Not happy with new Nonrefunable deposit rule

[cruzsnooze]

I need to cancel a cruise I have booked for next April. Today I faxed my TA the cancellation form and they emailed me back that $200 of the deposit was non-refundable. I booked the cruise back in May 2016 and it was NOT a non-refundable deposit.

 

After almost an hour on the phone with them (mostly on hold) they told me that when my reservation was re-priced in May 2017 for a price drop (which I initiated by calling them), it was turned into a non-refundable deposit at that point. They got that information by calling Princess today while I was on hold.

 

But I was never told that during the call to process the price drop and there was no mention of it in the updated invoice they sent me that day. At the end of today's call they referred it to a supervisor who would investigate it by "pulling the call" and get back to me in a day or two. I guess they are trying to see if I was told this information or not.

 

But I really think I would have remembered that if they told me and more importantly, doesn't that need to be in writing to me? Do you think I have any recourse since the updated reservation invoice they sent me makes no mention of $200 being non-refundable?

Your TA is totally responsible not Princess. When you use a TA they should have told you it was a rebooking not a mere adjustment to your price. Princess is blameless.

[dchip]

What is happening with non refundable deposits is you can't refare when prices drop without losing your deposit. I think that's a big reason the cruise lines are going in this direction. We have never cancelled a cruise but we have refared more than once! :eek:

 

Cheers, Denise

[jimmieg]

As the poster above discovered a lower fare and initiated the request for a repricing to the lower fare, probably there is a certain responsibility to read the terms of the lower fare.

I'm trying to see a problem with a non-refundable deposit as one option for booking a deeper discounted fare. A trade-off. I still decide if it makes sense, if insurance will cover my cancellation, how sure I am I'll take the trip, if a $100 potential loss vs a $1000 potential savings is worthwhile, etc.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

The SNAP promo ends in four days. Be patient.

What is the SNAP promo?

[WildBlueYonder64]

I was just looking at the Carnival website, thinking I might book a cruise with them after reading a very positive review by a Princess cruiser.

The deposit rules stopped me cold. Deposits are non-refundable...period. If you cancel BEFORE final payment, they give you a Future Cruise Credit which has to be used within one year plus there's a $50 service fee IIRC. What??:mad:

We change our minds all the time. No way, José.

The ones I looked at were not on a sale.

 

While this has nothing to do with the OP's complaint, I feel some clarification is in order regarding the above comment. What you're referring to is the Early Saver Rate, which is just one of several ways to book with Carnival. Early Saver is the cheapest, but along with that comes some pretty strict rules. There are other rates if you're not willing to take that risk.

[dr__dawggy]

What is happening with non refundable deposits is you can't refare when prices drop without losing your deposit. I think that's a big reason the cruise lines are going in this direction. We have never cancelled a cruise but we have refared more than once! :eek:

 

Cheers, Denise

 

This.

[octoberdana]

This.

 

 

 

You should be able to refare you are not cancelling?

 

 

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[Gatormomma]

The policy of non-refundable deposits is repugnant and I understand the OP's objection. We usually book well in advance for a better cabin selection and price. We don't book multiple cabins or multiple cruises. We do however like the freedom to change our mind and book a different cruise or book with a different cruise line. Yes, we look for lower prices, doesn't everyone? If we see a better deal, we go for it. If we have to change our plans for whatever reason, we want to do so without penalty. We understand that after final payment date, there are penalties. That's understood and reasonable.

 

It's a money grab, plain and simple. It started with no refunds for a price drop after final payment date. Then we were even denied on-board-credit after price drops.

 

When cancellation fees (which are essentially the same as a non-refundable deposit) were instituted by many travel agencies, I recall the hue and cry on these boards and the many recommendations to find other travel agencies who did not penalize you for changing your mind. Now the cruise lines are mimicking those punitive policies and doing as the airlines do with their two-tier pricing and it is not a good thing for the consumer. Soon they will be upping the future cruise deposits to $200 or even higher to put even more of our hard-earned money at risk or making the final payment date 6 months prior to sailing.

 

Smart shoppers beware! They're on to your nefarious schemes.:rolleyes:

 

Harry

s

 

Harry...this is exactly how I feel! I don't book multiple cabins, and I've only canceled one time, and that was because the reviews of that ship were not good.

 

It's really not the $200, it's the two tiered pricing that offends me the most. we certainly are not rewarded for being long time Princess cruisers!

 

Thanks for your response.

[Carolyn R]

Non-refundable deposits are nothing new when booking with a sales promotion.

 

Although I've recently read that the deposit terms of the promotion now apply even when using a FCD which would be lost with a non-refundable deposit sale. I think this is a new change in policy although I rarely book a cruise with a non-refundable deposit so don't have many experiences with them.

 

I did recently book a cruise with a non-refundable $1 deposit so I'm risking that deposit. ;)

 

I recently had to cancel a cruise that i booked with a $1 deposit and noticed a $2 refund to my checking account a few days later.

[chloe45]

I would never book a cruise if the deposit was not refundable. As you get older things happen. Parents get sick, you get sick, your boss changes his mind about letting you off when you are scheduled etc.

