Celebrity Passages NEVER Again!!!

[Iamcruzin]

Only thing with Princess's is that you have to use it within four years. Celebrity's never expires.

Actually they changed it to two years but they still refund your money if you don't use it. I have a 4 year FCC that will probably be refunded to me because I don't think that I will be sailing with them before it expires. Celebrity seems to have better Caribbean itineraries and better prices and promotions than Princess has been offering

 

 

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[Feelin' Nauti']

But you can ask for your deposit back anytime you want and it'll be refunded. I've done this no problem a few times before.

I have one I haven't used... I might have to ask for a refund if I don't find a cruise by July. :(

[Feelin' Nauti']

Actually they changed it to two years but they still refund your money if you don't use it. I have a 4 year FCC that will probably be refunded to me because I don't think that I will be sailing with them before it expires. Celebrity seems to have better Caribbean itineraries and better prices and promotions than Princess has been offering

When did they change the policy?:eek:

 

Princess has good itineraries, but I too have noticed the fares better on other lines now, not like years ago... That's why we haven't booked a Princess cruise in over 4 years. :eek::(

Celebrity, I feel has better service, food, and perks... plus they have the best adult drink packages out of all the lines that offer it.

[Iamcruzin]

When did they change the policy?:eek:

 

Princess has good itineraries' date=' but I too have noticed the fares better on other lines now, not like years ago... That's why we haven't booked a Princess cruise in over 4 years. :eek::(

Celebrity, I feel has better service, food, and perks... plus they have the best adult drink packages out of all the lines that offer it.[/quote']

 

I think the policy changed about a year ago. We are limited to Caribbean itineraries at this point in our life. The Princess itineraries have become lame. 3 ports of call one being Princess Cays and the second being St Thomas. They don't sail from San Juan any more and lately all of the promotions come with a non refundable deposit. I'm Platinum on Princess but at this rate I feel that I will be Elite on Celebrity before I am on Princess.

[Feelin' Nauti']

I think the policy changed about a year ago. We are limited to Caribbean itineraries at this point in our life. The Princess itineraries have become lame. 3 ports of call one being Princess Cays and the second being St Thomas. They don't sail from San Juan any more and lately all of the promotions come with a non refundable deposit. I'm Platinum on Princess but at this rate I feel that I will be Elite on Celebrity before I am on Princess.

We love sailing to the Caribbean. Sad Not only Princess but Celebrity as well have stopped sailings during the summer months... They use to have great itneraries. And with Princess they have a lot of repositioning cruises....Who wants that? :rolleyes:

Doubt I would buy a FCC on board a ship....

[travelwide]

Starting summer 2014, Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas and one of the Princess ships will be here in FLL all summer. MSC will also have a summer ship from Miami. We also have the Oasis and Allure. Hopefully, having several ships here will bring on the competition.

[jackdiamond]

This may be overly simplistic, but if you are not a shareholder, you are a moderate alcoholic imbiber, and you enjoy elite status, it would appear that there is no problem in utilizing the open package tickets.

[guidance lady]

But you can ask for your deposit back anytime you want and it'll be refunded. I've done this no problem a few times before.

Im not trying to get off topic as the redemption of an open passage certificate on Celebrity is indeed something we all need to clarify, but is your avatar a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel? I have had 3 wonderful ones and one looked just like the photo. :)

[popoopski]

Hi - I am glad I am not the only one who did not quite understand about this program. I think they should have explained much better (in clearer language) what this future passage thing could and could not be used with. I also live in South Fla and take advantage of Sr. Citizen, Resident, etc. which this cannot be applied to and also I asked if I could get my $100 back and they said "no". I have sailed with Celebrity since the very beginning with the Meredian and have been in Capt Club since its start. I emailed Capt. Club about the counselors not being clear when explaining this future passage but I have not received and answer as yet. At least I now know I am not the only one who did not understand that basically the only thing you can use it on is a "full" type fare.

