Are there different rules for booking a Celebrity cruise in the US versus the UK?

[Ken the cruiser]

Are there different rules when booking a cruise through Celebrity in the US versus the UK? Recently I posted on a Roll Call thread that the price for our C1 cabin had dropped $350 pp and suggested other folks might want to do a "fake booking" on the Celebrity website to see if their cabin fares went down as well. So far on this particular cruise we have "rebooked" it at least 3 times, each time getting a better deal than the previous time. BTW when I say "rebooked", I mean we contacted our Celebrity PCC in Miami, told him what we had found and he applied the changes to our booking which subsequently generated a new Confirmation statement.

 

Shortly after I posted that on the Roll Call thread, I got a reply from a person in the UK which stated:

 

"Your so lucky to be able to do that - unfortunately in the UK we are unable to rebook as we loose deposit and they will not refund any differences or give onboard credit :("

 

When we book a Celebrity cruise in the US, we get a full refund if we decide to cancel the cruise prior to the Final Payment Due Date which is usually about 3 months before the cruise. Is that not the case in the UK? And what about "rebooking" a cruise to take advantage of subsequent promotions that was booked through the Celebrity UK office? All I have to do is call my Celebrity PCC and it's done. From the way is sounds, that's not true when dealing with the Celebrity UK office. Is that true? If it is, that really stinks.

 

[AnOnymously]

Short answer is "yes", the rules are different.

 

and 2no2 we cannot cancel a booking without losing our deposit. Tell me about the £300 I lost when my cruise went down by £1000 two days after booking it.

 

There have been many threads about this, people saying UK was under rules that prohibited us having returnable deposits. All rubbish, they just take us to the cleaners.,

[Ken the cruiser]

Short answer is "yes", the rules are different.

 

and 2no2 we cannot cancel a booking without losing our deposit. Tell me about the £300 I lost when my cruise went down by £1000 two days after booking it.

 

There have been many threads about this, people saying UK was under rules that prohibited us having returnable deposits. All rubbish, they just take us to the cleaners.,

So there is a law in the UK that states this or is it at the discretion of each cruise line that books UK passengers? Can someone in the UK book a Celebrity cruise through a TA in the US to bypass this issue and get the same "rebooking" benefits we enjoy in the US?

[AnOnymously]

So there is a law in the UK that states this or is it at the discretion of each cruise line that books UK passengers? Can someone in the UK book a Celebrity cruise through a TA in the US to bypass this issue and get the same "rebooking" benefits we enjoy in the US?

 

there are no 'rules' about deposits. It is at the discretion of any company, but usually deposits are non-refundable in most situations.

 

Yes I understand that UK citizens can book with US TA, though I am not sure if they are really supposed to. There are different protection rights between the two countries and one would have to chase a foreign country if things went wrong.

 

I have resisted ever booking abroad, but did that for a booking with a different cruise line for next year. The cost difference was quite large.

[Vegcurry]

Yes we in the U.K. Can use a US travel agent to book our cruises. It's perfectly fine I have just booked a next cruise while onboard Celebrity Equinox and they were fully aware my using a US travel agent to not only get better terms and conditions but also a cheaper price.

[AnOnymously]

There are also stories of US TA's NOT taking bookings. If we are supposed to be able to book why do Celebrity not open up their US site and take UK bookings?

[Ken the cruiser]

There are also stories of US TA's NOT taking bookings. If we are supposed to be able to book why do Celebrity not open up their US site and take UK bookings?

That's a good question. I just spoke with our Celebrity PCC in Miami and he said the only way he can take a booking is if the passenger has a US address.

 

Does anyone know if this is just a Celebrity issue or do the same restrictions apply if you book an Oceania, HAL, Crystal, Princess or Disney cruise or a cruise on any other line for that matter? These restrictions would be a show stopper for us unless it was being done by all cruise lines. If that was the case as we book 3-5 cruises a year, we'd be searching the US TA list to find a good one that would book a UK passenger.

[Vegcurry]

My US travel agent has been happy to book me on Celebrity, Norwegian or ROyal CAribbean. Completely different terms and conditions for booking on all of those lines if booking in the US.

[Saab4444]

Officially Royal, Celebrity and many other cruise lines do not allow bookings in the US if the clients do not have a US adress. However some US travel agents still accept such bookings and might still work.

