Ma Bell Posted March 21, 2011 #76 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I will still continue to book early.. However, if there is a huge difference between balcony cabins and suites, I may decide to book a balcony cabin initially and then pay the difference to upgrade to a suite after final payment, if a suite is available at that time. My reasoning exactly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wyodeacon Posted March 21, 2011 #77 Share Posted March 21, 2011 When I start to look at a cruise I generally have a price that I'm not willing to exceed. I find the cruise I want and I pay the price I have decided is fair so what's the beef? Yeah it would be nice to receive a generous discount but I don't go into the process looking for one. I figure my price was affordable for me and I don't really care what others are paying. Oh....I also read the rules and restrictions pretty closely so I'm already aware that if the price drops after my final payment I'm out of luck. It seem to me that complaining about the policy after the fact is kind of silly. If I don't think I can live with it I'll just not book in the first place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80sramfan Posted March 21, 2011 #78 Share Posted March 21, 2011 The way I look at it is the same as buying a giant widescreen TV. If I pay $3000 for a flat screen and then 6-8 months later see it in an advertisement or on a shopping channel for significantly less, well that's on me. I bought it when I wanted to, paid the price I did when I bought it, and ran the risk that it would later be marked down. Same for a cruise. If I book a cruise a year in advance and then 2 months before sailing the price is slashed then that's my tough luck. I can't get that new price just like I can't get the sale price on that TV when it when on sale 6 months after I bought it. The same goes in any business practice, so why should it be different in the cruise industry? You bought that cruise and were happy with the price at that time, got the cabin you wanted and the dining time you wanted. If it is marked down in a 'fire sale' to get rid of the rest of the cabins (or to go back to the previous analogy, those remaining TV's in inventory) I don't get to take advantage of that Tuesday sale by Celebrity Cruises. It may seem unfair, but that's the way it is. Like it or not. this is correct. This game people play is ridiculous. You were obviously happy with the price when you booked or you wouldn't of booked. If it goes down after final payment. Tough luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excitedofharpenden Posted March 21, 2011 #79 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I always wondered when the policy would change. It almost had to. Before the common use of computers by everyone and the discovery of cruise related websites, it was a lot more infrequent that anyone would request a drop in price for their cruise so it was easy to have a policy matching their lowest price for everyone. It does take a certain level of revenue to be able to provide a good quality experience, so a business can either provide the absolute lowest price to everyone and make cost cutting measures, or try to make sure the revenue stays at a minimum level to be able to provide a better quality experience. It's really impossible to do both and stay in business. It's a balancing act. There have been plenty of reports lately about how Celebrity seems to be getting back to providing some of the little touches that had been missing recently and I have no doubt part of it is due to this new policy. Spot on! Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KruzPrincess Posted March 21, 2011 #80 Share Posted March 21, 2011 So, hypothetically, it's OK with you that you paid $2000 for your oceanview cabin 10 months in advance and someone else got an AQ balcony for $1900 1 month in advance? That wouldn't bother you at all? You knew the risks and are happy about it? If so, good for you. I wouldn't be happy about it. So, I'm going to wait if I book a Celebrity cruise in the future. Simple. If I don't get on the ship, it's OK with me. I know there are other options. We all have our different priorities and there are plenty of choices out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ma Bell Posted March 21, 2011 #81 Share Posted March 21, 2011 So, hypothetically, it's OK with you that you paid $2000 for your oceanview cabin 10 months in advance and someone else got an AQ balcony for $1900 1 month in advance? That wouldn't bother you at all? You knew the risks and are happy about it? If so, good for you. I wouldn't be happy about it. So, I'm going to wait if I book a Celebrity cruise in the future. Simple. If I don't get on the ship, it's OK with me. I know there are other options. We all have our different priorities and there are plenty of choices out there. That's not a problem because if the AQ balcony falls below what you paid for your oceanview cabin you can be upgraded to AQ after final payment. You just can't get a cabin credit or refund. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PS90 Posted March 21, 2011 #82 Share Posted March 21, 2011 So, hypothetically, it's OK with you that you paid $2000 for your oceanview cabin 10 months in advance and someone else got an AQ balcony for $1900 1 month in advance? That wouldn't bother you at all? You knew the risks and are happy about it? If so, good for you. I wouldn't be happy about it. So, I'm going to wait if I book a Celebrity cruise in the future. Simple. If I don't get on the ship, it's OK with me. I know there are other options. We all have our different priorities and there are plenty of choices out there. I agree. Just because a potential cruiser has an issue with Celebrity's strict issue with this current structure does NOT mean that said potential cruiser didn't understand that policy. Understanding that you could be paying a lot more than another passenger, who may even get a better cabin for cheaper, is a risk of booking early. But that does NOT mean that we, as patrons of X, have to be happy about it. Obviously, based on this and other threads about it, this issue is generating a lot of negative "vibe" for Celebrity. That, in itself, makes this policy a poor business decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samel00 Posted March 21, 2011 Author #83 Share Posted March 21, 2011 That's not a problem because if the AQ balcony falls below what you paid for your oceanview cabin you can be upgraded to AQ after final payment. You just can't get a cabin credit or refund. Ma Bell, That is not true what you said. I booked in Concierge class and the price of AQ class dropped and I did not ask for any money or