New Reserved Passage / Open Passage conditions as of August 1st, 2013

Hi all,

didn't read it elsewhere on the board (except one thread mentioning it as a side note), hope it didn't miss it.

Celebrity changed the form for the passages they offer onboard at August 1st, 2013.

There are differences on both, the reserved and the open. The main difference for BOTH is that they are combinable with one promotional offer! So if any promotion (123go, pick your perk etc.) comes up you can just say "i want that" and it will be added to your booking. No need for rebookings etc.

I attched the form, sorry for the quality but I didn't have a scanner and therefor I shot a picture with my camera. Let's share what you think on the changes!

UP

FutureCruiseOffers.pdf

Hi all,

 

didn't read it elsewhere on the board (except one thread mentioning it as a side note), hope it didn't miss it.

 

Celebrity changed the form for the passages they offer onboard at August 1st, 2013.

 

There are differences on both, the reserved and the open. The main difference for BOTH is that they are combinable with one promotional offer! So if any promotion (123go, pick your perk etc.) comes up you can just say "i want that" and it will be added to your booking. No need for rebookings etc.

 

I attched the form, sorry for the quality but I didn't have a scanner and therefor I shot a picture with my camera. Let's share what you think on the changes!

 

UP

Thanks for the update - this is new information to me.

I find it interesting that the OBC for a Reserved Passage if much more than for an Open Passage.

Disappointed that it does not include TA, Pacific or Repositioning cruises.

One more example of cutbacks. The prior Open Passages gave $300 for 14+ nts. no matter which room you booked. Now we are down to $150 regardless of the room. How many X cruises are 16+ nts. in order to get the $200??? Suite guests are really getting hit with this one. It is clear that they want you to reserve on board when perhaps the price might be higher. So the morale is - Book a reserved cruise.

I am not sure what the Miami talking (or should I say non-talking heads in the case of the Millie incident) heads are thinking. There is just too much sun down here and they are staying out in it tooooo long!!!

Great PR move.

Thank you for publishing this update on the certificate.

One more example of cutbacks. The prior Open Passages gave $300 for 14+ nts. no matter which room you booked. Now we are down to $150 regardless of the room. How many X cruises are 16+ nts. in order to get the $200??? Suite guests are really getting hit with this one. It is clear that they want you to reserve on board when perhaps the price might be higher. So the morale is - Book a reserved cruise.

 

I am not sure what the Miami talking (or should I say non-talking heads in the case of the Millie incident) heads are thinking. There is just too much sun down here and they are staying out in it tooooo long!!!

 

Great PR move.

 

Thank you for publishing this update on the certificate.

Yes, that's a big change - I missed the "better" open passage when I was cruising in march and wanted to buy it now - and see what happened to it.

However, they added the addition of a promo offer, you still get the reduced deposit and it is transferable - was the "old" one transferable, too?

What is really confusing to me and as the person at Future Cruise Sales told me concerning the reserved passage: all the TA/TP and repositioning cruises are only credited with the 4-5 Nights OBC. The * on the 16nt+ made me think this OBC is only for non-TA/repos and for a 16+ i would "only" get the 14nt OBC. But it's always the 4-5 nt that counts for those cruise types. So they could remove the * or put it in every length except the 4-5 nt. Cause that way it is shown now doesn't make any sense with what the Future Cruise agent explained me - and it was doubled checked on the next day.

And I didn't know the Solstice cruise from Sydney to Hawaii AND the Hawaii to Vancouver are considered as repositioning cruises... So instead of a total OBC (for AQ) of $700 (both being no repositioning cruises) i am not only down to $650 (leaving the 16nt not usable for a repos. cruise) - instead i am down to a total of $400. Well, give me a free beverage package and I can live with that ;)

I wonder if this applies to prior open passage certificates. I purchased one last year but then couldn't use it for our upcoming Reflection cruise because I wanted to get the beverage package during the 123Go promo. I love to be able to use it with a future promo.

Thanks for posting the info. We have bought and used Open Passages 3 times and bought in July for a 4th time.

The OBC has now been cut in half if we buy another. :(

Will have to think again if it is worthwhile for the future, but the terms we bought in July will still apply thankfully.

If I read the small print correctly they are less combinable with other specials. In particular it seems they are not usable with category guarrantee rates which makes them a lot less appealing.

The prices offered for the reserved passages in July were at silly money levels but stuffed with other freebies like OBC and classic drink packages to offset the prices to make them seem tempting.

