How often do you refare??

[loving goldens]

I check daily our fare and airfare.... just today save another 100.00 on ezair and saved 250.00 on cruise fare and extra 100 OBC... :) Nothing wrong with saving money... lol

[disneyochem]

Always!
 

And, it’s not being greedy—it’s putting more money in the cruise budget which just means more cruises!

[JF - retired RRT]

Used EZAir once, never saw a price drop. The price was at least half of what the airline charged.

In 25+ cruises, I've seen ONE price drop below what I paid & it was after final payment. No TA, so I called Princess and they gave it to us in OBC ($100pp = $200).

That's it.

I almost always book as soon as the cruise is posted.

[martinitime1]

We have re-fared twice in as many months since booking our T/A from Europe, first time we saved over a $1000, the second time, not only did we save on the fare, we also got OBC of $50.00 per person. I told our rep at Princess if this keeps up, they will be paying us to take the cruise. LOL

[vjmatty]

On 9/18/2021 at 11:04 AM, Ombud said:

I used to do it maybe once or twice. But now ~~~~

 

Caribbean / Panama Canal - I check airfare on Tuesdays 

 

Pacific Northwest Cruise - never.  Booked it July 2020 and its never come close to that price

 

Transatlantic - did it a month ago but now it looks like I get 100 OBC if I pay $8 more. This is for a cruise I'm not even positive I'll take. Wondering if it's worth it to do it in the off chance other plans for next August die out

 

Australia -> Asia - I've done it twice

I try to check every week but it’s more like every couple of weeks or so….and unfortunately it’s not like it used to be. When I get wind of a sale I’ll check but it never seems to apply to current bookings. That being said, I did save a couple hundred last week on a November ‘22 sailing on Island, but it’s becoming very very rare. 

[mjmalino]

On 9/18/2021 at 6:02 PM, 1965 said:

If obc was part of a promotion it is lost if you rebook. Other types of obc are not lost, such as my DH's military veteran obc. I always do the math regarding possible loss of obc before rebooking cruise fare. We have an excellent pvp who is careful about that. I hate that you lost so much obc. That never should have happened. Your pvp needs to be replaced. 

I always check to see what promotions I will be gaining/losing with a refare. Sometimes it is worth it, sometimes it isn't. Any pcp/ta who is worth their weight will be up front on what the differences will be prior to making the re-fare.

[tanyaewa]

I refared 3 times to get my current cabin price on a spring 2023 Scandinavia cruise.  From here it’s only gone up $400-600 pp.  I like to be sure to get best deal but now I won’t bother too much until just before final 

[Daniel A]

How do you figure out if the fare has been reduced?  I tried to see what my cabin would cost today and since that cabin category is sold out, I can't do a mock booking.  I don't want to bother my T/A with this as I'm keeping her busy with a few issues with a different cruise.

[Twiga]

Last week I refared my December cruise that is paid in full.  I received a new invoice from Princess with the new lower price.  However, I was not given onboard credit or a refund for the entire price difference, only $50 OBC.  What has been your experience when Princess reduces your fare after final payment?  Have you been given OBC (as I have on other cruise lines) or a refund to your credit card? My travel agent will be calling Princess today. 

[Ombud]

1 hour ago, Daniel A said:

How do you figure out if the fare has been reduced?  I tried to see what my cabin would cost today and since that cabin category is sold out, I can't do a mock booking. ...

Well I've been told if my category is sold out it cannot be refared. 

3 minutes ago, Twiga said:

not given onboard credit or a refund for the entire price difference, only $50 OBC. What has been your experience when Princess reduces your fare after final payment? 

I didn't even know that was possible! Is the OBC coming from PCL or your TA?

[Twiga]

On Oceania if there is availability in your stateroom category you can get the lower fare.  If the refare is after final payment they give me OBC for the price difference.  The OBC is from the cruise line, not my TA.  It is strange that Princess gave me the lower price, but no OBC or payment for the price difference. 

[Daniel A]

38 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Well I've been told if my category is sold out it cannot be refared. 

My cruise is in January and there must have been some cancellations as my category is now showing some limited availability.  The mock booking is now showing a 27% increase in the fare so I think I'll let sleeping dogs lie. 🙄

[LACruiser88]

1 hour ago, Twiga said:

What has been your experience when Princess reduces your fare after final payment? 

We have never been able to re-fare after final payment.  But, we have received upgrades in lieu of the re-fare after final payment.

[ChangeOrder]

I check my booked fares and EZAir every day - it's one of those things that I like to do because vacation planning is almost as fun as the actual trip 😄

 

I will rebook EZAir any time the airfare or schedule improves. It's simple and doesn't cost anything.

 

I will refare a cruise if the fare comes down at least $150 or more thereabouts, as long as I am not going to lose any benefits or OBC from the previous booking. I've refared a cruise for next year 3 times based on price changes so far, having booked it almost 2 years early. 

