Can I just say I feel robbed by X pricing!

[Hawks11]

So in late 2011 I booked our April 2013 Hawaiian cruise and paid $5500 for two for S1 deck 6. Today reading our roll call, a few days ago X has some sale on suites for seniors (thus exluding me) and someone upgraded to a Gty S1 for $4000 and was assigned the S1 aft on same exact floor as us! Same room, just different corner./QUOTE]

 

I find it a good rule not to boast if you have had a good deal and not to enquire what other people have paid as it only leads to problems.

The other rule is not to talk about the person who failed to turn up for dinner on a previous cruise and it was discovered that the person had died.

[The_Big_M]

I feel the OP pain.

 

The biit about upgrading and added the following comment. Not in Australia. Tried and they point blank refused. Seems only cruisers from certain countries get that opportunity and others get left on the scrap heap.

 

It's a risk around the world that especially after the final payment date, discounts are only for "new bookings only". i.e. you can't upgrade wherever you are.

[drarill]

So in late 2011 I booked our April 2013 Hawaiian cruise and paid $5500 for two for S1 deck 6. Today reading our roll call, a few days ago X has some sale on suites for seniors (thus exluding me) and someone upgraded to a Gty S1 for $4000 and was assigned the S1 aft on same exact floor as us! Same room, just different corner.

 

So, I book 1.5 years out and pay $1500 more for exact room!!! This just makes me feel mad and stupid! Why not upgrade people and reward those who book early then sell the non suite rooms on sale?? I know, it's all about the money for X, but $1500 is alot of money to us and this sure leaves a bad taste in my mouth!

 

We usually book at least a year in advance, but this year we booked seven months before our next cruise. Big mistake, because I'm not crazy about the location of our cabins. I hope that it works out for us, and I will keep checking Celebrity's website every day hoping to find something better. maybe it will come up after final payment :)

[bplazo]

Our cruise sold out so I am glad that I did not wait till after payment.

[fishycomics]

So in late 2011 I booked our April 2013 Hawaiian cruise and paid $5500 for two for S1 deck 6. Today reading our roll call, a few days ago X has some sale on suites for seniors (thus exluding me) and someone upgraded to a Gty S1 for $4000 and was assigned the S1 aft on same exact floor as us! Same room, just different corner.

 

So, I book 1.5 years out and pay $1500 more for exact room!!! This just makes me feel mad and stupid! Why not upgrade people and reward those who book early then sell the non suite rooms on sale?? I know, it's all about the money for X, but $1500 is alot of money to us and this sure leaves a bad taste in my mouth!

 

 

Did you monitor your cruise, for lower prices before final payment?

 

Was this price offered after your final payment due date?

 

If you just booked and paid. you committed. If you had a final payment due date, and this was out prior, you missed out on it. If you paid your final on due date, and this was offered, I speak to a live person.

 

Just thinking out loud.

 

We booked and are monitoring our winter cruise. so far the price dropped big time, and it may not go that low again. Does not mean we will stop looking. :)

[SSNORWAY]

In my experience you are very unlikely to get upgraded if you choose your stateroom specifically as people who do that generally have done some research and chosen their cabin in a particular location: port or starboard for the sun or views, near elevators, closest to their restaurant, casino or other facilities they will use most etc.

 

The only time I have been upgraded is by choosing a guarantee cabin. I have had some fantastic upgrades this way as they want to maximise the number of lead-in price cabins prior to sailing.

 

If - as many posters have said - you like a particular cabin for a specific reason then you would be very likely to be unhappy with your upgraded accommodation as it would almost certainly not be midships, near elevators etc. It is also worth noting that there are often many high grade rooms high up the ship that have huge over-hangs from the pool deck which would never see the light of day... be careful what you wish for!

[Jane2357]

I do feel your pain - no one likes to feel that they paid "more". My cruise for 2/14 - I am in an Eclispe Aft wrap on the 6th floor an S1 and to get that cabin I too booked way early back in 10/12! Then early this year the 1,2,3 promo comes out and even though we could have switched to it per X - the price of our cabin had gone up so much that it was a wash. To our surprise X did give us some additional OBC! Could I have gotten that from them - maybe not - but the relationship between X and our TA got that done. I would at least give X a call and explain and perhaps they might do a little something.

After that - then you need to remind yourself that at the time you paid for your cabin - you felt it was worth the price. I think once you stand on that aft balcony - all of this will just fade. Go and have a wonderful time!

[Dunelm]

Sorry you feel "robbed" lawgirl. I have had similar experiences on different cruise lines, but have appreciated being able to book early, to make advance arrangements, and to enjoy all the planning involved. On occasion, we have benefited by being upgraded, but most often we have not. We love Celebrity, and feel that in fact it tends to give more value for money than some of the other premium lines.

[dgparent]

I think that booking early and getting a better cabin location is more important to me now. I looked at a Suite GTY for our cruise next week, it would of cost $400 more than our AQ room on the hump + we would of lost the 123 promo, a $700 value, would it of been worth it ? I think not. We could of ended up under the overhang and under the dining areas, so no sun on the balcony and lots of noise for what a few extra square feet of room that we don't really use ?

