Those of you booked from UK - recheck the prices for your cruise!!

[uktog]

It seems several European cruises have had their prices reduced this year. It also seems that unlike in the US/Canada, the process for passing the reductions on to existing passengers does not work! I was lucky to see a post on our roll call from a fellow passenger who had received a$150 reduction and on checking I discovered our cruise had indeed gone down quite a bit over a month ago. TA contacted X this morning and we have a £650 reduction (£ not$)

Wonder if that would have been passed on if TA had not challenged X. I do not blame the TA - she books hundreds of different holidays for people at a time so she cannot price watch for everyone. Just wonder when would X have told us (indeed would X have told us) Just shows, reading CC can positively affect your bank balance - thanks !!!!!! :)

[Pontius Navigator]

Hard to say whether you are justified in getting a discount or not.

 

You buy the cruise at £4000 whereas the early booking cost was £2000. Some cabins are not sold so they readvertise and offer at £2400.

 

If there was no promise/contract that you would only pay the lowest price advertised then why should you expect a £1600 or £2000 rebate?

 

One solution would be to cancel, forfeit your £400 deposit, and rebook at the lower price. Of course in that there would be no guarantee that you would get the cabin you originally booked.

 

All that said however there is no reason why you should not ask. We booked one cruise very early, a short while later they advertised free car parking. Free car parking was in addition to the 10% discount our TA had given us and the £200 obc that was not generally available. We asked and we got the car parking voucher too.

[uktog]

Hard to say whether you are justified in getting a discount or not.

 

You buy the cruise at £4000 whereas the early booking cost was £2000. Some cabins are not sold so they readvertise and offer at £2400.

 

If there was no promise/contract that you would only pay the lowest price advertised then why should you expect a £1600 or £2000 rebate?

 

One solution would be to cancel, forfeit your £400 deposit, and rebook at the lower price. Of course in that there would be no guarantee that you would get the cabin you originally booked.

 

All that said however there is no reason why you should not ask. We booked one cruise very early, a short while later they advertised free car parking. Free car parking was in addition to the 10% discount our TA had given us and the £200 obc that was not generally available. We asked and we got the car parking voucher too.

We booked on board 9 months ago and had the early booking discount; regardless the trip was now £650 less. I am not sure I follwo the logic that US/Canada passengers would be given the discount but UK cruisers would not. Anyway, we have always been advised by the Future Sales Consultant that if the cost comes down, X will pass that on to existing bookings in the UK as they do not want people cancelling and rebooking which messes up their paperwork etc

A

[lucky white heather]

It seems several European cruises have had their prices reduced this year. It also seems that unlike in the US/Canada, the process for passing the reductions on to existing passengers does not work! I was lucky to see a post on our roll call from a fellow passenger who had received a$150 reduction and on checking I discovered our cruise had indeed gone down quite a bit over a month ago. TA contacted X this morning and we have a £650 reduction (£ not$)

Wonder if that would have been passed on if TA had not challenged X. I do not blame the TA - she books hundreds of different holidays for people at a time so she cannot price watch for everyone. Just wonder when would X have told us (indeed would X have told us) Just shows, reading CC can positively affect your bank balance - thanks !!!!!! :)

 

Thanks to info on CC we have also benefited from finding out by checking your cruise prices regularly , that a price reduction on a cruise we had booked last year had occurred.... however our TA claimed not to know about price reductions! X will not tell you about a price drop...you have to keep an eye on the cruise prices yourself.

If you are booked through a TA this prevents you phoning X personally to request they apply it....they will not deal with you unless you booked with them direct...otherwise they will only deal with you via your TA.

We were also actually wrongly charged £40 to have that particular price drop applied by X and only after long negotiation with both the TA involved and X did we get that cost refunded...but it was a hard slog to achieve that. So check check check...for your own benefit !

We would also advise that if you book with a TA, ensure they recognise and acknowledge that price drops can occur and if one is applied to your booking ...they will certainly persevere to have it applied .Remember there is no fee to be paid for a price drop to be applied !

