Princess Booking transfer policy

[Colo Cruiser]

3 minutes ago, yerdua said:

Actually I do know they are both owned by CCL. In fact I own their stock. But, they are each separate profit centers and as such are responsible for their own bottom lines. Each has their own President/CEO, their own corporate structure. So, yes, I am still giving my cruise $$ to CCL, but HAL will show the income, not Princess.

You are correct, they lost a customer.  😉

[jagoffee]

9 hours ago, yerdua said:

I booked a cruise on line last spring on Sky for next fall on a $1 deposit day. It was a whim 18 months in advance of departure. Now I've gotten excited about this cruise and am looking forward to it. Current fares are now substantially higher with much less OBC, so cancelling and rebooking is not an option. I had intended to transfer it closed to final payment. My main purpose was to utilize Princess' cancel for any reason insurance, but not before it was truly necessary. So far all I've used of  princess' resources is a little bandwidth. 

 

i had intended to pick up a couple FCDs while on that cruise, which I now will not do. While I understand changing a policy going forward, but I don't understand not grandfathering prior bookings. I also cruise HAL, who runs many similar itineraries as princess. I'll be using my cruise budget with HAL going forward. Congrats Princess, you just lost a customer.

 

 

I assume that you tried to transfer your booking and you were not successful. 

Others have been successful.  

[tothemall&beyond]

11 hours ago, LunaSeaRetreat said:

I just booked a cruise with Princess online yesterday.  I'm so glad I decided to check out the Princess thread here to see what was happening.  I always wait until about a month before final payment to transfer it to my TA.  That way I can control the booking and not bother my TA.  (Things like changing cabins, taking advantage of price decreases, changing to a different offer.) I can still do these things using my TA but it's easier to do them directly.   I very seldom cancel cruises and I never book two different cruise in the same time period. 

 

Luckily, I still have time to transfer the two cruises I have booked with Princess.  If I had not seen this on Cruise Critic, I would have lost about a $1000 in OBC.  So thank you to GT77 for posting this.  I feel really sorry for the cruisers that won't find out about this for months and can do nothing about it.

 

The main things I appreciated about Princess were that they always allow Military credit, stockholders credit, and transferring to a TA before final payment.  One down 2 to go.  After all they are a business.

 

Cynthia

 

 

Ditto to everything you wrote. We liked keeping control of the booking for ease of changing cabins, promos, etc. As you said, can still do that with TA, but more cumbersome.

 

[freetocruise]

I'm not having much luck getting Princess to transfer a Sky Princess cruise that I booked when it first opened. I need a little "ammo" that my TA or I can use. Would any of those who posted success in transferring an older cruise be willing to share any specifics? I don't want anyone to compromise their booking but Princess  is asking for proof that exceptions have been made. I just get the standard response someone posted earlier. I can provide an email to respond to me directly. Thanks.

[chamima]

8 minutes ago, freetocruise said:

I'm not having much luck getting Princess to transfer a Sky Princess cruise that I booked when it first opened. I need a little "ammo" that my TA or I can use. Would any of those who posted success in transferring an older cruise be willing to share any specifics? I don't want anyone to compromise their booking but Princess  is asking for proof that exceptions have been made. I just get the standard response someone posted earlier. I can provide an email to respond to me directly. Thanks.

 

My TA has submitted the paperwork to transfer but told me to give it a couple of days to see results.

My advice to you would be just to call again.

I've found that in the past different agents give vastly different answers to the same question.

I'm surprised , though, that your TA wasn't successful - did they try submitting the transfer form?

[cruzsnooze]

1 hour ago, freetocruise said:

I'm not having much luck getting Princess to transfer a Sky Princess cruise that I booked when it first opened. I need a little "ammo" that my TA or I can use. Would any of those who posted success in transferring an older cruise be willing to share any specifics? I don't want anyone to compromise their booking but Princess  is asking for proof that exceptions have been made. I just get the standard response someone posted earlier. I can provide an email to respond to me directly. Thanks.

