Celebrity Cruises

I have just booked my first cruise with Celebrity and feel I have missed out.

I ticked the "guarentee" box and have now lost the free Classic drinks package as well as $300 OBC. Is this right?

Answers appreciated.

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I have just booked my first cruise with Celebrity and feel I have missed out.

I ticked the "guarentee" box and have now lost the free Classic drinks package as well as $300 OBC. Is this right?

Answers appreciated.

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

Please say you did not book online :eek:

A phone call to Celebrity would be well worth your effort

Sad to say, I booked on line. When I questioned why I did not receive the deal as stated, I was told by Celebrity I got the stateroom type at a lesser price - it seems about £150 cheaper than my neighbour but lost £1000 worth of benefits.

What do I do?

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Guarantee cabins are cheaper, so don't benefit from the 'perks' which are not 'free.'

Sad to say, I booked on line. When I questioned why I did not receive the deal as stated, I was told by Celebrity I got the stateroom type at a lesser price - it seems about £150 cheaper than my neighbour but lost £1000 worth of benefits.

What do I do?

 

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Pay the admin (about £35 per person) to change the booking.

Pay the admin (about £35 per person) to change the booking.

I've contacted Celebrity and all I'm told is "when you ticked the guarantee" box, you were advised that no other offers could be included". How flaky is that as a get-out clause? Surely what you are giving up and at what cost, should be advised at that point?

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

Please say you did not book online :eek:

 

A phone call to Celebrity would be well worth your effort

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I don't know how the UK site works, but I would suggest phoning Celebrity and relating that as a first-timer on Celebrity, you didn't understand that changing to a guarantee would cause you to lose your amenities. Ask politely if they would be willing to let you cancel the booking at no cost and rebook with the amenities. If the rep you talk with says you cannot do that, thank him/her nicely, hang up and phone again. Repeat until you find a rep who may let you rebook. Please report your experience back here. Good luck.

Betsy

I suspect that you will loose your deposit if you cancel and re-book. We don't have the same sort of protection in that way as people in the US. It's worth a try though, so good luck! Do let us know how you get on.

This is a great example of why people should use travel agents. A travel agent's job is to get you the cruise you want at a price you can afford, with all the perks that you are entitled to. Travel agents are paid by the cruise line. They may have group space that will lower your price even further. They also can give you extra onboard credit. A good travel agent know the ship's layout and can help you select a stateroom that isn't in an "unfortunate" location.

If you want to find a good travel agent, just ask people on your cruise who they use. You'll find some names come up again and again. That's a good place to start for your next cruise.

Why would anyone book direct???????

(No, I'm not a travel agent. But I found one who has saved us thousands of dollars over the years.:))

Thanks to all for your replies. I would start by saying I have spoken to Celebrity here in the UK and did indeed cancel the cruise on the proviso that I got a full refund. I was offered nothing by way of my ignorance, being a first time cruiser. Then, having discussed further with my wife, we decided that we were so looking forward to our first cruise as all the elements seemed to fit our criteria, that I rang Celebrity back to see if we could get the cruise reinstated? With this manager's help, the cruise has been recovered and we are now going. We were given an OBC of $200 which is good but obviously far short of what was originally on offer. I do hope the cruise meets our expectation as it will surely cost us more than if we had selected a stateroom in the first place and paid the higher price?

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By the way, I've been subsequently introduced to a travel agent, whom despite having no financial incentive re this booking, has been very helpful in explaining a few things and I will certainly use him to book any future cruises...

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This is a great example of why people should use travel agents. A travel agent's job is to get you the cruise you want at a price you can afford, with all the perks that you are entitled to. Travel agents are paid by the cruise line. They may have group space that will lower your price even further. They also can give you extra onboard credit. A good travel agent know the ship's layout and can help you select a stateroom that isn't in an "unfortunate" location.

 

If you want to find a good travel agent, just ask people on your cruise who they use. You'll find some names come up again and again. That's a good place to start for your next cruise.

 

Why would anyone book direct???????

 

(No, I'm not a travel agent. But I found one who has saved us thousands of dollars over the years.:))

Can't agree more. We have used the same agent for over 20 years, and she saves us money every time we travel. It's nice to have an advocate in our corner esentially for free, since it costs no more to book with her than to book direct.

We have booked directly with Celebrity, including online, thanks to the excellent information on Cruise Critic and other sites. I don't cruise a lot, but I don't feel I have lost out on a perk (or am blissfully ignorant of having missed out). A followup call to the line to clarify the offer and see if "other offers" are available usually results in even more savings. ;)

Some may call us stupid to do it this way, but I can take my time to select the exact itinerary/ ship/ sailing/ room/ offer I want-- which sometimes takes much consideration. Thank goodness we are in the internet age now and I can do the research myself. I'm sure that without it, I would have used a Travel Agent extensively and driven them crazy.

I say this so the OP doesn't feel bad about booking online. Each person is different, and I'm sure that many people will disagree. I'm glad we have the flexibility to do the research and booking on our own if we choose. OP, you are not alone. :-)

I am trying to understand (after the event) just what the difference in price is between booking "guaranteed" and selecting a stateroom? If the difference is around the cost of a "Classic" drinks package and $300 OBC, then no harm done. However, I still feel let down by not being advised online during booking!

