Could not change cabin prior to final Payment

[laughing husky]

a cabin in the same category came available on the cruise that I am booked on...Same category only a couple of cabins down.  Called up my agent and it turns out that Princess has a new policy.  Seems you can't switch a cabin, even in the same category without losing all of the benefits of the cruise that was booked.  In this case, gratuities.  I could understand it if I wanted to upgrade, but this was not the case.  Same cruise, same cabin category...same everything, but 4 cabins down the hall.  Anyone else have this experience?

[DrivesLikeMario]

I've never heard of you not being able to at any time as long as it's within the same category.  It could be something really recent that I just haven't experienced though.

Edited June 30, 2019 by DrivesLikeMario

[tothemall&beyond]

1 minute ago, laughing husky said:

a cabin in the same category came available on the cruise that I am booked on...Same category only a couple of cabins down.  Called up my agent and it turns out that Princess has a new policy.  Seems you can't switch a cabin, even in the same category without losing all of the benefits of the cruise that was booked.  In this case, gratuities.  I could understand it if I wanted to upgrade, but this was not the case.  Same cruise, same cabin category...same everything, but 4 cabins down the hall.  Anyone else have this experience?

OMG. That is ridiculous. Have your agent call back to get a different Princess rep. Some of them are really clueless these days. But,  if this is indeed a new policy, it may be the final straw for us being loyal Elite Princess passengers after 11 years of sailing ONLY Princess.

[majortom10]

Just be thankful you can change what you can in the UK from the minute you book and pay your deposit you cannot change anything unless you pay a £100 administration fee and even then you can only do it once and if you cancel your cruise you lose your deposit.

[jagoffee]

1 hour ago, laughing husky said:

a cabin in the same category came available on the cruise that I am booked on...Same category only a couple of cabins down.  Called up my agent and it turns out that Princess has a new policy.  Seems you can't switch a cabin, even in the same category without losing all of the benefits of the cruise that was booked.  In this case, gratuities.  I could understand it if I wanted to upgrade, but this was not the case.  Same cruise, same cabin category...same everything, but 4 cabins down the hall.  Anyone else have this experience?

I suggest that unless this is a brand new policy (watch thus forum and you will see a lot of activity if it is true), it is time for a new Travel Agent.  

[XBGuy]

Are we sure this is a new policy?

 

Is this not just a different flavor of "refaring?"

 

In February, when I refared my April Alaska cruise a couple days prior to final payment, the Princess agent said that I could certainly do so, but I would lose the $1000 promotional OBC that I received when I originally booked.  I am good enough with arithmetic to know that saving $1900 when I made final payment was better than $1000 OBC.  So, I went for it.

 

The way I see it, and this may be incorrect, is that when I booked, I made an agreement with Princess to the effect that I promise to pay a certain amount of money to Princess in exchange for exclusive use of a given cabin and some additional promotional perquisites.  Princess, in fact, did come back to me in the month prior to final payment and offered to upgrade me and to upsell me.  I declined both offers.  Clearly, Princess was keeping their end of the bargain.

 

However, Princess gives its customers a lot of leeway in walking away from the bargain prior to final payment.

 

When I called and asked to be refared, I, effectively, said I was walking away from my initial deal and indicated that I would like a new deal.

 

Princess said, "OK, here is the new price.  Since we are currently not offering any promotional incentives, we can't offer anything else to you,"

 

The amazing thing, to me, is that there was no muss or fuss about it.  Princess did not say, "We have a waiting list for your cabin, and, so, cannot let you have it back after you terminated your original deal."

 

I see the request to change cabins as being the same.  The OP is asking for a new deal.  Princess is saying, OK, we can terminate your old bargain, here are the terms under which we are now operating.

 

I would like to hear from contributors who have actually done exactly what the OP is trying to do.  It may very well be that this is a new policy.

[Times Prince]

As you say, this would be a new policy, if it isn't an error on either the TA or the Princess representative's part.

 

The only other thing I can think of is if the target cabin is a handicapped configured cabin, which would be reserved until the last minute for people who need it.

 

... or if the cabin is capable of handling 4 people, and you are booked for two, thus reserved for new bookings until final payment.

 

Edited June 30, 2019 by Times Prince
added 4 people cabins

[Belle]

I would call again.   Double check. 

 That doesn't sound right. Same category, same price, same date..should be no problem.

 

[pms4104]

2 hours ago, laughing husky said:

a cabin in the same category came available on the cruise that I am booked on...Same category only a couple of cabins down.  Called up my agent and it turns out that Princess has a new policy.  Seems you can't switch a cabin, even in the same category without losing all of the benefits of the cruise that was booked.  In this case, gratuities.  I could understand it if I wanted to upgrade, but this was not the case.  Same cruise, same cabin category...same everything, but 4 cabins down the hall.  Anyone else have this experience?

Same price???

[Mapu]

1 hour ago, laughing husky said:

a cabin in the same category came available on the cruise that I am booked on...Same category only a couple of cabins down.  Called up my agent and it turns out that Princess has a new policy.  Seems you can't switch a cabin, even in the same category without losing all of the benefits of the cruise that was booked.  In this case, gratuities.  I could understand it if I wanted to upgrade, but this was not the case.  Same cruise, same cabin category...same everything, but 4 cabins down the hall.  Anyone else have this experience?

The fact of the matter is that your agent should be able to make that switch, since it is the same category, his/herself. It is done all the time.

[crystalspin]

New to Princess, but on HAL (same corporation) this would be re-faring as detailed by XBGuy and what OP describes would be what I would expect.

