Princess offering Free cruises? Am I reading it wrong?

[baldercash]

Well, if they allow it I will book one of these on Tuesday. If not, not. Doesn't merit obsessing about it all weekend.

 

Seems a lot of folks are getting quite the adrenaline rush from it.

 

I am content with a 3 day cruise in a mini suite at a great price and a $500.00 FCC on another cruise that I would be booking regardless of the promotion.

 

Sometimes small things can bring a big smile.

[cruzsnooze]

I went ahead and upgraded to a penthouse suite...WOOOT WOOOT. They confirmed that I would receive the total fare as a FCC for use in 2013 or 2014 for cruises 7 nights or longer. I confirmed multiple times with online travel website over the phone and with princess that I would receive the full fare (notated on my account). I plan to call Monday to confirm (speak to the department incharge of this promo and try to get something in writing) this as well and if that is the case I will stick to the upgraded room.

 

With this upgrade my 2014 cruise will be paid in full for 3 people in a balcony. It worked out to be a buy a fancy suite on the golden princess and get a free balcony for 7 days in 2014 on pretty much any ship. I will still get $130 on board credit along with crown grill on embarkation nights, breakfast in the morning at sabatinnis and all the other perks. I would never imagine spending that much but now it takes care of 2 cruises for me at half price.

where did you come up with crown grill on embarkation night? If you think it's a suite perk it applies to cruises 7 nights or longer and these coastals are only 3 or 4 nights.

[faiz23]

where did you come up with crown grill on embarkation night? If you think it's a suite perk it applies to cruises 7 nights or longer and these coastals are only 3 or 4 nights.

 

Sorry you are 100% correct that is only for 6 days or longer. We will probably end up booking the next cruise a suite too since most of it will be covered or we will end up loosing out on the FCC we don't use. We will be trading our mini bar setup for coffee cards and using that for the 4 day cruise as well as the 7 day cruise in 2014. Most people have been successful reusing coffee cards that have not been punched all the way thru.

 

http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships/PrincessSuite_eFlyer.pdf

[rdsqrl]

You said the same thing on the 3 for free promo but my TA (who is a top seller of Princess) couldn't get me the fares or the goodies. Have you gotten the promo as a single?

If I had wanted a balcony, yes. But the ocv cabins were already sold out at the promo fare on the sailing date I wanted. So I passed. Maybe it's not that she couldn't get you the goodies but that the availability was already gone -- it's very hit or miss on solo fares, and to add to the confusion, not all oceanview categories seem to qualify, i.e., OFs are but OZs aren't.*

 

*to clarify, I'm only talking about the 3-for-Free promo. The FCC promo has tons of availability for solos and that promo definitely applies.

Edited October 14, 2013 by rdsqrl

[lovey1103]

So DH is not sure he would like to cruise on such short notice which means I would have "cabin sweet cabin" to myself. Now, if I book both of us and he decides to be a no go, would I still get FCC for both on a future cruise? Also, we have a TA booked in April. Any chance we can take the FCC and apply to that cruise?

Thanks all

[cruzsnooze]

So DH is not sure he would like to cruise on such short notice which means I would have "cabin sweet cabin" to myself. Now, if I book both of us and he decides to be a no go, would I still get FCC for both on a future cruise? Also, we have a TA booked in April. Any chance we can take the FCC and apply to that cruise?

Thanks all

I don't know about the no show credit but I was told by three different people I could apply my FCC to my already booked March 2014 cruise.

[faiz23]

I am looking at using our FCC for a mini suite on the Royal princess for March 30th 2014 sailing for Caribbean (Birthday Month ;) ). That cruise would be totally covered thru the FCC promotion and all I would have to worry about is flight to Ft Lauderdale from Dallas. The cost for hotels will be included with my points I have already with Raddison that can be used at any of their hotels including country inn and suites. I can get disney tickets for 20% off from my employer which I am already taking advantage of for Disney land in California for the 2013 Coastal Sampler Cruise. Now I can visit Disney World in 2014 along with a cruise on the Royal. This promotion rocks and glad I have been checking up on Cruise Critic along with princess website for updates.

Edited October 14, 2013 by faiz23

[chamima]

:(

So DH is not sure he would like to cruise on such short notice which means I would have "cabin sweet cabin" to myself. Now, if I book both of us and he decides to be a no go, would I still get FCC for both on a future cruise? Also, we have a TA booked in April. Any chance we can take the FCC and apply to that cruise?

Thanks all

 

If your husband doesn't actually sail you won't get the FCC for him, just as people who cancel cruises don't get the cruise credit for that sailing - even if it's fully paid.

