Princess non-refundable deposits

[Ken the cruiser]

31 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

I still don't understand why some PAX are getting so upset (although I do understand Finucane's answer and I've been there too in other matters!)  I'm not arguing for or against any type of deposit.  I just want to understand the angst. 

For me it's all about understanding the "rules of the game". Each cruise line plays by their own set of rules/strategy and it helps to know some of those strategies before hand that might later on effect a decision we make.

 

For example we learned the hard way with HAL's non-refundable fares and we've chalked it up as a $3,000 lessoned learned. But, at the same time, we have saved a lot more than that on other occasions by learning how each cruise line we sail with "plays the game" of trying to get as much money as possible from us, and CC is a great source in gaining some of that knowledge. So for us, it's all good.

Edited August 12, 2019 by Ken the cruiser

[idahospud]

18 minutes ago, rocklinmom said:

Thanks, that's good to know for refaring. What about if you have to cancel due to medical issue, etc.? Can you transfer a nonrefundable deposit to another cruise? 

If you have no insurance, Princess may allow you to transfer a nonrefundable deposit to another nonrefundable deposit sailing. But taking that nonrefundable deposit and applying it to a refundable deposit sailing is highly unlikely. 

[Capt Krunch]

This is the latest offer from HAL.  These $25. deposits are non-refundable. 

Doesn't look like the NRD's is helping HAL with bookings.

"Book your next adventure with a $25 deposit!

Journey through Alaska's calving glaciers, explore the wonders of Europe or relax on the sun-kissed beaches of the Caribbean. Wherever you decide to take your dream cruise your deposit is just $25! Hurry—offer ends August 19."

[rocklinmom]

6 minutes ago, idahospud said:

If you have no insurance, Princess may allow you to transfer a nonrefundable deposit to another nonrefundable deposit sailing. But taking that nonrefundable deposit and applying it to a refundable deposit sailing is highly unlikely. 

By insurance do you mean the Princess (Platinum) insurance that is on a booking and not usually paid off until final payment? 

[Pierlesscruisers]

1 hour ago, Iamcruzin said:

Sounds good but all it will do is create more cancellations and rebooking.

 

Perhaps, but perhaps not. I doubt if anyone at all does what the the person who posted what I replied to (Donray, I believe) said in their original post "... deposit down on a dozen rooms and then cancel just before the payment is due..." does. If that is the case then there should definitely be a limit to how many deposits you should be able to have active at one time, or require that after some given number of cruises are made by a given person that the deposits be non-refundable because that would seem, at least to me, to be taking advantage of a situation.  But, again, is that really a problem in the real world?  Only the cruise lines know and I would suspect that if that were the case, they would have "taken care" of the situation already (or soon will) in some shape or fashion.

 

Tom

[idahospud]

4 minutes ago, rocklinmom said:

By insurance do you mean the Princess (Platinum) insurance that is on a booking and not usually paid off until final payment? 

Correct. Some people pay the insurance up front at time of booking. Didn't know if that was the case for you or not. 

 

How big was your nonrefundable deposit?

Edited August 12, 2019 by idahospud

[rocklinmom]

Ah that would make sense to prepay the insurance when booking if doing a nonrefundable deposit. Our current booking is refundable (May sale) but I was wondering what would happen if a better promo came along (like 3 For Free) and has a lower fare with nonrefundable deposit. Still makes me nervous to consider that though. I'm hoping 3FF is refundable deposit like the good old days! 

[idahospud]

2 minutes ago, rocklinmom said:

Ah that would make sense to prepay the insurance when booking if doing a nonrefundable deposit. Our current booking is refundable (May sale) but I was wondering what would happen if a better promo came along (like 3 For Free) and has a lower fare with nonrefundable deposit. Still makes me nervous to consider that though. I'm hoping 3FF is refundable deposit like the good old days! 

 

Even if it is a nonrefundable deposit (and we don't know that yet), there will most likely be a refundable option as well. I'm guessing we should get word in the next couple weeks.

Edited August 12, 2019 by idahospud

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, Capt Krunch said:

This is the latest offer from HAL.  These $25. deposits are non-refundable. 

Doesn't look like the NRD's is helping HAL with bookings.

"Book your next adventure with a $25 deposit!

