72 hour Europe sale for 2020 cruises starts 9/17

[tothemall&beyond]

On 9/14/2019 at 5:35 PM, Bdnclc said:

Well that creates some thought for me.  There is one have my eye on but was going to do future cruise deposit on next week's cruise then book under 3 for free.  Airfare credit might prove useful.  But the non refundable deposit is not appealing.  

It is NOT non-refundable deposit! I re-fared my TA for next year, and 3 different Princess reps , as well as my travel agent, confirmed it! Where do you get that? The gratuities are non-refundable, not the deposit.

[tothemall&beyond]

On 9/15/2019 at 3:04 PM, dog said:

 

yes, make the call. As we are all finding out, people and their bookings are not being treated equally. The terms/conditions, non refundable deposits can differ from one sale or cabin category to another. Worth calling.

It is NOT non-refundable deposit! I re-fared my transatlantic on the Island for next year, and 3 different Princess reps , as well as my travel agent, confirmed it! Where do you get that? The gratuities are non-refundable, not the deposit.

[tothemall&beyond]

On 9/14/2019 at 8:40 PM, phred119s said:

With the current 3FF, there is a refundable option.  I would guess that that may be the case with the 72 hour sale as well. I will definitely be checking because my sailing is on the voyage list.

It is refundable deposit! I re-fared my 3FF TA for next year to this new one, and 3 different Princess reps , as well as my travel agent, confirmed that deposit is refundable!

[phred119s]

10 minutes ago, tothemall&beyond said:

It is refundable deposit! I re-fared my 3FF TA for next year to this new one, and 3 different Princess reps , as well as my travel agent, confirmed that deposit is refundable!

Most promotions lately have had non-refundable deposits advertised. But by working with travel agents or (to my understanding)  calling Princess these promotions can be booked with refundable deposits. We made our original deposit as refundable and have re-fared twice with refundable deposits, but others are just sharing their experiences with booking non-refundable deposits. 

[dog]

1 hour ago, tothemall&beyond said:

It is NOT non-refundable deposit! I re-fared my transatlantic on the Island for next year, and 3 different Princess reps , as well as my travel agent, confirmed it! Where do you get that? The gratuities are non-refundable, not the deposit.

 

I get your point!  Please accept my apologies and ignore my posts.

[NavyVeteran]

When I book online under the Europe 72hr Sale with 3 for Free Perks, I receive the following message:

 

Europe 72hr Sale with 3 For Free Perks - NRD

Guests who book this promotion pay reduced 10% deposit that is NON-REFUNDABLE.
By booking this promotion guests will receive the following:

* Up To $200 Off EZair - Air must be booked through Princess EZair to qualify for discount.
* FREE GRATUITIES:

paid on behalf of guests 1,2,3 & 4.
* FREE STATEROOM LOCATION UPGRADE:

Book any cabin in a stateroom type for the lowest possible fare.
Excludes select categories.
* FREE ONBOARD SPENDING MONEY:

Up to $800 per stateroom (based on duration) for guests 1,2,3 & 4.
Please be advised this promotion does not combine with other select promotions.
Free Onboard Spending Money and gratuities are not refundable or transferable.
Please go to www.
princess.
com for complete Terms & Conditions **Please be advised alternate fare options are available.

Continue

Note that it clearly states that the deposit is NON-REFUNDABLE. I believe the "NRD" at the end of the description may mean "Non-Refundable Deposit".

 

Also note the last line "Please be advised alternate fare options are available." Princess also has another option with the same perks with a refundable deposit. It is not available online but can be booked by a travel agent or by calling Princess. On one specific trans-Atlantic cruise I was interested in, I was told that the refundable deposit option would cost $130 per person more than the non-refundable deposit option.

 

Therefore:

• The people who say that 3 for Free has a non-refundable deposit are correct. That is the default option - and the only option if booking with Princess online.
• The people who say that 3 for Free may have a refundable deposit are also correct. You have to call Princess or a travel agent to book that option, and it may have a slightly higher cruise fare.

