Refusal to price match lowered fares!?

[DocJohnB]

It's no more unfair than your cable company, cell phone company, health club, etc. offering lower monthly bills for new customers for the first 6 months, or an auto dealer offering 0% interest until a specific date only. It's a way for the company to encourage new people to buy their services or products. If a person has ever taken advantage of such an offer, then calling the Tuesday Special unfair is a bit hypocritical.

First off, not being hypocritical. I am the type of person who once I make a deal/commitment/etc., I go on with my life. If something comes up the I "can" benefit from I will (i.e., lower prices crop up and I can upgrade or get an OBC), however if it doesn't apply to me (i.e., Tuesday specials), I let it go by, and that applies to all the "deals" you mentioned.

 

Usually when I post on these boards, I preview my post before hitting the submit button, and then I immediately go back and proofread it as it appears. I didn't do that as I was heading out the door to the gym. What I meant to write, didn't and couldn't correct was, "Even understanding the rules of "new bookings only", it might not seem fair. A slight nuance, but it does change the meaning a tad. Mea culpa.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

"I think that Celebrity is a great line, but policies like these are going to drive passengers like me away. It really is a slap in the face to get a great ad sent to me specifically, only to find out that because you already have my business, you will not offer me what you would offer a new passenger. It just isnt right. Celebrity should reward passengers who return to them rather than leave them dissatisfied with a pricing policy. "

 

If you check the elite CC perks you will see that Celebrity is rewarding loyalty with excellant perks. The new bookings only are to bring in new people, why is that so hard to understand?

 

I think part of davrap222's point is that Celebrity goes through the effort of teasing him with an offer of OBC, then says he's not eligible, so why did they send it to him in the first place? Where I work, we have this sort of thing come up when a customer who has just placed an order gets a bulk email offering them a discount that they could have used if only the email had been sent a day earlier. We do not filter such emails to exclude those who recently placed an order, and it becomes problematic as to who to exclude-- those who placed an order a day ago? Two days ago? A week ago? Should we take into account the size of the order? Oh, hell, just send it to everybody and include terms and conditions that it can't be applied to a previously existing order, our equivalent of "new bookings only".

 

It's likely either just coincidence when someone receives an email when they already have a cruise booked, or else Celebrity figures they can convince someone to book another cruise in addition to the one they already have. It's not meant to antagonize a current customer, it's meant to drum up new business. It should not be seen as a "slap in the face". Would you rather have them withhold an promotional offer that you might consider using for your next cruise, simply because they shouldn't run the risk of offending someone who thinks that the conditions of the offer should not apply to them?

 

If the offer did not come with language that it only applied to new bookings, you have a point, but I'd be surprised if it did not. I'll bet that Celebrity's marketing department takes into consideration the number of customers they're liable to inadvertently drive away versus the new business they generate with such offers. It's best to just take the promotion at face value, book another cruise if you've a mind to take advantage of the promotion, and realize that this is the way the game is played.

[geojobes]

I've noticed quite a few times that the "Tuesday Special" price becomes the Wednesday normal price. If they sold enough Tuesday, you're out of luck. However, if they did not sell enough, the price drops for everyone. Also the best advise seen on this thread is 1) don't look on Tuesday & 2) ALWAYS use the checkmarks for discounts you qualify for. I got a big upgrade (inside to CC Verandah) for pennies finding a Military Rate.

[tuggers]

On cruises I'm not particularly invested in (emotionally, meaning gotta go on this one, gotta go on this one!) I'm willing to take a chance on Xciting Deals Tuesday. But I go into it knowing full well I may end up in an inside forward or something equally annoying. If I'm willing to take those chances to go on the cheap I'll spin the wheel and take the chance.

On a cruise I REALLY want to go on, maybe one leaving from a distant port or one I have friends on, then I pay my money and pick the cabin I want. Now I may get several decreases in price, even up to a couple of weeks before boarding but I go into it knowing the Tuesday Specials are not going to apply to me.

One policy I follow on board is never asking what someone paid. It's guaranteed to give the one who feels he didn't get the better deal ulcers!:D

Happy cruising!

[fleckle]

I understand that Celebrity can make rules that exclude passengers already booked. It is there company and their policies. I received an email from them after I was within 60 days of sailing, addressing me: "Dave, what would you do with an extra $300 on board credit."........................... It really is a slap in the face to get a great ad sent to me specifically, only to find out that because you already have my business, you will not offer me what you would offer a new passenger. ...........

I received the same offer as Dave, as did hundreds (or more likely thousands) of others. Although the letter may appear to be addressed to each person specifically, it is actually a mass mailing generated by computer mail merge software.

 

It is only a standard letter sent to everyone on a customer list. Each person's first name is pulled from a file and merged into a copy of the letter. It is a very common practice which companies have been using for decades. There is nothing personal about it.

 

I doubt that Celebrity makes such offers as a "slap in the face" to those of us who already have cruises booked. It is merely a marketing tool used to give current customers an incentive to make an additional purchase, in this case an attempt to motivate us to book another cruise by offering us on board credit to do so. It is similar to the incentive they offer you to book another cruise while you are on the ship. You do not receive the on board credit for your current cruise but for a future one.