 

Why they have all those suites under the overhang/common areas on a new ship like reflection I have no idea.

 

For our next cruise on Connie I got a aft AQ cabin on deck 11 - I would not trade that location in for a suite.

 

I look at the X site every Tuesday afternoon to see if there is a price reduction up to the final payment date, of course roll calls are also a good place to find reductions also. I saved $100 on our upcoming cruise from a roll call post.

[Denny01]

This thread subject is one of the more popular and legit. Why doesn't the Line upgrade early bookers and then discount the remaining SRs? The Line would encourage early bookng and loyalty.

 

Sounds good, but this isn't just upgrading suite reservations or up to suites. The same argument tends for all. The early inside reservation shouldnt be left out, right? So what the Line would end up with is instead of a mix of suites, balconies, OV and inside SRs to discount, they'd have all insides to try to sell off. Instead of getting $4000 for that S1, they may get let's say $599 for an inside.

 

Not a good business return, especially considering the great majority of cruisers do not bird dog the cruise price as some of us CC fanatics. It's just not a habit of most and not well known to do for many cruisers. And as for loyalty? It may add some, but those that see price as the main driver will go to the lowest bidder at booking time, not book and hope for an upgrade.

 

And if you book an inside cabin and expect an upgrade because that happened on some cruse the week after Thanksgiving you read about on CC but doesn't happen on your cruise....Katy Bar the Door - so much for loyalty, I got stuck in a SR I didn't really want.

 

Just an alternative view.

 

Den

[Lady Arwen]

We booked our repositioning cruise on the Summit for April 27th about one year ago in Aqua class. It has gone up $1200.00 since then. It works both ways....sometimes you gain, sometimes not. We just book what we want and then watch for drops in price til final payment. It's only happened once!

[johhnnyt]

1. I want to be able to select the cabin I want before anyone else has the chance to book it

but

I want to be able to get the rate you get when you wait till the last minute to book

 

2. If my travel agent gives me an OBC for an incentive to book

then

I reserve the right to demand a higher one if someone else gets it

 

3. If an offer comes up for OBC, Free drinks, or gratuities and has a statement saying it doesn't apply to my reservation

I do believe

I should still get it anyway, because someone else got it

 

4. If they drop the rate on a cabin category that I already booked

then

The cruise line should call up every passenger who paid a higher fare and refund the difference

 

I think you have to be realistic. You can ride on an airline and would almost guarantee that your neighbors paid higher or lower than you did. I'd really be surprised if you found more than 25 people that paid the same rate, no different on a cruise ship, except the rates paid for cruise fares are more visible.

 

If you start trying to worry about things like this it will drive you nuts, you'll never have the best deal or the worst, so enjoy what you have. If having the perfect location is important book early and pay more, if location isn't important book late and pay less, but odds are you aren't going to get both.

 

My rule of thumb is 90-180 days, usually better airline deals at that point and good cabin availability but not great, but cabin prices usually pretty good or sold out. Always a gamble

[skandls]

I would be upset by the price difference BUT if you have to plan your vacation in advance you pay the going rate at the time you book. You could take your chances and hope to snag a deal at the last minute - but if you have to fly to the cruise the airfares could be higher with only those wonderful middle seats. Someday you too will qualify for Senior Rates and you may be able to take advantage of those last minute price drops. We live on the west coast - so we can't do the last minute cruises like many of the FL residents.

 

It would be a big mess if X starting upgrading all the early bookers. Their website programmers seem to have enough of a job keeping things running as is. Sky to Full Suite, CC to Sky, What about AQ? Balcony to CC, etc. how do you determine who and where to upgrade?

[travelberlin]

Probably I shouldn't check prices, then I wouldn't know!! I AM really excited about Hawaii so I will get over this! I guess I just assumed X upgraded folks to higher level cabins to fill them, then tried to book lower cabins, but I think I was naive! Thanks!

Somehow we learn a lot in this forum. I guess a good posibility would be to book in advance an inferior category as the one you would like and then hope for price reductions so you can upgrade. In this way you will still have the cruise of your choice and you might also have the cabin category of your choice. Enjoy your cruise!

[jerseygirl3]

So in late 2011 I booked our April 2013 Hawaiian cruise and paid $5500 for two for S1 deck 6. Today reading our roll call, a few days ago X has some sale on suites for seniors (thus exluding me) and someone upgraded to a Gty S1 for $4000 and was assigned the S1 aft on same exact floor as us! Same room, just different corner.

 

So, I book 1.5 years out and pay $1500 more for exact room!!! This just makes me feel mad and stupid! Why not upgrade people and reward those who book early then sell the non suite rooms on sale?? I know, it's all about the money for X, but $1500 is alot of money to us and this sure leaves a bad taste in my mouth!

 

Can I ask how this affected you? There was no place to upgrade to since you've already booked the S1. While I understand you paid more, you also got the cabin you wanted, at a price you apparently were comfortable with.

 

When I book, whether it be a cruise or hotel or airline tix, I book with the understanding that if the price goes up, I got a good deal. If it goes down and I am able to change it, great. If not, I won't lose sleep over it.

