Price drops in the UK

[villauk]

As I said previously, I have read the T's & C's and I have several copies, which where give to me by the cruise sales staff whilst onboard ship. They also came with the documentation of the new booking. Several months after we returned home there was huge price drop so our t/a spoke to Celebrity. Our invoice was then adjusted to the new lower price and and no it was definitely not in the form of obc.

 

So after the price drop, you kept the same reservation number for the onboard booking and then X sent a new invoice with the lower price and all your previous perks, correct? Was your booking for a suite?

 

What usually happens is that you move the onboard reservation to a future cruise and then obtain a new booking at the lower rate - thus resulting, in effect, having 2 bookings.

 

So basically we have, just on this thread, a wide range of replies for UK price drops: OBC, refunds in the form of cheques, upgrades and now (it appears) reduced invoices - and that’s only a very small percentage of UK pax. This is another reason why I prefer booking in the US: at least I know exactly where I stand regarding reservations - unlike the complete hash that appears to be happening over here now :rolleyes:.

[Spanieleyes]

So after the price drop, you kept the same reservation number for the onboard booking and then X sent a new invoice with the lower price and all your previous perks, correct? Was your booking for a suite?

 

What usually happens is that you move the onboard reservation to a future cruise and then obtain a new booking at the lower rate - thus resulting, in effect, having 2 bookings.

 

So basically we have, just on this thread, a wide range of replies for UK price drops: OBC, refunds in the form of cheques, upgrades and now (it appears) reduced invoices - and that’s only a very small percentage of UK pax. This is another reason why I prefer booking in the US: at least I know exactly where I stand regarding reservations - unlike the complete hash that appears to be happening over here now :rolleyes:.

 

Yes we kept the exact same booking reference and the 2 perks from the original booking. They adjusted the price down and issued an updated invoice.

 

I can totally understand why you would book in the US and we’ve considered doing the same thing. Nothing about booking in the UK is consistent is it and it’s so frustrating. :(

[villauk]

Yes we kept the exact same booking reference and the 2 perks from the original booking. They adjusted the price down and issued an updated invoice.

 

I can totally understand why you would book in the US and we’ve considered doing the same thing. Nothing about booking in the UK is consistent is it and it’s so frustrating. :(

 

It used to be :rolleyes:.

[cococruiser]

We are on Equinox in August. We booked directly with UK celebrity. After a price drop we had to cancel and rebook losing deposit. It was still worth it. I made a few phone calls and they would not budge. No OBC, reduction etc. Lesson learnt

 

 

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[mickey89]

........ This is another reason why I prefer booking in the US: at least I know exactly where I stand regarding reservations - unlike the complete hash that appears to be happening over here now :rolleyes:.

The only difficulty is very few cruise lines allow Uk residents to book via the US. Celebrity/RCL are the exception.

I see from your signature Princess cruise to Alaska in summer, did you book that in the US ?

[Mynki]

 

So basically we have, just on this thread, a wide range of replies for UK price drops: OBC, refunds in the form of cheques, upgrades and now (it appears) reduced invoices - and that’s only a very small percentage of UK pax. This is another reason why I prefer booking in the US: at least I know exactly where I stand regarding reservations - unlike the complete hash that appears to be happening over here now :rolleyes:.

 

I'm not so sure UK bookings are as complex as is being made out. What I suspect is that some members are confused and their posts are causing a lot more confusion than you'd get if talking with Celebrity directly. There's clearly some misunderstanding on this thread.

 

Maybe a stickied guide to UK vs US bookings would be beneficial if administered and updated by a reliable member would be of great benefit to those who don't understand the fairly involved differences between the two. :)

[villauk]

We are on Equinox in August. We booked directly with UK celebrity. After a price drop we had to cancel and rebook losing deposit. It was still worth it. I made a few phone calls and they would not budge. No OBC, reduction etc. Lesson learnt

 

 

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Hope you are all well? I remember you from one of our previous cruises ;). That appears to be the ‘official’ line from X, however, there also seems to be several exceptions to the rule according to this thread.