credits but just to be upgraded to AQ and Celebrity said no way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ma Bell Posted March 21, 2011 #84 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Ma Bell, That is not true what you said. I booked in Concierge class and the price of AQ class dropped and I did not ask for any money or credits but just to be upgraded to AQ and Celebrity said no way. They will not do it if the fare is a "new bookings only" fare, but will for general rate drops. A "new booking special" is a different thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80sramfan Posted March 21, 2011 #85 Share Posted March 21, 2011 So, hypothetically, it's OK with you that you paid $2000 for your oceanview cabin 10 months in advance and someone else got an AQ balcony for $1900 1 month in advance? That wouldn't bother you at all? You knew the risks and are happy about it? If so, good for you. I wouldn't be happy about it. So, I'm going to wait if I book a Celebrity cruise in the future. Simple. If I don't get on the ship, it's OK with me. I know there are other options. We all have our different priorities and there are plenty of choices out there. Yeah it's ok. Why do you care what others pay. Makes no sense.Also why get worked up over $100???Makes no sense Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PartyAllDaTyme Posted March 21, 2011 #86 Share Posted March 21, 2011 It's done all the time. Try again. Could be a "new bookings only" price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Essaru Posted March 21, 2011 #87 Share Posted March 21, 2011 It's done all the time. Try again. Agreed. For our April cruise our whole group was able to upgrade from OV to balcony rooms with just a phone call to Celebrity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare C-Dragons Posted March 21, 2011 #88 Share Posted March 21, 2011 They will not do it if the fare is a "new bookings only" fare, but will for general rate drops. A "new booking special" is a different thing. Joanie, the OP stated at the beginning that X told him it was for "new bookings only". Unfortunately, I believe that this may become a SOP in the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ma Bell Posted March 21, 2011 #89 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Could be a "new bookings only" price. I caught that and changed my post. It's always been the same for "new bookings only". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted March 21, 2011 #90 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Obviously, based on this and other threads about it, this issue is generating a lot of negative "vibe" for Celebrity. That, in itself, makes this policy a poor business decision. It is only a poor business decision if it causes them to lose money. While as a customer I would love to be able to get price drops past final payment, I understand Celebrity's policy to clamp down on this - I am sure it was costing them big bucks. Perhaps the current policy causes them to lose a few customers as well as to cause others to book later in the game than before, but on the whole they likely are benefiting financially on the new policy by not having to dole out so many price drops and on board credits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PS90 Posted March 21, 2011 #91 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Yeah it's ok. Why do you care what others pay. Makes no sense.Also why get worked up over $100???Makes no sense Well, I think she was using the $100 difference as an example, not a real situation, and I don't believe anyone has the right to tell anyone else what $100 is worth to that person. $100 is going to be worth a lot more to someone who earns $20K a year than it is to someone who earns $100K a year. It is arrogant to tell someone (especially someone you don't know) that they shouldn't worry about $100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80sramfan Posted March 21, 2011 #92 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Well, I think she was using the $100 difference as an example, not a real situation, and I don't believe anyone has the right to tell anyone else what $100 is worth to that person. $100 is going to be worth a lot more to someone who earns $20K a year than it is to someone who earns $100K a year. It is arrogant to tell someone (especially someone you don't know) that they shouldn't worry about $100. If $100 means that much on a $2k cruise they probably can't afford the cruise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samel00 Posted March 21, 2011 Author #93 Share Posted March 21, 2011 It is only a poor business decision if it causes them to lose money. While as a customer I would love to be able to get price drops past final payment, I understand Celebrity's policy to clamp down on this - I am sure it was costing them big bucks. Perhaps the current policy causes them to lose a few customers as well as to cause others to book later in the game than before, but on the whole they likely are benefiting financially on the new policy by not having to dole out so many price drops and on board credits. I do not believe Celebrity would lose money. Let's say someone paid $5,000 for a C2 on a cruise and then later on AQ is being offered at $4,000. If Celebrity upgrade the PAX who paid $5000 to AQ and then sell the C2 to "new booking only" for $4000, this way CC would keep the higher paid PAX happy and the new PAX still would get a good deal and CC would not lose money and everybody would live happily ever after. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PS90 Posted March 21, 2011 #94 Share Posted March 21, 2011 It is only a poor business decision if it causes them to lose money. While as a customer I would love to be able to get price drops past final payment, I understand Celebrity's policy to clamp down on this - I am sure it was costing them big bucks. Perhaps the current policy causes them to lose a few customers as well as to cause others to book later in the game than before, but on the whole they likely are benefiting financially on the new policy by not having to dole out so many price drops and on board credits. Well, I guess I agree in that I would assume (or at least, I would hope) that X has some kind of algorithm to determine the ratio of cost savings from this policy change vs. potential lost income due to lost customers due to it. It seems easy to put a number on the amount of $$$ they save by denying these price-drops after final payment, but seems VERY difficult to put a number on the income lost by loyal customers who will now either: a) book a different cruiseline with a more lenient price-drop structure, or b) wait until after final payment to take