Upgrading after final payment date...

[lysolqn]

Confused re upgrading after final payment date. Let's say the rate for a balcony cabin is $1000pp and after the final payment date, Concierge Class (which was previously $1500 pp) drops to $900pp. Will X allow an upgrade to CC, if available, or can you only upgrade to a higher category that costs MORE than you paid?

[WestLakeGirl]

AFAIK know it has to cost more in order for them to discuss it, but all you can do is ask, keeping in mind that you might lose your perks and you won't get any money back so it might end up costing you money

[Ma Bell]

It also depends on what kind of rate it is.

[vkb2751]

It is difficult/impossible to upgrade now. We have been able to upgrade in the past but Celebrity has a lot of restrictions in place now. We were not able to upgrade from balcony to CC as we used old Open Passage for original booking. We were told that we would loose the original deposit on passage and OBC from Passage to upgrade. Price difference was $100 pp which we would pay.

 

This happened yesterday!

Edited October 2, 2014 by vkb2751

[melsuli]

Six of one and half a dozen of the other.

[MonaCK]

You should be able to upgrade: just be aware that if you do so, and the same promos are not in place, you will lose your promotions.

[Algebralovr]

It is difficult/impossible to upgrade now. We have been able to upgrade in the past but Celebrity has a lot of restrictions in place now. We were not able to upgrade from balcony to CC as we used old Open Passage for original booking. We were told that we would loose the original deposit on passage and OBC from Passage to upgrade. Price difference was $100 pp which we would pay.

 

This happened yesterday!

 

That doesn't make sense. I would recommend you call again and ask a different agent, or if you use a TA you ask them to do the same. They have to abide by the written rules, especially on the open passage you purchased. Saying you would lose your deposit makes no sense, nor does losing a small OBC.

[vkb2751]

That doesn't make sense. I would recommend you call again and ask a different agent, or if you use a TA you ask them to do the same. They have to abide by the written rules, especially on the open passage you purchased. Saying you would lose your deposit makes no sense, nor does losing a small OBC.

 

I have spoken to several people at Celebrity and so has my TA. The restrictions are on the promos. I would loose $100 deposit and $300 OBC. Not worth it to upgrade. Strange rules that make no sense!

[ghstudio]

deleted....too complicated for me.

Edited October 2, 2014 by ghstudio

[hulamoon]

I have spoken to several people at Celebrity and so has my TA. The restrictions are on the promos. I would loose $100 deposit and $300 OBC. Not worth it to upgrade. Strange rules that make no sense!

 

About a year ago, I as trying to upgrade fro sunset to AQ. I was willing to pay up to 500 more for it. I was told to call in daily and keep asking. Each time I called in, it was like, let's make a deal. Give up abc we give you d but you get half of x and we will only charge you 600.

 

And each day, it was a different offer that I had to make an immediate decision on. I just couldn't do it. It was complicated. After torturing myself for a couple of weeks. With the lets make a deal calls I finally decided ...do not ever book with an expectation of upgrade. And I began to suspect they were getting paid for taking calls rather than assisting whith an upgrade.

 

I really want to upgrade currently, but to tell you truth, even though I know what I am willing to spend to do so I am reluctant.

[Orator]

deleted....too complicated for me.

 

As I see it the problem appears when you are switching from one promotion to another. As you know there are frequently restrictions on promotions. These include new booking requirements, non discounted fare rules and group bookings. Usually no problem if you are moving up within the same promotion, but adding to or modifying original booking promotion may result in cancellation fees and loss of previous perks. In reality you are creating a new booking with different rules. Understandable from Celebrity's point of view. In many cases the "free perks" are actually hidden in the base cost of the cruise. May become a loss to Celebrity if people could upgrade perks and actually pay less for the cruise. Celebrity would in fact be absorbing the cost of the perks. I believe that most passengers are not aware of the policies and restrictions and that Celebrity and their TAs should do a better job explaining the policies at the time of booking. Many postings on these boards result from posters not really understanding the rules and that may not be their fault.

[Iamthesea]

You should be able to upgrade: just be aware that if you do so, and the same promos are not in place, you will lose your promotions.

