Rapidly going off Celebrity...

[jojo1966]

So so annoyed........booked a future cruise whilst on board recently - to take advantage of the flexibility with low deposit. Specifically asked the question about how many times we could change the booking - "as many times as you want" Specifically asked if there was a way to keep the current cruise and get benefit of lower price if they went down....was told t's and c's were that we would need to cancel and re-book - but the way round it was to move to another cruise, and then later move back to first cruise - saying we had changed our minds again. (we already thought about doing this but waited to see if agent suggested same - which she did).

 

just rung celebrity to instigate the first move due to price reduction of £900 - asking how long I had to wait before i made the next change... and was told I could only move it once, and if i then wanted to move it again we would have to cancel and re-book - losing deposit (and OBC for booking on board i assume )I said this wasn't what we were told, and was basically told I was lying - they'd checked with on board staff who said they would never tell anyone they could move to another cruise and then go back again !!

 

having been held on phone for 35 minutes, now been told someone will ring me back in a few days once they've spoken to on board manager.... I wouldn't mind if we hadn't specifically asked about doing what we wanted to do and been told it was ok. Plus the written t's and c's are very misleading - they say booking on board means "unlimited free changes to another ship/sail date" but doesn't say as long as one of the ships isn't one you've already previously booked on.....grrrrrrrr

[wallie5446]

First sailed on X in 1994 and have never heard of this as an option. Asked a friend that does this for a living and she said, ' no way Jose'. Sorry you were mis led.

Footnote,

You can move the booking any number of times, just not back to the original date and ship, is what she told me.

[jojo1966]

First sailed on X in 1994 and have never heard of this as an option. Asked a friend that does this for a living and she said, ' no way Jose'. Sorry you were mis led.

Footnote,

You can move the booking any number of times, just not back to the original date and ship, is what she told me.

 

yeah it seems we were misled having gone through the t's and c's with a fine toothcomb now - but that is down to the agent - she 100% told us we could do it and foolishly (it seems) we put our faith in her before booking. Had we known this, we would have booked a random cruise we know we never would want to go on, with the intention of moving to the one we did want to go on when a good offer came out - which inevitably would have done

[wallie5446]

And even that can be hit or miss.

 

We booked the Equinox 10 day ABC for Nov 2017 in July 2016 at an amazing deal. Had to cancel just before final. The wifester asked if the stars aligned right :rolleyes: could we rebook. Sure for $3140.00 MORE than we originally paid, and that would be a GTY veranda, not our 1A on the slant.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

to the OP - the T&C the onboard agents are accustomed to answering questions on are based on North American bookings. As you are in the UK (and it sounds like booked through a UK agent as well), the T&C for changes, cancels and rebooks are completely different, even in relation to bookings made onboard. I find the onboard sales staff to be minimally trained and often give incorrect answers. I am sorry you were misinformed

[jojo1966]

thanks all....does anyone know whether the current £900 off cruise fare is classed as a "perk"? ie. if we moved our onboard booking which had perks of $300 OBC and unlimited drinks - to a different ship/sailing but had the £900 price reduction - would we be able to keep the perks we had at time of booking and bring them with us - but pay the reduced price. Or is the reduced price a perk, and we would have to choose between keeping our existing ones or taking the £900 price reduction and losing the perks we had?

 

Ta

[villauk]

thanks all....does anyone know whether the current £900 off cruise fare is classed as a "perk"? ie. if we moved our onboard booking which had perks of $300 OBC and unlimited drinks - to a different ship/sailing but had the £900 price reduction - would we be able to keep the perks we had at time of booking and bring them with us - but pay the reduced price. Or is the reduced price a perk, and we would have to choose between keeping our existing ones or taking the £900 price reduction and losing the perks we had?

 

Ta

 

If you move the booking, your perks go with that booking. You'll need to move it to any cruise - as far out as possible that you're unlikely to take - and then you can move it accordingly. Rebook the cruise you want to go on taking the £900 reduction and the drink package (which I believe is the current offer). I realise you'll have to pay for the deposits again on the new booking, but if you intend to sail on X in the future, than at least you haven't lost your initial deposits and you can take those perks on the next cruise.