[keela1eva2]

Hi Yvonne,

Last year I commented to my TA that the US passengers were able to benefit from price drops and she told me that this applies to bookings in the UK also.

I then helped a friend who booked through my TA for the Alaska/Pacific cruise on Mercury for April this year.

They have had 2 price drops although I had to intervene in contacting Ali to make sure that these drops were applied. They got a price drop of just over £400 each.

 

You do need to keep an eye on things yourself and contrary to what was mentioned earlier it does state in the Contract with X re price drops that if it drops by more than 2% then the price drop will be honoured.

 

Keep your eyes open everyone!

 

Sue

I then benefited from 4 price drops for my T/A on Millennium last year.

[excitedofharpenden]

Hi Ann. Good info. I have been able to take advantage of a price reduction before through my UK travel agent thanks to a post on the roll call (another good reason to post and check there!). The TA that I have used for my bookings sounds much like yours and hasn't the resources to keep checking prices for reductions so I make sure I am on the ball with it and there was not a problem getting the reduction.

 

I don't understand Pontius's reply either. Through this board I have always been led to believe that reductions after booking, but before final payment will be honoured. Whether it is morally right or not doesn't really matter. X do it.

 

Phil

[TravelerThom]

I recognize that this thread is predominately addressing UK bookings, and I realize that UK has different deposit refund standards, etc. Just to say how it works for me [in the US]. I have gotten price reductions from X before and after Final Payment, but it ALWAYS requires a request from me [or my TA, if I am using one] - it is never automatic. Some [relatively few] US TAs will do a good job of tracking prices for you, but as a general rule you have to do follow prices yourself, and then make the request to either X or your TA. Most, but not all, lower prices are honored - some apply to "new bookings only". RCCL (owner of X, RCI and Azumara) seems to be the most liberal of the major cruise corporations at giving price reductions - I don't think other lines are as liberal with price reductions after Final Payment. I do NOT claim to have expertice on how things work in the UK, but thought direct comments from someone who has gotten price reduction in the US might be informative. Happy sailings!

[Auscruisers]

Hi,

Does anyone know if this price reduction also applies to Australia. My TA advised my of my final payment. When I checked the latest prices on Celebrity's website (with senior's discount) I found we were paying just over

US$1600 more.

Final payment is due now. Our TA contacted Celebrity in Australia but their answer was very confusing stating that the seniors discount was not available now even though it is still quoted on their website and that the price we were paying was indeed the seniors rate anyway???? But it is still US$1600 more than the current price??? No wonder we are all confused (including our TA).

Any tips for getting the current price would be gratefully appreciated.

[lucky white heather]

Hi,

Does anyone know if this price reduction also applies to Australia. My TA advised my of my final payment. When I checked the latest prices on Celebrity's website (with senior's discount) I found we were paying just over

US$1600 more.

Final payment is due now. Our TA contacted Celebrity in Australia but their answer was very confusing stating that the seniors discount was not available now even though it is still quoted on their website and that the price we were paying was indeed the seniors rate anyway???? But it is still US$1600 more than the current price??? No wonder we are all confused (including our TA).

Any tips for getting the current price would be gratefully appreciated.

 

When we had difficulty with our TA last year (because we had read so often on CC that it was fairly common for US cruisers to get price drops) we asked our TA to apply for us when we thought our price had dropped by checking on the X website and the drop had also been drawn to our attention on our cruise Roll call.

The TA claimed not to know which dept in X he should apply to for this price drop which might be true if very few ( particularly UK / other countries ) cruisers know they can ask for price drops to be applied . The TA also claimed had never been asked to do this before ????

The first price drop (over £200) was applied ..although we then had the problem of the £40 "fee" to apply it (see previous post concerning getting this "fee" returned to us) and of course while all this was going on a second price drop of another £40 was implemented..we missed out on that because of the hassle with the "fee" problem ...TA said there was no point in applying for this price drop because it would equal the next £40 fee to change the booking paperwork again etc... then the last and final price drop (an even more substantial drop) came on, but this one only applied to those who booked "cruise only"..which we had not!!!