This is the wording of the offer:

 

*Book a qualifying voyage by October 31, 2013 and 100% of the cruise fare will be available as a future cruise credit (FCC) that will be applicable to any 2013/2014 published future cruise that is 7 days or longer. Once the qualifying voyage has sailed, an FCC will automatically be applied to passengers’ Captains Circle member number. The FCC must be applied to a future sailing departing before December 31, 2014. Above fares are based on Golden Princess® 10/21/13 and 10/28/13 departure. Other dates may vary. Fares apply to minimum lead-in categories on a space-available basis at time of booking. Fares for other categories, sailings and cruisetours may vary. Oceanview stateroom may have an obstructed view. Fares are per person, non-air, cruise- or cruisetour-only, based on double occupancy and apply to the first two passengers in a stateroom. These fares do not apply to singles or third/fourth-berth passengers. Government fees and taxes of $55-$90 are additional and subject to change. This offer is capacity controlled and may not be combinable with any other public, group or past passenger discount. Offer is available to residents of the 50 United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico and the District of Columbia who are 21 years of age or older and receive this offer. Fares quoted in U.S. dollars. Please refer to the applicable Princess Cruises brochure or princess.com for terms, conditions and definitions that apply to all bookings. Offer expires: October 31, 2013. Note: For assistance reserving a wheelchair-accessible stateroom, please contact customer service at 1-800-774-6237.

 

 

 

BTW - Wish we lived on the West Coast so airfare didn't make this fabulous deal not so wonderful for us!

Edited October 14, 2013 by chamima

[lovey1103]

So DH is not sure he would like to cruise on such short notice which means I would have "cabin sweet cabin" to myself. Now, if I book both of us and he decides to be a no go, would I still get FCC for both on a future cruise? Also, we have a TA booked in April. Any chance we can take the FCC and apply to that cruise?

Thanks all

So here's the deal. Hubby agreed to go since the deal is too good to pass on. Spoke with Princess this morning and was delighted to hear that the FCC will apply to our April British Isle along with the 3 for 3 deal.

You just can't go wrong. We have enough Delta miles for one ticket, hence, this will cost the tax and port charge, one airline ticket and travel insurance (fragile 90 year old mother).

All I can say is WOW!

[Frugalist]

All I can say is WOW!

+1

 

Just paid for our booking after getting a positive confirmation to our question about applying the FCC to our Dec. 2013 cruise. I don't think we've ever booked any vacation this close in. Happy days ahead! :)

 

Funny thing is, I noticed that the gubmint taxes and fees went down overnight from $55.00 to $49.70. Not complaining, but wondering why?

[Host Jazzbeau]

My TA just called. No cruise for you. :(

 

It seems the Future Cruise Credit wouldn't be issued until Nov. 9, which is after the final payment date for my January cruise.

 

They also told her it was for new bookings after Nov. 9 only, although she often gets them to waive that. But there's no fixing the timing issue for us.

[cruzsnooze]

+1

 

 

 

Funny thing is, I noticed that the gubmint taxes and fees went down overnight from $55.00 to $49.70. Not complaining, but wondering why?

I just went to see if the taxes went down on my Nov 4 sailing and they did. When I went to my cruise personaliser there was a credit for the few dollars in the form of OBC so go check if you see it on yours.

[cruzsnooze]

My TA just called. No cruise for you. :(

 

It seems the Future Cruise Credit wouldn't be issued until Nov. 9, which is after the final payment date for my January cruise.

 

They also told her it was for new bookings after Nov. 9 only, although she often gets them to waive that. But there's no fixing the timing issue for us.

Your TA is wrong. I have paid down my March 2014 cruise below what the FCC will be and Princess says they will credit back my Visa with the overage. So if you apply the FCC then you will have a credit balance. In my case the FCC is still below my cruise fare I don't know if yous will be too.

[Frugalist]

Your TA is wrong. I have paid down my March 2014 cruise below what the FCC will be and Princess says they will credit back my Visa with the overage. So if you apply the FCC then you will have a credit balance. In my case the FCC is still below my cruise fare I don't know if yous will be too.

Agreed. The Princess rep I spoke with this morning was very clear that the entire cruise fare we paid for our December 2013 cruise will ultimately be refunded to the credit card we used to pay for that cruise. We will still have a nice FCC balance, which we can use for a cruise (or 2) in 2014.

