Disappointed & very Unhappy with Celebrity Business Practice

[KruzPrincess]

If it makes you feel any better, we have more than 60 cruise credits with Celebrity and they just don't do that for new bookings only rates. As far as that "someone" getting the suite on a new bookings rate, I'm not saying it's impossible, but there were some games played and they didn't get caught.

 

We are Platinum on Princess too, but I've had enough bad experiences with them that I doubt will ever sail with them again. I'm more interested in how I'm treated on the ship than before the cruise.

 

I appreciate your words. Perhaps it's because this was my first experience with Celebrity. I wish it had been better pre-cruise. I think I've been on about 7 different cruise lines and this was the most annoying experience of all of them. People on my roll call assured me that my onboard experience would be much better and it was fine. It wasn't perfect, but it was good for the most part. I'm glad you've had such a good experience over the years. That says a lot. I've had wonderful experiences on another cruise line and it's easy for me to go back there because I feel at home there. Everyone has different priorities. There was a lot that I liked about Celebrity. I just really didn't like all the pre-cruise angst. I almost booked a Tuesday special today, but I didn't have enough time on my lunch hour to work out all the details. It was a great after final payment deal. I'll keep watching them.

[satchiesmom]

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.

 

I agree completely. I've never understood all of the complaining about X's pricing policy. When I buy something and it later goes on sale I don't go running to the store demanding the lower price and whine about it because I don't get it.

[cruie4ever]

I agree completely. I've never understood all of the complaining about X's pricing policy. When I buy something and it later goes on sale I don't go running to the store demanding the lower price and whine about it because I don't get it.

 

That is not comparing apples to apples .It is orange to pears,lol . However, if you are satisfied with paying very high prices then that is your choice . I like to shop vs payingt Nordstom prices .

 

In the case of this discussion we aren't talking small dollars ;but ,can be $ thousands in difference & most importantly there is just no consistency when it comes to Celebritys executing their own priceing policies;which they changed May 17 ,2010 . Thus ,if you are interested in learning the price policy then look it up on the Celebrity web site.

 

This you might get a kick out of .I phoned their corporate offices & spoke to a person at the Executive level & they actually admitted to me that they are confused about their own new pricing policy . thus ,when I heard that I ROTFLMAO . Enough said.

[samel00]

Exactly correct. We need to compare apples to apples.

When someone books a hotel room few months in advance and the price drops just a week or so before check in date, most hotels honer the price drop.

The travel industry is customer relation based business.

[lysolqn]

That is not comparing apples to apples .It is orange to pears,lol . However, if you are satisfied with paying very high prices then that is your choice . I like to shop vs payingt Nordstom prices .

 

No one books a cruise at a price they're not willing to pay! People book at prices they think are reasonable/fair/acceptable for what they're getting, otherwise they wouldn't book at all, would they? They know the rules of the game up front: price guaranteed until final payment; after that all bets are off. If prices don't fall after final payment or even better, if prices increase, they continue to pat themselves on the back for nabbing such a great deal; if prices do fall, as they are well aware they may, suddenly the cruise line is ripping them off.

[lysolqn]

Exactly correct. We need to compare apples to apples.

When someone books a hotel room few months in advance and the price drops just a week or so before check in date, most hotels honer the price drop.

The travel industry is customer relation based business.

 

You're absolutely right; we need to compare apples to apples, so sticking with your travel industry comparison... If I book a flight a "few months in advance and the price drops just a week or so before check-in date" (or even within hours of booking my reservation!!!) I'm plum out of luck and that airline which is part and parcel of that customer relations based travel industry you're so happy with isn't particularly customer relations based or for that matter, particularly customer friendly.

[cruiseacecat]

No one books a cruise at a price they're not willing to pay! People book at prices they think are reasonable/fair/acceptable for what they're getting, otherwise they wouldn't book at all, would they? They know the rules of the game up front: price guaranteed until final payment; after that all bets are off. If prices don't fall after final payment or even better, if prices increase, they continue to pat themselves on the back for nabbing such a great deal; if prices do fall, as they are well aware they may, suddenly the cruise line is ripping them off.

I may be in the minority, but when I find a cruise I am interested in that is priced too high, I will book it anyway and check for price drops. If they do not happen before final payment, I will just cancel. I try not to get too emotionally involved. If it comes down, I will go. If not, not.

 

Anne :)

[cruie4ever]

You're absolutely right; we need to compare apples to apples, so sticking with your travel industry comparison... If I book a flight a "few months in advance and the price drops just a week or so before check-in date" (or even within hours of booking my reservation!!!) I'm plum out of luck and that airline which is part and parcel of that customer relations based travel industry you're so happy with isn't particularly customer relations based or for that matter, particularly customer friendly.

