Seabourn refusing to reduce reservation charge even though Cruise price has dropped.

[dalliowner]

Unfortunately all UK TAs  have this clause.The positive of this though is unlike in the USA you do not have people booking  two or  three cruises and then deciding when final payment due which  one they will use . You can see this when a cruise, or a certain type of cabin ore not available , then suddenly two months before sailing they suddenly became available. Some people by then have decided  on  another choice.

[Mauzac]

 

 

5 hours ago, dalliowner said:

Unfortunately all UK TAs  have this clause.The positive of this though is unlike in the USA you do not have people booking  two or  three cruises and then deciding when final payment due which  one they will use . You can see this when a cruise, or a certain type of cabin ore not available , then suddenly two months before sailing they suddenly became available. Some people by then have decided  on  another choice.

 

I find it a bit unfair to be honest.  Our deposits are big and they're paid well in advance, sometimes 18 months - 2 years before a sailing date with ones we've booked before.  Is there a positive to this?  Not sure there is!

 

There's always a flurry of activity and upgrade offers in the weeks prior to the cruise when choices have to be made and deposits paid.  I just find it a tad annoying that the suite choice is reduced when we book because lots are 'on option' but not actually booked!  

Edited February 8, 2019 by Mauzac

[dalliowner]

quite agree

 

[wripro]

3 hours ago, Mauzac said:

 

 

 

I find it a bit unfair to be honest.  Our deposits are big and they're paid well in advance, sometimes 18 months - 2 years before a sailing date with ones we've booked before.  Is there a positive to this?  Not sure there is!

 

There's always a flurry of activity and upgrade offers in the weeks prior to the cruise when choices have to be made and deposits paid.  I just find it a tad annoying that the suite choice is reduced when we book because lots are 'on option' but not actually booked!  

I have  a question for you. Does your UK TA give you a nice rebate on the fare? Many UK TAs receive a much higher commission than US TAs and therefore can rebate a hefty amount. That is the trade off for not being able to get your deposit back.

[Mauzac]

1 hour ago, wripro said:

I have  a question for you. Does your UK TA give you a nice rebate on the fare? Many UK TAs receive a much higher commission than US TAs and therefore can rebate a hefty amount. That is the trade off for not being able to get your deposit back.

 

Yes, we get 'perks' but I find the inflexibility rather trying when planning a cruise.  

[Jane555]

UK based but don’t understand why many UK based passengers moan about restrictions when booking with UK agents.

it is your choice who you book with. If you want the flexibility like the US passengers then book with a US agent.

We book with both depending on which cruise we choose. We know which areas tend to drop in price and book with US for these. 

There are different rules - if you want the ‘perks’ over flexibility book with UK agent - you choose which you want !

[dalliowner]

It is not about the perks but more in the unfair use by booking multiple cruises with no intention of using all of them

[wripro]

8 hours ago, dalliowner said:

It is not about the perks but more in the unfair use by booking multiple cruises with no intention of using all of them

It is about the perks. You have a choice, Get the perks and forgo the ability to cancel without penalty or forgo the perks and book with a US TA and be allowed to cancel until final payment. Seems like you want both. What do they say about a cake and eating it?

[Emperor Norton]

It is about the perks. You have a choice, Get the perks and forgo the ability to cancel without penalty or forgo the perks and book with a US TA and be allowed to cancel until final payment. Seems like you want both. What do they say about a cake and eating it?

The cake is a lie.


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[dalliowner]

Not all UK TA s  give a rebate in fact most do not. The  decision  to make deposit not refundable is not down to the TA but is the cruise company policy.  Some UK TA`s give a rebate where some USA TA`s give on board credit and  trips on shore and as you say you have a choice. My point was those who make multiple bookings with no intention of taking them all ,therefore restricting the choice of others.

[naata]

4 hours ago, dalliowner said:

Not all UK TA s  give a rebate in fact most do not. The  decision  to make deposit not refundable is not down to the TA but is the cruise company policy.  Some UK TA`s give a rebate where some USA TA`s give on board credit and  trips on shore and as you say you have a choice. My point was those who make multiple bookings with no intention of taking them all ,therefore restricting the choice of others.

Uniformity in booking policy would be great, but I am not sure IF the USA consumer laws allow for a reserve and no loss of deposits.   I do think Seabourn should discourage multiple bookings of cruises, as it seems to create issues with other non-USA made bookings and cabin availability. 

 

In order to obtain decent business flight reservations & cost, we are required often to book 6-8 months in advance and pay in full.   This from Australia tends to preclude multiple cruise destination bookings, despite that it would appear we could avoid any deposit loss IF the booking is made with a US Agent.

[dalliowner]

I quite agree, my quote was not about TA `s  but   was about Cruise companies   having different conditions for bookings in different countries. In the UK it makes no difference if you book via an agent or direct with them you loose your deposit if you cancel before final payment is due.

[naata]

21 hours ago, dalliowner said:

I quite agree, my quote was not about TA `s  but   was about Cruise companies   having different conditions for bookings in different countries. In the UK it makes no difference if you book via an agent or direct with them you loose your deposit if you cancel before final payment is due.

I suspect Seabourn has it's "cloth ears" on this situation, but it would be nice if they reviewed the situation and made some changes to booking conditions.

[iamkingofall]

On ‎7‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 1:49 AM, Tillylovesseabourn said:

 

Yes, and as I have said recently this happens very regularly, however funnily enough no one wants to start a thread about how their cruise price rose $6000 after they had booked! ;)

Always  something .B%%ch B$$ch B##ch 

[trvlrs]

Very interesting thread!! Can I ask how you monitor price drop on a particular cruise? We always pay premium while cruisers we meet on board have paid a lot less. Is there a particular website we can use for price drop? Thank you all

 

[Mauzac]

7 hours ago, trvlrs said:

Very interesting thread!! Can I ask how you monitor price drop on a particular cruise? We always pay premium while cruisers we meet on board have paid a lot less. Is there a particular website we can use for price drop? Thank you all

 

 

I don't tend to monitor prices as such.... however, I am due on a SB cruise in two weeks.  I received a promotional email from the TA a week or so ago, I get lots of them, and this one I was glad I opened. (often I don't!)    

 

Our cruise was on offer at a significant price reduction.  If it had been just a few hundred pounds I would have left it, market forces, supply and demand etc..  It wasn't.  It was a lot lot less than we'd paid when we booked a year ago. We are in a V5 and could've been in a PH suite with this offer.    I contacted our TA who in turn contacted SB and they came back with 3 offers, one of which we took, it didn't cover the difference but an effort was made.  That's fair, that's good practice because it means we'll come back as a customer, as opposed to being disgruntled.

[dalliowner]

I am beginning to wonder if it is ever worth booking over a year in advance.

 

[wripro]

The easiest way to monitor the price of your cruise is to go on to the Seabourn website and check out the current fares. Or make sure you tell your TA to keep monitoring the fare.  And if you are not using a TA then it's your fault if you get stiffed. jmo.