Not happy with new Nonrefunable deposit rule

[mellon1]

I agree, no flames from me. Am I happy with the non refundable deposit....no.

But you are right. There are so many cabins tied up because of this. :rolleyes:

 

Yep..I agree. Those who have the $$ to book multiple are in the win win. Then...has anyone thought they open multiple rooms to get the better rate because they cancel and the room is open and they know when to call.

 

They are playing all of us.

[mellon1]

I agree, no flames from me. Am I happy with the non refundable deposit....no.

But you are right. There are so many cabins tied up because of this. :rolleyes:

 

Thank you. So sad for people who are really wanting the SPECIFIC rooms and people feel entitled. We refuse to do this...it just is not right. Princess should not allow it and cross reference IMO.

[Redwing55]

I guess I'm in the minority. So, no skin in the game to get a lower fare? If Princess didn't have this in place, people could book and book and book. And as a fact, one CAN do some of that today. Making one lose ones deposit for certain cruises (which I expect are a sale of some sort) makes all the sense in the world. What about another customer that can't get that cabin at that sale since it's been already booked by someone that more than likely will cancel on any whim?

Frankly, I think Princess is pretty good with most of their cancellations policies already. I do wonder if the TA could have assisted a bit though.

[4cats4me]

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.

 

 

 

Selfish cabin hoarder. LOL. Now I've heard everything. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

Seriously? I can't believe how people get so worked up about things that are mere conjecture. Honestly, how many cruisers actually have had to switch cruises due to their "favorite" cabin being unavailable? Logic tells me that one would just choose a different cabin ... if somebody is lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time when they book a coveted cabin for a cruise that they might intend to take, why should I or anyone else care? I think we can all agree that MOST people aren't cabin hoarders. And for the few cabin hoarders out there in the world, I doubt that they have that much of an impact on other potential cruisers' plans.

It is immaterial to me if any Cruiser on CC wanted to book two cabins on the same ship, while having little to no intention of going .

People need not worry so much about what others do, especially when it comes to cruising, a first world problem. [emoji81]

 

 

 

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[eatdrinkfly]

as others have noted, Carnival has been running non refundable deposit fares for a while now, Royal Caribbean and Holland have also started and now Princess is on the list too. River cruises have non refundable deposits... eventually i imagine the whole cruise industry will move this way.

 

it makes sense for the cruise lines to be getting a more concrete commitment from their guests and also for travel agents that do a bunch of work only to have cancellations where they make no money. although if you lose your deposit, the cruise line keeps it all, the agent still makes nothing... but perhaps this will discourage the people that book 10 cruises and only travel on 1.

[SantaFeFan]

Selfish cabin hoarder. LOL. Now I've heard everything. [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

Seriously? I can't believe how people get so worked up about things that are mere conjecture. Honestly, how many cruisers actually have had to switch cruises due to their "favorite" cabin being unavailable? Logic tells me that one would just choose a different cabin ... if somebody is lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time when they book a coveted cabin for a cruise that they might intend to take, why should I or anyone else care? I think we can all agree that MOST people aren't cabin hoarders. And for the few cabin hoarders out there in the world, I doubt that they have that much of an impact on other potential cruisers' plans.

It is immaterial to me if any Cruiser on CC wanted to book two cabins on the same ship, while having little to no intention of going .

People need not worry so much about what others do, especially when it comes to cruising, a first world problem. [emoji81]

 

 

 

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Once again, you aren't reading what people are writing. I did not say that anyone "had to switch cruises due to their favorite cabin being unavailable". YOU said that. You made that line up. Quit accusing people of writing things they did not write to make yourself feel superior. :rolleyes:

 

I am under the opinion that you are misquoting people to downplay something that you probably do. I have no proof of that, of course, but what you write sure makes it seem like you are trying hard to defend and excuse the practice. Why else would you be so adamant about it? :rolleyes:

 

Another way of looking at this - you have a favorite restaurant. You want to dine at a specific time so you can then enjoy a play or movie. But, because people have made reservations at several restaurants, including the one you want to enjoy, with the intention of deciding which one to go to based on what mood they might be on that evening and just not showing up at the others, you can't get the time you prefer. So, you have to take second choice that is not as convenient for you. .

