Excursion rip-off

[dog]

1 hour ago, Daniel A said:

If that particular excursion was booked by using OBC which you already had, then they're just returning the refund to the original source of payment.  Is the $1100 being used for other excursions or additional packages or specialty dining experiences?

 

Whatever, if you don't spend the $400 OBC and it is refundable OBC then it will come back to you either in the form of a check or credited to your original source of payment after the cruise.  If non-refundable OBC was used to book the Brussels excursion, then you use the OBC or lose it.

 

I had 5 excursions cancelled on a Holland America Cruise (actually it was ten because it was excursions for both of us) and Holland put it all on my folio as OBC.  I didn't spend that money and got a check in the mail about two weeks after we returned home.

 

I'm sure you will be made whole.

Well, you are lucky!

HAL cancelled my excursion after I boarded and kept my money. They would not let me use it for anything other then excursions and all were sold out for the last port.

[gilboman]

18 hours ago, trvlwrld said:

Princess just changed my $200 pp excursion to Brussels by removing lunch and substituting 2 hours of shopping but kept the price at $200.  I would book a private tour but it is a 2 hour drive back to the port and I don’t want to have to worry about getting back in time (yes-I have seen them leave late comers running down the dock).  When I called to cancel,  their answer was to give me $400 OBC even though I have paid over $1100 total on my credit card toward excursions for this cruise.  I know their refund policy, but when they change the excursion, it seems like the rules shouldn’t be applied in only their favor!  I’m certainly going to think twice about booking anymore excursions with them!

you called to cancel the excursion ($200pp) and they offered you $400obc?

 

why don't you just cancel the excursion then? you can do it online if it's more than 3 days out from the cruise

 

 

 

 

Edited January 30 by gilboman

[arizonaperson]

20 minutes ago, gilboman said:

you called to cancel the excursion ($200pp) and they offered you $400obc?

 

why don't you just cancel the excursion then? you can do it online if it's more than 3 days out from the cruise

 

 

I don’t think op wants OBC,they want the money back on their credit card or perhaps they want the excursion to be discounted since there’s no lunch involved like originally advertised . But that’s just what I’m getting from the initial thread.

 

 

[Ferndale Girl]

6 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

Have you tried to just cancel the excursion yourself via the cruise personalizer? Unless they have changed the system, you should be able to do so online.

 

Also, I'm a bit unclear about the money amounts that have been mentioned. It sounds as if the excursion in question was $200 a person, yet  $1100 keeps coming up. How many people were booked and was this a combination of OBC and credit card?

 

I have always been able to cancel and get everything put back to the original form of payment. We seem to missing a key piece of information. 

I think the excursion was $200 pp and they had two people so that was the $400 credit.  I also think the $1,100 amount is probably the total for this excursion and some other ones that they booked.

[Rick&Jeannie]

3 minutes ago, Ferndale Girl said:

I think the excursion was $200 pp and they had two people so that was the $400 credit.  I also think the $1,100 amount is probably the total for this excursion and some other ones that they booked.

If that is in fact the case then the $1100 really has no bearing on the situation. Just that *part* of that $1100 is the focal point. It just muddies up the water.

[cr8tiv1]

16 minutes ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

If that is in fact the case then the $1100 really has no bearing on the situation. Just that *part* of that $1100 is the focal point. It just muddies up the water.

 

I am beginning to "see the light" or I think maybe.

 

The $1100 keeps popping up.  Could this be what happened?

 

OP booked Princess excursions for $1100.  Some were booked with OBC ($400) and others with a credit card. This is why the cancelled excursion will be returned as (probably non-refundable OBC). 

 

That's the best I can come up with.

 

I booked an excursion with OBC ($95.05) and credit card ($44.90).  I am still waiting for the credit card refund.  I understand that $95.05 will be returned to my OBC and my credit card will see $44.90.

 

Blaming Princess for the change in the excursion by the vendor is common.  OP has the right to cancel before getting on the ship.  Cancelling a risky port for an independent vendor is something I would not do.  Missing lunch...ok.  Missing stops....would need to rethink.

[Rick&Jeannie]

1 minute ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

I am beginning to "see the light" or I think maybe.

 

The $1100 keeps popping up.  Could this be what happened?

 

OP booked Princess excursions for $1100.  Some were booked with OBC ($400) and others with a credit card. This is why the cancelled excursion will be returned as (probably non-refundable OBC). 

 

That's the best I can come up with.

 

I booked an excursion with OBC ($95.05) and credit card ($44.90).  I am still waiting for the credit card refund.  I understand that $95.05 will be returned to my OBC and my credit card will see $44.90.