[villauk]

I'm not so sure UK bookings are as complex as is being made out. What I suspect is that some members are confused and their posts are causing a lot more confusion than you'd get if talking with Celebrity directly. There's clearly some misunderstanding on this thread.

 

Maybe a stickied guide to UK vs US bookings would be beneficial if administered and updated by a reliable member would be of great benefit to those who don't understand the fairly involved differences between the two. :)

 

Misunderstandings or what has actually occurred in their circumstances :confused:? Several pax have reported their own examples when the price has dropped substantially on their U.K. booking - all different from the ‘official’ T&C.

 

Like I stated previously though, the current ‘official’ line from X is they don’t honour price drops in the U.K. and you have to lose your deposit and rebook, unless it’s an onboard booking where you can move that to a future cruise and make a new reservation on the sailing with the lower price. This was not the case when I first started booking Royal & X sailings back in 2007 - price drops were honoured ;).

[villauk]

The only difficulty is very few cruise lines allow Uk residents to book via the US. Celebrity/RCL are the exception.

I see from your signature Princess cruise to Alaska in summer, did you book that in the US ?

 

I have a US TA that I have used for years ;).

[mickey89]

I have a US TA that I have used for years ;).

So have we, but Princess will NOT take a U.K. resident’s booking via a US TA.

[Spanieleyes]

I'm not so sure UK bookings are as complex as is being made out. What I suspect is that some members are confused and their posts are causing a lot more confusion than you'd get if talking with Celebrity directly. There's clearly some misunderstanding on this thread.

 

Maybe a stickied guide to UK vs US bookings would be beneficial if administered and updated by a reliable member would be of great benefit to those who don't understand the fairly involved differences between the two. :)

 

 

 

Respectfully, I'm afraid I don't agree with saying "some members are confused and their posts are causing a lot more confusion" especially without having first hand knowledge of their situations. There was certainly no confusion with our price drop experience and our invoices etc. prove that. What I will say is that X are not always consistent.

 

When our t/a initially contacted X about "unlimited free changes if booked onboard ship" Celebrity UK didn't know what she was talking about and insisted any alterations to a booking (no matter where it was booked) would cost £75pp. She had to send them a copy of the T's&C's we got whilst booking onboard. So before we booked our cruise onboard this time, I did ask the sales staff about this and they said that sometimes when the terms and conditions alter, it takes a little while for those changes to filter to the UK offices and into their staff training. Maybe this is why there are inconsistencies in peoples' experiences?

[Toofarfromthesea]

So have we, but Princess will NOT take a U.K. resident’s booking via a US TA.

 

Sounds like a good reason for UKers to not cruise on Princess if getting US options are important to them.

[Mynki]

So have we, but Princess will NOT take a U.K. resident’s booking via a US TA.

 

We once made a HAL booking through our US TA no problem. Then HAL stopped this. BUT they did (And possibly still do, so I suggest trying as HAL are part of the same group as Princess) allow bookings from Brits who had PREVIOUSLY made a booking through a US TA.

 

So, you could try that angle. I will point out that we were told this a few years ago and so things may have changed since but it's possibly still worth investigating.

[Mynki]

Misunderstandings or what has actually occurred in their circumstances :confused:? Several pax have reported their own examples when the price has dropped substantially on their U.K. booking - all different from the ‘official’ T&C.

 

Misunderstandings as you pointed out in post 13 where someone confused additional OBC instead of a genuine price reduction.

 

Like I stated previously though, the current ‘official’ line from X is they don’t honour price drops in the U.K. and you have to lose your deposit and rebook, unless it’s an onboard booking where you can move that to a future cruise and make a new reservation on the sailing with the lower price. This was not the case when I first started booking Royal & X sailings back in 2007 - price drops were honoured ;).

