What would 8 points be worth?

[HRHMadonna]

Today my TA mentioned that if we booked the cabins I was considering we would have 8 points....I asked what that meant and he said he would mail me some info later...that there was no rush.

 

Apparently the points have to do with selecting some perks for those in our group. When I pressed him for more info, he basically dismissed my question by saying, "Well it's really not anything to get excited about."

 

Is anyone out there who could enlighten me? Have cruised Celebrity 2X but never with a group...so this is new to me.

[chessbriar]

I have no idea what they may be talking about. The "points" I assume is refering to the Captain's Club. You get 1 point for each cruise sailed, an additional point if you book a suite, and an additional point if you sail for 12 or more days.

 

You only get these points after you complete the sailing. A group booking wouldn't affect this.

[signman]

It has everything to do with a group booking and nothing at all to do with Captain's Club. But I'm not a TA, so I have no idea what 8 points will get you, obviously not much.

[lvtotrvl1]

Ask your agent to send you the GAP (Group Amenities Plus) sheet. If you are booking 8 or more cabins, this is what he is talking about. You will have many choices...category upgrades, cocktail party, champagne delivered to room etc...Each is worth a different amount of points...ie..Champagne delivered is usually 1 pt, so you would have 7 more points to work with. Don't let him tell you it is not a big deal. You do not have to choose them right now, but it will be good info for you to have. Hope this helps!

[slotaddict]

I believe they are called gap points. I was booking a group on my 11/13/06 cruise, which has now gone by the wayside. My TA told me that 8 rooms would get us a free berth, plus other amenities, like a cocktail party and other things. 8 points is a high amount of points, the more rooms you book, the more you get.

Sorry didn;t see previous post.

[lvtotrvl1]

I believe they are called gap points. I was booking a group on my 11/13/06 cruise, which has now gone by the wayside. My TA told me that 8 rooms would get us a free berth, plus other amenities, like a cocktail party and other things. 8 points is a high amount of points, the more rooms you book, the more you get.

Sorry didn;t see previous post.

 

This is not entirely true. The points are not based on the amount of rooms you book. They are based on the sailings. For instance on the Bermuda cruise from Norfolk on May 19, 2007 there are 6 GAP points..On that same cruise sailing May 12, 2007 there are 8 points. Just depends on sailing. That is why if you are flexible with your dates, your TA can find a date that you will possibly get more points for your group.

[HRHMadonna]

Thanks for your info -- Helps me know what to expect and what questions to ask -- especially because we have some flexibility in our plans!

[poetic license]

I learn something new every once in awhile on the boards. This is one of them. :)

 

Cheers~

Nicki

[slotaddict]

This is not entirely true. The points are not based on the amount of rooms you book. They are based on the sailings. For instance on the Bermuda cruise from Norfolk on May 19, 2007 there are 6 GAP points..On that same cruise sailing May 12, 2007 there are 8 points. Just depends on sailing. That is why if you are flexible with your dates, your TA can find a date that you will possibly get more points for your group.

 

I stand corrected, Thanks.

[sunflowerstarr]

just out of curiosity where is the info on the crouise out of norfolk i dont see that listed as a port. itd be very convenient for us considering its only two hours away and in the same city wed have to fly out of anyways. thanks.

[jaxon41]

Ok, I am really interested in this. NewMexicoNita, where are you? I am responsible for choosing an on-line TA, not the huge outfits, a small organization which bid on *****, for a group sailing in March. We will be 10 cabins. She offered certain things like champagne, casino credit, and onboard account credit -- which is why I chose her, but she knew nothing at the time about how big the group was going to be -- niether did I. Now there are points I should know about? I am also wondering if we should get a free berth? Any TA's who can help?

[ocngypz]

Points have nothing to do with tour conductor credits or one free BERTH for every 16 BERTHS paid. This free BERTH is based on the lowest average of category booked. It is a net amount (less the % of commission your agency normally would make on a paid booking. It also does not include port charges and taxes.

 

Group Amenity points are assigned by the cruiseline. Some sailings have none. Other can have any number of points.

 

You can use the points in different ways. Your agent can download the Group Amenity Point chart from Celebrity's proprietary reservation system.

 

Minimum group size is 8 cabins. Third and fourth passengers in a cabin do not count towards tour conductor credits.

 

Cocktail parties require 50 or more people.

 

You have 90 days from the date the group is opened to get full deposits into Celebrity. At that point, if you have any unsold inventory, they will let you keep the same amount of cabins as you have already booked. Let's assume you have 6 cabins booked, you will get to keep 6 cabins to sell The rest of the inventory goes back to the cruiseline. You will then have 60 days to sell those remaining cabins. At the end of the 60 days, if anything is still unsold, it goes back to the cruiseline.

 

Not all categores will be open to groups. Agencies are allowed only one group per sailing.

 

Hope this clears things up.

[ocngypz]

1 pt = fruit basket

2 pt = one bottle of champagne per cabin

2 pt = Celebrity logo towel

2 pt = Casino voucher (approx $25)

4 pts = Travelers Package

8 pts = Aqua Spa treatment gift certificate ($100 approx)

 

3 -6 pts = one category upgrade

5 - 10 pts = two category upgrade

 

and there are others.

[mahdnc]

Based on your list, I can see that I am signed up for a 6 pt cruise as we are receiving items 2-4 for our Med trip. We simply booked this cruise with our TA but these freebie things came with it so I presume that we are part of a larger group booking. If so, how are things different when you are part of a group booking? Our deposit terms and final payment deadline do not appear any different. However I noticed when I tried to register our cruise on My Celebrity that my last name "could not be found" under the reservation number I was given.

[ocngypz]

Based on your list, I can see that I am signed up for a 6 pt cruise as we are receiving items 2-4 for our Med trip. We simply booked this cruise with our TA but these freebie things came with it so I presume that we are part of a larger group booking. If so, how are things different when you are part of a group booking? Our deposit terms and final payment deadline do not appear any different. However I noticed when I tried to register our cruise on My Celebrity that my last name "could not be found" under the reservation number I was given.

 

You need to call your agent. Many times you will be booked FIT and then pulled into the group. When the booking is pulled into the group, the reservation number changes. This can happen when the category you requested is not in the group inventory and needs to be pulled in.

[mahdnc]

I will give our TA a call as you suggest. We booked an FV which may not have been in the group inventory. Also we may have booked it before the group reservation was put together. Do the booking T&Cs change if we are pulled into the group? Thanks for your response.

[ocngypz]

I will give our TA a call as you suggest. We booked an FV which may not have been in the group inventory. Also we may have booked it before the group reservation was put together. Do the booking T&Cs change if we are pulled into the group? Thanks for your response.

 

FV's are not normally allocated to groups. Sometimes the points can change on a group, but the tour conductor credits do not. I'd say you were booked FIT and pulled into the group.