Celebrity is going downhill

I just called Celebrity to change my inside stateroom to get a an oceanview stateroom I was informed that after final payment i was not able to do that. I wamted to change so i can get the pick your perk. I come to realize RCCL and Celebrity drop there prices as soon as final payment is due for the cruise.

I just called Celebrity to change my inside stateroom to get a an oceanview stateroom I was informed that after final payment i was not able to do that. I wamted to change so i can get the pick your perk. I come to realize RCCL and Celebrity drop there prices as soon as final payment is due for the cruise.

After final payment, you should be able to upgrade and pay the difference. As for getting cruise perks such as pick your perk, that may not apply to your particular booking.

It has nothing to do with "Celebrity is going downhill." They drop prices after final payment to fill up the ship -- that's a business decision.

I just called Celebrity to change my inside stateroom to get a an oceanview stateroom I was informed that after final payment i was not able to do that. I wamted to change so i can get the pick your perk. I come to realize RCCL and Celebrity drop there prices as soon as final payment is due for the cruise.

Just like buying Christmas cards and wrap after the holidays are over or a car in September when the new ones are due to hit the lots... By booking before final payment, you assure yourself a cabin on the ship and if you didn't book a guarantee you pick your cabin.. Those who book after final payment take whats left over, thats if there are cabins left. They take a chance waiting minute which is something you can also do if your flexible.

I just called Celebrity to change my inside stateroom to get a an oceanview stateroom I was informed that after final payment i was not able to do that. I wamted to change so i can get the pick your perk. I come to realize RCCL and Celebrity drop there prices as soon as final payment is due for the cruise.

Seriously? :eek:

I just called Celebrity to change my inside stateroom to get a an oceanview stateroom I was informed that after final payment i was not able to do that. I wamted to change so i can get the pick your perk. I come to realize RCCL and Celebrity drop there prices as soon as final payment is due for the cruise.

Many cruiselines drop prices after final payment in order to fill the ships, not just RCCL/Celebrity. Some sailings don't have a price drop, though, if they're already well booked or very popular, but most will try to fill the ship however they need to.

As far as the perks, sometimes they are only for new bookings. You need to read the "fine print." ;)

Really ? Going downhill because prices fall on some cruises after final payment date? That is common cruise line practice on all lines to fill rooms. Supply/demand. Simple economics. That is the chance one takes if they want a certain room and guarantee that they go on a certain cruise with certain perks. If one is able to wait until the last minute they can sometimes find some great deals.

I thought they were starting cruise/ski trips. @@

Really ? Going downhill because prices fall on some cruises after final payment date? That is common cruise line practice on all lines to fill rooms. Supply/demand. Simple economics. That is the chance one takes if they want a certain room and guarantee that they go on a certain cruise with certain perks. If one is able to wait until the last minute they can sometimes find some great deals.

Agree. It is often dangerous to draw conclusions based on a very small sample. My TA is completely sold out. Prices for 2 of my cruises past final payment are much higher than I paid. Of course slow selling cruises are discounted, but those discounted prices are usually for new bookings only and may carry fewer or no additional perks. Thee is always a trade off. The OP may not be giving us the entire story. What were the booking rules when they first booked? What were the booking restrictions when they wanted to upgrade? If the wanted to choose from pick a perk they may have been required to create a new booking. Of course that would make no sense to them since they would have needed to cancel their booking and pay any penalty associated with canceling.

Going downhill? Quite the misstatement. I understand you being upset about not being able to change your reservation to take advantage of new perqs. However, this is not a new practice. it has been this way for years. The advantage of booking in advance is to obtain the cabin you want in the location you want. As cruise date approaches there may or may not be specials or perqs to encourage bookings - this is simply the Law of Economics, i.e. supply and demand. Frustrating? Yes, but certainly nothing new.

Agree. It is often dangerous to draw conclusions based on a very small sample. My TA is completely sold out. Prices for 2 of my cruises past final payment are much higher than I paid. Of course slow selling cruises are discounted, but those discounted prices are usually for new bookings only and may carry fewer or no additional perks. Thee is always a trade off. The OP may not be giving us the entire story. What were the booking rules when they first booked? What were the booking restrictions when they wanted to upgrade? If the wanted to choose from pick a perk they may have been required to create a new booking. Of course that would make no sense to them since they would have needed to cancel their booking and pay any penalty associated with canceling.

Us too. I booked way before final payment. In Jan actually for a Nov sailing. The fares are now about $1170 more pp for the same category.

Us too. I booked way before final payment. In Jan actually for a Nov sailing. The fares are now about $1170 more pp for the same category.

