No More Price Drops?

[BBsails]

So what happens if you book with a TA instead of directly with =X=?

[shipshape sam]

One big issue with cancelling a current reservation is the cabin. We have tended to book early to get the cabin we wanted with typically a low price. But I am not sure there is a specific cabin I want/NEED to pay much more money for. Will have to see how this plays out.

 

Not looking to book any cruise in next few months. Darn!

[Gonzo70]

Way to go Celebrity! This is so great. To us this means, no more price drops as had been the case before 2008. The reason for booking early to get not only the best stateroom but the best price is coming back!

 

No more hard work chasing price drops to make less money! Finally back to the days of those staterooms that are on sale at the last minute being the ones that no one wanted...for. a. reason!!!

 

Thank you Celebrity!!! THUMBS WAY UP!!!

 

Yeah, and you also were extremely excited on threads where people mentioned fares are going up, saying how great that was as well. :rolleyes:

[Gonzo70]

So what happens if you book with a TA instead of directly with =X=?

 

Same rules (unless your TA has additional rules/restrictions on top of X's rules).

[Gonzo70]

wonder if there is a "grandfather clause" for older bookings, I'd ask X, but we all know 5 calls or emails will get you 5 different answers.

 

I just Emailed the Captain's Club, I'll cut & paste the reply when I get it.

 

On the Royal board it seems like people have consistently been told reservations made PRIOR to today (5/17/2010) will be grandfathered in (i.e. will still be eligible for price drops until 72 hours prior to sailing).

 

Do report back what Captain's Club says. Hopefully the good news on old reservations being grandfathered in will continue.

[cruise kitty]

On the Royal board it seems like people have consistently been told reservations made PRIOR to today (5/17/2010) will be grandfathered in (i.e. will still be eligible for price drops until 72 hours prior to sailing).

 

Do report back what Captain's Club says. Hopefully the good news on old reservations being grandfathered in will continue.

 

As soon as I get an answer in writing, I will, the think that stinks is, we book ahead, & pay ahead so right now X has $1200 of my money up front for a cruise that's still 18 months out...planned on having it paid for a good 10 months ahead...always figured it was a fair trade off for X to have my $ ahead, knowing I'd get an OBC for price drops, if we're not grandfathered, I'll cancel & rebook when it comes up as a Tues. special. Sadly, they never seem give residency rates for CA :(on Europe cruises.

[dixieva]

I just read on the RCI board that now they're being told that this 48 hour policy is this way: You make your final payment around 60 days out. You will now have only 48 hours after final payment to find a price drop. After 48 hours if the price drops you are out of luck. Prior to this policy this is how it worked-if you found a price drop before final payment the amount of the drop was deducted from your original price. Once final payment was made if you found a price drop you got the new price but the money was not refunded to you but you got an OBC for the amount of the drop. No more OBC for price drops after final payment.

 

So if this is correct the only thing that has changed is the policy of price drops after final payment.

[Gonzo70]

As soon as I get an answer in writing, I will, the think that stinks is, we book ahead, & pay ahead so right now X has $1200 of my money up front for a cruise that's still 18 months out...planned on having it paid for a good 10 months ahead...always figured it was a fair trade off for X to have my $ ahead, knowing I'd get an OBC for price drops, if we're not grandfathered, I'll cancel & rebook when it comes up as a Tues. special. Sadly, they never seem give residency rates for CA :(on Europe cruises.

 

I agree 100%. I already have three upcoming cruises booked - one that doesn't sail until 2012! I usually book within 1-3 days of the itineraries coming out due to a combination of the prior price drop policy, wanting to get particular staterooms, and enjoying the anticipation of a future cruise. In exchange X got some of my money far in advance, so they certainly benefit from people booking far out as well.

 

If they will grandfather in people who booked prior to today and still allow price drops before final payment is due (to avoid the game of people cancelling and rebooking), then I would feel a lot better about this. I just wish they would have:

A) Worded the new policy more clearly so there are not so many unanswered questions. And

B) Not tried to word the new policy to make it look like good news for consumers, when it is clearly bad news for consumers.

 

I think web sites such as Cruise Critic have made people far more aware of price drops, so I can see the cruise lines being in a rough position when a particular cruise has several staterooms open close to sailing. They have to either sail with empy cabins or offer a price drop where they may end up paying out more money to people already booked than they take in on new passengers filling the remaining vacancies. Still, this new policy should have been worded and handled much differently.

[richsea]

As the economy continues to slowly improve, this new policy will mean less & less. Has anyone noticed that the "eXciting Deals" of late have been less than exciting? For now, at least, cruice fares are slowly increasing. We booked our next cruise 3 weeks ago on Millennium, & the fare for our stateroom has already risen over $750. IMO, this trend is going to continue for the foreseeable future.

