Booking future cruise on-board ?

[West Coast]

Do you know if this is the case for all cruise lines or just Princess?

 

It is also done on HAL - they have a Future Cruise consultant on all sailings now. You can either book a specific cruise or buy a future cruise credit and it's good for 4 years. The main difference with HAL is that the OBC offered is less than what Princess offers but the deposit is the same @ $100 per person.

[oledave]

Unfortunately this will only count as a 7 day cruise. Princess doesn't give credit for land tour days, not even toward achieving the next Captains Circle level.

 

That's really bad news! It doesn't make sense with the high cost of land tour addons...and all of this is with Princess!

 

Oledave

[Packman1000]

I've never even looked into booking a future cruise on board because I just automatically thought it was a way for Pricness to sell you something that would cost more than if you did it on your own. I'll certainly consider it on my next cruise in December. Thanks to all for your comments and wisdom.

 

I'm a confirmed cruise nut, but my wife is not quite that excited about them, to book one when we're on one. I usually have to work on her a bit in between vacations. Maybe I'll just start working on her now, 6 months before our next cruise. Now that we are have hit that 50 year old mark, we're taking about 3 vacations a year. Seems fair that 1 or 2 should be cruises!

[nycglitter]

So the onboard credit is obviously a bonus. However...if you are giving them any money, wouldn't that money be better served earning you interest for up to the 4 years if you kept it?

 

When you are ready to book a cruise and know the date and where you are going, you are obviously committed and would put the money down anyway, right?

 

Just curious. It sounds good to me, but I know my husband, and he will ask me these questions the minute I say I want to do it.:p

 

Help me convince him!!!

[Jstringers]

Yeah it's areal no brainer. It's not a why? but a why not? We should be careful here though, advertising is not allowed on these boards and we seem to be the Princess Marketing Department!

[TucsonRick]

Reading the responses to my original post, I have decided this is good deal if used in a year or two. At the four year mark, it becomes questionable.

 

NYCGlitter - Tell your hubby what I have said above. If you wait four years, you will actually loose interest on your deposit, but you still get the ship-board credit.

 

Rick

[bhopal21]

So the onboard credit is obviously a bonus. However...if you are giving them any money, wouldn't that money be better served earning you interest for up to the 4 years if you kept it?

 

$100 at 5% for 4 years would earn you all of about $20 interest, if you can get 5% on that small amount, so you still come out ahead making the future cruise deposit even on an inside cabin and it is no contest at all on a balcony and above.

 

Mike:)

[LBL]

I agree that booking FCCs is a no brainer. But to answer the questions about interest. The amount of interest on $100 or $200 is not huge and consider the offset. . . .OBC!!

 

Also, while TAs do offer deposits of $100 for special sailings, these offers are not alway accompanied by OBC.

 

The only negative is that shareholder benefits are reduced by all OBC including those obtained by using FCCs.

 

Do you think we could all get a job on Princess selling future cruises???

 

Carole

[LindaandJeff]

Tell your husband that if you booked your cruise a year in advance rather than buy the future cruise credit, you would have to put down a much larger deposit that Princess would have use of for the year. This way they only have $100 ($200 total for both of you) until final payment is due. Also, do not underestimate the value of the share the wealth coupons. They allow you to give your friends or family the same benefits you are receiving. Last week we dropped the form in the box before dinner and by after dinner the receipt and the share the wealth coupons were waiting at our room for us. Couldn't have been easier! Also, other cruise lines do have similar programs...but this one is one of the best.

[jacksan1]

$100 at 5% for 4 years would earn you all of about $20 interest

 

Yes, and minus any tax you pay on that interest!

 

My wife and I cannot wait to make use of the future cruise booking onboard.

[nycglitter]

$100 at 5% for 4 years would earn you all of about $20 interest

 

Yes, and minus any tax you pay on that interest!

 

My wife and I cannot wait to make use of the future cruise booking onboard.

 

Yes in a simple interest bearing account and if he were travelling alone... however, my husband would say $20 is $20 more beer he could drink! :p

 

I think I will do it and apologize later!!!:D

[dbdave]

We do the open FCC with no choice of cruise and then when we get home we look for a good deal to apply it to.

[terrierjohn]

FCC's are one feature where we Brits get a benefit over US & Canadian passengers. We don't have to pay the deposit up front for a non specific cruise :) , but only when we make the booking. However our deposit is £75 pp, so it's not all good news :( .

[Shogun]

Hi folks,

 

At last some thing we Brits get a better deal on than you good folk from across the pond,

 

you pay a $100

 

we pay nothing , we just tell them we want a cruise credit and we get it.

 

yours Shogun

[Cosmic Rays]

We've got three cruises lined up with Princess within the next 12 months - naughty, but very nice to look forward to!!

 

We are using the benefit of a FCC taken on our last cruise on the Caribbean Princess in 2005. However, can I book two FCC's on the Star Princess next month for both our January 2008 trip on the Emerald Princess with our grown up kids, and also for the Grand Princess next June 2008 when we are taking four of our friends on their first cruise, even though both are now booked and the full deposits already paid?

 

Can somebody explain in more detail too what a "Share the Wealth Certificate" is please?

 

Does anybody know if I can apply these benefits to them - family and friends sailing with us, and how do I get our son and daughter (both in their 20's!!) signed up for Captains Circle membership benefits as they were both with us on the CP.

