Celebrity Rip Off

[mgg42]

I would agree if this would have happened months prior. In my case I booked 12 hours previous to the rate reduction and when I called back in the AM. I was told oh so sorry too late. I do not think it is good customer service to either not let me cancel and rebook or give me the lower price. If this does not work out I will think twice before ever using RCCL.

 

I respect that you are frustrated, but I think you are missing the point. It's not a question of customer service. If they made that rate adjustment, everyone would pay their balance due at the eleventh hour and then call and ask for an adjustment.

[caribbeanboy]

Just do some maths. How much will it cost you to cancel and how much will it cost you to make a new reservation. Then take the new price plus the penalty paid for cancelling and compare it with the old price. Assuming same stateroom category.

[SusieV]

I think the lesson here is more, if you're going to wait until almost the last minute, don't book your cruise 12 hours before final payment is due!

 

But I agree that Celebrity owes you nothing. They're very good about price drops prior to final payment and often even after- only the Tuesday sales for new bookings are excluded. I think that's very fair.

[j!m]

i dont agree that the poster was ripped off

 

presumably they were happy with the price when they paid so thats that in my books

 

would the poster like a survey of all other pax on the same cruise same cat and if everyone else paid more, receive another bill? i doubt it

 

some people just look for something to complain about

[caribbeanboy]

No the poster wasn't rip off, but Usd 700 is a lot of money for a lot of people. Just put yourself in her shoes.

[lysolqn]

Those Tuesday specials are always for new bookings only - no secret about that and hardly a rip-off IMHO. However, should X offer a senior, resident or other discount applicable to existing sailings between now and your sail date, you can ask for and will be refunded the difference between what you paid and the new discounted rate. That happened to us on a December transatlantic cruise on Century. Well after final payment was made, X reduced the fare and we received a credit on AmX for $1600!

[FinelyCruising]

The bottom line is that the OP paid on full on the last Pay Day Celebrity offers for all deposited cruisers to pay in full. So if 2 thousand guests have booked, then those 2 thousand guests need to be aid in full.

 

Once that is solidified, then X can sell the unpaid cabins at what ever they choose, higher or lower than anyone else might have paid in order to fill.

 

There are lists/questionaire that inquire of guests can take last minute cruises, but many know that if that is how they sail, they lose the option of making their most favorable cabin choice of all choices, bit if all other good ideas are met, then it's a why not.

 

These days so much is driven by the euphoria of the best price possible for the primo deal, that much is lost in terms of trades in being able to select a cabin of choice for example by early booking. As I commented on another thread, the desire to have the lowest possible price for the best opportunty may not be in effect 100% of the time and that is the reality. That is the way it goes.:cool:

[averageblokes]

It all goes in round a bouts in life. Sometimes you buy an item and the next time you see it in a store you see it on special, somtimes you buy an item and the next day there is a price rise.

I beleive if you are happy with the price you pay at the time of purchase thats it.

cheers

[Catalina56]

I read a few posts which talk about the "Tuesday Specials". I am new to Celebrity. Where do I find these "Tuesday Specials". Are they only at on-line travel agencies or only at the Celebrity website. Many thanks

 

Catalina56

[j!m]

if they gave poater reduced rate but different cabin they would then complain bout the fact they dont like new cabin

 

trust me they would

 

poster is correct they should go on another cruiseline

[hermang]

We booked the Equinox transatlantic for Nov. 2009 just about four weeks ago. The sailing is still 18 months away and our standard 1A balcony cabin has already gone up $800 per person. Now that's a jump! Although transatlantics generally get reduced in price as it gets closer to sailing, I have a feeling this one is going to continue going up. But that doesn't mean that I am not going to be watching for reductions from now until we get on the ship.

Since our roll-call already has over 2000 postings (and well over 250 ready to register for the Connections party) in the four weeks since bookings were opened, it's unlikely that this one will go on happy-hour pricing.

 

As several posters here have already said, booking at the last minute for a cheaper price is a trade off, if you have a specific desired cabin and/or ship side and dining time and several other "necessities".

 

motovate -- did you ask Celebrity about the possibility of an OBC to offset part of the difference in the new pricing?