 

That could be what people end up doing because of selfish people who book several cruises with the intention of cancelling all but one depending on their "mood" at the time, especially if those cabins are high demand cabins that are hard to find.

 

Am I describing you? :rolleyes:

 

I would bet that people trying to book a coveted corner aft cabin would not be so cavalier about this if they got locked out because someone booked it with no real intention of actually taking the cruise.

Edited July 25, 2017 by SantaFeFan

[Woobstr112G]

Stealing your deposit? Nickel and diming onboard?

Don't you have to pay for the cruise eventually anyway?

If you are that mad maybe it's time to find another cruise line. :rolleyes:

 

 

Bob

[4cats4me]

Once again, you aren't reading what people are writing. I did not say that anyone "had to switch cruises due to their favorite cabin being unavailable". YOU said that. You made that line up. Quit accusing people of writing things they did not write to make yourself feel superior. :rolleyes:

 

I am under the opinion that you are misquoting people to downplay something that you probably do. I have no proof of that, of course, but what you write sure makes it seem like you are trying hard to defend and excuse the practice. Why else would you be so adamant about it? :rolleyes:

 

Another way of looking at this - you have a favorite restaurant. You want to dine at a specific time so you can then enjoy a play or movie. But, because people have made reservations at several restaurants, including the one you want to enjoy, with the intention of deciding which one to go to based on what mood they might be on that evening and just not showing up at the others, you can't get the time you prefer. So, you have to take second choice that is not as convenient for you. .

 

That could be what people end up doing because of selfish people who book several cruises with the intention of cancelling all but one depending on their "mood" at the time, especially if those cabins are high demand cabins that are hard to find.

 

Am I describing you? :rolleyes:

 

I would bet that people trying to book a coveted corner aft cabin would not be so cavalier about this if they got locked out because someone booked it with no real intention of actually taking the cruise.

 

 

 

I don't book multiple cabins, never have engaged in such a practice. Quit twisting my words and practice your faux interrogation technique on someone who cares.

And by the way yes, I know how to read, but I didn't waste my time reading your entire last retort.

Your speculations are just that, speculation Apparently you think you have me all figured out, yet you don't even know me, so enjoy your sleuthing and the rest of your evening cracking the case of the serial cabin hoarders.

 

 

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[polmcs]

I was able to get my upcoming MR Thanksgiving cruise refared last month after a price drop despite the fact that I had a $100 non refundable security deposit.

 

I had actually used a FCD as the deposit and I was a little miffed that the FCD got turned a non refundable deposit even though the fare at the time of booking was nothing spectacular as far as price was concerned. The selling point of FCDs is that they are refundable if not used within 2 years and that they provide a reduced deposit benefit. When I first started cruising, a $500 deposit was not uncommon, so the FCD was a great thing to utilize.

 

I can see a point of Princess reducing a deposit to $100, rather than the more typical several hundred dollar figure and in return classifying that reduced amount as non refundable, but for Princess to hold a FCD for upto 2 years and then say that it's no longer refundable when used to "reduce" the deposit to $100 when that's all that the FCD deposit scheme required, seems a little bit on the penny pinching side.

[DaisyRose]

I have never booked a non refundable fare, and hope I never have to, but alas, that may be in the future. The part that bothers me most with non refundable fares is that they are not letting you "refare" if the price comes down. Why not? You are not cancelling, just wishing to get the current best price. I think that policy discourages early bookings. For me, if deposits become more and more non-refundable, it probably means that I will wait to book until closer to sail date. Sometimes you get the best price shortly before a cruise, though I know that is not always the case. Though I do have preferences, I am not too fussy about where my room is, I mainly like to avoid noisy areas, like above the theater, or below the pool area.

[4cats4me]

QUOTE BY SANTAFEFAN: QUOTE=SantaFeFan;53619913]"Once again, you aren't reading what people are writing. I did not say that anyone "had to switch cruises due to their favorite cabin being unavailable". YOU said that. You made that line up. Quit accusing people of writing things they did not write to make yourself feel superior. :rolleyes:

 

I am under the opinion that you are misquoting people to downplay something that you probably do. I have no proof of that, of course, but what you write sure makes it seem like you are trying hard to defend and excuse the practice. Why else would you be so adamant about it? :rolleyes:

 

Another way of looking at this - you have a favorite restaurant. You want to dine at a specific time so you can then enjoy a play or movie. But, because people have made reservations at several restaurants, including the one you want to enjoy, with the intention of deciding which one to go to based on what mood they might be on that evening and just not showing up at the others, you can't get the time you prefer. So, you have to take second choice that is not as convenient for you. .

