Is it worth getting FCD for short cruises or passengers 3 & 4?

[TN-Mountains]

I've seen a lot of talk about FCDs and everyone seems to think they're a nice deal.  That appears to be the case on longer cruises in a balcony or higher cabin.   What about short itineraries with inside cabins and passengers 3-4?  It doesn't look like passengers 3-4 can benefit from FCD.  Is that right?  We are contemplating taking a short cruise as a trial run for my family of 5.  It looks like I'd be tieing up $400 on FCD for a cruise I might book to get $60 OBC in the future.  It doesn't seem worth it for the 4-day cruises w/ interior or OV cabins unless I'm 100% sure I'm going to book it.   I mean I wouldn't turn down $60 if it is on the table!  😉 Am I missing something?  

[startedwithamouse]

Easy answer, get two rooms if you are a family of 5. 

 

Only suites can have 5 to a room anyway.

Edited May 16, 2023 by startedwithamouse

[sirclean]

It is my understanding the the FCD is valid only for passengers 1 and 2.

As for the return, it is 'easy money'.  If you have the money to pay off the credit card, then the return, even for a short cruise and and inside cabin, is better than many other investments, and the sooner you can travel (and actually spend the money) the better the return percentage works out to be. 

 

It is an option.  Options have value. The good news is that if you pay cash, you are only giving up the interest you would have earned. IF you dont use it in a year, they give it back.  (return is 0, opportunity loss is only whatever you would have otherwise earned on the money).  IF you do cruise within the year, then $60 on 400 is 15%.  AND IF you choose to do something else (like go on a longer cruise in a balcony cabin, for instance), you have it.

 

Finally, often you can use your FCD as the deposit.  This may have changed, but even if the deposit should have been say $300, your $100 FCD will fully satisfy that requirement.  (At least I did that in the past, not sure under the new policy.... reserved a $9000 cruise for 3 of us to Alaska with one FCD for many months, locking in the sale bonuses).

 

We always try to have 2 available in case there is a Last Minute Deal to lock in (which was easier to do when they lasted for 2 years). 

[theloo]

Am I understanding right that you haven't even booked your first cruise?  If that first cruise is successful, then it makes sense to buy a FCD since it is more likely that you will book a second cruise.  But you can't use a FCD on your first cruise.  You have to buy it on board.  It's an incentive to buy another cruise.  

 

I did not know that the FCD is only good for passengers 1-2.  I also have a family of 5, so book 2 or 3 rooms.  However, if I buy a FCD for everyone and then book 2 rooms (2 & 3 occupants), will I only be able to use 4 FCD instead of 5?  

[sirclean]

You can always USE The FCDs.  They simply dont include the bonus after guests 1 &2. 

Also, if you had, say 3 FCDs, you could use all three to pay for the deposit on the next cruise if you wanted, but you only get the bonus for the first. 

[TN-Mountains]

16 hours ago, sirclean said:

It is my understanding the the FCD is valid only for passengers 1 and 2.

As for the return, it is 'easy money'.  If you have the money to pay off the credit card, then the return, even for a short cruise and and inside cabin, is better than many other investments, and the sooner you can travel (and actually spend the money) the better the return percentage works out to be. 

 

It is an option.  Options have value. The good news is that if you pay cash, you are only giving up the interest you would have earned. IF you dont use it in a year, they give it back.  (return is 0, opportunity loss is only whatever you would have otherwise earned on the money).  IF you do cruise within the year, then $60 on 400 is 15%.  AND IF you choose to do something else (like go on a longer cruise in a balcony cabin, for instance), you have it.

 

Finally, often you can use your FCD as the deposit.  This may have changed, but even if the deposit should have been say $300, your $100 FCD will fully satisfy that requirement.  (At least I did that in the past, not sure under the new policy.... reserved a $9000 cruise for 3 of us to Alaska with one FCD for many months, locking in the sale bonuses).

 

We always try to have 2 available in case there is a Last Minute Deal to lock in (which was easier to do when they lasted for 2 years). 

