Booted Off The EDGE

[Zoedokey]

If you lose a booking to a charter, shouldn't they rebook you in a similar cabin for the price you paid? If they don't then that is terrible customer service.

 

 

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[miched]

Doesn't sound like "Celebrity lost" you at all.;)

 

We've had so many cruises canceled across a number of cruise lines do to charters we don't sweat it anymore. Trust me, it's not just Celebrity.

 

They have lost out on all of the other cruises that we booked on the other lines.

 

The only reason we booked the Edge was because it is a new ship and we did a B2B to make it worth our traveling to FL. With the cruise now booked on the Infinity we may end up canceling the last cruise of our B2B. We are also looking at booking another cruise on a different line to also replace the last one. It all depends as a lot can happen between now and then. So it really works both ways. I have the option to cancel and they have it to cancel for a charter.

 

So I would say that they lost a loyal cruiser. Does it matter? Not really as they will replace me when the final chapter ends and there may not be very many chapters or pages left. 😇 Plus cruises are stll sailing full without me. 😱

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[cruisestitch]

Zoedonkey, Are you asking if they should re-book you into the charter for the price you paid? Or onto some other similar cruise.

 

I don't see how they can re-book you into the charter. For a number of reasons. For a start, you might have booked through a travel agent. But to be on the charter you must use their travel agency. So you would be taking a booking away from one agent and that wouldn't be a good thing. For another, that travel agent might have thrown in some perks. The charter's travel agent probably doesn't throw in any perks. So that would be awkward. But perhaps the most important reason is that you might not fit the demographic of the charter. Suppose it's one of the "nude cruises" -- would you really want to be re-booked onto that if nude cruising isn't your thing? Or maybe it's a disco music cruise and you hate disco. Or a vegan cruise and you are a meat eater. Or an American Girl Doll cruise (yes, there has been such a thing) and you don't fancy being on a ship full of little girls and their dolls. Sounds like it might be fun, but talk to someone who was on a cruise that had hundreds of American Girl doll owners and they will tell you that it wasn't fun at all.

 

Now, as for putting you on some similar cruise, there simply might not be any comparable cruise. If you booked a 14 day Caribbean, for instance, only one ship does that. There would be no comparable cruise.

 

The good thing here is that the cruise is so far in the future that no one could have booked non-refundable plane tickets.

[Arzeena]

We booked Edge for BTB in March 2019, months ago. We book together with another couple each year same time, with Celebrity. We are Elite, and our friends are getting close with 8 cruises, loyal to Celebrity. The Key word here is LOYAL, but seems to go only one way. Edge hasn't even been built yet, and we already have gotten booted for a charter. Sorry for the inconvenience, but somebody bought the whole boat, so you have to change your plans. I guess this is not the first time. I assume I would be wasting my time by saying this is a very unfair practice. No matter if you are a first timer, or Elite, or whatever you may be. Luckily we were able to adjust our plans. They also offered some OBC. Nonetheless, Loyalty should go both ways. They didn't have to charter out the ship. It would've booked full for sure. First come first served.

 

You are one of the lucky ones who got booted almost 2 years before!;)

[cruiserone]

March 17, 2019 chartered!! TA confirmed it and after I called Celebrity they said they did not know anything!!! Cruises available are 1400 more than the day I booked (day reservations opened). Category of room not available for dates they gave us. Just not a good way to make friends or do business. Boo to you Celebrity for making so many people unhappy. Know it happens but when it happens to you, you feel their pain.

 

EDGE is no EDEN for me.

[SantaFeFan]

I don't feel entitled because of being Elite. I feel its BS that they do this. We book far in advance to get what we want. Business is business . That's sad. I do feel like I am very loyal and have continually booked with Celebrity. That should mean something. BUT NOT...The chartered trip is March 17th, 2019. Should've put that up on my prior post. TY for all the input. Over a dozen cruises and still learning.

 

A question: have you ever put down a deposit, and then later on cancelled the cruise before final payment?

 

So, what the OP was expecting was this scenario?

