123go and upgrade question

[koolforkatz]

I am so frustrated!!! I have been on hold off and on over the past few days trying to get a possible upgrade sorted. We are currently booked in an inside and i was told by a couple of celebrity reps I would be able to upgrade to a concierge guarantee, no problem, and would be able to get the drinks package applied to the booking. I have been keeping an eye on pricing, in particular the concierge GTY which has come and gone. I missed it this morning because it disappeared while i was on hold. Tonight the GTY showed up again. I jumped on it, phoned celebrity and after being passed around was finally told i could not have the drinks package under the promo because it is for new bookings only. I am frustrated and pissed off having been told otherwise.

 

Twice in the past and thru a TA, i have had a drinks package applied to an existing booking. Now i am told i cannot despite being told otherwise by Celebrity itself :(

 

Just wondered what other's experience might be.

 

 

 

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[koolforkatz]

I should mention i booked this during the promo, but as an inside, knowing it was excluded. If i am simply upgrading i am not sure why that would be seen as a new booking?

 

 

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[swigso]

Hi Kate

Have a great cruise hope you get sorted,

Say hello to John, maybe see you both next year

Sometime

[youngreflection]

me, too. I can't understand why, when we are going to pay for the new and more expensive pricing, can't we be eligible for the 123go promo. We can just cancel the old booking and make a new booking. As long as we are paying the current more expensive rates and taking a higher category, I am thinking, we should be eligible.

[justcrusn]

I should mention i booked this during the promo, but as an inside, knowing it was excluded. If i am simply upgrading i am not sure why that would be seen as a new booking?

 

 

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I guess from celebrity's point of view, they offered the promo to sell additional cabins, and upgrading you isn't a new sale. I'm not defending it, just trying to explain what they might be thinking.

 

If you have 50 balconies to sell, and instead 50 ocean view customers upgrade to them, NOW you have 50 ocean view cabins to sell and that's a harder sale so your promo didn't make any revenue.

[Lady Arwen]

It can be done, just depends on who you speak to at Celebrity. In December we had booked an OV on Summit with the 123Go drink package. Two weeks before our cruise, the price of a Concierge GTY was only $20.00 per person more than we paid.

 

I called Celebrity and was upgraded immediately for that price and retained the drink package. The following day we were assigned a cabin. When we got onboard everything was in order, no disappointments. We had been told by a travel agent on Cruise Critic that it was impossible to to do this and not to expect the drink package included on our reservation. Don't give up! Keep calling Celebrity.

[yvonneh]

It can be done, just depends on who you speak to at Celebrity. In December we had booked an OV on Summit with the 123Go drink package. Two weeks before our cruise, the price of a Concierge GTY was only $20.00 per person more than we paid.

 

I called Celebrity and was upgraded immediately for that price and retained the drink package. The following day we were assigned a cabin. When we got onboard everything was in order, no disappointments. We had been told by a travel agent on Cruise Critic that it was impossible to to do this and not to expect the drink package included on our reservation. Don't give up! Keep calling Celebrity.

 

I agree with Lady Arwen! Do not give up, I have been through this. I called and called and you can talk to 5 people that say no, then get a nice person who will book it for you. I even had a TA and called multiple times myself!

Good luck to you! Keep at it!

[AlbertaCruisers]

They may be wording this badly, a lot of guarantees are special pricing and don't count for the 123 Go promo (the 123 Go promo only applies to regular prices - 5 star I think they call them?). If that is not the issue and someone new booking that guarantee price today would get the drink package, the fact that you are already booked (as long as you aren't past final payment date) shouldn't matter. If you are past final payment date then technically you couldn't cancel and rebook so that may be the issue.

 

You can try a call to Captains club, they were the ones that were able to help me the last time I had an issue. I was booked through a TA, but captains club looked into it and then gave me her name and my TA had to call in and talk to her and Celebrity to get it sorted out. I was booked in an ocean view for last November and a great balcony guarantee price came up. I already had the 123 Go with the ocean view and at first Celebrity was telling my TA I couldn't upgrade to the balcony guarantee without losing the 123 Go because 123 Go didn't apply to the guarantee pricing but I spoke to someone in Captains club and they confirmed it did apply and were able to get it resolved and I got to keep my 123 Go and upgrade to the balcony guarantee.

 

Good luck.

[koolforkatz]

Yay! Yes, it's just who you talk to. Happy to report I called the customer service line this morning and the woman I spoke with was easily able to do this for me. In fact, when I explained the situation her response was, "Who told you you couldn't do this?" She seemed quite surprised. So we have our concierge GTY and we have the drinks package :)

 

Thanks for all the support.

 

Hope to see you sometime again soon, too, Steve!

[Lady Arwen]

Yay! Yes, it's just who you talk to. Happy to report I called the customer service line this morning and the woman I spoke with was easily able to do this for me. In fact, when I explained the situation her response was, "Who told you you couldn't do this?" She seemed quite surprised. So we have our concierge GTY and we have the drinks package :)

 

Thanks for all the support.

 

Hope to see you sometime again soon, too, Steve!

 

Good for you! That's why you can't give up and accept one person's response. I've learned to keep at it til you get what you want.

 

Have a wonderful cruise in Concierge and your drink package!!

[suec12]

I'm glad it worked out for you Kool - I actually am surprised that Celebrity Customer Service sorted it out for you as usually once you are with a TA, that is who Celebrity refers you back to. But from what I could understand of the snafu, I'd say the fault did rest with the TA and then they pushed it onto Celebrity. I'd complain for sure and fire that TA unless they are giving you super-additional benefits!

[koolforkatz]

I'm glad it worked out for you Kool - I actually am surprised that Celebrity Customer Service sorted it out for you as usually once you are with a TA, that is who Celebrity refers you back to. But from what I could understand of the snafu, I'd say the fault did rest with the TA and then they pushed it onto Celebrity. I'd complain for sure and fire that TA unless they are giving you super-additional benefits!

 

Sorry, maybe my post was confusing. I meant I have twice, thru a TA, been able to have a drinks package applied to an existing booking.

 

This time I made the booking myself through the website. So I have been dealing directly with Celebrity and that's who was giving me mixed messages. But all is good now :)

[suec12]

I just realized I totally muddled two different post / scenarios in my mind when I posted "fire your TA" - that was a different thread! As far as being told different things by different X reps, that's SOP (standard operating procedure!), yes always try several different avenues there until hopefully, you get the answer you are hoping for! Enjoy your cruise Kool!

[youngreflection]

Happy for you! As for me, am letting go of the fv cabin we wanted to transfer to since my ta can't get a confirmation from Celebrity if changing category and paying 2k more will also get us the obc and beverage + internet minutes of the latest 123go promo. So staying with our regular veranda with our obc credit from an earlier 123 promo...frankly, speaking, am glad it's over, was so drained this 2 weeks following up on my ta to sort things out...I think I need to change ta...