 

I'm sure they were. Otherwise you wouldn't have said so. :)

 

I really do think this board needs a stickied and detailed thread highlighting the pros and cons of US vs UK bookings though. There are many people who would benefit. Many still think you'll always get the best deal booking in the US which is simply not the case these days. Sometimes Celebrity UK beats the US deal. Particularly with sailings from Southampton and those starting in the Med.

 

It would also be useful if Cruise Critic could compile a list of lines that will honour bookings for those outside of the US using a US travel agent. I'd also be interested to know if any Americans have tried booking through Celebrity UK when they are offering a better deal than what is found in the US. Would Celebrity UK honour that?

[Mynki]

Respectfully, I'm afraid I don't agree with saying "some members are confused and their posts are causing a lot more confusion" especially without having first hand knowledge of their situations. There was certainly no confusion with our price drop experience and our invoices etc. prove that. What I will say is that X are not always consistent.

 

When our t/a initially contacted X about "unlimited free changes if booked onboard ship" Celebrity UK didn't know what she was talking about and insisted any alterations to a booking (no matter where it was booked) would cost £75pp. She had to send them a copy of the T's&C's we got whilst booking onboard. So before we booked our cruise onboard this time, I did ask the sales staff about this and they said that sometimes when the terms and conditions alter, it takes a little while for those changes to filter to the UK offices and into their staff training. Maybe this is why there are inconsistencies in peoples' experiences?

 

Well I'm happy to agree to disagree with your first paragraph. But the response in post 13 highlights some misunderstanding for starters... :)

 

The phrase "Celebrity Cruises, consistently, inconsistent" was first coined by me on these boards some time ago now and has been used by several others since. ;)

 

All the more reason for a stickied thread detailing the differences and administered by a suitable member who has plenty of first hand experience of different bookings in the US and UK.

 

I've booked onboard a sailing from Southampton. I was told because I was a Brit on a sailing from Southampton that I could not have my booking transferred to our US TA where we would pick up a further $500 OBC for booking with them. We just needed to stand our ground and tell him to go check with Miami because we knew we could. It took around 20 minutes before he finally relented and we completed a form to have it moved to them. The point I'm making is, if people are aware of the actual facts you can use them to educate Celebrity staff that are not always aware of their own companies T's & C's themselves. As ridiculous as that sounds!

[villauk]

Misunderstandings as you pointed out in post 13 where someone confused additional OBC instead of a genuine price reduction.

 

Like I stated previously though, the current ‘official’ line from X is they don’t honour price drops in the U.K. and you have to lose your deposit and rebook, unless it’s an onboard booking where you can move that to a future cruise and make a new reservation on the sailing with the lower price. This was not the case when I first started booking Royal & X sailings back in 2007 - price drops were honoured ;).

 

I'm sure they were. Otherwise you wouldn't have said so. :)

 

I really do think this board needs a stickied and detailed thread highlighting the pros and cons of US vs UK bookings though. There are many people who would benefit. Many still think you'll always get the best deal booking in the US which is simply not the case these days. Sometimes Celebrity UK beats the US deal. Particularly with sailings from Southampton and those starting in the Med.

 

It would also be useful if Cruise Critic could compile a list of lines that will honour bookings for those outside of the US using a US travel agent. I'd also be interested to know if any Americans have tried booking through Celebrity UK when they are offering a better deal than what is found in the US. Would Celebrity UK honour that?

 

 

It’s not always just the best deal that results in a booking, it can be the flexibility that comes with a reservation - which is definitely evident when deciding which country to book in e.g. booking a GTY in the US allows you to change from the allocated cabin if another is available in the same category, not so with a U.K. booking ;).

[Mynki]

 

 

It’s not always just the best deal that results in a booking, it can be the flexibility that comes with a reservation - which is definitely evident when deciding which country to book in e.g. booking a GTY in the US allows you to change from the allocated cabin if another is available in the same category, not so with a U.K. booking ;).

