Booking next cruise while onboard?

[shovelrae1959]

My husband and I will be doing the Westbound Panama Canal cruise on 11/9. We have also decided to the our oldest granddaughters on a Caribbean cruise in December 2017. We were thinking about reserving the next cruise while onboard next month, because of the extra perks. Is this a good idea, or is there some reason we shouldn't do this?

 

If the price goes down before the final payment is due next September, is it a big hassle to get that lowered price applied to your reservation? We booked this next cruise directly through Celebrity, and would be booking next year's cruise with them also as we do not know any travel agents ourselves.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Cheryl

[roxievegas]

our first three cruises were booked directly through Celebrity. If I found that the price had dropped, I called Celebrity directly and they would adjust the price. sometimes I would change categories. Once final payment is made, price drops can happen and you may be out of luck. We have since gotten a travel agency and we go through them to get the price changed. Remember the price can drop, but the perks may not be included and depending how you booked, you can get the lower price, but loose a perk. Have to look at everything to determine if it is worth changing the price.

[PoppyandNana]

My husband and I will be doing the Westbound Panama Canal cruise on 11/9. We have also decided to the our oldest granddaughters on a Caribbean cruise in December 2017. We were thinking about reserving the next cruise while onboard next month, because of the extra perks. Is this a good idea, or is there some reason we shouldn't do this?

 

If the price goes down before the final payment is due next September, is it a big hassle to get that lowered price applied to your reservation? We booked this next cruise directly through Celebrity, and would be booking next year's cruise with them also as we do not know any travel agents ourselves.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Cheryl

 

I'll give you a great example. Last January, while in the Caribbean, we booked a 12 night British isles cruise for May. We got a reduced deposit of $100 per person WHICH CELEBRITY GAVE US. We got the beverage package, prepaid gratuities and $650 in OBC. Plus we got another $300 in OBC which we could use while aboard that cruise or hold until the May cruise.

 

At the end of the day we got a concierge class cabin, the two perks plus $950 in OBC all for $5325..

 

Never would get that kind of deal directly from X's website or a TA. We always book one or two ahead while on board.

[shovelrae1959]

I'll give you a great example. Last January, while in the Caribbean, we booked a 12 night British isles cruise for May. We got a reduced deposit of $100 per person WHICH CELEBRITY GAVE US. We got the beverage package, prepaid gratuities and $650 in OBC. Plus we got another $300 in OBC which we could use while aboard that cruise or hold until the May cruise.

 

At the end of the day we got a concierge class cabin, the two perks plus $950 in OBC all for $5325..

 

Never would get that kind of deal directly from X's website or a TA. We always book one or two ahead while on board.

 

 

Now THOSE are some perks. I'll definitely be spending some time at the future cruise desk! Hopefully they will still have the Go Big, better, best promo going on too. I'm sure the teenagers with us will enjoy the free internet, and we will enjoy the free gratuities and drink package.

 

thanks for the good news! The OBC will go a long way toward some great excursions.

 

Cheryl

[bigbenboys]

Our next cruise Jan 2017 was booked on board some time ago. We booked a Sky Suite and getting all 4 perks, plus $300 OBC. Last week the price dropped by $900. Call my TA and she talked to Celebrity. In the end we dropped the price by $900, but lost OBC for booking on board of $300. We could of kept the $300 OBC and just paid $300 more of the cruise. In the end we saved $600. Final payment is Oct 31.

[shovelrae1959]

our first three cruises were booked directly through Celebrity. If I found that the price had dropped, I called Celebrity directly and they would adjust the price. sometimes I would change categories. Once final payment is made, price drops can happen and you may be out of luck. We have since gotten a travel agency and we go through them to get the price changed. Remember the price can drop, but the perks may not be included and depending how you booked, you can get the lower price, but loose a perk. Have to look at everything to determine if it is worth changing the price.