 

It would seem X takes a chance on losing money on a booking to those who do check prices regularly, when price drops occur for cruises perhaps that are not filling up as they hoped , along with targeting the type of booking they have "spare" to fill...like "cruise only" where they do not have to struggle to find air travel for their last minute bookers.

 

If you are still dissatisfied try to find a "name" in the X management to write to, asking them to clarify the position. That was how we eventually got clear information from source that a fee of £40 to change your booking paperwork every time a price drop occurs..is not correct X procedure.

Clarification might not happen for your next cruise if you are pretty close to sailing date but it might pay dividends in the future.

[Bouff]

I've just had an interesting experience. I booked a cruise on the Galaxy for June and having compared prices carefully I decided to book through an internet Agency in the USA that I had used twice before with no problems.

 

By chance I happened to notice the other day on a UK Agencies web-site that the grade of cabin I had booked for the same cruise was on offer at a rediculously low price. I initially thought it had to be a mistake and did nothing about it. A couple of days later I noticed that this price was still advertised. So I checked with a couple of other UK web-sites - yes the price had been substantially reduced. I checked that I could cancel without penalty with the USA Agency, booked with the UK Agent and then cancelled my USA booking! At the outset of the UK booking I had to take a different cabin but now that my original booking has been cancelled I have managed to switch the UK booking to my original cabin!! Sounds a palaver but for a saving of over 25% it was worth it.

 

I don't know what's going on I just hope that once we are on board we are not made to suffer for beating the system!

[lord of the seas]

I've just had an interesting experience. I booked a cruise on the Galaxy for June and having compared prices carefully I decided to book through an internet Agency in the USA that I had used twice before with no problems.

 

By chance I happened to notice the other day on a UK Agencies web-site that the grade of cabin I had booked for the same cruise was on offer at a rediculously low price. I initially thought it had to be a mistake and did nothing about it. A couple of days later I noticed that this price was still advertised. So I checked with a couple of other UK web-sites - yes the price had been substantially reduced. I checked that I could cancel without penalty with the USA Agency, booked with the UK Agent and then cancelled my USA booking! At the outset of the UK booking I had to take a different cabin but now that my original booking has been cancelled I have managed to switch the UK booking to my original cabin!! Sounds a palaver but for a saving of over 25% it was worth it.

 

I don't know what's going on I just hope that once we are on board we are not made to suffer for beating the system!

 

Just wait 'till the Yanks find out who you are :D

[Pontius Navigator]

OK, I buy into price drops where this forms part of the deal, the £40 fee and all, but when and where do these price drops occur?

 

For instance on our next cruise, still some time away, all our class of cabin has been sold and there are very few at the top and bottom still available (more or less). This would suggest that any price drop would only be applied to the unsold class of cabin.

 

I can see a further round of price cutting after the final booking payment caused by people who don't complete. What happens here?

 

Do they try to sell these cabins last minute or offer upgrades and consolidate the lowest class of cabin?

 

Just wondering if your observations give any clues.

[excitedofharpenden]

OK, I buy into price drops where this forms part of the deal, the £40 fee and all, but when and where do these price drops occur?

 

For instance on our next cruise, still some time away, all our class of cabin has been sold and there are very few at the top and bottom still available (more or less). This would suggest that any price drop would only be applied to the unsold class of cabin.

 

I can see a further round of price cutting after the final booking payment caused by people who don't complete. What happens here?

 

Do they try to sell these cabins last minute or offer upgrades and consolidate the lowest class of cabin?

 

Just wondering if your observations give any clues.

I can't give you a definitive answer. The pricing worked out by Celebrity's revenue department seems to be complex although obviously works on availability of a particular category.

 

An example of the hard to work out rhyme and reason was on the Transatlantic I did last year. I booked early and watched as the prices went up and then it went "code red" meaning Celebrity was accepting no new bookings. Fully sold and then more some. At final payment date two aft FV cabins (sought after spots on the ship) opened up at a price less than that quoted at the time for an inside cabin. It was still more than I had paid for a 2C cabin, but not by much.