 

Absolutely. I consider the flexibility part of the deal

 

Iv'e previously managed to get my TA (Quite probably the same you use) to get an S2 changed to an S1 (M class 6145) after booking a GTY suite. I doubt the UK would have done that.

 

It will be interesting to see what eventually happens to UK bookings after Brexit when we're no longer tied to EU law. Though like everyone else, I have no idea if this will be better or worse!

Edited July 4, 2018 by Mynki

[sandancer]

OP here. Well all of you helpful people have been proved right. Getting nothing, nada, zilch!

I don’t think I can bear to go back to the rollcall and read about yet another price drop that guests in the US are being allowed. $1000 for some!

 

 

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[Mynki]

OP here. Well all of you helpful people have been proved right. Getting nothing, nada, zilch!

I don’t think I can bear to go back to the rollcall and read about yet another price drop that guests in the US are being allowed. $1000 for some!

 

 

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Look on the positive side, you've now learned a lot. Potentially in the future you can now make some big savings by booking elsewhere. Run a search on US vs UK bookings on here. There's a lot of useful information. Then google US travel agents etc. Any questions then ask away on here.

[sandancer]

Thanks for that advice. We have a US TA but booked this one when we were onboard and it automatically went to UK agent and I didn’t think to change. We have another X cruise booked in the US and our US TA has already got a price drop and moved us to another cabin in a nicer location. As you say, lesson learned.

 

 

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[mickey89]

Thanks for that advice. We have a US TA but booked this one when we were onboard and it automatically went to UK agent and I didn’t think to change. We have another X cruise booked in the US and our US TA has already got a price drop and moved us to another cabin in a nicer location. As you say, lesson learned.

When booking onboard the new booking will default to the Travel Agency of your current cruise unless you specify differently. They will ask for address, agency no. and telephone number. If you choose a US agency you will pay the deposit in US$ otherwise choosing a UK agency or Celebrity UK you pay the deposit in GBP. You will not be able to switch an onboard booking from the UK to a US agency at a later date, we tried and failed.

[Spanieleyes]

Bit of a random question but we've recently been wondering if we should have booked 2 cruises instead of just the 1, whilst onboard. Would that take away any issues of whether you can get the price adjustments or not? I realise that you wouldn't necessarily be able to keep the same cabin number and it's reliant on there being availability in the same category, but would it be better to have half a chance than no chance of getting any price drops? Hope my questions makes sense :D.

[bengaltiger1]

Can someone point me in the direction of the U.K. law or EU directive that prevents Celebrity U.K. customers from taking advantage of price drops or moving cabins please? I am not talking T&Cs, but the law that prevents Celebrity UK from giving us parity with Celebrity USA customers. Thanks in advance.

 

 

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[mickey89]

Bit of a random question but we've recently been wondering if we should have booked 2 cruises instead of just the 1, whilst onboard. Would that take away any issues of whether you can get the price adjustments or not? I realise that you wouldn't necessarily be able to keep the same cabin number and it's reliant on there being availability in the same category, but would it be better to have half a chance than no chance of getting any price drops? Hope my questions makes sense :D.

Never try it but see no reason why using the other booking to achieve the price drop wouldn't work. We always book a few cruises to pay our onboard account using the deposit obc as you still get 1.69$ to 1 GBP, you gain a 30% saving.

[nomad098]

Can someone point me in the direction of the U.K. law or EU directive that prevents Celebrity U.K. customers from taking advantage of price drops or moving cabins please? I am not talking T&Cs, but the law that prevents Celebrity UK from giving us parity with Celebrity USA customers. Thanks in advance.

 

 

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There is not a law preventing Celebrity offering price drops

 

The same as there is no law requiring Celebrity to offer price drops except in these circumstances listed in the package holiday regulations.

 

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2018/9780111168479/regulation/10

 

Good luck proving Celebrity's costs have dropped:confused:

 

Celebrity seems to have made a business decision not to offer price drops the same as most travel companies in the UK.

 

Some people seem to have been lucky in receiving price drops/OBC