Prices post final payment are always in flux depending on the cruise and the destination, some prices go up , others go down, others do both. Supply and demand dictates as to what will happen to fill the ship.:D

I just called Celebrity to change my inside stateroom to get a an oceanview stateroom I was informed that after final payment i was not able to do that. I wamted to change so i can get the pick your perk. I come to realize RCCL and Celebrity drop there prices as soon as final payment is due for the cruise.

Don't feel bad, Exxon/ Mobil is going downhill too. I paid $3.17 per gallon two days ago, it was down to $3.07 today. I took my receipt in and they would not give me back the difference! So off to Shell I go:D

Don't feel bad, Exxon/ Mobil is going downhill too. I paid $3.17 per gallon two days ago, it was down to $3.07 today. I took my receipt in and they would not give me back the difference! So off to Shell I go:D

:D That's right EW, you just go to Shell - in a handcart! :D

While I don't see the issue of going down hill, I too don't like some of Celebrity business practices, which I guess is what the OP is expressing.

Some other lines, do pass on price drops to those booked, if requested, before final payment vs waiting til after final payment to discount the cruise. Some other lines, also allow passengers to book directly with the line and to transfer a booking to a TA right up to the time of final payment which I understand is not permitted by X.

X practice of not returning a future booking credit automatically, if a cruise is cancelled - that was booked with a FBC, is not a practice I like either. Obviously, if I was going to cancel, I would book another cruise just to keep the credit alive til I found a cruise I wanted. Here again, this is not a practice on other lines either.

Even though we are elite on X, it is not our first choice when looking for a cruise because of these practices. We can and do better on other lines often.

Buying a cruise is like buying anything, the buyer needs to beware...

Sheesh OP travel much ?

Seriously this is not news... The entire travel industry works this way...

Demand goes up... Prices go up

Demand goes down... Prices go own

Been this way for eons / decades

It is the luck of the draw

You book early, you get the best choice of Cabins etc. you book late you don't. As an early bird prices go down before Final Payment you get the new pricing... Opposite happens & Prices go up you sit back and smile / grin widely :D

Prices go down after Final Payment you have your options...

Upgrade at Today's Cheaper Rates (although you may give up your Booking Early perks)

Or sit back and just be satisfied with the bonus items you got (best cabin - bonus cash promos etc)

A cruise I have now, I booked back mid summer. I was thrilled with the cabin Location I chose, Bevvy Pkg & OBC.

Since then prices have fallen 2x

First time was BEFORE Final Payment... Called up Celebrity they matched the price AND I kept my perks

Latest one has come since Final Payment... Ya it sucks but it makes upgrading a h3ll of a lot cheaper. However to do so I lose my perks... Value about $ 800, prices above me are going to have to come down a whole lot more to make any of that worthwhile (prices have fallen on my own cabin by about $ 200 since Final Payment, but no perks... Not worth it to fret about. I still am way ahead of the game by booking early)

The days of deep discounts after Final Payment are over. The economy & cruise industry is much better off now than a few years ago

In fact, most Cruisers would tell you that in general prices are going up vs going down

Even in my example above... Although the current advertised base price is lower it comes with NO PERKS so in fact someone booking today is paying $ 600 more than I did just 2+ months ago

Cheers!

Sheesh OP travel much ?

 

Seriously this is not news... The entire travel industry works this way...

 

Demand goes up... Prices go up

 

Demand goes down... Prices go own

 

Been this way for eons / decades

 

It is the luck of the draw

 

You book early, you get the best choice of Cabins etc. you book late you don't. As an early bird prices go down before Final Payment you get the new pricing... Opposite happens & Prices go up you sit back and smile / grin widely :D

 

Prices go down after Final Payment you have your options...

 

Upgrade at Today's Cheaper Rates (although you may give up your Booking Early perks)

 

Or sit back and just be satisfied with the bonus items you got (best cabin - bonus cash promos etc)

 

A cruise I have now, I booked back mid summer. I was thrilled with the cabin Location I chose, Bevvy Pkg & OBC.

 

Since then prices have fallen 2x

 

First time was BEFORE Final Payment... Called up Celebrity they matched the price AND I kept my perks

 

Latest one has come since Final Payment... Ya it sucks but it makes upgrading a h3ll of a lot cheaper. However to do so I lose my perks... Value about $ 800, prices above me are going to have to come down a whole lot more to make any of that worthwhile (prices have fallen on my own cabin by about $ 200 since Final Payment, but no perks... Not worth it to fret about. I still am way ahead of the game by booking early)

 

The days of deep discounts after Final Payment are over. The economy & cruise industry is much better off now than a few years ago

 

In fact, most Cruisers would tell you that in general prices are going up vs going down

 

Even in my example above... Although the current advertised base price is lower it comes with NO PERKS so in fact someone booking today is paying $ 600 more than I did just 2+ months ago

 

Cheers!

