Best Sale Ever Starts December 11th

[PaperSniper4]

23 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

..........

 

I'm interested to know:  Has anyone on this thread heard about this promotion from their TA?  (Other than as a response to your query about this.)

 

No, but then again the sale isn't on until tomorrow....................

[Coral]

23 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

I would not have known about this promotion (thank you azbirdmom!) if I didn't follow Cruise Critic.  I still have only heard crickets from my TA.  I think the phone call I'll make tomorrow to my TA to do the add ons will likely be my last call to that TA.

 

I'm interested to know:  Has anyone on this thread heard about this promotion from their TA?  (Other than as a response to your query about this.)

I would give your TA a break. The promo is not active in the system so a TA can't really do anything until tomorrow. It is also lasting until February so there isn't a rush to tell everyone and have people call when they can't do anything yet.

[OC SeaPA]

2 minutes ago, rocklinmom said:

My sister is booked with a TA for our cruise and I booked my family and the rest of our family group. I have already told them about this promo and refared us twice so far (for both a lower fare and a better promo). My sister has heard nothing from her TA since booking in May. She is now wishing I had booked them originally. 

Just a thought- if you do the "add-on" can we refare/rebook later for a price drop and and keep the add-on?  I'd imagine so, but this might might make it better to do the add-on rather than rebook for those who have the "holds". 

 

 

[Daniel A]

2 minutes ago, OC SeaPA said:

Just a thought- if you do the "add-on" can we refare/rebook later for a price drop and and keep the add-on?  I'd imagine so, but this might might make it better to do the add-on rather than rebook for those who have the "holds". 

This is one promotion being added on top of earlier promotions.  I would suspect if you were to rebook a cruise after February 29, you would lose what you have currently and start from scratch again.

[Daniel A]

7 minutes ago, Coral said:

I would give your TA a break. The promo is not active in the system so a TA can't really do anything until tomorrow. It is also lasting until February so there isn't a rush to tell everyone and have people call when they can't do anything yet.

If my TA feels there's no rush, I would prefer to know about a promo like this well in advance because other TAs will be booking the best cruises, cabins and locations for their clients while mine feels there's no rush to let me know about it.

 

I have three active trips going with this TA. I have never gotten an e-mail or phone call to let me know about an available upgrade for any of those trips.  I have been able to take advantage of upgrades for each one of those trips only because I found out about them on my own and contacted her.

 

 

[RMMariner]

7 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

If my TA feels there's no rush, I would prefer to know about a promo like this well in advance because other TAs will be booking the best cruises, cabins and locations for their clients while mine feels there's no rush to let me know about it.

 

I have three active trips going with this TA. I have never gotten an e-mail or phone call to let me know about an available upgrade for any of those trips.  I have been able to take advantage of upgrades for each one of those trips only because I found out about them on my own and contacted her.

 

 

I think that is probably true for many of us. Never hear anything from any TA we have used. Even upsells and upgrades were not communicated. 

 

I take whatever perk the TA gives me, and then I watch for sales and price drops. 

 

I don't even blame my present TA. He is a good guy, always does what he says he will do, but he has a lot of clients. There is no way he could keep us all updated.

 

No one looks after your business like you do.

Edited December 10, 2019 by RMMariner

[Tedferg]

Daniel - I would agree with giving your TA a break. I think my TA is great and prices are always good. I receive regular emails about cruise offerings but have always found about better deals myself by checking regularly on Princess site or hearing about a Promo on Cruise Critic.

 

Just think how hard it would be to check current deals versus prior deals from all cruises lines for all of a TA Pax. 

 

BTW I just got an email from Cruise Critic announcing 'This Weeks 25 Hot Deals' includes all cruise lines. Imagine a TA saying, 'Oh Jimmy booked this itinerary 6 months ago and these promos are better' TA would have to continually check all deals / all prices for all customers. As you have seen from above posts many people are not sure if this deal from Princess would work for them.