 

Perhaps next time it may be worth your while to wait and get a better deal. But it could possibly work the other way around....you wait and the price is $1,500 more than you would have paid if you had booked earlier.

 

You say this has left a bad taste in your mouth, but try not to let it taint your cruise.

[Cruising89143]

Senior or not, if price drops like this, after final payment I don't know there is much I can do... Again, I just would think they would upgrade folks who book early or who are very loyal to X and then have discounts on lower cabins... Just saying its hard to accept, especially when there are so few Solstice S1s... They are somewhat interchangeable.

 

By the way, I notice that you cruise with RCI also. Their policy is the same. After final payment, no price reductions. Upgrades are available if there are upgrades to be had.

[NLH Arizona]

Senior or not, if price drops like this, after final payment I don't know there is much I can do... Again, I just would think they would upgrade folks who book early or who are very loyal to X and then have discounts on lower cabins... Just saying its hard to accept, especially when there are so few Solstice S1s... They are somewhat interchangeable.

I'm with you, lawgirl. I have always booked early, but now I'm going to change my way of booking, because when you book early the cruise lines don't seem to incentivize you for doing so.

[mafig]

I know how the OP feels.

I know I shouldn't look but I just can't help myself. Although I have been fortunate that when I had a price drop of $400 p/p the very day after final payment my TA was able to secure a nice OBC (this was not on Celebrity).

 

However, if I was cruising to Hawaii from North Carolina I'd probably have booked well in advance, knowing full well that the prices might drop after final payment. There's just no way I could wait to book Hawaii last minute.

 

However, any cruises in the Caribbean on Celebrity will be last minute for me.;)

[flames9]

I guess I don't understand.....Anytime before Final payment one can get refunded the difference, correct? And final payment should be pretty much the same for everyone (at least from that country) So all one has to do is keep checking on the prices, and if they go down, you get the $$$ back. So the onus is one you to keep checking. So you can get the price AND you get the suite you want. I'm not a big cruiser, so maybe I'm incorrect. It makes senses for the cruise line to lower the prices of unsold cabins near the time of the cruise, some is better than none. Its like anythign else you buy--airfare, new vehicles--always someone that paid more and some that paid less!

[tserface]

I know we probably file this under "who cares", but I think Carnival has early booking discounts.

 

Tom

 

I'm with you, lawgirl. I have always booked early, but now I'm going to change my way of booking, because when you book early the cruise lines don't seem to incentivize you for doing so.

[jerseygirl3]

I guess I don't understand.....Anytime before Final payment one can get refunded the difference, correct? And final payment should be pretty much the same for everyone (at least from that country) So all one has to do is keep checking on the prices, and if they go down, you get the $$$ back. So the onus is one you to keep checking. So you can get the price AND you get the suite you want. I'm not a big cruiser, so maybe I'm incorrect. It makes senses for the cruise line to lower the prices of unsold cabins near the time of the cruise, some is better than none. Its like anythign else you buy--airfare, new vehicles--always someone that paid more and some that paid less!

 

I'm wondering if it was before final payment for the OP, the offer was not available to her as it may have been for new bookings only.

[fishin' musician]

There were two clearly defined obstacles preventing the OP from receiving any sort of compensation/reduction. First, it was past final payment date; second, the offer was for seniors.

 

Can you imagine what the airfare would be like if the OP waited to book until this month?

 

Even if she had qualified for the offer I'm guessing the airfare would have tilted the deal into the minus column.

 

Sheesh, you're going to Hawaii!!!

[lawgirl]

Thanks for all the interesting input. I may ask my TA to call Celebrity... Couldn't hurt! I get price changes... This one was just so much, I guess it shocked me and to be honest, I have never been on Solstice class, but with so few S1s, I do think they are so similar... In other words its not like I got a hump cabin, or mid ship.... I just booked early because I was excited for Hawaii and literally took the s1 available at the time. I think there were a lot of cancellations before final payment, so more suites opened up.

 

I did watch prices, which never dropped until after my final payment.

 

Certainly this won't affect how much we will enjoy the cruise... We have saved for a while, given how much we are paying for the special cruise! We will have fun!!

[AlbertaCruisers]

I know we probably file this under "who cares", but I think Carnival has early booking discounts.

 

Tom

 

I think they have an "early saver fair" where you can get OBC even after final payment, but I've heard of a lot of people having trouble actually doing that because of certain rules.

 

If you book a suite at least 9 months in advance on NCL you get a $300 OBC (or more sometimes based on sales) - again, who cares, but just wanted to mention it.

[jagoffee]

I'm wondering if it was before final payment for the OP, the offer was not available to her as it may have been for new bookings only.

I believe it was not available to her because it was a "senior" deal only and she must not be a senior. It was also a GTY S1 and the person lucked out and was assigned a corner aft S1. They could have been assigned a different cabin. I am sure that the OP would not necessarily been willing to give up their assigned corner aft S1 for a GTY to save the money. IMO it was certainty not robbery. Bottom line is that a Senior person told advantage of a good deal and took a change on cabin location and was fortunate. Of course I am assuming that all S1 suites are not corner AFT.