Princess Cruises Issues New Cancellation Policy
Due to the worldwide outbreak of coronavirus / COVID-19, Princess cruise ships seem to be in the news almost every day. On Thursday night, Princess Cruises sent out an email to their travel partners to announce that the cruise line has temporarily revised their cancellation policy.
Princess Cruises Revised Final Payment Due Dates
The details for the new final payment requirements depend on the departure date. The cancellation policy listed below apply to both cruises and cruisetours around the world, for existing and even new bookings. If you have a cruise departure date from June 1, 2020 t0 June 30, 2020, your final payment due date has been extended.
| Date of Departure | Benefit |
|---|---|
| April 3, 2020 or earlier | Cancel up to 72 hours before sailing to receive Future Cruise Credit (FCC) for 100% of cancellation fees |
| April 4, 2020 – May 31, 2020 | Cancel by March 31 and receive Future Cruise Credit for 100% of cancellation fees |
| June 1, 2020 – June 30, 2020 | Final Payment moves to 60 days prior to sailing |
Princess Cruises determines that the date of departure is from the start date of your cruise or cruisetour, whichever is earlier. This excludes charter cruises.
If you’ve already booked your cruise and it’s scheduled to depart between March 9 and May31, you will receive the following Onboard Credits:
- $100 USD / $150 AUD per stateroom for 3 and 4 day cruises
- $150 USD / $225 AUD per stateroom for 5 day cruises
- $200 USD / $300 AUD per stateroom for 6 day and longer cruises
Crown Princess Mediterranean itineraries are undergoing some changes. Princess will inform guests of a special offer sometime next week.
Cancellation and final payment details
Princess Cruises cancellation policy states that Future Cruise Credits (FCC) are non-refundable and non-transferable. An FCC may be applied to new bookings or it can be applied to a Princess Cruise that you’ve already booked as long as it departs before December 31, 2021.
If you’ve already made final payment on an upcoming cruise and you decide to cancel, you actually have until 59 days before the cruise to cancel the booking without penalty.
Receiving your Future Cruise Credit
Princess Cruises will automatically apply the Future Cruise Credit to your Captain’s Circle account once the reservation is canceled. It isn’t instantaneous so the credits may take up to 10 business days before you see them on your account.
Hi Pamela,
Thank you for taking the time to write. My best advice is for you (or your travel agent) to contact Princess and find out exactly what their cancellation policy is and how it will apply to your reservation. I’m not familiar with the details of your reservation and I don’t know what your cancellation fee might be at this date. I think it’s safe to say that none of the cruise lines know what the restrictions on board or ashore will be nor how they will implement any of the changes. It’s a huge mess at this point. If it were me, as much as I love Princess’ Hawai’i cruises (I was on Golden Princess), I wouldn’t risk it this year, even though the November rates are incredibly low. But that’s just my opinion. Thank you again for reading my article and sending your question. I’m sorry I can’t give you any specifics on cancellation fees for your cruise. A lot depends on if you booked under a promotion or other conditions. Happy sailing whenever you decide to go.
We scheduled a cruise on Princess for November 6to Hawaii. We have already paid it in full. How much is the cancellation fee>? Cruises may not start sailing until end of September but my 60 day notice has to be made by September 6. If they do sail I want to know what the restrictions will be and if all activities will be open on the cruise. If there are alot of restrictions there is not much reason to go on the cruise. With the way things are going I do not have much hope.
Hi Linda,
Thank you for taking the time to write. I don’t know how fast Princess is processing refunds right now. Under normal circumstances, it can take a day or two or if it misses your credit card cycle, it could take until the next statement to appear. I hope this is helpful. If you don’t see your refund in the next credit card statement, call or have your travel agent contact the cruise line to find out when you might expect the refund. Thank you for reading the article.
Sherry
PS…Update 4/17: I just learned that some credit card refunds can take up to 90 days to process.
We cancel our cruise March 13, 2020 leaving March 30, 2020 on Emerald Princess to to Hawaii. When will we receive our credit back on our card?
Thanks,
Linda Tillery
Jim Parkey
Hi Karen,
Thank you for taking the time to write. Yes, cancel for any reason (CFAR) insurance can be purchased from independent travel insurance companies. However, I have read that it is possible that the very fine print in the policy, despite the consumer purchasing the CFAR add-on, are denying coverage if the claim is the result of a global pandemic. I have always recommended adding CFAR (it has to be added within two or three weeks depending on the company) but it’s important to read the fine print before purchase.
Without sounding like gloom and doom, I hope your new cruise isn’t until much later this year. Thank you for reading CruiseMaven.com and stay safe, healthy and enjoy your next cruise!
Sherry
Can ‘cancel for any reason’ insurance be bought for my future cruise.? (Cancelled and am using credits for a future cruise.)