Refusal to price match lowered fares!?

[wattsde]

Our cruise is on sale today as a “Tuesday Special” with fares hundread of dloollars less per person that we paid for an early booking. I called both our travel agent and Celebrity to see if we could get the difference refunded and was told “tough luck” new bookings only. I could cancel, take the penalty and re-book if I wanted but otherwise too bad. Even our Elite Status with Celebrity was no help.

 

I was always told that they guaranteed lowest price and/or price matching for earlier bookings. Guess that was just a “sales pitch”. How do they justify selling cruises to last minute folks at hundreds or thousands less than paid by early bookers? I guess this is the last time we’ll book early.

 

Is this common for Celebrity?

[Wine-O]

Our cruise is on sale today as a “Tuesday Special” with fares hundread of dloollars less per person that we paid for an early booking. I called both our travel agent and Celebrity to see if we could get the difference refunded and was told “tough luck” new bookings only. I could cancel, take the penalty and re-book if I wanted but otherwise too bad. Even our Elite Status with Celebrity was no help.

 

I was always told that they guaranteed lowest price and/or price matching for earlier bookings. Guess that was just a “sales pitch”. How do they justify selling cruises to last minute folks at hundreds or thousands less than paid by early bookers? I guess this is the last time we’ll book early.

 

Is this common for Celebrity?

 

Celebrity's guaranteed lowest price is alive and well. We've used it on several bookings -- when a fare is reduced or they offer military/resident rates, Celebrity will give you the lowest rate.

 

The Tuesday Special is just that, a special for new bookings only. I know of one person on our Solstice TA last year who cancelled his regular booking, took the 25% penalty, and rebooked the Tuesday Special (a suite), and he made out.

 

Do the math and see if it will work out for you.

 

We always try to book early -- usually the price increases. We're on the Millennium Wine cruise this September, and the prices of staterooms nearly doubled -- the cruise is now sold out.

 

You probably booked a cruise that wasn't popular, so they dropped the prices on the Tuesday Special to fill up the ship. It's a crap shoot.

[Richiebaseball]

It is common in that just about all mass market cruise lines, including both Royal and Celebrity, have last minute sales that are generally for new bookings only and they usually hold to that policy. The Price Protection Guarantee specifically mentions limitations including the Sales Event (the Tuesday Special). Booking last minute is a strategy that can save money however not every sailing or every category ends up on a last minute sale so you need to be flexible in order to take advantage of them. If you have to go on a particular week or are looking for a particular ship or itinerary, or a particular cabin then waiting for a last minute sale isn't going to be your best bet. Also if airfare is required you have to take into account the possibility of increased air costs by booking late.

[WNcruiser]

Tuesday sale fares for Celebrity and RCI have always been for new bookings only. If you are able to book last minute, dont really care about your cabin location, and want to take a chance the ship wont sell out and will actually have a sale fare, then its worth waiting.

 

Otherwise, you have to just book early and be happy with getting your cabin location and sailing choice. I think many people have had the same situation you have, including me right now on my 12 night Med cruise.

 

Just don't check the prices on Tuesday's anymore!:)

[DocJohnB]

Our cruise is on sale today as a “Tuesday Special” with fares hundread of dloollars less per person that we paid for an early booking. I called both our travel agent and Celebrity to see if we could get the difference refunded and was told “tough luck” new bookings only. I could cancel, take the penalty and re-book if I wanted but otherwise too bad. Even our Elite Status with Celebrity was no help.

 

I was always told that they guaranteed lowest price and/or price matching for earlier bookings. Guess that was just a “sales pitch”. How do they justify selling cruises to last minute folks at hundreds or thousands less than paid by early bookers? I guess this is the last time we’ll book early.

 

Is this common for Celebrity?

Even understanding the rules of "new bookings only", it doesn't seem fair. But it is what it is. If it upsets you this much and you can save some money, perhaps you should go ahead, cancel, take the penalty and re-book. Course then you may not get the same cabin.

 

But my question is why would you even think your Elite status would be of any help. One thing (Elite) has nothing at all to do with the other (bookings).

