Celebrity Cruise company / travel agency double booked our room! How can we get full reimbursement for trip costs?

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 hours ago, WELDON said:

Before blaming Celebrity, I would go back to the 3rd party vendor. Where did the money go? What does it show on a credit card statement? What proof do you have the vendor sent the money or sent it correctly?

Celebrity has already accepted responsibility per the email sent to OP claiming so. Not sure who else to blame in this unfortunate scenario. 

[Iamcruzin]

2 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Then you have a TA that works for the cruise line.  How is that going to work?  Seems like a conflict of interest...

First of all the Cruise line don't have TAs. They work directly for the brand you are booking. If you book directly you wouldn't run into a double booking situation. The fact that the TA referred them back to Celebrity is a telling sign that they have no experience.  I don't even trust giving my credit card information to a 3rd party online agent.  

[Iamcruzin]

3 hours ago, thebutlerdidit said:

Had you checked in for your cruise and received a time to arrive at the port? 
 

I see now that you only got Error messages. 

From what I'm reading is they only checked in the night before. When I book directly with Celebrity I get emails telling me to check in as soon as it's available to do so. I know with using a TA you sometimes don't get the communication directly but the TA is supposed to forward it to you.

[NMTraveller]

26 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

First of all the Cruise line don't have TAs. They work directly for the brand you are booking. If you book directly you wouldn't run into a double booking situation. The fact that the TA referred them back to Celebrity is a telling sign that they have no experience.  I don't even trust giving my credit card information to a 3rd party online agent.  

Celebrity has double booked before.  It would not be their first time or last ...

[Iamcruzin]

3 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Celebrity has double booked before.  It would not be their first time or last ...

It doesn't matter if Celebrity double booked. If you booked directly with them then you fight directly with them. It it happens when booking with a TA then the TA is responsible or fighting with them not the passenger. I wish I had a dime for every time I have read, "I book with a TA because if something goes wrong they will go to bat for you". Clearly not the case here.

[bundtkate]

3 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

I wish I had a dime for every time I have read, "I book with a TA because if something goes wrong they will go to bat for you". Clearly not the case here.

OP mentioned a major online TA and I think even those of us who frequently extol the virtues of a TA booking would agree many of these behemoth agencies aren't known for their service. If you want guaranteed extra perks they're great, but if you want someone to go to bat for you, they're usually not the best choice. It stinks for the OP that their agent isn't supporting them here, but honest? They probably aren't required to (at least in the U.S). My local TA has stood up for me in the past because he knows that's what keeps me calling him instead of the cruise line. The larger online outfits will get business regardless so while YMMV with individual reps, I expect they're far less likely to do more than what's absolutely required.

[Andy_P]

3 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

The OP also bares some responsibility as well since it appears that they waited until the day before the cruise to check in. Had they checked in sooner this situation could have been avoided and maybe rectified.

It continues to astonish me how many cruisers do things absolutely last minute, or often not at all ,and arrive at the cruise port expecting some "Mommy figure" to do it for them, like they've always done.  I bet they're the same ones paged multiple times to report to their Muster Station.  I think we've all been behind that type at the cruise terminal - often not first time cruisers either.  First-time cruisers often know far more than "experienced" cruisers. 

[gold1953]

Check in must be done prior to boarding day or they assume you are a no show .

[Iamcruzin]

22 minutes ago, gold1953 said:

Check in must be done prior to boarding day or they assume you are a no show .

I wait with bated breath for that check in link to drop. 😄

[Jeremiah1212]

I realize people are trying to help and figure this out, but there are way too many variables and unknowns to make any sense of the situation. Celebrity made their offer of the FCC and OBC, and it's pretty unlikely OP gets any recourse with their additional expenses. The wording on the email doesn't imply anything. 

 

1 hour ago, gold1953 said:

Check in must be done prior to boarding day or they assume you are a no show .

 

No, you can check in on the app up through mid-morning on boarding day, or at the pier. Not completing check-in does not make Celebrity assume you aren't showing. 

