Another RIP OFF FOR CANADIANS

[mike2611]

I want to say that I am a "happy cruiser" I complain about very little and think overall that cruises are great value for money.

HOWEVER

 

As a Canadian I resent being charged more than my US counterpart for exactly the same facilities/amenities. This particularly as the canadian dollar is now and has for some time been worth more than the US Dollar, $1.05 US to be exact today.

 

Example: Booking Murano Restaurant costs a Canadian C$33.60 - or a US resident US$30. The Grill costs a Canadian C$28.80 and a US Citizen $25.00. and so on and so on. I have not checked the pricing of tours but I expect they are the same, costing Canadians more.

 

I know my option is to wait until I board and then book these things and bill them to my onboard account which is in US Dollars. I should not have to do that however - I dont want special treatment, just equal treatment.

 

When booking a cruise, I suggest Canadians seriously consider booking them in US Dollars rather than Canadian and then buy the US Dollars from your bank to pay. You will likely save 10% minimum by doing this. At the very least you should have your travel agent check the US price and the Canadian price and compare.

 

The excuse that these rates are set in advance is nonsense. I would even be happy with paying Canadian at par - but at a premium is bad practice if only from a public relations point of view.

 

Again, I rarely complain but "enough is enough".

[jimzgoldfinch]

I want to say that I am a "happy cruiser" I complain about very little and think overall that cruises are great value for money.

HOWEVER

 

As a Canadian I resent being charged more than my US counterpart for exactly the same facilities/amenities. This particularly as the canadian dollar is now and has for some time been worth more than the US Dollar, $1.05 US to be exact today.

 

Example: Booking Murano Restaurant costs a Canadian C$33.60 - or a US resident US$30. The Grill costs a Canadian C$28.80 and a US Citizen $25.00. and so on and so on. I have not checked the pricing of tours but I expect they are the same, costing Canadians more.

 

I know my option is to wait until I board and then book these things and bill them to my onboard account which is in US Dollars. I should not have to do that however - I dont want special treatment, just equal treatment.

 

When booking a cruise, I suggest Canadians seriously consider booking them in US Dollars rather than Canadian and then buy the US Dollars from your bank to pay. You will likely save 10% minimum by doing this. At the very least you should have your travel agent check the US price and the Canadian price and compare.

 

The excuse that these rates are set in advance is nonsense. I would even be happy with paying Canadian at par - but at a premium is bad practice if only from a public relations point of view.

 

Again, I rarely complain but "enough is enough".

 

Hi,

Please get your facts right before starting a rant!

 

Extract from Celeb website:

 

How much do the specialty restaurants cost?

Subject: Specialty Dining

 

"The Murano, RMS Olympic, SS United States, SS Normandie and Ocean Liners restaurants have a cover charge of $35 USD per person which includes a complete four-course meal. Beverage and wine are offered at current menu prices. There is an option of ordering a six-course Menu Exceptionnel which includes wine with each course for an additional charge. Tuscan Grille has a cover charge of $30 USD per person which includes a complete four-course meal including appetizer, soup or salad, entrée and dessert. Beverages and wine are offered at current menu prices. Qsine has a cover charge of $35 USD per person which includes includes the full menu including starters, entrees and desserts, as there are no defined courses in this restaurant. Beverages and wine are offered at current menu prices."

 

 

Jim

[cruisestitch]

Welcome to Cruise Critic -- I see this is your third post.

 

You may have been looking at some old information regarding how much the upcharge is for Murano and Tuscan Grill. It looks like you are getting the correct exchange rate for Canadian Dollar to U.S. Dollar at this time. There may be cases where the exchange works for or against you, but this time it appears that the exchange is about right.

 

Murano $35 US, $33.60 Canadian makes an exchange of 1.04 approx.

[xxpinksaltxx]

As far as booking a cruise off the celebrity website, I believe this is occuring not just for canadians (It's give and take).

 

For example: The Australian dollar is currently worth $1.10 US per $1 Aus

If i were to book a cruise in Australian dollars it costs $1413

If i were to book in US dollars it would cost $1349 convert that into AUS and thats $1227

 

I believe the specialty dining is only charged in US dollar though

[pete_coach]

Hmmm Mike, I don't have the same sentiments as you. My cruise and it's amenities are all with the proper exchange rate of the day. Yesterdays 1.05 in favor of the Canadian dollar can easily be very different tomorrow. It's the nature of monetary exchange.

This is one of your "rare complaints" that has missed the mark.

[iancal]

There must be some mistake. We are Canadian and we often cruise-in fact our past two cruises have been on Celebrity, as is our upcoming one in mid September.

 

For cruise fares, we get quotes from Canadian TA's in both US and CAD. These can be different because of how Celebrity calculates currency exchange. We pick the least expensive and then compare it to a quote that we obtain from an on line US TA. So, we get to choose.

 

On board charges, in the Carib. are based on US currency. Celebrity will take you room charges and convert to CAD. Alternatively, you can settle with US cash or use a US dollar Visa card-which is what we do.

