SENIORS a Big NO NO for the 1-2-3 Bonus..

[ewynn07]

We were so excited to book the Norway Fjords June 25th....we booked AQUA and assumed we could get the 1-2-3 Bonus. NOPE because we got the senior rate didn't qualify. Also couldn't use resident rate. Has anyone else had this happen to them??? Feel like Celebrity is discriminating against us "young" at heart!!

[midwestchick]

We were so excited to book the Norway Fjords June 25th....we booked AQUA and assumed we could get the 1-2-3 Bonus. NOPE because we got the senior rate didn't qualify. Also couldn't use resident rate. Has anyone else had this happen to them??? Feel like Celebrity is discriminating against us "young" at heart!!

 

I didn't know they had a senior rate...if we're old enough we weren't offered that...it there a big difference with the regular rates? It would be interesting to see what the change is and if it's too late to rebook at the regular rate...didn't they hold the promo over?

I don't blame you for feeling like you do.

 

[BEAV]

We were so excited to book the Norway Fjords June 25th....we booked AQUA and assumed we could get the 1-2-3 Bonus. NOPE because we got the senior rate didn't qualify. Also couldn't use resident rate. Has anyone else had this happen to them??? Feel like Celebrity is discriminating against us "young" at heart!!

 

The terms and conditions of the 123 promotion clearly state it's not combineable with senior, resident and Xciting deals (1 day sales). It's been that way since the beginning of the promotion. We, too, "qualify" for senior rates (one person in cabin must be 55 years old), however have learned to realize and accept that promotions such as the 123 often come with restrictions. Bottom line -- no "discounting a discount"!

 

Midwestchick -- Senior rates are not available on every sailing. And on the sailings that do offer these rates, they can come and go at any time. Whether or not X offers senior rates all boils down to how a particular cruise is selling. Just another example of supply and demand dictating pricing at any given time......

[ORV]

We were so excited to book the Norway Fjords June 25th....we booked AQUA and assumed we could get the 1-2-3 Bonus. NOPE because we got the senior rate didn't qualify. Also couldn't use resident rate. Has anyone else had this happen to them??? Feel like Celebrity is discriminating against us "young" at heart!!

 

You can't combine specials. You can do the 1-2-3 and not get the other if that's what you prefer. Do the math, take what works out for you. They have set it up where you can't have your cake and eat it to. It has nothing to do with discrimination, it's the terms & conditions of the promo.

 

It's a very generous promo, can't understand all the complaining about it.

[Cruise Junky]

It's not combinable with any special rate so no discrimination. What's the cost difference? Might be better to drop your Sr. Rate to get the drinks.

[Lsimon]

Celebrity isn't discriminating at all. They are simply saying that you can not combine the 123GO promotion with another promotional program including special rates and discounts.

 

You can choose to forgo the discount, adjust your cruise to the full rate, and get the 123GO benefits if those work out better for you.

 

We have two cruises booked, one this year and one in 2014. For this years cruise it didn't make sense to increase our cruise fare to the current full rate and give up existing OBC in order to get the 123GO package. But for 2014 we accepted a fare increase to the full current rate and also agreed to loose OBC we had for that cruise in order to get the 123GO promotional benefit.

 

So you do have a choice. You just have to do the math and see which is best for you.

[ewynn07]

Yes they extended the primo to about Febuary 17th.....we saved about $600 each but the bonus would have been so nice. Did hear some people got the senior cheaper fare and ALSO got the bonus. I think some people know how to play the Celebrity "system".

[midwestchick]

The terms and conditions of the 123 promotion clearly state it's not combineable with senior, resident and Xciting deals (1 day sales). It's been that way since the beginning of the promotion. We, too, "qualify" for senior rates (one person in cabin must be 55 years old), however have learned to realize and accept that promotions such as the 123 often come with restrictions. Bottom line -- no "discounting a discount"!

 

Midwestchick -- Senior rates are not available on every sailing. And on the sailings that do offer these rates, they can come and go at any time. Whether or not X offers senior rates all boils down to how a particular cruise is selling. Just another example of supply and demand dictating pricing at any given time......

 

Thanks for the clarification....I think it's probably much too early to see them offering any great deals for a Sept. cruise. I think when I looked there were not a lot of veranda cabins left in the category I wanted or the ship's location I wanted...so that's mainly why I grabbed it when I did...we cruised once...had a veranda and wouldn't want it any other way.