 

If all cruise lines start doing this I would not cruise anymore. That simple. $100 isn't much but you could eat a fairly decent meal out for that.

 

My two cents...

[FritzG]

I would never book a cruise if the deposit was not refundable. As you get older things happen. Parents get sick, you get sick, your boss changes his mind about letting you off when you are scheduled etc.

 

If all cruise lines start doing this I would not cruise anymore. That simple. $100 isn't much but you could eat a fairly decent meal out for that.

 

My two cents...

 

Another reason you should have insurance. We had to cancel a cruise with a non refundable deposit for medical reasons, and the deposit was refunded.

 

Unfortunately I think that people who book several cruises with the intention of cancelling some of them have caused the cruise lines to rethink the policies. I've seen people bragging about it here on CC.

We always have FCC's so that we only pay $100 each for the deposit, but then again, we only book cruises that we intend to take, and we always get insurance.

[chloe45]

Another reason you should have insurance. We had to cancel a cruise with a non refundable deposit for medical reasons, and the deposit was refunded.

 

Unfortunately I think that people who book several cruises with the intention of cancelling some of them have caused the cruise lines to rethink the policies. I've seen people bragging about it here on CC.

We always have FCC's so that we only pay $100 each for the deposit, but then again, we only book cruises that we intend to take, and we always get insurance.

 

I don't pay for the travel insurance until final payment. If I was going to cancel a cruise it would be before final payment. The travel insurance is more than the non-refundable deposit so your post doesn't make sense to me.

[Cruise-Crazzy]

I need to cancel a cruise I have booked for next April. Today I faxed my TA the cancellation form and they emailed me back that $200 of the deposit was non-refundable. I booked the cruise back in May 2016 and it was NOT a non-refundable deposit.

 

After almost an hour on the phone with them (mostly on hold) they told me that when my reservation was re-priced in May 2017 for a price drop (which I initiated by calling them), it was turned into a non-refundable deposit at that point. They got that information by calling Princess today while I was on hold.

 

But I was never told that during the call to process the price drop and there was no mention of it in the updated invoice they sent me that day. At the end of today's call they referred it to a supervisor who would investigate it by "pulling the call" and get back to me in a day or two. I guess they are trying to see if I was told this information or not.

 

But I really think I would have remembered that if they told me and more importantly, doesn't that need to be in writing to me? Do you think I have any recourse since the updated reservation invoice they sent me makes no mention of $200 being non-refundable?

 

When you found the price drop, was there any mention of non-refundable in the write-up? When you re- booked you also agreed to all the conditions of the new booking. Since you initiated the re-booking it was assumed you read all the fine print. Your TA should of caught it and informed you. Sometimes a deal isn't as great as it first appears.

[jimmieg]

 

It's really not the $200, it's the two tiered pricing that offends me the most. we certainly are not rewarded for being long time Princess cruisers!

 

Thanks for your response.

 

Cruise lines are just catching up with the airlines and hotels where two-tiered pricing has been in effect for decades. Cheaper, non-refundable rates vs full-price change your mind. Even for their best customers, frequent flyer/stayers.

Here's a thought, you can just insure amount you have at risk ($200) and add to it at final. Some credit cards protect you if your cancellation is for medical reasons.

[meatloafsfan]

I was just looking at the Carnival website, thinking I might book a cruise with them after reading a very positive review by a Princess cruiser.

The deposit rules stopped me cold. Deposits are non-refundable...period. If you cancel BEFORE final payment, they give you a Future Cruise Credit which has to be used within one year plus there's a $50 service fee IIRC. What??:mad:

We change our minds all the time. No way, José.

The ones I looked at were not on a sale.

 

Only the Early Saver fare (which is the lowest fare - and allows for price drops up to 2 days before sailing). There are other rates on Carnival that have a fully refundable deposit up to final payment. The non-refundable deposit is in exchange for basically a guarantee that you can apply for the lowest price up until sailing.

[travelgirl45]

Another reason you should have insurance. We had to cancel a cruise with a non refundable deposit for medical reasons, and the deposit was refunded.

 

Unfortunately I think that people who book several cruises with the intention of cancelling some of them have caused the cruise lines to rethink the policies. I've seen people bragging about it here on CC.

We always have FCC's so that we only pay $100 each for the deposit, but then again, we only book cruises that we intend to take, and we always get insurance.

 

MHOO Why would you book several cruises in advance, if you have no intention of taking them. Not fair to the people who would like that cabin. PLEASE only book what you are definitely going to take. Make up your mind instead of inconveniencing fellow passengers.

[neverbeenhere]

MHOO Why would you book several cruises in advance, if you have no intention of taking them. Not fair to the people who would like that cabin. PLEASE only book what you are definitely going to take. Make up your mind instead of inconveniencing fellow passengers.

 

Or Book as many cruises as you want then cancel the ones you don't want prior to final payment date. Princess will decide when they've had enough of it, I guess the non-refundable deposit is the start.

