Are Canadians paying 25% less than Americans?

[frbob]

From Princess...

 

"Canadian at par offer extended

Canadian residents can stretch their dollars further with our Canadian Dollars at Par promotion that has been extended through Mar 31! With this offer, we will be setting Canadian dollars at par with US dollars to bring extra savings to your Canadian clients². This is applicable on select voyages to Alaska, the Caribbean, California Coast, Europe, Panama Canal, and Canada & New England between Mar 2023 through Apr 2024. Voyage List ❯".

[memoak]

1 hour ago, frbob said:

From Princess...

 

"Canadian at par offer extended

Canadian residents can stretch their dollars further with our Canadian Dollars at Par promotion that has been extended through Mar 31! With this offer, we will be setting Canadian dollars at par with US dollars to bring extra savings to your Canadian clients². This is applicable on select voyages to Alaska, the Caribbean, California Coast, Europe, Panama Canal, and Canada & New England between Mar 2023 through Apr 2024. Voyage List ❯".

It is a promotion for some cruisers on some cruises. Just like last minute offers only available to people in certain port areas or casino discounts

[Cruise Raider]

They may be but so there are many promos that Canadians do not qualify for, I feel like they deserve a break on the price now and then.  

[alfieisgod]

I got that email the day I planned to book my cruise for June.  Reduced the cost by about a third!

 

Don from Halifax

 

[cr8tiv1]

5 minutes ago, alfieisgod said:

I got that email the day I planned to book my cruise for June.  Reduced the cost by about a third!

 

Don from Halifax

 

 

Reduced the cost, but now paying about what your southern neighbors have been paying.  Happy Princess is offering this you all of you.  All is fare (aka fair).

[AE_Collector]

It is frustrating as a Canadian cruiser that around 10 years ago our dollar was around par with the US$ so a US$1000 cruise cost us CAD$1000. But we’ve basically been around 1.35 for years now making that $1000 cruise cost us $1350. And it doesn’t end there, port fees and taxes times 1.35, gratuity times 1.35,  all other onboard spending including excursions times 1.35. It really adds up. 

[Mingus]

My last Princess cruise, just this past January, was still at 1.25 🙂

Booked in May 2022.

[deultgen]

I think Princess and every other cruise company runs promotions regularly in different countries.  Sometimes people in other countries benefit.  Sometimes people in the USA benefit from promotions.  

[paradiselivin1]

Hmmm....I'll keep my eyes open for when Princess will offer US residents a cruise from the UK with the U$D at par with the British Pound....🤞

[Steelers36]

10 hours ago, frbob said:

From Princess...

 

"Canadian at par offer extended

Canadian residents can stretch their dollars further with our Canadian Dollars at Par promotion that has been extended through Mar 31! With this offer, we will be setting Canadian dollars at par with US dollars to bring extra savings to your Canadian clients². This is applicable on select voyages to Alaska, the Caribbean, California Coast, Europe, Panama Canal, and Canada & New England between Mar 2023 through Apr 2024. Voyage List ❯".

To your thread topic title, the mark-up from the actual USD cruise fare has been 35% for sometime now.  If a desired cruise is included in the promotion, a Canadian can end up paying 74% of what an American pays when looked at in USD.

 

[Cruise Junky]

It’s a common promotion.  Border towns in the US do it all the time. Just means we’re both paying $1,000 for a cruise and not US residents paying $1000 and Canadian residents paying $1,300.   Disappointing to see politics/policies being brought into this.  It’s no different from a residency rate.  

[frbob]

11 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

It’s a common promotion.  Border towns in the US do it all the time. Just means we’re both paying $1,000 for a cruise and not US residents paying $1000 and Canadian residents paying $1,300.   Disappointing to see politics/policies being brought into this.  It’s no different from a residency rate.  

Politics? What "politics"? Maybe economics, or fairness, but not "politics". I can't help it if the Canadian dollar isn't worth a US dollar. Not my fault. Check with Ottawa.

[frbob]

12 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

To your thread topic title, the mark-up from the actual USD cruise fare has been 35% for sometime now.  If a desired cruise is included in the promotion, a Canadian can end up paying 74% of what an American pays when looked at in USD.

 

Doesn't seem fair to me. But Canadians love it!

[AE_Collector]

We (in Vancouver BC) haven’t received anything ourselves from Princess about $CAD at par but clearly it’s out there for some cruises. Just booked another Vancouver Alaska round trip for less than two months from now at a great rate but not at par. Inside cabins listed at $599 US or $648 CAD. So if there is an “at Par” rate I’m not sure where this “at +8%” rate is coming from. I am a detail person and as such am a bit frustrated at lack of info on available at Par cruises.

 

In your initial post @frbob you attached a list of included cruises that I can’t open in my iPad. It says it is zipped. Has anyone found a list or way to search for them on the Princess web site?

Edited March 5, 2023 by AE_Collector

[jaycruising]

2 hours ago, frbob said:

Doesn't seem fair to me. But Canadians love it!

Why does it have to be fair?  Nothing is ever fair! We pay more for everything already, the price tags remind us all the time. Nice to see Princess recognizing us in the North with a little love. 