[BEAV]

Thanks for the clarification....I think it's probably much too early to see them offering any great deals for a Sept. cruise.

 

 

You're probably right. We used a senior rate for the first time ever on our last voyage earlier this month. The difference being we only booked one month in advance and were "lured" to the sailing by the senior rate we saw pop up. Again, supply and demand dictates if/when senior/resident rates will materialize. And when they do, it's not across-the-board in every category, but select categories the cruise line needs to fill.

[midwestchick]

Yes they extended the primo to about Febuary 17th.....we saved about $600 each but the bonus would have been so nice. Did hear some people got the senior cheaper fare and ALSO got the bonus. I think some people know how to play the Celebrity "system".

 

Someone also posted this evening she got all of the the 3, 123 Go promos doing a 12 night Med Cruise....we got two...I wish I knew how to "play" the system....oh well. I do hope you figured it out and got the most bang for your buck though...not sure what the senior rate would have been for our cruise but the $600 each would have not been the best bang...I think the drink package alone added up to almost that....and we were able to choose 2.

It almost makes me want to call Celebrity and ask why we didn't get all 3 for our cruise...probably wouldn't do any good. I'm just going to count my blessings and be happy we're able to afford to go and still ready, willing and able.

[Waterlily777]

Yes they extended the primo to about Febuary 17th.....we saved about $600 each but the bonus would have been so nice. Did hear some people got the senior cheaper fare and ALSO got the bonus. I think some people know how to play the Celebrity "system".

 

I would be surprised to learn that someone got the cheaper senior fare AND the 123 bonus. Celebrity has been pretty clear about that, and I haven't seen anyone claim to have received both.

 

I think $600 is a good discount. I am sure if people think about it logically, they would realize that Celebrity can't afford to GIVE AWAY the cruises. Alcoholic beverages are a significant money-maker for cruise lines. It only makes sense that it would be one promotion or the other.

 

As others have said, you do the math and you select the one that benefits you the most.

[wvufan]

It is nice when you have several promotional offers to consider.

 

In my case, I don't drink alcohol so the beverage package has no value to me whatsoever. Actually, when you consider the cost of alcohol, the beverage package probably costs Celebrity about the same as their usual booking on board discount. On the other hand, I am a senior and a combat veteran, so those specials really help me. I booked a cruise today and used the match for the gift card-$500-other options were available but that one added up best for me.

 

When you think about it, senior discounts certainly are age discrimination ;).

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[jj6961]

Yes, I found that out today. Booked a Spring T/A on Equinox, taking my mom who would qualify for the senior discount which was offered on this sailing by my agency. Pretty much nothing else is combinable with the 123 offer. My agent did find one, $100 OBC(more for a suite) if you pay with a Mastercard. The beverage package is a waste for my mom, I wish Celebrity would let her use one of the other options offered, but I know they have to be the same offer in each cabin.

[royalcruz]

We got such a great resident rate in March that the discount was better than the drink package savings would be. It's not just the face value of the cost of the drinks package...you have to look at how much you would normally spend on drinks.

[ORV]

Someone also posted this evening she got all of the the 3, 123 Go promos doing a 12 night Med Cruise....we got two...I wish I knew how to "play" the system....oh well. I do hope you figured it out and got the most bang for your buck though...not sure what the senior rate would have been for our cruise but the $600 each would have not been the best bang...I think the drink package alone added up to almost that....and we were able to choose 2.

It almost makes me want to call Celebrity and ask why we didn't get all 3 for our cruise...probably wouldn't do any good. I'm just going to count my blessings and be happy we're able to afford to go and still ready, willing and able.

 

Okay, I explained this on another thread where you mentioned this and will give you all the details here. The bottom line is that your Sept cruise doesn't meet the guidelines. Also are you a Captain Club member? At any rate here's the deal on getting all 3.

 

This is from the Sticky by Celebrity Media from the top of this page.

 

What are the details of the Captain's Club 123Go Triple Play Europe Promotion?