Ask for the next level after talking to the rep who answers the phone. Keep going up the chain of command. 

[dickinson]

My TA submitted the form.  I got a rejection email yesterday.  My TA is a top seller of Princess cruises.  She told me she has emailed some contacts but hasn't heard back yet.  She is going out of town tomorrow.  I was told to call Princess myself and complain.  I called yesterday.  The rep said the revenue dept was closed on Saturdays (my TA later told me that was not true) but would try customer relations as someone on here previously said they went through customer relations.  Customer relations said they were not authorized so I was told to call Monday to speak with the revenue dept.  UGH!!!!

[chamima]

40 minutes ago, dickinson said:

My TA submitted the form.  I got a rejection email yesterday.  My TA is a top seller of Princess cruises.  She told me she has emailed some contacts but hasn't heard back yet.  She is going out of town tomorrow.  I was told to call Princess myself and complain.  I called yesterday.  The rep said the revenue dept was closed on Saturdays (my TA later told me that was not true) but would try customer relations as someone on here previously said they went through customer relations.  Customer relations said they were not authorized so I was told to call Monday to speak with the revenue dept.  UGH!!!!

 

I have a feeling we have the same TA (the details sound familiar).

I haven't received the rejection letter yet but am prepared now. 😦

[cherylandtk]

I’m not a big fan of the suggestion I am about to make—but in the past Princess has been quite responsive to complaints posted on their FB or other social media.  It is possible they might change their position and allow a grace period if they receive enough feedback suggesting that.

[dickinson]

11 minutes ago, cherylandtk said:

I’m not a big fan of the suggestion I am about to make—but in the past Princess has been quite responsive to complaints posted on their FB or other social media.  It is possible they might change their position and allow a grace period if they receive enough feedback suggesting that.

 

Just went to their FB page.  Only posts are theirs with other people's responses.  There is a place to create a post.  I guess that is where I would do it.  They probably delete them after they read them.  I think I'll use it as a last resort.  Thanks for the suggestion.

[dickinson]

17 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

I have a feeling we have the same TA (the details sound familiar).

I haven't received the rejection letter yet but am prepared now. 😦

 

I emailed her Friday afternoon and received the email from revenue Saturday around noon EST.  When did you notify her?  Actually, knowing that they changed the policy I expected more than just filling out a form but from the start reaching out to her contacts.  I guess she felt she had to go through the normal processes first.

Edited November 25, 2018 by dickinson

[chamima]

12 minutes ago, dickinson said:

 

I emailed her Friday afternoon and received the email from revenue Saturday around noon EST.  When did you notify her?  Actually, knowing that they changed the policy I expected more than just filling out a form but from the start reaching out to her contacts.  I guess she felt she had to go through the normal processes first.

 

 

Looking back at my emails I emailed her Friday morning. She said she had sent LOTS of forms and expected Princess  to honor them.

The FB suggestion sounds good.

[dickinson]

3 hours ago, chamima said:

 

 

Looking back at my emails I emailed her Friday morning. She said she had sent LOTS of forms and expected Princess  to honor them.

The FB suggestion sounds good.

 

Is she in PA?

[Cruise Raider]

Celebrity has been doing this for several years ... that I know of.  I loved the flexibility that Princess used to offer with their bookings ... but, now, not so much.  However, I guess I will just book directly through an agency.  

One issue I can think of is due to my travel agency not taking Amex any longer and now I won't be able to take advantage of those offers any longer.  I usually try to transfer my booking to that agency just prior to final payment.  Guess that will no longer be my game plan ... and now will have to either find a different agency or just leave my booking with Princess.  It's not the end of the world ... but I won't be able to research for better deals up until final payment any longer.  I guess I will manage but still a little disappointed. 

[JF - retired RRT]

5 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

It's not the end of the world ... but I won't be able to research for better deals up until final payment any longer.  I guess I will manage but still a little disappointed. 

You can still keep an eye out for better deals/lower prices, you'll just have to wait for your TA to grab it for you.

