Amerie

Thank you for the detailed explanation. Obviously we are discussing Celebrity cruises.

Cle-guy's description of the process may be true for his TA, but it is not the case for all TA's, even if we are speaking about Celebrity. I was just making some allowance for the possibility that he had been given information about how other cruise lines operate. Or that the travel agency that he deals with is so large that different rules apply to them.

In the case of Celebrity: for the moderate sized online and brick-and-mortar agencies that I know about and have had contact with, the commission is paid to the Agency by Celebrity two weeks after final payment, so quite a while BEFORE the cruise sails, except for standard groups, when the commissions are paid to the agency AFTER the cruise sails. I don't know what happens with really large or charter groups, but I have a close friend who handles those, and I will try to find out.

I don't know about the terminology that Cle-guy's TA uses, but any TA I have ever been involved with refers to NCCF as "Non-Commissionable Cruise Fare" and it has always been the part of the Cruise Fare that commission is NOT paid on. Any time I have seen NCCF used by Celebrity, it has always meant "non-commissionable cruise fare" and commission was absolutely NOT paid on the NCCF portion of any invoice.

Taxes and Port Expenses are not part of the Cruise Fare in any agency that I have had experience with, so of course, commissions are not paid on taxes, fees and port expenses.

When Cle-guy says that commissions are ALWAYS paid after OBC is issued, that is just not the case. I am not saying that what he reports is not true for his agency, I'm just saying that it is not true for all agencies, and I thought people had a right to hear that.

From what I've gathered, TA's are paid commissions during the 1st week in the month following the last day of a cruise. Also TA's only get commission on the "net commissionable cruise fare (NCCF)", which is less than on the fare you pay, they take out the taxes, and other particular fees that are lumped into the cruise fare before setting the balance that is commissioned.

 

So a cruise that ends Jan 30, will be paid 1st week of Feb, a cruise that ends Feb 1, will be paid 1st week of March. So commissions are always paid after OBC is issued. Imagine the bookkeeping and reconcilliations that would need done ny X if they allowed TA's to "net" their commissions against perks granted by TA's. X has hard enough time keeping the simple things in order, with out having to administer TA issued programs and perks. This is why TA's actually pay out-of-pocket for the perks granted, making them a "business expense" to them.

 

A group I book with lets me book via my own travel agent and shares their commission with her, so I have 2 TA's involved.... Group TA gets their full commission from X, then writes my TA a check after they get their money, and they don't get the money till a month after cruises end.

This may be how it works for your TA, but is not how it works for all TA's and there are a bunch of factors involved, not the least of which is which cruise line you are dealing with.

For example, some cruise lines pay commissions approximately two weeks after final payment. That same cruise line may pay commissions AFTER the cruise is completed, if clients are in a group. The size of the agency, and the size of groups will also be factors.

And NCCF stands for "Non-Commissionable Cruise Fare" and is the part of the Cruise Fare that commission is NOT paid on. Taxes and Port Expenses are a separate allocation, and are not part of the Cruise Fare, as you will see on your invoices. Of course, commissions are not paid on taxes and fees.

If you are talking about the Millennium sailing on August 29, 2014 that is on the Exciting Deals for tomorrow:

The STANDARD rates for Aquaclass today are:

Aquaclass 1: $2399 (with an OBC offer)

Aquaclass 2: $2299 (with an OBC offer)

Aquaclass Guarantee: $1699

Exciting Deals

Aquaclass Guarantee: $1349

Thanks very much to everyone that has posted, and especially to those that were able to confirm that the information that they have received from Celebrity, is similar to what I was told. It does indeed appear that a number of Silhouette itineraries have been altered.

The OP says it is October 2015!!

 

I can't imagine what kind of a mechanical problem they would let go that long without fixing.

Sorry, that was totally a typo. I meant October 4-18, 2014.

We are booked on the Silhouette in October, leave Rome on Oct 4. Have not had any notice of changes in ports or times yet?

 

Cruise is Eastern Mediterranean with stops in Italy, Greece, Turkey and Israel. Watching the news on Israel, hoping this will get resolved and the situation will return to what is "normal" for Israel. Obvious this is an entirely different issue from what the OP is reporting.

 

Would like to know more ...

This is the same cruise. We received an email from Celebrity. It only addresses the changes to the port times, as I posted above.

Can you also tell us the original port arrival and departure times, as well as the new times?

Original times:

Messina: Arrives at 9:00 AM Departs at 6:00 PM

Haifa: Arrives at 7:00 AM Departs at 10:00 PM

New times:

Messina: Arrives at 10:00 AM Departs at 6:00 PM

Haifa: Arrives at 7:00 AM Departs at 4:00 PM

We were just on the June 22 sailing of Silhouette and on embarkation day, they put letters in our rooms that port times for the cruise had been shortened due to the fact that the ship wasn't able to travel as fast. The letter stated that the safety and security of the ship and its guests were in no way compromised. Originally, we were supposed to be in Dubrovnik from 12pm-8pm and they changed our departure to 6pm. And Civitavecchia was supposed to be 7am-7pm, but our arrival was changed to 8am. The changes weren't very drastic, so we didn't inquire any further.

 

Michael

Michael, thanks so much for posting. This is the type of information that I was looking for...posters that could corroborate what I was told by Celebrity.

I initially worded the post quite carefully, as I wanted to focus on the mechanical issue, and not the political issues that are making this cruise controversial at the moment.

The cruise is on the Silhouette, October 4th to 18th, 2015 and there are two ports that have had their times changed...Messina (Sicily) where the ship is arriving an hour later than originally planned, and Haifa, which is the port that has had its day shortened by six hours...departing at 4:00 pm instead of 10:00 pm. This is a very significant change, and is making our planned excursion impossible.