 

 

 

[TommyD3]

FYI, if the Tuesday special has a higher category for a slightly more expensive price than you are booked at they WILL upgrade you !!!

 

We did this on the 4/8 Century sailing. Got a Sky Suite for $10 pp more than the Concierge we had already booked and paid for !!!

 

As for Elite, with the threshold at 10 cruises, it is just too easy to get to Elite. Four 12 nights or longer cruises in a Concierge (12 credits total) and you are Concierge. Or 6 short 4/5 night cruises on the Century in a Concierge and you will have 12 credits.

 

Celebrity REALLY needs to implement higher levels (25 & 50) with additional benefits !!!

[cruie4ever]

Our cruise is on sale today as a “Tuesday Special” with fares hundread of dloollars less per person that we paid for an early booking. I called both our travel agent and Celebrity to see if we could get the difference refunded and was told “tough luck” new bookings only. I could cancel, take the penalty and re-book if I wanted but otherwise too bad. Even our Elite Status with Celebrity was no help.

 

I was always told that they guaranteed lowest price and/or price matching for earlier bookings. Guess that was just a “sales pitch”. How do they justify selling cruises to last minute folks at hundreds or thousands less than paid by early bookers? I guess this is the last time we’ll book early.

 

Is this common for Celebrity?

 

FWIW the Tuesday special isn't only for new booking . We had a outside cabin booked for the May 14th Millennium sailing from Vancouver to Seward. I asked my TA if they could get me a upgrade & she called back & said yes that Celebrity will accept going from the outside to a C2 concierge because it is extra revenue for them . Our cost difference was $400 for the entire cabin upgrade . Imo ,that is a great deal & obviously the ship did not sell out ;as the same deal is being offered by TAs directly.

 

Well now our lesson is learned that we will hold orff until late to book any future cruise .however ,we are retired & we have the flexibility to wait & see.

[donaldsc]

What would the penalty be? How much? I do not think this is fair when we book earlier on the ship or home to find ut later that new bookings receive the better discount. This needs to be corrected. We've been Elite for a long time and believe this should count.

 

Life is not always fair - even to people who have elite status.

 

DON

[tuggers]

I agree about it being too easy to reach the top tier (Elite) on both X and RCL. X should have higher categories, at least 25 and 50.

RCL has Diamond Plus (25). On a recent short RCL I took with a friend who was 'trying out' cruising, we met a man who was working on getting that status through Happy Hour 3 & 4 nighters. He was retired, lived in Port Canaveral (that's not spelled right!) and could jump on at the last minute. This was really not what Diamond Plus was conceived for!:eek:

[Amy from Delaware]

This was really not what Diamond Plus was conceived for!:eek:

 

Why not? Isn't it designed to reward repeat customers?

[thebutlerdidit]

This thread has been very insightful. I can see that many of you are extremely knowledgeable and well-traveled cruisers. I'm booked on my first cruise on Millennium in September and the question of whether prices will drop has crossed my mind but I've been trying to ignore it. I'm the original ElCheapo, and I don't like finding out that you paid less than me for the same thing...very good advice about not discussing the topic with others on board!

 

Can I ask how you go about checking prices daily? Do you go to the Celebrity website and look up your cruise and then begin going through the booking process and look for cabins in the same class you booked? Our itinerary says 2C-7020, so would 2C be the class of my cabin?

[teajak]

On cruises I'm not particularly invested in (emotionally, meaning gotta go on this one, gotta go on this one!) I'm willing to take a chance on Xciting Deals Tuesday. But I go into it knowing full well I may end up in an inside forward or something equally annoying. If I'm willing to take those chances to go on the cheap I'll spin the wheel and take the chance.

 

On a cruise I REALLY want to go on, maybe one leaving from a distant port or one I have friends on, then I pay my money and pick the cabin I want. Now I may get several decreases in price, even up to a couple of weeks before boarding but I go into it knowing the Tuesday Specials are not going to apply to me.

 

One policy I follow on board is never asking what someone paid. It's guaranteed to give the one who feels he didn't get the better deal ulcers!:D

 

Happy cruising!

Couldn't have said it better and I totally agree.I set the priorities that work for me.

[Amy from Delaware]

Can I ask how you go about checking prices daily? Do you go to the Celebrity website and look up your cruise and then begin going through the booking process and look for cabins in the same class you booked? Our itinerary says 2C-7020, so would 2C be the class of my cabin?

 

Yes, you've got that exactly correct. When you go through the booking process, make sure you check any relevant boxes (Over 55, Military, Fire & Police) and your state of residency. That's how you'll know if there are special discounts for those categories (they don't show up unless you check the boxes).

 

GOOD LUCK! :D

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Can I ask how you go about checking prices daily? Do you go to the Celebrity website and look up your cruise and then begin going through the booking process and look for cabins in the same class you booked? Our itinerary says 2C-7020, so would 2C be the class of my cabin?

 

What I do is bookmark the page that has the particular cruise I want to take, showing the itinerary and the sail date. My step-by-step morining ritual is to go to that page, click "book now", select my state on the passenger profile, continue, look for my class of cabin (2C in your case), and check the price. Bookmarking the particular cruise saves a little time.