 

Help and suggestions will be much appreciated - thank you.........

 

Colin:) :)

[bjkTX]

We have obtained FCCs on our last 3 Princess cruises, and like everyone else we think it's just something you need to do if you plan to cruise with princess again.

 

We normally book our next cruise shortly after we get back from the last cruise. In the last case we cruised last fall, got the FCCs and within a month of getting home we booked a 15 day Panama Canal cruise for Apr 2008. When we called our TA to book, got his best deal, and he already knew about our FCCs and applied them - I assume they showed up on his system. So we are saving whatever interest we would have lost on the deposit amount over $100 for 17 months - I figure 1 mojito each!

 

And, since we are going on a 15 day cruise - we each get $100 on board credit - so now I'm many mojitos ahead!

 

The real clincher for us was the fact if something happened and we couldn't sail again within the 5 year period (4 years to book, another to actually sail) we got our money back.

 

I have said the next cruise will probably be our last - but I plan to by another FCC onboard :-)

[NthernLgts]

Reading the responses to my original post, I have decided this is good deal if used in a year or two. At the four year mark, it becomes questionable.

 

NYCGlitter - Tell your hubby what I have said above. If you wait four years, you will actually loose interest on your deposit, but you still get the ship-board credit.

 

Rick

 

If you want to analyze it, dont forget the interest lost on the additional initial deposit when you book without the lower FCC deposit. Many people book well over a year in advance. That alone can eat up any interest saved. Remember, a $100 deposit can happen, but it is not the norm. Long and short of it...its a good deal, better if you like balconies.

[cactusrose]

We've got three cruises lined up with Princess within the next 12 months - naughty, but very nice to look forward to!!

 

We are using the benefit of a FCC taken on our last cruise on the Caribbean Princess in 2005. However, can I book two FCC's on the Star Princess next month for both our January 2008 trip on the Emerald Princess with our grown up kids, and also for the Grand Princess next June 2008 when we are taking four of our friends on their first cruise, even though both are now booked and the full deposits already paid?

 

The idea of an FCC is for a future cruise which isn't already booked. That being said, some TAs know how to apply a FCC to an already booked cruise and some don't. You won't be able to get the reduced deposit for your family and friends that are not on board with you when you get the FCC.

 

Can somebody explain in more detail too what a "Share the Wealth Certificate" is please? A Share the Wealth card allows you to invite friends and/or family on a cruise with you and they will get the appropriate OBC that goes along with a FCC but not the reduced deposit. I think you can do this with up to 2 additional cabins.

 

Does anybody know if I can apply these benefits to them - family and friends sailing with us, and how do I get our son and daughter (both in their 20's!!) signed up for Captains Circle membership benefits as they were both with us on the CP. They should have gotten their Captains Circle card at the end of the cruise they were on. That has their number on it. Then they can set up an account of Princess web site. If they don't have their cards, just go on the Princess site and request the number or better yet have them call Princess for it.

Help and suggestions will be much appreciated - thank you.........

 

Colin:) :)

 

Hope this helps.

[hillslife]

As you can see by my signature, we are long time cruisers and always buy more FCC on our cruises. But now we are starting to look at the longer cruises 31-107 days - will they accept the $100 as a deposit on these longer cruises also or do you have to pay a bigger deposit?

 

Thanks for any experience on this....;)

[Crusin Karen]

We were on Princess once, but never thought of doing a ghost booking because we are pretty loyal to Carnival. Booked the Crown repo cruise in October "on a whim." Am now thinking maybe we will take advantage of this offer. My question: if you don't book a cruise at the "deadline", do they automatically refund your refund or do you have to keep track of this and call to tell them you don't want to book and to please give you your $ back.

[Cosmic Rays]

Cactusrose - Many thanks for your reply. Do you have anymore tips while cruising with Princess?

 

Colin

[JC Butterfly]

ok, so here's another scenerio for you.

 

Let's say I buy a FCC at the beginning of my cruise. And then for some reason, by the end of the cruise, I decide I don't want to sail Princess again. Is my $100 refundable at any time? Or only after the 4 years have passed?

 

Can you use multiple FCC for one sailing? Ie, we buy two credits but then later decide we only want to do one cruise?

 

I'm just trying to find any potential "catches" that there could be!

[MGCruiser]

I was on a Princess Cruise last October. I booked a future cruise for $100US. Two months ago my husband and I booked a

Mediterranean Cruise for May 2008. My deposit was $100 which was already paid and my husband also only had to pay a $100 deposit. Plus, we each received $100 obc.

We will be on Diamond Princess in 8 days and will likely book a future cruise again. My husband was glad I had done it as the deposit would have been somewhere around $1300!

[MGCruiser]

I was on a Princess Cruise last October. I booked a future cruise for $100US. Two months ago my husband and I booked a

Mediterranean Cruise for May 2008. My deposit was $100 which was already paid and my husband also only had to pay a $100 deposit. Plus, we each received $100 obc.

We will be on Diamond Princess in 8 days and will likely book a future cruise again. My husband was glad I had done it as the deposit would have been somewhere around $1300!

[ivielane2]

Question: My friends booked a Princess cruise, they talked us into booking the same cruise as they had booked. We had booked a Future Cruise while we were onboard our last cruise and used it for this upcoming cruise. Is it too late to do the Share the Wealth for the friends that are already booked?