[Shelly97060]

On 9/19/2021 at 12:49 AM, devonuk said:

I’ve never refared… What’s the best way to do it and is it more of a stateside ‘thing?’  

The best way to do this is to do a mock booking on Princess website. If your cabin fare has gone down contact your TA or Princess and ask them to refare you under the new promotion or under the current price on the web. Very easy to do up until final payment is made. After final payment it seems that most of the price drops or specials I have seen say  “ new bookings only” 

 

This is how it works in USA. I am uncertain if there are fees or restrictions for those who book/ reside outside the USA. 

[LACruiser88]

30 minutes ago, Shelly97060 said:

After final payment it seems that most of the price drops or specials I have seen say  “ new bookings only” 

Lately, we have had several bookings that are far away from final payment and it required a new booking to re-fare.  Not a good thing when you have a great EZAir flight and price, and the new flights are a lot more money.

[fluffybunny22]

10 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

Lately, we have had several bookings that are far away from final payment and it required a new booking to re-fare.  Not a good thing when you have a great EZAir flight and price, and the new flights are a lot more money.

I just refared last week and when I emailed my TA I told her to only do it if it wasn't a new booking because of the EZAir price right now. I also told her that if I needed to pay the higher deposit to let me know and I'd call her with my card info but I got new confirms a couple hours later with no added deposit needed.

[1965]

I rebooked our upcoming cruise 3 or 4 times without our ezair booking being affected.

[Hlitner]

On 9/18/2021 at 4:50 PM, snoodqueen said:

Whenever I ask for a refare, my PVP takes away any OBC or freebies I had, but doesn't tell me that in advance.  Once lost $300 OBC on a $50 refare.  Not always worth it.

So that begs the question, why on earth do you even book direct with a PVP?  Perhaps you should be looking around for a decent discount cruise agency :).   When we see potential savings from a refare we simply send a quick e-mail to our cruise agent and ask her to check out the situation.  Within a few hours (sometimes a day) we will get a response with all the options.  If there are savings to be had she will quickly lock-in on that deal.

 

Hank

[Ombud]

I thought refaring was when you kept the same booking #, promos, just dropped price. Rebooking was canceling booking, new price, new promos. Anyway that's how my PVP calls it (and I did it today .... same everything just anotherc100 OBC)

[texasgirl29]

I like to check prices almost daily. I know there are apps or websites that do it but as my cruise is not until next September it gives me satisfaction to check. We have saved $821 since our initial booking of a BD balcony cabin on the Enchanted transatlantic next fall.  We also gained $50 each in OBC and $200 credit each for EZ Air (which we can’t book until next month). I send an email to my Princess cruise planner with a screenshot of the new price. She calls me back and cheerfully makes the adjustment. I think we’ve done refare or rebook three times on this cruise in about 5 months. 

[boone2]

We booked a transpacific cruise for next September about 6 months ago. Within a month the price had dropped by $500 pp so we got straight onto the Princess rep and she refared it dropping final price by 1000.  I now check everyday just in case.  The fare returned to the original price within a couple of days. 

[voljeep]

15 minutes ago, boone2 said:

We booked a transpacific cruise for next September about 6 months ago. Within a month the price had dropped by $500 pp so we got straight onto the Princess rep and she refared it dropping final price by 1000.  I now check everyday just in case.  The fare returned to the original price within a couple of days. 

This happens - which is why we check almost every day.  I don't know if the Princess pricing 'al-go-rhythms' allow for so many bookings / refare at a price point then it changes back after a price drop and number of days passed ?

[iancal]

We won't bother re-faring at $50 but we will at $100. or more.

 

One time we cancelled and rebooked later inside the final payment window. Our TA gave us the heads up that the ship was not selling well for whatever reason.   $500 saving pp.

 

On a few occasions we have re-fared in the the sense that there were some category changes that allowed us to move to a better cabin or from a gty to a firm selection while maintaining the same fare.

 

Now retired, almost all of our cruises are purchased inside the final payment window.  We are not loyal, we shop several cruise lines for the best offers that suit our preferences.  And we price cruises in other country web sites.

Edited September 21, 2021 by iancal

[Ombud]

17 hours ago, Hlitner said:

why on earth do you even book direct with a PVP? 

Just a few reasons: BA forgot to schedule pilots a few years back. 3 of us were hustling in SFO (1 couple & solo me). I called my PVP who helped me work through it, got me on American, I made my ship but vowed to never fly across the pond again on embarkation day. The couple arrived at the ship on day 2. I emailed her yesterday and asked if I could just add 100 obc without rebooking and it was done (again that morning). Kept my EZAIR (okay that apparently dropped $38.92), selected excursions (not sure I'm taking them but, like I said, I can just cancel myself if I choose). 

 

I get OBC just like TAs. I often get a response within an hour. I can talk to anyone at Princess if I choose to without going through an intermediary. 

 

You do you, I'll keep doing me. It all works