advantage of a fire sale, or c) read this thread and not book simply due to bad publicity. Obviously, Gonzo, you are right in the fact that this policy is still in place, so X apparently thinks it is a money-maker as of right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PS90 Posted March 21, 2011 #95 Share Posted March 21, 2011 If $100 means that much on a $2k cruise they probably can't afford the cruise Again, this is not your decision to make for someone you don't know. I know some very frugal "rich" people, and some people who have next to nothing, but still love to spend money. It is not anyone's place to determine someone else's priorities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80sramfan Posted March 21, 2011 #96 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Again, this is not your decision to make for someone you don't know. I know some very frugal "rich" people, and some people who have next to nothing, but still love to spend money. It is not anyone's place to determine someone else's priorities. Lol nobody is doing that. the point is you agreed to a price. If you agreed to it you were happy with it. If it goes down after final who cares. Some people just have to think they got the best deal on the ship when it's totally irrelevant what the other person paid. End of story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted March 21, 2011 #97 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I do not believe Celebrity would lose money. Let's say someone paid $5,000 for a C2 on a cruise and then later on AQ is being offered at $4,000. If Celebrity upgrade the PAX who paid $5000 to AQ and then sell the C2 to "new booking only" for $4000, this way CC would keep the higher paid PAX happy and the new PAX still would get a good deal and CC would not lose money and everybody would live happily ever after. :) You are mixing up two different policies. The new policy (to which my post was referencing) is that Celebrity no longer doles out OBC for price drops after final payment. There has always been a policy that certain sales that are specified "for new bookings only" cannot be cashed in to those who already are booked. That is nothing new. If a price drop occurs after final payment (that is not a special sale for new bookings only), then people with existing reservations can use the new pricing towards an upgrade. In your example the way in which Celebrity would lose money is they can seek a higher price point for a higher category stateroom; hence when they do a new booking only sale they generate more revenue selling higher category cabins than doing a bunch of free upgrades and then selling the lower category cabins. While these policies definitely favor the business' bottom line at the expense of the customers', they are fairly common policies across the various cruise lines and (while not policies customers like), are certainly understandable when looking at it from the cruse lines' perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gonzo70 Posted March 21, 2011 #98 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Well, I guess I agree in that I would assume (or at least, I would hope) that X has some kind of algorithm to determine the ratio of cost savings from this policy change vs. potential lost income due to lost customers due to it. It seems easy to put a number on the amount of $$$ they save by denying these price-drops after final payment, but seems VERY difficult to put a number on the income lost by loyal customers who will now either: a) book a different cruiseline with a more lenient price-drop structure, or b) wait until after final payment to take advantage of a fire sale, or c) read this thread and not book simply due to bad publicity. Obviously, Gonzo, you are right in the fact that this policy is still in place, so X apparently thinks it is a money-maker as of right now. Those are good points and I would assume (or at least hope) that the cruise line takes these into consideration (both before and after the policy was implemented). My guess is that they have been tracking booking stats both before and after the policy was invoked (i.e. if their research shows that on average people are now booking cruises 100 days later, they likely would do away with the new policy, whereas if it turns out people are only booking on average a few days later the new policy would make sense for them). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobeth66 Posted March 21, 2011 #99 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I look at it this way - when I booked my cruise, I was happy with the price I paid for what I was getting, I got the cabin I wanted, and I knew that after final payment was made, no refunds. If someone who books tomorrow gets a better price than me? Good for them! What someone else paid for their cruise in no way affects my life. I paid what I was willing to pay for the product I bought, knowing the terms. Just like airfare. I guarantee I'm paying less for my seat on the plane to get to my cruise than many folks are - but I guarantee that there are folks paying less for theirs than I am, too. Doesn't affect my life. I made a choice to pull the trigger and book when I did, because I was comfortable with the price and with the ability to get decent seats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samel00 Posted March 21, 2011 Author #100 Share Posted March 21, 2011 You are mixing up two different policies. The new policy (to which my post was referencing) is that Celebrity no longer doles out OBC for price drops after final payment. There has always been a policy that certain sales that are specified "for new bookings only" cannot be cashed in to those who already are booked. That is nothing new. If a price drop occurs after final payment (that is not a special sale for new bookings only), then people with existing reservations can use the new pricing towards an upgrade. In your example the way in which Celebrity would lose money is they can seek a higher price point for a higher category stateroom; hence when they do a new booking only sale they generate more revenue selling higher category cabins than doing a bunch of free upgrades and then selling the lower category cabins. While these policies definitely favor the business' bottom line at the expense of the customers', they are fairly common policies across the various cruise lines and (while not policies customers like), are certainly understandable when looking at it from the cruse lines' perspective. I understand your point too. It is what it is and move on! As they say in Caribbean: Do not Worry be Happy! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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