 

By the way, when I paid for the Nov. 1 cruise this morning, we paid the $49.70 taxes and fees. So no OBC necessary. But we will be getting the $50 Shareholders Onboard Credit, which covers 2/3 of our tips. :)

[cruzsnooze]

Agreed. The Princess rep I spoke with this morning was very clear that the entire cruise fare we paid for our December 2013 cruise will ultimately be refunded to the credit card we used to pay for that cruise. We will still have a nice FCC balance, which we can use for a cruise (or 2) in 2014.

 

By the way, when I paid for the Nov. 1 cruise this morning, we paid the $49.70 taxes and fees. So no OBC necessary. But we will be getting the $50 Shareholders Onboard Credit, which covers 2/3 of our tips. :)

We must have gotten a more knowledgeable rep. One of the reasons I hate to use a TA is that you can't talk directly with the cruise line and get a confirmation from them, it all goes to your TA. I'm sure there are some great TA's I just never found one. We don't have stock credit but DH has the military credit and we have the loyalty credit awarded after your 21 st. cruise so our Gratuity is also covered. Did you book a nice suite?

[chamima]

I just asked what would happen if the cruise we are booked on for Feb went down in price (as I expect it to)

Would we get the difference in OBC or would we lose it?

The Princess rep said we'd lose it.

 

To make this clear - let's say the Nov cruise is $3000 so our FCC is $3000.

The Feb. cruise is currently also $3000 - it goes down to $2400 - she says we just lose the $600 credit. ?????????

Doesn't make sense - what if I wanted to apply the FCC to 2 cruises?

[Frugalist]

We must have gotten a more knowledgeable rep. One of the reasons I hate to use a TA is that you can't talk directly with the cruise line and get a confirmation from them, it all goes to your TA. I'm sure there are some great TA's I just never found one. We don't have stock credit but DH has the military credit and we have the loyalty credit awarded after your 21 st. cruise so our Gratuity is also covered. Did you book a nice suite?

Of couse. :)

 

I think the strategy to use to take the full advantage of this promotion is to book the most expensive cabin that qualifies. I noticed that the highest category suites don't qualify. So we booked a Vista suite.

[Frugalist]

I just asked what would happen if the cruise we are booked on for Feb went down in price (as I expect it to)

Would we get the difference in OBC or would we lose it?

The Princess rep said we'd lose it.

 

To make this clear - let's say the Nov cruise is $3000 so our FCC is $3000.

The Feb. cruise is currently also $3000 - it goes down to $2400 - she says we just lose the $600 credit. ?????????

Doesn't make sense - what if I wanted to apply the FCC to 2 cruises?

Let me take a stab at this. I assume you've already paid the $3000 for your Feb. 2014 cruise, right?

 

So, you take the Nov. cruise, paying $3000, resulting in a $3000 FCC.

 

First scenario: When you get home, you contact Princess and ask them to apply the $3000 FCC to your Feb. cruise. This will result in a credit balance which, so I've been told this morning, will be credited back to the credit card you used to pay for your Feb. cruise.

 

Result: you've now been reimbursed in full for every dollar you paid for your Feb. cruise. It doesn't matter if the price goes down $600 later. You've already been refunded everything you paid. You can't expect to get refunded more than that.

 

Second scenario: Between now and the time you get home from your Nov. cruise, the price of your Feb. cruise goes down $600. Contact your TA or Princess and have them refund that $600 to your credit card. Don't even mention your FCC. Wait a day or two, then contact them again and have them apply $2400 of your FCC to your Feb. cruise. That should also be refunded to your credit card. You will then have $600 FCC left to apply to a 2nd cruise in 2014.

 

Disclaimer: this is all strictly my opinion on how this should be handled based on my conversation with a Princess rep this morning. Who knows how things will really be handled once we go to apply our FCCs. All I can suggest is to try and document as much as possible when talking to Princess reps.

[chamima]

Let me take a stab at this. I assume you've already paid the $3000 for your Feb. 2014 cruise, right?

 

So, you take the Nov. cruise, paying $3000, resulting in a $3000 FCC.

 

First scenario: When you get home, you contact Princess and ask them to apply the $3000 FCC to your Feb. cruise. This will result in a credit balance which, so I've been told this morning, will be credited back to the credit card you used to pay for your Feb. cruise.

 

Result: you've now been reimbursed in full for every dollar you paid for your Feb. cruise. It doesn't matter if the price goes down $600 later. You've already been refunded everything you paid. You can't expect to get refunded more than that.

