Apply Future Cruise Deposit to existing booking

[OttawaCA]

I found this in the terms and conditions for future cruise deposits.  https://www.princess.com/plan/fcc-onboard-cruise-credits/

 

       Future Cruise Deposits cannot be added to a booking after the booking has been paid in full and may not be combinable with other promotional offers.

 

Has anyone ever tried to apply a future cruise deposit to an existing cruise (before final deposit)?

 

I have a cruise in October 2024, didn’t have any future cruise deposits left, so paid the regular deposit.

 

I’m wondering if I should pick up another future cruise deposit on our next cruise (next month).  Not looking to get my deposit back, just thinking I could get the OBC.

 

I don’t want to cancel the existing booking, as the price has increased significantly.

 

 

[skynight]

Your can not add a future cruise deposit to an existing booking. You can request that the $100 be used as part of the balance due payment, but no OBC will be applied. You can also cancel the existing booking and make a new booking using the FCDs. If you purchase additional FCDs next m9onth they will be good for one year from the purchase.

[memoak]

FCD’s are for deposits not to pay on cruise

[Princessfan20]

9 minutes ago, skynight said:

Your can not add a future cruise deposit to an existing booking. You can request that the $100 be used as part of the balance due payment, but no OBC will be applied. You can also cancel the existing booking and make a new booking using the FCDs. If you purchase additional FCDs next m9onth they will be good for one year from the purchase.

 

This is correct.

[Rick&Jeannie]

People have stated in the past that they wanted to use their FCD to apply.  Apparently it *can* be done...but you would be wasting the real value of that FCD.  Some cruises have a much higher deposit requirement...but an FCD will cover that deposit.  Also, as @skynight states above...you will not receive that OBC...so you are literally throwing money away.  You'd have to be pretty desperate to get a booking that way.

[Hello, Newman]

I can be done.  I did this exact thing two weeks ago.  We booked a transatlantic cruise and applied my wife's FCD, but not mine.  She received the OBC immediately.  A day later I got on a "live chat" with a Princess Rep who informed me that I could indeed apply my FCD to my booking and also receive the OBC.  While I waited in "chat" the agent actually applied this to my booking.  Before logging off from "chat" I checked my account online and the OBC had already been applied.

[Thrak]

When we booked our upcoming series of cruises we ran out of FCDs to use. Later, when two of the cruises had major price drops (as well as extra OBC available when booking) I had our TA rebook them using the FCD we had purchased on a cruise since the time we had initially booked. We got new booking numbers for those and the FCD was applied as deposit. (I got the original deposit returned to my credit card.) We saved over $1,100 and, including the OBC from using the FCD, got an additional $650 OBC. This is the only way to take full advantage of adding FCD to an existing cruise. Otherwise we would have, in my opinion, wasted the two FCD (each) that we used.

[cr8tiv1]

The only “advantage” for applying a FCD after booking a cruise is if is going to expire.  It’s already paid for so why not reduce final payment instead of a refund.  No OBC.  

 

I have tried to apply FCD after the fact and never received OBC.

 

3 hours ago, skynight said:

Your can not add a future cruise deposit to an existing booking. You can request that the $100 be used as part of the balance due payment, but no OBC will be applied. You can also cancel the existing booking and make a new booking using the FCDs. If you purchase additional FCDs next m9onth they will be good for one year from the purchase.

 

3 hours ago, memoak said:

FCD’s are for deposits not to pay on cruise

 

[wallyj]

3 hours ago, skynight said:

Your can not add a future cruise deposit to an existing booking. You can request that the $100 be used as part of the balance due payment, but no OBC will be applied. You can also cancel the existing booking and make a new booking using the FCDs. If you purchase additional FCDs next m9onth they will be good for one year from the purchase.

I have stated this before in other related threads.

 

First, if you want to add a FCD to a booking, your FCD acquire date MUST be prior to your cruise booking date, so @OttawaCA, acquiring a FCD on a future sailing to try to use on a previous booking will not be allow under current protocols. I say current protocols because many years ago, you could possibly find a Princess agent who would ‘back date’ your FCD and apply to said booking. Maybe Princess has even made this not possible anymore?

 

Since you have stated fares have increased significantly, it obviously does not make sense to cancel and rebook to use your NEW FCD’s. 
 

As long as the FCD program stays no risk and fully refundable, unless you do not plan on cruising, I would plan on having a few in your account ready to be used.

 

You can add a FCD to an existing booking before AND after final payment, as long as the FCD acquire date is BEFORE the booking date. Only 1 FCD applied will earn the applicable OBC, but if you have additional that are going to expire soon, they can be added to reduce balance owed. 
 

I have added a FCD to an online booking I made with an agency whose booking engine does have ability to use a FCD, so I use credit card for deposit, then call agency when they are open to apply one of my FCD’s. Usually this happens on weekends or holidays when my agency is closed and I want to grab a particular cabin or sailing that may sell out and my agency is closed. I do receive the OBC for using the FCD.

 

Princess has also allowed my to apply a FCD to a booking paid in full, it results in an overpayment and usually a ‘refund’ back to credit card I used to make final payment, and YES, I did receive the OBC for using said FCD.

 

This subject seems to come up every few months, as I know I have repeated this answer at least twice in the last year.

Edited September 7, 2023 by wallyj

[Thrak]

27 minutes ago, wallyj said:

As long as the FCD program stays no risk and fully refundable, unless you do not plan on cruising, I would plan on having a few in your account ready to be used.

 

We have none available and have a cruise booked for April that will not decrease in price so no chance of buying more FCD and rebooking the cruise. We will, however, buy at least two more each on our upcoming cruises so we have some for future bookings. Even if we never book another cruise the money is safe as it is fully refundable. "Banking" $100 toward a future cruise and future OBC is a no-brainer for us.

Edited September 7, 2023 by Thrak

[cr8tiv1]

The only issue I now have is that FCDs are only good for a year.  Yes, you may be able to request an extension.  Princess expects you to cruise more often than once every 12 months…yes, you can apply them to a cruise 2 years down the line.  
 

During the shut down, all of mine expired before I could get on a ship to purchase more.  I sailed several voyages without FCD OBC.

[wallyj]

25 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

The only issue I now have is that FCDs are only good for a year.  Yes, you may be able to request an extension.  Princess expects you to cruise more often than once every 12 months…yes, you can apply them to a cruise 2 years down the line.  
 

During the shut down, all of mine expired before I could get on a ship to purchase more.  I sailed several voyages without FCD OBC.

I asked future cruise while I was on Emerald last month and they said Yes, you CAN request FCD expire date to be extended, before expiration date since they only have 1 year now.

[startedwithamouse]

Yes, we used Live Chat to request and successfully apply a FCD to an existing booking. 

[palolake]

I don't know why people are saying this can't be done because we also did it.  We took a FCD off of a 7 day cruise (that we had already paid some money on so it counted as a deposit) and put it on a 32 day cruise.  We did it to get the better on board credit.