[wattsde]

"But my question is why would you even think your Elite status would be of any help. One thing (Elite) has nothing at all to do with the other (bookings). "

 

 

DocJohnB, You're 100% right, I know. I guess I just hoped (in vain) that being a loyal customer would count for something besides a free drink and a match play voucher in the casino. Hope springs eternal in my naive heart... :-)

[Denny01]

Our cruise is on sale today as a “Tuesday Special” with fares hundread of dloollars less per person that we paid for an early booking. I called both our travel agent and Celebrity to see if we could get the difference refunded and was told “tough luck” new bookings only. I could cancel, take the penalty and re-book if I wanted but otherwise too bad. Even our Elite Status with Celebrity was no help.

 

I was always told that they guaranteed lowest price and/or price matching for earlier bookings. Guess that was just a “sales pitch”. How do they justify selling cruises to last minute folks at hundreds or thousands less than paid by early bookers? I guess this is the last time we’ll book early.

 

Is this common for Celebrity?

It's 'common' for All Lines to offer 'New Bookings' discounts which are exactly that, 'New Bookings'. I doubt your TA or Celebrity actually said 'tough luck', I have a feeling they explained very professionally what a 'New Booking' is, even while you complained. Just as any special discount offers, you don't get them if you aren't in that category. I've seen people complain about specific State and military discounts. Life. Move to that State, or join the Army for a few years to get a bit of a discount.

 

And as to not booking early? Go for it. But then don't complain about not getting the cruise you want or the cabin, and so on. And hope you get a nice airline price at the last minute if you can't drive there. There are reasons to book early. Our September 2010 West Coast Wine cruise on the Millennium is basically sold out - the top Suite opens up every once in a while for about $7K. You can't ask for the good deals of booking early, then complain you don't get the last minute new booking price...well you can, but life doesn't work that way in most venues.

 

Denny

[City_Woman]

Our cruise is on sale today as a “Tuesday Special” with fares hundread of dloollars less per person that we paid for an early booking. I called both our travel agent and Celebrity to see if we could get the difference refunded and was told “tough luck” new bookings only. I could cancel, take the penalty and re-book if I wanted but otherwise too bad. Even our Elite Status with Celebrity was no help.

 

I was always told that they guaranteed lowest price and/or price matching for earlier bookings. Guess that was just a “sales pitch”. How do they justify selling cruises to last minute folks at hundreds or thousands less than paid by early bookers? I guess this is the last time we’ll book early.

 

Is this common for Celebrity?

 

I have also benefited from Celebrity's guaranteed lower price.

 

I have also been aware of some "special pricing" being for new bookings only. This isn't just Celebrity, but also Carnival and Princess. I have no problem with that.

 

Judy

[Dorothy & Morty]

Our cruise is on sale today as a “Tuesday Special” with fares hundread of dloollars less per person that we paid for an early booking. I called both our travel agent and Celebrity to see if we could get the difference refunded and was told “tough luck” new bookings only. I could cancel, take the penalty and re-book if I wanted but otherwise too bad. Even our Elite Status with Celebrity was no help.

 

I was always told that they guaranteed lowest price and/or price matching for earlier bookings. Guess that was just a “sales pitch”. How do they justify selling cruises to last minute folks at hundreds or thousands less than paid by early bookers? I guess this is the last time we’ll book early.

 

Is this common for Celebrity?

What would the penalty be? How much? I do not think this is fair when we book earlier on the ship or home to find ut later that new bookings receive the better discount. This needs to be corrected. We've been Elite for a long time and believe this should count.

[wattsde]

It's 'common' for All Lines to offer 'New Bookings' discounts which are exactly that, 'New Bookings'. I doubt your TA or Celebrity actually said 'tough luck', I have a feeling they explained very professionally what a 'New Booking' is, even while you complained. Just as any special discount offers, you don't get them if you aren't in that category. I've seen people complain about specific State and military discounts. Life. Move to that State, or join the Army for a few years to get a bit of a discount.

 

And as to not booking early? Go for it. But then don't complain about not getting the cruise you want or the cabin, and so on. And hope you get a nice airline price at the last minute if you can't drive there. There are reasons to book early. Our September 2010 West Coast Wine cruise on the Millennium is basically sold out - the top Suite opens up every once in a while for about $7K. You can't ask for the good deals of booking early, then complain you don't get the last minute new booking price...well you can, but life doesn't work that way in most venues.

 

Denny

 

 

Denny,

 

Thanks! I guess I just didn't understand the price match only applied in limited circumstances (i.e not Tuesday specials). It had never been explained that way to me, always simply as a "price guarantee". Thanks for the clarification!

