Poll: How's Celebrity doing with the new price drop policy?

[PartyAllDaTyme]

It's been almost three months since the new price drop policy went into effect on May 17th. I'm curious how well and how consistently Celebrity is honoring their policy. There have been a few posts here and there of them not wanting to honor a fare reduction before final payment for a cruise booked before May 17th, or not allowing an upgrade after final payment for a cruise booked after May 17th, and so on. If you've had a price drop, please vote in the poll in the category that best applies.

 

If you have a tale about things going wrong, do tell. I tried to cover all the bases, but if you have a situation that doesn't fit, let's hear about it. Please refrain from posting about how unfair the new policy is, how it's going to hurt their business, and how it's best to wait to book until after the final payment deadline. Please also note that problems getting them to honor price drops where Tuesday Specials are involved are also not the topic here.

 

I did not include situations that no longer apply, such as Celebrity refusing to offer OBC for a cruise booked after May 17th and after final payment was made. For convenience, I've included my summary of the current interpretation of the policy, gathered from a Cruise Critic interview with Carol Cabezas, Celebrity's director of sales strategy and automation, as well as X's own language on their website. I cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, but I've posted this a number of times, asked for corrections, and have not had anyone say I'm an idiot (well, not about this anyway). Here goes:

 

Price drop before final payment is made, contact Celebrity (directly if you booked directly, through your TA otherwise) to get a fare adjustment. If you wish to take advantage of a lower rate to upgrade to a higher class cabin, subject to availability, you may do so without penalty. No difference if you booked before or after May 17th.

 

Cruise booked prior to May 17th, price drop after final payment, contact Celebrity and receive the difference in refundable OBC. You can also upgrade as before, either paying the difference if higher than what you've already paid, or getting OBC for the difference if lower. No OBC refund in the last 72 hours before sailing.

 

Cruise booked on or after May 17th, price drop after final payment, no refund, though you do have the option of taking an upgrade to a cabin now selling for the same or lower price, or upgrading to a cabin now selling for a higher price and paying the difference. No upgrades available in the last 72 hours before sailing.

 

Exception to the new policy-- if there's a price drop within 48 hours of the original booking, you can invoke the new Best Price Guarantee to receive 110% of the difference in the form of nonrefundable OBC. For example, if you book on August 1st and on August 2nd you notice that the price is now $100 per person less, fill out the online form on Celebrity's website and you'll receive $110 per person OBC. Any such OBC that is not used during the cruise is forfeited. If you wish, you can invoke the Best Price Guarantee, if it should apply, prior to final payment instead of taking a fare adjustment to get that extra 10%.

 

There are certain exceptions, such as cruises booked through Tuesday Specials.

 

Link to the Cruise Critic article-- http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=3880

 

Link to Celebrity's Best Price Guarantee-- https://secure.celebritycruises.com/beforeyourcruise/heroSingleTxtSubBPG.do;jsessionid=0000PmFTH1_H0p9RiJoXRWOU_ba:12hdebcnj?pagename=celebrity_best_price_guarantee

 

The poll is open to view-- just click on the "View Poll Results" to see.

 

Thanks! Party on!

[FinelyCruising]

I have a few notes:

 

1. We booked both before and after 5/17 and we received the pricing adjustment for the decrease in a before final payment mode.

 

2. We booked a cabin before 5/17 and a price drop occurred on the cabin and we received the OBC for an after final payment scenario.

 

3. We booked a cabin after 5/17 and a price drop occurred and we were not eligible for a price adjustment. We were already in AQ and had no desire for an upgrade.

 

4. As for the noted about any hassles with Celebrity, my TA had a bit of a go round with them and it was confusing to me so I asked her permission to call Captain's Club and speak with Celebrity myself so I could be clear overall as we had two cabins, one pre and one post, and she was more than fine with that.

 

For the very first time in all the time I have needed to contact Captain's Club, I was surprised by the responses I was getting from the woman I was speaking with. To some extent it was clear she was trying to get the information over to me in a way I could understand, and I am a good listener so I was not having an issue as a result of that. When I told her I was not following what she was saying, because I wanted to undertstand what was meant by the price guarantee she took a tone with me and said, 'look, its easy'. So I kept my cool and told her I look forward to gaining the information on the pricing guarantee so that I understood when I booked in the future and I appreciated the education she was giving me. It was impossible to forge through and I thought it best to just get off the phone and save it for another day and another time.