[jojo1966]

So the £900 off is a perk Then? If we move our existing booking with flexible deposit onto a random cruise but opt for free drinks and £900 reduction, can we then move to a different cruise if one comes up when the new schedule comes out later this year, but opt to take the £900 off and free drinks with us.? :o Surely Not??

[Fish Lover]

It's very unfortunate and I feel cause to be angry when you rely on information from a company representative, and then it turns out to be wrong and/or unsupported by the company. However, didn't it strike you as too good to be true?

 

That said, this constant (by many, not just you) search for loopholes and ways to beat the system with pricing and perks is also annoying. Everyone wants transparency, honest dealing, and loyalty from Celebrity, etc.... So how is it okay to book cruises you have no intention of taking, moving bookings from one to another to another and back again? You get what you give.

[villauk]

It's very unfortunate and I feel cause to be angry when you rely on information from a company representative, and then it turns out to be wrong and/or unsupported by the company. However, didn't it strike you as too good to be true?

 

That said, this constant (by many, not just you) search for loopholes and ways to beat the system with pricing and perks is also annoying. Everyone wants transparency, honest dealing, and loyalty from Celebrity, etc.... So how is it okay to book cruises you have no intention of taking, moving bookings from one to another to another and back again? You get what you give.

 

The difference is that you are able to obtain the price drops before final payment and take the new promotions should it be more beneficial to you and not lose a penny. Unfortunately, the post above is from someone who was told the wrong information and is likely to lose her deposits and up to £900 in just a few week because she was misinformed. I'm sure if she was able to take the price drops as you are for her booking before final payment, then she wouldn't be on CC asking about how she could cut some of her losses ;).

[villauk]

So the £900 off is a perk Then? If we move our existing booking with flexible deposit onto a random cruise but opt for free drinks and £900 reduction, can we then move to a different cruise if one comes up when the new schedule comes out later this year, but opt to take the £900 off and free drinks with us.? :o Surely Not??

 

The onboard booking is the one you could move and the perks associated with that booking - whatever they were at the time of booking. If you want to book a cruise with the new promotion (£900 + drinks), it would be a totally new shoreside booking and you wouldn't be able to move that one around with the perks attached. Unsure if that answers your question?

[jojo1966]

Human nature to want to get the best deals unfortunately.

[Wiltonian]

Perhaps the answer is to get your phone out and record such conversations? Sad that that's necessary.

[jojo1966]

The difference is that you are able to obtain the price drops before final payment and take the new promotions should it be more beneficial to you and not lose a penny. Unfortunately, the post above is from someone who was told the wrong information and is likely to lose her deposits and up to £900 in just a few week because she was misinformed. I'm sure if she was able to take the price drops as you are for her booking before final payment, then she wouldn't be on CC asking about how she could cut some of her losses ;).

 

Yeah....the words from the agent were that we couldn't lose by booking on board....well I'm sorry but we have ..the same cruise is now £900 cheaper and we can't get it ......that's a "lose" to me .

[jojo1966]

Perhaps the answer is to get your phone out and record such conversations? Sad that that's necessary.

Exactly what hubby said we will do in future !!

[TeaBag]

When we booked on board, we paid $100pp deposit. i realize you are in the UK so you lose your deposit when you cancel. However, if you paid the reduced deposit for booking on board, would you not gain by cancelling the on-board booking and rebooking the one that saves you 900 pounds? Maybe I'm not understanding this but I hope you get it sorted so you can enjoy your cruise. It's always annoying to see something for less money than you paid.

Jojo, see post #20 in this thread below. Seems like they had a similar problem to you.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2539596

[Work2cruz!]

Is your booking direct with Celebrity or a TA? I book onboard and come back and shop for best price with different TA's. You have 60 days to transfer your onboard booking to a TA. I did this last year - booked a Sunset Veranda - I was told by TA they rarely go down in price so I changed to a 2B Veranda for 1000 less than Celebrity site price and got additional perk and OBC. I made another change to Aqua because the TA site price went down. All with the same cruise. I'm Canadian so I book in US currency because the best TA deals are US. I rarely find these deals with Canadian TA's.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Fish Lover]

Exactly what hubby said we will do in future !!

