Booking a cruise while on board - reasons why please

Sorry ny earlier reply was incomplete. The special promotion was that ALL categories of stateroom got the gratuities. Insides are usually excluded but on that promotion they were included.

Recently upgraded an onboard booking from Concierge balcony to a Celebrity Suite. Couldn't pass up the price as a suite is on our bucket list. Called Celebrity and OBC was increased to the suite $ given when booking onboard. BONUS :cool:

I didn't say we were able to use the OBC received for booking a future cruise on the cruise I booked the future cruise on. Sorry I have no secret.

And there is no loophole. If you take the OBC on your current cruise (which ends up being the deposit amount) then the deposit is non-refundable.

Another thing to remember when booking onboard is the AUTOMATICALLY will assign the future cruise to the TA on record for the current cruise unless you insist otherwise. We always have them assign the future cruise to Celebrity and then shop our short list of TA's when we get home for the best additional TA perks.

We are cruising in two weeks. I want to book my Alaska Cruise with my family on board. Will I be able to get the same obc and reduced deposit for their rooms also?

I booked a future cruise while on board Equinox in February. We received two perks and OBC ($200)for the upcoming cruise and paid a reduced deposit ($100 pp). At the time we booked our January 2020 cruise, the website offer was one perk so the second perk was a "freebie". We opted for the refundable fare which was $150 pp higher than the nonrefundable fare.

I have booked a future cruise each time we have been on board a Celebrity ship in order to get the extra OBC for the future cruise and extra perk, if offered. The last few times, I kept the reservation with Celebrity and then transferred it to a TA once I returned home and able to research the "extra benefits" I would receive from the TA. Having done my homework the first time, I now know to which TA I will transfer the reservation.

Bear in mind that when booking a future cruise, you do have the option of taking the OBC right away so that you can use it on the cruise you are on at the time. However, this will render the deposit nonrefundable so you will forfeit your deposit if you cancel the future cruise. With the addition of a nonrefundable cruise fare, I am not sure whether you can use the OBC right away IF you choose the nonrefundable fare option.

Booking a fare a year or more in the future, the fares can be pretty high. I keep a close eye on the fares, checking them at least once a month. Doing that has benefited me tremendously because I have captured significant fare drops/cabin category upgrades. In fact, the fare for our upcoming Baltic cruise dropped weekly over the course of a month during July 2017 which was only two months after I booked the cruise while on board. I was able to upgrade from a 2A cabin to an A2 cabin and go from "go better" to "go best" for less than the original fare. The extra OBC ($200) from the future cruise booked remained with the reservation.

In cases where I have had to cancel and rebook a cruise, I have been happy to see the extra OBC move to the new reservation. From what I see, there are no cons of booking a cruise while on board.

Golberry :

 

So am I to understand that current folks on a cruise get the same 2 perks choice currently provided but in addition receive OBC and can put down a lower deposit? Yes

 

 

How much is the deposit in relation to that required if not on a cruise. 100 instead of 450

If you decide later on a different cruise and switch to you still receive the same perks and OBC? maybe. the perks don't always transfer. sometimes you get the perks that the new booking qualifies for, rather than the ones from the original reservation

Excellent reply thanks for your specific answers.

I wonder if you or someone else can tell me if I have a choice to book in Canadian funds on board rather than US? My Canadian big box TA will only deal in the currency of my Big Box membership.

I would like if possible to book in Canadian funds with Celebrity then later decide which TA to go with. It would likely be with current Big Box TA as all in discounts from Cash back from gift card extra cash back and my credit card comes to about 11.5% which is hard to beat

Yes, we always book while on board and in Canadian funds.

Yes, we always book while on board and in Canadian funds.

Thanks BCJO

Do you have Celebrity transfer to a TA?

And there is no loophole. If you take the OBC on your current cruise (which ends up being the deposit amount) then the deposit is non-refundable.

 

Another thing to remember when booking onboard is the AUTOMATICALLY will assign the future cruise to the TA on record for the current cruise unless you insist otherwise. We always have them assign the future cruise to Celebrity and then shop our short list of TA's when we get home for the best additional TA perks.

We always do the same.

Thanks for the clarification, I understand it now.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

(y):cool:(y)

More perks, more on board credit, often on-board-only specials, particularly if you book on actual Black Friday.

We booked on Black Friday while onboard a Celebrity S class ship, for an Azamara cruise which we are taking in 2 months. We already knew the cabin we wanted. We got reduced deposit and right off the bat an extra $300 on board credit to go with the $300 OBC we got. That day I emailed our TA and took advantage of their own black friday specials. For a regular verandah cabin on the 15 night cruise we have a total of $1750 in on board credit!!! Lots of specials for that day only and a 10% cruise price reduction in the form of OBC.

That's why we book onboard if we are looking at another cruise. And why we transfer to a TA. It's all about the perks and on board credit.

I booked a future cruise while on board Equinox in February. We received two perks and OBC ($200)for the upcoming cruise and paid a reduced deposit ($100 pp). At the time we booked our January 2020 cruise' date=' the website offer was one perk so the second perk was a "freebie". We opted for the refundable fare which was $150 pp higher than the nonrefundable fare.

 

I have booked a future cruise each time we have been on board a Celebrity ship in order to get the extra OBC for the future cruise and extra perk, if offered. The last few times, I kept the reservation with Celebrity and then transferred it to a TA once I returned home and able to research the "extra benefits" I would receive from the TA. Having done my homework the first time, I now know to which TA I will transfer the reservation.

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Booking a refundable fare is the important bit if you may want to move out the sailing in the future. You can also keep it under one name and add the other person later, but a solo passenger usually doesn't qualify for guarantee cabin rates.

 

My usual TA's latest holiday promotion noted that this year's trend is booking cruises further out (2019/2020) rather than more immediate (Summer 2018). If you're willing to "babysit" a far out refundable fare deposit, you can make it similar to an open reservation which Celebrity did away with a couple years ago and move it to a different sailing when you finalize your vacation plans. This might be interesting if you want to take a popular almost year round cruise closer-in (go where/when the deals are). You can move the booking to sooner rather than later.

 

Celebrity does require transfers from a general Celebrity reservation to a specific TA be within 60 days of initial deposit https://www.celebritycruises.com/company/customer-support/help-and-faqs/pre-cruise/reservation-transfers

goofysmom:

 

"If you book a future Transatlantic onboard, which usually has no perks and little OBC, they've included gratuities. Think it only applies to future TA bookings made while ON a TA, though."

 

 

 

This was a special promotion from a couple of years ago when Celebrity was late putting out the upcoming schedules and by way of apology they included gratuities for those on a TA if they booked another TA. That hasn't happened since.

Just so the misinformation, in blue, doesn't cause unnecessary confusion, Celebrity offers gratuities for a future TA, oceanview and above cabins, if booked while onboard a TA, and has for several years.