 

"Hey, we have an opportunity to see the entire ship nearly two years from now"

"No, we'd better not, we have sold some rooms to some Captain's Club Elite members and they would get mad"

"Yes, I guess you're right. Selling hundreds of rooms all at once would be nice, but we don't want to tick off our loyal cruisers"

"Right, the company's bottom line shouldn't be the deciding factor here."

"Ok, I'll tell the group that wants to charter the ship that it isn't available because we have sold some rooms to some of our loyal cruisers. Too bad, because we would have made millions of dollars if we had chartered it. I'm sure the stockholders won't mind either"

 

To be accurate, they haven't "sold" any rooms yet. They only allowed them to be reserved them for a small, fully refundable deposit with no guarantee that the customers would not cancel before final payment. Nothing was sold yet. I am fully confident that the OP did not pay the full fare when he booked his cruise two years in advance.

Edited July 8, 2017 by SantaFeFan

[Lastdance]

Booking early on Cruises is like booking early on airfare. Things change all the time. I was lucky with ChoiceAir, as I was able to get a much better flight when my original was canceled. Sometimes you win and sometimes you don't. That is life nowadays...but being canceled is still not fun!

 

 

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[britsbest]

Things are a little different over here. We can not cancel a booking once made without loss of deposit,however I have spoken to X in UK and out booking is currently sound and they have heard no story of impending cancellations. To set my mind at rest he is going to check with Celebrity US on Monday afternoon our time and let me know.

 

Incidentally the sailing week 17/3 has not been available over here for 2/3 months. It vanished within a week or so of the bookings being available

[Miaminice]

I don't feel entitled because of being Elite.

 

I didn't mean to address you personally or even offend you! I was rather saying one could have a thousand cruises with them it would not make a difference. It is a just a business...

[phoenix_dream]

A frustrating situation but all the cruise lines do it, so unless you are going to quit cruising you may encounter it now and then. Be thankful it was so far ahead. We had it happen with less than 6 months notice, during spring break week (the only time we could go as we were taking our son). They had chartered a 'clothing optional' group of all things! We had a choice of one other Celebrity cruise to move to as we were doing a Caribbean cruise. We wanted to jump on an RCI ship instead with the same itinerary but they would not let us do that and keep the same pricing/perks. We got a very small OBC amount for the hassle. If it were to be after final payment I would be furious - as that is when our penalties for cancelling kick in. But before final payment, I guess if you can still cancel out with no penalty why should they not have the same privilege? I don't like it, but it seems fair.

[Hawkstar33]

Hey Cruisestitch. Glad you decided to take a poke at me. To be honest, YES, that's what I expected. Because that's the deal we agreed on, on paper, when I put my deposit down that far in advance. And please don't give me the bottom line bull. That ship will sell out each trip for the first few yrs if not more. Just because it's new. If whomever it was that stole our trip wanted a charter on a new ship, they should've been on the phone as soon as they were able to book. Way before the rest of us, that did, LOYALLY book. And if I was a stockholder, I would be a bit concerned about complaints involving a company where my money is going. No matter what the complaint may be. But alas, that is not me. I'm just the hardworking blue collar guy that saves each year to loyally spend my money on a product that in return doesn't offer that same loyalty to me. Santa Fe..$500 dep for each end of BTB on Edge, 2 yrs in advance, is not small change to some of us. I did that in order to number 1, get on the brand new ship while it was new, and number 2, to get the rooms we wanted. Funny how people respond when they are not the ones affected. Many nice folks will be inconvenienced by this maneuver. Shame

[Zoedokey]

A question: have you ever put down a deposit, and then later on cancelled the cruise before final payment?

 

 

 

To be accurate, they haven't "sold" any rooms yet. They only allowed them to be reserved them for a small, fully refundable deposit with no guarantee that the customers would not cancel before final payment. Nothing was sold yet. I am fully confident that the OP did not pay the full fare when he booked his cruise two years in advance.

 

 

 

Would it have mattered if paid in full the day he booked?