 

It is not just the UK with inflexible booking ruled but many countries in Europe (e.g. Germany as no. three cruise source market) as well. You get no prize drops at any time after booking, you loose your deposite if you cancel even one year before the cruise and you can change a booking only against a high fee and only if you book a more expensive cruise.

 

It is not because of local laws but just according to what the local market is used to and does accept. According to Royal and Celebrity you must book within your local market!

 

 

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[Project_gal]

It is true that it is local custom, rather than local laws, that determine whether deposits are refundable or not. Deposits in the UK are seen as a measure of 'good faith' that you are intending complete the contract. Our deposits, at £150 pp for all categories even PHs, are I believe lower than in the USA.

 

However, there have been challenges in the Courts more recently (not, to my knowledge, in connection with cruising) and the rulings have basically said that retention of deposit must be restricted to a company's losses. However, I would imagine that any cruise company could make the argument that their administrative costs amount to almost £150 even if they rebook the room. Any difference is probably not worth the cost of fighting a Court case.

 

What rankles with me is that Celebrity do not apply different rules in the UK and USA when they break the contract. In my opinion, if the customers commitment is more onerous here so should the Company's be. We have had a cruise cancelled (when Celebrity have held our deposit for more than a year) yet were offered the same 'compensation' as US customers. In addition, only one of the sixteen Celebrity cruises we have been on has actually sailed the itinerary we actually booked. On one cruise, only the departure and arrival ports remained the same. Yet, only on our first cruise in 2006 were we offered the opportunity to cancel our cruise without loss of deposit.

 

I understand from speaking to senior people at Celebrity in both the UK and USA, the fully refundable deposit has a detrimental effect on their business. It is clear that people in the USA book more cruises than they ever intend to take because they can cancel without penalty. Since the introduction of the 'new' suite perks, this is even worse for suites. If you want a PH and do not wish to risk waiting to the last minute to book, you have to be prepared to book up to two years in advance.

[upwarduk]

Due to the comlaints from U.K. customers, it is now possible to transfer your deposit to a new booking ONCE.

 

I was told this when we had to cancel 2 years ago, due to 'change in circumstances.'

We almost lost our air fare as well, as Celebrity had booked it 'on line.'

 

We contested that, as we said we hadn't been informed of that T&C and it wasn't stated in the brochure. Celebrity said they listened to the taped telephone booking and we were told, but as that information wasn't given to us IN WRITING I was eventually refunded the air fare.

Edited June 30, 2017 by upwarduk

[caribill]

 

Does anyone know if this is just a Celebrity issue or do the same restrictions apply if you book an Oceania, HAL, Crystal, Princess or Disney cruise or a cruise on any other line for that matter?

 

Princess in general will not allow those residing in Europe, Australia, etc. to book using a USA agent.

 

An exemption is possible if the passenger had used that USA agent to book Princess cruises before the booking restrictions were established.

[AnOnymously]

Due to the comlaints from U.K. customers, it is now possible to transfer your deposit to a new booking ONCE.

 

I was told this when we had to cancel 2 years ago, due to 'change in circumstances.'

We almost lost our air fare as well, as Celebrity had booked it 'on line.'

 

We contested that, as we said we hadn't been informed of that T&C and it wasn't stated in the brochure. Celebrity said they listened to the taped telephone booking and we were told, but as that information wasn't given to us IN WRITING I was eventually refunded the air fare.

That did not apply when I wished to change in September last year.

This was the reply from the Celebrity agent who had taken our booking

"I am looking into this now for you, but the rules to accept a new promtion, are to cancel the existing booking at loss of deposit, and rebook the completely new package, taking the current offer."

We lost our deposit.

[Mr. Click]

We have some family in the UK and we have been able to enjoy some cruises with them. The first time I simply booked all 4 cabins for us directly with my US travel agent. On our recent Asia cruise with another couple, cousins, we, the US part were able to get a nice cabin upgrade when the price dropped after final payment, the UK cousins could not so when we sat down to book our next cruise while onboard we simply told the Future Cruise agent that we wanted them all booked as assignable to a US agent and he said no problem and it was no problem. So far that move earned us pre-paid grats for the transfer and $270 per cabin savings when the price dropped. So, if there is any way you can do it, book with one of the big US agents.

