Will prices increase?

[kruisecat]

Ok, so now it appears that Mercury will be sailing out of Vancouver instead of Seattle for 2007 (rumor has it). If that is the case my question is this:

 

If I had been booked (cabin picked, deposit made) and the prices go up for the "new" cruises will I have to pay the increased fare or will I be price protected?

 

If this has happened to anyone else out there I would appreciate your feedback.

 

Thanks!

[Andy]

Ok, so now it appears that Mercury will be sailing out of Vancouver instead of Seattle for 2007 (rumor has it). If that is the case my question is this:

 

If I had been booked (cabin picked, deposit made) and the prices go up for the "new" cruises will I have to pay the increased fare or will I be price protected?

 

If this has happened to anyone else out there I would appreciate your feedback.

 

Thanks!

 

Hi Kruisecat !

 

As long as you have a deposit on the booking, your fare probably will not change. However, I am assuming that the sailings and itineraries are the same, and it is only a change of homeport. If there are major changes, then anything is possible.

 

I am not sure if homeporting in Vancouver is any improvement over Seattle, but I will have to leave that to the Alaska experts.

[kruisecat]

Thanks Andy! From the back door way I found the itin it looks like it is exactly the same except for time changes (a few hours more in one place and less in another). I just am hoping to not find out tomorrow (or whenever they let me know for sure) that suddenly my cruise is going to cost several hundreds more. The airfare is already going to cost us about $400 more but we can live with that.

 

Thanks again! I will keep my fingers crossed that you are right :D

[kruisecat]

Thanks Andy! From the back door way I found the itin it looks like it is exactly the same except for time changes (a few hours more in one place and less in another). I just am hoping to not find out tomorrow (or whenever they let me know for sure) that suddenly my cruise is going to cost several hundreds more. The airfare is already going to cost us about $400 more but we can live with that.

 

Thanks again! I will keep my fingers crossed that you are right :D

[GORDONCHICK]

How or where did you all find this out? We just booked for Sept of 07 and we won't be going if it sails out of Vancouver.

[kruisecat]

How or where did you all find this out? We just booked for Sept of 07 and we won't be going if it sails out of Vancouver.

 

Actually I found out from these boards! But when I checked my ressie on celebrity.com I found out that it is now gone. I went in kind of a backwards way and found the reservation with the new departure port of Vancouver but no pricing. Today I spoke with a Captains Club rep and she told me nothing has been confirmed yet but that yes as of right now it looks like Vancouver will be the departure point. She also told me to check back with them in about a week and it should be confirmed by that point.

 

May I ask why you don't want to go if it is out of Vancouver? Don't mean to be nosey just trying to see if there is something I should consider in my decision to go or not.

 

Thanks!

[GORDONCHICK]

May I ask why you don't want to go if it is out of Vancouver? Don't mean to be nosey just trying to see if there is something I should consider in my decision to go or not.Thanks!

 

Nothing bad about the port, it just costs us an extra $1000 for airfare (three of us) to fly into Vancouver. We haven't been doing any cruises where we can't drive to the port (Galveston) but I got DH talked into this one but this will cause us to cancel. Disappointing since this would have be our first OV. Then ad the $50pp tax the wonderful citizens of Alaska just approved in August. Can we afford it? Yes, but we just choose not to do it and will pick something else.

[kruisecat]

Nothing bad about the port, it just costs us an extra $1000 for airfare (three of us) to fly into Vancouver. We haven't been doing any cruises where we can't drive to the port (Galveston) but I got DH talked into this one but this will cause us to cancel. Disappointing since this would have be our first OV. Then ad the $50pp tax the wonderful citizens of Alaska just approved in August. Can we afford it? Yes, but we just choose not to do it and will pick something else.

 

If it does turn out that it is going to go out of Vancouver you could always consider taking the train from Seattle to Van for about $150 additional (for all 3) and from what I've read on the Alaska boards it's a nice train ride. Just a thought to help a fellow cruiser avoid disappointment :D .