[SquareDancerWashington]

I just spent 1/2 hour with Celebrity Cruise Lines. We have booked a cruise to Norway May 30 to June 13 on Celebrity. We have $100 we gave to Celebrity back in 2012 for the Celebrity Passages program. I tried to use it with a cruise to the Greek Isles in 2013 and couldn't use it then. I can't even get them to just credit $100 to my cruise. I don't care about getting the shipboard credit. I wish we had never given them $100. I feel like we have thrown away that money!

[ORV]

I just spent 1/2 hour with Celebrity Cruise Lines. We have booked a cruise to Norway May 30 to June 13 on Celebrity. We have $100 we gave to Celebrity back in 2012 for the Celebrity Passages program. I tried to use it with a cruise to the Greek Isles in 2013 and couldn't use it then. I can't even get them to just credit $100 to my cruise. I don't care about getting the shipboard credit. I wish we had never given them $100. I feel like we have thrown away that money!

 

What are the details? It seems hard to believe they would not honor the certificate that thousands of people have purchased and used. The only thing I've ever had an issue with is the gift certificate thing they did a year or so ago.

[Christine Frances]

I just spent 1/2 hour with Celebrity Cruise Lines. We have booked a cruise to Norway May 30 to June 13 on Celebrity. We have $100 we gave to Celebrity back in 2012 for the Celebrity Passages program. I tried to use it with a cruise to the Greek Isles in 2013 and couldn't use it then. I can't even get them to just credit $100 to my cruise. I don't care about getting the shipboard credit. I wish we had never given them $100. I feel like we have thrown away that money!

 

The problem is that you have already booked a cruise and are now trying to apply the Passages to that cruise. When you have a Passages Certificate it has a booking number assigned to it which has all the perks attached ie OBC, reduced deposit. If you have booked a cruise separately you are given another booking number so now you have two!! You have to use the Certificate's booking number to book the cruise to get all the benefits.

[8evetseus8]

Regarding the Celebrity Passages certificate, I can't believe that Celebrity does not honor what they sell and promote. I purchased a Passages in Jan 2013 and was told of the great deal it was and the OBC I would receive on a future cruise. Well, I've booked a cruise for Asia Feb. 2014 and according to what I was told initially, I should be receiving an OBC of $300 since the cruise is 14 days. This was one of the selling points made when they sold this. Anyways, I find out that they only credited me with an OBC of $150. After phoning Celebrity twice and emailing them, their answer was they had changed their policy in August 2013 and I would only receive $150. I have emailed them back but they haven't replied. How arrogant! Don't know how they can just "change" their policy. This is very upsetting and can't believe how they treat their customers! I am just short of being an Elite member of Capt.'s Club so have sailed often with Celebrity. This incident makes me question that loyalty as Celebrity does NOT seem to have any for their customers

[Guernseycruiser]

Regarding the Celebrity Passages certificate, I can't believe that Celebrity does not honor what they sell and promote. I purchased a Passages in Jan 2013 and was told of the great deal it was and the OBC I would receive on a future cruise. Well, I've booked a cruise for Asia Feb. 2014 and according to what I was told initially, I should be receiving an OBC of $300 since the cruise is 14 days. This was one of the selling points made when they sold this. Anyways, I find out that they only credited me with an OBC of $150. After phoning Celebrity twice and emailing them, their answer was they had changed their policy in August 2013 and I would only receive $150. I have emailed them back but they haven't replied. How arrogant! Don't know how they can just "change" their policy. This is very upsetting and can't believe how they treat their customers! I am just short of being an Elite member of Capt.'s Club so have sailed often with Celebrity. This incident makes me question that loyalty as Celebrity does NOT seem to have any for their customers

I had the same issue recently. The cruise was booked through a TA, rather than direct with Celebrity. I discussed this with manager at the TA, and in the end we did receive the $300 obc. Agreed, terms are when you purchased the certificate.

 

Not sure how you resolve this, we kept re-iterating that this was an "old certificate" under the "old terms", and not a new certificate.