 

I don't think I have helped much (:o), but all I can say is keep checking on the Celebrity website. I have found that keeping up with the roll call for a particular sailing ensures nothing slips through the net.

 

Phil

[mum of two]

I also noted a price drop on our forthcoming Med cruise. We saved £800 and upgaded from 2 2A cabins to 2 CC cabins. The TA though we would have to cancel and rebook to get the new price, but we were charged a booking amendment fee of £32 per person.

[excitedofharpenden]

I also noted a price drop on our forthcoming Med cruise. We saved £800 and upgaded from 2 2A cabins to 2 CC cabins. The TA though we would have to cancel and rebook to get the new price, but we were charged a booking amendment fee of £32 per person.

Totally OT, but I know Edlesborough well and have some good friends who live there.

 

Phil

 

edit: I think we've been here before. Senior moment:o ;)

[Andym]

If you read the T&C you will find that as long as the price drops more than 2%, they will pass the reduction on to you. You do need to ask for it though as it is not automatic. The US guests don't pay a deposit like we do and so they can just cancel and then re book.

Our TA is on the ball for us and since she found this out from me , from the boards, she has saved her clients £££££.

[Jade13]

When we had difficulty with our TA last year (because we had read so often on CC that it was fairly common for US cruisers to get price drops) we asked our TA to apply for us when we thought our price had dropped by checking on the X website and the drop had also been drawn to our attention on our cruise Roll call.

The TA claimed not to know which dept in X he should apply to for this price drop which might be true if very few ( particularly UK / other countries ) cruisers know they can ask for price drops to be applied . The TA also claimed had never been asked to do this before ????

The first price drop (over £200) was applied ..although we then had the problem of the £40 "fee" to apply it (see previous post concerning getting this "fee" returned to us) and of course while all this was going on a second price drop of another £40 was implemented..we missed out on that because of the hassle with the "fee" problem ...TA said there was no point in applying for this price drop because it would equal the next £40 fee to change the booking paperwork again etc... then the last and final price drop (an even more substantial drop) came on, but this one only applied to those who booked "cruise only"..which we had not!!!

 

It would seem X takes a chance on losing money on a booking to those who do check prices regularly, when price drops occur for cruises perhaps that are not filling up as they hoped , along with targeting the type of booking they have "spare" to fill...like "cruise only" where they do not have to struggle to find air travel for their last minute bookers.

 

If you are still dissatisfied try to find a "name" in the X management to write to, asking them to clarify the position. That was how we eventually got clear information from source that a fee of £40 to change your booking paperwork every time a price drop occurs..is not correct X procedure.

Clarification might not happen for your next cruise if you are pretty close to sailing date but it might pay dividends in the future.

 

Some TA's (especially online) have fees for any adjustments. It should be in your contract. It has nothing to do with Celebrity. We had 5 price reductions (2 bookings, 3 on one and 2 on another). The ones booked direct with X were easy. I just called and new e-mail and price sent immediately (even after final payment). The TA (not booked direct)wanted to charge $60.00 each time, but I talked them out of it because I have multiple bookings with them. With X I think it is better to book direct, especially if the OBC is only $100.00 or so. Just my experiance. No other line I know of will do this after final payment.

[Jade13]

I've just had an interesting experience. I booked a cruise on the Galaxy for June and having compared prices carefully I decided to book through an internet Agency in the USA that I had used twice before with no problems.

 

By chance I happened to notice the other day on a UK Agencies web-site that the grade of cabin I had booked for the same cruise was on offer at a rediculously low price. I initially thought it had to be a mistake and did nothing about it. A couple of days later I noticed that this price was still advertised. So I checked with a couple of other UK web-sites - yes the price had been substantially reduced. I checked that I could cancel without penalty with the USA Agency, booked with the UK Agent and then cancelled my USA booking! At the outset of the UK booking I had to take a different cabin but now that my original booking has been cancelled I have managed to switch the UK booking to my original cabin!! Sounds a palaver but for a saving of over 25% it was worth it.

