Circle Member - Bring New Guest Progam ? ? ?

[Sandytoes]

Ok folks I need your help.

 

A few years ago Princess had a program -

if a past passenger booked a new guest on a cruise (in a different cabin) they would be entitled to the past passenger discounted fare.

I remember something about limiting it to 2 guests.

 

I tried searching but can't seem to find it.

 

Did Princess stop this offer and now only offering the Referral Program?

[Toto2Kansas]

No, there is still something friends/family can receive but it isn't for discounted fares only for shipboard credit. (in fact, I have never heard of anything like you are describing, even a few years ago where others could get the discounted cruise price because they were your friends/family).

If you book using an FCC for your cruise, and friends/family wish to join you on your cruise, you should have received a coupon with your Future Cruise Booking that you fill out and send to Princess for your friends/family. This entitiles them shipboard credit according to the sailing and type of stateroom they booked, just as you will receive it depending on what you book using the FCC. But they must be sailing on the same cruise at the same time with you.

 

But there is nothing I know of that would give them a discount on the cruise rate or for them to get the same type of past passenger rate that you would be given.

 

Don't forget there is also the referral rewards program where you can refer friends/family for a very slight amount off theirs and your cruise, but they don't have to be sailing on the same ship at the same time with you for that.

 

Maybe someone else remembers this being offered in the past, but I sure don't.

[Sandytoes]

No, there is still something friends/family can receive but it isn't for discounted fares only for shipboard credit. (in fact, I have never heard of anything like you are describing, even a few years ago where others could get the discounted cruise price because they were your friends/family).

If you book using an FCC for your cruise, and friends/family wish to join you on your cruise, you should have received a coupon with your Future Cruise Booking that you fill out and send to Princess for your friends/family. This entitiles them shipboard credit according to the sailing and type of stateroom they booked, just as you will receive it depending on what you book using the FCC. But they must be sailing on the same cruise at the same time with you.

 

But there is nothing I know of that would give them a discount on the cruise rate or for them to get the same type of past passenger rate that you would be given.

 

Don't forget there is also the referral rewards program where you can refer friends/family for a very slight amount off theirs and your cruise, but they don't have to be sailing on the same ship at the same time with you for that.

 

Maybe someone else remembers this being offered in the past, but I sure don't.

As usual

Thanks Toto - :)

~~

On my first cruise, my DB who is a past-passenger, booked our cruise and we received the same rate he was given because we were his guest. It saved us a lot of money. We also received OBC. He booked it directly through Princess.

 

Now, I never book a cruise on board. Don't ask me know why, we just never bother. But, this coming August I am thinking about it.

 

Would friends\relatives receive the same amount of FCC at time of booking?

Is there a certain amount of coupons you're entitled too? Restrictions?

 

Let me get this straight, you are saying, when you book while onboard, leave just $100 deposit which can be used for friends and family who are not Captain's Circle members, but who would like to join the current passenger on the future cruise?

[High C's]

No, there is still something friends/family can receive but it isn't for discounted fares only for shipboard credit. (in fact, I have never heard of anything like you are describing, even a few years ago where others could get the discounted cruise price because they were your friends/family).

If you book using an FCC for your cruise, and friends/family wish to join you on your cruise, you should have received a coupon with your Future Cruise Booking that you fill out and send to Princess for your friends/family. This entitiles them shipboard credit according to the sailing and type of stateroom they booked, just as you will receive it depending on what you book using the FCC. But they must be sailing on the same cruise at the same time with you.

 

Toto - would you recommend the method you describe above, or use TWO FCC's, and book two rooms (put myself in one and my DH in another "on paper", then add our friends to the booking? I realize they have to pay the full deposit amount, but I wonder which is the most advantageous to them, or if indeed there is any difference?