[Mapu]

7 minutes ago, Mapu said:

The fact of the matter is that your agent should be able to make that switch, since it is the same category, his/herself. It is done all the time.

A member of roll call just switched a cabin on the Caribbean Princess just prior to final payment without an issue.

[erber]

We just switched from an obstructed ocean view cabin ( final payment is not until late September) to a balcony cabin. As part of the switch we had to give up original perks of $100 obc and free gratuities, but we got a balcony cabin for far LESS than the original price we paid for the original lower category room. So it was worth it to switch. We were worried it might impact our EZ Air reservation but it did not. Also we got extra obc from our future cruise credit since we switched to a balcony, so that was another little bonus. 

 

I would think, however, if you merely wish to switch from cabin A to cabin B in same category and same price you would not be requires to give up perks. 

[letscruiseagain&again]

17 minutes ago, erber said:

We just switched from an obstructed ocean view cabin ( final payment is not until late September) to a balcony cabin. As part of the switch we had to give up original perks of $100 obc and free gratuities, but we got a balcony cabin for far LESS than the original price we paid for the original lower category room. So it was worth it to switch. We were worried it might impact our EZ Air reservation but it did not. Also we got extra obc from our future cruise credit since we switched to a balcony, so that was another little bonus. 

 

I would think, however, if you merely wish to switch from cabin A to cabin B in same category and same price you would not be requires to give up perks. 

Today I switched cabins in the same category and kept all of the perks I previously had. My cruise is less than 75 days out. 

[Coral]

Have your agent call back tomorrow. The weekend people are less experienced.

[birdiebill]

If the price has not changed, I also do not understand why you could not change cabins.  However, if the current fare (price) has changed, the only way to change cabins is to have the reservation re-fared.  Re-fare is done at whatever terms are current at the time of the re-fare.  I have given up benefits to get a lower price when the price saving exceeds the dollar amount of the benefits.

[laughing husky]

3 hours ago, Mapu said:

The fact of the matter is that your agent should be able to make that switch, since it is the same category, his/herself. It is done all the time.

yes, you were correct....It WAS done all of the time....New rule...not any more.  My agent is a top line Princess agent..I could have made the switch, but would have lost everything on the original booking.  

[laughing husky]

2 hours ago, Coral said:

Have your agent call back tomorrow. The weekend people are less experienced.

Not a weekend person at all.  Apparently this is a brand new rule.  And also, the price was the same.  well, 10.00 less...maybe that did make the difference.  I have changed cabins frequently with a gazillion cruises...well, maybe not a gazillion but lots of them on Princess.

[Coral]

delete.

Edited June 30, 2019 by Coral

[tonit964]

5 hours ago, laughing husky said:

a cabin in the same category came available on the cruise that I am booked on...Same category only a couple of cabins down.  Called up my agent and it turns out that Princess has a new policy.  Seems you can't switch a cabin, even in the same category without losing all of the benefits of the cruise that was booked.  In this case, gratuities.  I could understand it if I wanted to upgrade, but this was not the case.  Same cruise, same cabin category...same everything, but 4 cabins down the hall.  Anyone else have this experience?

This happened to me once. Wanted to switch to a cabin a few doors down, same category. The princess agent said it would cost more, I told her she was mistaken but wasn't going to argue. I called back and was able to make the switch as I always have in the past.

 

 

[Mapu]

10 minutes ago, laughing husky said:

Not a weekend person at all.  Apparently this is a brand new rule.  And also, the price was the same.  well, 10.00 less...maybe that did make the difference.  I have changed cabins frequently with a gazillion cruises...well, maybe not a gazillion but lots of them on Princess.

Two days ago a roll call member made a cabin change. The promotion under which it was booked is long expired. Final payment deadline is tomorrow. Booking was through a big box agent. If the agent goes to the correct page on your booking putting in the cabin you prefer as long as it is the same category it should work.

[pms4104]

7 minutes ago, Mapu said:

Two days ago a roll call member made a cabin change. The promotion under which it was booked is long expired. Final payment deadline is tomorrow. Booking was through a big box agent. If the agent goes to the correct page on your booking putting in the cabin you prefer as long as it is the same category it should work.

But in the case of the OP, the price seems to have changed ... booked promo abc with xyz perks, then that promo ends, now promo pqr with different perks and/or lower price for same.category is no longer an even trade ...it's more like switching to a different promo or booking code

[laughing husky]

11 hours ago, tothemall&beyond said:

OMG. That is ridiculous. Have your agent call back to get a different Princess rep. Some of them are really clueless these days. But,  if this is indeed a new policy, it may be the final straw for us being loyal Elite Princess passengers after 11 years of sailing ONLY Princess.

I have been sailing Princess also for years, and yes, I am elite also.  My agent is a Princess agent.  I used to be a TA so I know my way around a reservation.  She has been a Princess agent for 15 years and she is a good one.  She told me that this appears to be a new policy.  They used to do it, and sometimes did it under the table but they could not do it any more.  I don't know. I have certainly done it in the past without a problem.  We will see if it ever happens again.  Maybe I will just say the heck with any promotion...Wait until final payment has come and gone and then take the cheap price when all of the wholesalers dump their cabins, and the price becomes cheap.  Or maybe I will just switch to another line for awhile....One that doesn't belong to Carnival.  🙂 

[Ombud]

I called and asked, its Sunday so my PVP isn't in. Just asked the 1-800-princess person. She asked which one I wanted, not losing my promo. Told her I was just checking. So it CAN be done

[Deesquared]

Just curious, why would you want to move to a cabin that is just 4 doors down?