Nonrefundable Deposit?!

[SandyMc]

?!I have not cruised Princess in 4 years but have decided to do a cruise to Hawaii on the Grand Princess with family. When I try to book any cabin (other than expensive mini suite) it tells me that my deposit will not be refundable for any reason . Since the cruise is six months out I am shocked - have never heard of such a practice on any cruise line! Is this now normal for Princess?? :eek:

[geocruiser]

There are some sales that have a non refundable deposit , some sale are refundable.

[jennybenny]

?!I have not cruised Princess in 4 years but have decided to do a cruise to Hawaii on the Grand Princess with family. When I try to book any cabin (other than expensive mini suite) it tells me that my deposit will not be refundable for any reason . Since the cruise is six months out I am shocked - have never heard of such a practice on any cruise line! Is this now normal for Princess?? :eek:

 

 

 

Yes, I've seen that lately.

However if you use your future cruise credit deposit and rebook when you cancel you are not out the $100

 

Granted, since you haven't cruised princess for 4 years you wouldn't have any. FFC deposit money. You could try doing a Bon Voyage Experience if you are near a port and pay a FCC deposit but it might feel like a hassle.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[moki'smommy]

Actually, if you use a FCC you will be out the $100 you paid for it as well as the benefits you might have accrued upon use.

 

Non-refundable means just that. If you use a cash deposit, that will not be refunded. If you use a certificate, you will not get it back. Princess also will not allow you to move your deposit or certificate to another cruise. Bottom line--be sure before you book this and buy travel insurance!

[Coral]

This is becoming pretty common with a lot of Princess's sales.

[hpeabody]

A non-refundable deposit is not that uncommon for Princess. Many promotions do state it. It is one of those buyer beware things that we, the consumer need to make ourselves aware of and understand before booking.

Edited September 25, 2016 by hpeabody

[Happy2cruise]

Not 100% positive but I think if you have travel insurance it will cover it. Maybe someone with better knowledge can help better.

[majortom10]

Non refundable deposit is standard practice in the UK whether it be with a cruise company or any holiday company and it doesnt matter when you book or cancel.

[cruiser113]

?!I have not cruised Princess in 4 years but have decided to do a cruise to Hawaii on the Grand Princess with family. When I try to book any cabin (other than expensive mini suite) it tells me that my deposit will not be refundable for any reason . Since the cruise is six months out I am shocked - have never heard of such a practice on any cruise line! Is this now normal for Princess?? :eek:

 

This is part of the Great Escape promotion.........see below

 

Sale ends November 16, 2016, 11:59pm PT

 

Up to $1,000 off per stateroom on select 6+ day cruises to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexico, Hawaii, California Coast, Australia & New Zealand, Southeast Asia, South America, and South Pacific. Plus, reduced fares for 3rd or 4th guests on select destinations!

 

 

† Up to $1000 off per stateroom ($500 per guest) is based on a per guest discount off applicable Launch Fares on a space-available basis at time of booking on select sailings. Launch Fares are offering fares and may not have been in effect for the past 90 days or resulted in actual sales in all categories. Intermediate discounts may have been taken and fares may remain at discounted levels after this promotion.

 

* Fares apply to minimum lead-in categories on a space-available basis at time of booking. Fares for other categories may vary. Fares are per guest, non-air, cruise- or cruisetour-only, based on double occupancy and apply to the first two guests in a stateroom. These fares do not apply to singles or third/fourth-berth guests. Reduced fares for 3rd or 4th guests* apply to the 3rd or 4th guests booked in the same stateroom as the first and second guests. Fares apply to minimum lead-in categories on a space-available basis at time of booking. Fares for other categories may vary. This offer has limited space regardless of stateroom availability and may not be combinable with any other public, group or past guest offers, including Air discounts. Fares quoted in USD.

 

Offer is available to residents of the 50 United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Bermuda and the District of Columbia who are 21 years of age or older and receive this offer. Offer has limited space regardless of cabin availability. Fares quoted in USD.

 

Please refer to princess.com/sale for terms, conditions and definitions that apply to all bookings.

 

Deposits for bookings made under Great Escapes Sale are non-refundable.Offer ends: November 16, 2016. Promo code Q9-Note: For assistance reserving a wheelchair-accessible stateroom, please contact customer service at 1-800-774-6237.

© 2016, Princess Cruise Lines, Ltd. Ships of Bermudan and British registry

[SandyMc]

So - are you saying that I could get my deposit back if I buy Princess premium insurance with "cancel for any reason"? Would it only apply after final payment? This is very confusing and I thought I was a knowledgeable cruiser.......

[Bruin Steve]

Princess is the only cruise line where I've ever encountered this...and I don't like it.

Even though I have NEVER backed out on a cruise once booked, I like the idea that a refundable deposit keeps my options open--in case they run a better sale between booking and final payment.

So, on one cruise, when I encountered this, I actually chose a different category at a higher rate that was NOT subject to the sale and the non-refundable deposit--just to keep those options open.

 

I really think Princess does this in order to keep people from going back to them looking to renegotiate when the next sale is better.

 

But, during the sale, though they have that restriction, they also will offer fares with refundable deposits--you're likely pay just a little more though...

[bigenna]

So - are you saying that I could get my deposit back if I buy Princess premium insurance with "cancel for any reason"? Would it only apply after final payment? This is very confusing and I thought I was a knowledgeable cruiser.......

