Princess policy - Upgrading after final payment?

[Tapi]

Hello:

 

We booked our upcoming Princess cruise on an oceanview cabin, hoping to upgrade to a balcony or mini suite if prices came down. We are now about 50 days prior to sailing, and sure enough, prices are coming down, fast. Currently, balconies are only $50pp more than what I paid for our OV. I looked at the Princess website and there are still TONS of balconies left (literally, entire deck sections show almost full availability), so I'm guessing that prices will come down more.

 

So my question concerns Princess policy regarding upgrades. Will they upgrade us now complimentarily, even though BL prices are not quite at what we paid for our OV? Will they allow us to upgrade for free if BL prices end up being the same as our OV? Will they only allow us to upgrade if there's a price difference and we pay it? Will they issue OBC inside final payment if the cruise fare drops below what we paid?

 

Pardon my ignorance, but this will be our first Princess cruise, and we've been bouncing between cruise lines with different policies during the last few years. My questions are driven from policies that we've encountered on our previous cruises . Thanks for any input that you may provide.

 

Yes, I'll be calling my TA later today with these questions, but he's not in the office yet, and I want to be informed before I make the call. :)

 

 

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Edited August 9, 2014 by Tapi

[geoherb]

After the final payment date, a lot of promotions are for "new bookings only." Since you booked with a TA, it doesn't hurt to ask them to check for you.

[janetz]

Hi Tapi! :D Glad to see you are trying Princess. Always enjoy your reviews and hope you will be sharing your Princess experience with us this time also.

 

I have read many different scenario's about "after final payment" with Princess. Some TA's seem to be able to work magic. Some, not so much. Always call anyways.

I am sure someone like our Princess expert Pam will chime in with a more detailed answer for you. :)

[mr green]

On our last cruise we had an upgrade from OV to balcony mid ships, with only 5 days to go.

 

john

[Tapi]

Hi Tapi! :D Glad to see you are trying Princess. Always enjoy your reviews and hope you will be sharing your Princess experience with us this time also.

 

 

Thanks! Yes, looking forward to the experience and I will definitely review it! Originally, we were going to sail on the Royal Princess out of New York, which we had been planning for a year, but job responsibilities unfortunately derailed that plan :(. With only a reduced number of days to go on vacation, we are squeezing this Pacific Coastal cruise in. But nonetheless, we're thrilled about adding Princess to the list!

 

 

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[janetz]

Thanks! Yes, looking forward to the experience and I will definitely review it! Originally, we were going to sail on the Royal Princess out of New York, which we had been planning for a year, but job responsibilities unfortunately derailed that plan :(. With only a reduced number of days to go on vacation, we are squeezing this Pacific Coastal cruise in. But nonetheless, we're thrilled about adding Princess to the list!

 

 

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Oh, was that our cruise? At the end of Oct? You will be pleasantly surprised by Princess. :) If you really like Princess the Regal will be doing the same 10 night repo at the end of next Oct from NY. ;)

Edited August 9, 2014 by janetz

[victory2020]

I booked an inside cabin for a short cruise after final payment date. The next day prices went down significantly. They would not give OBC or a refund.(CCL has a 48 hr price protection policy). They would let me upgrade to a balcony & pay the difference of $20pp. I have also ha an inside cabin on the short cruise that were not fully booked & have not been upgraded even though there were huge sections of balcony cabins empty.

[Tapi]

Oh, was that our cruise? At the end of Oct? You will be pleasantly surprised by Princess. :)

 

 

We were on a mid-October sailing, roundtrip. I have a feeling that I will really like Princess. :D

 

 

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[Working 2 Cruise]

Free upgrades aren't so easily obtained these days and you may or may not get one. I'd suggest paying the small price difference now.

 

You can't count on further price drops. Because of this price drop, many people may be booking the cruise and, as a result, cruise fares may go up instead of down.

[Colo Cruiser]

You may want to work on getting that balcony for $50 more as the cruise may sell out.

You don't wanna have a woulda coulda shoulda moment if there are not any left and you waited. :eek:

Edited August 9, 2014 by Colo Cruiser

[homeatlast]

+1 If you like that balcony cabin lock it in now for $50.

[Tapi]

You may want to work on getting that balcony for $50 more as the cruise may sell out.

You don't wanna have a woulda coulda shoulda moment if there are not any left and you waited. :eek:

 

I'm very tempted to pull the trigger and just get it over with. It's such a negligible amount. But at the same time, my wife and I had already discussed and agreed that, since this is a short sailing, that we would be happy with just an OV, and that we would not upgrade unless BL prices dropped to what we already paid.

 

I guess I can always pay the difference and tell the wife that BL prices indeed dropped all the way to OV prices. She doesn't do the price checking. I do. :D