Fed up with celebrity

My wife and I have been on around 30 cruises with Celebrity. We are big fans, but over the past two years we have started to change our opinions. Current problem: We have been waiting for over three weeks to have a B2B discount applied to our April sailing along with a Future Cruise Certificate. My travel agent gets nothing but excuses from them, and quite frankly I don't think my agency is doing much to push the issue. You know the one, internet only agency. Been giving them lots of business also. So I will be moving on from them also. Does anyone have email and phone contact for Cpts Club. I expect they will just refer me back to my agency, but at this point I need to press the issue. We have been cruising for over 25 years and yet to find a good travel agent.

My wife and I have been on around 30 cruises with Celebrity. We are big fans, but over the past two years we have started to change our opinions. Current problem: We have been waiting for over three weeks to have a B2B discount applied to our April sailing along with a Future Cruise Certificate. My travel agent gets nothing but excuses from them, and quite frankly I don't think my agency is doing much to push the issue. You know the one, internet only agency. Been giving them lots of business also. So I will be moving on from them also. Does anyone have email and phone contact for Cpts Club. I expect they will just refer me back to my agency, but at this point I need to press the issue. We have been cruising for over 25 years and yet to find a good travel agent.

Captains Club Phone Number... 1-844-418-6824

Good Luck, the Captain's Club team has been quick to address/fix any issues I have had. Unfortunately with this issue you have a TA in the middle so it may actually require a 3 way call.

Let us know what happens.

Don't jump down my throat for asking this, but I am sincerely curious. If you've sailed with Celebrity so many times, why do you book through an intermediary (travel agent/3rd party booking site) rather than just going through Celebrity directly? What is the value added? It seems like it has the potential to add layers of complication that aren't needed, so I assume you must be getting some kind of advantage by booking through a TA? Is it that the cruise is just one small part of your overall trip?

Don't jump down my throat for asking this, but I am sincerely curious. If you've sailed with Celebrity so many times, why do you book through an intermediary (travel agent/3rd party booking site) rather than just going through Celebrity directly? What is the value added? It seems like it has the potential to add layers of complication that aren't needed, so I assume you must be getting some kind of advantage by booking through a TA? Is it that the cruise is just one small part of your overall trip?

If on Celebrity many times they could just book at Future cruises and get the booking bonus and then transfer to a TA for more perks. Hopefully they can get their problem resolved fairly quickly. One problem is that Celebrity won't talk to you if you have a TA assigned to the booking. Another possibility is that the fault lies in the TA and not Celebrity. We really don't have enough facts to judge.

Don't jump down my throat for asking this, but I am sincerely curious. If you've sailed with Celebrity so many times, why do you book through an intermediary (travel agent/3rd party booking site) rather than just going through Celebrity directly? What is the value added? It seems like it has the potential to add layers of complication that aren't needed, so I assume you must be getting some kind of advantage by booking through a TA? Is it that the cruise is just one small part of your overall trip?

We used to book directly with Celebrity but don't anymore. A few years ago we booked a future cruise while aboard ship. My husband then went down to the cabin and checked the same cruise (same date, same category cabin, same perks, etc) online with an agency that we'd used in the past and found we could get it for several hundred dollars less than Celebrity was offering.....plus the agency gave us an additional $300 on board credit. Since then we always shop around before booking and I don't think we've ever gone back to booking directly with Celebrity. To us it's worth a bit of inconvenience to get the better deal.

We used to book directly with Celebrity but don't anymore. A few years ago we booked a future cruise while aboard ship. My husband then went down to the cabin and checked the same cruise (same date, same category cabin, same perks, etc) online with an agency that we'd used in the past and found we could get it for several hundred dollars less than Celebrity was offering.....plus the agency gave us an additional $300 on board credit. Since then we always shop around before booking and I don't think we've ever gone back to booking directly with Celebrity. To us it's worth a bit of inconvenience to get the better deal.

Had the same experience. Usually, but not always, the price offered by Future Cruises is the same as a TA, but there are times when a TA has a group booking that can be less. You are wise to check.

Don't jump down my throat for asking this, but I am sincerely curious. If you've sailed with Celebrity so many times, why do you book through an intermediary (travel agent/3rd party booking site) rather than just going through Celebrity directly? What is the value added? It seems like it has the potential to add layers of complication that aren't needed, so I assume you must be getting some kind of advantage by booking through a TA? Is it that the cruise is just one small part of your overall trip?

The OBC offer by my TA allows me to dine in Specialty restaurant every night without coming out of my pocket during the cruise and I still have change.

