Should I book another cruise while on board? any benefit?

[lion1956]

We will be on a cruise in May on Princess, my question is if we want another cruise in July is it cheaper to book while on board the first cruise or just wait and maybe a better deal will devellop

[Flatbush Flyer]

11 minutes ago, lion1956 said:

We will be on a cruise in May on Princess, my question is if we want another cruise in July is it cheaper to book while on board the first cruise or just wait and maybe a better deal will devellop

Not sure about Princess but, some lines (e.g., Oceania) issue a “price drop match” guarantee for onboard bookings (and also discount the booking and add bonus SBC on the current or future cruise). Whatever you do, make sure that there’s a transfer window included (e.g., 30 days) during which you can move the booking to a TA who will add perks like commission sharing at 5-10% of the commissionable fare.

[lion1956]

Im not sure what some of those terms are, SBC? TA transfer?

[waltd]

Buy a Future Cruise Deposit. Then book when you get home.   Very seldon if ever is there any benefit.   Once in 20 years did they offer some additional on board credit.  

[Sunwanabe]

Sat down with PVP on recent Discovery cruise for pricing info on a future cruise. In summary, this has zero benefits. Waste of our time.

[Steelers36]

21 minutes ago, lion1956 said:

We are cruising on Princess in May and I am wondering if we want Alaska in July does it benefit me to book while on board in May or just wait to see if a better deal is offered.

Agree with @waltd in general.  However, I have seen a number of posts where they were offering great deals to folks on the ship if they wanted to stay on for the next voyage rather than head home.  If you plan on cruising Princess again, purchase AT LEAST one FCD each.  In fact, I would purchase one additional FCD per person beyond what you KNOW you are going to book and sail before you have a chance to purchase more. 

 

You can always then check IF the Future Cruise Consultant has any better deals on offer than you would see on Princess.com or get from your TA.

 

PS - That should be a quick Q&A and not require a sit down if you are familiar with shopping for cruises of interest.  Just ask the FCC person if they have any specials other than pricing on Princess.com and tell them you are buying FCD's.

 

Edited April 21, 2023 by Steelers36

[GJCruiser]

You must book a cruise using a FCD within one year of purchase. Or the FCD is refunded.

[GoDucksNation]

We were on the Diamond Princess in January, and at the Captain Circle reception the future cruise Director announced they had a special onboard. You had to travel by May 15 and it was half off. We were able to get a cruise on the Discovery in April for the California coastal for half the price.

[GonzoWCS]

Just now, Steelers36 said:

Agree with @waltd in general.  However, I have seen a number of posts where they were offering great deals to folks on the ship if they wanted to stay on for the next voyage rather than head home.  If you plan on cruising Princess again, purchase AT LEAST one FCD each.  In fact, I would purchase one additional FCD per person beyond what you KNOW you are going to book and sail before you have a chance to purchase more. 

 

You can always then check IF the Future Cruise Consultant has any better deals on offer than you would see on Princess.com or get from your TA.

 

PS - That should be a quick Q&A and not require a sit down if you are familiar with shopping for cruises of interest.  Just ask the FCC person if they have any specials other than pricing on Princess.com and tell them you are buying FCD's.

 

Spot on here.  FCDs rock!

 

Cheers

[CruiserBruce]

1 hour ago, lion1956 said:

Im not sure what some of those terms are, SBC? TA transfer?

SBC= Shipboard Credit.

 

If you book directly with a cruise line, under certain rules, you may transfer your booking to a travel agent (TA).

[brisalta]

59 minutes ago, GJCruiser said:

You must book a cruise using a FCD within one year of purchase. Or the FCD is refunded.

 

Actually you can get the date extended but you have to apply for the extension.

https://book.princess.com/captaincircle/customerCare.page at the bottom of the page is a drop down menu "What can we help you with?". In the menu select "Future Cruise Deposits" and then go on from there.

[SCX22]

In January of 2023, Princess offered 50% off sailings departing before May 15, 2023, including 50% off Princess Plus.  This was a great deal, but the caveat was that you had to be a current passenger.  The deal is technically being offered to current passengers.  The Future Cruise Sales Manager went out and advertised this offer on “The Wake Show”.

 

This is the best deal I have ever seen Princess offer through the Future Cruise Desk onboard and one of the only times I found the benefit to booking onboard. 

 

Otherwise, the take advantage of the FCD with OBC bounce back and book once you get home.

 

 

[jsn55]

Just do your research before you board.  Then you'll know if the cruiseline is offering you a good deal or not.

[gottagocit]

We sat down with the rep today on the emerald and she was able to save us > $700 each on a booking we were considering for a ‘25 pacific crossing from down under to USA over the best available rate shown on Princess.com

 

I admit I did not expect any savings based on previous experiences but she searched every possible promo in her system and found us a very good discount. There’s so much to be said for talking to someone face to face when planning voyage vs trying to get help over the 800 call line after a call back or long wait. This is also true of using a TA over the phone. 

The ships are growing their onboard future cruise staff to offer better service and longer hours at the office there. There are 4 staff in the Emeralds group for this voyage. Their customer service was so much better than on the phone.
 

I’ve been one who has been critical of Princess customer services lately but am giving credit where it’s due in this case. 

[caribill]

12 hours ago, lion1956 said:

Im not sure what some of those terms are, SBC? TA transfer?

 

Other replies have been accurate, but for a first timer need additional explanation.

 

a) A Future Cruise Deposit (FCD) may be purchased for $100 each while on the cruise. This can be done in person with the Future Cruise Consultant, with a form you can leave with the Future Cruise Consultant, or with the Princess app on a smart phone. Each person would need an FCD in their name to be able to use it. The cost of FCDs must be paid with a credit card at the time of purchase, not added to your onboard account. There is no limit to the number of FCDs you can purchase.

