Recived Free Gratuities as a booking Perk, then was Charged for Select Dining

Greetings

 

If you are booking an Aqua cabin you should be assigned to Blu. Blu does not have set dining times. Only the MDR has early and late seatings. I don't have any clue why you would be offered a "wait list". Your agent doesn't seem to understand Celebrity's dining.

 

 

I agree with you 100% and told Big Box it was open seating but the TA said Celebrity is who is requiring the Select Dining - and that's the only selection you get. Two agents told me this.

 

I also agree that I do not want to have to request the gratuities I had to pay up-front be credited once on board (so I can use my OBC for them instead). I'd rather have everything straightened out $-wise ahead of time. I know how hard it is to get accounts straightened out once "at sea".

 

Using Celebrity's website to book the same cruise (March 5 2016 on the Reflection) when I get to the dining selection the only option is (waitlist) Select. BUT it says prepaying gratuities is optional.

 

I am contacting the TA again to tell them about being able to book directly with Celebrity and prepaid gratuities being optional and "maybe there's something wrong with your website...." We'll see.....

I have not booked anything yet since I want to get this mandatory prepaid gratuities straightened out. But I was hoping to book this weekend !

To the OP,

Since you are in an AQUA cabin it matters not what dinning time you are assigned as this only applied to the MDR. So call the Agent back and if Early is full, tell them to put you into late. You will never go to the MDR anyway. And the grats will not have to be pre-paid.

We are in Aqua on our next sailing, just looked at the booking, on the dinning line it says, 6:00 pm.

I booked a suite under the 1-2-3 Go promotion which meant I got all three perks including paid gratuities. The first invoice I received showed the gratuities as a paid amenities but it also showed a charge for gratuities. I asked the TA how that could be. A couple of days later I received a new invoice deleting the charge for the gratuities. I believe it was an honest error quickly corrected. BTW, I also had Select.

Really having a hard time understanding this, but I booked a Celebrity cruise with one of the large agencies. They offered the drink package and free gratuities as perks with the reservation. Early dining was not available, which pushed us into select dining and the agency said since you are in select, you have to prepay your gratuities. I said "But I have free gratuities" but they said you have to prepay for them. I am waitlisted for early dining and they said when I am confirmed, then will refund the gratuity fee as an OBC. I asked them why do I need an OBC when I have free drinks and gratuities. Their response "Crickets".

 

Anybody else out there experienced this issue?

This is exactly what happened to us when we booked also . I wanted select dining and they said I would have to pay at final payment time the gratuities. I would be reimbursed with OBC on the ship for the tips I prepaid . Not thrilled but we will use the OBC anyway with excursions, etc.

We felt that it was not that big of a deal.

Only the MDR has early and late seatings. I don't have any clue why you would be offered a "wait list". Your agent doesn't seem to understand Celebrity's dining.

No, the agent is passing on the updated dining options.

There was a thread recently speculating that Celebrity were going on to all 'Select' dining. It seems to have started since the inception of Luminae.

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2219832

I think your TA is confused. They should not be picking select dining for someone in AQ. When one picks select dining, it automatically triggers a gratuities charge. It has nothing to do with what's going on in the MDR. Your assigned dining room is Blu. When you book in Blu, you should be booked as an assigned dining customer.

 

 

 

I am on Equinox in a few days and in AQ. First cruise in 23 years so dining so different. I also got the 123 deal so grats prepaid. I was surprised to hear from TA that my res was in Blu. I was looking forward to MDR. Now she has put me on wait list for select in MDR. Question. She told me that Blu serves exactly same menu as MDR plus more. Is this so?

AGAIN....if traditional dining is not available and you have to be put into Select (even if you are Agua class, they have to pick a dining option for you)...AND you have picked prepaid gratutities as a perk, that charge will come off your invoice within 2 weeks of booking. Ask your TA for a new, updated invoice. The charge should be removed. IF NOT....have the TA call Celebrity customer service...they have the phone number. :)

I agree...we got over 2000.00 in OBC for our upcoming cruise and my wife says she will have NO problem spending it

I would love to hear how not to spend whilst on a cruise 😎😎

I am on Equinox in a few days and in AQ. First cruise in 23 years so dining so different. I also got the 123 deal so grats prepaid. I was surprised to hear from TA that my res was in Blu. I was looking forward to MDR. Now she has put me on wait list for select in MDR. Question. She told me that Blu serves exactly same menu as MDR plus more. Is this so?

No. The menu in Blu is very different. There is no reason to spend the extra $$ for an Aqua cabin if you want to dine in the MDR. Your TA needs training.

No. The menu in Blu is very different. There is no reason to spend the extra $$ for an Aqua cabin if you want to dine in the MDR. Your TA needs training.

We are home from our cruise and here is the answer. I was in Aqua class and when dining in Blu I could also order anything in any combination off the MDR menu as well as Blu menu. All you have to do is ask for that menu.

Next. We went to MDR on occasion and needed no reservation and did not get charged any differently than original billing where we got prepaid gratuities as part of our package.

Interesting in that Celebrity a couple years ago required us to prepay for Select dining. Ended up there was a free gratuities promotion and the invoice was adjusted prior to final payment.

Last year family was required to prepay gratuities in Select. They had OBC from the TA and that amount was refunded after their cruise. Think as long as the final invoice is correct there should be no issue.