 

I don't know what's going on I just hope that once we are on board we are not made to suffer for beating the system!

 

I am surprised the US agent did not charge a cancelation fee. They usually run US $25.00-$75.00 per person.

[taffNo1]

We called into our TA yesterday and she called Celebrity for us. She was put on hold whilst whoever took the call asked a supervisor and within 20 seconds we were told - No Discounts.

A discount would have been good but you can't win 'em all!!;)

[lucky white heather]

The "fee" we were being asked to pay was wrongly being levied by X itself ...not the TA... he was only passing on that fee to us.

However in order to protect the commission the TA had expected to make on the booking which obviously was now going to be reduced with each and every price drop (if we qualified to have them), he was certainly not willing to subsidise us for any £40 "fee" either the first time and every following price drop either.We understood that, but knowing that US cruisers get their price drops without a "fee" being levied...we took the matter up with management of X UK who did admit it had been an error on their part as "fees" are not required in order to process price drops and refunded our "fee".

 

By the way, we have never benefited from any OBC yet!! Even after more than 25 cruises with X...the UK has different booking conditions , so if we book and cancel for example, we have to have substantiated reasons for cancellation which X would consider as either valid or invalid and then refund or refuse to refund appropriate to their decision.

[Cambridgecruiser]

Just picked up on this thread and immediately chased up on my TA who confirmed that my package had reduced by the amount of the original deposit and who then inturn contacted our favourite cruise line who firmly said no:(.

 

Anyone else had this experience?

 

It has been suggested that I write to the Cruise line direct and ask the question:(

[MMDown Under]

If Celebrity Australia won't match USA price, which is $1600 less expensive, wouldn't it be better for you to book through a US Internet Agency, like Bouff of UK, did?

 

Australians have been taken advantage of in the costs we pay to travel for years. The Internet has changed this, as we are now aware.

 

I know cruisers in Australia, who will no longer book ahead a year like they used to do, after being ineligible for lower fares/extras like free air, announced later. If you read the fine print, it is legal, but immoral and a great way to cheese off your future customer base.

 

I would contact contact Celebrity myself, then get your TA to contact Celebrity again.

 

Good Luck!

[foxyG]

Thank goodness for CC! We've just negotiated a £340 reduction on our original booking with -X- due to the great advice on these boards.

 

I spotted, yesterday, that our 2C cabin had dropped to a lower price than some of the OV's and like many assumed it was a mistake! We contacted out TA (no names, but it's the biggest in the UK) and were told by an agent that in 20+ years of working in the travel industry she had never heard of a cruise line honouring price reductions after the original booking date. She was pretty adamant that we wouldn't qualify and after some considerable persistence we persuaded her to call -X- and check.

 

She called us back around 30 mins later and was pretty hyped up! She confirmed that -X- had agreed to reduce the fareand that there would not be any admin charges.

 

It definitely "pays" to keep an eye on -X-'s website!

 

My grateful thanks to all the contributors to this thread...cheers! You've just covered half my bar bill :D

[Deeliteful]

Thought I would add my 2 pennerth! I booked this year's April Transatlantic on Century whilst onboard the Legend (RCL) last year. I originally booked an inside (we solo travellers are often hit hard with supplements sometimes as much as 200% as many of you will know).

 

Luckily listening to fellow CC's I have upgraded twice since then as the prices were dropping and now have my first balcony cabin for not too much more.

 

I was given a refund too without asking this automatically went onto my credit card.

 

I now book with US online TAs so that I don't lose my deposit (started a thread on that last week) and I always book cruise only as I tend to get better air deals (as well as being cheaper they are usually more direct).

 

And , as foxyG says - it helps pay the bar bill.:eek:

 

Pat

[uktog]

Wish I had such a moderate bar bill - but glad to have been of assistance :)