 

The Captain's Club 123Go! Triple Play Europe promotion is for new bookings, sailing June 1st through August 31st, in ocean view or higher stateroom categories. Members who booked these Europe sailings with the 123Go! promotion between Jan 7th and the beginning of the Captain's Club offer (Jan. 23rd) and wish to take advantage of the Captain's Club Triple Play offer, must contact Celebrity Cruises to have the adjustment made. At that time the booking would be updated to prevailing rates and the Triple Play offer would replace any other offers previously applied to the existing booking.

 

What are the eligibility details?

Captain’s Club members are eligible to receive each of the three Offer options. Loyalty offer applies to new individual and non-contracted group bookings named and deposited Jan. 23 – Feb. 18, 2013, for Europe Jun. – Aug. 2013 sailings only. Unless stated otherwise, all other terms of the Offer apply. Valid membership number must be provided at time of booking; new members may book onboard without a membership number but must provide the membership number by Feb. 28, 2013. To redeem offer contact your Travel professional, or Celebrity Cruises at 1-866-212-2702. For information on this offer visit Celebritycruises.com All Offers are non-transferable and applicable only to the Offer Cruise. No refunds or credits for unused options. Offer is subject to availability and change without notice, capacity controlled. Offer not applicable to charters or contracted groups. Cruise portion of cruisetours eligible for Offer based on number of cruise nights. Single occupancy bookings eligible for Offer. Refer to Cruise Ticket Contract for additional terms and conditions

[reefisher]

It is a total BAIT and SWITCH and Celebrity is going to suffer the consequence. For instance, I followed all of the 123go promotion links on Celebrity's site. Got to booking the actual cabin #, clicked on a small star by the rate, it said Resident rate. Unbeknowst, that nixes the promotion, BUT they do not tell you, so you go ahead and book it, pays your money, then you are supposed to call and tell them which part of the promotion you want. GUESS what? you booked a resident rate and do not qualifiy.. However if you want to pay the difference then we can give the promotion. TOTAL BAIT AND SWITCH. This happened to me.

[Oville]

It is a total BAIT and SWITCH and Celebrity is going to suffer the consequence. For instance, I followed all of the 123go promotion links on Celebrity's site. Got to booking the actual cabin #, clicked on a small star by the rate, it said Resident rate. Unbeknowst, that nixes the promotion, BUT they do not tell you, so you go ahead and book it, pays your money, then you are supposed to call and tell them which part of the promotion you want. GUESS what? you booked a resident rate and do not qualifiy.. However if you want to pay the difference then we can give the promotion. TOTAL BAIT AND SWITCH. This happened to me.

 

If you read the promotion carefully there is this statement: "and cannot be combined with any other offer, promotion or price program."

 

Not bait and switch at all, a Residency Rate is another offer therefore is not eligible for the 123 Promotion.

 

Sorry

[Virga]

It is a total BAIT and SWITCH and Celebrity is going to suffer the consequence. For instance, I followed all of the 123go promotion links on Celebrity's site. Got to booking the actual cabin #, clicked on a small star by the rate, it said Resident rate. Unbeknowst, that nixes the promotion, BUT they do not tell you, so you go ahead and book it, pays your money, then you are supposed to call and tell them which part of the promotion you want. GUESS what? you booked a resident rate and do not qualifiy.. However if you want to pay the difference then we can give the promotion. TOTAL BAIT AND SWITCH. This happened to me.

 

I don't know if I'd go so far as to call it a bait and switch where residents and senior rates are concerned. I read the restrictions and figured out pretty quickly to deselect the senior and state selections when checking for pricing and availability, because otherwise it would quote me the lowest rate and tell me 'Best Rate Applied' for either senior or resident rates. It did irritate the heck out of me that on Tuesdays there appeared to be no way to ask it to give you the prevailing rates instead of the 'happy hour' rates, but they gave us an easy workaround for senior and resident discounts.

 

edit: also, I hope this isn't taken as snark, but if reading promotion restrictions isn't really your thing, you might consider either using a travel agent or calling one of Celebrity's planners.

[The_Big_M]

I'm with Orv and many other posters. This isn't discrimination, you just can't combine so many offers. There's no requirement that every single offer must be combined, nor logic to that.

 

I asked about booking onboard, but that also can't be combined. Was I discriminated against?

 

No.

 

And wvufan is _quite_ right about the discrimination argument!