 

My TA was on the phone again with them too and when we huddled we were both on the same page and she was able to have X get the one cabin squared away.

 

One day I will get the details of the Price Guarantee under my belt...she kept saying I was talking about something else and I keep agreeing that I was but she didn't want to discuss it with me. Its the last gray area for me.

 

So if I had a multiple choice I still would have said no trouble from Celebrity for the adjustment, but for the crabby rep that I had the misfortune to link up with on that particular call.:)

[MAXII]

I have not voted in the poll because in our case, though we booked way before 5/17, following the lates price drop (4th for us) X offered an OBC only and would not adjust the fare down. No big deal to us on this occasion because the OBC was ok with us.

 

I should add that we are Canadians and over the years we have definitely found policies are implemented differentally towards US clients and ourselves and thats down to legislation differences for the most part. Thus, it could be the case this time around too.

 

Great poll though - this should give us all an idea of consistency or not in the new policy.

[greeneg]

We haven't had a price drop; we're still $1200 ahead on the cabin......

[PartyAllDaTyme]

I didn't make the poll available to select more than one answer because I was looking for what each individual's experience was, and if there were multiple instances, such as FinelyCruising experienced, it would skew the numbers. Besides, if there was more than one price drop under the same circumstances, you couldn't vote twice for the same thing. In retrospect, I should have set it up to allow multiple entries. Sorry!:o

 

We haven't had a price drop; we're still $1200 ahead on the cabin......

 

:confused::confused::confused: Care to explain that?

[CHEZMARYLOU]

I have a few notes:

 

 

3. We booked a cabin after 5/17 and a price drop occurred and we were not eligible for a price adjustment. We were already in AQ and had no desire for an upgrade.

 

.:)

 

After trying to understand what they were saying, which is not always easy, in this case, did you not get a price adjustment because it was after final payment?

 

That's the part that has me confused. (If it is before final payment you get if; after you are out of luck?)

 

Right now all of our curises were booked before 5/17.

 

Mary Lou

[FinelyCruising]

After trying to understand what they were saying, which is not always easy, in this case, did you not get a price adjustment because it was after final payment?

 

That's the part that has me confused. (If it is before final payment you get if; after you are out of luck?)

 

Right now all of our curises were booked before 5/17.

 

Mary Lou

 

I think what I want to clarify based on your question is that all drops prior to the final payment (for pre 5/17 bookers) are applied to the cabin cost. You get a new invoice at the reduced amount.

 

After final payment for pre 5/17 bookers its an upgrade or an OBC for the difference.

 

Its possible over the length of he booking to obtain the benefits of multiple drops via a reduced fare or an OMC after fares drop.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

I just noticed that for options 4, 5 and 6, booked pre 5/17 but after final payment, a better way to have phrased the question would have been to say "Was given (or not given) OBC". I was doing this while resting up between doing some outdoor chores and should have gone over it more thoroughly. Guess I got rattled when my first attempt at posting this failed. I'll probably wait a month or so and try this again, also giving the option for multiple choice.

 

After trying to understand what they were saying, which is not always easy, in this case, did you not get a price adjustment because it was after final payment?

 

That's the part that has me confused. (If it is before final payment you get if; after you are out of luck?)

 

Right now all of our curises were booked before 5/17.

 

Mary Lou

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think FinelyCruising is saying they booked an AQ room after 5/17 and had made their final payment. The price dropped, but their only option would have been to get a higher class cabin for the same amount (if that cabin were now going for the same amount or less) or by paying the difference (if that cabin cost more than what he had already paid). This did him no good, since they wanted to keep their AQ cabin. Under the new policy, he could not get a fare adjustment after the final payment had been made.

 

Since you booked before 5/17, and if there is a price drop, you should be able to get a fare adjustment before you make your final payment, OBC for the difference after. The 110% Best Price Guarantee will not apply for you, unless you booked one of those cruises in the last 48 hours and there's a drop before the 48 hour deadline.

[FinelyCruising]

I must have some reputation.:D FinelyCrusing is a female, not a male. Not saying there aren't a bunch of things that I can't do that guys can do...

[PartyAllDaTyme]

I must have some reputation.:D FinelyCrusing is a female, not a male. Not saying there aren't a bunch of things that I can't do that guys can do...

 

My apologies:o! I do usually try to make references to posters gender neutral, but somehow I had it in my head that you were a male. It's been a long day on the sharing drinks thread...