Restricted fare notice on booklet

[FeelingCruisy]

I got my cruise booklet this morning.  We had a big blue circle on the top right saying -

You are booked on a restricted price program.  Qualifying identification is required for booking.  Refer to the travel documents page for details.

It says we need to be a resident of <blank> on the details page.

We booked this cruise with a big TA which starts with C.   Wasn't told about any resident requirements.  Both our reservation and our friends has this blue circle.  Anyone know what's going on ?

 

[miched]

Call the TA and ask them.  
 

In the past if it was a resident or military  rate you had to prove it at the port for that rate.  I don’t know what the results were if you weren’t qualified. 
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[CharlieCharlieCharlie]

We had the same thing for a military fare for an upcoming cruise. We are taking paperwork just in case, but we have sailed with this fare type before and sent in a copy years ago. We have never had to physically show any paperwork in the past and have never seen that on our cover before. 
Sometimes the fare is worth it, sometimes not. Our former celebrity TA (she was amazing) would add in an extra onboard credit instead of worrying about the special fare. 

[omeinv]

As long as you meet the requirement for the fare, you're fine.  For example, if it's a state resident fare, you could be asked for your driver's license, or other proof of residency.  If it's a military fare, you could be asked for either military ID or your proof of honorable discharge (in the US a DD214).  If it's a Police/Fire/EMS fare, you could be asked for your proof of qualification.  In most people's experience, they've not been asked.  However, I do remember a case discussed here on Cruise Critic, many years ago where group had booked using a state discount.  Most of these did not qualify, as they did not live in that state.  The rules are very clear: If you book using a discounted rate for which you do not qualify, then you can be either denied boarding, or - at the pier - you will be re-fared to the fare applicable at that moment.  This would be a very expensive proposition.  It's critical to understand that they do not simply take away the discount and charge the amount that would have been required on the day of booking, but treat it like a brand new booking. 

 

If you're booked with a reputable TA, they most likely applied the state discount for the state in which you reside, and that's perfectly fine of course, and will present you no problems.  It's unlikely you'll be asked for verification of residency, since Celebrity already has your address from your completion of check-in documentation. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

 

[C-Dragons]

11 minutes ago, omeinv said:

As long as you meet the requirement for the fare, you're fine.  For example, if it's a state resident fare, you could be asked for your driver's license, or other proof of residency.  If it's a military fare, you could be asked for either military ID or your proof of honorable discharge (in the US a DD214).  If it's a Police/Fire/EMS fare, you could be asked for your proof of qualification.  In most people's experience, they've not been asked.  However, I do remember a case discussed here on Cruise Critic, many years ago where group had booked using a state discount.  Most of these did not qualify, as they did not live in that state.  The rules are very clear: If you book using a discounted rate for which you do not qualify, then you can be either denied boarding, or - at the pier - you will be re-fared to the fare applicable at that moment.  This would be a very expensive proposition.  It's critical to understand that they do not simply take away the discount and charge the amount that would have been required on the day of booking, but treat it like a brand new booking. 

 

If you're booked with a reputable TA, they most likely applied the state discount for the state in which you reside, and that's perfectly fine of course, and will present you no problems.  It's unlikely you'll be asked for verification of residency, since Celebrity already has your address from your completion of check-in documentation. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

 

All that is true for American citizens.

It appears that the O P is from Canada..?

[FeelingCruisy]

Canadian citizen here and When we book it from the travel agent, the the popular one that begins with c, we were not informed of any restriction except it was a group booking.   Worry that we might be charged more while at the ship. Non military nor retired anything.  

[RTShaker]

5 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

All that is true for American citizens.

It appears that the O P is from Canada..?

Applies to us as well. We often get offers for resident rates.

[omeinv]

4 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

All that is true for American citizens.

It appears that the O P is from Canada..?

Yes, there are provincial rates as well, so it can apply for Canada.  I'm sorry I didnt catch the OP's location. 
 

Harris

Denver, CO

[FeelingCruisy]

I guess we'll have to call the TA tomorrow and find out more information about this

[C-Dragons]

3 minutes ago, omeinv said:

Yes, there are provincial rates as well, so it can apply for Canada.  I'm sorry I didnt catch the OP's location. 
 

