Cruise Fare dropped after final payment

[Liao]

10 hours ago, gerelmx said:

It is common bad practice for Celebrity to lower prices after final payment to try to fill the ship.

It is not fair that the last to book have a better price than those who booked years in advance, Celebrity should change its policy so as not to affect the early birds.

It's not just the cruise industry that does this, it's a pretty common business practice in many others as well.

[Lastdance]

3 hours ago, jelayne said:

Curious why you were not allowed price drops before final payment.  We got 3 prices drops before final payment on our upcoming cruise.  I have never had a price drop not honored.

Several reasons:

1.  We could have a price drop, but lose lots of OBC.

2.  We had already paid a few days early, so would not allow us a price drop, losing even more OBC.  Celebrity would not budge on anything with us; we were told there was nothing Celebrity could do to assist us except just cancel our cruise…my DH had a bad ski accident right after this discussion.  Celebrity charged us extra money to cancel, even though we were booked under a different policy…they had our money, so we actually paid more.  No options for us at all!  This was from an individual who deals with suite customers!

 

We have yet to receive our airfare which was first class and a great deal.  My TA is working on this too, but time will tell…my DH injured both legs, but not even an I am sorry!  This was a first and yes, I did something about it!!!

Edited February 13 by Lastdance

[critterchick]

We are on the Edge transpacific sailing from Sydney to Honolulu in April. We were booked in a Magic Carpet suite and saw four price drops prior to final payment. No issue getting them, but we had to give up $800 in OBC for the last price drop (which was several thousand dollars, so well worth it). After final payment, the price dropped another $4000 and now it’s down even further. They are holding fast on CS and higher fares (that’s why I keep looking, not to poke myself in the eye, lol).

I was able to upgrade to an Aqua Suite but would have preferred the money. Resolutions wasn’t budging. Then I later read that two people did get a price reduction post-final payment so I gave it one last shot. No go, but we were happy with the price we paid so really don’t have a gripe.

[Lastdance]

13 minutes ago, critterchick said:

After final payment, the price dropped another $4000 and now it’s down even further. They are holding fast on CS and higher fares (that’s why I keep looking, not to poke myself in the eye, lol).

I was able to upgrade to an Aqua Suite but would have preferred the money. Resolutions wasn’t budging. Then I later read that two people did get a price reduction post-final payment so I gave it one last shot. No go, but we were happy with the price we paid so really don’t have a gripe.

So, the price dropped 4,000 on your category and now it is down even more, but you are happy with your price?  Did I read this correctly?

[critterchick]

4 hours ago, Lastdance said:

So, the price dropped 4,000 on your category and now it is down even more, but you are happy with your price?  Did I read this correctly?

 We were happy with the price we paid at the time of final payment. Of course we’d rather have the extra money in our bank account but it’s not happening so no point in wasting energy fretting about it. Over the years we’ve come out ahead way more often than not.

 

[Mark_K]

17 hours ago, gold1953 said:

Move up does not fill cabins . It just shifts people around and leaves others vacant

True, but then that isn’t its purpose.  Its purpose is twofold, to add revenue and to move people to higher cabin categories on the theory that a significant percentage will enjoy it enough to start booking the higher category.

[jelayne]

13 hours ago, Lastdance said:

Several reasons:

1.  We could have a price drop, but lose lots of OBC.

2.  We had already paid a few days early, so would not allow us a price drop, losing even more OBC.  Celebrity would not budge on anything with us; we were told there was nothing Celebrity could do to assist us except just cancel our cruise…my DH had a bad ski accident right after this discussion.  Celebrity charged us extra money to cancel, even though we were booked under a different policy…they had our money, so we actually paid more.  No options for us at all!  This was from an individual who deals with suite customers!

 

We have yet to receive our airfare which was first class and a great deal.  My TA is working on this too, but time will tell…my DH injured both legs, but not even an I am sorry!  This was a first and yes, I did something about it!!!

Price drop and loss of OBC is not unusual. If the promotion changed or the lower price did not include OBC ( or less OBC) then it is price drop or OBC.  Over the years we have lost OBC when we took advantage of a price drop, the most recent was loss of $1000 OBC for a price drop of $1800.  I’d much rather hang on to $1800 of my money than have $1000 of NR OBC.
 
I am surprised about them not allowing a price drop before final payment date because you paid early.  I always push back on TAs early payment date to cut it as close as I can.  
 

That sounds like a terribly accident your DH had skiing.

Hopefully he is fully recovered. 

[Banjo]

I had this happen to me on my recent Oct 30th Edge Rome-Dubai cruise.

 

Soon after the Middle East Oct 7th conflict started, the cruise price dropped like a rock thrown in the ocean. I just had a Infinite Veranda cabin and for the 2 of us lost about $3300. 

 

I called and all they did was upgrade me to a mid-ship cabin, same class. I tried to slip into Aqua but it was sold out.

 

Oh well, was a great cruise.