 

It is difficult/impossible to upgrade now. We have been able to upgrade in the past but Celebrity has a lot of restrictions in place now. We were not able to upgrade from balcony to CC as we used old Open Passage for original booking. We were told that we would loose the original deposit on passage and OBC from Passage to upgrade. Price difference was $100 pp which we would pay.

 

This happened yesterday!

 

Does the same apply to cruises booked onboard another cruise. This would not be an Open Passage booking, but a confirmed booking.

 

As recently as last spring, I was able to upgrade my balcony to a suite and retain all incentives that I received for booking that cruise onboard.:confused: Have things/rules changed that much with Celebrity?

[ghstudio]

Does the same apply to cruises booked onboard another cruise. This would not be an Open Passage booking, but a confirmed booking.

 

As recently as last spring, I was able to upgrade my balcony to a suite and retain all incentives that I received for booking that cruise onboard.:confused: Have things/rules changed that much with Celebrity?

 

If you book an actual cruise on-board, it is just like booking with a TA...just with some additional perks. As long as you can keep that booking number, you can (usually) keep the perks. If you are trying to move to a "new bookings only" fare, then you or your ta may have to cancel the first booking and make a new one and the new booking number gets the perks on the day of that booking, not the original one you cancelled. But, I could be wrong...it generally seems to be a crap shoot and you have to call to try to figure it out (and sometimes, if you're smart, you call two or three times to see if you get the same answer)

[camii40]

we booked in may, 2D with $300 OBC, PrePaid Grats and discount on booking. just upgraded last week to a 1A room with no loss to the specials.

[Orator]

we booked in may, 2D with $300 OBC, PrePaid Grats and discount on booking. just upgraded last week to a 1A room with no loss to the specials.

 

You were probably in the same promotion and could upgrade. The problem, as stated earlier, is when you want to go from one promotion to a different promotion.

[vkb2751]

As I see it the problem appears when you are switching from one promotion to another. As you know there are frequently restrictions on promotions. These include new booking requirements, non discounted fare rules and group bookings. Usually no problem if you are moving up within the same promotion, but adding to or modifying original booking promotion may result in cancellation fees and loss of previous perks. In reality you are creating a new booking with different rules. Understandable from Celebrity's point of view. In many cases the "free perks" are actually hidden in the base cost of the cruise. May become a loss to Celebrity if people could upgrade perks and actually pay less for the cruise. Celebrity would in fact be absorbing the cost of the perks. I believe that most passengers are not aware of the policies and restrictions and that Celebrity and their TAs should do a better job explaining the policies at the time of booking. Many postings on these boards result from posters not really understanding the rules and that may not be their fault.

 

We booked a transatlantic with open passage. No Celebrity promos apply to transatlantic other than OBC from open passage. We' were not allowed to upgrade. Have done it in the past but no luck this time. I got a call back from Customer Relations Manager who said that all rates have different rules and rate is not combinable with open passage. The new passages issued after AUG 2013 have the restrictions but our passage is from Feb 2013.

 

New rules, new restrictions every day!

[Sloop-JohnB]

We booked a transatlantic with open passage. No Celebrity promos apply to transatlantic other than OBC from open passage. We' were not allowed to upgrade. Have done it in the past but no luck this time. I got a call back from Customer Relations Manager who said that all rates have different rules and rate is not combinable with open passage. The new passages issued after AUG 2013 have the restrictions but our passage is from Feb 2013.

 

New rules, new restrictions every day!

 

Hmmmm...

 

I take it you have not seen / read the recent announcement by Celebrity regarding Onboard Future Cruise Vacations and how Open Passage Cerificates now work.

 

http://www.celebrityonboardcruisesales.com/t&c.html

 

All outstanding Certs converted to the New System as of August 1, 2013 (so it IS NOT just for NEW Open Passage Certs issued since that date)

 

Read the section entitled - Still Have An Old Open Passage

 

Cheers!

Edited October 2, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[bayonnejoe]

Confused re upgrading after final payment date. Let's say the rate for a balcony cabin is $1000pp and after the final payment date, Concierge Class (which was previously $1500 pp) drops to $900pp. Will X allow an upgrade to CC, if available, or can you only upgrade to a higher category that costs MORE than you paid?