I'm reminded of our first cruise with Carnival.

I was totally ignorant. I did use a TA, but may as well not have. Booked over New Year's Eve. Paid a premium for a holiday sailing. It wouldn't have mattered to us if we'd gone a few weeks later and saved a bundle - who knew?

We must have paid almost full price as I recall the cost was almost 10K for an inside cabin (2 adults, 2 kids) + airfare from MN.

Since then I've found Cruise Critic and mention it to everyone I hear is going on a cruise. I have learned so much. Thanks to all of you. :)

Melissa

We have booked directly with Celebrity, including online, thanks to the excellent information on Cruise Critic and other sites. I don't cruise a lot, but I don't feel I have lost out on a perk (or am blissfully ignorant of having missed out). A followup call to the line to clarify the offer and see if "other offers" are available usually results in even more savings. ;)

 

Some may call us stupid to do it this way, but I can take my time to select the exact itinerary/ ship/ sailing/ room/ offer I want-- which sometimes takes much consideration. Thank goodness we are in the internet age now and I can do the research myself. I'm sure that without it, I would have used a Travel Agent extensively and driven them crazy.

 

I say this so the OP doesn't feel bad about booking online. Each person is different, and I'm sure that many people will disagree. I'm glad we have the flexibility to do the research and booking on our own if we choose. OP, you are not alone. :-)

You are NOT stupid. You are uninformed, which is quite different. Here's a suggestion: take your time in doing your research and select the exact itinerary/ship/sailing/room that you want. THEN, call more than one travel agency and get their price. Ask if they have group space.(This is a block of rooms that they hold, on which they can offer a discount. You do not have to be part of a "group" to take advantage of this.

I get 7-10% back on the commissionable fare on all my cruises. That is one of the very good reasons to use a travel agent. The more volume a travel agency does, the more they can give to you. Why not try this approach for your next cruise? It will cost you nothing, and I'm guessing you'll be surprised at how much you save.:)

You are NOT stupid. You are uninformed, which is quite different. Here's a suggestion: take your time in doing your research and select the exact itinerary/ship/sailing/room that you want. THEN, call more than one travel agency and get their price. Ask if they have group space.(This is a block of rooms that they hold, on which they can offer a discount. You do not have to be part of a "group" to take advantage of this.

 

I get 7-10% back on the commissionable fare on all my cruises. That is one of the very good reasons to use a travel agent. The more volume a travel agency does, the more they can give to you. Why not try this approach for your next cruise? It will cost you nothing, and I'm guessing you'll be surprised at how much you save.:)

Great advice, second suggestion, is OP gets to do all the work as he enjoys, then book and transfer to a TA to get further enhancements from them. Best of both worlds. This is my usual approach. :)

If I book close-in, I 24 hour hold and call, text, iMessage, Facebook, or email my TA to take over to pay. :D

Well worth taking this approach!

Seems like the way forward...

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In the US we have 60 days to transfer to a Travel Agent (TA).

I think in the UK you may be strictly limited, maybe even as little as 48 hours? Can anyone comment definitively?

I have just booked directly with Celebrity in the UK and I am extremely happy with the deal I got. The lady I spoke with was really helpful I can send you her details if you pm me Fossil

I have just booked directly with Celebrity in the UK and I am extremely happy with the deal I got. The lady I spoke with was really helpful I can send you her details if you pm me Fossil

This site has no PM function. :(

I spoke to Janna (?) Who was very helpful as opposed to the first person I spoke with who was very "strict", and seemed not very accommodating...wish I'd have spoken to Janna first call? Also, I'd emailed very soon after booking (and twice more since)to confirm the drinks package inclusion but 5 weeks later, still no response? This could have been pain - free weeks ago!

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I always book direct. TA's in Australia usually charge $200-$300 pp cancellation fee or retain the deposit.

You seem determined to cheat yourself .....TALK TO A TRAVEL AGENT.... one of the big ones.....there are sites where you can enter your cruise info and several TA's will respond and you can "compare" what they can give you in OBC and other perks.

Thanks to all for your replies. I would start by saying I have spoken to Celebrity here in the UK and did indeed cancel the cruise on the proviso that I got a full refund. I was offered nothing by way of my ignorance, being a first time cruiser. Then, having discussed further with my wife, we decided that we were so looking forward to our first cruise as all the elements seemed to fit our criteria, that I rang Celebrity back to see if we could get the cruise reinstated? With this manager's help, the cruise has been recovered and we are now going. We were given an OBC of $200 which is good but obviously far short of what was originally on offer. I do hope the cruise meets our expectation as it will surely cost us more than if we had selected a stateroom in the first place and paid the higher price?

 

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You seem determined to cheat yourself .....TALK TO A TRAVEL AGENT.... one of the big ones.....there are sites where you can enter your cruise info and several TA's will respond and you can "compare" what they can give you in OBC and other perks.

I tried the thing you're talking about for my upcoming Eclipse sailing. I only got a few bites, all of which cost more than booking through the box store I used. Believe me, the stories people tell of scoring great deals through TAs makes me envious, but I don't have the time to play the guessing games of finding a "good" one.