 

So, there is lot's of choice. If we pay $30. US for an alternative restaurant etc. we are charged $30. US.

 

This has been our experince on a number of cruise lines, not just Celebrity. There is no ripoff. And even if there were a slight discrepency, I would not be concerned about a few bucks of exchange.

 

If you examine your Visa statement closely, and more particularly foreign exchange transactions, you will find much bigger fish to fry.

[mike2611]

First I offer my sincere apologies relative to my comments on the cost of the specialty restaurants.

 

As one person suggested, I was using information contained in a brochure I received at the time of booking and was not aware of the change in pricing. Hence I look rather foolish but then when I read some of the comments no more foolish than many others who just love to jump on someone without giving any consideration to genuine mistakes.

 

I still suggest that as many people do, you obtain the price of Cruises in the currency of your nationality and then the US price and bookm at whatever is the best price - locking in foreign exchange at that time.

 

Thank you to all those who let me know that I screwed up.....

[cruisestitch]

Mike -- thanks for coming back -- hope you have a great cruise -- and keep watching those exchange rates, as the money situation is so fluid anything can happen.

[jagoffee]

First I offer my sincere apologies relative to my comments on the cost of the specialty restaurants.

 

As one person suggested, I was using information contained in a brochure I received at the time of booking and was not aware of the change in pricing. Hence I look rather foolish but then when I read some of the comments no more foolish than many others who just love to jump on someone without giving any consideration to genuine mistakes.

 

I still suggest that as many people do, you obtain the price of Cruises in the currency of your nationality and then the US price and bookm at whatever is the best price - locking in foreign exchange at that time.

 

Thank you to all those who let me know that I screwed up.....

 

 

 

Good for you to not disappear.

 

Have a great cruise.

[Aussie One]

As far as booking a cruise off the celebrity website, I believe this is occuring not just for canadians (It's give and take).

 

For example: The Australian dollar is currently worth $1.10 US per $1 Aus

If i were to book a cruise in Australian dollars it costs $1413

If i were to book in US dollars it would cost $1349 convert that into AUS and thats $1227

 

I believe the specialty dining is only charged in US dollar though

 

I agree if you go into a UK TA the cost of cruises are cheaper than booking in Aussie why ?? HAL are the worst they stipulate USA and Canadian bookings only They are bringing there ships to Aussie in droves

maybe because of the high Aussie dollar.

[jacketwatch]

First I offer my sincere apologies relative to my comments on the cost of the specialty restaurants.

 

As one person suggested, I was using information contained in a brochure I received at the time of booking and was not aware of the change in pricing. Hence I look rather foolish but then when I read some of the comments no more foolish than many others who just love to jump on someone without giving any consideration to genuine mistakes.

 

I still suggest that as many people do, you obtain the price of Cruises in the currency of your nationality and then the US price and bookm at whatever is the best price - locking in foreign exchange at that time.

 

Thank you to all those who let me know that I screwed up.....

No worries. I wish more people could admit they are wrong when they are wrong. :)

[petrakae]

We have been informed by several overseas online TA's that as an Australian, they are now unable to accept our reservations. HAL has stipulated that we must book through an Aussie TA. Unfortunately, these prices are sometimes significantly higher than citizens o/seas pay. I believe that Princess, Celebrity have also made an agreement with Australian Federation of Travel Agents. However, I do stand corrected on who initiated these stipulations. The chances of receiving calls from TA's here regarding upsell opportunities is almost nil, possibly due to the time difference. I find it disheartening to check prices on the internet and then to see what we must pay in comparison. This is an on-going problem that appears to have no ending. A typical example. Last year we did a New Zealand cruise. The lowest price from Aussie TA's was $3,660 p/p. I went through a USA TA (prior to policy changes) and paid $2,600 p/p for the same cabin. That is my experience anyway. We will continue to save and budget so that we can continue cruising.

[We're The Groupnors]

First I offer my sincere apologies relative to my comments on the cost of the specialty restaurants.

 

As one person suggested, I was using information contained in a brochure I received at the time of booking and was not aware of the change in pricing. Hence I look rather foolish but then when I read some of the comments no more foolish than many others who just love to jump on someone without giving any consideration to genuine mistakes.

 

I still suggest that as many people do, you obtain the price of Cruises in the currency of your nationality and then the US price and bookm at whatever is the best price - locking in foreign exchange at that time.

 

Thank you to all those who let me know that I screwed up.....

 

Hi Mike:

 

As a fellow Canadian we prefer not to pre-pay anything (other than the basic cost of the cruise, that is) given the way the dollar has been performing. On our last two cruises we just called up Celebrity Customer Service and pre-booked specialty restaurants and spa treatments without having to pre-pay them. They will do this for you within 60 days of your sail date. The reservation cards were in our cabin when we arrived (we took along our confirmation e-mails just in case), and we just paid for them with our sea-pass card when we dined/spa'd.

 

Enjoy your cruise.