Transfering Reservation Need Reassurance

[Julma]

Booked a 15 day Panama Canal cruise yesterday for April with Celebrity. Go Best worked for us and we received $100 "thank you" OBC. Since we were within 90 days, paid in full. Am I able to transfer this to a TA? I getting quotes of up to $950 in OBC. Is the process easy?

[mailmama]

not sure you can transfer within the last 90 days. Must have been done before then.

[wrk2cruise]

Looks like the answer is no. I'm not sure if you are inside the final payment date or not but it looks like since you have paid in full you can't transfer. Might have been better to book with the agency.

 

From the transfer booking form:

 

Bookings may only be transferred to a Travel Agent up until 60 days from creation if the request is made outside of Final Payment period and the booking

is not paid in full. If a booking has a ChoiceAir ticket and the transfer request involves a change in currency we cannot accommodate a transfer

[FlorenceItaly]

You are not able to transfer after final payment. I understand you have paid in full, but, did you pay early or does it fall within the final payment perimeters?

[Wine-O]

You can check with Celebrity or your TA, but I think you should have transferred the reservation at the time of booking.

[jelayne]

According to the Celebrity website a booking can be transferred within 60 days of creation if it is outside of final payment periodor and the reservation is not paid in full. So you will not be able to transfer your reservation.

[Julma]

Thanks everyone. I thought paying in full was going to be an issue. I'm confused because when I asked the Celebrity consultant if I had to pay in full, he said yes because I was within 90 days. I just read on their site that it is 75 days and I'm 81 days out. Do you think it is worth making a stink?

[patty1955]

A few years ago, we booked a cruise after final payment and were able to transfer it to a TA. Other people on the boards told us it wasn't possible but we did it. Why not give it a try and see what happens?

[mandream]

Thanks everyone. I thought paying in full was going to be an issue. I'm confused because when I asked the Celebrity consultant if I had to pay in full, he said yes because I was within 90 days. I just read on their site that it is 75 days and I'm 81 days out. Do you think it is worth making a stink?

 

Final payment date for my April cruise was 90 days out. Not sure if they changed it or if it varies by cruise.

 

Mike

[sanger727]

Per their FAQ, since April of 2016, cruises of 5 days or more have final payment at 90 days out. Cruises 1-4 days have final payment at 75 days.

 

 

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[Julma]

Great answers. You're correct, 90 days, I was looking at an old document. Thanks for the info, I'm happy just to be going.

[WestLakeGirl]

No one here can recommend travel agencies. That violates Cruise Critic rules

[cruisestitch]

From the Cruise Critic Community Guidelines:

 

"There shall be no third-party recommendation (whether positive or negative in tone) of travel agencies on any forums within Cruise Critic. General discussions regarding the TYPE of AGENCY to be used to purchase a cruise will be allowed, as long as no recommendations for any source of purchase are posted.

 

Touting of your personal cruise agent or cruise line "personal cruise consultant" (or any other venue by which you purchase a cruise) is not allowed on our message boards. Postings that contain "tell them John sent you" will be removed without notice.

 

This means you should not ask about someone's travel agent, nor should you respond in kind. Offering to email someone your travel agent's name or info is also not allowed, nor is asking members to email you for the information."

[tasia]

I would try transferring to a TA. Especially with a nice OBC credit available. Worst that can happen is they say no.

 

Good luck.

[Hlitner]

Never understood why anyone books direct with any cruise line. You will always do better by shopping around among reputable cruise agencies. All the transfer hype is more trouble then its worth and amounts to an extra step.

 

As to Celebrity, we do not think they permit transferring a reservation inside the final payment period. But you have nothing to lose by asking Celebrity.

 

Hank

[varoo]

A few years ago, we booked a cruise after final payment and were able to transfer it to a TA. Other people on the boards told us it wasn't possible but we did it. Why not give it a try and see what happens?

Agree. Nothing to lose by trying. Some TAs have more clout with the cruise line than others.

But as mentioned, we are not allowed to name TAs here.

 

 

[Wine-O]

Never understood why anyone books direct with any cruise line. You will always do better by shopping around among reputable cruise agencies. All the transfer hype is more trouble then its worth and amounts to an extra step.

 

As to Celebrity, we do not think they permit transferring a reservation inside the final payment period. But you have nothing to lose by asking Celebrity.

 

Hank

 

I only book direct with the cruise line to get their OBC for booking while on a cruise. They immediately transfer it to my favorite TA there on the spot.

[varoo]

Never understood why anyone books direct with any cruise line. You will always do better by shopping around among reputable cruise agencies. All the transfer hype is more trouble then its worth and amounts to an extra step.

 

Different strokes.....

We almost always do better by booking directly with the cruise line initially when we can get the cabin we want at a good price.

It gives us more flexibility and more time to shop around.

Often the best deals from TAs don't show up until we get closer to the final payment date.

 

Transferring a reservation from the cruise line to a TA is no "trouble" at all for us, especially since the new online transfer form is much quicker and easier to use than the previous one.

We have even had some TAs who accepted a verbal agreement over the phone and handled the whole thing so that we didn't need to use a transfer form.

 

But once you have given your booking to a TA, transferring it to another TA that offers you a much better deal later on is a different matter entirely, much more difficult and complicated; an unpleasant situation that we prefer to avoid.

That is why we like to wait as long as possible before giving the booking to any TA.

 

 

Edited January 14, 2017 by varoo