Price reduction for my cruise - now what?

[MacMadame]

So I got a price alert for my cruise that I booked 2 months ago and, if I booked today, I would save $430. I've heard I can ask for the difference either as a refund or OBC but I have no idea how to go about that. I booked directly, not through a TA. Do I go through my assigned Princess person (who I have never talked to before)?

[cr8tiv1]

Have you made final payment?  If you are in the penalty phase, there is not much you can do (others have had success asking for an upgrade or some OBC).  

 

Usually these new reduced pricing is for NEW bookings only.  

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

As the deposits are nearly always non-refundable in the UK here we generally cannot benefit from re-pricing because cancellation of the original booking will generally result in the loss of the deposit. I suppose that the exception might be if you paid the deposit with FCD then cancelling will only cost you the FCD. 

[CaptainPedantic]

12 minutes ago, Snaxmuppet said:

As the deposits are nearly always non-refundable in the UK here we generally cannot benefit from re-pricing because cancellation of the original booking will generally result in the loss of the deposit. I suppose that the exception might be if you paid the deposit with FCD then cancelling will only cost you the FCD. 

I'm UK-based and several times in the past I have been able to work with my TA to secure a better re-priced offer paying an admin fee (£100) rather than cancelling, losing my deposit/FCD and re-booking. Noting that when I had booked using FCD this only represents a £50 saving against the 2x£75 deposit that I would have lost by cancelling. All before final payment due.

[Guest Snaxmuppet]

28 minutes ago, CaptainPedantic said:

I'm UK-based and several times in the past I have been able to work with my TA to secure a better re-priced offer paying an admin fee (£100) rather than cancelling, losing my deposit/FCD and re-booking. Noting that when I had booked using FCD this only represents a £50 saving against the 2x£75 deposit that I would have lost by cancelling. All before final payment due.

£75 deposit! I paid £800 for my deposit for a April 2024 cruise. I have never heard of such low deposits except in a sale or part of a promotion. Normally deposits are much bigger than that and non-refundable.

 

Just last week I asked about cancelling my next cruise. My TA quoted loss of deposit + £75 per person adjustment fee. I nearly cried.

Edited September 20, 2023 by Snaxmuppet

[CaptainPedantic]

23 minutes ago, Snaxmuppet said:

£75 deposit! I paid £800 for my deposit for a April 2024 cruise. I have never heard of such low deposits except in a sale or part of a promotion. Normally deposits are much bigger than that and non-refundable.

 

Just last week I asked about cancelling my next cruise. My TA quoted loss of deposit + £75 per person adjustment fee. I nearly cried.

£75 (x2) was for the FCD that I had paid onboard, I can't remember the last time I paid an actual deposit for a Princess cruise, their FCD scheme is so good I generally have a couple for each of us "in the bank"!

I'm surprised about the adjustment fee - surely cancelling and losing the deposit is penalty enough?!? Maybe I've just been lucky to be able to have the £100 admin fee (more than once).

[PacnGoNow]

3 hours ago, MacMadame said:

So I got a price alert for my cruise that I booked 2 months ago and, if I booked today, I would save $430. I've heard I can ask for the difference either as a refund or OBC but I have no idea how to go about that. I booked directly, not through a TA. Do I go through my assigned Princess person (who I have never talked to before)?

Yes, contact your CVP, since you booked directly.  Looks like you’re in the US. 
If before FP, they should be able to refare. If you have a non refundable deposit, then you’d most likely lose that.  We never use non refundable deposits, but we are in the US, so there’s a choice.

[dickinson]

4 hours ago, MacMadame said:

So I got a price alert for my cruise that I booked 2 months ago and, if I booked today, I would save $430. I've heard I can ask for the difference either as a refund or OBC but I have no idea how to go about that. I booked directly, not through a TA. Do I go through my assigned Princess person (who I have never talked to before)?

Just call the 800 Princess phone number and ask for a refare if you are before final payment.  Sounds like you may have booked online.  

[WisCruiser2]

As cr8iv1 said, it will depend if it's "for new bookings only," in which case you can cancel and re-book (if your deposit is refundable) or just a price reduction that can be re-fared. I did this a few months ago when I noticed our February sailing showed a reduced price. I first tried emailing my Princess rep (had booked this one directly) and when I didn't hear back from her for a day or two, called the Customer Service number and the person I talked to was able to re-fare it for me, saved over $250pp. It can pay to keep checking the cruise prices!

[Ombud]

11 hours ago, MacMadame said:

So I got a price alert for my cruise that I booked 2 months ago and, if I booked today, I would save $430. I've heard I can ask for the difference either as a refund or OBC but I have no idea how to go about that. I booked directly, not through a TA. Do I go through my assigned Princess person (who I have never talked to before)?

Hi almost neighbor (Clayton here). I'd ask my CVP for a price reduction (refare) unless her initials are PO as she doesn't know how. In that case I'd go to the general #. I DO NOT USE CHAT FOR REFARES (yes I'm shouting, intentionally)

 

If you have ezair ask for a lift & shift to protect airfare. Almost all CVPs know how to do that. 

 

Adding: I go for refund rather than OBC 

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by Ombud

[MacMadame]

Yes, I'm in the US and my deposit is refundable (I think!) and I can cancel any time up until Oct 2024. I will email the CVP (whose initials are not PO 🤣) and see what happens.