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, JF - retired RRT said:

You can still keep an eye out for better deals/lower prices, you'll just have to wait for your TA to grab it for you.

 

I always keep an eye out for better deals but it has to be only through Princess now.  Oftentimes, I've seen a really great rate (usually a group booking) through a specific travel agency and not all TA's are created equal.  So, where I'd normally just transfer it from the cruiseline to that TA at that time, I will no longer be able to do that.  

 

[mikjr]

The way I am reading this,  it relates to TRANSFERRING a booked cruise to a T/A now has to be done within 60 days...  RIGHT??

BUT, has nothing to do with cancelling a booked cruise to take advantage of a special or lower rate on the same cruise, RIGHT??  

 

[dickinson]

2 minutes ago, mikjr said:

The way I am reading this,  it relates to TRANSFERRING a booked cruise to a T/A now has to be done within 60 days...  RIGHT??

BUT, has nothing to do with cancelling a booked cruise to take advantage of a special or lower rate on the same cruise, RIGHT??  

 

 

Normally when you get a price adjustment when rates go down or better promos you don't cancel your booking.  You can always cancel your booking and rebook but you could lose some things associated with the booking such as EZAir.  The prices may have gone up on that or the routes are no longer available.

[mikjr]

32 minutes ago, dickinson said:

 

Normally when you get a price adjustment when rates go down or better promos you don't cancel your booking.  You can always cancel your booking and rebook but you could lose some things associated with the booking such as EZAir.  The prices may have gone up on that or the routes are no longer available.

Thanks.. that's more of what I was thinking.  

[pompeii]

Is the new policy on the website somewhere?  Does anyone have a link?  I poked around but didn't find anything.

[chamima]

4 hours ago, dickinson said:

 

Is she in PA?

 

 

Yup.

[dickinson]

Chamomile - I’m surprised that Princess emailed me a rejection letter on Saturday and you have not received one. I’m calling again Monday morning when they open. I’ll update if I have any luck. Please update once you hear something. I also think the TA has emailed some contacts of hers too. Even though she is going out of town she still seems to work!

[caribill]

11 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

One issue I can think of is due to my travel agency not taking Amex any longer and now I won't be able to take advantage of those offers any longer. 

 

TAs are supposed to have the charge made to Princess, not to their own agency. So if the charge is made to Princess I cannot understand why any card that Princess accepts would not be acceptable to the TA.

[cruiseintoheaven]

Am I the only one that was aware of this before this thread and November 18??  When I booked 2 weeks on the Sky Princess for 2020 directly with Princess back in April I asked the Princess rep my usual list of questions and took notes.  My notes clearly say “60 days to transfer” which is fine with me as I always do so in that time frame anyway.  And I don’t think that’s the first time I’ve been made aware of this timeframe, which is why I’ve been confused when posters say they book directly and then right before the cruise transfer to their preferred TA.....🤷‍♀️

[dickinson]

47 minutes ago, cruiseintoheaven said:

Am I the only one that was aware of this before this thread and November 18??  When I booked 2 weeks on the Sky Princess for 2020 directly with Princess back in April I asked the Princess rep my usual list of questions and took notes.  My notes clearly say “60 days to transfer” which is fine with me as I always do so in that time frame anyway.  And I don’t think that’s the first time I’ve been made aware of this timeframe, which is why I’ve been confused when posters say they book directly and then right before the cruise transfer to their preferred TA.....🤷‍♀️

 

This is a brand new policy.  It used to be you had til final payment.  Policy changed Nov 12 according to a previous post.  

 

I called back Princess.  Rep called a supervisor.  Came back and told me basically no.  She gave me some wrong info so I asked to speak with the supervisor.  Put me on hold and came back and told me they will make an exception.  She emailed me the form to use and I just faxed it to the attention of the supervisor who apparently is in customer relations.  We'll see if this works because at first I was told I would have to cancel and rebook but then was told no because currently my cruise tour is showing sold out (apparently they don't want it part of the cyber Monday sale) so they would transfer the booking.  Time will tell.