[zanderblue]

I will add that it is worth shopping around. We are UK based but generally book via a US TA whom we have been using for a few years.

We initially used a website that had TA's compete for cruise we wanted and this guy consistently came out tops, so we pretty much go straight to him now.

However, on last cruise we booked for April next year Celebrity UK website beat him, so we have booked with them. The agent I dealt with explained that the deposit is non refundable, but is transferrable. Now whether it is transferreble to new booking on same cruise is another matter.

[laslomas]

It is an annoying situation. I am surprised that the UK travel agents and Celebrity UK don't work together to put in a joint complaint to Celebrity Head Office and get this changed, as they are surely losing business to the U.S.travel agents due to the differences in T & C between the areas.

 

A few years ago on a thread on this board it was suggested that our deposits in the UK were non refundable as we get better consumer cover due to our agents being members of ABTA and ATOL, but that has not been mentioned for a while. We are just being screwed big time!! :(

[LondonTowner]

I will add that it is worth shopping around. We are UK based but generally book via a US TA whom we have been using for a few years.

We initially used a website that had TA's compete for cruise we wanted and this guy consistently came out tops, so we pretty much go straight to him now.

However, on last cruise we booked for April next year Celebrity UK website beat him, so we have booked with them. The agent I dealt with explained that the deposit is non refundable, but is transferrable. Now whether it is transferreble to new booking on same cruise is another matter.

Did you find your TA just by Googling or had he been recommended? Do they also book your flights or do you do these independently?

 

Am considering a Panama Canal cruise for 2018.

[upwarduk]

I am surprised that the UK travel agents and Celebrity UK don't work together to put in a joint complaint to Celebrity Head Office and get this changed, as they are surely losing business to the U.S.travel agents due to the differences in T & C between the areas.

 

 

I have read on these boards that Celebrity are in fact considering introducing loss of deposits to U.S customers, as many book multiple cabins and then decide at 100 days out which cruise they are going on. Cannot be good for business- forward planning is effected!

[Hlitner]

I have read on these boards that Celebrity are in fact considering introducing loss of deposits to U.S customers, as many book multiple cabins and then decide at 100 days out which cruise they are going on. Cannot be good for business- forward planning is effected!

 

Personally, we would love to see non-refundable deposits. Those that do multiple bookings (with the knowledge they will cancel some) are simply pulling cabins out of inventory and making life more difficult for others. Making them pay a price for this practice sounds like a smart business practice. One other approach (already used on some bookings) is a non-refundable cruise fare.....which is priced lower then the regular fare (which can be canceled

 

Hank.

[Dimarie40]

It's the same for us in Australia and NZ. Deposit is non refundable and is $400 pp. I have used a US TA twice now with no issues. I find when we book through our local TA we received no extra OBC but we have still been able to change cabins (within our category) without any problems.

 

I too, think it would be better if everyone had non refundable deposits as it seems that a lot of US customers often book multiple cabins/cruises with the intention of dropping several. This takes a lot of the really great cabins out of inventory. I am currently eagerly watching our sailing in October in the hopes a better A1 cabin becomes available as it is getting closer to final payment.

[zanderblue]

Did you find your TA just by Googling or had he been recommended? Do they also book your flights or do you do these independently?

 

Am considering a Panama Canal cruise for 2018.

 

As I said we used a website where you input your requirements and then various TA's would bid with the best price they could. We then booked with the best price (combo of fare, perks and OBC). Over the next 2 or 3 cruises we took, we did the same and the same TA was coming out on top every time.

We now pretty much go straight to him and if we like the price we book.

We use a UK credit card to pay him, thankfully it does not charge for foreign currencies.

We book all our own flights.

[LondonTowner]

zanderblue

 

Thanks for that. We also have CCs that don't charge foreign transaction fees.

 

 

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[Ken the cruiser]

I have read on these boards that Celebrity are in fact considering introducing loss of deposits to U.S customers, as many book multiple cabins and then decide at 100 days out which cruise they are going on. Cannot be good for business- forward planning is effected!