Thank you!  I don't disagree.  15% is a good return, especially on something you're going to buy anyway.  If I knew I was going to book the cruise, I wouldn't hesitate to get the FCDs for four of us.  (Sounds like there is no upside to getting it for the 5th person.)  I guess why I'm hesitating is I'm not sure we will be able to book the cruise and I'm debating if it is worth tieing up $400 on a "maybe".  We are still waiting on the kids' passports.  Mine took longer than the posted time and I spent the last couple of months stressing over whether it would be here in time for my upcoming cruise.  I don't want to do that again!

 

I didn't realize I could hold a cabin using only one FCD as the deposit.  I thought I'd have to have one for the first 2 passengers.  I suppose since I'm waffling on a family cruise, I could always buy FCDs for my husband and me.  It would have been nice to have some to use our upcoming 14-day Norway/Iceland cruise.  

[TN-Mountains]

15 hours ago, theloo said:

Am I understanding right that you haven't even booked your first cruise?  If that first cruise is successful, then it makes sense to buy a FCD since it is more likely that you will book a second cruise.  But you can't use a FCD on your first cruise.  You have to buy it on board.  It's an incentive to buy another cruise.  

 

I did not know that the FCD is only good for passengers 1-2.  I also have a family of 5, so book 2 or 3 rooms.  However, if I buy a FCD for everyone and then book 2 rooms (2 & 3 occupants), will I only be able to use 4 FCD instead of 5?  

It has been a while, but my husband and I have cruised several times.  We've never taken the kids with us.  We (no kids) leave in a couple of weeks for a Norway/Iceland cruise and I was debating whether to purchase FCDs to take our kids on a cruise later in the year. I want our first cruise with the kids to be short since I don't know whether any of them will get seasick or die of boredom. 😉 

 

Your second question is what I was trying to get clarification on as well.  Based on what @sirclean is saying, there is no advantage to getting a FCD for guest 5 unless you get 3 cabins.  

[theloo]

It sounds like you at least want to try one cruise with the kids, so go ahead and get the FCD.  I actually had to get 3 cabins for both of my trips because they didn't have any triples available, but didn't have any FCD to use 😞  I actually thought about waiting to book cruise #2 until after we took cruise #1 to take advantage of the FCD (would have been worth almost $400 in OBC), but decided I couldn't risk losing the rooms.  

[TN-Mountains]

45 minutes ago, theloo said:

It sounds like you at least want to try one cruise with the kids, so go ahead and get the FCD.  I actually had to get 3 cabins for both of my trips because they didn't have any triples available, but didn't have any FCD to use 😞  I actually thought about waiting to book cruise #2 until after we took cruise #1 to take advantage of the FCD (would have been worth almost $400 in OBC), but decided I couldn't risk losing the rooms.  

I hadn't thought about them selling out of the cabins that sleep 3-4 ppl.  I'd have to pass on the cruise. My kids aren't old enough to stay in a cabin by themselves unless it is a connecting cabin.  

[mtnesterz]

17 minutes ago, TN-Mountains said:

I hadn't thought about them selling out of the cabins that sleep 3-4 ppl.  I'd have to pass on the cruise. My kids aren't old enough to stay in a cabin by themselves unless it is a connecting cabin.  

I held off posting because I suspected there was something else; a reason for your indecision. After all, the FCDs are refunded after a year if unused. You know there is no risk.

Princess does have things for kids of different ages, you can look into these programs. But Princess would not be our choice for a cruise with really young ones. RCL, Carnival and Disney excel at this market and likely have cabins to match. Dealing with bored kids would be no joy for anyone.

Edited May 17, 2023 by mtnesterz

[theloo]

15 minutes ago, TN-Mountains said:

I hadn't thought about them selling out of the cabins that sleep 3-4 ppl.  I'd have to pass on the cruise. My kids aren't old enough to stay in a cabin by themselves unless it is a connecting cabin.  

For what it's worth, I was able to book the 3 rooms with a minor in a cabin alone NEXT to a cabin with the parent.  It did not need to be a connecting cabin.  However, I don't know if there is an age restriction.  Mine is16 yo.  

[TN-Mountains]

56 minutes ago, theloo said:

For what it's worth, I was able to book the 3 rooms with a minor in a cabin alone NEXT to a cabin with the parent.  It did not need to be a connecting cabin.  However, I don't know if there is an age restriction.  Mine is16 yo.  

My oldest will be 13.  He is mature enough and I could trust him to stay in the room, but I wouldn't want to deal with the fallout from my younger kids.  My almost 12-year-old is immature and I wouldn't let him stay in a room without a parent even if Princess allowed it.  We would all be miserable listening to him complain about how unfair it is.  