Yes, they often allow upgrades to higher class cabins (i.e. OV to Balcony, Balcony to suite) instead of a price drop.:D

Yes, they often allow upgrades to higher class cabins (i.e. OV to Balcony, Balcony to suite) instead of a price drop.:D

Ya, I am watching daily.

As I said the deal I struck mid summer is still awesome as far as price & bonuses go... But prices are falling.

We are in Aqua... And monitoring Sky Suites & Suite Guarantees. Spread is still too large but who knows what will happen in the next 8 to 10 weeks time

Cheers!

Ya, I am watching daily.

 

As I said the deal I struck mid summer is still awesome as far as price & bonuses go... But prices are falling.

 

We are in Aqua... And monitoring Sky Suites & Suite Guarantees. Spread is still too large but who knows what will happen in the next 8 to 10 weeks time

 

Cheers!

We have recently upgraded from Century suite to a sky suite, we could have just moved across but would have lost our bev package, so for a bit more ($190) we got to keep our perks. All after final payment, got to be happy with that :D

It continues to amaze me that people expect Celebrity to honor price drops after final payment. Can you imagine the chaos it would cause for Celebrity if EVERYONE who had booked their cruise prior to the final payment date expected an adjustment or OBC? They would be inundated with requests for a lower fare and would lose a ton of money.

We always book our cruise way in advance, knowing what our cruise will cost & what we can afford to pay. If we can get a reduced fare prior to final payment that is great. But I would never expect Celebrity to reduce our fare after final payment.

I have upgraded cabins twice after final payment and paid more but there were no perks involved

I just called Celebrity to change my inside stateroom to get a an oceanview stateroom I was informed that after final payment i was not able to do that. I wamted to change so i can get the pick your perk. I come to realize RCCL and Celebrity drop there prices as soon as final payment is due for the cruise.

Did they tell you that you could not upgrade your cabin at all or just that the perk was not available?

If you couldn't change at all then I'd be surprised. As far a I've always understood things you can always upgrade your cabin by paying the current going rate less what you've already paid on your cabin. But whether you get to keep or obtain promotional perks depends on what the current offer is and not what offers had been in the past.

On a serious note,

Inside cabins have not been eligible for the perks that I remember. So there has to be more to the story if the OP was willing to pay the difference to change cabins. Even tho it was after final.

On a serious note,

Inside cabins have not been eligible for the perks that I remember. So there has to be more to the story if the OP was willing to pay the difference to change cabins. Even tho it was after final.

Good catch.

Let's look at what the OP wrote:

I just called Celebrity to change my inside stateroom to get a an oceanview stateroom I was informed that after final payment i was not able to do that. I wamted to change so i can get the pick your perk. I come to realize RCCL and Celebrity drop there prices as soon as final payment is due for the cruise.

1st Sentence = As written, not correct. One can most certainly upgrade after Final Payment by paying the Current Rate (ie Difference between what they have paid out already and this rate)

2nd Sentence = One can upgrade after Final Payment and "perhaps" keep the perks they previously booked... Chances are higher if said perks are still available under a current offer. But it doesn't necessarily work the other way round. Ie You cannot get OBC if prices fall for the cabin you are in. Nor can you "pick up" Perks on a NEW offer... Not even if you upgrade.

Versus BEFORE Final Payment, when YES you can take advantage of price falls & perks (either by doing a booking transfer, or canceling & starting over)

At least that is how I understand what Celebrity is doing these days (having just gone thru this process myself, but it was prior to Final Payment)

Cheers!

We are in Aqua... And monitoring Sky Suites & Suite Guarantees. Spread is still too large but who knows what will happen in the next 8 to 10 weeks time

 

Cheers!

We were in Aqua on our Alaska cruise/tour and tried to upgrade after final payment to a suite guarantee at substantially more money. We were not able to get the guarantee rate since it was after final payment. We could have book a sky suite for even more money but on a 7 day port intensive cruise it was not worth it.

Mary Lou

We were in Aqua on our Alaska cruise/tour and tried to upgrade after final payment to a suite guarantee at substantially more money. We were not able to get the guarantee rate since it was after final payment. We could have book a sky suite for even more money but on a 7 day port intensive cruise it was not worth it.

 

Mary Lou

Thanks CHEZMARYLOU good to know. Right now they are offering Sky S2s and GTY Skys (take that to mean that is the worst you can do in a Suite) for the exact same price

Although a good deal vs when we booked back in July... These Skys come with no Promo Perks

So not only would I be looking to pay more for the Upgrade (about $ 400 per person) I would also be out the $ 100 OBC that I have, and 2 Classic Bevvy Pkgs

As much as I'd like to sail in our first suite... For now it is too rich for a short 5 Day Caribbean Cruise to pull the trigger on the upgrade

Cheers!