We booked a 2C on a courtesy hold waiting for our friends to check out the cruise. after a couple of days it went away. Brochure price was 1179 - then it went to 1599 - we were able to get it for 1170 + tax and port charges. Tried to upgrade to a 2 B mid ship - SOLD OUT so we kept the aft cabin on deck 6

 

last week it was up to 2499 and today 2199 -

 

Hope to meet ya on the TA - tick tock - clock is ticking - good news is we have the Solstics booked in February Wooo Hoo

[Shirley and Les]

If I were in the OP' shoes, I think I would be inclined to also call it a ripoff. An overnight price change of $700 is certainly something to question.

There are a couple of questions/points about this whole situation.

1. Was the reservation made directly with =X= or through a travel agent? Quite often, we book after the final payment date. Our TA always arranges a few days 'grace period' with the cruiseline before final payment is due. The final payment date isn't cast in concrete if you have a travel agent watching out for your interests.

2. If you aren't worried about a specific cabin, it might be worthwhile to wait for a week or so after final payment date to see if either there is a sale or more desirable cabins become available. A few days isn't going to make a big change in cabin availability unless the ship is close to being sold out.

For the posters asking the OP to be more considerate of Celebrity's viewpoint, I don't think it is realistic to ask someone to be impartial when there is a financial impact in the outcome.

[Wineguys]

I was originally in a Sky Suite on my upcoming Panama Canal cruise. We had booked one price and they lowered the price of "Sky Suites" because they were having a problem moving the back adjoining Sky Suites to the Penthouse Suites (although premium rooms on most M class, this is not so on the Millie). The cost dropped $700 per person. It was NOT a Tuesday. I called my TA, asked for a refund and received it. They dropped another $200 the next week. Guess what? Yup. Got another reduction.

 

Of course, it all became moot when we gave it all back and upgraded to a Royal Suite...:p :D :rolleyes: But my point is, except for the Senior rates and Tuesday specials, they will honor discounts even when you are PAID IN FULL!!! At least they did with us.

 

Patrick

[Jade13]

Good idea, I have nothing to lose. I will try to do that now and see what happens. I have written many letters in the last few days and have had no response. It may be more of the same. I will keep you all posted.

 

Did you book directly with Celebrity? Celebrity/RCCL is the only Mass Market line that will sometimes honor price drops after final. I think they do this less on TA's since the prices are already cheap. I don't know why they do it sometimes but they have. No other cruiseline would. You may want to see if there is another price drop and try again. We did get money refunded after final on our Celebrity cruise. I was surprised because no one else does it and every other cruise I have been on has sold out.

 

Which cruise, ship and date, and cabin type and perhaps someone on CC can check for you. Perhaps they will honor a diff price drop that is not for new bookings only.

[Eeyoregon]

If I do not get some relief I do not think I will ever book another cruise months out. I will wait it out for the very best deal. I feel so stupid.

 

No need to feel stupid. It's how the cruise industry works. They fill the ships with advanced bookings and then once the final payments are due (and changes can't be made without significant penalty) they do a "fire sale" to fill the empty cabins.

 

Book far in advance if you don't have flexibility and have to make definite plans.

 

Book at the last minute if you want the best deal and can be flexible and or spontaneous.

 

I feel your pain. I booked 2 inside GTY cabins to Alaska a year in adavance. Then 7 weeks before our cruise I checked out the prices for our cruise and I could have gotten a deluxe balcony room for what I paid for ONE inside cabin :( ! It killed me. And to salt the wound, we didn't even get upgraded from our GTY rooms even though the cruiseline was giving away balconies to last minute bookings!

 

Live and learn.

[TMaine]

I was told by the future bookings representative on our last cruise that if the price goes down on a cruise you are already booked for, they will lower your price too but you have to see it advertised and then say something. Did you use a TA? A price drop occured 4 years ago on the Summit after we had paid and we got the difference back.

[hajekfam]

I was told by the future bookings representative on our last cruise that if the price goes down on a cruise you are already booked for, they will lower your price too but you have to see it advertised and then say something. Did you use a TA? A price drop occured 4 years ago on the Summit after we had paid and we got the difference back.