 

My fault for not reading the "fine print". As my father always said, "the large print giveth, the fine print taketh away".

 

Yes, my TA was very professional, Celebrity, not so much: not rude but "short". I guess she was tired of folks asking the same "dumb" question about Tuesday sepcials, and even though I was polite, she was just tired, and yes her answered amounted to a politically correct version of "tough luck". ;-)

 

Thanks for your help!!

 

 

 

 

.

[Denny01]

No problem. Just my opinon. And my response was a bit of the 'tough luck' edge to it. Glad you take it as it is meant.

 

Denny

[wattsde]

No problem. Just my opinon. And my response was a bit of the 'tough luck' edge to it. Glad you take it as it is meant.

 

Denny

 

 

Yes, you were straight forward with objective data and I appreciate that! Sometimes life isn’t “fair” and we have to accept it and not whine. :-)

 

Thanks again!

 

 

 

.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

It helps if you understand why they offer a "new bookings only" special in the first place. If you have a ship that loiks like it's going to sail with a hundred empty cabins, it's better to offer a discount to attract the additional business required to sail full than to get nothing at all for those rooms. But they don't need to attract your business, they've got it already. If they open themselves up to a potential loss of hundreds of dollars per cabin times more than a thousand cabins per ship by lowering the price for everybody that's already booked, the six-figure hit is not going to be offset by the additional sales generated.

 

Early on, they might only have a hundred cabins sold and current projections show that they'll sail with a thousand empty cabins if they don't reduce the price. In that case, they still come out ahead if they honor the lower price for those that have already booked but have not made final payment-- since there's no penalty for them, they could easily walk away from the cruise and go to another line that's offering a better deal.

 

The ability to take advantage of a Tuesday special would be a nice Elite perk. However, there are more Elite cruisers out there than you would imagine, and most of them would be savvy enough to be watching for a special. It could still be very costly for X to offer it. Possibly a modified version-- "If you see a Tuesday Special and notify us, we'll add $50 to your OBC! This offer is limited to one time only per cabin."

 

Personally, I'm amazed that the cruise industry is not stuctured similarly to airlines-- pay up front, non refundable fares (without substantial penalty, or else pay a premium price for a flexible fare), so if the price drops for any reason, "tough luck". I imagine it's due to stiff competition-- no cruiseline would want to be the first to take such a devastating step. Hopefully, airlines will eventually adopt the cruiselines practice, and not the other way around:eek:.

[Czech Precision Forge]

Wattsde, I can tell you I have discussed with my travel agent the same issue. In fact, we have had a long running email conversation over several months since I initially noticed the "Port Fees and Government Taxes" section of my invoice for Solstice 2010 was identical to my RCCL European cruise in 2009.

 

My agent could not get an explanation of this other than Celebrity stating it was "correct."

 

Neither he nor I were quite satisfied with this reply, but nevertheless I was ready to let it be, until I noticed the Tuesday sale PDF offer. I forwarded this to the TA and he also told me, as I expected, that Celebrity was not obliged to match special offers, and they in fact refused to do so when he contacted them.

 

Much to my surprise, a few hours later, I recieved an email from my TA saying he had managed to obtain very substantial on board credit for each the several cabins we had booked.

 

I assume this result depends on the volume of business both you do and your agent does with the cruise line. I would not be hesitant to ask your TA again, and even politely ask to speak to a supervisor or manager in the agent's organization (if the price difference is substantial).

 

I never expected this result, but repeated, polite and relaxed attempts did pay off. I think if your port fees and government taxes section of the invoice seems high (several hundred dollars per person), that you may find a solution by discussing with your agent.

[Amy from Delaware]

What would the penalty be? How much? I do not think this is fair when we book earlier on the ship or home to find ut later that new bookings receive the better discount. This needs to be corrected. We've been Elite for a long time and believe this should count.

 

If the fare goes down, you WILL get the lower price, EXCEPT for the exceptions :rolleyes: like Tuesday Specials, which are for NEW bookings only.

 

Let's say you booked your cruise a year in advance. During that year, the price will fluctuate. If the price goes up, you're locked in at the fare you agreed to. If the price goes down, all you have to do is call Celebrity or your TA (depending on who you booked with) and they will give you the lower fare. It's a win-win for people who book early to get the cabin they want.

