Cruise booking disappointment

[majortom10]

Just tried to book a cruise in the UK with my TA for the Baltics in August 2019 with Love Boat special offer of OBC. Disappointed to find very few cabins available in the grade I wanted and in poor positions of the ship. On refusing to book it TA told me keep on looking at availability because they generally find just before final payment is due a lot of US cruisers cancel bookings at no cost to themselves i.e. loss of deposit. Was told that it is common practice in the US to book a number of cruises to guarantee best cabins and then at the last minute pick cruise which is best price which they can also refare, which we cannot do in UK, then cancel other cruises at no cost i.e. loss of deposit. Of course was told you might not get the offer of OBC  or the cruise price but you might get a better positioned cabin. So Princess have lost a booking because there is no way I am booking a poorly positioned cabin and then later on other better cabins become available because of this practice. Princess's loss I am afraid.

[Daniel A]

I may be wrong, but isn't it the TA's job to keep looking for a better cabin - not yours?  Try a different TA and see what happens.  Sometimes larger travel agencies block off groups of rooms that will not show as available but as the sailing date gets closer they release the unsold cabins.

[CruisinCouple2010]

2 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Just tried to book a cruise in the UK with my TA for the Baltics in August 2019 with Love Boat special offer of OBC. Disappointed to find very few cabins available in the grade I wanted and in poor positions of the ship. On refusing to book it TA told me keep on looking at availability because they generally find just before final payment is due a lot of US cruisers cancel bookings at no cost to themselves i.e. loss of deposit. Was told that it is common practice in the US to book a number of cruises to guarantee best cabins and then at the last minute pick cruise which is best price which they can also refare, which we cannot do in UK, then cancel other cruises at no cost i.e. loss of deposit. Of course was told you might not get the offer of OBC  or the cruise price but you might get a better positioned cabin. So Princess have lost a booking because there is no way I am booking a poorly positioned cabin and then later on other better cabins become available because of this practice. Princess's loss I am afraid.

We live in the US and we currently have two Princess bookings that if we should cancel before the final payment date we will lose our deposit. So not all of the above information is correct.

 

 

[voljeep]

29 minutes ago, CruisinCouple2010 said:

We live in the US and we currently have two Princess bookings that if we should cancel before the final payment date we will lose our deposit. So not all of the above information is correct.

 

 

Agreed - we currently have a cruise in May with a NON-refundable deposit - $ 52 total - 4 day balcony room

 

I 'risked' the $ 52 at that price-point ...

[CruisinCouple2010]

We will lose a total of $200.00 in deposit money on each of our bookings if we cancel before final payment date.

[cherylandtk]

Your TA is not being completely candid with you.  While I am sure that some people do book as your TA suggests, I do think the vast majority book intending to take their cruise, and do not book two different cruises for the same dates.  Or if they do, they do so when the cruises are first announced and make up their mind rather quickly, within a few months.   It is simply too complicated to plan two different cruises and arrange visas, hotels and airfare for a cruise you will not be taking.  

 

If you check the roll calls, I bet you will see people have booked for your desired cruise well in advance.  You have left your booking until just 6 months before sailing, which in cruise terms is not early, particularly for a Baltic’s itinerary which often needs quite a bit of advance planning for tours and hotels.  I realize not everyone can plan farther in advance, but if you are looking to book a cabin type with limited availability, or a popular itinerary, then you really must do so to get your pick of locations.  

 

One of my upcoming cruises completely sold out of my category cabins a full year in advance. Final payment passed on my next cruise and there has been no glut of available cabins, it has been sold out since well before final and still is.  

 

All that said, there will be cancellations.  People get sick, plans change, life happens.  If you truly want to take this cruise, you need to be looking at availability on at least a daily basis and be prepared to jump on an open cabin within minutes.  Or perhaps plan that Baltic trip for 2020; those sailings are already released and booking up fast on the new Sky Princess.  Good Luck.  