 

 

[vdlcruiser]

I rebooked a TA for next year that had sip n sail. My husband doesn’t drink and I have about two drinks a night. My fare including air went down $1500. The airfare alone went down $600 for the two of us for same flights. I kept my cabin. They gave us $400 onboard credit and $435 in gratuities. My TA onboard credit went down $100 but is still $285. So big winner for me. 

[Steelers36]

I just got to this thread, and I think it has been answered.  But this latest perk for airfare has both options - as does 3FF, and as did Landmark.  This has been documented before, but the clue is in the fine print at the bottom of the promotion info:

 

72 hour $200 off Airfare to Europe offer expires: September 19, 2019
Reference promotion code: N9C/K9C/U9*

3 for FREE offer expires: October 31, 2019
Reference promotion code: N9*/K9*/U9*

 

The "Nxx" codes for ANY promotion mean Refundable Deposits.  The "Kxx" codes for ANY promotion mean Non-Refundable Deposits.  There are other codes.  I'd have to check, but the "U" code here may mean basic fare with no benefits??  Anyway, you see "N" and/or "K" virtually all the time and that will let you know what is going on. 

 

Thing is Princess only displays one pricing scheme on their website and they used to show the RD plan, and recently they seem to have tossed that out an now display the NRD's all the time.  Thing is those NRD's were always around - people just didn't notice or care.  Until now, when folks naturally want the hidden RD option. 

 

Sometimes, a TA will show all the pricing plans on their website, but just ask.

 

 

Edited September 19, 2019 by steelers36

[caribill]

2 hours ago, steelers36 said:

Thing is Princess only displays one pricing scheme on their website and they used to show the RD plan, and recently they seem to have tossed that out an now display the NRD's all the time.  Thing is those NRD's were always around - people just didn't notice or care.  Until now, when folks naturally want the hidden RD option.

 

 

From the Princess viewpoint, encouraging NRDs is the preferred way to go. It either encourages passengers to keep the booking and means more income if cancelled.

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, caribill said:

 

From the Princess viewpoint, encouraging NRDs is the preferred way to go. It either encourages passengers to keep the booking and means more income if cancelled.

Yes, I understand.

[Ken the cruiser]

7 hours ago, caribill said:

 

From the Princess viewpoint, encouraging NRDs is the preferred way to go. It either encourages passengers to keep the booking and means more income if cancelled.

Don't you also lose your NRD if you refare a cruise to take advantage of a reduction in price?

[dog]

21 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Don't you also lose your NRD if you refare a cruise to take advantage of a reduction in price?

 

Not always. Call Princess and ask re: your booking.

[rocklinmom]

16 hours ago, tothemall&beyond said:

It is refundable deposit! I re-fared my 3FF TA for next year to this new one, and 3 different Princess reps , as well as my travel agent, confirmed that deposit is refundable!

Yes it is refundable if they fare it that way on the phone or through a TA. You will either have to pay more (we had to pay $25pp more) or the fare could stay the same for refundable deposit. If you book online, it is nonrefundable deposit. It is clearly stated in the promo terms and in the popup box when doing an online booking. This is the new thing at Princess. 

[billco]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Don't you also lose your NRD if you refare a cruise to take advantage of a reduction in price?

Don't know if this applies to your question, but I booked a Baltic cruise for next September last week under the 3 for Free Sale with my TA. I had the option of nonrefundable or refundable deposit for $130 more per person. I chose refundable since the cruise was a year away. I refared when the 72 hour sale was announced. Again, I had the option to chose nonrefundable or refundable. There was no change to my booking. I was concerned about not being able to book airfare during the 72 hour sale, but I was assured by Princess that the $200 discount would be applied when I booked the air.

 

I also have a Panama Canal cruise on the Coral Princess next April that I booked in May, 2018. I have refared that cruise 3 times.

