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Utterly Frustrated and Confused By Celebrity’s Policies!!


kcdionysus
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We’re booked on the Constellation in an ocean view cabin. We recently looked on Celebrity’s website and noticed the price of balcony cabins has come down so thought we’d treat ourselves to an upgrade. The difference between what we paid and an Aqua class cabin was £119 per person so I emailed first to request an upgrade and price but didn’t get an answer so called in this morning to be told it’ll be £730 each??

 

When I asked why it was so expensive compared to their online price, I was told it was because our booking is on one promotional offer and there is a different promotion on currently. I said the new offer still included a drinks package so I couldn’t see what was different but the assistant said there’s nothing she could do.

 

 

I remember a thread where others had mentioned they had a different response when calling in again and speaking to someone else so I tried again and spoke to a different assistant who quoted me £990 each??

 

 

I do not understand how they get to these prices. How can it be £1742 more expensive to an existing customer?? I asked what do I lose if I cancel and she said the initial £300 deposit. So it would be £1442 cheaper to cancel our cruise and rebook than for Celebrity to do a bit of admin on a computer??

 

I’m not asking for a deal or special treatment.....I just want internationally advertised prices to be honoured. Is that too much to ask? It appears so as Celebrity think it’s ok for us to lose £300 yet still be booked on the same ship on the same itinerary on the same date?? :mad:

 

 

We’ve had similar frustrating experiences with RCCL and their advertised prices on various items from cabins to drinks packages. I just don’t get it!! Why are their online/office/sales/admin so bad when their ships and crew are so good?

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OP raises a valid point.

 

Why are their online/office/sales/admin so bad when their ships and crew are so good?

 

 

With the myriad of choices available, starting to wonder if booking far in advance is wise.

 

 

Difficult decision for the customer above.

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With the myriad of choices available, starting to wonder if booking far in advance is wise.

 

If you book early, you get a better choice of cabin location and dining times etc. and this might be important to some. Some like having something to look forward to. The thing is, I accept that if I book early, the price could go up or down. I wouldn’t complain if my cabin category went down in price as I was happy to pay that price otherwise I wouldn’t have booked it. You pay your money and takes your chances.

 

What galls me is not being able to take advantage of a general reduction in prices on better cabins. In my opinion, it’s short sighted. If passengers choose to pay to upgrade, it frees up cheaper cabins. Then Celebrity might be able to sell more cabins and fill the ship on last minute bookings if necessary. That’s more people buying drinks and paying gratuities which pays the staff and crew. And if people try higher category cabins and enjoy the experience, it could sell the experience to them and might encourage them to go for these categories on future bookings.

 

Celebrity’s attitude is so negative and hardly engenders loyalty and trust in the brand.

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If you book early, you get a better choice of cabin location and dining times etc. and this might be important to some. Some like having something to look forward to. The thing is, I accept that if I book early, the price could go up or down. I wouldn’t complain if my cabin category went down in price as I was happy to pay that price otherwise I wouldn’t have booked it. You pay your money and takes your chances.

 

What galls me is not being able to take advantage of a general reduction in prices on better cabins. In my opinion, it’s short sighted. If passengers choose to pay to upgrade, it frees up cheaper cabins. Then Celebrity might be able to sell more cabins and fill the ship on last minute bookings if necessary. That’s more people buying drinks and paying gratuities which pays the staff and crew. And if people try higher category cabins and enjoy the experience, it could sell the experience to them and might encourage them to go for these categories on future bookings.

 

Celebrity’s attitude is so negative and hardly engenders loyalty and trust in the brand.

 

Sorry for your disappointment, yet the issue gets down to where you book vs when you book.

 

 

Both can be an influencing factor over up-grades, specials etc...

 

 

This is an on-going issue for passengers who book outside of the U.S. who generally have a more 'liberal' booking, upgrade and specials offers.

 

A search here will yield a number of posts addressing these issues.

 

bon voyage

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Sorry for your disappointment, yet the issue gets down to where you book vs when you book.

 

 

Both can be an influencing factor over up-grades, specials etc...