Edited March 5, 2023 by jaycruising
Change

[jaycruising]

35 minutes ago, AE_Collector said:

We (in Vancouver BC) haven’t received anything ourselves from Princess about $CAD at par but clearly it’s out there for some cruises. Just booked another Vancouver Alaska round trip for less than two months from now at a great rate but not at par. Inside cabins listed at $599 US or $648 CAD. So if there is an “at Par” rate I’m not sure where this “at +8%” rate is coming from. I am a detail person and as such am a bit frustrated at lack of info on available at Par cruises.

 

In your initial post @frbob you attached a list of included cruises that I can’t open in my iPad. It says it is zipped. Has anyone found a list or way to search for them on the Princess web site?

Here you go

 

 

CAD at Par Voyage List by Trade.xlsx

[Canuker]

Ive been tracking a TA by Celebrity. They offer online booking in C$ and the rates that have been quoted are quite attractive.

In fact I was looking at the difference between a base OV and a base balcony recently. The difference was C$43 pp versus US$50.

Ya never know...

As a Canadian, I've found that having currency in both currencies to be helpful with both cruises and air travel. It provides a choice.

[ldubs]

14 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

It’s a common promotion.  Border towns in the US do it all the time. Just means we’re both paying $1,000 for a cruise and not US residents paying $1000 and Canadian residents paying $1,300.   Disappointing to see politics/policies being brought into this.  It’s no different from a residency rate.  

 

 

No, it isn't $1,000 compared to $1300.  It is US$1,000 vs CAD$1300.   I'm really not understanding much of this discussion.  That is the exchange rate to convert the value of US currency to the value of Canadian currency.  Completely apples/oranges when it comes to making purchases in different currencies.    

 

Getting back to the OP's comments, it is a nice sale!  

[westcoaster]

Princess seems to be doing more of these promotions recently.  All 3 cruises I booked last year were the same price in Canadian dollars as the US dollar price.

[Steelers36]

3 hours ago, AE_Collector said:

Inside cabins listed at $599 US or $648 CAD. So if there is an “at Par” rate I’m not sure where this “at +8%” rate is coming from. I am a detail person and as such am a bit frustrated at lack of info on available at Par cruises.

I have often seen Princess fare calculations be "off" in the conversion from USD to CAD.  Still, 8% is pretty darn good considering where the exchange rate is these days - over 35% and PCL is using 35% in their general pricing.

[AE_Collector]

4 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

I have often seen Princess fare calculations be "off" in the conversion from USD to CAD.  Still, 8% is pretty darn good considering where the exchange rate is these days - over 35% and PCL is using 35% in their general pricing.

Oh for sure that’s a great exchange rate but it isn’t “at par” so there are multiple things going on at the same time. Princess sets their Canadian exchange rate at for example +35% as it is now and it doesn’t get adjusted every day with bank fluctuations. They only make a change when things get too far out of line and tend to be trying to keep the Princess rate a bit less than the actual exchange rate. When the Canadian dollar rate is moving quickly (unlike the last several years) I have seen the Princess rate considerably below reality. And once you’re booked if you booked in Canadian $ the rate stays put for all onboard account or pre purchases related to that cruise. Just being billed directly in Canadian funds saves about 3% extra the credit card companies add on top of the true exchange rate. You probably know all this but others may not.

Edited March 6, 2023 by AE_Collector

[Thrak]

If the Canadians are getting a deal then good for them. It doesn't hurt me.

[Happiest when cruising]

11 hours ago, AE_Collector said:

We (in Vancouver BC) haven’t received anything ourselves from Princess about $CAD at par but clearly it’s out there for some cruises. Just booked another Vancouver Alaska round trip for less than two months from now at a great rate but not at par. Inside cabins listed at $599 US or $648 CAD. So if there is an “at Par” rate I’m not sure where this “at +8%” rate is coming from. I am a detail person and as such am a bit frustrated at lack of info on available at Par cruises.

 

In your initial post @frbob you attached a list of included cruises that I can’t open in my iPad. It says it is zipped. Has anyone found a list or way to search for them on the Princess web site?

I also live in BC. I think the 8% difference might be the port charges and taxes, charged in USD or something.
I’ve never been able to figure out what that small difference is.

 

I could open the zip file, but it was a long list, for sure. If you are signed in, that low price you see, is one of the CAD at almost par. 
I found the one that I have booked for next year, but it wasn’t included in the sale. 

 

 

[cr8tiv1]

1 hour ago, Happiest when cruising said:

I could open the zip file, but it was a long list, for sure. If you are signed in, that low price you see, is one of the CAD at almost par. 
I found the one that I have booked for next year, but it wasn’t included in the sale. 

 

 

Isn’t that always the case.  Bummer.  So sorry your voyage was not included.  

[AE_Collector]

9 hours ago, Happiest when cruising said:

I also live in BC. I think the 8% difference might be the port charges and taxes, charged in USD or something.
I’ve never been able to figure out what that small difference is.

 

I could open the zip file, but it was a long list, for sure. If you are signed in, that low price you see, is one of the CAD at almost par. 
I found the one that I have booked for next year, but it wasn’t included in the sale. 

 

 

I compared the Tax and Port Fees on the cruise we have booked for April. The cruise price is about 8% above par but Tax and Port Fees in Canadian are unaffected by the better exchange rate. They are 35% more in Canadian than in US and 1.35 is the current Princess exchange rate. Just like anything else prepaid or pre purchased before hand such as pre purchasing OBC or prepaying gratuities etc. What I didn’t look at was the Plus and Premier add on prices under this offer. My guess would be that only the base cruise price is being reduced.