 

Not correct because I book first class flights & I can cancel at no cost & get all my money back even at last minute.The point I am making is get the facts before typing wrong information ;which could mislead a newbie with far less travel knowledge & experience.

 

When it comes to cruise line price policies , they them selves at the executive level say they don't know their own policy . Hard to believe ;but ,I heard that statement from the Executive level of Celebrity Cruise lines just days ago on the phone.

 

Enough said

[cruie4ever]

I may be in the minority, but when I find a cruise I am interested in that is priced too high, I will book it anyway and check for price drops. If they do not happen before final payment, I will just cancel. I try not to get too emotionally involved. If it comes down, I will go. If not, not.

 

Anne :)

 

Anne that suits you & apparently you are flexible (may be retired) to book another cruise or take a different vacation .

 

We aren't discussing emotion here. We are discussing in many cases a difference of $thousands of dollars literally. I use a tracking service that tracks my cruise prices & sends me a instant e -mail when there is a price change .We booked (3)B2B2B & my savings so far is well over $2000 . Thus ,it is not emotional it is business & logic.

 

From here on we will book after final payment ;as the cruise lines are getting hammered by 6-7 airline price increases & those same airlines will continue to raise air fares.

[Ratt]

It will be interesting to see how Celebrity responds if enough people start waiting till after final payment to book.

 

It will have to be enough people to effect the booking percentage to the point that it causes Celebrity to drop fares up to and past final payment. If people truly wait until the last moment to book, the prices could continue to drop until the very last moment. Theoretically this could cause Celebrity to lose more money than if they allowed upgrades past final payment date.

 

I don't think enough people will wait, but it could be a tough situation for Celebrity.

[lysolqn]

Not correct because I book first class flights & I can cancel at no cost & get all my money back even at last minute.The point I am making is get the facts before typing wrong information ;which could mislead a newbie with far less travel knowledge & experience.

 

When it comes to cruise line price policies , they them selves at the executive level say they don't know their own policy . Hard to believe ;but ,I heard that statement from the Executive level of Celebrity Cruise lines just days ago on the phone.

 

Enough said

 

OK...you got me! You book first class flights and so do we oftentimes, especially on longer flights, but let's get real - I was referring to the majority of the flying world that flies one of the gazillion or more one way or another restricted coach fares. Airlines, for the most part offering no price guarantee whatsoever, rate a heck of a lot lower with respect to your claim that the travel industry is customer relations based than does Celebrity which offers everyone a generous price guarantee, admittedly with some accompanying caveats, up to +/- 75 days of sailing. As far as conflicting information from customer reps re corporate policy goes, it's been my experience that that unfortunate fact of life exists with respect to just about every business out there these days, travel-related and otherwise. 'Nuf said!

[lysolqn]

It will be interesting to see how Celebrity responds if enough people start waiting till after final payment to book.

 

It will have to be enough people to effect the booking percentage to the point that it causes Celebrity to drop fares up to and past final payment. If people truly wait until the last moment to book, the prices could continue to drop until the very last moment. Theoretically this could cause Celebrity to lose more money than if they allowed upgrades past final payment date.

 

I don't think enough people will wait, but it could be a tough situation for Celebrity.

 

Yes, it would be interesting to see if the policy (which has been around almost a year now) has affected booking habits. Since it's still in force just as it was presented last May, I tend to think not - at least not enough to make a difference.

[Denny01]

Not correct because I book first class flights & I can cancel at no cost & get all my money back even at last minute.The point I am making is get the facts before typing wrong information ;which could mislead a newbie with far less travel knowledge & experience.

 

When it comes to cruise line price policies , they them selves at the executive level say they don't know their own policy . Hard to believe ;but ,I heard that statement from the Executive level of Celebrity Cruise lines just days ago on the phone.

 

Enough said

 

The poster you are saying is wrong is correct. You apparently book 1st Class refundable seats - good. Most of us book coach non-refundable especially on a thread talking about saving money on a cruise. what the poster said about comparing airline rules is quite comparable to Cruise Line rules under those cases. please dont say someone is wrong who is referring to regular type flights most of us use.

 

Den

[lysolqn]

The poster you are saying is wrong is correct. You apparently book 1st Class refundable seats - good. Most of us book coach non-refundable especially on a thread talking about saving money on a cruise. what the poster said about comparing airline rules is quite comparable to Cruise Line rules under those cases. please dont say someone is wrong who is referring to regular type flights most of us use.

 

Den

 

Thanks; I needed that. I was beginning to question my own sanity, LOL!

[cruie4ever]

The poster you are saying is wrong is correct. You apparently book 1st Class refundable seats - good. Most of us book coach non-refundable especially on a thread talking about saving money on a cruise. what the poster said about comparing airline rules is quite comparable to Cruise Line rules under those cases. please dont say someone is wrong who is referring to regular type flights most of us use.