 

 

 

* Not sure anyone would be inconveniencing fellow passengers as the canceled cruiser would not be on that particular cruise, thus not a fellow passenger. :confused:

[FritzG]

I don't pay for the travel insurance until final payment. If I was going to cancel a cruise it would be before final payment. The travel insurance is more than the non-refundable deposit so your post doesn't make sense to me.

You have a problem that would cause you to cancel after final payment. Also, those with pre-existing conditions could pay for the insurance at the time of booking.

It might not apply to you, but it does make sense in some cases.

[RocketMan275]

MHOO Why would you book several cruises in advance, if you have no intention of taking them. Not fair to the people who would like that cabin. PLEASE only book what you are definitely going to take. Make up your mind instead of inconveniencing fellow passengers.

 

Some people also book multiple shore excursions in the same port intending to cancel when they do finally make up their minds.

[dchip]

You should be able to refare you are not cancelling?

 

 

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We re booked our 5 day October cruise with a non refundable deposit because we got the 2nd passenger at half price. It was a big savings and the first leg of a B2B. I knew we wouldn't cancel.

 

This cruise is not selling well at all. Now the fare is even lower than we paid. :o The only way we could get the lower fare was to cancel, lose the deposit and refare. At this point it didn't pay to lose the deposit. It didn't occur to me at booking that we wouldn't be able to get a price adjustment because it was a non refundable deposit. Live and learn. :confused:

 

Cheers, Denise

[4cats4me]

MHOO Why would you book several cruises in advance, if you have no intention of taking them. Not fair to the people who would like that cabin. PLEASE only book what you are definitely going to take. Make up your mind instead of inconveniencing fellow passengers.

 

 

 

What if someone books a guarantee cabin? Is that unfair too?

We fall in the category of those who've booked cabins as far as23 months out, with every intention of sailing on said date, only to cancel before final payment.

Unfortunately, a lot can happen in an almost two-year period. Life gets in the way. Jobs are lost, health issues arise, et cet. Castigating those who participate in a free market is pointless.

 

 

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[SantaFeFan]

What if someone books a guarantee cabin? Is that unfair too?

We fall in the category of those who've booked cabins as far as23 months out, with every intention of sailing on said date, only to cancel before final payment.

Unfortunately, a lot can happen in an almost two-year period. Life gets in the way. Jobs are lost, health issues arise, et cet. Castigating those who participate in a free market is pointless.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Read what he wrote - no one said booking a single guarantee is unfair, or having to cancel your one reservation due to unexpected situations is unfair. But, hording several cabins on various cruises just to be able to pick one of them and cancelling all the others at final payment is selfish, period. No doubt people who do this will probably book popular cabins, making them unavailable for people who are actually serious about being on that cruise. Then they bail out at the last minute because they decided on one of the other cruises they had booked and suddenly the room become available. Someone who would have liked that cabin has already booked another, so they miss out. And, now the cruise line probably has to lower the price after final payment to try to fill that suddenly empty cabin.

 

Everyone loses except for the selfish cabin hoarder, who had no intention of keeping many of the cabins booked. So, yes, that is unfair to everyone but the hoarder. I have always been surprised that the cruise lines have been so generous with their refundable deposits. That policy allows, and encourages, abuse as is evident by the comments from people boasting that they do it.

[RocketMan275]

What is the SNAP promo?

 

Me bad. SNAP is the HAL non-refundable deposit promo ends 27 Jul.

Princess has two promos running.

Sun Drenched Deals with the 50% reduced and non refundable deposits. No more Sun Drenched Deals sailing after around May 2018.

Sip & Sail beverage package, etc., refundable deposits. Sip & Sail cruises begin sometime in summer 2018 but can be booked now.

[Liz54]

I booked for March 2018 on the dollar deposit promo. My invoice put the penalty at $135 PP. When I called, they agreed that my exposure was $2.00, but could not change the invoice. The best I could do was get them to send me an email, clarifying that the deposit was $1.00 PP.

Last week, the price went down and I had no problem getting the new price.

 

If Princess wants to crack down on deposits, why did they have a $1.00 deposit promo?

 

we have good reasons to be unsure of our plans so this is helpful to us.

[mellon1]

Why on earth would one "flame" you for an astute observation? I have seen (read) the same things as yourselves. Does it seem that the gamers of the system are the first to complain?

We have traveled a bit. And once, just once in 48 years has it been necessary to cancel a trip. In as much as diagnosis and treatment for cancer was involved, the loss of a deposit was the least of our concerns. But then, we book vacations for which we plan go upon.

 

Thank you for understanding... We book to go...it is our only escape. My heart and prayers truly go out to you...with a sincere heart truly. We also have had the cancer unfortunately...chose to go because It was the best for healing. The sea air and ocean is very healing. It does bother us that we cannot get weeks because people book multiple cruises with the $100 deposits and cancel at the end. Cruised many times and heard people book MULTIPLE CRUISES, WAITING FOR prices to go down...then cancel for what benefits them...Princess should make it that you can only book one at a time. Not fair to those really cruising and needing to schedule.