UK gets option of refundable deposit at last!

[mrsgoggins]

Well I thought I would never see the day!  New promotions day today so I priced up one of my next year's bookings only to discover there is a booking option of a stripped down (cheaper) price and a more expensive price (with perks) AND refundable deposit.  I haven't checked the small print yet, so there may be a nasty surprise, but hey, you gotta hope.  The downside (and there always is one) is that the said cruise is now almost £400 ($500) more than when I booked a few months ago.

[Mark_T]

Yes, they have finally brought the US style perks to the UK, interesting mix of options ...

Edited November 19, 2019 by Mark_T

[Mark_T]

So I picked a 15 night cruise as an example to see how the perk / no perk pricing works out...

 

The first price you see on the website is the 'no perk' price which already includes a £375 'discount'.

 

The two perk price therefore starts at £375 above the price you saw at the start and gives you this choice:

 

Note that the beverage package shows the price increase based on 2 people, so it will add £150 to the per person cost.

 

The 4 perk offering is as follows:

 

Note that this adds £600 per person so we are now £975 per person above the price we first saw when we started this booking... 🙂

 

While it is not exactly deceptive as the words do make it clear, the slippery slope is very much there as you see £300 become £600 as you move from 2 to 4 perks, but it is actually £300 becoming £1200 ...

 

 

[Mynki]

I've just been looking at this. It looks like UK TA's need to catch up as their systems are not automatically offering you these options. 

It will be interesting to see how pricing between the US and UK compares now they've copied the US based system. 

[jojo1966]

is this the end of "offers " then? 

[Mark_T]

Pretty much I'd say.

 

There are still 'free flight' offers on some cruises, but for the moment at least the three choices (no perks/2 perks/4 perks) will be the 'offer' in place of the included perks we saw before.

[Mynki]

Didn't the free European flight offer expire yesterday? 

Anyway, here's a dummy booking for an aquaclass room onboard Apex with all 4 perks priced at £5698



And here's the same deal with just two perks priced at £6398



So spend £700 less and gain two 'free' perks?  I think we're in for fun and games over the next few days and weeks. 

Edited November 19, 2019 by Mynki

[Mark_T]

Interesting the way the options work out in terms of value.

 

There is no point in taking either the 2 or 4 perk deal if the drinks package isn't a 'must have' for you.

 

If you would upgrade the classic package to Premium then you may as well go for the 4 perks offer unless the internet is of zero value to you and you wouldn't use the OBC.

 

Taking the classic drinks + gratuities and adding the upgrade to Premium costs £825 so for an extra £150 with the 4 perks package you'd get the $150 OBC and internet. (per person)

 

Edited November 19, 2019 by Mark_T

[mrsgoggins]

I am suspecting that the ‘refundable’ deposit might not be the same ‘refundable until final payment’ date that our North American cousins enjoy!

 

I checked a January 2021 Caribbean booking I have and after a date in January 2019 (I assume it should be 20!) then I would forfeit my deposit!  Either the t&cs have yet to be amended, or the fully refundable deposit is for a limited period.

 

I hope I’m wrong.

[Mark_T]

3 minutes ago, Mynki said:

Didn't the free European flight offer expire yesterday? 

Anyway, here's a dummy booking for an aquaclass room onboard Apex with all 4 perks priced at £5698



And here's the same deal with just two perks priced at £6398



So spend £900 less and gain two 'free' perks?  I think we're in for fun and games over the next few days and weeks. 

 

There are still some cruises available with free flights at the moment it seems...

 

I think that is £700 less isn't it?

 

£350 per person...

Edited November 19, 2019 by Mark_T

[Mynki]

3 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

 

There are still some cruises available with free flights at the moment it seems...

 

I think that is £700 less isn't it?

 

£350 per person...

It is. You quoted me before I edited. :) 

I still can't figure out why four perks is £700 less than booking with two though. Plus it includes the classic to premium beverage pack upgrade which for a 10 night cruise has some value. 

[Mark_T]

There is something wrong with the numbers on the 4 perks deal, you have a £500 discount there and no cost for the perk package ... ?

 

The discount reflects the 'no perks' price, yet somehow you've got the 4 perks for nothing and kept the no perks discount...

Edited November 19, 2019 by Mark_T

[DYKWIA]

13 minutes ago, Mynki said:

It is. You quoted me before I edited. :) 

I still can't figure out why four perks is £700 less than booking with two though. Plus it includes the classic to premium beverage pack upgrade which for a 10 night cruise has some value. 

I looked at one cruise and two perks was £300 extra  PLUS an additonal £220 if the drinks were included.  If you went to +4 perks the extra was zero - I suspect a glitch.

 

Many of these perks aren't really perks or good value IMO.   Paying to get On-board credit to buy overpriced stuff and pre-paying gratuities - can't see these as perks - anymore than buying a store gift card isn't a perk - it's a commodity to buy.  Can't see these working for us and with elevated price I suspect this will be the nudge to try something else or  cruising with someone else

[Mark_T]

It is all about the drinks package.

 

If you wouldn't buy that normally then go for the no perks 'discount'  (which is actually the advertised price).

 

If you would buy the drinks package then go for drinks+gratuities.

 

Otherwise the 4 perks works out well if you'd normally get the Premium drinks package and have some use for the OBC and value the internet at least at £50 per person (on a 15 night cruise in this example).  Otherwise don't bother.