I think that is the way to go.

Interesting. You'd think the deals would be better when a middle man/woman didn't have to get a cut. I booked directly through them because I didn't want to have to try to get ahold of someone else who would then have to contact the cruise line to iron out any issues, and thought the cruise line's prices would be at least as good, if not better. So, I guess the first part of that is a good reason to book through the cruise line, but the financial aspect is not necessarily true.

The reason we do not book with Celebrity is price. Plus the few times I have spoken with a Celebrity sales agent I have found them to be not be very knowledeable on the product. Yo can get such better deals by booking with a third party. Yes I know the downside but it is not just this issue. We just do not care for the changes the CEO has made.

I always book with Celebrity and then transfer, as the extra refundable OBC is always in the $500 + range. If I am unable to talk with her, there is always another agent to assist. I had an issue with a supervisor for Celebrity(long story.) Anyway, I went to corporate and received someone with a caring attitude who really tried to assist me. That was all I wanted! Actually, my TA had nothing to do with the issue and she was rude to my TA for no reason.

Interesting. You'd think the deals would be better when a middle man/woman didn't have to get a cut. I booked directly through them because I didn't want to have to try to get ahold of someone else who would then have to contact the cruise line to iron out any issues, and thought the cruise line's prices would be at least as good, if not better. So, I guess the first part of that is a good reason to book through the cruise line, but the financial aspect is not necessarily true.

If the "middleman" TA is a high volume TA, they are willing to give a good percentage of the commission they get from the cruiseline back to their customers in order to attract customers. I recently switched from a small TA, that only gave us 3 to 5% of the price of our cruise back as either cash or refundable OBC, to a large "big box" wholesale store TA that gives us about 8% back in the form of a gift card for their store - which is like cash to us, since we would be purchasing goods from them regardless.

My wife and I have been on around 30 cruises with Celebrity. We are big fans, but over the past two years we have started to change our opinions. Current problem: We have been waiting for over three weeks to have a B2B discount applied to our April sailing along with a Future Cruise Certificate. My travel agent gets nothing but excuses from them, and quite frankly I don't think my agency is doing much to push the issue. You know the one, internet only agency. Been giving them lots of business also. So I will be moving on from them also. Does anyone have email and phone contact for Cpts Club. I expect they will just refer me back to my agency, but at this point I need to press the issue. We have been cruising for over 25 years and yet to find a good travel agent.

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Don't jump down my throat for asking this, but I am sincerely curious. If you've sailed with Celebrity so many times, why do you book through an intermediary (travel agent/3rd party booking site) rather than just going through Celebrity directly? What is the value added? It seems like it has the potential to add layers of complication that aren't needed, so I assume you must be getting some kind of advantage by booking through a TA? Is it that the cruise is just one small part of your overall trip?

I will answer your question from the point of view of one who has cruised Celebrity (Elite Plus) more then a few times not to mention 100+ other cruises. We use reputable high volume cruise agencies because we save about 7-10% over booking directly with Celebrity (or other cruise lines). For us, the hundreds to thousands of dollars we save (per cruise) make it worth while.

As to the OP, if this happened to us we would be on the phone to the owner/manager of that agency reading them the riot act. Our conversation would be something like, "get this straightened out today...or please cancel our booking! Oh, and by the way, You know those 100+ cruise days we book most years....you will not be getting any more of that business" Over our forty+ years of cruising we have had this conversation a couple of times and never used those agencies for another booking. And if we had to cancel we would then do a new booking with a different agency. And if the cruise were sold out, we would just do something else :).

Hank

Another reason for using a TA is that they can sell you travel insurance from Allianz with better terms than you can get from the cruise lines or by buying direct [e.g. 'pre-existing' waiver even if purchasing at time of final payment]

Don't jump down my throat for asking this, but I am sincerely curious. If you've sailed with Celebrity so many times, why do you book through an intermediary (travel agent/3rd party booking site) rather than just going through Celebrity directly? What is the value added? It seems like it has the potential to add layers of complication that aren't needed, so I assume you must be getting some kind of advantage by booking through a TA? Is it that the cruise is just one small part of your overall trip?

Between TA's group rates and passing back commission of about 8%, you can save more than a thousand off a stateroom. For our upcoming cruise in April, we saved about $2,500 off our Aqua stateroom simply by transferring a booking from Celebrity to our TA.

Between TA's group rates and passing back commission of about 8%, you can save more than a thousand off a stateroom. For our upcoming cruise in April, we saved about $2,500 off our Aqua stateroom simply by transferring a booking from Celebrity to our TA.