 

 

 

[WestLakeGirl]

I think we have some inexperienced  cruisers who didn’t know that they should be watching for emailed instructions from Celebrity in the days leading up to the cruise and weren’t alarmed enough by the error messages they saw to call their travel agent and/or Celebrity to ask for clarification.  
 

Further they made the assumption that travel insurance would cover all sorts of expenses it was never designed for.

 

i might expect that the airline change fee might be covered and even, perhaps, one night in the hotel but several nights? No, that was a choice made by the passengers.  It wasn’t forced upon them by the unavailability of flights home.

 

 

Edited Thursday at 02:04 PM by WestLakeGirl

[jelayne]

8 hours ago, bundtkate said:

OP mentioned a major online TA and I think even those of us who frequently extol the virtues of a TA booking would agree many of these behemoth agencies aren't known for their service. If you want guaranteed extra perks they're great, but if you want someone to go to bat for you, they're usually not the best choice. It stinks for the OP that their agent isn't supporting them here, but honest? They probably aren't required to (at least in the U.S). My local TA has stood up for me in the past because he knows that's what keeps me calling him instead of the cruise line. The larger online outfits will get business regardless so while YMMV with individual reps, I expect they're far less likely to do more than what's absolutely required.

Our large TA has stood up for us on 2 significant occasions, doing far more than necessary.  Some are good, some not so much.

[sanger727]

This sounds like travel interruption.  Not sure why the insurance wouldn't be expected to pay for the flight changes and extra hotel nights. OP should certainly submit a claim.  I had an issue on a trip awhile back where our flights were cancelled so we rebooked at a very high last minute cost with another airline.  Submitted it to insurance and they paid some of it.  Better than nothing. 

[jelayne]

37 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

This sounds like travel interruption.  Not sure why the insurance wouldn't be expected to pay for the flight changes and extra hotel nights. OP should certainly submit a claim.  I had an issue on a trip awhile back where our flights were cancelled so we rebooked at a very high last minute cost with another airline.  Submitted it to insurance and they paid some of it.  Better than nothing. 

Some costs could well be covered, but deciding to stay 3 night vs returning the next day is questionable.  The trip was a birthday celebration, seems like they decided to make the best of a bad situation and stay a few days.  I may have done the same thing.  But the hotel, food, Uber and car rental costs for extra nights doubtful.  They initially paid for accommodations and food in the cruise fare- they got that back, so no loss for insurance to cover beyond the 1 day. 

[Baron Barracuda]

Haven't done an X sailing since covid but on my Royal bookings I begin receiving frequent up-sell emails pretty much right after booking.  Not receiving them would be an early warning something was wrong.  My big online TA also sends me a notification on when online check-in will commence.  Don't know why op was so quick to walk away from pier empty handed.  I would have immediately contacted TA and gotten them involved.

Edited Thursday at 06:39 PM by Baron Barracuda

[newcruzer2]

9 hours ago, Andy_P said:

It continues to astonish me how many cruisers do things absolutely last minute, or often not at all ,and arrive at the cruise port expecting some "Mommy figure" to do it for them, like they've always done.  I bet they're the same ones paged multiple times to report to their Muster Station.  I think we've all been behind that type at the cruise terminal - often not first time cruisers either.  First-time cruisers often know far more than "experienced" cruisers. 

AGREED 

[truckswain]

Having trouble understanding this.

 

I find it almost impossible to believe that someone books a cruise and does not once look at their reservation online or at the cruise planner for addons.

 

Also not checking in until the night before?  So no luggage tags printed and not Xpress pass printed, also hard to believe

 

And if a TA was used why is Celebrity dealing directly with them?  It is posted on these boards constantly that using a TA means never dealing with Celebrity.

 

I feel bad that someone missed out on their cruise, because that should never happen but expecting compensation when it is "user error" that should not happen either.

[hcat]

On 9/26/2024 at 8:45 AM, Andy_P said:

It continues to astonish me how many cruisers do things absolutely last minute, or often not at all ,and arrive at the cruise port expecting some "Mommy figure" to do it for them, like they've always done.  I bet they're the same ones paged multiple times to report to their Muster Station.  I think we've all been behind that type at the cruise terminal - often not first time cruisers either.  First-time cruisers often know far more than "experienced" cruisers. 

harsh.. yes they were dumb but not everyone is perfect!