Crystal Ball time.....lots of problems next year for people buying a reserved package and then having to lose these freebies to claim a price drop when prices come more in line with what will fill the ships.

Or I could be completely wrong and Celebrity will attempt to distinguish themselves from other lines with offers of classic drink packages becoming the norm for a more inclusive feel.

Caveat Emptor!!!

They are really putting the screws to people who book Transatlantic cruises :mad:

The form is very confusing.

It lists the TA, Pacific & Repo cruises under the 4-5 night OBC but then has a star next to the 16+ night with an excludes statement.

From the table the TA, Pacific & Repo ONLY receive the 4-5 night credit amount no matter how long the cruise is. What is the point of the star and statement below?

Also the Open passage is limited to the amount of a 4-5 night Reserved no matter how long the cruise booked? Apparently they really don't want to sell the Open passages anymore....

The form is very confusing.

 

It lists the TA, Pacific & Repo cruises under the 4-5 night OBC but then has a star next to the 16+ night with an excludes statement.

 

From the table the TA, Pacific & Repo ONLY receive the 4-5 night credit amount no matter how long the cruise is. What is the point of the star and statement below?

Thanks for confirming my confusion :confused:

As I told the future cruise sales agent to double check i can say that it is indeed ONLY the 4-5 night credit... so they need to re-do the design of the form.

Hi all,

 

didn't read it elsewhere on the board (except one thread mentioning it as a side note), hope it didn't miss it.

 

Celebrity changed the form for the passages they offer onboard at August 1st, 2013.

 

There are differences on both, the reserved and the open. The main difference for BOTH is that they are combinable with one promotional offer! So if any promotion (123go, pick your perk etc.) comes up you can just say "i want that" and it will be added to your booking. No need for rebookings etc.

 

I attched the form, sorry for the quality but I didn't have a scanner and therefor I shot a picture with my camera. Let's share what you think on the changes!

 

UP

Thanks so much for posting the actual form. At first, I thought being able to combine an Open Passage with one other promotion would give me reason to starting buying them again.

Unfortunately, the amt of OBC is a deal-breaker for us -- especially because we prefer to book suites and are considering another TransAtlantic.

I doubt Celebrity will interpret being able to combine in the way that you've envisioned. I believe the promo (123go, etc) would have to be offered at the time you book your voyage. It would surprise me if they let you just say "I want that" without jumping through a lot of hoops on a case by case basis.

Only time will tell.

Jane

From their fb page:

Celebrity has redefined luxury.

 

See for yourself

Yup... another step forward :rolleyes:

It just gets better and better...

The other thing I note is that they will still require full (double) deposit when a suite is booked with either Open or Reserved Passage bookings. Don't see any point in letting Celebrity hold $100 for an extended length of time to possibly get back $50 to $100 of future OBC (for the length/type of cruises we typically book).

Are there (m)any cruise itineraries of 14+ nights that would not be counted as Trans Atlantic/Pacific or Repositioning cruise with only $50 OBC??

Remember when the amount of OBC for open Passages was based on your cruisefare? I need to retrieve that info to do a fair comparison, but I'm sure it was much higher for most categories of cabins.

Disappointed, but at least we know the rules before having to make a purchase decision.

At least the fc agent told me that i can combine it in the future with any offer. Was one of my questions

Otherwise it wouldnt make sense to add this words.

So They reduced OBC but added the promo offer thing.

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

At least the fc agent told me that i can combine it in the future with any offer. Was one of my questions

 

Otherwise it wouldnt make sense to add this words.

 

So They reduced OBC but added the promo offer thing.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

I'm still skeptical. We all know that if you ask 3 agents the same question, you will get at least 4 different answers.

The new 1 additional offer language *does* make sense w/o being able to add additional offers at a later date. The way it (usually) works now is that they won't let you choose to take advantage of a promotion currently offered when you book, without forfeiting the OBC associated with your Passage. THe way I interpret this is that you would be able to select 1 currently available benefit at the time of booking to combine with your Passage OBC. Don't think they address adding the extra benefit at a later date at all (unless it says something in the fine print that I am unable to clearly read on this mobile device right now).

Of course, they could choose a more generous interpretation when the time comes, but I'm not counting on it.

I've always felt that denying add'l benefits with Passages was patently unfair since we have already "locked in" the OBC passage benefit by paying Celebrity the $100/pp in advance.

Jane

(sorry for any typos running out.)