 

 

Thanks! I will be sure to pay attention to that. If we get the Go Big, Better, Best promo, I certainly don't want to lose it! The only travel agency we have dealt with in the past few years is on the East Coast, and we are in CA. They handled the 2 Alaskan cruises we took, that were associated with the Celebrator magazine as a "Brews Cruise". I bet they would handle the booking for me if I asked them. Thats something to think about, anyway.

 

Thanks again.

 

Cheryl

[bookitdanno]

Thanks! I will be sure to pay attention to that. If we get the Go Big, Better, Best promo, I certainly don't want to lose it! The only travel agency we have dealt with in the past few years is on the East Coast, and we are in CA. They handled the 2 Alaskan cruises we took, that were associated with the Celebrator magazine as a "Brews Cruise". I bet they would handle the booking for me if I asked them. Thats something to think about, anyway.

 

Thanks again.

 

Cheryl

 

Cheryl,

They should do more than handle the booking.

A good agency will give you up to 7- 8% of the cruise fare in OBC.

We always book on Board to get all the Celebrity perks, and then transfer to our TA when we get home for additional OBC!

 

Good luck, and happy cruising!

[shovelrae1959]

Our next cruise Jan 2017 was booked on board some time ago. We booked a Sky Suite and getting all 4 perks, plus $300 OBC. Last week the price dropped by $900. Call my TA and she talked to Celebrity. In the end we dropped the price by $900, but lost OBC for booking on board of $300. We could of kept the $300 OBC and just paid $300 more of the cruise. In the end we saved $600. Final payment is Oct 31.

 

 

 

Wow. you guys are all giving me the info that I want to hear! How often should you check the Celebrity website, looking for price reductions, because I will definitely be doing that a lot? My oldest granddaughter is the only one who knows we are taking her & her sister on a cruise. She is SO jazzed! It will be nice to take them, especially if the price goes down some before the final payment is due. :)

 

thanks,

 

Cheryl

Edited October 19, 2016 by shovelrae1959

[shovelrae1959]

Cheryl,

They should do more than handle the booking.

A good agency will give you up to 7- 8% of the cruise fare in OBC.

We always book on Board to get all the Celebrity perks, and then transfer to our TA when we get home for additional OBC!

 

Good luck, and happy cruising!

 

 

Thanks! Another reason to contact them! They were very easy to deal with on the 2 cruises that we took to Alaska, and I think we did get a little OBC from them. Think I will call them this morning. Might be able to pay for all the excursions and have some left over to buy myself something, or to take us all out to eat at one of the specialty restaurants. I'm very interested in the GastroBar (mainly for the craft beers for my husband, but the food looked good on the menu, too).

 

thanks again,

 

Cheryl

[shovelrae1959]

Thanks for the advice! Just called the travel agency that handled the Brew Cruise we went on last year. They would be happy to take over the reservation for us. It would be nice to let someone else obsess and handle the details for us.

 

 

What good advice, thanks again!!

 

Cheryl

[bradleyskis]

Is there a set amount of obc when booking on the ship? Will be on Reflection in December and have never booked onboard.

 

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[eatdrinkfly]

we booked a Caribbean cruise for 2017 onboard our Baltic cruise in 2015 and got a great rate, plus the drink package, gratuities and $500 OBC.

i've been watching it obsessively and the rate hasn't dropped below what we paid, so IMO it's definitely worth booking onboard in advance.

our booking was automatically sent to the same TA that our Baltic was booked with and they pulled it into a group and gave us an additional $75 OBC. win win!

[bradleyskis]

What kind of room was that for?

 

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[PoppyandNana]

we booked a Caribbean cruise for 2017 onboard our Baltic cruise in 2015 and got a great rate, plus the drink package, gratuities and $500 OBC.

i've been watching it obsessively and the rate hasn't dropped below what we paid, so IMO it's definitely worth booking onboard in advance.

our booking was automatically sent to the same TA that our Baltic was booked with and they pulled it into a group and gave us an additional $75 OBC. win win!