 

I did just this last year. A C1 was actually $50 less than what I paid for a 2A after final payment. It was a regular rate, no exciting deal, senior, or resident rate. If this is the case, you can upgrade with no loss of perks. You will not however, get a refund for the difference. Remember, if it is a special promotion, you cannot upgrade if you have any sort of perks such as the free beverage package, or anything else without losing them. Ask your rep before you commit and get a name!

[Sloop-JohnB]

I did just this last year. A C1 was actually $50 less than what I paid for a 2A after final payment. It was a regular rate, no exciting deal, senior, or resident rate. If this is the case, you can upgrade with no loss of perks. You will not however, get a refund for the difference. Remember, if it is a special promotion, you cannot upgrade if you have any sort of perks such as the free beverage package, or anything else without losing them. Ask your rep before you commit and get a name!

 

Excellent advice...

 

Never make any changes to your Reservation without knowing EXACTLY what will happen to it, and what it truly means

 

Upgrading, Transferring are one thing... If they have to cancel entirely... A whole other ball of wax !!!

 

And yes ABSOLUTELY take names of Reps you speak to... And get written Confirmations either on your Booking / Invoice or via seperate email

 

I NEVER get off the phone until I have some sort of email Confirmation

 

Cheers!

[grandgeezer]

I just did this three hours ago. I moved from a 2B balcony to a Conciearge balcony. Didn't pay a penny extra and kept my obc and prepaid gratuities I got when I originaly booked the cruise. My online travel agent did it for me at no additional charge.

[vkb2751]

Hmmmm...

 

I take it you have not seen / read the recent announcement by Celebrity regarding Onboard Future Cruise Vacations and how Open Passage Cerificates now work.

 

http://www.celebrityonboardcruisesales.com/t&c.html

 

All outstanding Certs converted to the New System as of August 1, 2013 (so it IS NOT just for NEW Open Passage Certs issued since that date)

 

Read the section entitled - Still Have An Old Open Passage

 

Cheers!

 

Thank you. No, I had not seen the announcement. Where did you get this? It is strange that the 4 people I spoke to at Celebrity did not tell me about this announcement/change!

Edited October 2, 2014 by vkb2751

[Sloop-JohnB]

Thank you. No, I had not seen the announcement. Where did you get this? It is strange that the 4 people I spoke to at Celebrity did not tell me about this announcement/change!

 

The para in question was as I said part of a bigger Announcement by Celebrity when they rolled out their NEW Cruise Now / Cruise Later Program (happened August 14, 2014)

 

Here is the link to the original topic that HOST ANDY posted

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2086933

 

The link I gave you in my previous post is the actual Press Release from Celebrity On Board Cruise Sales website

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers!

Edited October 2, 2014 by Sloop-JohnB

[Ontario Cruiser]

We had booked an inside cabin and last week we upgraded to an outside guarantee cabin then yesterday we changed to a balcony and we have just been assigned the Family Verandah cabin. The total cost for doing all this was $562, we did however loose our $100 OBC. Ontario Cruiser

[monicajay]

We had booked an inside cabin and last week we upgraded to an outside guarantee cabin then yesterday we changed to a balcony and we have just been assigned the Family Verandah cabin. The total cost for doing all this was $562, we did however loose our $100 OBC. Ontario Cruiser

 

You should be smiling ear to ear!

[Cruzinram]

Go an upgrade from 1A veranda to A2 Aqua during the Cyber fare last week. I had 300 obc from previous August PYP promotion, 100 from open passage and 50 from T/A for a total of 450.00.Lost nothing. However, when I first approached my T/A I was told I would loose promos. I was only about a week in final payment, so the next day I asked what it would cost me to cancel. I wanted to weigh the cost if any against any saving by re-booking or loose I had of promo. The T/A then changed their tune, and said they could give me the Aqua upgrade and I would loose nothing. Terms and conditions of sale stated you could not combine with any other promo. A friend of mine tried the same thing, but was booked through Celebrity. She took it up with a manager and was told NO, you will the OBC your have from your promo booking. So, perhaps my T/A just gave it to me to prevent the cancellation. The open passage was transferred to a large internet agency, and they also lowered the price.