Future Cruise Deposits - Princess Choosing Which One To Use

[barriedavis]

I am not a newbie, have done 37 cruises with Princess and have done many using FCDs.  In September 2022, I paid 2 x FCD (self and wife) to use against a future cruise.  I wanted to use the benefit of the OBC on a longer cruise with a balcony cabin to maximise the amount I get.  We booked insides for a 10 day for March next year and another 16 day afterwards.  Princess decided to use my wife's FCD for the 10 day but not mine which was not considered at all.  I did not ask them to do this and they didn't tell me it was done.  If fact, the deposit part was not used at all as it was a special £1 deposit promotion.  My intention was always to find a better offer and cancel them so losing only £1 deposit.  We were then offered balcony cabins for the same trips through a TA and Princess decided to use my FCD for the longer trip to give me a $100 OBC.  Again, I paid a deposit so the pre-paid deposit was not used.  I was OK with that so long as the deposit I had paid was taken off the final payment.  I wondered mhy they did not do the same with my wife's FCD which was when I discovered they had used it on the prior booking, which was when I was trying to cancel that booking and lose my £1 deposit.  Is this a change?  Does Princess now choose which cruises to use the FCD rather than that right be retained by the purchaser?  I have seen nothing in any terms and conditions saying this will be done.

[Rick&Jeannie]

I have always understood that (in the US at least) if there is an FCD on file then it would automatically be used. This is what I have always experienced but then, I always book myself on the website. I've never booked when there was a special 1 dollar or 1 pound deposit involved. I have no idea how the system works in the UK.

[Steelers36]

9 hours ago, barriedavis said:

I am not a newbie, have done 37 cruises with Princess and have done many using FCDs.  In September 2022, I paid 2 x FCD (self and wife) to use against a future cruise.  I wanted to use the benefit of the OBC on a longer cruise with a balcony cabin to maximise the amount I get.  We booked insides for a 10 day for March next year and another 16 day afterwards.  Princess decided to use my wife's FCD for the 10 day but not mine which was not considered at all.  I did not ask them to do this and they didn't tell me it was done.  If fact, the deposit part was not used at all as it was a special £1 deposit promotion.  My intention was always to find a better offer and cancel them so losing only £1 deposit.  We were then offered balcony cabins for the same trips through a TA and Princess decided to use my FCD for the longer trip to give me a $100 OBC.  Again, I paid a deposit so the pre-paid deposit was not used.  I was OK with that so long as the deposit I had paid was taken off the final payment.  I wondered mhy they did not do the same with my wife's FCD which was when I discovered they had used it on the prior booking, which was when I was trying to cancel that booking and lose my £1 deposit.  Is this a change?  Does Princess now choose which cruises to use the FCD rather than that right be retained by the purchaser?  I have seen nothing in any terms and conditions saying this will be done.

Sorry to say but your story is another biuyer-beware situation with both PCL and a TA.  You have to be explicit in instructions because the working assumption is that a client with a FCD will use that for a deposit.  OTOH, one would think with a $1/£1 promo that the working assumption would change and at least be a conversation.  It could have been a system default that got your wife's booking or the agent/rep hit a wrong button on the booking page.  

 

It's too bad you are discovering it late, but you could try appealing to PCL and explain the situation and that the rep booking made a mistake using your booking as example of the intended action.

 

[barriedavis]

Thanks for that.  Online bookings with no human involved and no provisions for my wishes (or non wishes) to be put forward.  It seems strange that they match up one name with the FCD arrangement but not the other.  The booking required me to put full names, dates of birth and Captain's Circle Numbers but it still chose just the one.  I have sent details to Customer Services and wait for the response.

[barriedavis]

10 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

I have always understood that (in the US at least) if there is an FCD on file then it would automatically be used. This is what I have always experienced but then, I always book myself on the website. I've never booked when there was a special 1 dollar or 1 pound deposit involved. I have no idea how the system works in the UK.

I have done this many times but the choice as to which cruise it is used for has always been mine.  If I book 2 cruises together, eg. 1 being a 10 day in an inside and the other a 16 day balcony, the difference in OBC for 2 people is $150 dollars.  Why shouldn't I choose rather than them?  Shouldn't there be a mention of what they are doing in the T & Cs?

[LMADAMS91]

13 hours ago, barriedavis said:

Thanks for that.  Online bookings with no human involved and no provisions for my wishes (or non wishes) to be put forward.  It seems strange that they match up one name with the FCD arrangement but not the other.  The booking required me to put full names, dates of birth and Captain's Circle Numbers but it still chose just the one.  I have sent details to Customer Services and wait for the response.

Same thing happened to us when I booked our last cruise. My FCD came up, but not my husband's.