends a lot on the cruise. Our Northern Lights cruise started out stupidly expensive and has just gone up and up and up. Other more "normal" cruises haven't been the same.

[L454S]

Mine is also unchanged since booking a few months ago.

[Bubbs33]

Booked Alaska 7 day cruise for July 2019 last June under Sip and Sail. Refared under 3 for Free and saved $681 got $200 OBC and upgraded from BD to BB for 2 adults. Refared same trip again under the sale 2 days ago and saved additional $600 for 2 fares. Plus got flights cheaper. Pays to monitor prices.

[Bill B]

Prices fluctuate within 'promotions'. The amenities within a promotion are fixed. One day you may get three, "free" amenities for for X dollars. The next day (or within hours) you may get the same three, "free'" amenities for Y dollars.

 

Whether you pay $1000 or $2000 for them, the amenities are still "free"... only the fare has changed. Welcome to cruise line Marketing 101.

[billco]

12 hours ago, Coral said:

Prices can change daily or even several times during the day. It is purely supply and demand. It actually has nothing to do with the sale going on. It has more to do with categories filling up and Princess feeling like they can get more for their cabin at a higher rate. It just happens that if you book during this specific time period - you get these benefits also.

 

The cruises I am booked on have stayed the same. I watch also. I was hoping one would go down in price!

The cruise we are booked on went down $100 p/p last week. Our TA made the adjustment.

Edited October 30, 2018 by billco

[memoak]

The more staterooms booked the more the price will go up - when demand is low the price will go down     Simply supply and demand

[victory2020]

One of my bookings went up, the other has stayed the same.

[sunny88]

Re fare is new to me.  Under what condition one can ask for re fare?

Like, is it has to be a refundable booking?    is it before final payment? 

can we ask for re fare after final payment?

My fare went up 450 pp, we can't even get one higher cat. cabin.  !!  we were told its for new booking only!!!

[jennybenny]

14 minutes ago, sunny88 said:

Re fare is new to me.  Under what condition one can ask for re fare?

Like, is it has to be a refundable booking?    is it before final payment? 

can we ask for re fare after final payment?

My fare went up 450 pp, we can't even get one higher cat. cabin.  !!  we were told its for new booking only!!!

Correct, You will want to have a refundable deposit to start with.  The "new fare" is for new bookings only.  So what that means is that you are giving up any perks you have when you originally booked but you can keep your cabin choice, and have a lower fare.  You can re-fare before final payment, but not after.  So, that is the limitation to re-faring.  Some people have had success in requesting upgrades after final payment from Princess when fares go down, but I haven't heard of money refunded.  I stop looking at fares after final payment.  It would depress me if they went down.  🙂

Edited October 30, 2018 by jennybenny

[sunny88]

Thanks Jenny.

No more non-refundable for me from now on.

[Bill B]

20 hours ago, Thrak said:

These "sales" are getting crazy.

 

No kidding!

 

I booked a HAL cruise under a sale with a refundable, reduced deposit - $300. The cancellation penalty schedule of the Cruise Contract that cruise states "120–91 days before commencing travel: an amount equal to deposit requirement" At 100 days before departure the fare dropped $400. I thought  - 'Fine... I'll pay the $300 cancellation penalty - the amount of my deposit - and re-book for a savings of $100. No such luck! I'd paid a reduced deposit of $300. Apparently, the deposit requirement was $600... and that is what it would cost me to cancel and re-book.

 

The choose their words VERY carefully.

 

 

 

Edited October 31, 2018 by Bill B
Misplaced comma.

[billco]

3 hours ago, jennybenny said:

 I stop looking at fares after final payment.  It would depress me if they went down.  🙂

You can apply that logic to just about anything. Cars, houses, stuff on Amazon.

[jennybenny]

40 minutes ago, billco said:

You can apply that logic to just about anything. Cars, houses, stuff on Amazon.

Edited October 31, 2018 by jennybenny

[riclop]

Yes they have been going up.

[Thrak]

We have a 15 day connoisseur cruise tour booked for next May. The price showing under the 3 for Free is almost exactly the same. We're booked at $3,539 (inside) and it's now showing $3,550. The big difference though is the perks.

 

The 3 for Free would give me $100 OBC ($50 each) and Free Gratuities. The booking I have gives us $400 OBC ($200 each) Free Gratuities, Free Specialty Dining, and $100 Land Credit ($50 each). Somehow the 3 for Free just isn't "quite" as good. (What was really odd is that the cruise we booked didn't show a Sale banner of any kind. The perks showed up at one of the next-to-last stages of the booking. I know there must be some "name" for the promo but I'm darned if I know what it is!)