 

Blaming Princess for the change in the excursion by the vendor is common.  OP has the right to cancel before getting on the ship.  Cancelling a risky port for an independent vendor is something I would not do.  Missing lunch...ok.  Missing stops....would need to rethink.

I tend to agree that this is the case...but note that we've apparently been ghosted by the OP.  We may never get all the nitty gritty details about this.  I think they kept throwing in the $1100 factoid believing that this would somehow give some type of "leverage" in pleading his/her case.  I hope they get what they feel is a valid resolution to their concerns.

[icat2000]

20 hours ago, trvlwrld said:

Princess just changed my $200 pp excursion to Brussels by removing lunch and substituting 2 hours of shopping but kept the price at $200.  I would book a private tour but it is a 2 hour drive back to the port and I don’t want to have to worry about getting back in time (yes-I have seen them leave late comers running down the dock).  When I called to cancel,  their answer was to give me $400 OBC even though I have paid over $1100 total on my credit card toward excursions for this cruise.  I know their refund policy, but when they change the excursion, it seems like the rules shouldn’t be applied in only their favor!  I’m certainly going to think twice about booking anymore excursions with them!

I'm not really understanding why your complaining. You got the refund. Least you didn't have to wait three weeks or more. 

[cr8tiv1]

Now that the OP has abandoned this thread, I will update all of my interactions with Princess regarding a refund.

 

First....My apologies to Princess.  I have been looking for a refund on the WRONG credit card.  After 2 calls today (both good representatives), I found out what happened.  Can't say that I truly understand...but.

 

Refunds were applied in a timely manner.  Cancelled online on January 16.  Passenger 2 received immediate credit.  It took a few extra days for me since I also used OBC.  Credit applied on January 22.

 

Now, the confusion. Charged $44.90 to credit card.  Refunded cc for $40.90.  The other $4 was returned to OBC.  Huh ?????.  The explanation was that you can only use x amount of OBC for an excursion (not full amount).  I was reassured over and over again, that my OBC reflects the lost $4.  In the past, have I used all my OBC?  Can't remember.  I knew there was a "new" refund policy when OBC was involved.  Still really don't understand it.  

 

I have all the documentation and will be looking for that $4 credit to OBC when I board the ship.  

 

One more mystery case solve.  Thank you to the last agent (Joyce) who really tried to help me "get it".  Even sent me a new excursion invoice with the $4.

 

 

[Daniel A]

The author of this thread is still showing as following this. 

 

One point I wanted to make is how the OBC refund is better for Princess than refunding dollars to a CC right away.  When they refund $400.00 back to a CC, Princess loses $400 off their balance sheet.  When they instead refund the money with OBC, they can charge $400.00 for an item in an onboard shop that Princess maybe only paid $65.00 for and listed for $400.00.  They would only lose $65.00 off their balance sheet rather than the whole $400.00.  If this is what they are doing, then I would agree that the refund as OBC is a scam.

[BamaVol]

6 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

The author of this thread is still showing as following this. 

 

One point I wanted to make is how the OBC refund is better for Princess than refunding dollars to a CC right away.  When they refund $400.00 back to a CC, Princess loses $400 off their balance sheet.  When they instead refund the money with OBC, they can charge $400.00 for an item in an onboard shop that Princess maybe only paid $65.00 for and listed for $400.00.  They would only lose $65.00 off their balance sheet rather than the whole $400.00.  If this is what they are doing, then I would agree that the refund as OBC is a scam.

Based on limited knowledge, excursions appear to be a low margin product for Princess.  I have looked at several that were available independently and the difference was about 5%.  I agree that shop merchandise is high margin, with exceptions.  But wouldn’t most cruisers turn right around and use the OBC to purchase another excursion?

[rockraiders]

I try to avoid excursions with lunch included. I have been on a few and found that the food was either lacking or I didn’t like what was served. Lunch takes away a lot of time from sightseeing. I’d rather see the sights and walk around than spend 1 1/2 to 2 hrs sitting at a table. Easy to grab a quick bite of some deliciousness on your own. 

[Daniel A]

36 minutes ago, BamaVol said:

Based on limited knowledge, excursions appear to be a low margin product for Princess.  I have looked at several that were available independently and the difference was about 5%.  I agree that shop merchandise is high margin, with exceptions.  But wouldn’t most cruisers turn right around and use the OBC to purchase another excursion?

When I had my multiple excursions cancelled on my Holland America cruise, all of the good excursions were sold out, and I wasn't about to book an excursion I wasn't interested in.  So, I guess the answer to your question is how soon before embarkation day the cancellation occurs and what the available inventory is.