[lolane1]

30 minutes ago, cherylandtk said:

Your TA is not being completely candid with you.  While I am sure that some people do book as your TA suggests, I do think the vast majority book intending to take their cruise, and do not book two different cruises for the same dates.  Or if they do, they do so when the cruises are first announced and make up their mind rather quickly, within a few months.   It is simply too complicated to plan two different cruises and arrange visas, hotels and airfare for a cruise you will not be taking.  

 

If you check the roll calls, I bet you will see people have booked for your desired cruise well in advance.  You have left your booking until just 6 months before sailing, which in cruise terms is not early, particularly for a Baltic’s itinerary which often needs quite a bit of advance planning for tours and hotels.  I realize not everyone can plan farther in advance, but if you are looking to book a cabin type with limited availability, or a popular itinerary, then you really must do so to get your pick of locations.  

 

One of my upcoming cruises completely sold out of my category cabins a full year in advance. Final payment passed on my next cruise and there has been no glut of available cabins, it has been sold out since well before final and still is.  

 

All that said, there will be cancellations.  People get sick, plans change, life happens.  If you truly want to take this cruise, you need to be looking at availability on at least a daily basis and be prepared to jump on an open cabin within minutes.  Or perhaps plan that Baltic trip for 2020; those sailings are already released and booking up fast on the new Sky Princess.  Good Luck.  

 

I think Cherylandtk said it perfectly and I quite agree.  I can't remember when my last refundable cruise deposit was but it was quite a while ago. 

[Colo Cruiser]

6 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Just tried to book a cruise in the UK with my TA for the Baltics in August 2019 with Love Boat special offer of OBC. Disappointed to find very few cabins available in the grade I wanted and in poor positions of the ship. On refusing to book it TA told me keep on looking at availability because they generally find just before final payment is due a lot of US cruisers cancel bookings at no cost to themselves i.e. loss of deposit. Was told that it is common practice in the US to book a number of cruises to guarantee best cabins and then at the last minute pick cruise which is best price which they can also refare, which we cannot do in UK, then cancel other cruises at no cost i.e. loss of deposit. Of course was told you might not get the offer of OBC  or the cruise price but you might get a better positioned cabin. So Princess have lost a booking because there is no way I am booking a poorly positioned cabin and then later on other better cabins become available because of this practice. Princess's loss I am afraid.

Why not use a US TA like a few Brits on here always say they do?

[john watson]

3 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Why not use a US TA like a few Brits on here always say they do?

 

This was possible for UK residents a several years ago but the major cruise corporations Royal Caribbean and Carnival introduced a ban on UK people booking via US travel agents etc.  There are a few exceptions where stringent restrictions limit UK people booking in general to a very small minority.

 

The refundable deposit system of booking cruises has also been looked into by the cruise lines and now for example I saw a post on here where Royal Caribbean were no longer accepting refundable deposits on suites.  Allegedly people were fully booking the lot and stopping genuinely interested people from booking one. Suites are very short in supply.  Shortly before sail date the cancellations would all come in.

 

Regards John

[Colo Cruiser]

2 minutes ago, john watson said:

 

This was possible for UK residents a several years ago but the major cruise corporations Royal Caribbean and Carnival introduced a ban on UK people booking via US travel agents etc.  There are a few exceptions where stringent restrictions limit UK people booking in general to a very small minority.

 

The refundable deposit system of booking cruises has also been looked into by the cruise lines and now for example I saw a post on here where Royal Caribbean were no longer accepting refundable deposits on suites.  Allegedly people were fully booking the lot and stopping genuinely interested people from booking one. Suites are very short in supply.  Shortly before sail date the cancellations would all come in.

 

Regards John

Well there a couple here on CC that insist and gloat they book with US TA'a all the time.

[Kartgv]

I don't believe that booking multiple cruises just because they can do so without jeopardy is at all common - it probably happens sometimes, but not that frequently.    Cruises with good itineraries and reasonable pricing  DO sell the best cabins early, so booking closer to sail time is always subject to what's left over or lucky timing.   You can sometimes get better pricing later, but you take what you can get or pass up the offer.    Why would you blame Princess for this issue?   Their practices are no different from most other mainstream cruise lines.   