 

b) The FCD can be used within a year to make a booking for a future cruise. When an FCD is used, it in most cases it is the entire down payment ($100) needed unless it is time to make payment in full for the new cruise. If you do not use the FCD within a year or have it extended, its cost ($100) will be refunded to the credit card used to purchase it.

 

c) When you take the cruise booked using the FCD, each person who used an FCD will get On Board Credit (OBC) that must be used during that new cruise. The amount of the OBC varies with the type of cabin and the length of the cruise. It can range from $15 for a 3 day cruise in an inside cabin to $150 for a cruise 17 or more days in a mini-suite or full suite. A typical example would be $50 for a 7-day cruise in a balcony cabin.

 

d) If you book a cruise while on a cruise, you will in effect be purchasing an FCD and having that be your deposit unless it is final payment time.

 

e) You can have the booking stay with Princess or have it transferred to your Travel Agent (TA) within 60 days after making a booking while on board. If you have it transferred to a TA that offers discounts or other benefits, your TA will still be able to offer these to you.

 

f) Or you can just purchase FCDs while on the cruise and use them to book a cruise either using your TA or with Princess after returning home. Same OBC would apply for that future cruise.

 

g) With rare exceptions, the pricing on board for a future cruise would be exactly the same with the same promotions as if you made the same exact booking that day while at home. Sometimes, as noted in other posts, a bargain price might be offered if you book the next segment on the ship you are on. It is very rare that a bargain price would be offered on other future cruises unless Princess is desperate to get new bookings. The onboard consultant that found a great discount as reported in post #14 did nothing that any good Princess sales agent or any good TA could not also have done, but not all sales reps or TAs are that good. 

[trbarton]

Here’s an email from a friend currently doing a B2B. 

 

These two cruises were sold back in January with Deep Discounts.  Remember, they were selling the Feb. & Mar. 15 DAYS Hawaii cruises at $100.00, Mexico was selling for $50.00.  I'm guessing Princess needed to have sold out cruises before their Alaska Season start up, so their books will show cruising returning to per-pandemic.

 

I have some cruises in mind & I plan to check while I’m on my 7 day cruise, starting on Sunday. 
 

looks like their may be some specials only available while you’re on the ship. 
 

Couldn’t hurt to check. 
 

FYI…If you currently have some FCD’s they are good for 2 years. New ones are only good for 1 year. If not used they will refund your $ so nothing lost. 
 

Tom😀

Edited April 22, 2023 by trbarton

[wallyj]

14 hours ago, lion1956 said:

We will be on a cruise in May on Princess, my question is if we want another cruise in July is it cheaper to book while on board the first cruise or just wait and maybe a better deal will devellop

Where in July are you looking to cruise? You will also be very close to final payment date if not already there depending on your sailing dates. Waiting to purchase a FCD to apply to your July sailing and get some OBC, may be offset by fare increases as normally fares increase as sailing date approaches, in cruise fare and airline if needed.

 

July is usually high season as that is when most families with younger children travel. If you will also need airfare, those prices will also increase dramatically as many summer airfare seats are already booked. I read Delta summer seats are already 75% booked.

[Yehootu]

Just off the Crown last week. I went to the Futures desk and asked to purchase 3 FCC for my wife and 3 for myself. Checked the next day and saw that we each had $150.00 in FCC????  Asked the same person when the Auz/NZ 2025 season was to open for sale and was told "no idea". It opened 2 days later. I had to go back and get the supervisor to reissue my FCC properly.

[caribill]

12 hours ago, caribill said:

 

e) You can have the booking stay with Princess or have it transferred to your Travel Agent (TA) within 60 days after making a booking while on board. If you have it transferred to a TA that offers discounts or other benefits, your TA will still be able to offer these to you.

 

 

I forget to mention that you cannot transfer the booking to a TA if you have already made the final payment for the cruise.

[gottagocit]

5 hours ago, Yehootu said:

Just off the Crown last week. I went to the Futures desk and asked to purchase 3 FCC for my wife and 3 for myself. Checked the next day and saw that we each had $150.00 in FCC????  Asked the same person when the Auz/NZ 2025 season was to open for sale and was told "no idea". It opened 2 days later. I had to go back and get the supervisor to reissue my FCC properly.

You can now purchase the FCD’s in the medallion app when onboard and it shows up on your profile within a couple hours. You also get an email a short time afterwards. 

[Yehootu]

1 hour ago, gottagocit said:

You can now purchase the FCD’s in the medallion app when onboard and it shows up on your profile within a couple hours. You also get an email a short time afterwards. 

I bought them last time on the app, this time I wanted to inquire about Auz so thought I'd just get it done. Could've saved time.

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, Yehootu said:

Just off the Crown last week. I went to the Futures desk and asked to purchase 3 FCC for my wife and 3 for myself. Checked the next day and saw that we each had $150.00 in FCC????  Asked the same person when the Auz/NZ 2025 season was to open for sale and was told "no idea". It opened 2 days later. I had to go back and get the supervisor to reissue my FCC properly.

Of course you meant FCD's.

[Micahs Grandad]

3 hours ago, caribill said:

 

I forget to mention that you cannot transfer the booking to a TA if you have already made the final payment for the cruise.

And our TA will get us a better price or obc if we transfer booking to her. Think you have 30 days to do so.

[OccasionalSanta]

On 4/21/2023 at 10:48 AM, GJCruiser said:

You must book a cruise using a FCD within one year of purchase. Or the FCD is refunded.

 

FCD is good for 2 years before it is refunded

[gottagocit]

18 minutes ago, OccasionalSanta said:

 

FCD is good for 2 years before it is refunded

Not any longer.  As of April it is now only good for 1 year…