 

Are there (m)any cruise itineraries of 14+ nights that would not be counted as Trans Atlantic/Pacific or Repositioning cruise with only $50 OBC??

 

.

Summit Canada New England cruises are 14 nights

Eclipse Caribbean sailings are 14 nights as well.

I wonder if this applies to prior open passage certificates. I purchased one last year but then couldn't use it for our upcoming Reflection cruise because I wanted to get the beverage package during the 123Go promo. I love to be able to use it with a future promo.

Passages certificates purchased pre-8/1/13 do not qualify for choosing one additional offer. The rules in effect when purchased still remain.

They are now two separate and distinct programs...........Pre 8/1/13 and Post 8/1/13.

No thanks Celebrity. I just used an Open Passage for our upcoming 14 night Summit cruise and received $300 OBC in an Inside Cat 10. Now you are cutting that to $200??

We always book inside cabins so never eligible for a 123 or Pick your perk promo. That's why we would purchase the Open Passage. Now that doesn't seem like a good deal any longer. I'll just apply for my Shareholder Benefit.

The "new, improved" open passages certificates look absolutely worthless to me. Guess I've bought my last open passages certificate. Thanks for this "upgrade" to my cruising experience, Celebrity.

Passages certificates purchased pre-8/1/13 do not qualify for choosing one additional offer. The rules in effect when purchased still remain.

 

They are now two separate and distinct programs...........Pre 8/1/13 and Post 8/1/13.

Even the passages that were previously purchased have different wording and contract language from those purchased several years ago.

Perhaps this is a way to get people to buy stock rather than passages.

We have two open passage certificates that we have held for a couple of years. They have not been usable on Tuesday specials and other cruises we have booked have had better benefits available. We didn't buy any more because they proved to be too restricted, and now with even more restrictions our decision is confirmed.

Sheila

I think it will still work fine for us, maybe even better. For our normal 14+ day cruises we lose $50 in OBC but now can combine with promo's like a drink pkg etc. We booked the British Isles cruise on board and I had to give up the $300 OBC to get the Pick Your Perk promo (bev pkg)

Hi Everyone,

Isn't it amazing that whenever something new comes out, it creates yet another round of confusion ? It's also disappointing they are reducing the OBC. It seems to be a cutback, desgined to improve their bottom line. It's also how they do it. They attempt to make it seem as if : "Hey Wow, - we've got some great news for you", then after reading the details, you realize it's not so great after all.

This new update will likely confuse their onboard booking personnel, and their shoreside reservations folks, to new heights. And, if anyone thinks it will be a piece of cake to simply add a promotion to their Passages booking ? I wouldn't bet the house on that. You will likely have to pay the prevailing rate etc, when a new promo is announced.

IMO, this does not seem like anything to be pleased or excited about.

Thanks for posting the info.

Thank you for publishing this update on the certificate.

Thanks for the update - this is new information to me.

You are all very welcome :)

If the words "combinable with one offer" won't be in practice as the FC agent told me - well i will REALLY get angry then and book a cruise on the ship the FC agent currently is on :mad:

Time will tell - i will keep you updated, maybe anyone else will use the reversed passage with an combinable offer before I do.

Maybe i'm gonna contact Celebrity about this concern.

Even the passages that were previously purchased have different wording and contract language from those purchased several years ago.

 

Perhaps this is a way to get people to buy stock rather than passages.

That's one thought I had while reading this also.

I think there is some information missing in the Open Passage section. If you read the fine print it states that the amount of credit is determined by the length of cruise and the stateroom or suite you're in. According to the chart above that there is no differentiation for room class. It also says to see insert for onboard credit amounts. What insert?

Or perhaps it's just poorly worded.

I can see no real problem if you are using an Open Passage and combine it with a promo that is available for the cruise that you choose. Where I see the problem coming about is doing a Reserved Passage and then trying to add a promo that comes out later after the original booking. I think when booking the Reserved Passage you would probably be limited to whatever the current promos are at the time of booking. Then again they've been known to be fairly liberal in the past applying promos to already booked cruises.

Upon reading the fine print I noticed the change that now everyone can transfer an Open Passage to another guest. Before that was restricted to Canadians. I suppose that is to make up for no longer offering Friends & Family Certificates. The F & F had a restriction of 30 days so this could actually work out better because a lot of times we have friends that want to book the same cruise as us but it is past the 30 day mark. We usually have 2 OP on hand at any one time.