Edited December 10, 2019 by Tedferg

[Daniel A]

13 minutes ago, Tedferg said:

Daniel - I would agree with giving your TA a break. I think my TA is great and prices are always good. I receive regular emails about cruise offerings but have always found about better deals myself by checking regularly on Princess site or hearing about a Promo on Cruise Critic.

 

Just think how hard it would be to check current deals versus prior deals from all cruises lines for all of a TA Pax. 

 

BTW I just got an email from Cruise Critic announcing 'This Weeks 25 Hot Deals' includes all cruise lines. Imagine a TA saying, 'Oh Jimmy booked this itinerary 6 months ago and these promos are better' TA would have to continually check all deals / all prices for all customers. As you have seen from above posts many people are not sure if this deal from Princess would work for them.

Thanks for your response.  For me the issue is not that the TA isn't keeping track of what I already had booked and if a new promo is better.  For me, it's not being told about available promos and letting me decide if it works well for me.  I feel as if I'm doing the background work and she's getting the commissions.  (BTW on a $17000.00 booking, I'm getting a free specialty dinner from the TA.)

 

Amazon, Kohls and Princess have no difficulty letting me know about upcoming sales in advance.  I wouldn't mind a weekly or even monthly e-mail listing sales and promotions.  BTW the TA works for a nationwide travel organization.  They must have an IT department that can handle this.

[MCC retired]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

I would give your TA a break. The promo is not active in the system so a TA can't really do anything until tomorrow. It is also lasting until February so there isn't a rush to tell everyone and have people call when they can't do anything yet.

 

Agreed 100% 

 

[azbirdmom]

3 hours ago, Coral said:

I would give your TA a break. The promo is not active in the system so a TA can't really do anything until tomorrow. It is also lasting until February so there isn't a rush to tell everyone and have people call when they can't do anything yet.

 

I agree.  I emailed the info about the cruises we want to add this to our TA and she confirmed she will take care of it for us when she's able to add the codes to the system (and there is some question about whether or not their system will be ready to accept all of the codes tomorrow).  All I expected at the time I sent the info to her was acknowledgement and that's what I received.  If Daniel doesn't get a response of "got it" or "we'll take care of it for you when the system allows" from his TA, that is a problem.  And if he's only getting a specialty dinner from his TA on a $17K cruise spend, that's an even stronger sign that he needs to make a change.

Edited December 10, 2019 by azbirdmom

[iuac1]

I have reached out to my TA and she has not responded. Although I have already booked through a TA can I just go through Princess to add the Promo being offered with out losing my current offers that I have booked?

[chamima]

19 minutes ago, iuac1 said:

I have reached out to my TA and she has not responded. Although I have already booked through a TA can I just go through Princess to add the Promo being offered with out losing my current offers that I have booked?

 

 

You can change the cruise away from your TA to Princess as long as you've booked within the last 60 days.

(Just make sure you never want to use that TA again as she's likely to be pretty angry.)

 

 

I found a link to an actual form...https://www.militarycruisedeals.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Reservation-Transfer-Request-Form-1.pdf

 

 

https://www.militarycruisedeals.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Reservation-Transfer-Request-Form-1.pdf

[Steelers36]

I do not get a heads up from my TA for every new Princess sales promotion.  Nor do I expect that.  I realize that some smaller office TA's might do this for best repeat customers, but honestly, it seems like a time-waster to me and I'd rather be on the look-out myself and save money with a terrific discount TA.  If I need to consult a TA, I can reach out, but Princess also sends out plenty of emails on their sales and promo's that I don't also need to hear from TA for these.  Just my thoughts.

[Steelers36]

50 minutes ago, iuac1 said:

I have reached out to my TA and she has not responded. Although I have already booked through a TA can I just go through Princess to add the Promo being offered with out losing my current offers that I have booked?

Your TA needs to add the promo if they made the original booking.  For minor things like this (updating an existing booking), my agency has a back-office team that can handle it and the main person is terrific with fast service as well.