 

I did take advantage of an upcoming Apex May 2nd Trans-Atlantic on some price drops. The last I checked the price for that (not that matters now 🙂 )is holding steady.

Edited February 13 by Banjo

[Lastdance]

 

9 hours ago, critterchick said:

 We were happy with the price we paid at the time of final payment. Of course we’d rather have the extra money in our bank account but it’s not happening so no point in wasting energy fretting about it. Over the years we’ve come out ahead way more often than not.

 

I agree; when you look at the bigger picture things do look so much better.  We went through Covid onboard when it was a five day quarantine and Celebrity was great to us.  We owned their stock, buying low and selling high.  The memories made cruising are etched in our minds and found on our walls throughout our home.  My glass is always half full, as is yours!

 

Edited February 13 by Lastdance

[critterchick]

5 hours ago, Lastdance said:

 

I agree; when you look at the bigger picture things do look so much better.  We went through Covid onboard when it was a five day quarantine and Celebrity was great to us.  We owned their stock, buying low and selling high.  The memories made cruising are etched in our minds and found on our walls throughout our home.  My glass is always half full, as is yours!

 

 

 

LOL, I can be as half-empty as the rest of them.  But some things just aren't worth stressing over for more than a moment.

 

But good things come to those who wait. Today they dropped the price of the Sunset Sky Suites, which is what we wanted all along to a little bit less (under than what we're paying (originally an MS). And they were willing to let us "downgrade" from the Aqua Suite (which really didn't have any benefit that we value, since access to Blu is still on a space available basis with those and we don't go to the spa). We kept our prepaid gratuities and OBC. And AS were showing sold out so now they have another one to give to a Move Up or upsell.  Win-win!

[Lastdance]

1 hour ago, critterchick said:

LOL, I can be as half-empty as the rest of them.  But some things just aren't worth stressing over for more than a moment.

 

But good things come to those who wait. Today they dropped the price of the Sunset Sky Suites, which is what we wanted all along to a little bit less (under than what we're paying (originally an MS). And they were willing to let us "downgrade" from the Aqua Suite (which really didn't have any benefit that we value, since access to Blu is still on a space available basis with those and we don't go to the spa). We kept our prepaid gratuities and OBC. And AS were showing sold out so now they have another one to give to a Move Up or upsell.  Win-win!

Is it the one on deck 11?  Those are our favorites for TA’s/b2b’s.  I had that one on a TA; it was perfect and I love the long walks to the Retreat, gym and spa.  The only issue for those now and all the suites/SV’s is that Celebrity took away all the loungers.  Hope you enjoy it❣️

Edited February 13 by Lastdance

[Lastdance]

Anyone want to book the Retreat on May 1, 2024 for Hawaii...Retreat MC for 3,000 or so pp?  Book early and get a decent price, only to have it bottom out after final payment...how low will this one go?

[PTC DAWG]

On 2/12/2024 at 9:36 PM, Lastdance said:

So, the price dropped 4,000 on your category and now it is down even more, but you are happy with your price?  Did I read this correctly?

Sometimes it's just the way it is.  If they had gone up, would you offer to pay more?  

[Lastdance]

15 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Sometimes it's just the way it is.  If they had gone up, would you offer to pay more?  

I am not talking about me...I am letting people know that the price keeps dropping in case anyone wants a great deal.  My DH had a ski accident, so we had to cancel!  He is doing well...thanks for asking...

Edited February 14 by Lastdance

[PTC DAWG]

5 minutes ago, Lastdance said:

I am not talking about me...I am letting people know that the price keeps dropping in case anyone wants a great deal.  My DH had a ski accident, so we had to cancel!  He is doing well...thanks for asking...

Gotcha...I was confused, sorry.  I just looked at this cruise, you're right, a good deal can be had in all categories...Airfaire would kill me living in the ATL area.  

[Esmerelda]

I can’t answer the OPs question since this is our first Celebrity cruise coming up.  We have however booked several cruises with RC after final payment. We got great cabins and we saved a lot of money. This was pre covid and popular cruise times. We will book this way again in the future. Best of luck to the OP with their situation, 

[jenp123]

My price dropped after final payment on a cruise last December.  I started with an inside room and it dropped enough that I could have moved to an ocean view for free or $100 for a well located balcony.  I took the balcony :)

[gold1953]

18 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Sometimes it's just the way it is.  If they had gone up, would you offer to pay more?  

exactly!    and did they check the flight price as well.  This is basic marketing

[kruzgal]

On 2/12/2024 at 7:34 AM, upwarduk said:

Speaks volumes about Apex sailing from Southampton, obviously not as popular as Silhouette was. Last  year we booked on Silhouette 6 months before sailing and only had one choice of a balcony cabin.

Exactly, they have undoubtedly over priced it.  Cunard have been marketing their brand new ship Queen Anne considerably cheaper than Apex (thousands cheaper) and it is getting sold out as a result. We will definitely take our chances and wait until after final payment to book. Plenty of other options out there! 