 

Edited November 19, 2019 by Mark_T

[wrk2cruise]

30 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

There is something wrong with the numbers on the 4 perks deal, you have a £500 discount there and no cost for the perk package ... ?

 

The discount reflects the 'no perks' price, yet somehow you've got the 4 perks for nothing and kept the no perks discount...

 

This is going to end up being an IT problem (who would have guessed).  People reported the same issue when the Veterans day sale came out.  The Price Only Rate is the discount code for No Perks Refundable Deposit.  So there would be no perks with this rate.  Even though the 4 perks are listed in the summary Celebrity refused to honor the mistake for most when this happened a couple of weeks ago.

[Mynki]

1 hour ago, DYKWIA said:

I looked at one cruise and two perks was £300 extra  PLUS an additonal £220 if the drinks were included.  If you went to +4 perks the extra was zero - I suspect a glitch.

 

Many of these perks aren't really perks or good value IMO.   Paying to get On-board credit to buy overpriced stuff and pre-paying gratuities - can't see these as perks - anymore than buying a store gift card isn't a perk - it's a commodity to buy.  Can't see these working for us and with elevated price I suspect this will be the nudge to try something else or  cruising with someone else

 

I've since undertaken a few more dummy bookings, it does look like a glitch. I wonder if Celebrity would honor the advertised price to anyone completing a real booking? 

 

Edited November 19, 2019 by Mynki

[mickey89]

Just compared their new price with refundable deposit with 2 perks for our cruise that I booked 2 months ago.........

Wow it has almost DOUBLED in price.  We paid £2314 for a 1B hump balcony on Reflection  (Nov20) with 3 perks now they want £4418 with just 2 perks for the same cabin grade.   Celebrity back to their tricks again, treating people as mugs................!

Edited November 19, 2019 by mickey89
typo

[barbette165]

I did a mock booking yesterday for a 1A on Equinox next June. Yesterday's offer was Classic Beverage Package and $300 OBC. The price came out at £3,958.  Building the same thing today, for the same cabin, comes out at £4,418 for the CBP and OBC. The base price without any perks is £3,858. 

(Maybe the base prices still need to be adjusted to align with the new options?)

[hopeless holiday booker]

Oh, how I miss the days of going into my travel agent, booking a cruise, going on the cruise, staying in the room I originally booked, paying for my own drinks and paying with those envelopes at the end of the cruise!

 

As people have previously stated, you now really have to do your investigation/maths to get the best deals with the best agents either US or UK.

 

It doesn't stop me booking and I often enjoy the research - constantly checking the price, sometimes changing to a better positioned room after booking.  You have to be savvy and sort out what you want and what you're prepared to pay for.

 

😎

 

 

[fragilek]

just priced my future cruise up and it is over £1000 more for the week.  Also odd all C class- C1 being the cheapest work out less than  any E class.  And 4 perks works out exact same cost as 2 perks.  No perks is £179pp less. This is through an online UK  TA

[wrk2cruise]

1 hour ago, Mynki said:

 

I've since undertaken a few more dummy bookings, it does look like a glitch. I wonder if Celebrity would honor the advertised price to anyone completing a real booking? 

 

 

No because the real booking will have the price code for no perks.   Again this happened a few weeks ago here in the US and they wouldn't honor it.   My opinion is that if they can't fix a recurring IT problem they should honor the results.

[Mynki]

3 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

No because the real booking will have the price code for no perks.   Again this happened a few weeks ago here in the US and they wouldn't honor it.   My opinion is that if they can't fix a recurring IT problem they should honor the results.

 

I appreciate that but consumer protection laws in the UK / EU differs when compared to the US. They tend to be better here generally speaking. I'm not planning on making a booking and grabbing things for free by the way. Just interested to see what would happen here. 

[mrsgoggins]

9 minutes ago, Mynki said:

 

I appreciate that but consumer protection laws in the UK / EU differs when compared to the US. They tend to be better here generally speaking. I'm not planning on making a booking and grabbing things for free by the way. Just interested to see what would happen here. 

 

Nothing.  Retailers in the UK have the right to not sell you goods and services they have incorrectly priced under the Sale of Goods Act.

Edited November 19, 2019 by mrsgoggins

[bengaltiger1]

Out of interest I have looked at a cruise that I have booked and on which Celebrity UK had already honoured price drops. ( now past final payment date)  I had the CDP and $300 OBC included as an offer in the U.K.   Today that same cruise has the exact same cruise fare that I got in a price drop. However, on a dummy booking if I add the two perks of CDP and the OBC it costs £600 more than I paid. Strange. The no frills is £70 cheaper than I paid. 
It also details a refundable deposit, but when you click through and then check the cancellation policy it clearly states £150 pp if cancelled in a stated timeframe.

 

[mrsgoggins]

7 minutes ago, bengaltiger1 said:

Out of interest I have looked at a cruise that I have booked and on which Celebrity UK had already honoured price drops. ( now past final payment date)  I had the CDP and $300 OBC included as an offer in the U.K.   Today that same cruise has the exact same cruise fare that I got in a price drop. However, on a dummy booking if I add the two perks of CDP and the OBC it costs £600 more than I paid. Strange. The no frills is £70 cheaper than I paid. 
It also details a refundable deposit, but when you click through and then check the cancellation policy it clearly states £150 pp if cancelled in a stated timeframe.

 

 

At this moment, I am still wanting to believe that the website is work in progress!  I have just taken a look at Princess cruises for 2021 and it's a site you can still actually enjoy using ..... sigh!!!