Pros and Cons of booking future cruise while onboard

[tripman]

Hello,

 

I am considering a Princess Alaska cruise next summer. I will be on the Caribbean Princess in a few months, and wanted to know the goods and bads of booking while onboard. I remember from the past that you get some sort of incentive in the form of shipboard credit. But my question is, since we won't be 100% certain that we'll actually go, what is the penalty to cancel, if any? Is it just like a normal booking and is it refundable up until the final payment is due?

 

I guess I just need to know if there are any catches.

 

Thanks

[ashtyn]

We did this last year while on CB and am using it this year. We did an open booking which meant we didn't have any plans just wanted to leave a deposit. We are also planning on doing it again this year for a cruise to Alaska next year. My understanding is that you have 4 years to use it and you can get a refund by asking. There is an onboard credit depending on the length of the cruise and type of cabin ( inside or outside).

 

Hope this helps.

[spongerob]

You can book a specific cruise, but you'd probably want to transfer it to your agent later to get better pricing. Otherwise you'll be paying Princess rates which are normally higher. Personally, I think it's easier to purchase an Open Booking then deal with the TA of your choice once you've settled on your plans. Either way there isn't a downside. You can always cancel and get your deposit amount back.

[Druke I]

I think booking Future Cruise very smart - and I think more "ups" than "downs". You certainly tie up less money in the long run, and the on-board credits do come in handy.

 

We have "two in the bank" at the moment, still have not decided when or where to use them.

[chrysalis]

I don't think there is a "down side" unless one thinks that tying up $100pp is bad. I cut and pasted this from the FAQ's...I think it sums it up quite nicely......

 

 

While on board put a deposit down on a future cruise for only $100. This is good for four years. If you don't use it by then, your money will be refunded. You may also request a refund anytime prior. By securing a future cruise, the following FCC (future cruise credits) per person will be placed in your shipboard account when you book your future cruise. The amount is based on the number of days and the type of cabin:

 

7 - 9 days: $25 pp for inside; $50 pp for outside

10-15 days: 75 pp for inside; 100 pp for outside

16 + days: 125 pp for inside; 150 pp for outside

 

When you make your $100 deposit, you may also request (not always automatically given) "Share the Wealth" coupons so friends/and or family members who are sailing with you, may receive the same benefits.

[Northender]

I agree - do Future Cruise(s) while on board at $100pp. We were not home a week when I called the TA and booked using our FCC for March 2007. Better pricing than Princess, got Caribe 753 Aft and now just waiting out the airlines until I can book flights.:)

 

Many advantages. Even if you know for sure where you want to go, just transfer the FCC to your TA. I just fax him a copy for our file.:)

[saltysam]

If you make a $200 deposit, is it considered as a deposit for two separate cruises or just one for two people? Would I need to put $400 down for my wife and I, to hold open two sailings?

[spongerob]

You used to be able to use just one open booking ($100) and pay an additional $100 at the time of booking to get the benefits for two people. I'm not sure if this is possible any more, or if just some TA's whose relationship with Princess is exceptional can do this. It's probably easier in the long run to pay the $400, just in case some agencies are limited in their knowledge or abilities to work Princess bookings.

[chrysalis]

as stated previously, the deposit is $100pp (per person)

[doctrd]

Take the pre-book deal, there is no downside to it! You can take a cruise anytime in the next 5 years, and that $200 is the only money you will need to put down to reserve your cruise. That saved us a lot on our upcoming Med cruise. Our friends had to put down over $1,000 to reserve. Plus we now get $200 credit!

If you decide to not take a cruise in 5 years, you get your money back. That was a easy decision for me.

 

Now when we cruise next time, going to see how many of these deals I can buy onboard. Planning a possible Tahiti-Hawaii cruise next year, and plan to use it on that.

[madelinerose]

OK, I think I have it, but please correct me if I don't.

 

You deposit $200 (for 2 people) with Princess and you may book any cruise to anywhere during the next 4 years, plus you get an obc.

 

So, technically, you have a reservation with Princess, right?

 

When you decide to book with your preferred TA, do you have to transfer the deposit to the TA or will the $200 deposit you gave to Princess automatically go toward the TA's (my TA is online) deposit?

 

If you have to do a transfer from Princess to the TA, is it done the same way as usual, faxing a release to Princess, etc.?

 

Thanks! ;)

[Stranger1]

Just give your TA your passanger number and let him/her know you have an open booking with shipboard credits...It should come up automatically when he/she reserves the room. Another pro about doing this is that any additional ship board credit that your TA can get you can be added on to your credits for pre-booking. It's really a no lose situation...we did it this last cruise and now have $200 shipboard credit plus an additional $100 that our TA was able to get for our next cruise.

[Pam in CA]

OK, I think I have it, but please correct me if I don't.

 

You deposit $200 (for 2 people) with Princess and you may book any cruise to anywhere during the next 4 years, plus you get an obc.

 

So, technically, you have a reservation with Princess, right?

Yes... you can book either a specific cruise or an "open" booking, i.e., a future, undetermined cruise. If you've booked a specific cruise, you'll get a booking #. If you've booked an open booking, you'll get a reservation #.