 

Someone made the point earlier that if you're satified with your fare when you book, it shouldn't make a difference. Now, if fares do not keep increasing, as this policy becomes more widely known, more people are going to hesitate booking early, which will lead to more space being available closer to sailing, which will lead to lower fares............yada, yada, yada.

[TRadle]

This makes it difficult to justify booking a cruise in advanced. The only reason we have ever booked 12 months + out is knowing that if the price drops we can get the price adjustment. I do not book anything else that far out.

 

We prefer to sail in suites. Those prices are pretty high a year out, but fall as the sailing nears because they do not sell has fast as other cabins most of the time. I have never seen the price of a suite we have booked rise unless the sailing is near being sold out. We had a $1200 price drop on our upcoming sailing after final payment.

 

No more advanced booking on Celebrity for me. I'll wait and compare prices on iteneraries.

[hcat]

Wow--that was a newsflash!

 

so, our three already booked cruises (booked before May 17th) will be able to get price adjustments but not anything we book in the future? Is that correct? Just want to make sure before I continue price checking.

 

This will certainly change our strategy-- we will only look for semi-last minute deals with good cabins & only then if we can match them up with good airfare. That happened to us once already & the cruise was half price for a great hump cabin on Jewel on Royal C.--what a deal!

 

We generally book the day the offerings come out & then monitor pricing..No incentive now for us to let them hold a $900 deposit & give no consideration when the price drops... Even advance booking while on a cruise for ship bd credit may not be worth it...Now that we are retired & more flexible with our dates, the last minute approach seems a better option...

[Gonzo70]

Someone made the point earlier that if you're satified with your fare when you book, it shouldn't make a difference.

 

Sorry, but that is just plain untrue. Many people book early on not because they are satisfied with the fare, but because they can live with that fare, but hope/expect it to drop some and know they can cash in on a price drop. People do not generally jump to book airfares 9 months out; they watch fares and wait for a price they feel good about. With cruising, people were able to book as soon as itineraries were released and feel confident that in doing so, they were not going to overpay. That is no longer the case and this new policy will cause many people to wait until last minute to book cruises. I know it will have that impact on me.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

I just read on the RCI board that now they're being told that this 48 hour policy is this way: You make your final payment around 60 days out. You will now have only 48 hours after final payment to find a price drop. After 48 hours if the price drops you are out of luck. Prior to this policy this is how it worked-if you found a price drop before final payment the amount of the drop was deducted from your original price. Once final payment was made if you found a price drop you got the new price but the money was not refunded to you but you got an OBC for the amount of the drop. No more OBC for price drops after final payment.

 

So if this is correct the only thing that has changed is the policy of price drops after final payment.

 

(Huge sigh of releif) That's good news. If they had implemented this as was discussed, they would have seen future bookings plummet, introducing a great deal of uncertainty for them on how a cruise is selling or going to sell.

 

IMHO, they would have had to have written language into the cruise contract to the effect that, if cancelled, any subsequent identical booking would have to be the original price, not the going price. Otherwise, if I'm able to cancel a contract, I can reestablish a new contract at whatever terms are agreeable to both parties, and the previous contract should have no bearing on the new one. If it's for a different room, that's a completely different booking and the old one should have no bearing in any case. Yes, I might lose the particular room I booked, but I'm not that particular anyway.

 

If my room would go to someone waiting for it on a standby list, would they pay my old price or the new price? If the new price, why not just let me have it for the new price and not tick me off?

 

Remember too that many cruisers are unaware they can even get a price drop-- this perceived change in policy would have antagonized only their best customers.

 

Well, let's hope it's a moot point.

[hcat]

I just read on the RCI board that now they're being told that this 48 hour policy is this way: You make your final payment around 60 days out. You will now have only 48 hours after final payment to find a price drop. After 48 hours if the price drops you are out of luck. Prior to this policy this is how it worked-if you found a price drop before final payment the amount of the drop was deducted from your original price. Once final payment was made if you found a price drop you got the new price but the money was not refunded to you but you got an OBC for the amount of the drop. No more OBC for price drops after final payment.

 

So if this is correct the only thing that has changed is the policy of price drops after final payment.

 

I am confused...This is different that the other statements & it makes a difference for those of us who book over a yr ahead--there are usually one or two price drops.. The ones after final booking do not concern me...they are really last minute & deserve the bargain!

 

Guess I'll have to read both websites & call if I am still confused..

[testifyoncruises]

Someone made the point earlier that if you're satified with your fare when you book, it shouldn't make a difference.

You are so right on with this and most people are. Most people are not waiting for or expecting price drops. It just did not happen very often prior to the end of 2008 and as prices stabilize and rise (thankfully) it won't be happening very often again.

