Celebrity Sale July 12,13

[fozzy]

I hope I'm not repeating anyone else, but there is going to be a sale on Thursday and Friday. Dollars off and 50% deposits. For Sept 1, 2007-Sept 30, 2008 sailings.

 

Hope this helps

[Susan-M]

Hi Fozzy,

 

This is the offer that I received from an on-line TA:

Here's the deal:

 

Book any new Celebrity cruise sailing 9/1/07 through 9/30/08 on THURSDAY 7/12 or FRIDAY 7/13 and receive up to $ 250 INSTANT DISCOUNT Plus 50% off your deposit!!

 

Cruise Length / INSTANT DISCOUNT / Reduced Deposit

3-5 nt. / $ 50 per Stateroom / $ 50 pp

6-9 nt. / $ 100 per Stateroom / $ 125 pp

10- 12 nt. / $ 200 per Stateroom / $ 225 pp

13 nt.+ / $ 250 per Stateroom / $ 225 pp

 

 

The offer is limited per sailing and may be closed at any time throughout the two day sale if maximum offer capacity is achieved on that sailing. These are going to be two BUSY days, so Waiting List for Advance Purchases start TODAY- Monday 7/9. Call one of our cruise specialists at .....

[Justanut]

So if we JUST booked for next May (and I mean JUST as in "the deposit just hit my credit card today") - can we take advantage of the sale if the prices are lower than ours? I think we got a pretty good deal - but hey - I'm always willing to take more!

[ocngypz]

So if we JUST booked for next May (and I mean JUST as in "the deposit just hit my credit card today") - can we take advantage of the sale if the prices are lower than ours? I think we got a pretty good deal - but hey - I'm always willing to take more!

 

No, these are new bookings only. And you cannot cancel and rebook.

[Susan-M]

I forgot to include the additional 'fine print':

 

New Bookings Only. All bookings require the applicable deposit on Thursday 7/12 or Friday 7/13 to qualify for reduced deposit and INSTANT DISCOUNT. Combinable with all restricted promotional codes as well (i.e Senior, Resident, reduced airfare, etc.) Offer applies to new Individual bookings only and does not apply to groups and is not combinable with any other offer or Capt. Club Savings Certificates. Not valid on Cruisetour packages, Celebrity Xpeditions, Azamara, or onboard bookings. The pricing and special offer is based on availability and is subject to change without notice. Offer may be withdrawn at any time. Certain restrictions apply

[oceanbear]

Just Curious! Why can't you make a "new" booking through a T/A, then, sometime later, cancel your old booking online with Celebrity? You "might" even get your old cabin back if you alert your T/A just before you cancel. There is no rule against booking multiple cabins, as long as you are willing to make a deposit. If you don't care about a specific cabin, it would definitely be worth a try.

[BurBunny]

By the way, I'm checking with the powers that be at Celebrity (beyond the reservationists level) regarding the "not combinable with other promotions" language. When RCCL did the WOW sale, after the sale they interpreted that to mean no past passenger benefits (which would be the equivalent to the 1 category upgrade on Celebrity for insides/oceanviews) and no shareholder onboard credits. Will report back with what they say on this sale.

 

Will make a big difference in the bookings.

[bac513]

No, these are new bookings only. And you cannot cancel and rebook.

 

How about if your cruise is booked but not deposited yet?

[BurBunny]

How about if your cruise is booked but not deposited yet?

 

It's not considered a booking until deposit is made. At this point it's just an option.

[SharkieRools]

I'm just looking at the prices for our cruise next May and see that they have just gone up $100 per person or more in all categories. :rolleyes:

[wvufan]

While I understand and applaud Celebrity making some special offers, promotions, and incentives, their policy of applying them to new bookings certainly results in bad feelings.

 

We booked a 14 night Alaska cruise for September 2008. The price was good and we were very pleased with our arrangement until we realized that those booking for that two day period will pay $250 less than we did and not have to put down as much deposit.

 

Surely Celebrity can come up with some incentives that don't penalize those people who have already committed to buying their product and thereby jeopardizing future customer loyalty. I am sure that more and more potential customers will defer booking a cruise hoping that similar offerings are made. In the meantime, Celebrity risks those individuals booking some other cruise with another line. We have been on over 10 cruises-all Celebrity, but loyalty is a two way street.

 

We have usually booked well in advance (typically while on another cruise to get shipboard credit, which we didn't do in this case) partly to lock in price and partly because we like to participate in roll calls, etc. However, unless we do get an incentive when we book, we will no longer do so.

 

We want to feel like valued customers, not suckers.

 

OOOEEE:D :D Bob and Phyl

[Susan-M]

Surely Celebrity can come up with some incentives that don't penalize those people who have already committed to buying their product and thereby jeopardizing future customer loyalty.

 

I agree that it doesn't seem right, especially for bookings that are so far out. In future, one solution that might help is to book with a TA who is able to provide a lower price than Celebrity .... I know it's not supposed to happen, but based on our experience and discussion on this forum, there is some leeway with certain TA's. A lower price itinially would mean that the current sale would probably not be a better deal.