Harris

Denver, CO

Good to know. 👍

[omeinv]

7 minutes ago, FeelingCruisy said:

Canadian citizen here and When we book it from the travel agent, the the popular one that begins with c, we were not informed of any restriction except it was a group booking.   Worry that we might be charged more while at the ship. Non military nor retired anything.  

There's almost certainly no problem.  Since you're concerned, you could call your TA and ask them what restricted fare you are booked under.  Most TA sites I've seen ask about residency, military service, age, and prior cruises. The reason for these questions is to determine eligibility for the best pricing.  I would bet you qualified for a residency rate, and it was applied.  This is normal business practice, and it's that service people want from a TA.  People want the TA to handle all the "details" and simply get them the cruise they want at the best price. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[FeelingCruisy]

Anyway, thanks for all the answers. I will update this post tomorrow once I hear back from them. I emailed them already and I will call them tomorrow to follow up

[omeinv]

11 minutes ago, FeelingCruisy said:

I guess we'll have to call the TA tomorrow and find out more information about this

If you have your Celebrity invoice (the one directly from Celebrity Cruises, not your TA invoice, it will show what fare you're booked under.  It may not be abundantly clear, but we at the Cruise Critic Detective Agency could likely get it figured out for you.  🙂

 

Harris

Denver, CO

 

[FeelingCruisy]

It does say resident rate.  But doesnt tell me resident of what.  

Probably Canada ?  Also since this is a group booking, I would think the price is already reduced and why would they allow resident rate to be thrown in?  TA is American and I'm pretty sure anyone regardless of where they live could get this already fixed group reduced rate.  Don't have celebrity invoice when booked with TA.  (Or at least we never any in the past, and Including this cruise )

Edited March 12, 2023 by FeelingCruisy

[Jeremiah1212]

5 minutes ago, FeelingCruisy said:

It does say resident rate.  But doesnt tell me resident of what.  

Probably Canada ?  Also since this is a group booking, I would think the price is already reduced and why would they allow resident rate to be thrown in?  TA is American and I'm pretty sure anyone regardless of where they live could get this already fixed group reduced rate.  Don't have celebrity invoice when booked with TA.  (Or at least we never any in the past, and Including this cruise )

 

Nothing to worry about. You can add a resident rate into a group to get the benefits of both. There are all sorts of state/province discounts available. Ontario is very frequently on the list. 

[omeinv]

1 minute ago, FeelingCruisy said:

It does say resident rate.  But doesnt tell me resident of what.  

Probably Canada ?  Also since this is a group booking, I would think the price is already reduced and why would they allow resident rate to be thrown in?  TA is American and I'm pretty sure anyone regardless of where they live could get this already fixed group reduced rate.

Yes, it's almost certainly your province.  Presuming you haven't moved from one province to another since booking, you almost certainly have no worries.  I can tell you're concerned, so it's probably worth calling your TA to put your mind at ease.  It's fairly likely that all provinces of Canada were included, making it in effect a Canadian Discount. 

 

Over all my cruises I've probably booked on a restricted fare a dozen times, and have never been asked for proof of meeting the criteria.  In your case, the proof would be your Driver's License, or other proof of residency, which you'd almost certainly have with you anyway. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[Duanerice1]

I have the exact same thing and I live in Florida.  Not going to fret.... used this TA many, many times. 

[Arizona Wildcat]

4 hours ago, FeelingCruisy said:

Canadian citizen here and When we book it from the travel agent, the the popular one that begins with c, we were not informed of any restriction except it was a group booking.   Worry that we might be charged more while at the ship. Non military nor retired anything.  

Two things - Your TA has a long history of customer service (or lack of same) issues.

If you are booked into a group that requires some membership etc then it could be an issue.

There is no difference in qualifying for a group from Canada vs the USA.

My TA has access to various group blocks that require X number of cabins to be booked.  Nothing else.

Good luck with your booking.

[FeelingCruisy]

To update everyone, this was a resident rate of MANY residents, including Ontario, Quebec, Florida (us and our friends) as well as many other states that he was listing out.  Thanks all for the replies.