Edited December 10, 2019 by steelers36

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Thanks for your response.  For me the issue is not that the TA isn't keeping track of what I already had booked and if a new promo is better.  For me, it's not being told about available promos and letting me decide if it works well for me.  I feel as if I'm doing the background work and she's getting the commissions.  (BTW on a $17000.00 booking, I'm getting a free specialty dinner from the TA.)

 

Amazon, Kohls and Princess have no difficulty letting me know about upcoming sales in advance.  I wouldn't mind a weekly or even monthly e-mail listing sales and promotions.  BTW the TA works for a nationwide travel organization.  They must have an IT department that can handle this.

As you mentioned, Princess does a more than good job sending out emails and promo info to customers, so I feel like I know.  What is also good about CC is that we have some TA's on here, plus some that look up and get the TA info and post it.  So we also have details of new booking windows with all the voyages.  Princess lets us know when bookings are going to open as well. 

 

Sorry to read about your situation.  If I wasn't getting anything from a TA, may as well book directly with Princess.  Keep looking, searching and talking to fellow cruisers and you can find a good discount TA.  For me, I do the research work as well because I would normally handle all my own travel arrangements.  I am happy to give up some control for a Princess cruise in order to save 15% off the commissionable fare.  Good luck.

 

[Tedferg]

Just to echo Steelers, I found a $100 lower price on $1639 booking by checking Princess site almost daily. The discount was only there for one day. Called TA and refared.

[Thrak]

6 hours ago, Daniel A said:

(BTW on a $17000.00 booking, I'm getting a free specialty dinner from the TA.)

 

Wow. Just wow. If your TA isn't giving you a discount off the top of somewhere from $1,000 to $1,700 on that booking you really need to switch to a new TA. $1,000 off the top of the price would be on the low end. $1700 off the top would be on the high end. (I don't know of anybody getting better than 10% off the top but I could be wrong.) My TA would fall between those two figures. Princess would show their price as Paid in Full but my credit card would reflect the discounted price. A specialty dinner? Really?? GAH!!!

[RMMariner]

Depends. Is it Crown Grill or Sabatini's?

 

But, I agree. Even here in Canada (where we don't get the discounts you guys get in the States) that is much less than I would expect from our TA.

Edited December 11, 2019 by RMMariner

[Steelers36]

26 minutes ago, RMMariner said:

Depends. Is it Crown Grill or Sabatini's?

 

But, I agree. Even here in Canada (where we don't get the discounts you guys get in the States) that is much less than I would expect from our TA.

Yes, it is true that you do not find discount agencies in Canada.  However, we are one North American market for Princess and unlike our overseas friends in the UK, Aus, and NZ, we are fully free and able to shop and purchase with US agencies.  So, next time, take a look south and you can have the bargains as well.  Note that your bookings will pretty much 99% be in USD - which is NBD IMO since Princess pricing is in USD for the N.A. market and Canadians are simply paying a converted price from the actual USD amount.  We are not getting any special pricing.  

 

Okay, so sometimes Princess uses an exchange rate for the USD prices that is slightly in our favor and sometimes it is slightly against us.  Regardless, you can easily use a USD credit card or a CAD card with no currency exchange upcharge and the discounts will more than make up for any perceived currency "issue".  Wish I could just tell you my agent and agency, but not allowed. 

 

If you are not sure where to begin, try some Googling for discount Princess cruise fares, try talking to fellow cruisers on next cruise, or next time try looking for a site that has agencies competing for your booking by sending you quote links.  That is how I eventually settled on my agency which has the largest discount I have encountered.  And the service is great and personal.  I don't use a big box, nor the big one with a whole lot of little boxes. 

 

Edited December 11, 2019 by steelers36

[Steelers36]

35 minutes ago, Thrak said:

 

Wow. Just wow. If your TA isn't giving you a discount off the top of somewhere from $1,000 to $1,700 on that booking you really need to switch to a new TA. $1,000 off the top of the price would be on the low end. $1700 off the top would be on the high end. (I don't know of anybody getting better than 10% off the top but I could be wrong.) My TA would fall between those two figures. Princess would show their price as Paid in Full but my credit card would reflect the discounted price. A specialty dinner? Really?? GAH!!!