Edited September 19, 2019 by billco

[Ken the cruiser]

5 minutes ago, billco said:

Don't know if this applies to your question, but I booked a Baltic cruise for next September last week under the 3 for Free Sale with my TA. I had the option of nonrefundable or refundable deposit for $130 more per person. I chose refundable since the cruise was a year away. I refared when the 72 hour sale was announced. Again, I had the option to chose nonrefundable or refundable. There was no change to my booking. I was concerned about not being able to book airfare during the 72 hour sale, but I was assured by Princess that the $200 discount would be applied when I booked the air.

 

I also have a Panama Canal cruise on the Coral Princess next April that I booked in May, 2018. I have refared that cruise 3 times.

So, were the bookings you referenced refundable or nonrefundable when you refared them multiple times and got the 72 hours EZAir perk? 

[billco]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

So, were the bookings you referenced refundable or nonrefundable when you refared them multiple times and got the 72 hours EZAir perk? 

Refundable. Bu tit was my understanding I could have refared to nonrefundable as long as I didn't cancel. I would not book a nonrefundable fare for a cruise that was far in advance. It seems to be a fairly new thing that Princess is advertising sales with nonrefundable fares on their website, but has the option of refundable at a slightly higher price if booking directly or through a TA. I didn't know that until I asked my TA why the Princess price she showed before her discount was higher than what was showed on the website. She told me she automatically books my cruises at refundable, because I book so far in advance.

Edited September 19, 2019 by billco

[tothemall&beyond]

15 hours ago, steelers36 said:

I just got to this thread, and I think it has been answered.  But this latest perk for airfare has both options - as does 3FF, and as did Landmark.  This has been documented before, but the clue is in the fine print at the bottom of the promotion info:

 

72 hour $200 off Airfare to Europe offer expires: September 19, 2019
Reference promotion code: N9C/K9C/U9*

3 for FREE offer expires: October 31, 2019
Reference promotion code: N9*/K9*/U9*

 

The "Nxx" codes for ANY promotion mean Refundable Deposits.  The "Kxx" codes for ANY promotion mean Non-Refundable Deposits.  There are other codes.  I'd have to check, but the "U" code here may mean basic fare with no benefits??  Anyway, you see "N" and/or "K" virtually all the time and that will let you know what is going on. 

 

Thing is Princess only displays one pricing scheme on their website and they used to show the RD plan, and recently they seem to have tossed that out an now display the NRD's all the time.  Thing is those NRD's were always around - people just didn't notice or care.  Until now, when folks naturally want the hidden RD option. 

 

Sometimes, a TA will show all the pricing plans on their website, but just ask.

 

 

Thank you for sharing with everyone all the good info.

[tothemall&beyond]

3 hours ago, rocklinmom said:

Yes it is refundable if they fare it that way on the phone or through a TA. You will either have to pay more (we had to pay $25pp more) or the fare could stay the same for refundable deposit. If you book online, it is nonrefundable deposit. It is clearly stated in the promo terms and in the popup box when doing an online booking. This is the new thing at Princess. 

Our fare actually went down by $21 pp. 

[VersaliusPrimus]

Hi all!  Follow up from the other day.

 

We called Princess directly and were told by the agent the new airfare promotion was for new bookings only.  We called again a few minutes later to the Princess cruise planner (not the usual rep) who told us we could indeed add the airfare promo onto 3FF.  We then called our travel agency and spoke with a different TA who confirmed and was able to add the airfare promo onto our booking while preserving 3FF.  So, some lessons learned:

• Training and/or experience can lead to very different responses, even among Princess' own reps
• Try several times to see if there is a general consensus or until someone manages to make it work
• Cruisecritic members are actually more informed than some TAs 😮

Thanks all for the feedback!  

[Bubbs33]

Refared to 3FF last year for our Alaska cruise with great savings.  This year booked a Mediterranean and Aegean Sea cruise, not only got 3FF but $910C credit on airfare for each passenger. Got to love these finds.  Thanks for the heads up op.