 

 

This is an on-going issue for passengers who book outside of the U.S. who generally have a more 'liberal' booking, upgrade and specials offers.

 

A search here will yield a number of posts addressing these issues.

 

bon voyage

 

Would I have different treatment as a UK citizen if I booked via a US site??

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Would I have different treatment as a UK citizen if I booked via a US site??

 

Yes, yet, I believe there may be issues trying to book online directly with X from a non-US country, it reverts to the local website, often. Try it to see if you can make a mock booking. YMMV

 

Placing your reservation with an US TA, would be better, overall to take advantage of the specials not offered to rest of the world.

 

Please know there are some US agents who will not book non-US/non-Canadian passengers, yet there are many who do.

 

 

Also, please remember that different 'consumer protections' apply to US bookings vs other countries which may be in place.

 

bon voyage

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We have, in the past, cancelled a cruise and rebooked it at a much cheaper price. We lost £300 and saved £2,300 which was well worth it. You just have to do the sums and if you are in pocket enough cancel an rebook but do it quickly.

 

A very good idea and have seen other UK passengers indicate they have and/or take this approach, when to their advantage to do so.

 

bon voyage

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We have, in the past, cancelled a cruise and rebooked it at a much cheaper price. We lost £300 and saved £2,300 which was well worth it. You just have to do the sums and if you are in pocket enough cancel an rebook but do it quickly.

 

That’s kinda what we did...... BUT.....

 

I was pee’d off and didn’t want to deal with X directly so called a TA, told them what had happened and asked for a price. She knocked £120 off Celebrity’s Aqua cabin price, so we booked it and paid grats upfront as well. We only technically ‘lost’ £180 vs Celebrity’s price and they have to pay the TA their commission too. Then I cancelled the original booking.

 

It’s just an unnecessary nonsensical farce and all it’s done is wind me up to the point where, like with RCCL, I’ll avoid them if I can. I’d rather go with NCL but they don’t go to all the places we want to visit so....

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So, it is a prerequisite that taking advantage of a price drop results in lost perks and a fortified deposit?

 

No. In my experience it depends on when the price drop occurs; in the US after final payment you can’t get a price drop but can upgrade to a higher category cabin if it costs more than you have paid. That amount could be $5 more could be much more.

 

Before final payment if there is a price drop you can get the lower price but if the lower price has fewer perks or no perks then to get the lower price you would have to give up the perks associated with your original price. Example, you booked with 2 perks and 2 months later you see the price is $250 lower with 1 perk you can have your reservation repriced to save the $250 but will lose 1 perk.

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That’s kinda what we did...... BUT.....

 

I was pee’d off and didn’t want to deal with X directly so called a TA, told them what had happened and asked for a price. She knocked £120 off Celebrity’s Aqua cabin price, so we booked it and paid grats upfront as well. We only technically ‘lost’ £180 vs Celebrity’s price and they have to pay the TA their commission too. Then I cancelled the original booking.

 

It’s just an unnecessary nonsensical farce and all it’s done is wind me up to the point where, like with RCCL, I’ll avoid them if I can. I’d rather go with NCL but they don’t go to all the places we want to visit so....

 

I understand and can only suggest, once you set foot aboard X, all the tension and nerve racking issues which lead up to it, will melt away... with the Welcome Cocktail handed to you when boarding...

 

bon voyage

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No. In my experience it depends on when the price drop occurs; in the US after final payment you can’t get a price drop but can upgrade to a higher category cabin if it costs more than you have paid. That amount could be $5 more could be much more.

 

Before final payment if there is a price drop you can get the lower price but if the lower price has fewer perks or no perks then to get the lower price you would have to give up the perks associated with your original price. Example, you booked with 2 perks and 2 months later you see the price is $250 lower with 1 perk you can have your reservation repriced to save the $250 but will lose 1 perk.

 

Yes, so to make sense to request the lower price, it needs to make sense to do so... if the savings is far greater than purchasing the additional Perk, then it works, if not, then keep what is booked.

