Price going up after paying full balance?

[erhoffer]

We originally paid the full balance of our tickets when we booked on Millenium for Alaska back in February. A few weeks ago, I called to make a cabin switch when I saw a preferable cabin available on the Celebrity website. The two prices online (for our CC cabin and for the newly available FOV cabin) were listed as the same. Now I see that my account lists a balance of $250, even though we'd paid in full back in February.

 

They never mentioned to me that a cabin switch would incur additional cost. Is this the reason? Anyone have this same experience?

 

thanks for any insight!

- Erin

[cruiseyguy]

Call them and ask. The charge may be for something else (or a mistake).

[crazybus]

The FOV is a larger cabin and usually costs more. Tell them the price was the same for both cabins and see what they say. Don't wait too long or your cabin may be gone.

[lvtotrvl1]

Did you ask them the price difference when you called? They should have sent you a confirmation immediately with the pricing on it.

[dkjretired]

We originally paid the full balance of our tickets when we booked on Millenium for Alaska back in February. A few weeks ago, I called to make a cabin switch when I saw a preferable cabin available on the Celebrity website. The two prices online (for our CC cabin and for the newly available FOV cabin) were listed as the same. Now I see that my account lists a balance of $250, even though we'd paid in full back in February.

 

They never mentioned to me that a cabin switch would incur additional cost. Is this the reason? Anyone have this same experience?

 

thanks for any insight!

- Erin

 

Why would you pay the entire balance apparently well before it is due. Besides not keeping your money in your control, you now do not have a lot of leverage.

[Fblack]

I agree with DKJretired. Why pay in full in advance? Years ago I paid in full 6 months in advance and they gave me a 5% price discount. Without an incentive, I never pay in advance. You lose leverage.

[hajekfam]

We originally paid the full balance of our tickets when we booked on Millenium for Alaska back in February. A few weeks ago, I called to make a cabin switch when I saw a preferable cabin available on the Celebrity website. The two prices online (for our CC cabin and for the newly available FOV cabin) were listed as the same. Now I see that my account lists a balance of $250, even though we'd paid in full back in February.

 

They never mentioned to me that a cabin switch would incur additional cost. Is this the reason? Anyone have this same experience?

 

thanks for any insight!

- Erin

You need to clarify a little more. Are you saying that the FOV and CC cabin were the same price when you did the cabin switch?

If so - is that price the same price that you originally paid for your CC?

If not, then the minute you did the cabin switch, you would be charged the difference between what you originally paid and the price of the new category if the new price is greater than originally paid.

[erhoffer]

Thanks for the advice about the accounting problem. I followed your suggestions and checked in with Celebrity. They told me that they had forgotten to make some required adjustment in our balance after we did the room switch. So everything will be OK.. (or so they told me..)

 

Why did we pay the full balance? It's a long story, but it has to do with the fact that the cruise is "work-related" for my husband, so we had to pay all at once as per his office preference.

 

- Erin

[molly361]

Thanks for the advice about the accounting problem. I followed your suggestions and checked in with Celebrity. They told me that they had forgotten to make some required adjustment in our balance after we did the room switch. So everything will be OK.. (or so they told me..)

 

Why did we pay the full balance? It's a long story, but it has to do with the fact that the cruise is "work-related" for my husband, so we had to pay all at once as per his office preference.

 

- Erin

Chiming in here, whether right or wrong, and I know, we miss a bit of interest by doing so, but we prefer to pay our cruises in advance also. We just like to know it is all done. It's a personal choice:eek:

[dkjretired]

Thanks for the advice about the accounting problem. I followed your suggestions and checked in with Celebrity. They told me that they had forgotten to make some required adjustment in our balance after we did the room switch. So everything will be OK.. (or so they told me..)

 

Why did we pay the full balance? It's a long story, but it has to do with the fact that the cruise is "work-related" for my husband, so we had to pay all at once as per his office preference.

 

- Erin

 

Thank you Erin for the answer, I was just hoping you might have some leverage. If it was something work related I think we can all understand.

[Oakview]

Last year I was booked on the newest NCL ship cruising Hawaii. I paid early and the price went down on our mini suite. NCL didn't want to refund our money so I negotiated an upgrade to a Courtyard Villa for my friend and me and a forward Penthouse for our adult daughters. Sometimes it is an advantage to pay prior to final dates. I also like knowing the majority of the trip expenses are paid and have lots of time to "squirrel" away spending money.

[beckster1100]

As I recall, I was told that had I paid my entire cruise in advance, I would not have been assessed a fuel surcharge. That wasn't true on all cruiselines, I don't believe.

[eandj]

As I recall, I was told that had I paid my entire cruise in advance, I would not have been assessed a fuel surcharge. That wasn't true on all cruiselines, I don't believe.

 

 

All the cruiselines had a date that the gas surcharge would "begin". If the date was before your final payment date, you could make your final payment then to avoid the surcharge. Many people did that to save the 60 or 70 pp added to their bill.

[kcstokes]

Just a sideline here. HAL does not give refunds if the price goes down after you make your final payment. We had to cancel our trip, pay the penalty and rebook to get the discount and still saved money. We could do this because we had the insurance.

[Jade13]

Just a sideline here. HAL does not give refunds if the price goes down after you make your final payment. We had to cancel our trip, pay the penalty and rebook to get the discount and still saved money. We could do this because we had the insurance.

 

Just a note to all. Depending on which insurance policy, most will not cover pre-existing conditions if you cancel and rebook. Read the fine print. This is to stop some from canceling and rebooking to pick up insurance because they now have a condition. Someone posted on the HAL board that they know someone who tried this (I think after having a heart attack) then had a problem on the ship, were medivaced, and insurer denied the payments, over $50K.