Not trying to "1-up" you here, but with that level of fare cost ($8500/pp presumably, including port taxes), I would expect a discount of more than $1700 (or $850/pp).  The more you spend (unless just a long cruise), the higher the amount of discount as there is a greater amount of commission fare to calculate from. 

Edited December 11, 2019 by steelers36

[Steelers36]

In regards to the new ADD-ON packages.  I wasn't sure many posts back if there was a clear understanding of how these will work in terms of when to pay and cancellation policy.  This is what I have from someone who sounded very knowledgeable at Princess.

 

If you order something like BEST2DW and add it on to a 3FF booking, for example, as long as before FP date, you do not pay now and it becomes part of your FP due.  As long as your original booking (3FF in this example) is refundable, then your package add-on is also refundable.  Once you pass FP date, then the package becomes non-refundable (or rather subject to refund policies, etc), just like the cruise fare. 

 

You do not need to worry about paying for the package add-on during the promo period, just like you don't have to fully pay for a cruise booked under 3FF prior to the 3FF end date. 

 

So, you can book an add-on today and cancel it later - before FP date if you have second thoughts. 

 

I really doubt our future cruise will be better under the new sale, but will do the math before considering to book an add-on.  But now I feel like I understand the booking and payment/cancellation aspects.

 

ETA - Although I didn't discuss this aspect, I would presume that if a customer books an add-on and then later decides to re-fare under the next promotion, and Best.Ever.Sale is gone, then you also lose the add-on package when re-faring.  Makes sense.  However, we may see Princess continue to create add-ons for future sales promotions. 

 

 

Edited December 11, 2019 by steelers36

[Ken the cruiser]

6 minutes ago, steelers36 said:

In regards to the new ADD-ON packages.  I wasn't sure many posts back if there was a clear understanding of how these will work in terms of when to pay and cancellation policy.  This is what I have from someone who sounded very knowledgeable at Princess.

 

If you order something like BEST2DW and add it on to a 3FF booking, for example, as long as before FP date, you do not pay now and it becomes part of your FP due.  As long as your original booking (3FF in this example) is refundable, then your package add-on is also refundable.  Once you pass FP date, then the package becomes non-refundable (or rather subject to refund policies, etc), just like the cruise fare. 

 

You do not need to worry about paying for the package add-on during the promo period, just like you don't have to fully pay for a cruise booked under 3FF prior to the 3FF end date. 

 

So, you can book an add-on today and cancel it later - before FP date if you have second thoughts. 

 

I really doubt our future cruise will be better under the new sale, but will do the math before considering to book an add-on.  But now I feel like I understand the booking and payment/cancellation aspects.

 

What happens, for example, if your 3FF cruise fare drops after the BSE promotion ends and it makes economical sense to refare your booking thus losing your 3FF promotion. Do you also lose the BSE perk package or does it stay attached to your booking?

[Coral]

I think this type of promotion is trying to solve an issue that travel agents have with clients wanting their fare re-fared for every promotion.

 

This way - they don't have to re-fare, they can just "upsell amenities".

[Daniel A]

One of the people on a roll call I am on just posted this statement about this promotion:

"I spoke to my TA  today she looked into it and she said if your category that your cabin is in is sold out you cannot get this promo  you would have to change to a different category of cabins."

It sounds like the TA is thinking about rules for refaring a booking as opposed to these upsells which is what the person on my roll call needs.  They have 3 for Free already and were looking for the PBP and Wifi upsell.  Has anyone else heard this?

[azbirdmom]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

I think this type of promotion is trying to solve an issue that travel agents have with clients wanting their fare re-fared for every promotion.

 

This way - they don't have to re-fare, they can just "upsell amenities".

 

Sounds simple in theory.  And instead of losing commission with a refare situation, they increase their compensation.  Sounds like a win all around and I sure hope that's actually how it works out.