November 1 Begins Non-Refundable Deposits in US

I just received an email from my TA (large online agency) that starting November 1, Celebrity will be rolling out non-refundable deposits in the US. So we will now suffer the same decisions as our friends in the UK. We have never cancelled a deposited cruise, but since we're baby boomers, we're coming to ages where the probability of health issues has increased. We will definitely not be booking cruises two years in advance, which we've done in the past. Buying insurance would lessen the possible loss, however the cost of the premium is more that we're willing to risk as well. I guess we'll do last minute bookings going forward. Thoughts?

We always tend to book a couple cruises on board so we can book with a lower deposit and we typically end up moving the cruises around. Are there any new restrictions on changing the booking? For instance if I booked the April, 2018 TA on the Reflection are there any new restrictions on me moving that booking to October 2018, etc?

Some times the sailing is around 75% or less occupancy near the final payment day, so cruise company's drop prices and release some promotions not valid for existing reservations, its a game how much in advance to book. We do Eclipse booking 9 months in advance and past week receive a free upgrade from inside GTY to veranda 2C, the other side Silhouette booking 20 months in advance the price is rising up now, this is a B2B booking in the same cabin.

My TA just said that they expect X to follow Royal's lead in pricing cruises with refundable deposit prices and non-refundable deposit pricing. The refundable deposit prices would be higher.

My TA just said that they expect X to follow Royal's lead in pricing cruises with refundable deposit prices and non-refundable deposit pricing. The refundable deposit prices would be higher.

Personally, I do not have an issue with that. This also means that if there are any drops in pricing, it would be beneficial to cancel and re-book.

Of course all of the above is dependent on how much higher refundable vs non-refundable fares are.

bon voyage

That makes taking a chance on last minute bookings more appealing.

Personally, I do not have an issue with that. This also means that if there are any drops in pricing, it would be beneficial to cancel and re-book.

 

Of course all of the above is dependent on how much higher refundable vs non-refundable fares are.

 

bon voyage

Unless there is a rule about cancelling a refundable booking and then making a non-refundable booking on the same cruise. Then there is always the issue for those who use TA's that charge a cancellation fee. The penalties mount up that way. I guess we'll have to wait and see, then each of us will be able to figure out a strategy that works best. It certainly won't be the same for everyone. As I said in my OP, we've never cancelled a booking. We just book what we want to do and have been lucky enough to do it. I know that many people book several cruises figuring that they'll cancel some with no penalty. It looks like the cruise lines are catching on to that strategy and finding out just before final payment that ship they thought were selling well suddenly have an abundance of open cabins. It will also may put a damper on those premium cabins being booked the day an itinerary is announced because people may hesitate to book that far ahead with non-refundable deposits. I wonder if they are going to decrease the deposit amounts or leave them unchanged. Personally, I'd not want to give a $900 deposit if it were non-refundable 2 years out.

Does anyone know why the policy has changed? Large number of cancellations?

Glenn:cool:

Does anyone know why the policy has changed? Large number of cancellations?

 

Glenn:cool:

Royal already has the policy, so now X are following suit.

Does anyone know why the policy has changed? Large number of cancellations?

 

Glenn:cool:

I have the impression that MANY on this board book multiple cruises that they change/cancel over time.

I wonder if you book a non refundable deposit cruise and the rate goes down (before final payment) can you still get the lower rate? Anyone know?

Does anyone know if this new rule applies only to bookings made after Nov 1, or does it apply to all bookings, even those made 12 months ago or more, under the old system?

My TA just said that they expect X to follow Royal's lead in pricing cruises with refundable deposit prices and non-refundable deposit pricing. The refundable deposit prices would be higher.

The Royal 2 price systems seems OK...Not sure how it is working out or what the price differential is.. Non- refundable would preclude moving booking # to a new date, I presume???

We plan to book on Royal in the future . We usually book early to get the price and cabin we want so would most likely go with the refundable price. too many things can change....unless the amount you lose is small..like $100.

Royal already has the policy, so now X are following suit.

Royalization of Celebrity continues!