 

 

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[delondin]

If uk based our deposit is non refundable. We do not get the benefit of cancelling for nothing. So when we commit to a cruise 2 years out we book annual leave at work etc so we expect it to be a contract.

[hcat]

We have been cancelled a few times...luckily before any air or hotels were booked, we also try to fly SW in case we are cancelled & have to change dates, So deflating when it happens and cruise lines really could care less,

 

We were dangled along for several months, and then cancelled on Infinity for an ABC Island cruise while Celeb negotiated a possible charter to use the ship as a hotel for a Calif Convention...

 

They actually redid several itins including Panama Canal transit where folks had started to book air. We jumped quickly and booked on another date for $100 more and had a great cruise,.same cabin as initially chosen, Oddly the ship as a hotel charter never came to pass.

 

,This year, for our Infinity Ca Coastal we booked 2 diff weeks..just in case, Hated to tie up the room but did not know if they'd cancel again in Oct to be used as a hotel, We let the extra res go awhile ago and just made final payment on the one we realky preferred..More folks are doing that with back up bookings....avoids having to rebook something else after prices have gone up...

 

Edge inaugural season is special so hope we don't get dumped for a charter.

[britsbest]

If uk based our deposit is non refundable. We do not get the benefit of cancelling for nothing. So when we commit to a cruise 2 years out we book annual leave at work etc so we expect it to be a contract.

 

And flights ! Difficult so far out but my agents has taken for flights and pre cruise hotel. We were also meeting son and his family in Orlando post cruise for 2 weeks in our timeshare

[Lastdance]

Unfortunately, the key word is "money." Yes, it is frustrating; however, it is business as usual. It makes it more difficult when you are traveling with good friends. There are a lot of excellent cruise lines out there that would be happy to have your business, and just maybe it will be better than expected!

[jagoffee]

March 17, 2019 chartered!! TA confirmed it and after I called Celebrity they said they did not know anything!!! Cruises available are 1400 more than the day I booked (day reservations opened). Category of room not available for dates they gave us. Just not a good way to make friends or do business. Boo to you Celebrity for making so many people unhappy. Know it happens but when it happens to you, you feel their pain.

 

EDGE is no EDEN for me.

 

This has never happened to me, but I would not be pleased if it did. IMO, you and the OP should have been given the opportunity to book a similar cruise at the price you booked the original cruise plus some OBC.

Many of us book our cruises when they are first released for booking when there is a choice of cruises. You should not to have to pay more for the same cruise when forced to change the date. I am actually surprised and shocked that this is Celebrity's business practice. I hope that you at least picked a different date for the same cruise and asked for the same price!

 

Good luck.

[gerelmx]

More frustrating is when you are celebrating a special occasion like anniversary and this is your dream cruise.

[WpgCruise]

So, what the OP was expecting was this scenario?

 

"Hey, we have an opportunity to see the entire ship nearly two years from now"

"No, we'd better not, we have sold some rooms to some Captain's Club Elite members and they would get mad"

"Yes, I guess you're right. Selling hundreds of rooms all at once would be nice, but we don't want to tick off our loyal cruisers"

"Right, the company's bottom line shouldn't be the deciding factor here."

"Ok, I'll tell the group that wants to charter the ship that it isn't available because we have sold some rooms to some of our loyal cruisers. Too bad, because we would have made millions of dollars if we had chartered it. I'm sure the stockholders won't mind either"

 

Hilarious. And those "Loyal" Elites would dump their stock in the blink of an eye if growth and dividends didn't meet their demands.

 

I'm always gobsmacked by what people think is fair. It's fair for us to book a cruise, then cancel and get our deposit back 90 days out from the cruise, but it isn't fair for the cruise line to cancel 18 months out, and give us back our money ?

 

Seriously some need to give their heads a shake and try to understand business in the 21st century.