[GORDONCHICK]

Thanks for the train suggestion. I'll mention it to DH, as I would love to cruise Celebrity again. I also like the looks of a San Francisco RT for 12 days, and for not much more money. In fact, the cost per day is less, but it's on the Dawn Princess.

[kruisecat]

Thanks for the train suggestion. I'll mention it to DH, as I would love to cruise Celebrity again. I also like the looks of a San Francisco RT for 12 days, and for not much more money. In fact, the cost per day is less, but it's on the Dawn Princess.

 

I'd do the 12 days in a heartbeat :D Of course DH would kill me for it! I hope your able to find something that fits your budget and preferences.

 

Best of luck!

[GORDONCHICK]

Do you know if the $50pp train ride from Seatle to Vancouver is RT or one way?

[kruisecat]

Do you know if the $50pp train ride from Seatle to Vancouver is RT or one way?

 

I think it was RT but you can easily check their website for the exact amount www.amtrak.com as it appears that the change has become official. My reservation showed back up today with the new homeport of Vancouver. Good luck!

[GORDONCHICK]

Well, here's our deal: our Alaskan cruise is the last one for Mercury in 2007. The ship will sail out of Vancouver but return to Seattle. We will fly into Seattle and take the train up to Vancouver on a one-way ticket ($70 for the three of us). We are getting a $100 sb credit because of the change (that's total). Our deposit is paid and we have our cabin number.

 

Thanks for all your help!

[kruisecat]

Well, here's our deal: our Alaskan cruise is the last one for Mercury in 2007. The ship will sail out of Vancouver but return to Seattle. We will fly into Seattle and take the train up to Vancouver on a one-way ticket ($70 for the three of us). We are getting a $100 sb credit because of the change (that's total). Our deposit is paid and we have our cabin number.

 

Thanks for all your help!

 

Woo Hoo!!! I'm so glad to hear that it all worked out and with not a whole lot more $$$ out of your pocket! That is great! We'll be going in June 2007 so I'll be sure to let you know how it goes!

[GORDONCHICK]

Woo Hoo!!! I'm so glad to hear that it all worked out and with not a whole lot more $$$ out of your pocket! That is great! We'll be going in June 2007 so I'll be sure to let you know how it goes!

 

Thanks. I am looking so forward to this cruise! I'm also looking forward to the brand new linens Mercury should have on board by then as well. This will be our first OV cabin. I wish so much that we could get a balcony, but there's no way to justify that expense to my DH. If we won the lottery between now and then, I'm sure he'd be okay with it then.

[poetic license]

Congratulations for finding a solution and salvaging what will be a fabulous cruise!

[kruisecat]

Thanks. I am looking so forward to this cruise! I'm also looking forward to the brand new linens Mercury should have on board by then as well. This will be our first OV cabin. I wish so much that we could get a balcony, but there's no way to justify that expense to my DH. If we won the lottery between now and then, I'm sure he'd be okay with it then.

 

The rest of our group (11 others) all have balcony rooms. We opted for 8007 which is a substancially larger OV room in the front of the ship. Honestly I'm cold all the time and my feeling was that if I was going to be outside it would be up on deck so I could listen to any of the talks by the naturalist and be able to move from side to side of the ship. I don't see myself sitting on a balcony in my pjs so I just figure I'll use the additional $$ for shore excursions.

 

Of course if I win the lottery between now and then it's a suite for me!:D

 

Again, I really am glad that you will be able to go on this cruise. From everything I've heard and read it is truly a maginificent trip.

 

I'm sure we'll "talk" more over the months ahead!

[GORDONCHICK]

We had a get-together last night with the people who are hosting this cruise and they were thinking of doing a shuttle from Seattle. I think the train would be the way to go for us, especially with a six-year old boy (he will be by then)! I'm trying to talk DH into at least one night in Vancouver!