 

Second scenario: Between now and the time you get home from your Nov. cruise, the price of your Feb. cruise goes down $600. Contact your TA or Princess and have them refund that $600 to your credit card. Don't even mention your FCC. Wait a day or two, then contact them again and have them apply $2400 of your FCC to your Feb. cruise. That should also be refunded to your credit card. You will then have $600 FCC left to apply to a 2nd cruise in 2014.

 

Disclaimer: this is all strictly my opinion on how this should be handled based on my conversation with a Princess rep this morning. Who knows how things will really be handled once we go to apply our FCCs. All I can suggest is to try and document as much as possible when talking to Princess reps.

 

THANKS!!!

The Feb. final payment isn't until Nov. 25 so it's kind of scenerio #2 but I haven't paid anything but a deposit so far.

I decided to just book a less expensive suite ($2500 total) on the chance that the Feb. cruise goes down.

Even WITH the airfare for this trip - we get a free (short) unexpected vacation and $$$ towards the Feb. trip that we were already taking.

Princess just gets our $$ a couple of months early.

Can't wait for breakfast in Sabatinis!

 

We're going Nov. 1 (weekend!) - when are you?

Edited October 14, 2013 by chamima

[Frugalist]

THANKS!!!

The Feb. final payment isn't until Nov. 25 so it's kind of scenerio #2 but I haven't paid anything but a deposit so far.

I decided to just book a less expensive suite ($2500 total) on the chance that the Feb. cruise goes down.

Even WITH the airfare for this trip - we get a free (short) unexpected vacation and $$$ towards the Feb. trip that we were already taking.

Princess just gets our $$ a couple of months early.

Can't wait for breakfast in Sabatinis!

 

We're going Nov. 1 (weekend!) - when are you?

Good thing you went with the less expensive suite (Vista suite, right?). Looking at the Nov. 1 cruise, it doesn't look like any of the higher-priced suites qualify for this promotion. When you look at the specific cabins, you want to make sure they have the red "Sale" flag attached. Only Vistas and lower categories have that. Even the mid-ship mini-suites don't have the red "Sale" flag.

 

I don't mind Princess holding our money for a few months. It's earning diddly in the bank. ;)

 

Do you have any idea what breakfast in Sabatinis is like? Other than atmosphere, and a free Mimosa, how is it different from breakfast in the MDR?

 

Off topic - how do I send you, or anyone else, a private message?

Edited October 14, 2013 by Frugalist

[jeeper2]

where did you come up with crown grill on embarkation night? If you think it's a suite perk it applies to cruises 7 nights or longer and these coastals are only 3 or 4 nights.

 

Suite passengers on our Golden repositioning cruise in September did receive invitations to the Crown Grill on embarkation night.

[waltd]

This is what is stated on the Princess Website:

receive 100% of your cruise fare back as credit toward a future Princess cruise!

Question: Does this apply if you use a travel agent or is the only way you can use the credit if you book directly with Princess?

Just curious.

Joe

[jeeper2]

After several phone calls over the weekend, I received the following response from Christine, who spent several minutes obtaining information from the powers that be, who work during the week:

 

1. The cruise fare for my November 4th cruise will be applicable as FCC payment towards my previously booked March 4 Panama Canal trip. The credit will be credited on November 9th, and final payment is due December 17th.

 

2. If the cruise fare on the March 4th trip is reduced prior to December 17th, it is still eligible to be refared.

 

3. A person travelling as a single will also obtain FCC for the cabin fare they paid.

 

Thank you, Princess!

 

I booked a Penthouse Suite for my DH and myself and, after reading remarks from Frugalist, I called Princess to verify that the fare was eligible for the FCC promotion. The answer was yes. There is no specification as to cabin type, only cruise dates.

[Frugalist]

I booked a Penthouse Suite for my DH and myself and, after reading remarks from Frugalist, I called Princess to verify that the fare was eligible for the FCC promotion. The answer was yes. There is no specification as to cabin type, only cruise dates.

Wow. That's interesting. If I knew that, I would've booked the Grand Suite! I don't think I can switch now without a cancellation penalty on my Vista suite, right? :)

 

I wonder why those higher category suites don't have the red "Sale" tag? Hmmmm.

[jeeper2]

Wow. That's interesting. If I knew that, I would've booked the Grand Suite! I don't think I can switch now without a cancellation penalty on my Vista suite, right? :)

 

I wonder why those higher category suites don't have the red "Sale" tag? Hmmmm.

 

Yes, probably the penalty! The Grand Suite was already gone when I booked, but that would have been a trip!

 

I think it is not the sale price that matters, just the cruise date. On the November 4th trip, none of the suites show a sale price.