Cruise Prices

[Shogun]

Hi folks,

 

Can some one in US explain how pricing works your side of the pond,

 

In UK the price we see includes all flights, transfers by bus may be a connecting flight a stay in a hotel, even a taxi to the airport if they have moved your flight and put you up in a hotel, but not meals at the hotel.

 

We pay a deposit, that locks the price until sailing date final payment is due 10 weeks before you sail, if you want to change some thing they charge around £100 your deposit is lost if you swap cruises or cancel. if you shout loud enough and are taking a more expensive cruise some times they will not charge you.

 

Prices some times go down, if they go down a lot then you can rebook and lose your deposit.

 

However often this happens after the charter flight is full, so its possible you could cancel and re book and find you can not get your seats back on the flight as some one has booked seconds ahead off you.

 

As to making your own air, last night I looked at the Crown out of Ft L the saving was £2 in other words they want my money to help fill up the plane, once full they will offer a better price.

 

As to extra charges to date never had any added to a cruise.

 

As to getting obc because price has gone down never offered.

 

Because of UK travel laws we have more protection than folks in the US, we become Princess problem as soon as we arrive at our first checkin desk, if flight delayed its up to Princess to get us to the Ship or put us in a hotel etc.

 

I see a lot of talk about prices in US going up down etc as well as talk about final payment please explain.

 

As to FCC UK folk just sign up there is no cost and we get free onboard credit and reduced deposit, yip free money from Princess.

 

 

yours Shogun

[Devil Dog]

Well the first order of business for me is to purchase the insurance package and then you never need to worry about losing any money, the worst case scenario is they give you future cruise credit. Then I purchase the crsuie with a down payment. If the price changes before final payment I just call my TA or email her and get the adjustment to my credit card. If you take the insurance and you don't like the current price or they won't give you the lower rate just tell your TA that you will cancel your cruise and go on another ship or another time. Then they start to make sure your happy and will not cancel. If you have no insurance you lose all the money you put down. I have talke to people who totally refuse to pay the "rip off" insurance scam. However, I feel one is totally ridiculus for not havng travel insurance. This insurance also covers your medical expenses if you have any ( minus any deductible) and you luggage if it is delayed or lost. I have found that when I have insurance I always have the upper hand in the finances and that's where the buyer should be in all business relations. So try insurance next time and see if you have a totally different experience with getting things changed for your benefit. Good Luck

[Shogun]

Hi devildog,

 

when you say insurance are you talking about Princess insurance,

 

as again what is offered in the UK is nothing like what is offered in the US by Princess.

 

We must have insurance before we can board but this is so that if we get ill Princess can get rid of us a some port and not be liabile for our care or getting us home. World wide Insurance is under a £100 for a years cover.

 

 

yours Shogun

[paul929207]

Shogun,

 

In the US, the listed prices, both thru Princess and TA's, does not include airfare or transfers. You can have them ncluded, but Princess no longer guarentees the air price. It will be adjusted (up or down) at the time of final payment.

[cherylandtk]

Shogun,

 

Here in the US the system is more ala carte than what you have. We can purchase just the cruise, and then pay extra to Princess for air, insurance, transfers, hotels, etc. We can purchase any or all of those items as part of our package, or we can purchase just the cruise and organize the rest ourselves.

 

We pay a deposit, I think it is now about 20% unless using a FCC for the deposit or if the TA is running a $100 deposit. We have only used FCC's for so long that I don't know. But about $250-$300 ?? Our deposits are fully refundable until final payment due date, which is usually 75 days before, 90 for longer cruises or holiday times. Many TA's add a week or two to that to ensure payment is in on time. The FCC sounds much the same as what you have as far as onboard credit, but we pay $100 for it, which again, can be used as the deposit on a future cruise.

 

Up until final payment date, if Princess lowers the price of the cruise, we can get the lower price by just asking for it, as well as modify the booking in pretty much any way we want. We are also price protected from any price increases on the cruise fare, however the other things, especially air, are not price protected until final payment has been made. (Transfers and hotels are usually year contracts, so they do not change much, if at all) Also, many TA's discount their price from the Princess price, so one can often save there as well.

 

I agree your UK travel and holiday laws provide better protection, but I think that is also why your trips are sold as complete packages, and ours are not.

[Shogun]

Hi Cherylandtk,

 

Thank you for the details, we can decide not to take flights etc, but price reduction is often very low to nothing.

 

One big difference is the use of charter flights by Princess UK, I think all your flights in the US are by standard flights.

 

it is quite simply to get folks from all parts of the UK to one air port and fly us of to some part of the world to meet our ship.

 

I guess US being so big would not realy work trying to fill a charter from New York to Rome. Once we had a Jumbo but flight was to short so captain said sorry you will not be able to see the end of the movie before we land.

 

Next week I will check in at London next time I see my bags I hope will be out side my cabin, we will be picked up by bus on the run way at Barbados and taken straight to the ship, no standing in lines , no pass port control, no collecting bags etc. at airport

 

yours Shogun

[cherylandtk]

Have a terrific time on the CP--and in the Caribbean.

[sidari]

Shogun.... are you not flying to London first from Scotland? if so is it with a different airline ? i am curious because we flew Manchester to Miami via LHR and booked in at Manchester and saw our cases again at Miami.

[Shogun]

Hi There,

 

We are staying over night in a hotel, as we do not touch down in US our bags go straight from UK checkin to cabin,

 

US is a real pain we had a change over in US two years ago and had to collect our bags from one conveyor and walk 10 yards and place on another, then collect them again at Miami and hand them to Princess.

What made it worse was we were flying with the same airline but law in US states where you first touch down you have to go through customs.

 

 

yours Shogun

[senior lady]

Shogun.............. Cruise prices here in Canada are also only the cruise portion. You can get cruise air which is extra as are the transfer's.

 

Usually if everything is included it's a pkg that a TA has put together for a "group" booking.

[Shogun]

Hi There,

 

Thanks for info folks,

 

yours Shogun

[fiona page]

Shogun

 

Please let us know how you get on next week. We are sailing in April and like you say in you 1st post the cruise we have booked has come down in price but no flights now. I have asked to change cabin and been told we would have to pay £320pp to move from inside to obst view. Can you check out the inside cabins for me. What is bothering me is that we have an oblong shape one on Dolphin and now been told that these are quiet narrow compared to other insides. I dont like confined spaces and having a few issues about coping for 2 weeks. Have a great cruise.

[Shogun]

Hi Folks,

 

Been thinking about a b2b on the Crown, so have my Princess Price from TA

 

All flights, transfers, hotels etc

 

So to the web, lets do it myself and get a better deal,

 

With no transfers, no hotels no regional flights I am already $1000 over the Princess price, the problem is Princess does not give you enough off for cruise only. And I have not even added the second half of my cruise on yet.

 

Princess wins yet again.

 

yours Shogun