[critterchick]

On 2/13/2024 at 3:43 PM, Lastdance said:

Is it the one on deck 11?  Those are our favorites for TA’s/b2b’s.  I had that one on a TA; it was perfect and I love the long walks to the Retreat, gym and spa.  The only issue for those now and all the suites/SV’s is that Celebrity took away all the loungers.  Hope you enjoy it❣️

We are on Deck 19. What did you like about 11?  I was looking for something with cover but it appears that there isn’t much on any of the decks except maybe 12 (which is taken, maybe that’s why). Thanks for any insight!

I replied too quickly - sorry to see that you had to cancel and happy to see that your DH is on the mend.

We’re on the TP prior to the Hawai’i cruise and it looks like the lower categories sold pretty well. The jump to the retreat was insane, particularly since the Sky Suites lost their butler service (I hear from a reliable source that they’re coming back, maybe to Edge before we sail).  Several on our Roll Call reported that their RoyalUp bids were accepted - I’d love to see the math that says that it’s more profitable to overprice a category and then have a bidding war than to just offer something at a reasonable price in the first place.

We’re going on the Queen Elizabeth to Alaska over the summer. 10 nights in Queen’s Grill for less than the  price of a 7 night cruise on X or Royal in an SS or JS ( on Royal, which don’t don’t get full suite perks). RCG are Wall Street darlings but so was Lucient Tecnhologies back in the day (poof! Went the stock after being overvalued for years).

 

[Lastdance]

1 hour ago, critterchick said:

We are on Deck 19. What did you like about 11?  I was looking for something with cover but it appears that there isn’t much on any of the decks except maybe 12 (which is taken, maybe that’s why). Thanks for any insight!

I wish I could share any special insight, but we have just had wonderful luck with deck 11, in terms of butler/cabin attendant service.  Everything has always been beyond special, at least for us.  Our first S1 corner aft(now sunset suite) was a move up from concierge for a total of $300 for a 10 night cruise in Greece; it was deck 11.  That number just stuck and remained an important part of our cruise bookings for the last 12 years.  If I book a Sky Suite, I always book deck 10 due to not having a complete overhang, finding a suite without those struts or square poles...just me.

 

Actually, we were originally on the NZ cruise and Wine Cruise with the TP.  We have hiked the Milford Track into Milford Sound, NZ, plus had a car and drove all over the country...just beautiful!  It was just too many days cruising altogether, so we changed to TP, then to just Hawaii.  Funny thing is now we cannot do any of those.  All the changes must have been predestined to happen.  Our friends were also on the first two cruises, but they canceled for Norway and Iceland.  Life is always full of surprises, but I truly believe that most happen for a reason.  Your suite is better where it is on 9; 12 is not always a good choice due to possible noise from above.  S class had the spiders(window-washing equipment)on certain decks, but not on E-class.

 

I am certainly contemplating waiting until the last 60-90 days to book for this year, if my DH is well and able.  Just one more specialist to see tomorrow, starting PT next week.  He is really tough, so will do well for sure.  We have everything booked for 2025, as long as nothing major happens.  Life is full of anything, but guarantees.  I hope you enjoy your TP and Hawaii; too bad we could not meet up onboard with all those sea days...keep posting and safe travels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 15 by Lastdance

[critterchick]

4 hours ago, Lastdance said:

I wish I could share any special insight, but we have just had wonderful luck with deck 11, in terms of butler/cabin attendant service.  Everything has always been beyond special, at least for us.  Our first S1 corner aft(now sunset suite) was a move up from concierge for a total of $300 for a 10 night cruise in Greece; it was deck 11.  That number just stuck and remained an important part of our cruise bookings for the last 12 years.  If I book a Sky Suite, I always book deck 10 due to not having a complete overhang, finding a suite without those struts or square poles...just me.

 

Actually, we were originally on the NZ cruise and Wine Cruise with the TP.  We have hiked the Milford Track into Milford Sound, NZ, plus had a car and drove all over the country...just beautiful!  It was just too many days cruising altogether, so we changed to TP, then to just Hawaii.  Funny thing is now we cannot do any of those.  All the changes must have been predestined to happen.  Our friends were also on the first two cruises, but they canceled for Norway and Iceland.  Life is always full of surprises, but I truly believe that most happen for a reason.  Your suite is better where it is on 9; 12 is not always a good choice due to possible noise from above.  S class had the spiders(window-washing equipment)on certain decks, but not on E-class.

 

I am certainly contemplating waiting until the last 60-90 days to book for this year, if my DH is well and able.  Just one more specialist to see tomorrow, starting PT next week.  He is really tough, so will do well for sure.  We have everything booked for 2025, as long as nothing major happens.  Life is full of anything, but guarantees.  I hope you enjoy your TP and Hawaii; too bad we could not meet up onboard with all those sea days...keep posting and safe travels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could swear that I changed 19 to 10, which is the deck we’re on.  I actually don’t think we can go wrong with any wake view! We’ll lift a glass (or three) to you as we contemplate our great good fortune.