likeadisguise

silver wedding, have you tried calling Princess to get information from them?

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It's a Future Cruise Credit that can be applied to any cruise in 2014 that isn't already paid in full. But it's always going to be a credit that reduces your cruise fare, not an OBC.

Yes, they will pick the restaurant, date and time. You'll have a card in your stateroom on embarkation day advising you when it is, I believe.

If what they've selected doesn't work for you, though, it's pretty likely that they'll help you find a mutually agreeable date and time.

I missed out because our back-to-back Ruby cruises in December were not included. The cruise director said during the "Wake Show" of our second cruise that the Dec. 26 cruise was included in the promotion. It wasn't a holiday cruise since it was between Christmas and New Year's and apparently that might have been the reason he gave everyone on the ship the wrong info. The Princess rep who called me told me that he was wrong and that we wouldn't receive anything for his misinformation. We probably would have booked a cruise on the Royal for DH's spring break in March if Princess had honored the cruise director's info. It would have made enough of a difference to pay for the higher airfare.

I don't really understand why there would be any expectation on Princess to give a ship full of people a 100% credit because the Cruise Director misspoke. If the reason you had bought it was because someone at Princess told you that you'd get the FCC, that would be one thing. But everyone was already onboard. It's hardly a bait and switch.

They might be willing to move you to Caribbean for the first cruise, also? Then at least you'd be on the same ship back to back.

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No. Only certain airlines participate, but it's only available in Fort Lauderdale, Honolulu, Seattle, and Whittier at this time.

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I don't believe EZCheck is available in Houston.

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That had nothing to do with flexible vs. restricted - once you're past the 45-day cutoff, there's no difference. Are you sure it wasn't something with the airlines changing something that affected your connections?

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I was amused to see this question pop up on Emily Post today:

Attire Police: Should I report someone who is not following the cruise ship dress code?

Q: Regarding dress on a cruise, is it appropriate to point out to the maitre d’ someone who is not dressed according to the guidelines of the cruise ship?

A: No, it is really not your business and you have to believe that the maitre d’ knows this and will deal with it in his own way. Unless the cruise line has appointed you the attire warden, you do not comment on anyone else’s form of dress.

http://www.etiquettedaily.com/2014/02/attire-police-should-i-report-someone-who-is-not-following-the-cruise-ship-dress-code/#sthash.a0SeqirL.dpuf

It would surprise me if these different "hit rates" for various ports didn't influence your thinking about when to book a cruise. Not necessarily determine it - there might be other factors to consider as well. But to me, this would obviously be useful information to have when considering a cruise. It is surely more useful than generalized seasonal trends, as it actually quantifies those for you.

So why would the cruise lines want to publicize information that would make people less likely to book certain cruises?

I understand why you think this is valuable information, but I don't think there would be any benefit for the cruise lines to provide it.

Future Cruise Credits typically come from:

A promotion, such as the recent January Getaway cruises where people received 100% of their cruise fare as an FCC

Cancelling a cruise after the final payment date and having Princess Vacation Protection, where you receive 75% (or 100% if you have Platinum PVP) of your cancellation penalty, less the cost of the insurance, as an FCC

A problem with a cruise you take that results in an FCC. Sometimes everyone on the ship gets an FCC (such a the recent Caribbean Princess cruise that was cut short, where everyone will receive a 20% FCC), sometimes it's the result of a complaint an individual passenger makes to Princess about something that went wrong on the cruise, such as the air conditioning in their cabin not working.

There are a few different kinds of "past guest" rates, which may be the confusion?

So a cruise opens for booking, and the launch fare is $1,299 per person/double occupancy, for example.

If you say you're a past guest, you'll see a lower price, but not MUCH of a lower price. I think it's $50 off? So it would be $1,249/pp. This is the same discount you get from the MVP program.

Then a promotion starts, and that price drops to $999/pp. That's going to be the same whether you're a past guest or not, so the MVP price is still going to be $1,249, because it's tied to the launch fare.

The difference comes with TARGETED past guest fares -- offers that are sent to specific past cruisers and tied to their Captain's Circle numbers. If that offer isn't tied to your CC#, that fare won't show up for you at all (unless you have people traveling on the same cruise who did get it, who can use the Share the Savings program to get you that same rate).

So if you're comparing MVP to targeted promotions, they probably won't even be close.

Where are you seeing the past-guest rate that you're using for comparison?

I believe the MVP rate is only off launch fares, so you can probably find better promotions (like whatever the TA is currently advertising). It's not an additional amount off ANY promotion.

There are reps staffed at the Princess call center 7 days a week.

http://www.princess.com/customer_care/contact/index.jsp

1-800-774-6237

Princess Call Center Hours:

Current Hours:

Monday - Friday 6am - 7pm Pacific Time (9am-10pm ET)

Saturday and Sunday 6am - 6pm Pacific Time (9am-9pm ET)

You don't have to use all your FCCs together (or at all on a particular cruise, if you're planning another cruise within the time frame you have to use them).

However, the FCCs can only be applied toward your cruise fare, so you'll always have to pay the fees and taxes.

If you're having problems booking excursions through the personalizer, you can call Princess and have a rep there add them to your booking (even if you booked through a travel agent).

That won't help if excursions aren't available at all for your cruise yet, obviously!

There are no connecting staterooms (save for the Family Suite) on Golden Princess.

The Family Suite is booked as two separate bookings, so you'd still be paying the single supplement on the room with only one person in it -- at suite rates.

The cover charge for the specialty restaurant shows up as a special service, not an OBC.

If a minor under 21 is traveling with only one adult, both are required to have passports, even on round-trip domestic voyages.

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If you booked as a guarantee, you can receive your cabin assignment as late as embarkation.

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If you call Princess and tell them which Shore Excursions you want, they can just add them to your booking for you. It doesn't matter if you booked direct or through a travel agent.

The promo terms state:

‡Free bottle of wine is one per stateroom up to a $30 value. A wine voucher will be delivered to your stateroom and is redeemable with the Maitre d’ at time of dining. Brand and availability of free wine are based on the ship’s inventory and at the discretion of the Maitre d’. Non-alcoholic beverages may be provided upon request. We reserve the right to substitute wine for an onboard credit of $30. Wine voucher must be redeemed by 5pm on the last night of the cruise.

I'd think they'd let you exchange it for a more expensive bottle, and just have you pay the difference above $30.

Payment isn't due until you make final payment on your cruise. But your fare IS locked in, unless you decide to cancel it and rebook.

If you still can't get on the website, it'll auto cancel shortly after midnight (Pacific time) tonight...call first thing in the morning (they open at 5:00 a.m. PT) and ask the rep to reactivate the booking, chances are good that your cabin will still be available.