 

I check the cost every single day, and have gotten 2 reductions since I booked a few months ago. Right now, the fare is $300 MORE per person than I am paying! The prices change often. There are also intermittent discounts on *some* categories for Military, Over 55, and Residency.

 

You have to check the website often to see if there's something better for you. Just go to Celebrity's website, and make believe you are booking from scratch. Click all the relevant boxes, and then see what's available. It takes a few minutes, and imo is well worth the $100's I've been able to save.

[Amy from Delaware]

Wattsde, I can tell you I have discussed with my travel agent the same issue. In fact, we have had a long running email conversation over several months since I initially noticed the "Port Fees and Government Taxes" section of my invoice for Solstice 2010 was identical to my RCCL European cruise in 2009.

 

..snip...

 

I think if your port fees and government taxes section of the invoice seems high (several hundred dollars per person), that you may find a solution by discussing with your agent.

 

Czech Precision Forge,

Can you explain what you're talking about with regard to Port Fees and Government Taxes"? What's the issue? Haven't heard this before. Thanks :)

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Yes, my TA was very professional, Celebrity, not so much: not rude but "short". I guess she was tired of folks asking the same "dumb" question about Tuesday sepcials, and even though I was polite, she was just tired, and yes her answered amounted to a politically correct version of "tough luck". ;-)

 

I'll admit to sometimes getting the same way in my job-- I'm a CSR, so I can appreciate what Celebrity's people go through. Here's answers I've had to give:

 

No, we cannot honor a promo code that's expired past its expiration date.

No, "certain exclusions may apply" means you can't get the discount on every item we sell, even though the exclusion applies to the item you really, really want.

No, if the item is flagged in red on the website as "excluded from discounts", it's excluded from discounts.

No, we will not retroactively apply your promo code to the purchase you made last year.

No, you may not combine seven different promo codes to the point where we owe you money for making the purchase.

No, we will not honor a promo code from another company.

No, we will not honor a promo code for a 90% discount that you obviously just made up.

No, a one-time-use promo code cannot be used more than once.

No, you may not use the military discount code if you're not in the military.

No, the free shipping offer applies to standard delivery, not next day air.

No, you may not place your order under your nephew's account so you can get his employee discount.

No, we cannot just give you a promo code because you called up and asked for one. We give you the code through our catalog, website or email, you go online to place your order or call us and give us the code back. There's a reason it's called a code.

 

Now, with your situation, Celebrity does offer to honor price drops, just not for new bookings specials, so it's a reasonable question on your part. You may have been the tenth person in a row the Celebrity CSR spoke with about this. This doesn't excuse a perceived rude or short attitude, but CSRs are (mostly) human, too.

[SantaFeFan]

Even understanding the rules of "new bookings only", it doesn't seem fair.

 

It's no more unfair than your cable company, cell phone company, health club, etc. offering lower monthly bills for new customers for the first 6 months, or an auto dealer offering 0% interest until a specific date only. It's a way for the company to encourage new people to buy their services or products. If a person has ever taken advantage of such an offer, then calling the Tuesday Special unfair is a bit hypocritical.

[Czech Precision Forge]

Czech Precision Forge,

Can you explain what you're talking about with regard to Port Fees and Government Taxes"? What's the issue? Haven't heard this before. Thanks :)

 

With the agent we use, their invoice includes several line items (fare for specific class cabin, insurance, and port fees/taxes) along with a designation who receives these payments (Cruise line, insurance company or Travel Agent).

[Amy from Delaware]

With the agent we use, their invoice includes several line items (fare for specific class cabin, insurance, and port fees/taxes) along with a designation who receives these payments (Cruise line, insurance company or Travel Agent).

 

Okay. What is your particular issue with the wording being the same from one cruise line to another? I guess I'm just not understanding what that part of your post was about.

[Denny01]

I'll admit to sometimes getting the same way in my job-- I'm a CSR, so I can appreciate what Celebrity's people go through. Here's answers I've had to give:

 

No, we cannot honor a promo code that's expired past its expiration date.

No, "certain exclusions may apply" means you can't get the discount on every item we sell, even though the exclusion applies to the item you really, really want.

No, if the item is flagged in red on the website as "excluded from discounts", it's excluded from discounts.