 

That could be what people end up doing because of selfish people who book several cruises with the intention of cancelling all but one depending on their "mood" at the time, especially if those cabins are high demand cabins that are hard to find.

 

Am I describing you? :rolleyes:

 

I would bet that people trying to book a coveted corner aft cabin would not be so cavalier about this if they got locked out because someone booked it with no real intention of actually taking the cruise.[/]

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently, according to you, it IS okay to break rules, as long as they apply to what you believe. Re: Anytime Dining.

Just found this interesting. You've referenced selfish people above who tie up cabins, yet according to your earlier post it isn't selfish for traditional diners to tie up dining spots in the ATD dining room, which is not their assigned place.

Interesting logic.

 

 

" Traditional dinners able to use Anytime dining?"

 

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=24703&share_tid=2508241&share_pid=53270964&url=http%3A%2F%2Fboards%2Ecruisecritic%2Ecom%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Fp%3D53270964&share_type=t

 

 

 

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[AZJerry]

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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This. Making deposits non-refundable as much as 2 years out is crazy. If the cruise lines are that concerned about people canceling, a reasonable time for non-refundable deposits, say 6 months out, is more reasonable. That gives a fair amount of time to fill any canceled cabind.

[AZbeachboy]

If I remember properly deposits were much longer when we first started cruising. That was in the late 90's. It seems to me these low deposit just began 4 or 5 years ago. I remember having to put 1/4 to 1/2 down. Did anyone else have that experience?

[jimmieg]

This. Making deposits non-refundable as much as 2 years out is crazy. If the cruise lines are that concerned about people canceling, a reasonable time for non-refundable deposits, say 6 months out, is more reasonable. That gives a fair amount of time to fill any canceled cabind.

You can make your own rules. Just don't book a cruise with a NR deposit. You have a choice. Problem solved.

 

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[SantaFeFan]

QUOTE BY SANTAFEFAN: QUOTE=SantaFeFan;53619913]"Once again, you aren't reading what people are writing. I did not say that anyone "had to switch cruises due to their favorite cabin being unavailable". YOU said that. You made that line up. Quit accusing people of writing things they did not write to make yourself feel superior. :rolleyes:

 

I am under the opinion that you are misquoting people to downplay something that you probably do. I have no proof of that, of course, but what you write sure makes it seem like you are trying hard to defend and excuse the practice. Why else would you be so adamant about it? :rolleyes:

 

Another way of looking at this - you have a favorite restaurant. You want to dine at a specific time so you can then enjoy a play or movie. But, because people have made reservations at several restaurants, including the one you want to enjoy, with the intention of deciding which one to go to based on what mood they might be on that evening and just not showing up at the others, you can't get the time you prefer. So, you have to take second choice that is not as convenient for you. .

 

That could be what people end up doing because of selfish people who book several cruises with the intention of cancelling all but one depending on their "mood" at the time, especially if those cabins are high demand cabins that are hard to find.

 

Am I describing you? :rolleyes:

 

I would bet that people trying to book a coveted corner aft cabin would not be so cavalier about this if they got locked out because someone booked it with no real intention of actually taking the cruise.[/]

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently, according to you, it IS okay to break rules, as long as they apply to what you believe. Re: Anytime Dining.

Just found this interesting. You've referenced selfish people above who tie up cabins, yet according to your earlier post it isn't selfish for traditional diners to tie up dining spots in the ATD dining room, which is not their assigned place.

Interesting logic.

 

 

" Traditional dinners able to use Anytime dining?"

 

https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?share_fid=24703&share_tid=2508241&share_pid=53270964&url=http%3A%2F%2Fboards%2Ecruisecritic%2Ecom%2Fshowthread%2Ephp%3Fp%3D53270964&share_type=t

 

 

 

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First of all, learn how to quote properly. It avoids confusion as to who said what.

