Jeremiah1212

Part of the problem is Celebrity doesn’t ‘service’ an air booking. You’re sold and ticket for $xxxx and that’s it. Then you’re at the airlines mercy. It sounds like there was a canceled flight or misconnection and this one fell through the cracks. FBC service can be terrible but it’s worth the headache right now especially if you’ve got business class airfare on the line.

I'm not sure where you are seeing that price. What said date? That's below any group rate that is available.

I assume it's gone. I signed up for a cruise we took in March via the link I had from another cruise. I never received an email or anything else. Zero noticeable difference in attention to the cabin. I did get the extra 8 points but there was never anything onboard about the program, no mention of enrolling, etc.

Many of the Rome itineraries on Beyond and Reflection have a port day the day prior to departure. We are taking the E-Med test kits with us. We will do them from the ship once we dock in Naples which is the day before departure. If that for some reason fails tests are still easy to get at pharmacies in Naples. Since we have a 1:50pm flight, backup #3 would be test at FCO. If we need backup #4 at that point I am prepared to admit defeat and stay in Rome for a bit. It takes a little extra forethought but totally manageable if you research your options.

I’m a mild germaphobe. Drinkware in hotel rooms, even high end hotels, is a hard pass for me. I’ll go to the lobby bar and grab wine or champagne glasses if I need to.

You will be able to select their names to include under any reservations you make. Doesn't matter if it's a dining reservation, excursion, spa, etc. You have full access to their Cruise Planner.

Just log in to the website, go to the Upcoming Cruises page, then at the bottom there is a link to add another reservation. You just need their reservation number.

Two different programs. Cruise with Confidence is effectively over, however cruises with a booked by date up until March 31, 2022 have Cruise with Confidence benefits on cruises departing until Sept 30, 2022. This is where the ability to request an adjustment in OBC comes into play if you are after final payment. If your booking is outside that window, you have the standard price match program which is where the 48 hour from booking restrictions come into play.

That's probably a good way to describe it. People on Celebrity typically aren't traveling with kids, not really into big production shows and nonstop activities. It's an older crowd or younger DINKs. Or those that left the kids at home. Definitely not geared toward families that need constant entertainment. The overall experience is more laid back and that seems to be exactly what most X cruisers are looking for. It's not really a cost vs. amenity/activity issue. The Celebrity board has gone off the rails a bit in the past few months. Something in the water? Not sure. But I will say, generally, the vibe on CC versus the actual vibe onboard of Celebrity and even the premium and lux lines is not anywhere near as stuffy or pretentious as some seem to want it to be.

That is not true. All regular Aqua cabins have the Infinite Veranda.

They try to work with various port countries as much as possible to handle these things on behalf of the guest but it’s not always possible. No one is sitting around at Celebrity trying to think of ways to make this more complicated. The additional cost is outlined on the website and in emails (which people also complain they receive too many of) and they also complain they didn’t know the guidelines. There is a 0% chance of making everyone happy. You either go with the flow or stay at home….

From the T&C's of the offer: Airfare Offer: Cruise and airfare must be booked March 1 - May 4, 2022 (“Offer Period”). Offer applies to cruises departing May 1, 2022 – March 31, 2023, excluding Galapagos and Alaska Cruisetours (“Offer Cruise”). Offer provides 25% off market airfare rates per person, up to $300 USD, on flights purchased on Flights by Celebrity only (“Air Credit”). Air Credit applies to specified gateways and varies depending on departure and arrival gateways. All other gateways departing from the United States or Canada will receive a $100 per person air savings. Offer applies to all guests in the same stateroom in any category on an Offer Cruise. To redeem, guest must book Offer Cruise during the Offer Period on Celebritycruises.com or contact your travel professional and flights on FlightsbyCelebrity.com. Cruise booking number is required to purchase air travel. The cruise and air are two separate reservations. You also weren't getting flat 25% off airfare either so there's a high likelihood that your bottom line price today is nearly the same as it would have been last week. The air also had to be booked through specific gateway cities to qualify, otherwise you got a $100 savings.

Still not canceling our 5/16 Beyond cruise. Leaving late next week. We know the risks. Made appropriate plans for tests, etc. which were no where near as arduous as some would like to make it seem. Some people just love the drama and hysteria. I chose to plan ahead and control the things I can control and enjoy the trip...

….And keep infections at bay so their already small crews can actually operate the cruise.

Read the T&C's carefully. It seems that many people far overestimate what credit cards truly cover. The Reserve's delay coverage is capped at $500/pp and the Cancelation/Interruption coverage only applies to prepaid nonrefundable expenses.

That's not how an insurance company would view it. I just dealt with this situation. Passenger had a reservation. Diagnosed with some serious medical issues after the payment was nonrefundable and now unable to travel. Canceled and received credit. Insurance would not pay until after the credit expired (i.e. after loss was realized). Then had to prove the original cancelation was not due to a pre-existing condition but that's another story.

The focus is still on Always Included bookings. No perk is not a 'base' rate. It's priced essentially where you have to really think if its worth it to lose drinks/tips (you're paying anyway) and WiFi to save a couple hundred dollars. Quoting Celebrity here... "Introducing NO PERK rates in refundable & non-refundable fares. Ideal for price-driven clients and creating demand through your marketing channels, our new NO PERK rates are the perfect opportunity to leverage lower rates to drive traffic and UPSELL clients to Always Included vacations, allowing you to earn more commission." If a customer books Royal then adds a few thousand dollars in WiFi, drink packages, upgrades, etc. the TA makes no commission on that. With Celebrity you do. The $$ benefit to the TA is pretty substantial.

The point is to entice the penny pinchers with the lower rate. There will be some that take it. Those customers typically don't want or need large OBC amounts. They want the cheapest product possible. The flip side for TA's is the upsell when people realize the lower rate really isn't worth it and go ahead and book the AI rate instead.

It's not a glitch. All tables are not open for prebooked online reservations. They have to hold some back for onboard bookings. They may still be having some staffing issues and can't accommodate filling every single table either.

Where do you begin… Edge class, LLP, Kelly Hoppen, decorative accessories, magnetic walls (this is a new one), chairs that aren’t Lazy Boy recliners, lack of loyalty recognition, “the cutbacks”, “the demographics”, IT, prices, boring itineraries, boring webinars, COVID tests, the use of an app, food quality, too much food, not enough food, fake sales….. The list is literally miles long 🤯

The short name that will show up on many TA’s website inventory has been changed to ‘No Perk Rate’ also. People will inevitably book it accidentally but it’s fairly clear.

There will be a few special events but it’s really not that much different. I’d also be surprised if she and other exec’s on board stay on for the entire duration of the cruise.

They will still cover the cost related to flight changes if you booked with Flights by Celebrity. As atrocious as their service can be at times, it’s worth the peace of mind IMO.

You can use the existing $420 FCC towards the deposit but you still need to satisfy the entire amount due on the deposit.

Their US site (albeit with some outdated information) still says they will test all passengers from US, Canadian and other high risk areas with an antigen test at the pier.