Ahhh, with the exception of Edge sailings!

For which I have scoured the earth for! LOL...

bon voyage

Good Luck, the Captain's Club team has been quick to address/fix any issues I have had. Unfortunately with this issue you have a TA in the middle so it may actually require a 3 way call.

 

Let us know what happens.

Email Captains Club: celebrityonetouch@celebrity.com

Very fast response!

My wife and I have been on around 30 cruises with Celebrity. We are big fans, but over the past two years we have started to change our opinions. Current problem: We have been waiting for over three weeks to have a B2B discount applied to our April sailing along with a Future Cruise Certificate. My travel agent gets nothing but excuses from them, and quite frankly I don't think my agency is doing much to push the issue. You know the one, internet only agency. Been giving them lots of business also. So I will be moving on from them also. Does anyone have email and phone contact for Cpts Club. I expect they will just refer me back to my agency, but at this point I need to press the issue. We have been cruising for over 25 years and yet to find a good travel agent.

Did you book the cruises three weeks ago?

Based on my experience your comment about applying a FCC is confusing, Is this the same as an Open Passage or something else? With the Open Passage you need to use the same booking number when you first book, as it is not really applied after the fact. Perhaps your TA made an error?

Have you already made the final payment?

Good luck.

My wife and I have been on around 30 cruises with Celebrity. We are big fans, but over the past two years we have started to change our opinions. Current problem: We have been waiting for over three weeks to have a B2B discount applied to our April sailing along with a Future Cruise Certificate. My travel agent gets nothing but excuses from them, and quite frankly I don't think my agency is doing much to push the issue. You know the one, internet only agency. Been giving them lots of business also. So I will be moving on from them also. Does anyone have email and phone contact for Cpts Club. I expect they will just refer me back to my agency, but at this point I need to press the issue. We have been cruising for over 25 years and yet to find a good travel agent.

Like you we also have numerous cruises with Celebrity and are Elite Plus with Captains Club. We have had this same issue with them. We felt that we should not have to beg them for the B2B discount and have, on occasion spoke with a good agent who automatically added the $50.00 per cruise discount.

On the other occasions we've had to call more than once for the discount. I would finally receive it but still thought it was unacceptable to need to keep asking.

You are right to keep at it unless, like others have said, there is some situation where you are not entitled. However, that doesn't make sense to me.

Like you we also have numerous cruises with Celebrity and are Elite Plus with Captains Club. We have had this same issue with them. We felt that we should not have to beg them for the B2B discount and have, on occasion spoke with a good agent who automatically added the $50.00 per cruise discount.

 

 

 

On the other occasions we've had to call more than once for the discount. I would finally receive it but still thought it was unacceptable to need to keep asking.

 

 

 

You are right to keep at it unless, like others have said, there is some situation where you are not entitled. However, that doesn't make sense to me.

I must say I don’t understand Celebrity but am generally happy.

In my case I usually have booked directly with Celebrity , always with the same CVP or his associate. Have always had the b2b discounts etc applied without question. Recently called about a price drop on an upcoming cruise. The CVP muttered and talked to himself and tapped away and got me the reduction plus a “residency” discount of $50 I hadn’t know about nor would have thought to ask about.

I did call Captains Club recently with questions about a cruise I did book with an agency. The CC lady explained that they were locked out from seeing any financial details on any booking made with or transferred to an agency. Otherwise, she was quite helpful.

Stan

We have always booked out next cruise while on board then transferred the booking to our TA. The benefits of booking on board are still in place, and our TA usually adds more benefits.

I deal with one agent who always takes care of my problems in a timely manner, even when she is in Europe on another cruise.

Send them an email, follow up with a certified letter.

My wife and I have been on around 30 cruises with Celebrity. We are big fans, but over the past two years we have started to change our opinions. Current problem: We have been waiting for over three weeks to have a B2B discount applied to our April sailing along with a Future Cruise Certificate. My travel agent gets nothing but excuses from them, and quite frankly I don't think my agency is doing much to push the issue. You know the one, internet only agency. Been giving them lots of business also. So I will be moving on from them also. Does anyone have email and phone contact for Cpts Club. I expect they will just refer me back to my agency, but at this point I need to press the issue. We have been cruising for over 25 years and yet to find a good travel agent.

If you are 30 cruises with Celebrity then you must be Elite or Elite+ , perhaps even Zenith. Deal directly with Celebrity and not the internet travel agent.