 

Book early for the best cabin selection and rates, just like you had to do in the not too distant past.

[lysolqn]

Way to go Celebrity! This is so great. To us this means, no more price drops as had been the case before 2008. The reason for booking early to get not only the best stateroom but the best price is coming back!

 

No more hard work chasing price drops to make less money! Finally back to the days of those staterooms that are on sale at the last minute being the ones that no one wanted...for. a. reason!!!

 

Thank you Celebrity!!! THUMBS WAY UP!!!

 

You seem to be leaping to several erroneous conclusions. Nowhere is there any mention of no more price drops; nor is there any reason to believe booking early will get you the best price. All the new policy appears to do is eliminate the until today practice of honoring price drops either by dropping the fare prior to final payment or by issuing OBC after final payment. Nothing in the new policy even remotely suggests that going forward Celebrity will no longer be lowering prices if and whenever it so chooses. Pax, however, will have only 48 hours from booking, rather than up to 48 hours of sailing to take advantage of possible price drops.

[cruise kitty]

You are so right on with this and most people are. Most people are not waiting for or expecting price drops. It just did not happen very often prior to the end of 2008 and as prices stabilize and rise (thankfully) it won't be happening very often again.

 

Book early for the best cabin selection and rates, just like you had to do in the not too distant past.

 

 

Sorry, but consumer habits will never go back to how they were "in the not so distant past" this generation of american consumers has changed, permanently I think, just like our our grandparents did after the Great Depression, it's a big mistake for anyone in business not realize it; I'm all for stabilization, but if people go back to their foolish ways of the past, buy now, & figure out how I'll pay for it later, we'll be in the same situation.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

You are so right on with this and most people are. Most people are not waiting for or expecting price drops. It just did not happen very often prior to the end of 2008 and as prices stabilize and rise (thankfully) it won't be happening very often again.

 

Yeah, I couldn't stand it when there was a price drop and I didn't have to pay as much as I originally thought I would. I'd much rather part with more money.

 

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

There was mention on the RCCI boards that, while they may honor price drops prior to final payment, they'll simply stop offering them until after final payment, or, more specifically, until 48 hours after final payment is due.

[CruisenGoddess]

So does all this mean no more senior and/or resident discounts? Most of the time they offer those discounts within the 60 days prior to sailing. I know with NCL's policy if you cancelled and rebooked, you wouldn't get the new rate because it's not a new booking.

[dmk]

One big issue with cancelling a current reservation is the cabin. We have tended to book early to get the cabin we wanted with typically a low price. But I am not sure there is a specific cabin I want/NEED to pay much more money for. Will have to see how this plays out.

 

I have the same attitude as you do. BUT, I will have no qualms cancelling and rebooking a cruise. I will get used to not having the best cabin.

And if it is a nuisance, I will book last minute. Why should X have my money so far out:confused:

[cruiseacecat]

Can any of you travel agents among us tell me if there was any notification given to you in advance of today, or did they just spring it on the agents also. If you were given notice, were the rules made any clearer to you?

I can live with this if already booked cruises are grandfathered, but I will be pretty unhappy if all of my already booked cruises now will be ineligible for price drops.

 

Anne

[kelly kipper]

I dont think the entire booking system is fair to anyone outside USA/Canada. In Europe when we part with our deposits, no matter how far in advance. If we cancel, we loose our money!

All of the best cabins are taken by USA residents who can cancel anytime before the final payment is due and still receive their original deposit back.

This new policy may make it a more of a level playing field.

[Andy]

So does all this mean no more senior and/or resident discounts? Most of the time they offer those discounts within the 60 days prior to sailing. I know with NCL's policy if you cancelled and rebooked, you wouldn't get the new rate because it's not a new booking.

 

Hi CruisenGoddess !

 

While it's not possible to be certain, I would be very surprised if Celebrity eliminated Resident & Senior discounts. Interestingly, on the sailings I've been watching, there are less of them.... but it's all about supply and demand. Currently, bookings are on the rise. For how long, is anyone's guess.

[Andy]

Can any of you travel agents among us tell me if there was any notification given to you in advance of today, or did they just spring it on the agents also. If you were given notice, were the rules made any clearer to you?

I can live with this if already booked cruises are grandfathered, but I will be pretty unhappy if all of my already booked cruises now will be ineligible for price drops.

 

Anne

 

Hi Anne !

 

It says this new policy is effective with bookings made today, so I would imagine that any bookings made prior to today, would be handled as in the past.

[Christine Frances]

I just spoke with Captain's Club. Apparently no changes iwith existing policies. This release is more to do with after final payt. Will still honor price drops before final pay't. Still very confusing to read!!