 

Goold luck in resolving things to your satisfaction.

[HokiePoq]

I just wanted to send all of you a quick follow-up to my original post regarding the difficulties I encountered using my Celebrity passages certificate. After contacting a number of TA's (including Celebrity agents), I was able to get a really good deal on an upcoming cruise on Celebrity's Silhouette.

 

As I feared, my passages certificate was not combinable with the rate I booked. However, I've allowed my initial frustration to subside and decided to forgo using the passages deposit. After getting all of your great feedback, I know that I can potentially use it in the future (and if necessary, I will simply use the deposit I already paid on a future cruise). So, I'm going to put my passages certificate back into its' folder with the hopes of finding an opportunity to use it in the future.

 

I want to thank all of you again for your help :)

 

Adam

 

And thank you for bringing up this topic. We normally buy these things and we also normally wait for a promotion before booking any cruise with the two lines we've bought them from. Never had a problem and have used all but one which is burning a hole in my folder waiting for an opportunity. Never had a problem but will keep the info in this thread in mind when deciding whether to buy onboard on our upcoming cruises.

[Cruise Raider]

Wow!!! I just got off the phone with a Celebrity agent and I am both frustrated and amazed! To be fair, I had absolutely no idea how the Celebrity Passages account worked before I bought it. I should have done more research! And, I definitely was not FULLY informed by the Celebrity agent who sold me on the idea during a previous cruise (again, my bad for not knowing). If I knew then what I know now, I never would have given Celebrity a $100 deposit towards a future cruise. I honestly feel as if I threw $100 in the garbage!

 

In an effort to understand my dilemma, it may be helpful to know that I live in the south Florida area and I have the ability to be somewhat flexible in my vacation plans. Consequently, I have the ability to choose cruises based on getting a special deal, promotion, rate, etc. As I have recently found out the hard way, I cannot use my passages account with any special rate or promotion.

 

At this point, I don't even care if I don't get the OBC. I even asked the agent if I could simply use my $100 deposit that I've already paid for. He said NO! Really??? I don't think I'm asking for anything unreasonable. I already paid Celebrity $100 - so I'm not asking for anything I didn't pay for (Celebrity can keep the OBC that is typically assigned to the passages account). But alas, it is not to be!

 

So, for all of you who may be considering booking a Celebrity Passages during your next cruise, please read ALL of the fine print and ask the agents LOTS of questions before giving them any money. Don't make the same mistake that I made!

 

Please pardon my frustration - but I'm incredibly pissed off (and before you flame this response - please know that I am pissed off at myself more than anyone else). While it may not help me get my $100 back, if my experience can keep someone else from making the same mistake - that may be worth something :)

 

Adam

 

I agree...ran into exactly the same situation previously. I have a couple of Passage Certificates out there and unable to use them. It hadn't been explained to me very well as I believe they work on a commission onboard and they are just looking for the credit. To be fair, I have used them before and was quite happy with them....and now, they tell me they are even combinable with one other promotion.

I bought them for friends as we oftentimes do group cruises and was going to gift them. I called to make sure they were fully transferrable but then when my SIL called to make her reservation, they told her too much time had passed. WHAT? In the 5 minutes from when I made my call to when she called to book? Really ... 5 minutes made the difference? Well, I think she should have tried to book through a TA as they wouldn't have lost out on the commission.

Well, I have 4 in all, 2 with Celebrity and 2 with Royal Caribbean....not sure if I will ever get the opportunity to use them so do regret purchasing them. But, the Celebrity ones are still transferrable, I do believe.

The trick to buying these is booking a cruise onboard. They are fully refundable or transferable to another cruise (not other passengers).

While I do like Celebrity a lot, I do think there is some trickery going on when these are purchased. And like you, more mad at myself than at the cruiseline.

