Website issues w/ Loyalty versus Pre-Cruise Savings - Warning

[mtempelaar]

I wanted to throw out a warning about some issues today with shore excursions and loyalty savings on the Celebrity cruise.  I keep a spreadsheet of all my bookings for all my cruises.  I track % off, total order cost, price per person, gratuities when appropriate.  I go to Celebrity's website weekly on Tuesdays (when all the sales hit) and on holidays.  I actively am rebooking whenever a price falls for anything.

 

I spent about 90 minutes today working on plans for two cruises. Normally this is a quick activity but with Loyalty savings now there, there were a lot of issues.    I ended up a call with Celebrity and they couldn't fix it.  Figured I'd list these out as a warning to others for things to look out for.  Don't just click, click, click your way through it when booking.  Their awful website is even more awful now.  

 

Issue 1: Slot Tournament - With new Loyalty savings, the price goes down from 27.99 to 25.99.  But when you go to checkout, it kept revising the price back to 27.99.  See below.  Sometimes it was on this screen.  Sometimes after you go to checkout.  You put in your credit card info, it throws an error and changes the price.  This only happened for my 2025 Ecllipse Cruise, not my Beyond one in April. 

 

Issue 2: Welsh Highland Railway and Countryside shore excursion.  I had originally booked at 116.99 per person (5%) off.   With Loyalty Savigs, the price changes to 104.99 per person (15% off).   Great!  I cancel my shore excursion and go to rebook it.   When I click on 104.99 option however, it reverts to 116.99 no matter what I do.  I rebooked it as only 3 spots remaining at 116.99 and call Celebrity.  They cannot find a 104.99 option, cannot see my screen.  They tell me to cancel my existing and try to rebook it, but I had already done that.  They end up offering me $25 OBC, which I accepted (which also covers the issue in #3 below)

 .  

 

Issue 3: At one point I had booked Scenic Drive and Blarney Village.  A Valentine's Day sale happened and I had rebooked it.  Something weird happened though.  I got two charges.  One for 137.98 and another for $100.  Same day, same guests, same shore excursion.  Ok, I think, I'll cancel the more expensive of the two, confused as to how that happened.   My reservation for that shore excursion went away completely.  I was no longer reserved.  So I cancel the $100 one since clearly that's NOT a real booking.  I rebook at 145.98, which is the current price, instead of the 137.98 that was the Valentine's Day price.  Disppointed but at least the $25 OBC that I got for Issue 2 above covered it.  I assume I will actually get the $100 back on my credit card but it hasn't come through yet.

Not issue but just a heads up to check everything: We have an 11 Day thermal spa pass for Beyond in 1 1/12 weeks.   Original price a few weeks ago:  2 people for 813.60.  Now today, with Loyalty savings: $731.96

 

 

Edited March 20 by mtempelaar

[jelayne]

That started a few days ago.  It seems that they are working to add the loyal discount to be automatic in the Cruise Planner.  It is getting there.

A couple of days ago the discount showed up but it was for the wrong CC level.  Then it disappeared totally.  Yesterday it reappeared at the correct loyalty level.  As you saw they have not gotten to the point where it transfers to the reservation/ purchase page.

 

Im happy they are working on it.  Maybe they should have shut down the Cruise Planner for a few days while they made the changes, but then there would be complaints that the Planner wasn’t available and probably some lost revenue.

[STLCRUISIN]

Within the last hour I booked a specialty restaurant on 3 booked cruises using the Loyalty discount and the correct pricing carried all the way through to the purchase. 

[dlh015]

Today I looked at the Blackjack and Slots tournaments.

 

On the first screen, it has the '(20% Off) Pre-Cruise Savings' in that ever-so-bright red.

 

When I click on either tournament, it then displays the '(10%) Off Classic Cruise Savings'!! 

 

So my Loyalty level costs me more then the Pre-Cruise price?? Too funny.

Still some work to be done obviously...

 

ETA: However, if I carry on and reserve the tournament, it does indeed give me the 20%...so no harm done...just a little weirdness...

Edited March 20 by dlh015

[jelayne]

Just booked specialty dining with the Loyalty discount.

Also checked some wine tasting and the Loyalty discount carried through to paying.  So, at least for our cruises it is working now

Glad they made this change, now we can reserve pre cruise with our discount.🎉

[Tyler414]

I had a similar issue with a drink package, it is showing a 20% discount, when I add it to my cart it then changes it to 10% loyalty discount.  Hope they get it fixed.

[TommyD3]

Great info. Can now get the 25% Zenith discount even on the Unlimited package. Close in cruises (a month out) are pretty much sold out (except for maybe 8:30). Still a VERY nice addition.

[Oceangoer2]

17 hours ago, jelayne said:

Just booked specialty dining with the Loyalty discount.

Also checked some wine tasting and the Loyalty discount carried through to paying.  So, at least for our cruises it is working now

Glad they made this change, now we can reserve pre cruise with our discount.🎉

Unfortunately I had to cancel my two dining reservations in order to rebook.  When I did so with Murano, it was only a few $$s reduced and I saw that to mean the difference in the Cdn. $.  I don't want to get into cancelling/rebooking/refunding....it's already a pain with one of these changes.  But if I wait, the discount may disappear.  A fools game we're playing with X right now.

[mahdnc]

17 hours ago, jelayne said:

Just booked specialty dining with the Loyalty discount.

Also checked some wine tasting and the Loyalty discount carried through to paying.  So, at least for our cruises it is working now

Glad they made this change, now we can reserve pre cruise with our discount.🎉

 

and it will help reduce the volume of phone calls that Celebrity receives.

[marci22]

Does the Loyalty discount always apply to specialty dining or is it a periodic sale?

[Oceangoer2]

6 minutes ago, marci22 said:

Does the Loyalty discount always apply to specialty dining or is it a periodic sale?

Should always be a loyalty discount of 15% according to posted R&Rs in the Loyalty Program.  In the past we had to reserve onboard to receive it, not available online or by calling, which I tried to do to no avail.  This removes a headache and the ability to reserve our favoured time instead of waiting to sail and finding our preferred time not available.

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Should always be a loyalty discount of 15% according to posted R&Rs in the Loyalty Program.  In the past we had to reserve onboard to receive it, not available online or by calling, which I tried to do to no avail.  This removes a headache and the ability to reserve our favoured time instead of waiting to sail and finding our preferred time not available.

Discount is 15% for Elite plus and 25% for Zenith.

[Oceangoer2]

2 hours ago, jelayne said:

Discount is 15% for Elite plus and 25% for Zenith.

True. I shouldn't have taken it for granted the poster was Elite +.