 

bon voyage

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I assure you just as runaround and confusing stateside vs uk !! Prices drop you call... oh you got a special promotion... you’ll lose all perks and your deposit to change...

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

The rules in the US are actually quite simple. Anytime you make a change, prior to final payment, you are in effect, canceling the original booking and making a new booking (even though the number remains the same) under whatever offer and conditions exist at the time of the change. As such it does not matter what perks you had prior to the change, it is all a blank slate and what you get depends upon the current offer at time of change.

 

If you have a non-refundable deposit, then you lose it just as if you had cancelled the booking. If you booked with a refundable deposit then it transfers to the changed booking.

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The rules in the US are actually quite simple. Anytime you make a change, prior to final payment, you are in effect, canceling the original booking and making a new booking (even though the number remains the same) under whatever offer and conditions exist at the time of the change. As such it does not matter what perks you had prior to the change, it is all a blank slate and what you get depends upon the current offer at time of change.

 

If you have a non-refundable deposit, then you lose it just as if you had cancelled the booking. If you booked with a refundable deposit then it transfers to the changed booking.

 

True - with the exception that Perks received as part of an onboard booking will remain after you reprice at current offer and perks.

 

Mike

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No. In my experience it depends on when the price drop occurs; in the US after final payment you can’t get a price drop but can upgrade to a higher category cabin if it costs more than you have paid. That amount could be $5 more could be much more.

 

Before final payment if there is a price drop you can get the lower price but if the lower price has fewer perks or no perks then to get the lower price you would have to give up the perks associated with your original price. Example, you booked with 2 perks and 2 months later you see the price is $250 lower with 1 perk you can have your reservation repriced to save the $250 but will lose 1 perk.

 

 

Thanks for the info. I’ll keep an eye out since our perks are from Future Cruise and can’t be retracted.

 

OP;

I have sent you a PM

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I'm still waiting for someone complain that the price went up and their fare wasn't adjust accordingly. To be fair, the price shouldn't be locked in until final payment is made. If they made the fare nonrefundable it would make it even easier.

 

If the fares for cruises and airlines were not so ...Oh I don't know.....reminiscent of used cars in the 1970's then perhaps people would buy a fare and leave well enough alone. I can tell you with absolution that I do not monitor pricing when I buy a TV or a mobile phone or milk. I don't even pay attention to air fares because if you see it went down, you really have no recourse so in that regard, at least this does have that option.

 

 

 

If pricing was more transparent or consistent, it would be better for the industry image. I always knocked Chanel for locking the prices of their merchandise but in the end, it preserves their product reputation as well as the value for those that buy their product. Even car buying in 2018 is leaps and bounds above this sort of charlatan practice that the travel industry is clinging onto. Any time you book a hotel or an airline ticket and cruises, the wonder is there, did the guy next to me get a better price and for no other reason than his TA or his search engine. Seems a bit unjust.

 

 

OP;

 

Email replied to.

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If the fares for cruises and airlines were not so ...Oh I don't know.....reminiscent of used cars in the 1970's then perhaps people would buy a fare and leave well enough alone. I can tell you with absolution that I do not monitor pricing when I buy a TV or a mobile phone or milk. I don't even pay attention to air fares because if you see it went down, you really have no recourse so in that regard, at least this does have that option.

 

 

 

If pricing was more transparent or consistent, it would be better for the industry image. I always knocked Chanel for locking the prices of their merchandise but in the end, it preserves their product reputation as well as the value for those that buy their product. Even car buying in 2018 is leaps and bounds above this sort of charlatan practice that the travel industry is clinging onto. Any time you book a hotel or an airline ticket and cruises, the wonder is there, did the guy next to me get a better price and for no other reason than his TA or his search engine. Seems a bit unjust.

 

 

OP;

 

Email replied to.

 

That is what you when you have a business that is very capital intensive, with a low profit margin, in a very competitive market, where the product is 100% perishable if not sold by departure date.

 

Bottom line they have to maximize revenue, while at the same time selling out their product. Thus the variable pricing models.

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