 

This is a forbidden topic to directly discuss on Cruise Critic (can't even discuss why we can't discuss it), but there are downloadable software programs out there that will alert you to a price drop. Don't bother asking for further information, can't tell you. I believe they won't work for Tuesday specials. I don't use them; I've decided it's just more fun to look myself.

[Denny01]

......Can I ask how you go about checking prices daily? Do you go to the Celebrity website and look up your cruise and then begin going through the booking process and look for cabins in the same class you booked? Our itinerary says 2C-7020, so would 2C be the class of my cabin?

 

The way I do it is once I've booked a cruise and I want to keep checking the price, I go back to that cruise and add it to My Favorites - very much as PartyAllDaTyme's bookmarking. That saves a few steps of searching for that specific cruise an selecting it. then I'll just go to My Favorites, click on that cruise and go through as if I'm booking a new reservation to check my prices.

 

I like checking it myself. By the way, I love getting one of the special SR's such as the Aft Balconies on M-Class and Mercury, but they go away so quickly that you don't get the 'benefits' of general cruise price drops because they all close out! Didn't think about that when I did it, but I'm still glad a got one of the special ones! First tiime for me with one of the Aft/Sunset SR's.

 

Denny

[thebutlerdidit]

Thanks Denny and PartyAllDaTyme, I'll bookmark the cruise today so I can go directly there to check it tomorrow.

[Goofyisme]

Celebrity continues to honor lowered fares. Got my May 2 cruise lowered today.

[supergran]

That may work for you in the US but Celebrity wouldn't do anything for us in the UK even though everyone on our roll call was getting several price drops.

[cruie4ever]

This thread has been very insightful. I can see that many of you are extremely knowledgeable and well-traveled cruisers. I'm booked on my first cruise on Millennium in September and the question of whether prices will drop has crossed my mind but I've been trying to ignore it. I'm the original ElCheapo, and I don't like finding out that you paid less than me for the same thing...very good advice about not discussing the topic with others on board!

 

Can I ask how you go about checking prices daily? Do you go to the Celebrity website and look up your cruise and then begin going through the booking process and look for cabins in the same class you booked? Our itinerary says 2C-7020, so would 2C be the class of my cabin?

 

Suggestion book your cruise directly with Celebrity so that you have control over your booking up & until final payment .Then ,if you wish to continue with the booking have a good travel agent in mind & give the TA the cruise so you can get a on board credit & or free travel insurance.

 

It is important to leave 2-3 weeks before final payment is due because Celebrity will have you complete a "booking transfer form" ;which you can fax to the TA who in turn sends it to Celebrity

 

We do our home work on who we want to transfer the booking to long before the transfer & keep that info handy on a date follow up calendar .

 

Another thing that can be done if you have the flexibility is to wait . Many times 4-6 weeks from the sail date Celebrity will reduce the prices for new bookiings only & that is because the ship isn't sold out . Celebrity Tuesday (one day () specials have great deals. We just got a concierge C2 category cabin for $1800 for the cabin total.

[thebutlerdidit]

I'm actually having trouble comparing apples to oranges on the whole price thing.

 

Our original booking shows a charge of $1299 per guest for the cruise. Then we added the "Vacation Protection Plan" and prepaid "Gratuities", and a charge for "Taxes and Fees" of $151.94 per guest is listed.

 

Our updated account information mailed to us by our travel agent lists the cruise at $1080 per guest, then lists a $219 charge for "Port Charges". So I guess those two numbers added together equal the original $1299 charge as outlined by Celebrity.

 

The price on Celebrity's website now says $1099 for the cruise, plus taxes of $174.59 for a total of $1273.59 per guest. I am so lost. Would Port Charges be added on to this? The tax charge is confusing me, because why would there be $174 tax on a $1099 cruise when our itinerary lists $151 tax on a $1299 cruise? Is the $174 listed as taxes on Celebrity actually those mysterious port charges and then an additional state tax would be added after booking?:confused:

Guest 1

Guest 2

SubtotalCruise:1,099.001,099.002,198.00Taxes:174.59174.59349.18Total Price:1,273.591,273.592,547.18

 

*If you're confused while reading this, rest assured that you won't be the only one.

I do know that my TA is in Washington, D.C. with her child's class this week. I could talk to someone else if I think it's warranted, though.

[thebutlerdidit]

Well, after that most confusing post, I ended up contacting my TA and we switched from 2C to a C1 Concierge cabin for a grand total of $93 more. I'm happy. I've been coveting the concierge staterooms.

[jackdiamond]

We have cruised about 25-26 times in the last eleven years; and, we always book very early. We have always found out that this works best for us. For example, we booked D-1 stern balcony on the Radiance for this October; and, said category sold out within two days, Additionally, shortly thereafter OVs were selling for more than our cabin. We are booked on the Constellation in CC-1 for December; and, said category has been sold out for some time. We are booked in AQ on the Equinox for April of 2011, and we have received a price decrease of about $500.00, but I do not expect another one since this category is also almost sold out.