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

On 9/25/2024 at 9:44 PM, Iamcruzin said:

First of all the Cruise line don't have TAs. They work directly for the brand you are booking. If you book directly you wouldn't run into a double booking situation. The fact that the TA referred them back to Celebrity is a telling sign that they have no experience.  I don't even trust giving my credit card information to a 3rd party online agent.  

As I stated in the original post, "don't use 3rd party vendors" was the initial response from Celebrity. Stating "you should have known" after I clearly started i was a first time cruiser, is reductive and unuseful. I clearer was asking to advice on my next steps. AND Thank you for making me feel so unwelcome in a as a new member of this community.

[Trevor Fountain]

Firstly, I am really sorry your vacation was ruined, and I hope it gets resolved to your satisfaction.

 

When you log in to the celebrity website, the first thing you should see is your upcoming cruise, and how many days are left prior to you boarding. Below that is a white box, containing your reservation number and the guests on that reservation. To the right hand side of this box it should say check in unavailable, below which is the date when check in opens. So I have a Celebrity cruise booked for September 13 2025, and it Cleary shows my check in opens July 30.

Below this is the title "Your Documents", which is greyed out until you have checked in online.

Then you would be able to print off your boarding passes and luggage labels. You will also be able to state what timeframe you would like for boarding.

All this is available regardless of if you had booked direct, or with a TA.

Did you never see this? I believe al this is also available on the app. though I don't really use that until I'm on board.

 

[odysee]

On 9/26/2024 at 4:04 PM, WestLakeGirl said:

I think we have some inexperienced  cruisers who didn’t know that they should be watching for emailed instructions from Celebrity in the days leading up to the cruise and weren’t alarmed enough by the error messages they saw to call their travel agent and/or Celebrity to ask for clarification.  
 

 

I am quite an experienced cruiser and can confirm that whenever I book thru a (non Celebrity) travel agency, I do not get email instructions from Celebrity nor from the travel agency in the days leading up to the cruise.  Last communication is usually that I have to pay or paid the second and last instalment.

[voyager1964]

On 9/25/2024 at 1:56 PM, Dread_Pirate_Roberts said:

I'm looking for help on next steps and any online documentation regarding double bookings on cruises. Anyone?

That depends whether you want to give Celebrity a second chance or not. In the former case, I would try writing to their executive office, please search this forum for their email. In the latter case, I would file with a Small Case court, for each affected person separately so that you don't exceed their ceiling (in our state it is $7K)

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

On 9/25/2024 at 2:38 PM, cruisestitch said:

I would submit a claim with the insurance company and see how they handle it.

I am planning to make a claim, as my last step. I read over the insurance, and from this laypersons mind, the insurance maining covers unforeseeable circumstances at a travel location (weather, illness, unrest). I can't find anything about reimbursement for double bookings or problems caused human or computer error. 

[Iamcruzin]

1 hour ago, Dread_Pirate_Roberts said:

As I stated in the original post, "don't use 3rd party vendors" was the initial response from Celebrity. Stating "you should have known" after I clearly started i was a first time cruiser, is reductive and unuseful. I clearer was asking to advice on my next steps. AND Thank you for making me feel so unwelcome in a as a new member of this community.

I was quoting another CC member. My post was not directed at you. I was replying to a quote directed at me. Sorry for the confusion. I wouldn't use that Travel Agent again as they should not have directed you back to Celebrity they should have handled it. That's why they get a commission. 

Edited Friday at 07:33 PM by Iamcruzin

[Georgia_Peaches]

49 minutes ago, Dread_Pirate_Roberts said:

I am planning to make a claim, as my last step. I read over the insurance, and from this laypersons mind, the insurance maining covers unforeseeable circumstances at a travel location (weather, illness, unrest). I can't find anything about reimbursement for double bookings or problems caused human or computer error. 

Op, thank you for coming back!  There's obviously a lot to figure out.  I am really wishing you the best outcome possible!  Should you cruise again, I really encourage you to visit CC often as there is a wealth of information here and I have learned so much in the way of helpful advice over the years.