 

If I cancel, can I get my cabin back? It's not a big deal right now because the one next to it is open but I'm curious how the process works in case this comes up again. As it probably will because our cruise is in 2025!! I expect there will be another price reduction at some point. That's a long way away.

[Ombud]

9 minutes ago, MacMadame said:

Yes, I'm in the US and my deposit is refundable (I think!) and I can cancel any time up until Oct 2024. I will email the CVP (whose initials are not PO 🤣) and see what happens.

 

If I cancel, can I get my cabin back? It's not a big deal right now because the one next to it is open but I'm curious how the process works in case this comes up again. As it probably will because our cruise is in 2025!! I expect there will be another price reduction at some point. That's a long way away.

You're are not actually canceling you are either refaring (same booking #) or lifting and shifting into a new booking with the same room

[sunviking90]

Would OBC be retained with the refaring? I see our cruise next year has gone down a total of about $200 CAD, but we booked with $600 usd OBC, so I’m not sure.

[Steelers36]

3 minutes ago, sunviking90 said:

Would OBC be retained with the refaring? I see our cruise next year has gone down a total of about $200 CAD, but we booked with $600 usd OBC, so I’m not sure.

Not unless the same offer is still on sale.  Just check the current offerings and you will quickly find out.  I suspect this has passed by, so you would be losing a net of over $400 USD since $200 CAD is almost Monopoly money.  LOL.

[sunviking90]

Just now, Steelers36 said:

Not unless the same offer is still on sale.  Just check the current offerings and you will quickly find out.  I suspect this has passed by, so you would be losing a net of over $400 USD since $200 CAD is almost Monopoly money.  LOL.

As I thought. Thanks!

[WisCruiser2]

2 minutes ago, Steelers36 said:

Not unless the same offer is still on sale.  Just check the current offerings and you will quickly find out.  I suspect this has passed by, so you would be losing a net of over $400 USD since $200 CAD is almost Monopoly money.  LOL.

We kept the $100pp OBC with our booking, I think it depends if re-faring or having to cancel and re-book?

[Steelers36]

15 minutes ago, WisCruiser2 said:

We kept the $100pp OBC with our booking, I think it depends if re-faring or having to cancel and re-book?

Indirectly.  Guest can re-fare if the same Cruise Promo Code you are booked with is still active for sale.  That would mean the same perks will be there, so nothing to lose or gain.  If you need to be booking under a new Promo Fare code in order to save money, they may be able to update the existing booking to the new Fare Code, but sometimes a Cancel/Re-Book is required.  When have to book under a new Fare Code (old one has expired), guest always lose the old perks and then picks up any new ones (if any) associated with the new Fare Code.

[MacMadame]

9 hours ago, Ombud said:

You're are not actually canceling you are either refaring (same booking #) or lifting and shifting into a new booking with the same room

If I can't get a re-faring, I would have to cancel and rebook.

 

I emailed my CVP and will see what he says.

[Ombud]

23 hours ago, WisCruiser2 said:

We kept the $100pp OBC with our booking, I think it depends if re-faring or having to cancel and re-book?

Exactly.

Refaring = same booking #, same promotion,  same add-ons, lower fare

Rebooking = cancel & rebook so new booking # / promo / fare but lift & shift everything on original booking (excursions,  paid specialty dining,  EZAIR)

[rj59]

I'm based in the US and when I called Princess to refare, they said I would have to lose my $100 deposit and rebook on my own, so I said if they keep my deposit instead of honoring the lower price I wouldn't rebook, and they'd end up with $100 instead of the $2,000 or more I'd spend on the cruise. Of course, a customer service guy in the Philippines didn't care, so they lost out, even though the cruise went down to $450 for 10 nights from England to Rome.  It's not yet as bad as Royal C, which keeps a non-refundable $250 deposit for any canceled cruise, and a Carnival one for February said I'd lose the $500 deposit if I canceled now, so for me now, it makes more sense to just book relatively last-minute cruises, unless there's a great deal. If I know there's a cruise I want, I can also prebook Southwest flights and then get a refund of points or $ if the cruise doesn't drop enough to make it worthwhile for me. As a solo cruiser, with current high demand and higher fares, I'm not sure if prices for next year will come down by sailing time, though, or if demand will keep things high, without the reduced solo fares that Princess has often had since restart. 

[Denmal]

5 hours ago, rj59 said:

I'm based in the US and when I called Princess to refare, they said I would have to lose my $100 deposit and rebook on my own, so I said if they keep my deposit instead of honoring the lower price I wouldn't rebook, and they'd end up with $100 instead of the $2,000 or more I'd spend on the cruise. Of course, a customer service guy in the Philippines didn't care, so they lost out, even though the cruise went down to $450 for 10 nights from England to Rome.  It's not yet as bad as Royal C, which keeps a non-refundable $250 deposit for any canceled cruise, and a Carnival one for February said I'd lose the $500 deposit if I canceled now, so for me now, it makes more sense to just book relatively last-minute cruises, unless there's a great deal. If I know there's a cruise I want, I can also prebook Southwest flights and then get a refund of points or $ if the cruise doesn't drop enough to make it worthwhile for me. As a solo cruiser, with current high demand and higher fares, I'm not sure if prices for next year will come down by sailing time, though, or if demand will keep things high, without the reduced solo fares that Princess has often had since restart. 

Do you have a princess vacation planner?  If.not. call this number. 800 901 1172 and ask to be assigned one.  They know.how to.do refares.