[Toto2Kansas]

Toto - would you recommend the method you describe above' date=' or use TWO FCC's, and book two rooms (put myself in one and my DH in another "on paper", then add our friends to the booking? I realize they have to pay the full deposit amount, but I wonder which is the most advantageous to them, or if indeed there is any difference?[/quote']

 

If you are traveling with two friends, and they would like to make the lowered deposit (such as you would get with useing an FCC to book), I would book each of you with one friend in each stateroom. Each FCC is good for the first two passengers in the stateroom, as long as one of them purchased the FCC. One FCC is for the first passenger in the stateroom, and the second in the stateroom pays the $100 deposit only, even if not useing an FCC, saving them paying that huge deposit.

So, if you book this way (you can do the switching of cruise cards through the pursers desk and staterooms after you get onboard), your friends will pay the extra $100 each for their deposit, you will use one FCC for each stateroom booking, and you ALL will get the full shipboard credit.

It will use up two FCC's this way, but you can purchase more while onboard for your next cruise.

 

So, I would use one FCC per stateroom and go from there. It is the only way to get that reduced deposit AND the shipboard credit for your friends.

[jfv379]

If you are traveling with two friends, and they would like to make the lowered deposit (such as you would get with useing an FCC to book), I would book each of you with one friend in each stateroom. Each FCC is good for the first two passengers in the stateroom, as long as one of them purchased the FCC. One FCC is for the first passenger in the stateroom, and the second in the stateroom pays the $100 deposit only, even if not useing an FCC, saving them paying that huge deposit.

So, if you book this way (you can do the switching of cruise cards through the pursers desk and staterooms after you get onboard), your friends will pay the extra $100 each for their deposit, you will use one FCC for each stateroom booking, and you ALL will get the full shipboard credit.

It will use up two FCC's this way, but you can purchase more while onboard for your next cruise.

So, I would use one FCC per stateroom and go from there. It is the only way to get that reduced deposit AND the shipboard credit for your friends.

 

Thank God for Toto.

 

I've always wondered about doing this, and I thought I had read about it in a previous post. You always answer questions in clear and consice terms. Very Professional. Maybe a travel agent in a previous life?:D I hope you are around answering questions for a long time. Thanks for the information.

[Sandytoes]

I would use one FCC per stateroom and go from there. It is the only way to get that reduced deposit AND the shipboard credit for your friends.

Thanks Toto :)

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks Toto. :D

[Cosmic Rays]

Can we do it here in the UK too do you know? We're sailing soon and I used a FCC for our booking - hopefully Princess have it in hand for the OBC. Can I use it for our four first time cruiser friends who are joining us do you know?

 

Colin:) :)

[Toto2Kansas]

Can we do it here in the UK too do you know? We're sailing soon and I used a FCC for our booking - hopefully Princess have it in hand for the OBC. Can I use it for our four first time cruiser friends who are joining us do you know?

 

Colin:) :)

 

If you used ONE FCC for your booking, that is for the first two passengers in the same stateroom ONLY. Not sure how Princess UK handles this, sorry. But I doubt there is anyway to get any type of benefits for four first timers.

[High C's]

So, I would use one FCC per stateroom and go from there. It is the only way to get that reduced deposit AND the shipboard credit for your friends.

 

Thanks Toto (as always!). That is exactly what we'll do

[Deanne Willis]

We just used a future cruise credit to book a trip to the British Isles. I am not sure we will do this again. Our travel agent was offering onboard credit and Princess through FCC was offering onboard credit. I thought we would be able to combine the two. We went back and forth with our travel agent, thinking she was not giving us the correct onboard credit, and we couldn't get the same answer from the different Princess agents we spoke to. Well, after months of going back and forth and numerous calls and emails to Princess and our travel agent, we finally got to the bottom of things. Princess has certain types of onboard credit that they do not combine with their future cruise onboard credit. There are no rules that I know of that are posted, but it looks like they can indiscrimently decide which onboard credits they will combine. We wrote a long letter to Princess, telling them on the hours we spent trying to figure this out. We sent flowers to our travel agent, because we basically told her we didn't believe her. Princess eventually said so sorry but there's nothing we can do about this. So think twice before you book a future cruise onboard!!:confused:

[Toto2Kansas]