[Hawkstar33]

You 2 belong together. When I choose a cruise and book it, I have no intention of cancelling, so your point is moot. I do in fact shake my head when I get the screws put to me. And I will never understand a business that preaches outstanding customer relations, offers a Capts Club reward program for loyalty, and then somehow thinks it's perfectly fine to do this to people. Wrong is wrong. We currently have 5 cruises booked with X in the next 1 1/2 yrs. So you can see where my concern lays. Now I know the deal. Hope this post helped some people.

[Cruise Raider]

That's a shame ... so sorry to hear this. It is so disappointing when you take all that time to plan, albeit way ahead of time, and your dreams are dashed. It is probably still raw but if you are still interested, maybe keep the one half of the B2B and transfer to another ship for the other half ... to make it worthwhile your trip to FL. ?? It might be an option where you will still be able to sail on a new ship in the room you wanted ... just for half the amount of time but then the other half on another ship that you might enjoy.

 

A couple of years ago, we were booked on the Infinity for a 14 night Alaska cruise (SF RT) with a B2B through the Panama Canal (SF to Ft Lauderdale). About 9-10 months prior to our Alaska cruise, it was canceled for a 5 night charter ... and what to do with those other nine nights was anybody's guess. Well, soon enough, they announced it would be a 9 night Pacific Coastal (SF RT) .... we could do that ... so we did and had an awesome time. Thankfully, we live right near the port in SF so no airfare involved. Few, if any of the roll call, had booked air.

But, Celebrity did offer us some other cruises for the same pricing, same perks, plus some additional OBC. It ended up being a deal we couldn't refuse. But, we are able to be very flexible being retired and living near a port ... others were not so lucky, though and I think Celebrity lost a few loyal customers over that move ... or so I gathered from the comments on the roll call.

Did Celebrity give you any other offers? I wonder if they would allow you to apply any OBC that was offered to the one half of your B2B. I would suggest calling the Captain's Club if so. Maybe they can work a little magic if you are willing to stick with them.

Whatever ends up happening, I hope you find something to your satisfaction. And again, sorry to hear this happened to you. Hopefully, something will work out.

[SantaFeFan]

Would it have mattered if paid in full the day he booked?

 

 

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No. My point was that if he ever cancelled a cruise before final payment, his loyalty to the cruise line is no better than what he is accusing Celebrity of. If he can cancel for his own convenience, then why shouldn't Celebrity be able to as well.

 

Loyalty works both ways.

 

Let's see how many flamers respond to that comment! :cool:

[WpgCruise]

 

You 2 belong together.

 

And I will never understand a business that preaches outstanding customer relations, offers a Capts Club reward program for loyalty, and then somehow thinks it's perfectly fine to do this to people.

 

From the responses clearly there are a lot more than 2 that share this opinion, but as Celebrity isn't running a democracy votes don't really count now do they ? They are running a business not a social club.

 

To your second point, no where in the Captains Club Rewards Program is there anything about the Company not having the option to cancel a cruise 18 months out. The Loyalty perks are clearly detailed and cancelling for a charter has nothing, to do with Loyalty, it's all about the money.

 

Get over the indignation, the self righteous outrage, and instead make the effort to understand Business is Business, Celebrity has every right to cancel a cruise 18 months out, we as the customer have that same option at 90 days. Weather you take advantage of that option isn't really germane, it is an option.

[riclop]

We booked Edge for BTB in March 2019, months ago. We book together with another couple each year same time, with Celebrity. We are Elite, and our friends are getting close with 8 cruises, loyal to Celebrity. The Key word here is LOYAL, but seems to go only one way. Edge hasn't even been built yet, and we already have gotten booted for a charter. Sorry for the inconvenience, but somebody bought the whole boat, so you have to change your plans. I guess this is not the first time. I assume I would be wasting my time by saying this is a very unfair practice. No matter if you are a first timer, or Elite, or whatever you may be. Luckily we were able to adjust our plans. They also offered some OBC. Nonetheless, Loyalty should go both ways. They didn't have to charter out the ship. It would've booked full for sure. First come first served.

They really don't care.

[Alakegirl]

This is a problem seen on all cruise lines. Take your business elsewhere but be prepared for the same thing to happen there.