[rcicruiser]

While I understand and applaud Celebrity making some special offers, promotions, and incentives, their policy of applying them to new bookings certainly results in bad feelings.

 

We booked a 14 night Alaska cruise for September 2008. The price was good and we were very pleased with our arrangement until we realized that those booking for that two day period will pay $250 less than we did and not have to put down as much deposit.

 

Surely Celebrity can come up with some incentives that don't penalize those people who have already committed to buying their product and thereby jeopardizing future customer loyalty. I am sure that more and more potential customers will defer booking a cruise hoping that similar offerings are made. In the meantime, Celebrity risks those individuals booking some other cruise with another line. We have been on over 10 cruises-all Celebrity, but loyalty is a two way street.

 

We have usually booked well in advance (typically while on another cruise to get shipboard credit, which we didn't do in this case) partly to lock in price and partly because we like to participate in roll calls, etc. However, unless we do get an incentive when we book, we will no longer do so.

 

We want to feel like valued customers, not suckers.

 

OOOEEE:D :D Bob and Phyl

 

If it is like the Royal Caribbean sale you are SOL. Celebrity no longer cares about loyalty. They are have alot of problems and they are going downhill.

[jerseygirl3]

Just Curious! Why can't you make a "new" booking through a T/A, then, sometime later, cancel your old booking online with Celebrity? You "might" even get your old cabin back if you alert your T/A just before you cancel. There is no rule against booking multiple cabins, as long as you are willing to make a deposit. If you don't care about a specific cabin, it would definitely be worth a try.

 

I wanted to do something along those lines and was told the computer wouldn't accept another booking for the same sailing with the same name. And you can't book under another person's name because you lose the booking if, when you cancel, at least one of the original passengers name isn't still on the booking.

[caviargal]

While I understand and applaud Celebrity making some special offers, promotions, and incentives, their policy of applying them to new bookings certainly results in bad feelings.

 

We have been on over 10 cruises-all Celebrity, but loyalty is a two way street.

 

We have usually booked well in advance (typically while on another cruise to get shipboard credit, which we didn't do in this case) partly to lock in price and partly because we like to participate in roll calls, etc. However, unless we do get an incentive when we book, we will no longer do so.

 

We want to feel like valued customers, not suckers.

 

l

 

While I understand your frustration, promotions are common practice in the travel business and this is not unique to X. Specials like this do not personally influence my decision to book a particular line or sailing date. And the Ts and Cs are upfront and not hidden.

 

I would rather X focus on their loyalty program to make me feel like a valued customer instead of the worthless Captain's Circle "perks" they currently have. Surely they are amongst the worst in the industry. A balcony discount on all sailings similar to RCI has more value to frequent cruisers than does the random discount promo, at least to those who book balconies and above. I prefer these tangible loyalty benefits to occasional sales very likely used to offset slower bookings than expected. After all, sales are not necessary when business, in this case advance bookings, are strong.

 

Also, RCI and X are great about price protection, which is not true of all other lines. They are looking at this practice so it might not be here for long, but IMO it is more valuable to their clients that any promo or sale.

 

JMO.

[leoandhugh]

So what is such a big deal about 50% less deposit when it has to be paid later? And what is so great about up to $250 off per cabin when the price per person has already risen by $100. With all the disaster of the Millenium debacle and all the monies they have to come up with to make those refunds, X has to get monies deposited fast and furious now. So, again, what is such a big deal?:( :(

[Welshapple]

We had booked and made a deposit, last Saturday to be exact, on a Summit, March '08, Transatlantic crossing.

This would have been our fifth Transatlantic with X had we not received their sale e-mail yesterday.

The 'new bookings only' proviso was spelled out but, hey, surely a couple of days was close enough.....? Apparently not. According to a CC rep, after consulting a supervisor, it appears that for them to allow the discount (they already had our deposit and we didn't want any of it refunded anyway) the booking had to be made 3 days before the date of the sale. We were out of luck by a couple of days. There are Department Stores that will honor a new sale price for purchases made a week before the sale. But not X.

 

We have enjoyed our X cruises and crossings, but our last April/May Transatlantic on the Century was something of a letdown. Despite it's refurbishment it's string of four or five day Caribean cruises must have quickly led to a deterioration in the FV aft cabin we had. The upholstery was already worn, the carpet was dirty from funnel soot tracked in from the veranda, which itself was almost unusable due to new soot falling on it each day and never properly being cleaned from the floor or the chairs and table.

 

The main dining room food was not nearly as good as we remembered it from two or three years ago, although the Murano was fabulous - we ate there four times. The service was uniformly good everywhere on the ship, better than we had experienced before.

 

So, we were hesitant about booking another X crossing, but we thought it might just have been an aberation and that we had just been unlucky on this one sailing. But when they chose to be so inflexible about a measly $200 on a $5,000 cruise it made us think again, even though we had managed to book a coveted Conciege Class aft cabin.

 

If anyone's interested, cabin 8185 was just cancelled this afternoon, it might still be available, and you'll get their price reduction and a lower deposit - good luck!

[Susan-M]

But when they chose to be so inflexible about a measly $200 on a $5,000 cruise it made us think again, even though we had managed to book a coveted Conciege Class aft cabin.