Journey through Alaska's calving glaciers, explore the wonders of Europe or relax on the sun-kissed beaches of the Caribbean. Wherever you decide to take your dream cruise your deposit is just $25! Hurry—offer ends August 19."

May I suggest if someone takes HAL up on that offer, you should take a close look at your confirmation sheet to verify the cancellation fee. In our case for the 40 day cruise we booked with our $300 FC certificate, the cancellation fee was $875 per person, not the $300 we used via the FC certificate to secure the cruise.

[finucane]

[Daniel A]

On ‎8‎/‎12‎/‎2019 at 5:34 PM, Pierlesscruisers said:

I doubt if anyone at all does what the the person who posted what I replied to (Donray, I believe) said in their original post "... deposit down on a dozen rooms and then cancel just before the payment is due..." does. If that is the case then there should definitely be a limit to how many deposits you should be able to have active at one time, or require that after some given number of cruises are made by a given person that the deposits be non-refundable because that would seem, at least to me, to be taking advantage of a situation.

Tom-

I suspect that the statement about a dozen rooms was hyperbole.  That statement may have been fueled by another thread where the OP had put refundable deposits on two different cruises during the same time period.  The OP in that post wanted to get the cabins they would like IN CASE they took one of those cruises.  There was a large number of posters defending that type of practice (booking multiple cabins with refundable credit in order to prevent someone else from booking that cabin while they decided if they really wanted to go on that cruise.)  I'm not convinced that the cruise lines are thrilled with PAX taking cabins off the market while they make up their mind.  Somebody on that thread posted that this practice will cause the end of refundable deposits.

[MWcruiser]

I've read this entire thread and several others about non-refundable vs refundable threads and I am still confused.  I currently have a cruise booked and used our FCCs as our deposit.  I would like to take advantage of the Landmark sale now.  My online travel agent tells me that I will still have to pay the 10% deposit now whether booking under the K7 non-refundable code or the N7 refundable code.  I thought when using a FCC, it is the only deposit you have to make til final payment is due.  Do I really have to pay the 10% deposit now to get the $1000 onboard credit offered with the Landmark sale?  

Edited August 17, 2019 by MWcruiser

[Steelers36]

8 minutes ago, MWcruiser said:

I've read this entire thread and several others about non-refundable vs refundable threads and I am still confused.  I currently have a cruise booked and used our FCCs as our deposit.  I would like to take advantage of the Landmark sale now.  My online travel agent tells me that I will still have to pay the 10% deposit now whether booking under the K7 non-refundable code or the N7 refundable code.  I thought when using a FCC, it is the only deposit you have to make til final payment is due.  Do I really have to pay the 10% deposit now to get the $1000 onboard credit offered with the Landmark sale?  

Your agent is misinformed.  Some would say find another agent.  Only you can decide if your agent is normally very knowledgeable or never quite sure what the real situation is. 

 

You did not indicate the type/length of cruise, but some Grand Voyages and also World Cruises and lengthy segments will require a larger cash deposit and your FCD is consumed in exchange for a 3% reduction in the base fare.

 

[idahospud]

13 minutes ago, MWcruiser said:

I've read this entire thread and several others about non-refundable vs refundable threads and I am still confused.  I currently have a cruise booked and used our FCCs as our deposit.  I would like to take advantage of the Landmark sale now.  My online travel agent tells me that I will still have to pay the 10% deposit now whether booking under the K7 non-refundable code or the N7 refundable code.  I thought when using a FCC, it is the only deposit you have to make til final payment is due.  Do I really have to pay the 10% deposit now to get the $1000 onboard credit offered with the Landmark sale?  

Your future cruise deposit is exactly what it says it is - a deposit for a future cruise. The 10% isn’t needed on top of that. 

[MWcruiser]

Thanks Idahospud and steelers36!  That is the answer I wanted! 

 

[MWcruiser]

33 minutes ago, steelers36 said:

Your agent is misinformed.  Some would say find another agent.  Only you can decide if your agent is normally very knowledgeable or never quite sure what the real situation is. 

 

You did not indicate the type/length of cruise, but some Grand Voyages and also World Cruises and lengthy segments will require a larger cash deposit and your FCD is consumed in exchange for a 3% reduction in the base fare.

 

Idahospud and steelers36,

Do you know if my FCC then becomes nonrefundable?  I called Princess and they said it does.  But I know the person I talked to may not know the correct answer.