 

Second, congratulations for taking the low road and trolling my old posts to sniff out one to use to try to shame me in a feeble attempt to make me appear to be inferior to you. Quite childish and laughable. But, you probably already know you are acting that way - it seems to be a pattern.

 

Third, we never do Anytime Dining or whatever each cruise line calls it, so it doesn't make any difference to me what happens in that dining room. It doesn't affect me in the least if people from traditional dining chose to dine there once in a while. But it seems that it certainly bothers some people a lot. So excuuuuuuse me for commenting on my bewilderment as to why some people get so riled up over what amounts to a minor irritant.

 

I have expressed my opinions on these two threads and you have chosen to attack me or tried to shame for having the nerve to share my opinion on each. It is a shame that in your bubble-world people should be ridiculed or shamed for the audacity of having an opinion. Pretty sad, actually. Pretty sad.

 

So, go ahead and reply so you can have the last word and pat yourself on the back for being victorious. I won't see it, however, because I have just placed you on my ignore list (and please add me to yours!). I am done with this conversation with you as it will continue to lead nowhere - and I have much better things to do (such as sharing opinions with people who aren't as intolerant as you are).

Edited July 25, 2017 by SantaFeFan

[SantaFeFan]

If I remember properly deposits were much longer when we first started cruising. That was in the late 90's. It seems to me these low deposit just began 4 or 5 years ago. I remember having to put 1/4 to 1/2 down. Did anyone else have that experience?

 

We have been cruising for about 15 years and each time we booked the deposit was typically only $500 pp, regardless of the full fare for the cruise. It is only recently - 3 to 4 years - that I have personally come across $100 pp or even $1 pp deposits for cruises I have been interested in, and these seemed to be only with some promotion going on.

[hansi]

we always have reservations a year in advance so we get the cabin we want. Now, I'm told there are 2 prices...one with refundable deposit which is much higher amount...and lower amount with NONrefunable $100 per person deposit!!

 

Bad enough they are nickel and diming me on the ship, now they are stealing my deposit! I am almost elite, and this has really got me mad.

 

Get used to it. In the UK, it has always been the case that if you book today and cancel tomorrow, you lose your deposit.

[4cats4me]

First of all, learn how to quote properly. It avoids confusion as to who said what.

 

Second, congratulations for taking the low road and trolling my old posts to sniff out one to use to try to shame me in a feeble attempt to make me appear to be inferior to you. Quite childish and laughable. But, you probably already know you are acting that way - it seems to be a pattern.

 

Third, we never do Anytime Dining or whatever each cruise line calls it, so it doesn't make any difference to me what happens in that dining room. It doesn't affect me in the least if people from traditional dining chose to dine there once in a while. But it seems that it certainly bothers some people a lot. So excuuuuuuse me for commenting on my bewilderment as to why some people get so riled up over what amounts to a minor irritant.

 

I have expressed my opinions on these two threads and you have chosen to attack me or tried to shame for having the nerve to share my opinion on each. It is a shame that in your bubble-world people should be ridiculed or shamed for the audacity of having an opinion. Pretty sad, actually. Pretty sad.

 

So, go ahead and reply so you can have the last word and pat yourself on the back for being victorious. I won't see it, however, because I have just placed you on my ignore list (and please add me to yours!). I am done with this conversation with you as it will continue to lead nowhere - and I have much better things to do (such as sharing opinions with people who aren't as intolerant as you are).

 

 

[emoji23]

 

 

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[Homosassa]

Here is a copy of my post that I just made on the HAL board on this subject:

 

 

"I am in the minority on this, but I am very happy to hear that the cruise lines are going to nonrefundable deposits and locked in fares. I feel that it can only add to a quality increase in the cruising experience.

 

I have watched the on board quality declined across the board for about the last fifteen years and put it down to the lower per diem per passenger that the cruise line expects to be available when all the nickle and diming games on fares finish.

 

If a cruise line can depend on a higher cash base to calculate the expected per diem on a cruise, then there will be more available in the way of overall quality in food, entertainment and other onboard experiences.

 

So, I will continue booking my cruises as I have since 1976, find a cruise at a price that I am happy with and book. To cover those unexpected life zigs and zags, we buy insurance.

