Famous 3 Day Sale

[GonzoWCS]

Thanks for the heads up

 

Cheers

[caribill]

15 hours ago, drsel said:

"Current price is for new bookings only" is a rule that many Cruise lines follow when they have last-minute price drops due to to last minute cancellations, or they have to sell off the last few cabins.

so it is better to wait and take advantage of these last minute price drops which usually happen 59 to 45 days prior to sailing

 

Also, as with any sale, if you switch to the new pricing you may lose amenities that came with the original booking but do not apply to the new pricing.

[caribill]

13 hours ago, drsel said:

It's great to have you on the forum !
what is the discount that TAs get when buying a large amount of OBC from the cruise line?

 

When a TA makes a group booking, they get "amenity points" for each booking that can be applied to the booking, either for the client's benefit or the TA's benefit.

 

For example, for the client's benefit the amenity points can be for OBC, a bottle of wine, a specialty dinner, etc. It is up to the TA to pick which amenity or combination of amenities is given to the client.

 

For example for the TA's benefit, the TA could use the amenity points for a higher commission and not use any of the amenity points for the client.

[drsel]

 
When a TA makes a group booking, they get "amenity points" for each booking that can be applied to the booking, either for the client's benefit or the TA's benefit.
 
For example, for the client's benefit the amenity points can be for OBC, a bottle of wine, a specialty dinner, etc. It is up to the TA to pick which amenity or combination of amenities is given to the client.
 
For example for the TA's benefit, the TA could use the amenity points for a higher commission and not use any of the amenity points for the client.

Where can we see group bookings?
How does you know if the cruise you are interested in has got a group booking at all and which TA has got it

[John99]

We will take advantage of the “3 Day Sale” announced by Princess.  Lately, we have chosen the “Best Value” option for 3 future cruises.  Our upcoming February 2021 Caribbean cruise will be cancelled and re booked for 2022.  For us, we need a proven and effective vaccine available before we sail.  If we can obtain Princess Plus for the Best Value option its a bonus.  All thing considering, we will be ahead of the game with a re booking.  Plus, our (long time) TA always throws in extra OBCs and discounts.

 

Caribill  - I agree with your comment (post #18) about what to expect from a TA.

[caribill]

4 hours ago, drsel said:

Where can we see group bookings?
How does you know if the cruise you are interested in has got a group booking at all and which TA has got it

 

The group bookings are not visible to consumers.

 

You need to ask TAs if they have a group booking with space available on the cruise you are interested in.

 

The term "group booking" does not mean you are part of an organized on board group. It means the TA has arranged with Princess to have x number of cabins available for his/her clients on a particular cruise.

 

Besides the amenity points I mentioned above, a group booking gives the TA a lower price for each cabin booked for that group and discount TAs will pass on some of that discount to the clients in the form of a lower price for the cruise. You will never see the discount price advertised as that is against Princess' rules, but when you ask for a quote the TA can give you the lower price if they offer it.

[John99]

Please check pricing.  Princess has changed prices in anticipation of the 3 Day Sale. 

The stateroom prices quoted on Friday versus Monday have gone up on average $100 per stateroom.

“Princess On line” price checks are different (lower) when “not logging” into Princess web site.

[sfaaa]

3 hours ago, John99 said:

Please check pricing.  Princess has changed prices in anticipation of the 3 Day Sale. 

The stateroom prices quoted on Friday versus Monday have gone up on average $100 per stateroom.

 

How typical. Looks like another fake sale.

[lx200gps]

3 hours ago, John99 said:

Please check pricing.  Princess has changed prices in anticipation of the 3 Day Sale. 

The stateroom prices quoted on Friday versus Monday have gone up on average $100 per stateroom.

“Princess On line” price checks are different (lower) when “not logging” into Princess web site.

I just logged on and re-checked the price of our cabin that is on hold for us until the sale on Thursday, at which point our TA will cancel it and re-book under the sale terms. The price I see today is identical to the penny to what it's been for weeks.

[John99]

Xl200gps -- Looks like the “hold” on your cabin will work to your benefit.  You got in before the weekend price increase.   

[ceilidh1]

30 minutes ago, John99 said:

Xl200gps -- Looks like the “hold” on your cabin will work to your benefit.  You got in before the weekend price increase.   

The 3 day sale only applies to bookings made in the 3 days. Any holds/active bookings need to be cancelled and rebooked so they will be at whatever pricing is in effect at that time....

[lx200gps]

48 minutes ago, John99 said:

Xl200gps -- Looks like the “hold” on your cabin will work to your benefit.  You got in before the weekend price increase.   

I guess my point was that I didn't see any price increase whatsoever. The price I see today on the Princess web site, doing a simple search for  the same class of cabin in the same location, is exactly the same as it was two weeks ago.

[ceilidh1]

6 hours ago, lx200gps said:

I guess my point was that I didn't see any price increase whatsoever. The price I see today on the Princess web site, doing a simple search for  the same class of cabin in the same location, is exactly the same as it was two weeks ago.

Fingers crossed it stays the same for the next 3 days and doesn't increase on Sept 24th!

