Price drop after final payment ?

[BCCRUSINGCOUPLE]

Actual refund was 963.40

[donswife]

My TA (a internet travel agency) got me upgraded from one cabin type to another, plus a small refund. I was amazed. I would have been totally happy with just the upgrade.

 

[myjillian]

On 4/15/2019 at 11:24 PM, RMMariner said:

Happy for you.

 

But wondering why my TA never seems to be able to do this.

If you tried to have your TA do this in the past and they say they can't...it might be because they just don't want to.  Try calling the the 1-800 Princess and asking them first...then if they say that your TA has to do it..call your TA and say Princess will do it you just have to be the one to call them...if they say they can't...when you get on board and buy your FCC bookings etc...have them take your present agency off and find a new TA.  A good TA will want their clients to same money even if it means that they might lose a few bucks themselves.....just saying...😉

[Ombud]

Did it Sunday, 663.40 credit showed up in my bank this morning. So a $863.40 difference. They're FAST! 🤑

Edited April 17, 2019 by Ombud

[dog]

15 hours ago, BCCRUSINGCOUPLE said:

So here is what happened. I booked through my princess rep and also made my final payment. Well I went and looked noticed huge price drop so I called in. He informed me since I booked through Princess and the same cabins were still available he could make the price adjustment for me 900 bucks.


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Glad you made that call. Always worth it!  dog

[land lover]

16 hours ago, Ombud said:

Like what PVPs can do after final pymt. (BCCRUISING got $900 & I got $662 + 200 OBC)

 

Way to goooooooooo

 

yours in USD theirs in Canada dollars?

 

It really depends on who you are talking to at Princess, when you made your call to Princess and how the cruise is selling, when you  purchased your cruise, what promos you have, what CAT and how much you paid. Definitely do ask...I have only gotten cabin upgrades never OBC.

 

One time my GF & I were traveling solo each in our own inside cabin...We both booked direct with Princess. She noticed the price drop first and called got a balcony, I call and it was SOL...I insisted my GF had called the day before I didn't get a balcony but ended up with a choice  OV I picked myself.

Edited April 17, 2019 by land lover

[Ombud]

8 minutes ago, land lover said:

 yours in USD theirs in Canada dollars?

No idea what theirs came back in but mine was a refund to the Visa I paid with. Putting $663.40 (USD) back on November cruise. Different amounts most likely based on cruise dropping a different amount

 

I wasn't trying to take over the thread, just suggesting that calling 800# works when you have a PVP & that PVP is still list on the folio / still get their extra OBC / perks

Edited April 17, 2019 by Ombud

[land lover]

9 minutes ago, Ombud said:

No idea what theirs came back in but mine was a refund to the Visa I paid with. Putting $663.40 (USD) back on November cruise. Different amounts most likely based on cruise dropping a different amount

 

I wasn't trying to take over the thread, just suggesting that calling 800# works when you have a PVP & that PVP is still list on the folio / still get their extra OBC / perks

 If I am not mistaken their sign in loc. was Vancouver.

 

You responded prior to me editing my post, so if you go back & read it you can see what factors come into play which have been told to me by different reps and if you have paid big bucks for your accommodations believe me they are far more accommodating or a new cruiser to Princess, if you get my drift. 😉

 

 

Edited April 17, 2019 by land lover

[Ombud]

But I've never had an issue. I like to book an OV behind the Art Gallery as no one goes there. Very quiet. Also convenient as I don't use buffet, just IC / Promenade deck

[BCCRUSINGCOUPLE]

I was lucky we over paid but at the time it was the best deal but getting back 900 cad dollars is huge.


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[nic2010]

On 4/13/2019 at 1:50 PM, BCCRUSINGCOUPLE said:

So I am sure someone will have the answer to this question.  I happened to log into my princess account this morning  and noticed there was a big price drop on my cruise I booked through princess and I have already given final payment does anyone know if I contact my princess Rep do you think I could get some on board credit of some kind as it is about $300 dollars cheaper per person now. 

 

The price drop usually comes with the fine print that reads "New bookings only". If you are more than 75 days from sailing you may be able to cancel and re-book, but when that is done you may lose any perks you may have and possibly the cabin you have selected.. Usually not worth it. Inside of 75 days, the penalty will be more than the price drop.

[johnsuttoncoldfield]

Stop rubbing our noses in it you lucky folk out there in the wider world - us poor souls in the UK cannot get these reductions after final payment. My own fare has just been reduced by over £1000 and there is absolutely nothing I can do about it!

[Bruin Steve]

I just returned from a cruise on the Emerald Princess this past Thursday.  Leading up to the cruise, there were three price drops.

The first one was prior to the final payment date and I was able to get a cash rebate for the difference.  The next one was after the date...and a fairly small amount...and I was only able to get them to make a minor adjustment in my cabin category, moving up from a BD Caribe Deck balcony toward the aft to a B1 midship Caribe deck balcony--better than nothing.  Then, just days before sailing, with only a couple of Club Class mini-suites showing as unsold, there was another drop and I negotiated a move from the B1 to a Club Class Mini-suite.

 

But, really, there is no hard and fast rule...It is a matter of bargaining power.  In the US, deposits are generally completely refundable until final payment...and, since you could, therefore, cancel and rebook, the cruise line pretty much has to cave in.  In the UK, with different consumer laws, they are allowed to attach a penalty even before final payment--so the cruise line has a little better bargaining power...and, unless the price drop is substantial, there may be little benefit in the "cance and rebook", hence, little bargaining power.

 

After that final payment date, the cruise line's power goes up considerably.  But, your relative bargaining power varies cruise to cruise, category to category, depending on a number of factors.  The cruise line does NOT want to sail with empty cabins.  And they would like to squeeze as much money out of those unsold cabins as they can.  But, they DON'T want to give back money if they don't have to.  They'd much rather keep existing bookings where they are and find new bookings (even at a lesser price) to fill the unsold ones.  Hence the "For new bookings only" caveat.  But, it's also why they are aggressive with their "Upsell" offer program...They'd like you to pay a little more money to move up in category.  Then they can squeeze a little more from you and sell the lesser cabin to someone else at a discount.

 

In fact, you can even create your own upsell.  I"f they have a large number of available cabins at a higher level, try offering them a few extra dollars to move you up.  I've done that and have had it work.

 

OTOH, if there are still a large number of cabins available in a higher category and they drop the price to what you are paying or lower, most often they will give you the free upgrade...largely because they want to keep existing customers happy...Even more so if you have a high-volume travel agent...They certainly want to keep those TAs recommending their cruise line.

 

However, if they are only down to a relative few unsold cabins, they may not want to do anything--figuring they'll keep your booking as is...and have time to move those remaining desirable cabins.

 

The last case would be for them to throw you a bone--a little nonrefundable OBC or a free voucher for a specialty restaurant.  They do this to keep you happy if they feel they have to do something.  Why? Because neither really costs them much.  Specialty restaurant seats go unsold each night and you've really paid for your food anyway...and OBC is generally spent on alcohol or gambling...and they make a really good profit on both, so it costs them far less than the $$ amount.

 

But, definitely always push them on it...It couldn't hurt...and you can likely get something out of it,,,