 

Here's to hopefully improved cruising quality."

 

 

And I will add, when I do decide to pull the trigger, I will be glad to see those desirable cabins still available for booking and not tied up in the fare game.

[Hlitner]

The non-refundable deposit issue is a big issue on several boards (this is not just about Princess). But we will jump in the fray on the side of the cruise lines. Here is their problem. While a majority of bookers are legit..in that they only book cruises that they intend to take....there are many others who play silly games with bookings. We know folks that will book 3, 4 and even 5 cruises (for about the same time period) because they simply want to hold certain cabins on a group of ships. Their intent is to take one of the cruises and cancel the rest as they near the final payment period.

 

This is a huge problem for cruise lines. These fake bookings take a lot of inventory out of the mix...and deprive serious bookers from having the ability to book those cabins. Some cruise lines (Princess being one) has tried playing the airline game of overbooking....but that often backfires and causes major issues. We have booked far more then 100 cruises in our life, and have only canceled 2 (one of those was for a death in the family). My feeling is that if folks want to book with totally refundable deposits, having them pay more makes sense. We might also suggest that refundable deposits be a benefit for frequent cruisers (such as Elite with Princess) with perhaps a limitation put on lifetime cancellations. So once an Elite canceled a few bookings, they would lose their privilege for refundable deposits.

 

Hank

[4cats4me]

If I remember properly deposits were much longer when we first started cruising. That was in the late 90's. It seems to me these low deposit just began 4 or 5 years ago. I remember having to put 1/4 to 1/2 down. Did anyone else have that experience?

 

 

 

We've been booking with FCDs for so long now, at least 8 years, hence the $100 deposit, that it's hard to remember. But before that I think we had to put down around $250-450 pp back in the early to late nineties for a 7-10 day cruise.

 

 

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[travelgirl45]

we always have reservations a year in advance so we get the cabin we want. Now, I'm told there are 2 prices...one with refundable deposit which is much higher amount...and lower amount with NONrefunable $100 per person deposit!!

 

Bad enough they are nickel and diming me on the ship, now they are stealing my deposit! I am almost elite, and this has really got me mad.

 

 

I think you need to decide if you are or you are not going to cruise. If you have a concern about losing your deposit, purchase insurance. Why reserve a cabin if you're "iffy" about going. Just make the decision. You are reserving a cabin that someone else might like.

[upwarduk]

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?

 

 

We had to cancel a cruise in Oct 2015. I knew I would loose my deposit, as we do in UK under our T&C, but I was surprised when we were told we would have to pay for the cancelled flight to Rome.

I objected and was told I was told this when I booked ( I said we weren't )

They maintained that they had listened to a recording of our booking , but of course I wasn't able to hear it.

I said it should have been in writing, we certainly didn't have any paper work and also, there was nothing in the brochure.

Eventually I was told there wouldn't be a flight charge.

[Redwing55]

This. Making deposits non-refundable as much as 2 years out is crazy. If the cruise lines are that concerned about people canceling, a reasonable time for non-refundable deposits, say 6 months out, is more reasonable. That gives a fair amount of time to fill any canceled cabind.

 

So what good is a deposit if you can get it back for any reason?

[AZbeachboy]

Thanks for the discussion. This is something to think about. My concerns over the last few years have been on quality issues as you mentioned.

 

 

Here is a copy of my post that I just made on the HAL board on this subject:

 

 

"I am in the minority on this, but I am very happy to hear that the cruise lines are going to nonrefundable deposits and locked in fares. I feel that it can only add to a quality increase in the cruising experience.

 

I have watched the on board quality declined across the board for about the last fifteen years and put it down to the lower per diem per passenger that the cruise line expects to be available when all the nickle and diming games on fares finish.

 

If a cruise line can depend on a higher cash base to calculate the expected per diem on a cruise, then there will be more available in the way of overall quality in food, entertainment and other onboard experiences.

 

So, I will continue booking my cruises as I have since 1976, find a cruise at a price that I am happy with and book. To cover those unexpected life zigs and zags, we buy insurance.

 

Here's to hopefully improved cruising quality."

 

 

And I will add, when I do decide to pull the trigger, I will be glad to see those desirable cabins still available for booking and not tied up in the fare game.