Booking a Cruise: comparing prices is almost an impossible task

I’ve booked under a group rate a few times. You do typically have to pay the full deposit and lose your upgrade but the price difference has made it worthwhile.

I made a simple spreadsheet that assigns a value to each perk and OBC. I will share it this evening.

Try this one in the meantime. Link may not work.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/21ud6kbalizcfjp/CelebrityCruiseComparisonTool.xlsx?dl=0

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I’ve booked under a group rate a few times. You do typically have to pay the full deposit and lose your upgrade but the price difference has made it worthwhile.

 

I made a simple spreadsheet that assigns a value to each perk and OBC. I will share it this evening.

 

Try this one in the meantime. Link may not work.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/21ud6kbalizcfjp/CelebrityCruiseComparisonTool.xlsx?dl=0

 

 

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Very interesting and involved spreadsheet, thanks for sharing your hard work.

Definitely not the best we can do in Canada. Use a US agent. I won’t use big box store now that they don’t take AMEX

If I could find a good agent in the US I would but not that easy. Big box for me might be hard to beat as the 8% cash card and 2% rebate plus my 1.5% cash back on my Capital One card get me to 11.5% back in total. My US credit card only pays me 1% cash back so TA would have to provide me with close to 10% to equal.

Reason I would jump at a US TA if I could find a good one is I am pretty sure I can beat the foreign exchange rate Celebrity use.

If I could find a good agent in the US I would but not that easy. Big box for me might be hard to beat as the 8% cash card and 2% rebate plus my 1.5% cash back on my Capital One card get me to 11.5% back in total. My US credit card only pays me 1% cash back so TA would have to provide me with close to 10% to equal.

 

Reason I would jump at a US TA if I could find a good one is I am pretty sure I can beat the foreign exchange rate Celebrity use.

Just because you use a US agent doesn’t mean you have to pay in US. Most you can still book in Canadian.

OMG the OP made me laugh! On my lap are pages and pages comparing and contrasting several different rates with and without perks from TAs on two continents.

With a Memorial Day promo coming up...the US Travel agent is likely going to win again!

It would be nice if there was a site that people could share the TA's they use that provide 10% savings.Cannot here.

There was one for a while on a popular social media site, but it disappeared.

I’ve booked under a group rate a few times. You do typically have to pay the full deposit and lose your upgrade but the price difference has made it worthwhile.

 

I made a simple spreadsheet that assigns a value to each perk and OBC. I will share it this evening.

 

Try this one in the meantime. Link may not work.

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/21ud6kbalizcfjp/CelebrityCruiseComparisonTool.xlsx?dl=0

 

 

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j - I received a group fare for a sailing and received the one category upgrade.

With the group I Am going with, I made sure I could get the upgrade by pricing the middle category for all.

We do not get any OBC from the TA, which is fine by me as the pricing represents the OBC from TA's we have received in the past...

bon voyage

Definitely not the best we can do in Canada. Use a US agent. I won’t use big box store now that they don’t take AMEX

Do you then have to pay in US$....because that would mean a 30% premium charge because of the US/Cdn exchange rate.

On my last cruise, I paid my TA in Cdn $ but when I went to book my flight via Celebrity cruise air partner, they told me I had to be charged in US $ because my TA had my cruise booking in US $. I was a little miffed, disappointed and confused. I just didn't let that affect my cruise...but I know I need to find another TA.

This is one of the reasons we book with and stick with Celebrity. No tedious searches for a better deal after booking and we have control of our reservation. We were burned by a TA once or twice in our early cruising career and said "never again" we will do it on our own. The few extra $ in OBC or what ever is not worth it to me.

For our upcoming cruise I booked about a year in advance with a big online agency that offered up two perks (same as X at the time) and prepaid tips (about $135.00).

Of course since then of the prices have dropped about $300.00 dollars. I called to ask about a price adjustment and was told "Oh we can't afford to do that."

Never again will I use a TA. You are correct in saying the OBC or Tips in this case are just not worth it. The agency also charges $100.00 to cancel.

Do you then have to pay in US$....because that would mean a 30% premium charge because of the US/Cdn exchange rate.

On my last cruise, I paid my TA in Cdn $ but when I went to book my flight via Celebrity cruise air partner, they told me I had to be charged in US $ because my TA had my cruise booking in US $. I was a little miffed, disappointed and confused. I just didn't let that affect my cruise...but I know I need to find another TA.

My US TA can book most lines in Canadian or US $

For our upcoming cruise I booked about a year in advance with a big online agency that offered up two perks (same as X at the time) and prepaid tips (about $135.00).

 

Of course since then of the prices have dropped about $300.00 dollars. I called to ask about a price adjustment and was told "Oh we can't afford to do that."

Never again will I use a TA. You are correct in saying the OBC or Tips in this case are just not worth it. The agency also charges $100.00 to cancel.

If you are a member of the big box warehouse store, their travel division does not charge any fees for changes or cancellations - and you can easily transfer a reservation made directly with Celebrity to them. You can take advantage of price drops, reach them by phone 7 days a week AND receive a cash back card after your cruise is complete. The cash back card doesn't have to be spent in the store; it can be cashed in ("cash back" card) - and the cash back card amounts to approximately 8% of the cruise fare.