[Rick&Jeannie]

15 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

The explanation was that you can only use x amount of OBC for an excursion (not full amount). 

Well...that's bogus!  I have fully paid excursions in the past with *only* OBC.  Unless this is some new "rule" (which I *highly* doubt) then this would appear to be just another "made up" policy created by an under-trained Princess rep.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, BamaVol said:

Based on limited knowledge, excursions appear to be a low margin product for Princess.  I have looked at several that were available independently and the difference was about 5%.  I agree that shop merchandise is high margin, with exceptions.  But wouldn’t most cruisers turn right around and use the OBC to purchase another excursion?

That assumes that the various cruise lines do not demand a large discount from the local excursion operators in exchange for using their services and basically guaranteeing many participants to the excursion.

[kdr69]

On 1/30/2024 at 7:49 AM, trvlwrld said:

They have indicated that even though I paid over $1100 on my CC, they will apply the OBC last (when refunding) and so will only refund as OBC.  My other choice is now to cancel all excursions ( some are sold out) and start over again.  This policy is so frustrating…I guess they chose to save money by substituting lunch for shopping and save $$$ to put back in their coffers!

Whatever makes you think it was Princess that changed the excursion?  They are not the tour operator they are just offering the tour and have no control over what the itinerary is.

[charliedalrymple]

On 1/30/2024 at 3:10 PM, tetleytea said:

The independent tour operators offered us REFUNDS on their NON-REFUNDABLE tours, because of those circumstances beyond our control.

 

Same happened to us.  We had a private tour booked at Invergordon but bad weather prevented the ship from docking. We weren't able to notify the tour operator until just a few hours in advance, but they still gave us a full refund.  Some companies (not Princess) realise that it's in their interest to do the right thing with customers.

[charliedalrymple]

5 hours ago, rockraiders said:

I try to avoid excursions with lunch included. I have been on a few and found that the food was either lacking or I didn’t like what was served.

 

It depends.  We had an full-day excursion to a sheep farm in New Zealand that included a fabulous lamb lunch in a beautiful country setting.  (This was Royal Caribbean, not Princess.)

[Rick&Jeannie]

Many of the ports on the Canada/New England itinerary have excursions that include all kinds of lobster-related foods.

[Torfamm]

7 hours ago, BamaVol said:

Based on limited knowledge, excursions appear to be a low margin product for Princess.  I have looked at several that were available independently and the difference was about 5%.  I agree that shop merchandise is high margin, with exceptions.  But wouldn’t most cruisers turn right around and use the OBC to purchase another excursion?

I have seen some that were like that but it depends on the excursion. It’s always worth checking if you find Princess really offers the same experience, e.g. not a bus tour instead of a small group. In that case, the convenience would be well worth the extra cost.
 

More often ship excursions seem to come at a huge premium. Two that I looked at just yesterday when I first saw excursions available for a cruise next year were much less privately.  $200 vs. $439 and $112 vs.$449. That’s a huge mark-up!

[BamaVol]

5 hours ago, Torfamm said:

I have seen some that were like that but it depends on the excursion. It’s always worth checking if you find Princess really offers the same experience, e.g. not a bus tour instead of a small group. In that case, the convenience would be well worth the extra cost.
 

More often ship excursions seem to come at a huge premium. Two that I looked at just yesterday when I first saw excursions available for a cruise next year were much less privately.  $200 vs. $439 and $112 vs.$449. That’s a huge mark-up!

Very profitable!  I haven’t seen margins like that since the computer business in the 80’s.

[tetleytea]

On 1/31/2024 at 3:33 PM, charliedalrymple said:

 

It depends.  We had an full-day excursion to a sheep farm in New Zealand that included a fabulous lamb lunch in a beautiful country setting.  (This was Royal Caribbean, not Princess.)

You've got to love when you read all those excursion blurbs in the listings, and it says, "...and then you will enjoy a scrumptious lunch, catered by our tour guides."   You go on the excursion, and it's this ice chest containing sandwiches in plastic bags.   (p.s. which I don't mind--I just find it hilarious how they oversell it)

Edited February 5 by tetleytea

[Daniel A]

10 hours ago, tetleytea said:

You've got to love when you read all those excursion blurbs in the listings, and it says, "...and then you will enjoy a scrumptious lunch, catered by our tour guides."   You go on the excursion, and it's this ice chest containing sandwiches in plastic bags.   (p.s. which I don't mind--I just find it hilarious how they oversell it)

Once in Mexico, our 'lunch' was a dry bologna sandwich with one slice of bologna that you could see through if you held the sandwich up to the light.  But - the bus driver brought along a nice big cooler containing bottles of Cerveza for sale.