[lx200gps]

6 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

Fingers crossed it stays the same for the next 3 days and doesn't increase on Sept 24th!

Fingers always crossed ;o) Just checked again this AM, two days ahead of the sale, and the price hasn't changed. Not that I expect much, but our TA has told us a number of times in recent days that Princess have told them that the price won't change for the 24th. We'll have to wait and see.

[Roberto256]

On 9/18/2020 at 10:55 AM, drsel said:

Is this a discount on all Princess Cruises?
How will we find out which site?

 

On 9/18/2020 at 11:03 AM, Abercrombie2019 said:

Good question.  

 

I googled the phrase "princess 3 day sale"...

 

 

[John99]

14 hours ago, lx200gps said:

I guess my point was that I didn't see any price increase whatsoever. The price I see today on the Princess web site, doing a simple search for  the same class of cabin in the same location, is exactly the same as it was two weeks ago.

Xl200gps – I checked Princess web site.  The price did not increase.  You’re correct.  I was looking at balcony to deluxe balcony which is not the same comparison.   

[Steelers36]

We have never used the "3 Day Sale" organization.  We have a great TA that always has a most generous discount, plus we usually get some extra OBC.  Anyway, I thought that sale used to have the former Princess 3FF component where you get cabin category free upgrade to xB level while paying at the xF level.  

 

 

[John99]

Princess sent me an email for a “$50 bonus card” promo.  Nice!  What about the “3 Day Sale”?  I would like to see more detail.  There’s nothing on their web site about the sale.  Less than 48 hours to go??  What kind of promo is this??

[voljeep]

18 minutes ago, John99 said:

Princess sent me an email for a “$50 bonus card” promo.  Nice!  What about the “3 Day Sale”?  I would like to see more detail.  There’s nothing on their web site about the sale.  Less than 48 hours to go??  What kind of promo is this??

psst - it's not a Princess promo , but does involve Princess cruises - think the "old" Princess promo that had the beverage package included, and other perks

Edited September 22, 2020 by voljeep

[lx200gps]

30 minutes ago, John99 said:

Princess sent me an email for a “$50 bonus card” promo.  Nice!  What about the “3 Day Sale”?  I would like to see more detail.  There’s nothing on their web site about the sale.  Less than 48 hours to go??  What kind of promo is this??

The "3 Day Sale" isn't a Princess sale, it's a sale dedicated to Princess cruises offered by the big 3rd party agency. You have to go to their site , not Princess' site to see the details.  The TA in question has been advertising their 3 day sale for many weeks.

 

Edited September 22, 2020 by lx200gps

[ceilidh1]

I have a feeling that this 3 day sale may not be as value packed as previous 3 day sales. I say this because the "sale" is combinable with BOTH Princess Plus and Princess Savers - so you are STILL paying for the drinks/grats/wifi if you choose to combine it with Princess Plus. What you do get is OBC, coupon book, and reduced deposit (even for suites), plus it is combinable with the agency's group rates which could mean you get a better price than booking direct. 

[drsel]

The coupon book does not have much value, except for the 1+1 free specialty dinner on the first night.

Those who don't drink much and prefer to use the free Wi-Fi at the ports, may opt for the cheaper Princess saver price.

So the main difference will be the discount/OBC, which has to be compared with the best offer on the bidding site.

[caribill]

OBC is "up to $700 per stateroom" based on type of stateroom and length of voyage.

 

The free stateroom location upgrade that anyone can book is also available with this promotion.

 

In a webinar with Princess, Princess really pushed for picking the Princess Plus option.  (As you can see with the slide shown below, Princess claims that the beverage package and the gratuities are free with the purchase of the Princess Plus package. To me, they are not free if you have to pay to get them.)

 

Princess also said the the old type of promotions that "came and went" are no longer needed since Princess Plus has been offered.

[lx200gps]

3 hours ago, caribill said:

OBC is "up to $700 per stateroom" based on type of stateroom and length of voyage.

 

The free stateroom location upgrade that anyone can book is also available with this promotion.

 

In a webinar with Princess, Princess really pushed for picking the Princess Plus option.  (As you can see with the slide shown below, Princess claims that the beverage package and the gratuities are free with the purchase of the Princess Plus package. To me, they are not free if you have to pay to get them.)

 

Princess also said the the old type of promotions that "came and went" are no longer needed since Princess Plus has been offered.

I'll have to look into that more carefully. We have three new trips on hold with this sale, hopefully to be converted into firm bookings tomorrow morning when our TA calls in to sign us up. At no time have I seen any mention of the free location upgrade being part of the sale, though it was offered by Princess recently on various bookings I browsed through on the Princess site.  All the Emails I have received from the big box TA about the 3 Day Sale make no mention of the location upgrade being part of the sale, any chance you have the link to where it shows, that would be greatly appreciated.

 

And I'm certainly with you on the three Princess Plus add-ons not adding value to the 3 Day Sale when you have to pay for them, as is the case here. If they would offer the sale at the price of the Princess Saver fare, THAT would be a good deal....

[drsel]

Location upgrade means you get a B category cabin location for the price of an F category cabin