No, we will not retroactively apply your promo code to the purchase you made last year.

No, you may not combine seven different promo codes to the point where we owe you money for making the purchase.

No, we will not honor a promo code from another company.

No, we will not honor a promo code for a 90% discount that you obviously just made up.

No, a one-time-use promo code cannot be used more than once.

No, you may not use the military discount code if you're not in the military.

No, the free shipping offer applies to standard delivery, not next day air.

No, you may not place your order under your nephew's account so you can get his employee discount.

No, we cannot just give you a promo code because you called up and asked for one. We give you the code through our catalog, website or email, you go online to place your order or call us and give us the code back. There's a reason it's called a code.

 

Now, with your situation, Celebrity does offer to honor price drops, just not for new bookings specials, so it's a reasonable question on your part. You may have been the tenth person in a row the Celebrity CSR spoke with about this. This doesn't excuse a perceived rude or short attitude, but CSRs are (mostly) human, too.

 

What a great post! And you remind all of us how we act sometimes. Here I am providing 'sage advice' to the OP and I was thinking of calling a local Beach Condo rental agency because I have an expired 'free weekend' stay I misplaced and just found. I give good advice about 'tough luck' and was just about to try the tactic......please, please ignore the rules just for me!

 

Denny

[Czech Precision Forge]

Okay. What is your particular issue with the wording being the same from one cruise line to another? I guess I'm just not understanding what that part of your post was about.

 

The amount was the same. Globalization is one thing, but I doubted port fees and taxes were identical in the Med and Caribbean (and being that Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity).

[Amy from Delaware]

The amount was the same. Globalization is one thing, but I doubted port fees and taxes were identical in the Med and Caribbean (and being that Royal Caribbean owns Celebrity).

 

Oh! Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[davrap222]

I understand that Celebrity can make rules that exclude passengers already booked. It is there company and their policies. I received an email from them after I was within 60 days of sailing, addressing me: "Dave, what would you do with an extra $300 on board credit." Well, come to find out, it was applicable to "new bookings only". I received a nice letter to my request for the OBC telling me that.

I think Celebrity is a wonderful cruise line. With that said, the only thing I can do as a consumer if I am not happy with their policies is to cancel my cruise and/or take my future business elsewhere. I chose to keep my booking.

This was my response to Celebrity's letter:

"Now that my children are older, I was able to cruise twice last year and plan to cruise at least once a year going forward. With lines like Crystal, Oceana and Holland America in the premium market aggressively looking for my business, policies like the one mentioned above are seriously making me consider taking my future business elsewhere. I think that Celebrity is a great line, but policies like these are going to drive passengers like me away. It really is a slap in the face to get a great ad sent to me specifically, only to find out that because you already have my business, you will not offer me what you would offer a new passenger. It just isnt right. Celebrity should reward passengers who return to them rather than leave them dissatisfied with a pricing policy. "

 

Just my 2 cents! I plan on trying Oceana or Crystal later this year.

[teajak]

I understand that Celebrity can make rules that exclude passengers already booked. It is there company and their policies. I received an email from them after I was within 60 days of sailing, addressing me: "Dave, what would you do with an extra $300 on board credit." Well, come to find out, it was applicable to "new bookings only". I received a nice letter to my request for the OBC telling me that.

I think Celebrity is a wonderful cruise line. With that said, the only thing I can do as a consumer if I am not happy with their policies is to cancel my cruise and/or take my future business elsewhere. I chose to keep my booking.

This was my response to Celebrity's letter:

"Now that my children are older, I was able to cruise twice last year and plan to cruise at least once a year going forward. With lines like Crystal, Oceana and Holland America in the premium market aggressively looking for my business, policies like the one mentioned above are seriously making me consider taking my future business elsewhere. I think that Celebrity is a great line, but policies like these are going to drive passengers like me away. It really is a slap in the face to get a great ad sent to me specifically, only to find out that because you already have my business, you will not offer me what you would offer a new passenger. It just isnt right. Celebrity should reward passengers who return to them rather than leave them dissatisfied with a pricing policy. "

 

Just my 2 cents! I plan on trying Oceana or Crystal later this year.

If you check the elite CC perks you will see that Celebrity is rewarding loyalty with excellant perks. The new bookings only are to bring in new people, why is that so hard to understand?