I could live with losing $200 if I was unable to take a booked cruise. We usually book higher end suites which require $1800. I wonder how Celebrity will handle that. I'm ok with booking a last minute cruise but most of the cruises we would be interested in (through March 2018) don't have any high end suites available.

Does anyone know if this new rule applies only to bookings made after Nov 1, or does it apply to all bookings, even those made 12 months ago or more, under the old system?

I doubt they will try to change the rules on current deposits...I think it's probably covered in the contract that none of us read.

If they do make it retroactive, unless we have minimal deposits ($25/50 pp), we'll just cancel the booked Celebrity cruises and rebook, if still interesting, when the cruise gets to final payment time or after. There are, as they say, many fish in the sea....and many cruise lines and offers to choose from.

Does anyone know if this new rule applies only to bookings made after Nov 1, or does it apply to all bookings, even those made 12 months ago or more, under the old system?

It's my understanding that it will apply to all new bookings (not sailings) made AFTER November 1.

Royalization of Celebrity continues!

You do realize that it’s been 20 years since they purchased Celebrity. I think they have actually done pretty well keeping the brands separate; much better than I feared back then. Also, the fact that their rewards programs are reciprocal, is a plus.

I will say that we will be doing little, if any long term planning of sailings if we have to risk losing our deposit. I think this new rule is the result of so many who book multiple sailings on speculation, with tge intent of cancelling prior to finsl payment. The jig is up!

You do realize that it’s been 20 years since they purchased Celebrity. I think they have actually done pretty well keeping the brands separate; much better than I feared back then. Also, the fact that their rewards programs are reciprocal, is a plus.

I agree. We've sailed both and like both for their differences.

Does anyone know if this new rule applies only to bookings made after Nov 1, or does it apply to all bookings, even those made 12 months ago or more, under the old system?

Royal didn't make it retroactive. We cancelled one of our cruises booked before the implementation and received the full refund.

Could someone give a $ amount of a refundable / non-refundable cruise fare from HAL or Royal? I really don't want to have to try to learn / navigate another website! or even just a guesstimate would be appreciated - does length of cruise impact the price difference? THANKS!

I have the impression that MANY on this board book multiple cruises that they change/cancel over time.

I am addressing your quote, but it is not meant to be negative in any way shape or form...

I agree that some do that; however, Celebrity has $2,300 of my hard earned money for three cruises over the next two years. I always plan to go and have never cancelled a cruise, but that could change due to unforeseen circumstances. One being my elderly father. It is important to understand that not everyone books multiple cruises and then cancels, as life is not always predictable. I also understand that it raises the price for others. However, this is the result of Celebrity’s policy.

If Celebrity tries to enforce cancellation fees after the fact, I would be canceling two of mine immediately. I do not think that would be ethical; when they changed the cancellation days from 75 to 90, they let a lot of people slip through the cracks. I know that you did not mention this in your post. I am just adding my thoughts as I write.

I just want all changes in writing, as I do not want to guess and be sorry. My DH and I will be doing more last minute or not cruising a lot if the new policy does not work for us. I can’t play the game if I do not know the rules. For now I am patiently waiting to hear the facts.

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Refundable or non-refundable we like to cruise.

Our situation for booking is the need for an accessible cabin.

So when we see an itinerary or a ship we would like to sail we book it.

We can never take advantage of last minute cruises even though we live in Florida not far from Port Everglades. There are never accessible cabins last minute. We also can't mark our reservation for upgrades.

I sometimes feel we are penalized because of this situation.

This new policy will make booking Celebrity less attractive to us. With apparently no formal announcement, and less than a week's notice here on cruise critic this is a very unprofessional rollout of the new no refund policy.

If some people had been abusing the system by making multiple booking they did not intend to keep, why doesn't Celebrity direct their policy at those individuals? Why should the rest of the Crusing community have to suffer?

The cruise line knows how many bookings an individual holds in a given year and how many cruises that individual actually completes.

I wonder if you book a non refundable deposit cruise and the rate goes down (before final payment) can you still get the lower rate? Anyone know?

What would be the policy on this^^?