Discounts for onboard booking of future cruise?

[Pam in CA]

There is almost always a line on board waiting to speak with the future cruise consultant, so I doubt Princess is missing out on too many sales.

Seeing as how if you want to book a cruise while onboard or buy an FCC, all you have to do is to fill out a form and drop it off in the box. The people waiting in line are usually those with questions or looking to book a specific cabin. Many others have just dropped off a form. :)

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

They do sell cruises onboard. Princess just doesn't discount cruise prices or give you group rates. Lots of people book cruises while on a cruise.

 

Oh I know you can book on board but if they would just give a little extra incentive (in addition to the FCC) to do so on board rather than through your TA they would sell more cruises.

[dorisis]

Oh I know you can book on board but if they would just give a little extra incentive (in addition to the FCC) to do so on board rather than through your TA they would sell more cruises.

 

The incentive for booking a FCC is the lower deposit and the OBC when you book. It can be refunded if not used within 2 years and can also be extended to 4 years. It is a win win situation for me.

[Pam in CA]

Oh I know you can book on board but if they would just give a little extra incentive (in addition to the FCC) to do so on board rather than through your TA they would sell more cruises.

I get plenty of incentive when I book through a TA at a 10-20% discount plus OBC and perks. Booking onboard gets me nothing which is why I buy FCCs and then book through my TA. Of course, I could book onboard and then get a TA discount but it's very unusual that I would need to book onboard rather than waiting until I get home.

[CI66774]

Same with us.....really no incentive to book onboard:D

 

How can there not be an incentive? You get a reduced deposit and onboard credit, then you can book with your own travel agent for all of the other incentives that TA offers.

[bhopal21]

How can there not be an incentive? You get a reduced deposit and onboard credit, then you can book with your own travel agent for all of the other incentives that TA offers.

 

Nothing that your TA can't get you after you get home. Including a lower price.

 

Mike:)

[CI66774]

Nothing that your TA can't get you after you get home. Including a lower price.

 

Mike:)

 

But you get everything your TA has to offer (lower price, OBC, etc.) in addition to a reduced deposit and Princess OBC. You get more - not less.

[bhopal21]

But you get everything your TA has to offer (lower price, OBC, etc.) in addition to a reduced deposit and Princess OBC. You get more - not less.

 

Evidently you don't understand.

 

You must purchase the FCC Future Cruise Credit during your cruise but there is no incentive to book an actual cruise while onboard, none, nada, zip.

 

You can book a cruise with your TA and receive a discount, maybe some OBC, a dinner, and a bottle of wine none of which you would have gotten had you booked the cruise while onboard.

 

There is no way Princess is going to give you the price that your TA will.

 

Mike:)

Edited May 31, 2014 by bhopal21

[CI66774]

Evidently you don't understand.

 

You must purchase the FCC Future Cruise Credit during your cruise but there is no incentive to book an actual cruise while onboard, none, nada, zip.

 

You can book a cruise with your TA and receive a discount, maybe some OBC, a dinner, and a bottle of wine none of which you would have gotten had you booked the cruise while onboard.

 

There is no way Princess is going to give you the price that your TA will.

 

Mike:)

 

Evidently you don't understand. I didn't say I booked or you have to book onboard. You put down $200 as a deposit (that's for two people) and then book with your TA with that $200 deposit (and you receive a certain amount for a Princess OBC depending upon what cabin you choose when you book). This way you get the Princess benefits and your TA benefits. There is NO requirement to book onboard with Princess - none whatsoever. :)

[caribill]

 

You must purchase the FCC Future Cruise Credit during your cruise but there is no incentive to book an actual cruise while onboard, none, nada, zip.

 

You can book a cruise with your TA and receive a discount, maybe some OBC, a dinner, and a bottle of wine none of which you would have gotten had you booked the cruise while onboard.

 

There is no way Princess is going to give you the price that your TA will.

 

Mike:)

 

Although Princess will not give you the pricing and amenities that your TA will, if you do book a cruise while on the ship the booking can immediately be assigned to your TA by the future cruise consultant or, after you get home, you can have it transferred to your TA.

 

The advantages that may exist when booking while on the ship are to get a category that may be sold out soon or to get a specific cabin which might get sold before you get back to work with your TA.