We just used a future cruise credit to book a trip to the British Isles. I am not sure we will do this again. Our travel agent was offering onboard credit and Princess through FCC was offering onboard credit. I thought we would be able to combine the two. We went back and forth with our travel agent, thinking she was not giving us the correct onboard credit, and we couldn't get the same answer from the different Princess agents we spoke to. Well, after months of going back and forth and numerous calls and emails to Princess and our travel agent, we finally got to the bottom of things. Princess has certain types of onboard credit that they do not combine with their future cruise onboard credit. There are no rules that I know of that are posted, but it looks like they can indiscrimently decide which onboard credits they will combine. We wrote a long letter to Princess, telling them on the hours we spent trying to figure this out. We sent flowers to our travel agent, because we basically told her we didn't believe her. Princess eventually said so sorry but there's nothing we can do about this. So think twice before you book a future cruise onboard!!:confused:

 

Now that IS strange. We have used FCC's to book for many years now, probably ever since they began this program. There has never been a time when we could not combine the shipboard credit given with the FCC with the extra shipboard credit the travel agent was offering. I mean, not once. We have always gotten them both. I wonder what type of shipboard credit your travel agent was trying to give you as this is something I have never heard of before?

[Deanne Willis]

Now that IS strange. We have used FCC's to book for many years now, probably ever since they began this program. There has never been a time when we could not combine the shipboard credit given with the FCC with the extra shipboard credit the travel agent was offering. I mean, not once. We have always gotten them both. I wonder what type of shipboard credit your travel agent was trying to give you as this is something I have never heard of before?

It was onboard credit that the TA offered for booking the cruise. If you have any ideas on anyone else I can speak with at Princess, I would be very appreciative. We sent a three page letter to Princess's Customer Relations Department, but with no success. I think it's too bad when Princess's booking agents have no idea how to handle a Future Cruise Certificate. I spoke with at least 8 of them, only two knew what it was. I know I sound pretty discouraged, and maybe harsh, but I do love cruising and Princess is one of my favorite lines, but on this I feel they really dropped the ball!!:(

[Toto2Kansas]

I just don't know what to suggest to you. As said, we have always had the TA apply there shipboard credits (several different TA's in fact), and that was in addition to what we were to receive with the FCC shipboard credit.

 

Perhaps one of the TA's that posts regularly will see this and respond with a suggestion. I don't know what to tell you here, but it has never happened to us before, ever. And I don't blame you for being a bit miffed about it, I probably would be also.

[Sandytoes]

Princess has announced some major policy changes to new bookings starting with their 2009/2010 sailings which are in the process of being released:

• DEPOSIT REQUIREMENTS for 2009 - 2010 will be based on a percentage (%) of the fare rather than a flat dollar amount ($). Most voyages will require a deposit that represents 30% for everyone in the cabin.

• SHIPBOARD CREDIT AMENITIES have changed from a per-person amenity to a per-stateroom amenity. Now you can allocate shipboard credit as a group benefit with as little as 2 amenity points.

The most significant change is, of course, the deposit requirement. Previously ranging from $250-600/person (or occasionally higher), based on the length of sailing, it is now significantly higher for most sailings and is based on the fare. This type of deposit has been common in some luxury lines for some time, though usually not this high a percentage.

[Toto2Kansas]

It won't surprise me one little bit to see the FCC's double in price in the next few months. And I think they will also close the loop hole shortly where each of the first two passengers will need to use an FCC for booking, no more one FCC for the first two passengers in a stateroom.

Just my feeling, as my crystal ball is in for repairs ;), but with all the other monitary changes taking place, my guess is this will be the next thing to be hit. :(

[browneyes274]

I just don't know what to suggest to you. As said, we have always had the TA apply there shipboard credits (several different TA's in fact), and that was in addition to what we were to receive with the FCC shipboard credit.

 

Perhaps one of the TA's that posts regularly will see this and respond with a suggestion. I don't know what to tell you here, but it has never happened to us before, ever. And I don't blame you for being a bit miffed about it, I probably would be also.

 

I hope so to Toto

I just booked last week with FCC, two rooms so one FCC per room. We got he OBC offered with the FCC and the OBC out TA was offering. I would be trying another TA until it was done right!

Good luck!