There are two sea days after Haifa, so I was a bit surprised that a slowing of ship speed would necessitate the ship leaving Haifa six hours early, when it has two days to get to Naples.

We just had one of our port days shortened on the Silhouette by six hours. We had a special excursion planned for this port, and now it will be impossible due to lack of travel time.

When I called Celebrity to ask why the shortened day, and if there is any chance this change will be reversed, I was told that the ship has to leave port early as it cannot travel as fast as it usually does. I was also told that eight Silhouette itineraries have had similar changes. There seemed to be no expectation that the problem would be resolved in time for our cruise.

Our cruise is in the fall. I am surprised that, whatever the issue is, it wouldn't be fixed by the end of September. Perhaps the fix requires a dry dock, but the problem isn't severe enough to take the ship out of commission before the next scheduled dry dock.

Has anyone else had a port day shortened on the Silhouette recently, and if so, did Celebrity give you a reason?

Here's the link you want: http://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=NP

 

E310 and E316 are interior cabins, across the hall and just forward from yours. E318 is as you say, just behind the center of a tender. It is advertised as approximately 168 square feet.

Thanks very much for your help.

Sorry, I meant to say "do not exist as Oceanview cabins" on the Golden Princess. On the obstructed photo website, E310 and E316 are Oceanview cabins. Have those cabins been renumbered fairly recently? The German TA website that I use to see available inventory also has E310 and E316 as Oceanview cabins.

I just noticed that E608 has become available. Is that a better location? It appears to be obstructed by the front end of a tender, instead of the middle.

I have no experience with Oceanview cabins, and very little experience with Princess.

Thanks. :)

I had an obstructed view cabin on the Diamond, E216, and the life boat obstructed only the lower quarter of the window. It didn't bother me at all and I just thought of it as a smaller window. Sailing past the Sydney Opera House was still a spectacular sight. The web site referenced above is excellent for seeing how obstructed your view will be. Just picked E318 on the Grand for my next cruise, based the photo on the web site.

I have just been assigned E318 on the Golden Princess, but the cabin placements on the referenced photo website do not seem to line up with the cabin locations on the deck plans on the Princess web site. The cabin numbers seem to have changed.

Can anyone tell me if cabins E310 and E316 do NOT exist on the Golden Princess? That would mean that E318 is behind the center of the tender, and not in between the tenders, as is shown on the photos.

Also, does anyone know how large the E318 cabin would be?

I would appreciate any help that anyone can offer. :)

Gala brunch is gone on Silhouette, as discussed in another thread. It wasn't terrible that it was gone, but they should've gone cold turkey instead of what they're doing now.

 

On the April 6 Silhouette Western, here's how they executed the "replacement" for the brunch.

 

 

• Breakfast was normal in Oceanview. Same offerings and times.
  
• Lunch stations were about 1/2 different. Sushi was offered, along with more variety at the stations, but nothing new. Many offerings were in unusual places.
  
• There were two chocolate fountains stuffed where a tray of utensils would normally be found. They were noisy and too high to be used by most. A big fat bowl of marshmallows sat next to each. Maybe some fruit.
  
• Three ice sculptures were rolled into the middle of walkways. They were just in the way.
  
• There were no bakery sculptures, no enormous dessert display, not a shrimp cocktail in sight. No breakfast items at all.
  
• The offering that jumped the shark for me was the enormous, well-worn tub of a cotton candy machine, flinging pathetically small threads of pink sugar onto sharpened barbecue skewers. Between the ice cream and the pizza. Cotton candy.
  

Again, I'm not really too upset about the disappearing brunch. I'm disappointed, and my teen girl will be too next time she sails, but I'm not crushed about it.

 

But it did seem cheap, and the cotton candy machine was just silly. Just do a normal lunch, please, not a half-baked fake makeup brunch.

This does not sound appealing to me at all.

Hi Dwayne:

What kind of food would your 16-year old like to eat? Why do you think that she would not enjoy the food in Blu?

Have you eaten in Blu before? The descriptions on the menus sometimes sound as if the food is a bit strange, but mostly it's just a bit fresher and lighter than the MDR offerings. And the presentation is beautiful. I'm sure your daughter would love the beautiful plates that some of the dishes are served on.

The staff in Blu are really accommodating, and I bet they would bend over backwards to make her happy. Other than the night when you are all hoping to dine together, it is only 3 other nights, and I'm sure they will do their utmost in Blu to make her happy.

Hey Amerie,

 

Yes...with 8 cabins you get the TCC. It will really help us, as it will reduce the cost of our Cabin by $ 467!!

 

I wish it applied to all the rooms!

 

It is reflected in my budget...but since i haven't paid the balance yet...i haven't mentioned it...

 

Dwayne

Glad to hear that you are getting the TCC. Every little bit helps.

Are you signed up to one to the websites that will send you an email update for every price drop? I know that you are watching closely, but sometimes these price drops are only available for a couple of hours, as they are generated by a computer system.

Sometime before final payment, people may cancel their bookings, and it can be possible to save some $$$ if you can call in right away.

Also, are you maximizing the Giving Thanks loyalty rate? For instance, if you and your fiancée have both cruised with Celebrity before, book Kelly into the cabin with your daughter, and both cabins will get the 15% loyalty reduction. It doesn't matter who actually stays in which cabin. This type of thing is done all the time, and is okay with Celebrity. The Celebrity reps will sometimes suggest it themselves.

I've been following along with great interest, both here and on the Celebrity thread, and enjoying it immensely. I think you are doing a great job planning this destination wedding. Very romantic!

And the wedding and engagement rings are just beautiful!!

Has your Celebrity Group rep said anything to you about the Tour Conductor credit? I don't know how many berths you would have to sell, but it's often 16....or 8 cabins with 2 people in each, which you should have no problem reaching. There should be some savings for you there.