[bhopal21]

Evidently you don't understand. I didn't say I booked or you have to book onboard. You put down $200 as a deposit (that's for two people) and then book with your TA with that $200 deposit (and you receive a certain amount for a Princess OBC depending upon what cabin you choose when you book). This way you get the Princess benefits and your TA benefits. There is NO requirement to book onboard with Princess - none whatsoever. :)

 

This thread is about incentives for "booking" while onboard, hence the title:

 

"Discounts for onboard booking of future cruise?"

 

Now you are discussing "Future Cruise Deposits" which is NOT a discount for booking while onboard like you stated in post #32.

 

You can do either or both while on a cruise.

 

Of course I know about booking a particular cabin that may be in short supply but that has nothing to do with a "discount".

 

Mike:p

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

Evidently you don't understand.

 

You must purchase the FCC Future Cruise Credit during your cruise but there is no incentive to book an actual cruise while onboard, none, nada, zip.

 

You can book a cruise with your TA and receive a discount, maybe some OBC, a dinner, and a bottle of wine none of which you would have gotten had you booked the cruise while onboard.

 

There is no way Princess is going to give you the price that your TA will.

 

Mike:)

 

People just assume that if they book directly with Princess they will get a better deal an this is normally not the case. In a few rare instances Princess will outdo a TA or on line booking service but it's few & far between. It's probably been 3 years since I've seen those sort of deals but I always keep checking while on board- you can never tell. ;)

[Cruise Junky]

Celebrity are now giving extra incentive to book onboard rather than purchase a FCC so it may be something that Princess looks at in the future. Maybe there's some stats out there that if you get people to actually pick a ship and a date they're more likely go stick with it

[caribill]

Celebrity are now giving extra incentive to book onboard rather than purchase a FCC so it may be something that Princess looks at in the future. Maybe there's some stats out there that if you get people to actually pick a ship and a date they're more likely go stick with it

 

I have no doubt that if X people actually book a cruise while on board that 90% plus of them will actually take that cruise.

 

On the other hand, if in addition to X, Y people just purchase an FCC, probably more will end up booking a cruise before the FCC expires than if forced to book a cruise while on board.

 

Due to timing, it is not always practical to book while on board. Examples:

o Want to book a cruise, but the itineraries are not yet released for when you want to cruise.

o Must get pre-approval at work for vacation time. Hard to do while looking at cruises at the consultant's desk while at sea.

o Work schedule for next year is uncertain yet, so too soon to commit to a time period to cruise.

 

RCCL does offer lesser incentives if just making a Future Cruise Deposit instead of booking on board, but since the OBC associated with an RCCL on board booking is not combinable with most other OBCs, it is not really a great incentive to book while on the cruise.

[Cruise Junky]

I have no doubt that if X people actually book a cruise while on board that 90% plus of them will actually take that cruise.

 

On the other hand, if in addition to X, Y people just purchase an FCC, probably more will end up booking a cruise before the FCC expires than if forced to book a cruise while on board.

 

Due to timing, it is not always practical to book while on board. Examples:

o Want to book a cruise, but the itineraries are not yet released for when you want to cruise.

o Must get pre-approval at work for vacation time. Hard to do while looking at cruises at the consultant's desk while at sea.

o Work schedule for next year is uncertain yet, so too soon to commit to a time period to cruise.

 

RCCL does offer lesser incentives if just making a Future Cruise Deposit instead of booking on board, but since the OBC associated with an RCCL on board booking is not combinable with most other OBCs, it is not really a great incentive to book while on the cruise.

 

All valid points. Celebrity was recommending if your dates aren't out yet, or you need more time, just book a cruise to a far out date and then move it. You'd still get the benefits of the Pick Your Perk that stay with the booking. Who knows, more lines might pick up on this.

Edited May 31, 2014 by Cruise Junky

[Happy2cruise]

[quote name='CI66774']How can there not be an incentive? You get a reduced deposit and onboard credit, then you can book with your own travel agent for all of the other incentives that TA offers.[/quote]
You get the reduced deposit and onboard credit by purchasing the FCC on board NOT for booking a cruise on board.:D

[Pam in CA]

[quote name='Lovetocruiseprincess']People just assume that if they book directly with Princess they will get a better deal an this is normally not the case. In a few rare instances Princess will outdo a TA or on line booking service but it's few & far between. It's probably been 3 years since I've seen those sort of deals but I always keep checking while on board- you can never tell. ;)[/QUOTE]If you book directly with Princess, whether it's onboard or after returning home, you're paying the equivalent of MSRP, i.e., the full retail price. A good TA can always match that and usually does a heck of a lot better than booking directly, depending on when you book.