 

The future bookings representative was partially correct. They will lower the price on a previously booked cruise if the price drop is a real one and not a sale. If the price drop is a new booking special which is only good for new bookings booked on a certain date between certain hours, you are not eligible for the price drop.

When the time is up for those specials, the price of the cruise goes back up.

[I Fly]

Celebrity's policy for adjusting price deductions is very simple. If you meet the requirements of the sale they will adjust your price. If they offer a sale for someone from a particular state and you live in that state, you qualify. If they offer a senior citizen discount and you of that age, you qualify. If they offer a sale for someone who is not currently booked on a particular cruise, and you aren't, you qualify. In this case, you don't qualify because you are already booked on the cruise. The policy for new bookings also states you may not cancel and rebook. I'm not sure they would know that you canceled and rebooked, but they might figure it out sometime between when you made that booking and the sail date. I have heard of people not meeting the booking requirements (residency or senior citizen) and being forced to pay the price difference before they were permitted to board the ship.

[huladancerdog]

For the posters asking the OP to be more considerate of Celebrity's viewpoint, I don't think it is realistic to ask someone to be impartial when there is a financial impact in the outcome.

 

As I posted earlier, I think he is overracting and should adjust his response to this situation in order to see Celebrity's point of view. While he may be losing some money, he is asking Celebrity to lose money on his behalf.

[ccletzgo]

:mad: Does anyone out there know how I should handle this? I booked and paid for my cruise on Sunday April 13th. On Monday they lowered the price for a 3 day special? I called to get the lower price and was informed that the lower price was only for new bookings only. I wrote letters and spoke to resolution specialists but I am getting nowhere.

 

 

Just as you were making final payment, alot of other people were canceling .......supply and demand. Its all about how full is the ship?

 

The price could have jumped up to double the day after final payment. Happens all the time. Then, wouldnt you be glad you had locked your price in at the lower rate?

[MacThespian]

Additionally, a number of the better retailers will refund you within a specified period of time after purchase if they offer a lower price.

 

But the cruise lines do off a full refund within a specified time after purchase--often months after purchase. When you make a deposit, you are purchasing the cruise, and you have until 90 days before the cruise to change your mind and get a full refund.

As others have stated, if you weren't happy with the price when you made the original commitment, you shouldn't have made the commitment. There are web sites which only list last minute cruises. Sometimes their rates are relatively low, sometimes higher than if you had booked earlier. It's a crap shoot.

You also have to gauge the effect of waiting on air costs. Sometimes you can get a really good air fare early on, but if you have to change it you get hit with substantial fees, in addition to the increased price.

[dcuzz]

I was originally in a Sky Suite on my upcoming Panama Canal cruise. We had booked one price and they lowered the price of "Sky Suites" because they were having a problem moving the back adjoining Sky Suites to the Penthouse Suites (although premium rooms on most M class, this is not so on the Millie).

 

Why do you think that the Sky Suites attached to the Penthouse

Suites on the Millenium are not premium rooms? Is it only because there is no cover over the decks? The rooms themselves are just the same as on the other M Class ships, aren't they?

[Wineguys]

Why do you think that the Sky Suites attached to the Penthouse

Suites on the Millenium are not premium rooms? Is it only because there is no cover over the decks? The rooms themselves are just the same as on the other M Class ships, aren't they?

 

But with no covers, every night as the mop and sweep 10 AFT, it all comes down onto your decks. YUMMY!!!! Enjoy your breakfast! :eek:

[TenerifeSharon]

Why do you think that the Sky Suites attached to the Penthouse

Suites on the Millenium are not premium rooms? Is it only because there is no cover over the decks? The rooms themselves are just the same as on the other M Class ships, aren't they?

I think a lot of people don't like having a connecting door to the adjoining suite. You get some of the noise and some of the smoke (that is, until the new smoking regulation begins). Or am I wrong about the connecting door?

[Gold Coast Cruisers]

In Australia, I have paid a $350 non-refundable deposit x 2, plus insurance of $322.20, (= $1022), non of which I get back if I change my mind.

 

In future, I plan to only make last minute bookings.

 

 

That wasn't on Celebrity, or was it?

 

Jillybean:)