 

Last January, while aboard, we booked a British isles cruise for may. When all was said and done we got:

 

$200 deposit

$850 OBC (from all sources)

Two perks; we chose beverage package and OBC.

Six weeks before sailing our A1 was over $1500 cheaper

[PoppyandNana]

Cheryl,

They should do more than handle the booking.

A good agency will give you up to 7- 8% of the cruise fare in OBC.

We always book on Board to get all the Celebrity perks, and then transfer to our TA when we get home for additional OBC!

 

Good luck, and happy cruising!

 

Never heard of any TA, anywhere, online or brick and mortar that would give 8% back in OBC. On a $4500 cruise that's $360 just from the TA.

 

Sorry, got to be more to the story. Unless you paid a hefty premium over prevailing fares?

[bradleyskis]

Never heard of any TA, anywhere, online or brick and mortar that would give 8% back in OBC. On a $4500 cruise that's $360 just from the TA.

 

Sorry, got to be more to the story. Unless you paid a hefty premium over prevailing fares?

We just paid a little over $2300 and got $250 obc from a TA...

 

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[attilamom1217]

Never heard of any TA, anywhere, online or brick and mortar that would give 8% back in OBC. On a $4500 cruise that's $360 just from the TA.

 

 

 

Sorry, got to be more to the story. Unless you paid a hefty premium over prevailing fares?

 

 

Our usual TA gives a lot of OBC -- probably in the 8% of the base price range. Our TA works for a large agency and does not work on commission. They receive a salary and the company rebates much of the commission back to the customer. Obviously if you get a reduced fare, your OBC is also reduced.

 

 

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[bocaraton]

Cheryl,

They should do more than handle the booking.

A good agency will give you up to 7- 8% of the cruise fare in OBC.

We always book on Board to get all the Celebrity perks, and then transfer to our TA when we get home for additional OBC!

 

Good luck, and happy cruising!

 

Could you send us the names of Some TAs that give OBC of 7-8 percent? We r on a celebrity cruise as I write. Will not pre book this time because only Princess has the cruise we want for Japan so a credit like that will help.

Either post or email themayblums@yahoo.com. I really appreciate this.

[jb008]

Just a few things to add as you think about this. You have something like 60 days from making an On-board deposit to transfer it to a Travel Agent (or to convert the booking back from your TA to a X booking).

 

On a Med cruise this past summer, my TA was not able to get Go Best fee refunded when I upgraded to a suite gty after final payment while another couple on the same trip was able to get their Go Best fee refunded through a direct X booking. However on a future cruise now I'm having trouble keeping the On board booking's free Go Better upgrade on a deposited reservation I want to move through X.

 

I've split the difference and am now holding a booking or two through my TA and a booking or two through X. We have 1 room in my name, and a 2nd room in DW's name - and we'll make a decision shortly before final payment which agent we want to go with.

 

Deposits are refundable up to final payment, and the deposits on the on board bookings were only $100 per person for a 7-night CC class room.

[bocaraton]

Just a few things to add as you think about this. You have something like 60 days from making an On-board deposit to transfer it to a Travel Agent (or to convert the booking back from your TA to a X booking).

 

On a Med cruise this past summer, my TA was not able to get Go Best fee refunded when I upgraded to a suite gty after final payment while another couple on the same trip was able to get their Go Best fee refunded through a direct X booking. However on a future cruise now I'm having trouble keeping the On board booking's free Go Better upgrade on a deposited reservation I want to move through X.

 

I've split the difference and am now holding a booking or two through my TA and a booking or two through X. We have 1 room in my name, and a 2nd room in DW's name - and we'll make a decision shortly before final payment which agent we want to go with.

 

Deposits are refundable up to final payment, and the deposits on the on board bookings were only $100 per person for a 7-night CC class room.

 

The same thing happened to us. We lost several perks when changing sail date. From now on will only pre book with x and stay with them if I do.