Booking Cruises with United (Airlines) cruises for points
Oct 26, 2013, 6:57 pm
#16
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: AA, UA, SQ, VA, QF, AF, BA
Posts: 2,865
change fees no different than if you went through the cruiseline or travel agent. typical cancelation fee structure, etc.
for me, that $25 fee is worth earning UA miles for cruising. there is no other way to make cruising count aside from credit card spend, or cruise loyalty rewards in their program. some agencies do participate in frequent flyer programs, but i switched when mine longer did. fwiw, my current travel agent does participate with Amtrak rewards but those points aren't quite as valuable to me right now. YMMV
for me, that $25 fee is worth earning UA miles for cruising. there is no other way to make cruising count aside from credit card spend, or cruise loyalty rewards in their program. some agencies do participate in frequent flyer programs, but i switched when mine longer did. fwiw, my current travel agent does participate with Amtrak rewards but those points aren't quite as valuable to me right now. YMMV
In the case of NCL, the United Cruises fare was cheaper than booking on NCL.com as well!
Nov 30, 2013, 9:06 am
#17
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 10
If I do decide to book through United Cruises, can I use my FCC that I plan on purchasing on my January cruise? I'll also have a few hundred dollars credit for a promotion Princess is currently offering. Can I use that too through United Cruises?
Nov 30, 2013, 11:05 am
#18
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: WAS
Programs: BA Gold, HH
Posts: 673
yes, FCC can be applied, and generally they can offer similar OBC from promotions. the only time this isn't possible is when Princess specifically excludes the stacking of credits. i usually call with the promotion id#s in hand, and let my United Cruises agent see what she can match. sometimes they give a better deal.
Jan 2, 2014, 10:56 am
#19
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 10
I want to thank all of you for sharing your advice and experiences. I finally took the plunge and used United Cruises for booking our latest cruise. On a basic balcony room for two I earned well over 17,000 points. I was pleased to find that the points are awarded for the entire cost of the cruise, not just the base price. The agent I spoke with (Becca) was very professional and quick to respond to questions, even after closing the sale. I don't have a land-line and thus no fax machine. She immediately forwarded my scanned and emailed stock statements and DD214 to the line for our on-board credits and promised to let me know when the credits have been applied.
Considering how often we cruise, I doubt I will ever book through the cruise line again. I'm eager to accrue enough points to fly to Europe for a trans-Atlantic cruise and this will help us to reach that goal much more quickly.
Considering how often we cruise, I doubt I will ever book through the cruise line again. I'm eager to accrue enough points to fly to Europe for a trans-Atlantic cruise and this will help us to reach that goal much more quickly.
Jan 5, 2014, 10:52 pm
#20
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 64
Random Question: I recently booked a cruise for Feb 15 with United Cruises. If I find promotions such as free gratuities/on board credit through other sites will United match or am I out of luck?
I think they will match if a price drop occurs before final payment or am I mistaken?
Thanks
I think they will match if a price drop occurs before final payment or am I mistaken?
Thanks
Mar 14, 2014, 4:39 pm
#21
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: SC USA
Programs: Delta, AA, Hilton, Priority Club, USAir, American Express Membership Rewards, Ultimate Rew, United
Posts: 503
I just booked a suite for 4 for a May cruise. I am expecting almost 22,000 miles. I did find a small difference in price on the Carnival website. I called them and was credited the $80 within a few days. Can anyone tell me how long it too for your miles to credit to your United account. Thanks!
Mar 18, 2014, 2:07 pm
#22
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: WAS
Programs: BA Gold, HH
Posts: 673
I just booked a suite for 4 for a May cruise. I am expecting almost 22,000 miles. I did find a small difference in price on the Carnival website. I called them and was credited the $80 within a few days. Can anyone tell me how long it too for your miles to credit to your United account. Thanks!
May 3, 2014, 6:18 pm
#23
Join Date: Apr 2004
Programs: AA, UA, SQ, VA, QF, AF, BA
Posts: 2,865
I had a United Explorer card when I booked our cruise and paid the deposit. Since then I have canceled the card because Chase wouldn't give me a retention bonus. I will pay the balance with a CSP. Do you think I will still get the 2x based on being a cardholder at time of booking?
There is some consolation in that the CSP will give 2x on travel purchases whereas the Explorer would have given 1x.
There is some consolation in that the CSP will give 2x on travel purchases whereas the Explorer would have given 1x.
Jun 8, 2014, 7:21 am
#24
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: NC
Programs: AAConciergeKey/1MM, DL DM/2 MM, UA Gold,Hilton Diamond, IHG Plat, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 11,967
I booked four suites with my United Explorer card! Expecting close to 100,000 in points, but just wondering how long they take to post. Agent said 6-8 weeks, but I was hoping for sooner. Any experiences?
Jun 8, 2014, 9:16 am
#25
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: SC USA
Programs: Delta, AA, Hilton, Priority Club, USAir, American Express Membership Rewards, Ultimate Rew, United
Posts: 503
I booked a suite for our cruise in May and was told the same thing (6-8) weeks. I received our miles about 10 days after we returned from our cruise. I was pleasantly surprised. I don't know when you cruise is but make sure you keep checking the price of your cruise on the United site and also check on the cruise lines web site. I paid in full at the time of booking. My price dropped twice. United was great. The first time it dropped, they got me a refund (it wasn't big). The second time, they upgraded us to a suite with an extended balcony which was huge. I will definitely book through them again. Good luck and have fun!
Jun 24, 2014, 5:15 am
#28
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: LHR / IAD
Programs: BA/AA/UA
Posts: 2,955
"Book Online or Call 800-211-2039"
Jul 22, 2014, 1:49 pm
#29
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: AA, SPG, HERTZ, BA, UA, CO, JB
Posts: 289
I booked a suite for our cruise in May and was told the same thing (6-8) weeks. I received our miles about 10 days after we returned from our cruise. I was pleasantly surprised. I don't know when you cruise is but make sure you keep checking the price of your cruise on the United site and also check on the cruise lines web site. I paid in full at the time of booking. My price dropped twice. United was great. The first time it dropped, they got me a refund (it wasn't big). The second time, they upgraded us to a suite with an extended balcony which was huge. I will definitely book through them again. Good luck and have fun!
"If you find a lower rate advertised anywhere within 48 hours of booking with United Cruises, call our Customer Service Department toll-free at 1- 800-211-2039."