 

We may book a cruise with an itinerary we like when it comes out sometimes 2 years in advance, so we can (1) get the cabin we want as we are somewhat selective and (2) get any early booking savings. We then watch all the cruise lines we like as they release their new cruises. Then if another cruise line comes out with either a better deal for the same itinerary or better, we may decide to switch.

 

Recently, we had a 2018 Voyage of the Vikings cruise booked on HAL and when Oceania released their summer 2018 cruises and had a better cruise in that area for the same price and much better food, we cancelled the HAL cruise and booked it. We, of course, got our deposit back because the HAL cruise was still 18 months out. There is NO reason IMHO any cruise line should keep your deposit when the cruise is still that far out.

 

In the case of Azamara though, they do charge $50 per person per cruise segment to cancel a cruise. We recently canceled a B2B2B we had with them as we later found an Oceania cruise that covered much of the same itinerary but at a cost of $200 pp/day cheaper. In that case, giving them $600 was worth it to save $12,000. But, since Azamara put out their cruise 3-4 months before Oceania did, we didn't have that comparable at the time we initially booked the cruise. Again, it was still 18+ months out when we cancelled.

 

It would be nice if all the cruise lines released their itineraries at the same time, but until they do which is highly unlikely, we'll continue to book early and then switch if a better itinerary/deal comes along as we are very selective as to where our cabin is located on a ship and what the itinerary is.

[kevinyork]

We may book a cruise with an itinerary we like when it comes out sometimes 2 years in advance, so we can (1) get the cabin we want as we are somewhat selective and (2) get any early booking savings. We then watch all the cruise lines we like as they release their new cruises. Then if another cruise line comes out with either a better deal for the same itinerary or better, we may decide to switch.

 

 

 

Recently, we had a 2018 Voyage of the Vikings cruise booked on HAL and when Oceania released their summer 2018 cruises and had a better cruise in that area for the same price and much better food, we cancelled the HAL cruise and booked it. We, of course, got our deposit back because the HAL cruise was still 18 months out. There is NO reason IMHO any cruise line should keep your deposit when the cruise is still that far out.

 

 

 

In the case of Azamara though, they do charge $50 per person per cruise segment to cancel a cruise. We recently canceled a B2B2B we had with them as we later found an Oceania cruise that covered much of the same itinerary but at a cost of $200 pp/day cheaper. In that case, giving them $600 was worth it to save $12,000. But, since Azamara put out their cruise 3-4 months before Oceania did, we didn't have that comparable at the time we initially booked the cruise. Again, it was still 18+ months out when we cancelled.

 

 

 

It would be nice if all the cruise lines released their itineraries at the same time, but until they do which is highly unlikely, we'll continue to book early and then switch if a better itinerary/deal comes along as we are very selective as to where our cabin is located on a ship and what the itinerary is.

 

 

 

If I was in your position I would do the same, however this just highlights why cruise lines may want non refundable deposits to avoid cabins (especially the premium cabins) being tied up then released when they have to discount them to fill them. Overall that's a loss to the cruise line that they will load onto the price I pay for cruises I book and always take.

 

 

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[Ken the cruiser]

If I was in your position I would do the same, however this just highlights why cruise lines may want non refundable deposits to avoid cabins (especially the premium cabins) being tied up then released when they have to discount them to fill them. Overall that's a loss to the cruise line that they will load onto the price I pay for cruises I book and always take.

 

 

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But if you book early and keep your cabin, wouldn't it be more fair for you to be able to rebook your cruise without losing your deposit if they offered a lower fare or some other special promotion?

 

In addition I'm pretty sure the cruise lines know what's going on and keeping the deposit if you decide to back out of the deal for whatever reason before their established deadline is just wrong and so is not allowing you to rebook your cruise when your cabin category has a reduction in price, especially before the final payment deadline.

 

I remember when we first started cruising about 5 years ago, we never had any OBC or special perks like free gratuities, special dining and/or free internet added to our cruise. Now that we have learned to play the game, we are loaded with all of those, especially on HAL cruises. With Celebrity we usually wind up rebooking 3-4 times to get all the perks and lower cabin rates.

 

But as far as completion goes, I've always been taught to elate the customer, so they'll keep coming back. If we booked a cruise and then saw a reduction in price or additional perks added and we weren't allowed to capitalize on that, we would feel like we were getting ripped off and choose a different cruise line next time.