[Celebrity Cruises]

Hi all,

 

Thank you for your comments about the current and older program formerly know as Celebrity Passages. If anyone has purchased an "Open Passage" while onboard any time before August 1, 2013, we have now made these OP's fully combinable with one other offer. So for anyone that has an "Unused" OP, you can contact your travel professional and advise them you have it and want to make a new reservation. The older OP's will retain their onboard credit value of up to $300 and can be combined with one other offer such as 123GO that is currently on right now.

 

Any guest that purchased the new Cruise Later program after August 1, 2013 will have an OBC value of up to $200 and it is fully combinable with 1 other promotion such as 123GO. These Cruise Later reservations are fully transferable to anyone. You can give them as a gift to friends and family.

 

The key to redeeming a Cruise Later is to advise your Travel Professional that you have one before you make a reservation. They will take the Cruise Later booking number and transform that into a specific ship and sail date. The reason is because it has a unique booking number attached to it. It needs to be modified into a specific ship and sail date in order to be used.

 

The ultimate benefit is to purchase a Cruise Now reservation onboard. With a Cruise Now, you choose a specific ship and sail date and receive the best benefits. Up to $500 Onboard Credit plus you can combine with 123go that is available all year long onboard. So in addition to the OBC, you'll get Free Beverage Package, Onboard Credit, or Free Gratuities. Your reservation is fully refundable, and flexible all the way up to 75 days prior to a normal sailing.

 

For anyone experiencing difficulties with unused Cruise Later or Open Passages, please contact your Travel Professional - They are combinable as long as they are for a new reservation.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Could this be combinable with shareholder credit ?

[Jade13]

Wow!!! I just got off the phone with a Celebrity agent and I am both frustrated and amazed!

If I knew then what I know now, I never would have given Celebrity a $100 deposit towards a future cruise. I honestly feel as if I threw $100 in the garbage!

 

In an effort to understand my dilemma, it may be helpful to know that I live in the south Florida area and I have the ability to be somewhat flexible in my vacation plans. Consequently, I have the ability to choose cruises based on getting a special deal, promotion, rate, etc. As I have recently found out the hard way, I cannot use my passages account with any special rate or promotion.

 

At this point, I don't even care if I don't get the OBC. I even asked the agent if I could simply use my $100 deposit that I've already paid for. He said NO! Really??? I don't think I'm asking for anything unreasonable. I already paid Celebrity $100 - so I'm not asking for anything I didn't pay for (Celebrity can keep the OBC that is typically assigned to the passages account). But alas, it is not to be!

 

 

Adam

 

I have done that. Most recently for Xpedition. I just did not want to lose my deposit.

Edited June 13, 2014 by Jade13

[Christine Frances]

Thank you Celebrity:)

[harz99]

Hi all,

 

"The ultimate benefit is to purchase a Cruise Now reservation onboard. With a Cruise Now, you choose a specific ship and sail date and receive the best benefits. Up to $500 Onboard Credit plus you can combine with 123go that is available all year long onboard. So in addition to the OBC, you'll get Free Beverage Package, Onboard Credit, or Free Gratuities. Your reservation is fully refundable, and flexible all the way up to 75 days prior to a normal sailing."

 

 

Does this apply to those of us in the UK, rest of Europe and Australia to name a few places, or is it applicable to North Americans only?

[Cruisepm]

Do Cruise Now Reservation perks also apply to Transatlantic Cruises?

[jagoffee]

Celebrity Cruises,

 

Thank for the very clear explanation. I really appreciate the fact that we can use combine another offer with our old Open Passages while maintaining the previous higher OBC.

Your post was well written and easy to understand.

[jagoffee]

Do Cruise Now Reservation perks also apply to Transatlantic Cruises?

 

You cannot receive the 123GO with TA Cruise Now reservations and the OBC is significantly less.

[JEDIKNIGHT]

I do nothing, repeat nothing with Celebrity direct. They could offer ME 1000 OBC to book something direct or onboard and I won’t do it.

 

They do a lot well. But they can’t answer the phone, and on our recent cruise we we had one suite and one concierge, and neither got an email survey.

 

Decent cruise, terrible business management.

 

Love my TA. I just email him, and that’s it.