When you decide to book with your preferred TA, do you have to transfer the deposit to the TA or will the $200 deposit you gave to Princess automatically go toward the TA's (my TA is online) deposit?

If you're not sure which TA you'll use, tell the future cruise consultant that you want a Princess, not TA booking. Otherwise, the booking (either the cruise or future open booking) will be automatically faxed to the TA who booked the cruise you're on.

 

If you have to do a transfer from Princess to the TA, is it done the same way as usual, faxing a release to Princess, etc.?

Nope... your booking or future cruise booking will be listed in the Princess system which can be accessed by any TA. If you've booked a specific cruise and want to use a TA, just give them the booking #. If you've booked an "open" booking, just tell your TA you have an open booking and they'll find it and apply the deposit to your reservation, give you their pricing if it's better than Princess', and give you the future cruise credit.

 

For instance, on our recent Island Princess cruise, my sister and brother-in-law had booked their Island cruise with a TA. However, they didn't want to use her for their newly booked cruise. So, they booked a specific cruise with Princess rather than the TA. When they got home, they let their new TA know the booking and she was able to give them her rates for the booking -- same cabin, etc., but with much better pricing. It was as simple as that.

 

There really is no downside to booking a future cruise other than being out $100/pp until you decide to use it.

 

If you do plan to talk to the future cruise consultant, do so early in your cruise. The lines really start to get very long about mid-cruise.

[Berliner]

Hello,

 

I am considering a Princess Alaska cruise next summer. I will be on the Caribbean Princess in a few months, and wanted to know the goods and bads of booking while onboard. I remember from the past that you get some sort of incentive in the form of shipboard credit. But my question is, since we won't be 100% certain that we'll actually go, what is the penalty to cancel, if any? Is it just like a normal booking and is it refundable up until the final payment is due?

 

I guess I just need to know if there are any catches.

 

Thanks

 

Hi

we did this now several Times and enjoyed everytime a nice onboard Credit beside the one you might get from your TA.

The only con i could think of is if you are unable to Travel in the following four Years but the Reasons for that are probably more severe than losing your $200 ...

[madelinerose]

Thanks to Pam and Stranger!

[gooch47]

No need to stand in a line if all you want is the fcc. There are usually forms available and a box to drop them into.

 

You don't lose the deposit even if you don't use it in four years. You can ask for a refund at any time.

[Nancyquilts]

On our last cruise we "bought" two open bookings apiece - 2 people times 2 cruises times $100. We already have those cruises booked, so need to do the same on the next cruise. Nancy

[cruzzers]

I think this is the only way to go! You get on-board credit and a low deposit for any cruise you want to take in the next 4 years. A no brainer for us!

[cdnguy]

You used to be able to use just one open booking ($100) and pay an additional $100 at the time of booking to get the benefits for two people. I'm not sure if this is possible any more, or if just some TA's whose relationship with Princess is exceptional can do this.

Some TA's go alng with this, some don't. Our TA does allow us just one $100 deposit.

[Host Caroline]

I don't see how you can lose with these: for example if you are booking a cruise that normally has a deposit of 400pp you save 600 per cabin.

[negc]

I don't see any downside to it, especially if you don't have to commit to a particular cruise when you make the booking. Having four years to select the actual cruise is extremely generous and, as someone has mentioned, the deposit is refundable if you decide not to go within that time frame. I hope other cruiselines will follow Princess' example.:)

[saltysam]

spongerob:

 

That's exactly what I did for my up-coming Alaskan cruise next week. I only put $100 down on an open booking on the Caribbean Princess a year ago, and put the other $100 down for my wife three months ago when I reserved the cruise. I did this direct on the phone with Princess and did not use a TA. However, when I initially talked to Princess in February, a supervisor told me they did not make a common practice of this. I wasn't sure if she said that just to encourage me to spend the other $100 up front, rather than at reservation time. The agent on board even brought this subject up when I bought the open booking on the Caribbean. With all the changes that take place running a business, I wasn't sure if this was still practiced or even allowed anymore. That's why I asked about it in my post.

[PrincessMelody]

If our FC booking is faxed to the TA we used to book that particular cruise, and we want to use a different TA when we book the future cruise, is that possible?

 

I would assume that I could call the agent we wish to book with, and they would take over the booking from the previous agent that Princess faxed the FCC to?

[chasetf]

I don't see any downside to it, especially if you don't have to commit to a particular cruise when you make the booking. Having four years to select the actual cruise is extremely generous and, as someone has mentioned, the deposit is refundable if you decide not to go within that time frame. I hope other cruiselines will follow Princess' example.:)

The one thing it does for Princess is by giving the OBC and dropping the deposit requirement they have your $200 longer (no big deal) but they have you emotionally committed to another Princess cruise and when you start thinking about where to go next, here you have the deposit down with OBC, so off we go to Princess.

 

That's not bad for us as Princess is our preferred cruise line. :D

[LisaH]

Can't think of any cons. We did a future cruise deposit in February of 2005 - simple $200 deposit. We just applied it to our 2007 Alaska Cruisetour and do not have to put one more dime down until final payment in April 2007. I would rather put down a much lower deposit and try to make some more money rather than let the cruiseline have $900 interest free for 15 months.