 

Den

 

Did she say coach ? No . Thus ,the post is not correct. Also ,the airlines post their rules hard & fast ,so there are NO misundersatndings .thus ,it is not apples to apples ;as the Celebrity priciing rules are left up to some ones interpretation.

 

If people were not bent out of shape(please read all the back posts on this issue) then why are there so many disgruntled pax posting .I am not disgruntled ;but ,I am certainly posting facts. Not included in all these posts are (3) yes three people on our upcoming Panama Canal cruise that got burnt in the same way can't upgrade with cabins available after final payment & aqccording to the new price policy tthey should have been upgrade. Just to show you what happened we got upgraded from a 2B cat to C3 concierge . Pray tell us what is the differencce between our situation & these 3 people applying for the same situation ;which BTW ,is apples to apples .Hmmmm there is interpretation & communication problems at Celebrity .

 

Imo ,if Celebrity doesn't make their pricing policy much clearer to the prospective customerI will state that they will see lost sales . Hw much lost sales is any one's guess .If it is a large # then you can be assured a change will take place. The alternative is not something a corporation relishes.

[cruie4ever]

This is my final post on this issue .If people continue to post inccorect information with out verifying every thing upfront then it will be them by ommission.

 

I am not going to get into a banter sword fight on this thread. Just remember what comes around goes around one day . Hope that makes sense.

[samel00]

The poster you are saying is wrong is correct. You apparently book 1st Class refundable seats - good. Most of us book coach non-refundable especially on a thread talking about saving money on a cruise. what the poster said about comparing airline rules is quite comparable to Cruise Line rules under those cases. please dont say someone is wrong who is referring to regular type flights most of us use.

 

Den

 

How often do you see that airlines lower their prices less than 75 days before flight? NEVER

Actually, the airfare increases as it gets closer to departure date.

 

The prices we are paying to Celebrity for Concierge and Aqua class should be compared to refundable coach airfares and outside & inside cabins rate should be compared to non-refundable airfares.

[2blueyam]

How often do you see that airlines lower their prices less than 75 days before flight? NEVER

.

 

Wrong. I recently booked a flight to Boston for my DW about 45 days in advance of her flight. Two days after I booked the price dropped about $60. No way for us to take advantage of that. If the airlines has a good number of empty seats and it is getting close to the flight date, the airfare will drop like a rock.

[lysolqn]

Did she say coach ? No . Thus ,the post is not correct. Also ,the airlines post their rules hard & fast ,so there are NO misundersatndings .thus ,it is not apples to apples ;as the Celebrity priciing rules are left up to some ones interpretation.

 

If people were not bent out of shape(please read all the back posts on this issue) then why are there so many disgruntled pax posting .I am not disgruntled ;but ,I am certainly posting facts. Not included in all these posts are (3) yes three people on our upcoming Panama Canal cruise that got burnt in the same way can't upgrade with cabins available after final payment & aqccording to the new price policy tthey should have been upgrade. Just to show you what happened we got upgraded from a 2B cat to C3 concierge . Pray tell us what is the differencce between our situation & these 3 people applying for the same situation ;which BTW ,is apples to apples .Hmmmm there is interpretation & communication problems at Celebrity .

 

Imo ,if Celebrity doesn't make their pricing policy much clearer to the prospective customerI will state that they will see lost sales . Hw much lost sales is any one's guess .If it is a large # then you can be assured a change will take place. The alternative is not something a corporation relishes.

 

- I clarified my earlier post and acknowledged I was referring to coach. Despite your claim that the travel industry is customer relations based, I maintain the airlines are anything BUT. I'll go you head to head re Celebrity's current price guarantee policy vs. the airlines' non-existent policy, then for fun I'll throw the word "fees" into the mix (still referring to coach bookings only). How's that for being customer relations based?

 

- The airlines may very well "post their rules hard & fast" but so does the cruise line. The difference is that the sheer multitude and complexity of airline rules make them virtually unintelligble and nowhere close to being user-friendly, so nobody even tries to take a stand.

 

- People are "bent out of shape" because as of last May, they can no longer avail themselves of both early booking advantages AND late booking advantages.

[lysolqn]

How often do you see that airlines lower their prices less than 75 days before flight? NEVER

Actually, the airfare increases as it gets closer to departure date.

 

Apparently you don't receive the same emails I routinely get from major airlines advertising last minute sales and promotions.

 

The prices we are paying to Celebrity for Concierge and Aqua class should be compared to refundable coach airfares and outside & inside cabins rate should be compared to non-refundable airfares.

 

Really???? And you decided this based on what? I'm sure pax who book outside and inside cabins appreciate your generosity in refraining from referring to them as steerage class.