I have transferred two cruises to them, after working with a TA who provided little or no extra benefits for her services, and thus far have been quite happy with their service. I have called them a few times to request fare adjustments/category upgrades due to fare drops on the Celebrity website. They called Celebrity to make the changes while I was on the phone and immediately sent me revised paperwork. I will be completing my first cruise with this arrangement in July and have no reason to believe there will be any issues with getting my cash back card.

If you can give them a try, I believe it is worth a phone call.

I use an internet TA that I originally found through the compete bidding site. I still do all the research and book with Celebrity, and then move the booking to her. I have never had a problem changing cabins when a better one becomes available or upgrading when pricing drops. I usually get anywhere from $175 to $350 additional OBC and sometimes grats included, depending on the length of the cruise (we book balcony, occasionally AQ).

If you are a member of the big box warehouse store' date=' their travel division does not charge any fees for changes or cancellations - and you can easily transfer a reservation made directly with Celebrity to them. You can take advantage of price drops, reach them by phone 7 days a week AND receive a cash back card after your cruise is complete. The cash back card doesn't have to be spent in the store; it can be cashed in ("cash back" card) - and the cash back card amounts to approximately 8% of the cruise fare.

 

 

 

I have transferred two cruises to them, after working with a TA who provided little or no extra benefits for her services, and thus far have been quite happy with their service. I have called them a few times to request fare adjustments/category upgrades due to fare drops on the Celebrity website. They called Celebrity to make the changes while I was on the phone and immediately sent me revised paperwork. I will be completing my first cruise with this arrangement in July and have no reason to believe there will be any issues with getting my cash back card.

 

 

 

If you can give them a try, I believe it is worth a phone call.[/quote']

 

 

 

Yes, we’ve booked three Celebrity cruises with them (as well as two Hawaiian vacations and a Disney cruise). I just made a price adjustment last week when the price of our currently booked cruise dropped $300. They are patient and helpful on the phone. Now, the price of the cash back card is less because it is based on the price of our our stateroom but a loss of $20 on our cash card is worth a savings of $300. We kept all of our perks because that offer did not change.

 

 

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I'm also spending much more time researching and evaluating cruises on various websites. Now that the lines are going with 'refundable' and 'non-refundable' deposits and fares, it just throws another wrench into the evaluation process, because each line has different rules regarding NR fares.

We have used many agencies we found online over the years. My SO was particularly impressed with one agency that advertises 'lowest fares', and without telling me, he booked a $15,000+ cruise with them and received very little....certainly not the 'lowest fare.' I later discovered that we could have received $1,000 OBC by booking that cruise elsewhere, but by that time we were in final payment and just had to eat it. Expensive lesson learned. (It still bugs me today.) We also tried the bid site, with mixed results, but at least we picked up one good TA in the process that we still use today, although not exclusively.

I don't care if we get the best deal ever or if someone else winds up with an extra $50-$100 better deal than we have, as long as we get a fair shake. Knowing that we can easily receive an 8% price discount or OBC and possibly some other perks depending upon the cruise, makes it worthwhile to me to work with TA's. We're low maintenance and don't change our minds every 5 minutes, so we get a good response from the TAs we use.

Yes, we’ve booked three Celebrity cruises with them (as well as two Hawaiian vacations and a Disney cruise). I just made a price adjustment last week when the price of our currently booked cruise dropped $300. They are patient and helpful on the phone. Now, the price of the cash back card is less because it is based on the price of our our stateroom but a loss of $20 on our cash card is worth a savings of $300. We kept all of our perks because that offer did not change.

 

 

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Not to mention the 2% cash back on travel if you are an Executive member.

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Not to mention the 2% cash back on travel if you are an Executive member.

 

 

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Totally agree. What amounts to a 5% savings on a cruise is nothing to sneeze at. Also, if you use their Visa card, the card provides trip cancellation insurance at no charge.

We have a trip to an all inclusive resort booked through C, and have found they are great to work with. They constantly send updates when there is a flight change or a policy change with the resort. We do prefer that we get OBC rather than the cash card they give when booking Celebrity, but as someone said, if you book a Princess cruise, they give you OBC.

We’re not big fans of the bundled pricing from Celebrity, and also hate the nonrefundable deposits that are so prevalent now. I also realize that everyone has their own comfort zone, but to me, a $3-500 additional perk from a TA is well worth not being able to make changes directly with the cruiseline.

I always use my card from C to pay and get 3% on travel. It makes a difference, especially if you book higher end cabins... unfortunately, if your trip is expensive, the insurance is not enough to cover it. My TA gives me 10% for my refundable OBC, so that is okay with me and why I return...it is all a game and continually the rules change, but that is true of most things! Use whatever works best for you and your temperament. If you are happy, that’s what matters.

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Lastdance,

I’ve been researching this perks and OBC for awhile and I haven’t seen the 10 percent , point me in the right direction, is this online or local TA, big box ?