.

All you will get is an apology. Why would anyone believe an anonymous recording? Silly. As with all agreements, what counts is what is in writing.

[Fish Lover]

When we booked on board, we paid $100pp deposit. i realize you are in the UK so you lose your deposit when you cancel. However, if you paid the reduced deposit for booking on board, would you not gain by cancelling the on-board booking and rebooking the one that saves you 900 pounds? Maybe I'm not understanding this but I hope you get it sorted so you can enjoy your cruise. It's always annoying to see something for less money than you paid.

Jojo, see post #20 in this thread below. Seems like they had a similar problem to you.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2539596

 

When you book early, you get certain benefits including knowing that you have a cabin reserved. Then as time goes on, prices can always fluctuate up and down. This is the other side of the equation. If you want to wait for a lower price, risking the cabin you want, the perks, etc... then do so. Rarely in this world can you have your cake and eat it too.

[chemmo]

Human nature to want to get the best deals unfortunately.

 

If you are happy with the cruise you have booked but not with the price paid you could try for an upgrade....

 

Look at the cost of rooms now, slightly more expensive than you paid. Phone up and ask if you can upgrade to that category and pay the difference. You won't get any money back (in fact you will pay a little bit more) but you may get a better room. With the difference in price you are quoting and if sales are slow they may be willing to do this. Worth a phone call.

 

No money back but you may feel you are getting 'value for money'.

 

Good luck.

[The_Big_M]

to the OP - the T&C the onboard agents are accustomed to answering questions on are based on North American bookings. As you are in the UK (and it sounds like booked through a UK agent as well), the T&C for changes, cancels and rebooks are completely different, even in relation to bookings made onboard. I find the onboard sales staff to be minimally trained and often give incorrect answers. I am sorry you were misinformed

 

Agreed. It sounds like a mistake was made based on location.

[Wiltonian]

.

All you will get is an apology. Why would anyone believe an anonymous recording? Silly. As with all agreements, what counts is what is in writing.

 

Under most legal systems, a verbal statement is as much part of a contract as a written one. "Silly." A contract between a U.K. Citizen and a U.K. Company would be under UK consumer law. A claim at the UK's small claims court would be interesting to say the least.

[jojo1966]

Some of you seem to be missing the point....I'm fully aware that when you make a normal booking you risk the price going down...that happened with our first cruise and we cancelled and rebooked and even with loss of deposit we were still better off. What's annoying me is the way we were duped into thinking booking on board was a no brainer as we couldn't possibly lose out ...because we could get the exact same cruise for any lower prices that may come in...one way or another...we wouldn't have booked on board so early had we known this wasn't the case...we would have waited until a good offer came out on the cruise we wanted.so I'm not complaining about the price going down...I'm complaining about being told it wouldn't matter if the price went down cos we could get that price!!

[Solon]

In future save yourself the headache and just book with an American TA.

 

And if you book onboard, transfer the booking to an American TA.

 

Then you can cancel, transfer, rebook as many times as you like without losing your deposit before final payment.

 

Usually, we also get a lot of OBC with an American TA as well.

[villauk]

If you are happy with the cruise you have booked but not with the price paid you could try for an upgrade....

 

Look at the cost of rooms now, slightly more expensive than you paid. Phone up and ask if you can upgrade to that category and pay the difference. You won't get any money back (in fact you will pay a little bit more) but you may get a better room. With the difference in price you are quoting and if sales are slow they may be willing to do this. Worth a phone call.

 

No money back but you may feel you are getting 'value for money'.

 

Good luck.

 

It appears to be unlikely at the moment with the current promo that X would agree to any upgrade. I know someone else whose only option was to cancel and lose the deposits as X refused any upgrade incorporating the current promotion on their reservation. But as you say, worth a try as you may get an operative like the one that initially gave information onboard :confused:.

 

To the others that stated the OP would have had a reduced deposit - unlikely as the full deposit amount is required if it's a UK onboard booking.

 

Jojo,

I understand it's the principle in your case. You now have to decide if you really want to take the cruise you'd planned on. If so, I'd move the onboard booking as suggested and rebook. In the meantime, you could always send an email of concern or Facebook X.