[marci22]

Well, there is somewhere in between booking early and booking late. This territory comes with less choice of cabins and typically, higher prices. Not everyone can book 18 months out when bookings open.

 

I have always booked without worrying because I knew that my price would be adjusted, even after final, if I was willing to watch and call. Two times, this has gotten me price drops of over 1k to over 2k. Another time my price dropped after final but I still saved $600 even after cancelling, paying a penalty, and rebooking.

 

I am currently on my last grandfathered booking. I had other trips booked, but now they are cancelled. I will wait until after final. Until then, one really doesn't know what a 'good' price is because the cruiselines have no incentive to price correctly in the first place.

 

It may work well for them, and it may not. Time will tell. Meanwhile I'm not going to book until much later and if airfare is too high, I just won't do that particular trip.

[samel00]

Apparently you don't receive the same emails I routinely get from major airlines advertising last minute sales and promotions.

 

 

 

Really???? And you decided this based on what? I'm sure pax who book outside and inside cabins appreciate your generosity in refraining from referring to them as steerage class.

 

Please read carefully before you accuse people.

 

I never said there is upper or lower pax class. All I said is about the prices we are paying not the class. The price difference between inside cabin versus concierge is like the price difference between non-refundable versus refundable airfare.

 

Since you are such a expert. Could you please tell me why CC lowers their prices few days after 75 days before sailling. If they need to fill the ship why do not they lower the prices before the 75 days mark? I looked at few sailings and I noticed that on most cases.

 

Why you are so angry? This is cruise critic and anyone is entitle to thier opinion. If I am wrong then tell me nicely with respect.

 

I AM DONE!

[maxsales]

Please read carefully before you accuse people.

 

I never said there is upper or lower pax class. All I said is about the prices we are paying not the class. The price difference between inside cabin versus concierge is like the price difference between non-refundable versus refundable airfare.

 

Since you are such a expert. Could you please tell me why CC lowers their prices few days after 75 days before sailling. If they need to fill the ship why do not they lower the prices before the 75 days mark? I looked at few sailings and I noticed that on most cases.

 

Why you are so angry? This is cruise critic and anyone is entitle to thier opinion. If I am wrong then tell me nicely with respect.

 

I AM DONE!

You are wrong, respectfully. There is no significant comparison between cruise cabins and refundable airfare. Very much an apples oranges thing.

[maxsales]

Sorry but your post is inaccurate . First off as airfares increased rapidly 6-7times since last year .NCL & any other cruise line can increase cruise fares & have even less people boarding due to total budget costs of that vacation .BTW NCL only represents less than 15% of the entire mass cruise industry . It is pure economics & times have changed if you hadn't noticed. People don't want debt; as before & in fact saving more. This recession has scared the beejeebees out of them just like the depression of 1929 scared the other generation. thus ,holding on to their monies & must justify their cruise/air vacations. There are lots of other cheaper options for vacations .

 

Celeberity changed their pricing policy May 17,2010 to better suit Celebrity /RCL bottom line & NOT favorable to the cruise passenger. Prior to 5/10 /10 when prices droped a pax could get a OBC after final payment . That no longer happens. Refer to my post above for the REAL facts of the matter.

 

Posts ala yours misleads people & that is as much of the problem as the Celebrity disconnet with non customer service issues.

 

Just projecting a bit . Airlines can easily mothball a plane & then retrieve it, at realtively small cost .That is not true of moth balling a ship . The reasons for the incresed air fares are as follows:

 

1) higher jet fuel costs

 

2) a improving economy

 

3) less seats available as planes have been pulled & the airlines had major merges .

 

The above are frrom a airline industry source & not my opinion .

 

We noticed major discounting after final payment & even before final payment on all 3 of our B2B2B cruises in April 2011 (this is March 22,2011 I am posting).

 

I trust that you will now understand why it is important to report the real facts with transparency

 

What are you talking about. You are rambling about airfare and and airplanes when my post mentioned niether. You tell me I am inaccurate and misleading when I only posted a fact, "NCL is raising their prices April first" You can find proof of this fact on their web site. I suggested from this "fact" that other lines would not be far behine, that is my opinion and is supported by the first fact.

 

I trust that you will now understand why it is important to report the real facts with transparency What does this even mean? You believe I am trying to mislead poeple with my opinion?

You say there are lots of cheaper options for vacations, yes staying home is one. You show me what is cheaper then a cruise vacation right now, especially if you are able to drive to a port. Celebrity has been giving away the Caribbean this year. Balcony cabins for less then $100.00 PP per day?

[Gonzo70]

 

The prices we are paying to Celebrity for Concierge and Aqua class should be compared to refundable coach airfares and outside & inside cabins rate should be compared to non-refundable airfares.

 

Wow, that is quite a stretch. :rolleyes: