Booked for Two Days and Already Beyond Frustrated.

Hey everyone!

So, I booked a 4-night Bahamas cruise on board the Celebrity Constellation for March 26, 2015 for my boyfriend and I on Wednesday. This is my first booking with Celebrity and I have to say that so far, I am very unimpressed.

On Tuesday, I went to Celebrity.com and placed a 24-hour hold on the cruise. I returned on Wednesday within the 24-hour window to finalize my booking. When I logged into the site, and went to pay, the amount I owed was over $200 more. I contacted customer support where I spoke with a guy that kept insisting it was impossible for me to be seeing an increase in what I owed. He got kind of snarky and asked me what I wanted him to do about it. I asked him to finalize my booking for me. For some reason he couldn't use the reservation I had originally requested, so he canceled it and created a new reservation. I realized after the fact that I was charged $100 more than I should have been. I took a screen shot of the amount of my original reservation and what I paid and attempted to use the customer contact form on their site to show that I should be reimbursed $100. After writing my letter, I got an error message stating the page did not exist.

Frustrated even more, I called the customer support line again and spoke with another gentleman that didn't seem too sympathetic either. He asked why I had not mentioned anything about the price discrepancy when I was on the phone with the other guy the night before, which I didn't feel should have any relevance to my situation. At first, he apologized and said there was nothing that could be done, because I was the one that canceled the reservation. I wasn't the one that canceled the hold, the customer service representative from the night before did. I told him that was not acceptable to me and I was then offered $100 in onboard credit. I had lost my patience by that point and chose to accept that.

My boyfriend and I were talking earlier tonight and we both thought that it'd be nice to have a balcony. I did some research and thought it might be beneficial for us to upgrade to a Concierge suite with the 123go incentive. I called the customer service line again and was told I could upgrade, but couldn't qualify for the 123go incentive as it would have to have been added to my original reservation.

It seems like nothing can go right with this reservation and I hit a road black at every turn. I'm so disappointed in the customer service and how difficult it has been to get resolutions. I'm sure we will have a great time once we're on the ship, but I am so beyond frustrated with Celebrity right now.

I would try to call back. Tell the agent your issues and that it's your first time with celebrity and see if they can help or if a supervisor might be able to help. I hope it works out. I just got a friend the Connie if you're you end up stuck with the ocean view room get an ADA room. I was in room 6004 an OV Accessible room and it's huge, 390 sqft Edited February 28, 2015 by djdobrott

Wait until you try and start using the website to add extras such as excursions, that's a whole new level of frustration. Celebrity need to get their online act togeth big style.

I concur, and your situation isn't unique.

I also had a booking that came up with a different price after entry. And when I spoke to customer service, they had no idea, disputed what I'd seen and then just told me what I had was what was available. (I later worked out the cause, being due to a promo code, so what they said wasn't correct.)

To give their information, they also cancelled my booking, although warned me that they would do that at least, which they didn't seem to for you.

I've worked out that self-sufficiency is the best approach!

Two words: Travel Agent. ALWAYS.

[quote name='jkgourmet']Two words: Travel Agent. ALWAYS.[/quote]

LOL -- or three words: AVOID Celebrity's Website! :eek:

We always book our own cruises, but do it through X's CVP's -- with relatively few problems. But, we avoid that infernal website, like the plague! Whenever we book (or modify a booking), we make sure to get a Customer Confirmation Copy (invoice) -- so, we have everything in writing. Works for us! :cool:

But, we have several friends who swear by their long-time TA's. And, if you don't have the time or patience to sweat the small stuff, a good TA is an absolute must! :) Edited February 28, 2015 by wwcruisers

I'm guessing you are beyond the final payment stage, which is why you can't change to higher category now and get the 123 perks.

SOMETIMES one can upgrade, pay the extra fare, and get them, but if the current fare for the Concierge is a highly discounted fare versus what it was normally selling at, you wouldn't be able to make the change. I can see that on your cruise looking at historical fares, that C1's were selling for $949pp at times, and today are going for $849.

Part of the T&C's of the 123 stipulate:
[quote]All guests in the stateroom must book at the [B]non-discounted standard cruise fare[/B] during the Offer Period. Bookings that meet all of these requirements are "Qualifying Bookings."[/quote]

Ofter times post final payments cabins start selling for discounts, and thus don't qualify.

Sorry to say this but I can see that this cruise will end up being a total disaster since you are off to a bad start no matter how things really are you will be in a total negative mood unless you let it go.

As they say if NJ Fugeddaboudit.

What has happened is not unique to you as there have been a few other threads about this recently. Don't really know the problem or reason as Celebrity will run many specials and different rates for the same cabin same cruise. Some are in lieu of other promos but are really not clear and very difficult to figure out. One of the problems is that they do not list the taxes and fees in the cost when choosing a cabin. The almighty * is there and they are listed but not included.

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

I am sorry you have had this unpleasant and frustrating experience. Let me just assure you that the experience you have on board will in no way reflect that! Celebrity's website is abysmal; you are not alone. But you will love your cruise. It seems so many different promos come out all the time that it is best not to look at pricing for your cruise after final payment unless you are doing so in the name of research into when to book other cruises.

Celebrity is frustrating to deal with, no question. It is worth trying again because many people have been able to upgrade to a different cabin or pay the difference between a discounted fare and the full fare, in order to get 1-2-3 perks. I did it for my upcoming cruise and I've done it in the past.

Celebrity is not obligated to let you make any changes after final payment, but I have never been refused. I do think that travel agents are able to speak to a better-trained class of representative when they call Celebrity. Either that or else I've just been extremely lucky.

That is why it is wise to take soem time and find a good travel agent.(TA)....You get all the perks that celebrity will give you.....plus the extra perks from the TA..usually onboard credit (OBC)......and then they deal with Celebrity..not you.....much less stressful,lol

I don't agree that TA 's are the way to go
I have lost out on promotions because the TA had the wrong info. And once you have a TA on your account you speak only to them and they speak to celebrity, sort of like playing telephone. If there is a mistake with celebrity directly, I call until I get a representative who can help me. When I use a TA it makes things unnecessarily complicated. Agree the website is terrible and some agents are unhelpful but also true of some TAs. I no longer use TAs not worth the extra trouble for the OBC

What happened to OP is terrible
My advice would be to call and try to get a resolutions department person to redo the reservation on its original basis and price.

Hope OP has a wonderful sailing and forgets about the snafu after they get that glass of champagne on boarding.

Thats why I stated a "good TA" Why give up extra OBC.....I still keep on track of things.....

[quote name='flames9']Thats why I stated a "good TA" Why give up extra OBC.....I still keep on track of things.....[/QUOTE]


Have been cruising since mid 1980's
Have previously had TAs I would have considered "good" and found out later that I would have been entitled to reductions and/or promotions that the TA said I was not entitled to. I also keep track of things

One time there was a reduction and the TA couldn't help me until they got me on the phone 3-way with celebrity so that I could show celebrity a screen shot. A whole afternoon wasted to prove a price that I could not do myself since I had a TA. I felt I was earning that OBC in extra work. I was educating the TA

Sometimes you believe the TA and they are wrong After having this experience a few times, I've been doing itself with much better results. This is just my experience and my opinion.

Sorry you are having difficulty.

Is it possible the $200 increase is taxes? The base fares that show up when you see each category do not include the taxes. I took a peek at your sailing date and the price from the first page to the booking page went up about $200 when the taxes were added.

As far as upgrading, cle-guy is correct. You are booking so close to the sailing date that any change is difficult (and usually expensive) to make. When booking a cruise I always book the cabin I want knowing that changing to something else will usually cost more money than it is worth.

If you read these forums a lot, you'll at least be happy to know that the onboard product is much better than the on-line support. Edited February 28, 2015 by RickT

[quote name='zactak']

It seems like nothing can go right with this reservation and I hit a road black at every turn. I'm so disappointed in the customer service and how difficult it has been to get resolutions. I'm sure we will have a great time once we're on the ship, but I am so beyond frustrated with Celebrity right now.[/QUOTE]

Hi there,

We saw you were having an issue on Twitter, and attempted to help, but it looks like you are getting the runaround. We want to help.

Can you please send us an email to concerns [at] celebrity [dot] com, with this information, and your reservation number. We'll have someone reach out, and hopefully set things right.

I learned this lesson earlier this year. I booked verandah and then upgraded to Aqua, but could not get the added perks. I called over and over (at the suggestion of others here). Finally one person told me that if I had booked through a TA I would have gotten the benefits. I posted that here and the Celebrity rep who reads these responded to please email my concern and they would try to help. I did and got a "so sorry we can't help you" email response. I will never book directly through X again. This will be our first X cruise, and I am expecting great things, but I had MUCH better customer service from Princess, Carnival, and even RC (which should be the same) in the past.

[quote name='flames9']That is why it is wise to take soem time and find a good travel agent.(TA)....You get all the perks that celebrity will give you.....plus the extra perks from the TA..usually onboard credit (OBC)......and then they deal with Celebrity..not you.....much less stressful,lol[/QUOTE]

You're right the stress is not there but the outcome is the same.;)

[quote name='zactak']Hey everyone!

So, I booked a 4-night Bahamas cruise on board the Celebrity Constellation for March 26, 2015 for my boyfriend and I on Wednesday. This is my first booking with Celebrity and I have to say that so far, I am very unimpressed.

On Tuesday, I went to Celebrity.com and placed a 24-hour hold on the cruise. I returned on Wednesday within the 24-hour window to finalize my booking. When I logged into the site, and went to pay, the amount I owed was over $200 more. I contacted customer support where I spoke with a guy that kept insisting it was impossible for me to be seeing an increase in what I owed. He got kind of snarky and asked me what I wanted him to do about it. I asked him to finalize my booking for me. For some reason he couldn't use the reservation I had originally requested, so he canceled it and created a new reservation. I realized after the fact that I was charged $100 more than I should have been. I took a screen shot of the amount of my original reservation and what I paid and attempted to use the customer contact form on their site to show that I should be reimbursed $100. After writing my letter, I got an error message stating the page did not exist.

Frustrated even more, I called the customer support line again and spoke with another gentleman that didn't seem too sympathetic either. He asked why I had not mentioned anything about the price discrepancy when I was on the phone with the other guy the night before, which I didn't feel should have any relevance to my situation. At first, he apologized and said there was nothing that could be done, because I was the one that canceled the reservation. I wasn't the one that canceled the hold, the customer service representative from the night before did. I told him that was not acceptable to me and I was then offered $100 in onboard credit. I had lost my patience by that point and chose to accept that.

My boyfriend and I were talking earlier tonight and we both thought that it'd be nice to have a balcony. I did some research and thought it might be beneficial for us to upgrade to a Concierge suite with the 123go incentive. I called the customer service line again and was told I could upgrade, but couldn't qualify for the 123go incentive as it would have to have been added to my original reservation.

It seems like nothing can go right with this reservation and I hit a road black at every turn. I'm so disappointed in the customer service and how difficult it has been to get resolutions. I'm sure we will have a great time once we're on the ship, but I am so beyond frustrated with Celebrity right now.[/quote]


This happen to me ask them or the agent to talk to the Resolution Department. This is the first time I am taking my bf with me also but I have been on celebrity. I have found its best to book stuff on ship if that is an option for you.

Sorry to hear about your frustrations. For whatever reason sometimes X's website/long wait..etc. can try one's patience.

We recently booked a NZ cruise direct and had experienced some issues also. BUT we decided to call captain's club and was lucky to have someone resolved issues for us efficiently and quickly. They have a different #800.
Good Luck.

[quote name='zactak']Hey everyone!

So, I booked a 4-night Bahamas cruise on board the Celebrity Constellation for March 26, 2015 for my boyfriend and I on Wednesday. This is my first booking with Celebrity and I have to say that so far, I am very unimpressed.

On Tuesday, I went to Celebrity.com and placed a 24-hour hold on the cruise. I returned on Wednesday within the 24-hour window to finalize my booking. When I logged into the site, and went to pay, the amount I owed was over $200 more. I contacted customer support where I spoke with a guy that kept insisting it was impossible for me to be seeing an increase in what I owed. He got kind of snarky and asked me what I wanted him to do about it. I asked him to finalize my booking for me. For some reason he couldn't use the reservation I had originally requested, so he canceled it and created a new reservation. I realized after the fact that I was charged $100 more than I should have been. I took a screen shot of the amount of my original reservation and what I paid and attempted to use the customer contact form on their site to show that I should be reimbursed $100. After writing my letter, I got an error message stating the page did not exist.

Frustrated even more, I called the customer support line again and spoke with another gentleman that didn't seem too sympathetic either. He asked why I had not mentioned anything about the price discrepancy when I was on the phone with the other guy the night before, which I didn't feel should have any relevance to my situation. At first, he apologized and said there was nothing that could be done, because I was the one that canceled the reservation. I wasn't the one that canceled the hold, the customer service representative from the night before did. I told him that was not acceptable to me and I was then offered $100 in onboard credit. I had lost my patience by that point and chose to accept that.

My boyfriend and I were talking earlier tonight and we both thought that it'd be nice to have a balcony. I did some research and thought it might be beneficial for us to upgrade to a Concierge suite with the 123go incentive. I called the customer service line again and was told I could upgrade, but couldn't qualify for the 123go incentive as it would have to have been added to my original reservation.

It seems like nothing can go right with this reservation and I hit a road black at every turn. I'm so disappointed in the customer service and how difficult it has been to get resolutions. I'm sure we will have a great time once we're on the ship, but I am so beyond frustrated with Celebrity right now.[/QUOTE]

Welcome to RCIs pricing. You need a PHD in math to figure it out.

Hopefully the OP checked back in here and sees post #16.....

[quote name='true45']Have been cruising since mid 1980's
Have previously had TAs I would have considered "good" and found out later that I would have been entitled to reductions and/or promotions that the TA said I was not entitled to. I also keep track of things

One time there was a reduction and the TA couldn't help me until they got me on the phone 3-way with celebrity so that I could show celebrity a screen shot. A whole afternoon wasted to prove a price that I could not do myself since I had a TA. I felt I was earning that OBC in extra work. I was educating the TA

Sometimes you believe the TA and they are wrong After having this experience a few times, I've been doing itself with much better results. This is just my experience and my opinion.[/QUOTE]

You could have just sent the screen shot to the TA (with a written explanation) so they could spend their afternoon on the phone.

Travel Agent... Use the online site as a point of reference. Plus it is good to have someone be able to go to bat for you and often times find incentives that you yourself might not have access to.

Steve

I empathize...I have emailed Celebrity several times (including emailing the Captain's Club email address) and they have never responded back once. I've called and received wrong promotional information on three different occasions from the reps. I'm trying to book another cruise for next year and as wonderful as the ship experience was, I'm almost tempted to try another line, just to get better upfront service in the planning stages. I really don't understand how a company who delivers so well on the ship can have such a poor pre-cruise experience. The TA I used for my first cruise was very good in terms of responding back quickly and answering my questions, but I actually had to correct her on a few things I learned from these forum discussions, so I don't get the sense she's a Celebrity expert.