 

We've cancelled 3 cruises (out of about 30 total booked), all for medical issues.    I believe the vast majority of cancellations are for legitimate reasons.    

[john watson]

1 minute ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Well there a couple here on CC that insist they book with US TA'a all the time.

 

Yes, this is possible I can book through a specific US travel agent because I am a pre-existing customer of that US travel Agent who has booked both Princess and Cunard through that agent before the restrictions came into being I am restricted to those brands too.. I believe the major cruise corporations saw that a growing trend of UK passengers were booking through US ta's to get better deals and wanted to stop the trend.

 

Other exceptions are UK citizens who have a US address and another is if you book a cabin with a US national in your cabin.  There are a few more exemptions as I understand it but I do not know the rules for those.

 

Regards John

 

 

[antsp]

I used to book in the USA but it’s now cheaper to book in the UK. Any UK cruiser can book in the USA if they have a US address available for them to use. You just ring Princess USA and move your captains circle number to that USA address, no prove needed, and no corespondense is sent to that address.

[antsp]

38 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

Well there a couple here on CC that insist and gloat they book with US TA'a all the time.

Gloat or Goat, what’s the difference colo cruiser

[majortom10]

4 hours ago, CruisinCouple2010 said:

We live in the US and we currently have two Princess bookings that if we should cancel before the final payment date we will lose our deposit. So not all of the above information is correct.

 

 

How much deposit have you paid is it one of the regular $1 deals they have in US.

[Colo Cruiser]

13 minutes ago, antsp said:

Gloat or Goat, what’s the difference colo cruiser

Wow 12 minutes to respond! It's a new record.

And I didn't even have to name any names.

     😂

[antsp]

You love me really, next time I'm back in Fort Collins we must meet up for a catch up

[Colo Cruiser]

Just now, antsp said:

You love me really, next time I'm back in Fort Collins we must meet up for a catch up

I'm game.   But next time you can't dress like Ringo. I'm serious.

[antsp]

Ringo ?

[CruisinCouple2010]

22 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

How much deposit have you paid is it one of the regular $1 deals they have in US.

No, see post #5 we have a $200.00 deposit on each cruise that we would lose if we cancel.

[Griller]

8 hours ago, majortom10 said:

 Princess's loss I am afraid.

 

Princess won't lose, their ships don't sail with empty cabins, they will sell it to someone else and maybe to a new cruiser  who often tend to spend more on board which is where the profit comes in these days.

[Blondilu]

This: "I don't believe that booking multiple cruises just because they can do so without jeopardy is at all common".

 

What happens is those wanting better choices in cabins book way in advance.  Like a year or 18 months in advance. 

 

I also believe there are many who book last minute or when a good sale comes up and take what ever they can.  I've done both.  

 

 

 

[cabin4three]

If you want a specific cabin position then you need to book at least a year ahead.  Assuming its the same Baltic cruise we looked at booking last August (we need to go in school holidays) even last August there was limited availability. 

Have you tried booking direct with Princess?   

 

[Aus Traveller]

8 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Sometimes larger travel agencies block off groups of rooms that will not show as available but as the sailing date gets closer they release the unsold cabins.

That is more likely than the reason given by the TA.

[cherylandtk]

There is another reason the TA failed to mention which is specific to Baltic cruises.  There are three ports where boarding occurs.  Cabins are set aside by Princess for each of those ports; if you are not joining in the designated port, it is very hard to obtain one of those designated cabins, even if in the same grade as what you would like.  Sections will be set aside for specific boarding ports, perhaps because grouping all the arrivals and departures to one section is logistically easier for Princess.

 

In any event, if your desired cabin is destined for St. Petersburg boarding, and you want to join in Copenhagen, that cabin will show as sold on a Copenhagen departure, even if it is wide open for booking on both the inbound and outbound cruise from St. Petersburg.

 

I had something similar happen on my upcoming repositioning cruise. I wanted a Caribe deck balcony, but that location was not available on the full journey, so I decided to book the two segments separately, which allowed me to get the cabin I wanted, although the price was a bit higher for booking in two segments instead of the full cruise as one.