Should I Change My TA?

[miched]

Back in Aug I started  a thread that upset many because the title was Celebrity will Started Charging for the Gratuity on the Drink Package.

 

My TA said that the $11.80 per day that is the gratuity on a the drink pack will be charged if chosen  as a perk starting at the beginning  of Sept.  It was proven wrong with false info as it didn’t start in Sept and thankfully wasn’t the gratuities. 

 

The change with choosing the drink pack is actually a service charge of $14 per day and I think took effect Oct 10.  Completely different than the info given me.  

 

I should have known that it wasn’t  true as no one else knew about it.  

 

He just sent me another email a few days ago about another change along a fantastic price on a cruise.   I didn’t book it as we can’t sail on every bargain he sends us. 

 

I haven’t seen anyone else posting the info about  the change and so I won’t start another thread that will also prove to be false. 

 

 I  wonder if he  just makes  things up to create business?  

 

Other than the false info he provided back in Aug he has been reliable and provides great service. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

 

 

[jelayne]

If he provides good service and has better pricing than X and/or gives you OBC in the 8%+ range I see no reason to change, just ignore his advance notice of changes.

[hcat]

Maybe the exact  details  your TA gave you were incorrect, but the overall change certainly did come about! So TA knew something

[Toftwood]

1 minute ago, hcat said:

So TA knew something

Your agent clearly did know something, maybe not the finite detail but enough to arouse questions .............

[Fouremco]

9 minutes ago, miched said:

Other than the false info he provided back in Aug he has been reliable and provides great service.

Gee, one minor mistake, probably not even his fault, and you want to throw him under the bus? Seriously, if he provided the information in good faith and it turned out to be wrong, that's hardly grounds for dismissal. Given the timing and the similarity to what Celebrity did implement with its booking upcharge when selecting the BP as a "free" perk, it's quite possible that he was given an early version of Celebrity's plans that were subsequently modified, or that he and/or his source had misinterpreted the plans. There's no logical reason that I can see for him lying to you. 

[mdpa]

I agree, with what everyone else said since changes did take place. For that reason, please share what the TA told you most recently....albeit at this point as a rumor. Thanks

[Grandmaanne7]

50 minutes ago, mdpa said:

I agree, with what everyone else said since changes did take place. For that reason, please share what the TA told you most recently....albeit at this point as a rumor. Thanks

I'd be interested in reading this tidbit as well.

[Laurab23]

6 minutes ago, Grandmaanne7 said:

I'd be interested in reading this tidbit as well.

Me too!

[Oville]

Your TA gave you a tip that was incorrect but not too far off the mark.  You learned a lesson and not sharing his latest tidbit is probably a good thing.  ( BUT OF COURSE, WE’RE ALL DYING TO KNOW😉😁)

Edited October 12, 2019 by Oville

[CruiserMickey]

I would say  the that even though your TA’s info wasn’t exactly correct, he had some sort of advance intel that was a good warning for all of us. I would love to know the new rumour...knowing rumours often don’t come to pass, but often do contain a shred of truth.

[wrk2cruise]

Like others I believe your TA did get wind of what was going on and it's just that they adjusted and delayed the implementation.  I firmly believe the delay was more to allow the IT department to figure out how to handle it in their horrible interface.

 

Many people jumped on the OP at the time.  I knew him to be a frequent poster and I did believe what he was told.  It also wouldn't have been out the question for Celebrity to change their mind and not roll it out at all.

 

Yes I'm curious about the new rumor, but I'd agree it might be good to just let them cook it some more.

[JFontaine]

I think your TA was 99% correct, and the change in exact amount might have happened later. I will bite - what's next?

[hulamoon]

I am ready to hear it. Lol

[vtcruising]

You are keeping us in suspense. You had better tell us or I'm going to start a poll for people to choose what they think Miched's TA knows....😉

[dutchclogs]

Will be following with interest 😎!

[dani negreanu]

Don’t.

[deliver42]

Whatever X names the charge, it's still the same thing. Leave your TA alone. There's no problem there.

[Mynki]

I don't believe Miched has any intention of changing his TA. I think some misunderstand his post though.... :) 

[akcruz]

1 hour ago, Mynki said:

I don't believe Miched has any intention of changing his TA. I think some misunderstand his post though.... 🙂

 

Agree.

 

As to the original "rumor" I do wonder if Celebrity floats some of these things to see what reaction it will get.  Nobody liked the idea of adding a gratuity to a perk so they took a step back and made it a slightly different $ amount and changed the name.  Some still don't like it but many are accepting it without much complaint.  Slick marketing if true.

 

Have seen a number of reported rumors on these boards over the years, most never come to fruition so take them all with a grain of salt until I hear it from an official source.  Of course it is interesting to see what they are.

[vtcruising]

10 minutes ago, akcruz said:

 

Agree.

 

As to the original "rumor" I do wonder if Celebrity floats some of these things to see what reaction it will get.  Nobody liked the idea of adding a gratuity to a perk so they took a step back and made it a slightly different $ amount and changed the name.  Some still don't like it but many are accepting it without much complaint.  Slick marketing if true.

 

Have seen a number of reported rumors on these boards over the years, most never come to fruition so take them all with a grain of salt until I hear it from an official source.  Of course it is interesting to see what they are.

That was my thought as well. If true, it is more palatable the way they ended up doing it in some ways, but ended up costing us more, since the grats for the Classic are $11.80/day and now we are paying $14/day.

Edited October 14, 2019 by vtcruising

[villauk]

1 hour ago, vtcruising said:

That was my thought as well. If true, it is more palatable the way they ended up doing it in some ways, but ended up costing us more, since the grats for the Classic are $11.80/day and now we are paying $14/day.

 

 

‘That will teach them’ comes to mind 😜.

[Big_G]

Sorry if I'm late to the game but has someone actually seen this new charge?

[vtcruising]

Just now, Big_G said:

Sorry if I'm late to the game but has someone actually seen this new charge?

If you do a dummy booking you will see that choosing the Classic Beverage pkg as a perk will increase your cruise cost by $14/day.  I did a few dummy bookings for 7 day cruises and the cruises were all $196 more for 2 people when choosing the beverage package as one of the perks.

[Big_G]

2 minutes ago, vtcruising said:

If you do a dummy booking you will see that choosing the Classic Beverage pkg as a perk will increase your cruise cost by $14/day.  I did a few dummy bookings for 7 day cruises and the cruises were all $196 more for 2 people when choosing the beverage package as one of the perks.

 

Thanks. We have two booked and was wondering if I'd be seeing a new on-board charge. I'm assuming not.

[vtcruising]

12 minutes ago, Big_G said:

 

Thanks. We have two booked and was wondering if I'd be seeing a new on-board charge. I'm assuming not.

Not if booked before 10/10/19. 🙂

 

Edit: If you change your reservation, they may add the $14/day, if you already have a beverage pkg as a perk (such as if you rebook at a lower price or add a perk when there is a sale). Make sure you ask before changing your reservation.

Edited October 14, 2019 by vtcruising