[TN-Mountains]

1 hour ago, mtnesterz said:

I held off posting because I suspected this was the case; that there was reason, unstated to us, for your indecision. After all, the FCDs are refunded after a year if unused. You know there is no risk.

Princess does have things for kids of different ages, you can look into these programs. But Princess would not be our choice for a cruise with really young ones. RCL, Carnival and Disney excel at this market and likely have cabins to match. Dealing with bored kids would be no joy for anyone.

The rest of the story....we have plans to travel out west to see extended family.  I was browsing a promotional email and noticed a deal on a 4-day cruise out of LA.  It will fit nicely into our existing schedule.  We wouldn't have to adjust flights. It falls in between the holidays, so the price is cheaper.   We've already applied for the kids' passports.  Everything is lining up, but I don't want to impulse buy a cruise!  😉  I planned on keeping an eye on it, but then I saw all the recent posts about FCDs and got to thinking.  Our upcoming cruise leaves in 2 weeks, so I'll have to decide soon if I want to get FCDs.  I wanted to make sure I had the facts straight about how they work, so I can make an informed decision.

 

As for the other cruise lines, I agree they'd probably be better for the kids.  I've priced them in the past.  Disney is out based on prices.  The others are still in the running, but I haven't found one that falls into our schedule as nicely as this Princess one.  Although short, the Princess itinerary is one we like too.  

[Starshine95123]

Were you planning on buying FCDs for your kids? Since they haven’t sailed on Princess before, they wouldn’t have a Captain’s Circle number. I don’t think you can purchase them without having that number. Sorry if I misunderstood. 

[startedwithamouse]

1 hour ago, TN-Mountains said:

The rest of the story....we have plans to travel out west to see extended family.  I was browsing a promotional email and noticed a deal on a 4-day cruise out of LA.  It will fit nicely into our existing schedule.  We wouldn't have to adjust flights. It falls in between the holidays, so the price is cheaper.   We've already applied for the kids' passports.  Everything is lining up, but I don't want to impulse buy a cruise!  😉  I planned on keeping an eye on it, but then I saw all the recent posts about FCDs and got to thinking.  Our upcoming cruise leaves in 2 weeks, so I'll have to decide soon if I want to get FCDs.  I wanted to make sure I had the facts straight about how they work, so I can make an informed decision.

 

As for the other cruise lines, I agree they'd probably be better for the kids.  I've priced them in the past.  Disney is out based on prices.  The others are still in the running, but I haven't found one that falls into our schedule as nicely as this Princess one.  Although short, the Princess itinerary is one we like too.  

Have your kids cruised previously on Princess?  If not, you can't get FCD's for them. 

[TN-Mountains]

1 hour ago, Starshine95123 said:

Were you planning on buying FCDs for your kids? Since they haven’t sailed on Princess before, they wouldn’t have a Captain’s Circle number. I don’t think you can purchase them without having that number. Sorry if I misunderstood. 

Yes, that was the plan.  I thought I read in one of the other FCD posts that you could get a CC number by creating an account on Princess' website.  Of course, as I'm typing this, I realize they might not allow minors to create an account and that might only work for adults.  Just another reason why I presented this question now.  I don't want to waste my vacation time learning these little details.  🙂 

[startedwithamouse]

1 hour ago, startedwithamouse said:

Have your kids cruised previously on Princess?  If not, you can't get FCD's for them. 

@voljeep why laughing?  Minors can't create a Captain's Circle account on line.  Therefore, my comment is correct.

[voljeep]

6 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

@voljeep why laughing?  Minors can't create a Captain's Circle account on line.  Therefore, my comment is correct.

I have removed the 'laugh' ...

[cr8tiv1]

Well scratch all the below:

 

https://www.princess.com/html/global/cc/referral-reward/faq.html

Needs to be 21 years or older.  

 

Left in place in case anyone else wanted to know about referral program.

 

BUT...you can do a referral (I think) for the 3 kids.  

 

IF...they do not have a captain circle number

IF...they have not sailed with Princess

IF...they have not had any contact with Princess

IF...they are referred before booking first cruise.

 

They (and you) will get $25 OBC for the referral.