Perks, airfare and travel agent

[chaucer642]

Can anyone explain how the airfare and perks that Celebrity offers work? Is it a percentage of the air fare that you get off?

 

Also, if my friend and I use a travel agent would we still be able to take advantage of the perks offer?

[ghstudio]

Can anyone explain how the airfare and perks that Celebrity offers work? Is it a percentage of the air fare that you get off?

 

Also, if my friend and I use a travel agent would we still be able to take advantage of the perks offer?

 

You have to read the fine print in the specific offer. You usually have to book through choice air

[alcpa1]

Could you please expand your question to include possible ship, date and itinerary because it could make a difference.

For example, cruise air is almost always available but it COULD be a consolidator fare. If the route has multiple options including multiple connections or even multiple airlines it might not be the bargain you are seeking. Generally economy cabin is the rule but business class might also be arranged. When flights, no matter how they are booked, are months and months in advance, you run the risk of schedule changes. On a consolidator ticket you could run into problems. My rule of thumb is to check all available airfare. I only use cruise air if it is a nonstop flight a minimum of two days prior to the cruise. As you can tell I am not a fan of the cruise air program.

Specifically to your question of percentages off the standard fare....Celebrity negotiates fares with airlines months and in some cases a year or more in advance. Sometimes they are consolidator fares as mentioned above. These are highly restricted tickets. In other cases fares will reflect the general market and may not be at a discount. There is no pattern to follow to predict fares from cruise air. And there are even times, particularly close to sailing, when Celebrity's allotment is booked and the cruise line can only act as a 3rd party to book your air. If the fare from any cruise line program is within a reasonable amount of the airline's fare you are always better off purchasing directly and managing your own reservation.

For more information about cruise air do check out the Sticky on the Cruise Air Forum. And when it is time to book your cruise and air, check with the real experts on air BEFORE you book.

Perks come in many forms. They can be offered by the cruise line or travel agent or sometimes both. As part of the Royal Caribbean family Celebrity has tightened up use of multiple perks. There are offers like the 1-2-3 packages from time to time but these offers generally may not be combined with residency rates, military or police rates. This can also vary depending on your country of residence.

Not all travel agents offer perks. You have to ask. And also ask about their fees for changes cancellations etc. Many do not charge but some do and the prices can vary from $25 to over $100.

If you can provide some additional information we will try to help. Please be aware that Cruise Critic rules forbid the posting of specific travel agents.

[Knolmom]

I will explain how I took advantage of the $600 choice air credit as a perk when I booked my Baltic cruise departing from Southampton.

I went to the Celebrity website, used the search feature, selected the cruise I wanted and then checked the box that I needed air for the cruise. It was a mY24, 2014 cruise round trip from Southampton. When I checked the box and went through the selection, a box popped up and I put in the travel dates that I was looking to fly, which were 9 days prior and 3 days after the cruise. I was able to select each flight I wanted and put together a round trip fare which was acceptable to me. I actually wanted to fly home from Paris instead of Heathrow and it let me do that( the price was almost the same, maybe $ 20 each round trip). I then called choice air and gave them the info . They booked the flights and gave me a record locator number. I had to pay for the flights myself via credit card to Choice air. I had to pay the full price without the perk. Within hours after Choice Air gave me the record locator I was able to go online to both airline websites( I chose BA going over and Air France coming back) and choose seats with no problem.

I then called and booked the cruise through my TA( large online/ telephone agency through a buyers club I belong to.) I told them I was taking the $600 Choice Air discount as my perk. They booked the cruise at their discounted price. When they called Celebrity and gave them my choice air ref number and said I wanted this as my perk, $600 credit was applied to my first invoice. It was that easy.

[Knolmom]

Further to one of the others posters, apparently the airfare I booked through choice Air is not a consolidator fare and has no restrictions. It is a very competitive fare, which I bought last Oct for travel this May. As a matter of fact, one of the legs is fully refundable, which is rare for the fare I paid. I have managed my own flights, changed seats via the website, both BA and Air France have communicated directly with me recently to obtain our passport info now that we are at 60 days out. Unlike cruise air in the past, I selected my own flights. I have had no need to communicate with Choice Air since I bought the tickets.