[flames9]

You will find others, like myself that switched and got to keep OBC--but that was given by the TA (not celebrity) so one does get to keep that

[Minoushka]

I found a big on line agency advertising a cruise on Celebrity Reflection .very reasonable plus all the 123 extras for this summers .Med cruise I called all excited I foind my summer cruise with bonuses

They told me the promos were not always available ..not true NONE of them were available with the offered rate posted ...so why evenput it in ...is this not false advertising I do ot know what is ....no other fares were offereed ....

is As these prices were the only ones offered ..and according to the TA did not qualify for all the extras ..why show the unavailable bonuses???Why falsely tempt me just to be told no not for these rates ...which were the only ones shown !!!

.I was so disappointed I fDid not book

True the price was less but when I first read it I was all excited about the promo and thennot to get it Mmmmmmm!??

Without this promo The difference is 1000$ give or take ...which is the promo total discount ...so is it really a gift or just acatch to lure you in ...you actuale end up paying the tips,drinks and OBC ..so no bargain at all ...and this for the lowest balcony rate

Should i forget the so called bargains ...take the deal and pay for themissing bonuses. Myself ?..that is tips and whatever drinks I fancy not the package

 

 

Or should I wait for this summer ?s prices to tank like last year ..I got 3 weeks Med cruise for 2gs as a HAL special I feel europeans are still in a mess and prices should go down .formost European cruises ...although Celebrity appears reluctant to lowere theirs at first

...I checked transat on many companies and they are really down ..some even less thanhalf ......telling me cruises are not selling that well so far

Last year my special came in May for july ...I really want to go to Istanbul and Venice ....will I ever get there???

 

Advice anyone?

[Lsimon]

It is a total BAIT and SWITCH and Celebrity is going to suffer the consequence. For instance, I followed all of the 123go promotion links on Celebrity's site. Got to booking the actual cabin #, clicked on a small star by the rate, it said Resident rate. Unbeknowst, that nixes the promotion, BUT they do not tell you, so you go ahead and book it, pays your money, then you are supposed to call and tell them which part of the promotion you want. GUESS what? you booked a resident rate and do not qualifiy.. However if you want to pay the difference then we can give the promotion. TOTAL BAIT AND SWITCH. This happened to me.

 

Frankly, I think you're giving Celebrity too much credit. I don't beleive your issue is their attempt to bait and switch, I think it is just poor computer programming (their web site is known to be terrible) which didn't keep track of the fact that you were looking for the 123GO promotion when you were presented the resident rate. Just the fact that you have to call to get the promo added rather than being able to do it online hints at their web site programming weaknesses.

[Dunmore2]

Since we have been cruising, Celebrity has always had the policy of not accepting more than one type of discount, whether it be senior rate, resident rate, 123 promotion, whatever. Discounts are not combinable. It is the same policy for everyone, so that part is fair. You just have to compare the prices for the various products being offered and choose the best for you. We chose the senior rate and will have to purchase beverage packages, pay tips, etc on our own. We've never found a TA that offers much in the way of promotions either. Everyone, including Celebrity, needs to make a profit to continue operating. As long as I not being gouged, I'm happy:o

[JLSPOOL]

Celebrity's way of doing business makes me uncomfortable booking with them. I can't put my hand on it but the Bayley Forum disappointment, the website difficulties, and the bait/switch of 123 pkg are a few negatives.

 

There are long waits between dinner courses, overpriced specialty restaurants, crew spread thin, disappointing shore excursions, not enough entertainment, perks here and there for Elites or heavy demand for seating at the Martini Bar put me, the avg passenger out. There's, no duplicate bridge, no jogging track, shortage of promenade seating and no T-pool on S-Class.

 

Oddly, I'm still prepared to cruise with them. DH looks for places to go and prices we'll pay. Celebrity delivers a bland but not disappointing experience for us. Just nothing to make us recommend the line. Celebrity leaves us with no feeling of excitement cruise with them at a higher price.

 

jls

[Lsimon]

Celebrity's way of doing business makes me uncomfortable booking with them....

 

We're still comfortable and really enjoy the on board experience. But if you're not then why not try out a different line. Certainly no one is holding a gun to your head to book Celebrity. Go with the cruise line you feel the best about. It makes no sense to be uncomfortable with something that should be as great as a cruise vacation.

 

We're fortunate to have many choices out there. The reason that so many different cruise lines are able to coexist is because no single line is right for everyone.