Booking direct versus discount agent

[Embracedbylife]

We booked our cruise a long time ago direct with princess and now our friends are booking the same cruise and are getting theirs for at least $600 less per person than we paid, and $600 less than what is currently being listed on the princess website. (the price we paid is still the current price on princess.com). How can a discount travel agency offer the same room for $600 less per person than you pay direct? Will princess meet the price if you book through them? Do people pay a travel agent fee then on top of their booking cost or does the cost include the agent fee? Just curious for next time!!

[paul929207]

i don't think Princess will match the price. However, you can transfer your booking to the discount TA and mostlikely get the lower price.

[Embracedbylife]

We already paid in full as the cruise is only a month away. Is it too late to transfer it? What if we wanted to upgrade but can get the upgrade for less through the TA would we get a refund of the difference even after paying in full?

[-Lew-]

From what you tell us, your friends are getting what would be considered a last minute rate in addition to whatever discount their TA offers.

 

You mention you made your booking a long time ago and paid full price through Princess. Princess most likely deeply discounted some cabins because there were too many unbooked. Your friends were simply at the right place at the right time.

 

Upgrading for you might not be possible without incurring some fees. You should check with Princess though to see what they say.

 

My suggestion: Forget what you paid. You obviously felt if was reasonable when you booked. Enjoy your cruise!!

 

Lew

[weberman]

You are probably out of luck if you are after the final payment date. It has been done but is quite unusual. Orincess will not meet lower priced TA prices. If you are before the final payment date you can usually negotiate a lower price by transferring your booking to the lower priced online TA or cancel and rebook the same cruise before your final payment. Princess to the best of my knowlege does not have a cancellation penalty but some online TAs do.

 

Remember the Final Payment Date is the crucial date.

[Toto2Kansas]

Sounds like your friends picked up on a flash promotion special, great prices after final payment on some sailings.

 

If you would have been able to find a good TA before final payment, you still could have transfered over your booking and probably saved quite a lot. After final payment, you are out of luck, as you can't transfer now.

 

We never book direct with Princess, our TA has always been able to beat the price listed on the Princess website. TA's do this by discounting their own commission, so it really pays to shop around. You don't pay extra to book a cruise through most travel agents.

 

A lesson learned for your next Princess cruise. Enjoy your voyage!

[Embracedbylife]

Thanks everyone for your responses. It's like you said, lesson learned and perhaps it's becuase they are booking last minute. It's funny but princess has not reduced their prices yet on their website and if our friends had of booked online like we did they'd have paid the same as us...so i'm happy for them! :)

[Cruisematic]

It is not just Princess. We have sailed 13 times with Princess and it is amazing how much we find out people paid for the same category cabin once on the ship. We have booked early and booked late and there often seems little rhyme or reason to the fluctuating costs except that bookings are slow and apparently TAs get rooms cheap enough to take little or no commission, perhaps based on future return customers. We went on Ruby in Feb for 50 dollars a day booking 2 weeks before the sailing. Some people we met on board paid twice that amount for the same cabin. Go figure.

 

Once on Celebrity we called the line after finding a price 20% off the lines best price and they would not match it. They only said to book it with the TA if we could get it at that price.

 

Best deals I have ever seen are back to back trips offered on the ship as we were disembarking. If they have cabins to fill they will do almost anything to fill them. Makes you want to retire in Florida and live on cruise ships for 40 dollars a day . It is cheaper than a retirement home.

[momoforthodoc]

one thing i have learned over the years, never discuss pricing once on board a ship. it's something i won't discuss with anyone as i've learned whatever cat you're in everyone in that cat has paid a different cruise fare and everyone has gotten different amenities. it doesn't pay to cry over spilled milk :rolleyes:

jeralyn ;)