 

Hi Trulli,

 

Sorry to hear that you missed out on the discount by two days ... I guess there has to be a cutoff date, but I can imagine how unlucky you felt.

You mention a $5000. cruise but I'm assuming that includes air...for two people?

[jerseygirl3]

We had booked and made a deposit, last Saturday to be exact, on a Summit, March '08, Transatlantic crossing.

This would have been our fifth Transatlantic with X had we not received their sale e-mail yesterday.

The 'new bookings only' proviso was spelled out but, hey, surely a couple of days was close enough.....? Apparently not. According to a CC rep, after consulting a supervisor, it appears that for them to allow the discount (they already had our deposit and we didn't want any of it refunded anyway) the booking had to be made 3 days before the date of the sale. We were out of luck by a couple of days. There are Department Stores that will honor a new sale price for purchases made a week before the sale. But not X.

 

We have enjoyed our X cruises and crossings, but our last April/May Transatlantic on the Century was something of a letdown. Despite it's refurbishment it's string of four or five day Caribean cruises must have quickly led to a deterioration in the FV aft cabin we had. The upholstery was already worn, the carpet was dirty from funnel soot tracked in from the veranda, which itself was almost unusable due to new soot falling on it each day and never properly being cleaned from the floor or the chairs and table.

 

The main dining room food was not nearly as good as we remembered it from two or three years ago, although the Murano was fabulous - we ate there four times. The service was uniformly good everywhere on the ship, better than we had experienced before.

 

So, we were hesitant about booking another X crossing, but we thought it might just have been an aberation and that we had just been unlucky on this one sailing. But when they chose to be so inflexible about a measly $200 on a $5,000 cruise it made us think again, even though we had managed to book a coveted Conciege Class aft cabin.

 

If anyone's interested, cabin 8185 was just cancelled this afternoon, it might still be available, and you'll get their price reduction and a lower deposit - good luck!

 

I am perplexed by all you people complaining about this. This is common practice in the travel industry. For example, I booked airfare for travel and a week ago the fare came down to $130 pp RT. I paid close to $200 pp. I called the airline and asked if I could get a credit for the difference...they said "certainly." But to do so I would have to pay a "change" fee of $70 pp. So I have to live with the fact that the fare has gone down and I can't take advantage of it. I'm not going to let it ruin my vacation or cause me to cancel a trip. You obviously felt the price was okay when you purchased the cruise...now you want the advantage of getting the lower price. You got an aft cabin...I can pretty much guarantee that aft cabin wouldn't still be available when this sail starts.

 

I always go into a vacation with a price in my mind of what I think is affordable and reasonable. If the price comes down and I can take advantage of it...great. But if it doesn't, I don't lose sleep over it.

[cruiserchuck]

But when they chose to be so inflexible about a measly $200 on a $5,000 cruise it made us think again, even though we had managed to book a coveted Conciege Class aft cabin.

 

If anyone's interested, cabin 8185 was just cancelled this afternoon, it might still be available, and you'll get their price reduction and a lower deposit - good luck!

 

We also booked a cruise last week, and under the two day sale promotion, would have been eligible for a $250 discount. I was very upset when my travel agent told me we were not eligible for the discount since we were already booked. I thought about canceling the cruise. I then called Celebrity to complain, and found out that we would not have been eligible for the discount in any event, since we were receiving a special discounted airfare. I also noticed tonight that the rate has gone up $200 a person since we booked. So much for the "sale". I am glad that I did not overreact and cancel.

[cruisintwinsmom]

I've got 2 cruises book and neither has gone up in price in the last week. I guess it's still a "sale" for some of the cruises. BTW, yes, I'm dissappointed I can't take advantage of the sale, but at least I am sure to have the cabins I want.;)

[ocngypz]

I agree that it doesn't seem right, especially for bookings that are so far out. In future, one solution that might help is to book with a TA who is able to provide a lower price than Celebrity .... I know it's not supposed to happen, but based on our experience and discussion on this forum, there is some leeway with certain TA's. A lower price itinially would mean that the current sale would probably not be a better deal.

 

 

If an agency's rate is lower, it means they have group space. This sale is not combinable with groups.

[Susan-M]

If an agency's rate is lower, it means they have group space. This sale is not combinable with groups.

 

Hi Ocngypz .... I realize that the sale is not combinable with group rates. My point was (and I guess it didn't come across well) was that if those who had booked prior to the sale had been able to obtain lower than published rates through a TA at the time of their initial booking, then this sale would not be the concern it is as this new offer would not be a better price than their original price. The two day sale is not providing much in savings.

[lysolqn]

Things sure have changed in the cruise industry. It wasn't that long ago that passengers who booked early were guaranteed the lowest fare AND if there was a fare decrease before final payment was made, the cruise line would refund the difference.

[cali-croozer]

I'm glad I saw this thread because the cruise I've been looking at for the past few weeks just went up $100pp. It's a longer cruise so it will be (hopefully) eligible for the $200/cabin discount, so I can get the original price by booking tomorrow. So much for "sales"............