 

Call Princess and get the direct number for the company that provides the insurance for the correct answer. I have in the past called the insurance company and they are very willing and knowledgeable about what is and is not covered.

 

But one thing I CAN tell you is that if you get the insurance and then do end up cancelling your cruise you will be out the cost of the insurance. So figure that into your decision. May or may not be worth it to you.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Yes, it's true and you will lose it if you cancel. On one of my upcoming cruises, I'd even lose my FCCs. Take that into consideration when booking. The problem with the insurance is that you have to pay for that, so you'd be out that money if you cancelled. Yeah, you'll get your deposit back but you won't get the money you paid for insurance back. Which is cheaper? Usually it's the reduced deposit that's cheaper. Just something to consider.

[Babr]

The cancel-for-any-reason provision in the Princess Travel Protection plan gives you a cruise credit - not cash. Third-party policies do offer cash back, but at a rate of 75-90%.

 

I doubut that it would make economic sense to buy either just to insure the deposit if you think there is a likelihood of cancelling for a non-covered reason before final payment because the policy probably will cost more than the deposit.

 

However, if you do decide to go forward with that, inquire about insuring just the deposit at the time you buy the policy and adding to it as you spend money for other non-refundable items like air fare or hotels and,of course, the final payment of the cruise.

 

If you cancel for a covered reason, it is not an issue; but in either case you are out the cost of the insurance.

[JF - retired RRT]

If you cancel for a covered reason, it is not an issue; but in either case you are out the cost of the insurance.

 

Some 3rd party insurance will allow you to move the cost of the insurance to another cruise (within a certain time frame), I've done this a couple of times.

[Vacation Nut]

If you change to another category on the same cruise the deposit transfers... Or if the price goes down before you pay in full your deposit is not affected.

[Babr]

Some 3rd party insurance will allow you to move the cost of the insurance to another cruise (within a certain time frame), I've done this a couple of times.

 

I'm guessing that the OP could not file a claim for the non-refundable deposit and move the insurance to another cruise. Moving it would only help her if her deposit for the first cruise were refundable. I thought she was looking for a way to protect the deposit.

[riclop]

?!I have not cruised Princess in 4 years but have decided to do a cruise to Hawaii on the Grand Princess with family. When I try to book any cabin (other than expensive mini suite) it tells me that my deposit will not be refundable for any reason . Since the cruise is six months out I am shocked - have never heard of such a practice on any cruise line! Is this now normal for Princess?? :eek:

 

They do this all the time.

[Whimsy]

Call a travel agent that might be able to find you group space on that sailing that will allow you to book with a refundable deposit. There may also be other rates available besides this promotion. You don't have to book only with the non refundable option, there are usually other options.

[cr8tiv1]

This is why my TA warns me adamantly....not to book any cruise with a non-refundable deposit. The two times I have done it was by mistake and when final payment was past due and I "knew" that I was going (fare was obscenely cheap).

 

I don't read the fine print (just me). But my TA always looks after me. She is worth ever penny I spend on cruising.

[Times Prince]

?!I have not cruised Princess in 4 years but have decided to do a cruise to Hawaii on the Grand Princess with family. When I try to book any cabin (other than expensive mini suite) it tells me that my deposit will not be refundable for any reason . Since the cruise is six months out I am shocked - have never heard of such a practice on any cruise line! Is this now normal for Princess?? :eek:

As others have said, Princess is doing this as part of a sale offer, often when the sale price and other benefits are low and have eaten into the company's profit margin.

 

Keep in mind that although your cruise may be 6 months away, final payment is due in just a little over 3 months.

 

This is exactly like airfare - you can book less expensive airline travel with Restrictive fares and no refund, or pay more to have flexibility. What you are seeing when trying to book is the "restrictive" option. I am sure that if you want to pay more then Princess Cruises will make a more expensive "flexible" option available.

 

As far as insurance, we had a recent cruise where the cost of the insurance covering the deposit was about 80% of the size of the deposit. Being in reasonable health, we gambled and won, paying Princess insurance along with Final Payment.

 

As with anything, you must evaluate the risk in your own terms. For us, any emergency which would cause us to miss a cruise would probably be of such a magnitude we wouldn't even worry about the deposit (we use Future Cruise Credits).

[Lucky TGO]

Are you sure there's not one price for non refundable and one for it??

Tony

[Coral]

Call a travel agent that might be able to find you group space on that sailing that will allow you to book with a refundable deposit. There may also be other rates available besides this promotion. You don't have to book only with the non refundable option, there are usually other options.

 

This is true. There are often prices that are not part of the sale that do have refundable discounts. They may be higher.

[omc329]

If this is the way Princess intends to play their game, I don't know how many future cruises I'll be taking with them. I tend to book cruises years in advance. Life happens and things change in that amount of time. With non-refundable deposits, I can't book that way. I was looking to purchase one of those future deposits on our first cruise.....maybe not now.....*sigh*

 

Unless one is a last minute traveler, cruising is turning into less and less of a value. Great for retirees, but not those who need to plan.

[jpcello]

?!I have not cruised Princess in 4 years but have decided to do a cruise to Hawaii on the Grand Princess with family. When I try to book any cabin (other than expensive mini suite) it tells me that my deposit will not be refundable for any reason . Since the cruise is six months out I am shocked - have never heard of such a practice on any cruise line! Is this now normal for Princess?? :eek:

 

Yup, I got screwed earlier this year. Booked a cruise with a $250 deposit, not realizing it was non-refundable. Not all deposits are non-refundable - just depends. You have to ask.