Thanks again.

Edited August 17, 2019 by MWcruiser

[Steelers36]

21 minutes ago, MWcruiser said:

Idahospud and steelers36,

Do you know if my FCC then becomes nonrefundable?  I called Princess and they said it does.  But I know the person I talked to may not know the correct answer.

Thanks again.

If you book under a refundable deposit fare code, then your FCD us refundable.  Opposite is true with a NRD. 

 

If you are booking a WC or segment where your FCD is exchanged for the 3% fare reduction, then if you cancel, you just get a cash refund, not a restored FCD. 

 

To be clear, having or not having a FCD does not affect the refund-ability of a booking.  That depends on the terms of the Princess offer.

[Capt Krunch]

If you use an FCD then you don't have to put down more deposit unless it is a world cruise or such but your FCD may not be refundable or transferable if the booking offer states that the deposit is NRD.  But you can call Princess and get the pricing for the RD deposit so you don't lose your deposit.  You may still get all the same amenities with the RD deposit fare.  This NR deposit stuff has really complicated booking a cruise.  You have to look at all the fine print so you don't end up losing your FCD in case you can't make the cruise.  Frankly, when one has to be an attorney to read thru all the fine print when booking a cruise, it takes all the fun out of cruising.

[idahospud]

1 hour ago, MWcruiser said:

Idahospud and steelers36,

Do you know if my FCC then becomes nonrefundable?  I called Princess and they said it does.  But I know the person I talked to may not know the correct answer.

Thanks again.

Sort of. If you book under a nonrefundable deposit promo, whether it is a future cruise deposit or a non-future cruise deposit, that deposit (FCD or deposit) becomes nonrefundable. But...if you want to cancel you can transfer that nonrefundable FCD/deposit to another nonrefundable promo on a different sailing. You can't just get the money back or transfer it to a refundable promo.

 

Remember, the Landmark Sale also has a refundable deposit option. It takes a TA or calling Princess directly to get it, though. (On another note - if your TA doesn't understand the FCD v. 10%,  you need a new TA.)

 

One more addition - it does take additional work on the TA's part to get a nonrefundable deposit transferred to another nonrefundable sailing. It took me an hour and half on the phone this week to get one transferred. Don't be surprised to be told no as your TA (and a Princess rep) may not want to take the time to make it happen.

Edited August 17, 2019 by idahospud

[Steelers36]

44 minutes ago, idahospud said:

it does take additional work on the TA's part

One one cruise, I re-fared three times and although there was never a NRD involved, I sent my TA an Amazon Gift Card because of her extra time and we did save a lot from the original pricing.  Her compensation was obviously reduced and made the changes cheerfully, but I was sensitive to the additional effort involved and in a large discount situation with a primarily online agency, I wanted her to know I appreciated the extra work involved.

 

[idahospud]

1 hour ago, steelers36 said:

One one cruise, I re-fared three times and although there was never a NRD involved, I sent my TA an Amazon Gift Card because of her extra time and we did save a lot from the original pricing.  Her compensation was obviously reduced and made the changes cheerfully, but I was sensitive to the additional effort involved and in a large discount situation with a primarily online agency, I wanted her to know I appreciated the extra work involved.

 

That is awesome!

[finucane]

This could go on forever...

 

Off Topic (so excuse me)!:

See ya soon Deb? Although we may never know as I see no M&G for you guys?

Ya lovin this Boise weather or what!

Hit my "signature link" and shoot me an email if ya get a chance...

[idahospud]

39 minutes ago, finucane said:

This could go on forever...

 

Off Topic (so excuse me)!:

See ya soon Deb? Although we may never know as I see no M&G for you guys?

Ya lovin this Boise weather or what!

Hit my "signature link" and shoot me an email if ya get a chance...

I emailed you. I still have 70 some days of cruising coming up this year so I might be skipping M&Gs. 

[finucane]

48 minutes ago, idahospud said:

I emailed you. I still have 70 some days of cruising coming up this year so I might be skipping M&Gs. 

Got it and replied.

Understood!

[Princess Cruises Fann]

Can you refare a booking made with a FCD on a non-refundable sale if the price drops or a better sale comes along? I have refared my Princess Cruises quite often, and curious if I have to make sure my TA uses a non-refundable code for future sales.