Open Booking Discount BEWARE

[9CE]

Had a great time on our second Seabourn Cruise last year and decided to part with £500 to secure a 5% open booking discount for this year.

In process of booking and very unhappy to be told that discount applies to a "specific" (single) booking. We travel as a family of four and take two staterooms but each is treated as a seperate booking!?

Contacted Seabourn who were initially sympathetic but then said "can't be done" to idea that as returning customers, who had travelled on same basis before, the discount should apply to both staterooms.

This leaves a "very bad taste", though I suppose there is nothing to stop me giving two deposits if we think that we'll return in 2012.

Happy to have your comments.

[LaPaloma]

Had a great time on our second Seabourn Cruise last year and decided to part with £500 to secure a 5% open booking discount for this year.

In process of booking and very unhappy to be told that discount applies to a "specific" (single) booking. We travel as a family of four and take two staterooms but each is treated as a seperate booking!?

Contacted Seabourn who were initially sympathetic but then said "can't be done" to idea that as returning customers, who had travelled on same basis before, the discount should apply to both staterooms.

This leaves a "very bad taste", though I suppose there is nothing to stop me giving two deposits if we think that we'll return in 2012.

Happy to have your comments.

 

Actually..from my take...it is two bookings..booked @ the same time...thus..it would take two deposits. Sorry, as I know that when you are thinking in one way..it can seem unkind. :rolleyes:

[lord of the seas]

Yes definately two bookings.

leave two deposits one for each suite.

Don't forget that the onboard deposit has now halved from $1000 to $500

so you are no worse off from the last booking that you made. :)

[Chairsin]

I am surprised that the Seabourn sales rep did not explain that to you when you made your open booking on board. I have friends who knew they were going to take their sons and their wives so they amde three open bookings when they were on board.At least you know now for next time. Don't let this ruin your plans -- on a $5,000 cruise the saving is only $250.

[Seacap]

I understand your frustration however $500 deposit entitles you to book one suite.It seems to me if you needed two suites then $1000 would be in order.I am very surprised the on board Cruise Specialist didn't advise you to that fact,perhaps she didn't understand you were doing multiple bookings.I booked one month ago four suites and was advised I needed to leave a $2000 deposit in order to qualify for the 5% on board discount.

[sfvoyage]

Don't forget that the onboard deposit has now halved from $1000 to $500

 

I just put down the deposit a couple of days ago onboard, and it has not been halved. It is still 1000 USD, 500 pounds, or 700 euros.

[lord of the seas]

I just put down the deposit a couple of days ago onboard, and it has not been halved. It is still 1000 USD, 500 pounds, or 700 euros.

 

That's strange,I have been told different.

perhaps I've got an honest face.

[MarciAnn]

They will honor the discount on both rooms if you book them with one of your names on each room. Since this is your family travelling that should not be a problem for you. This is what my travel agent did for my family on our last cruise.

[9CE]

Thanks for the input. No use, Marci, only obtained discount on one stateroom despite the fact that, this year, they insisted on splitting my wife and myself for the booking. Presumably, though, this will stop them removing the champagne from our daughters' stateroom on embarkation.

Will know better this year (assuming we are to return). 2x £500 refundable deposit not a great hardship!

[longago]

This is a problem when you are booking in the UK as you are not dealing directly with Seabourn. In addition, it can really depends on how your travel agent handles it and who you are actually booking with.

 

To be fair, if anyone wanted to book two suites - family members or not, same names or not - the potential for abuse is huge. (My daughter's second husband, oh they never actually married, is sailing and I want to pay for his suite, etc.)

[Daneite]

I just put down the deposit a couple of days ago onboard, and it has not been halved. It is still 1000 USD, 500 pounds, or 700 euros.

 

We put deposits down in March on Spirit and they were 250GBP each one:confused:

[stamfordian]

Disembarked Odyssey in Istanbul Monday 11th. Open booking deposit required for 5 per cent discount was $1000.

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

Disembarked Odyssey in Istanbul Monday 11th. Open booking deposit required for 5 per cent discount was $1000.

 

:confused:Open booking deposit made during our recent March cruise on the Legend was $500. Has anyone been advised of a change in the amount required at this time?

[sfvoyage]

:confused:Open booking deposit made during our recent March cruise on the Legend was $500. Has anyone been advised of a change in the amount required at this time?

 

I recall a post by Host Dan several months ago (?) that SB was running a special for half-off open booking deposits. So perhaps it was a limited time promotion that has expired?

[clarky]

sfvoyage,

 

We paid $500 deposit in February but were told this was a special for a period of time and then it would return to the usual $1,000. In fact we received a letter in our suite advising us of the special offer and the date which it ended.

[dalliowner]

I emailed Seabourn about the amount of deposit and received the following reply

 

Thanks for your inquiry. We have recently reduced the amount for an on board booking from $1000 to $500.

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us.

Robert Anderson

Seabourn

800-929-9595 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-929-9595 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

EMAIL:seareservations@seabourn.comSeabourn.com.

Hope this clears it up

John

[JaneBP]

>" We have recently reduced the amount for an on board booking from $1000 to $500."

 

Sounds like a win-win or am I missing something? I think some cruisers are wary of tying up $1000, although the return is better than the money market.

[sfvoyage]

I emailed Seabourn about the amount of deposit and received the following reply

 

Thanks for your inquiry. We have recently reduced the amount for an on board booking from $1000 to $500.

 

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us.

 

Robert Anderson

Seabourn

800-929-9595 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-929-9595 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

EMAIL:seareservations@seabourn.comSeabourn.com.

 

Hope this clears it up

 

John

 

Based on the above, I called Seabourn to ask about my $1000 deposit paid onboard 10 days prior, and after a 3-day delay, they responded that $1000 is the correct amount. So is it really supposed to be $500 across the board? Who is this Robert Anderson?

[wripro]

Probable someone drafted from Holland America who knows nothing about Seabourn.

[stamfordian]

I emailed Seabourn about the amount of deposit and received the following reply

 

Thanks for your inquiry. We have recently reduced the amount for an on board booking from $1000 to $500.

 

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us.

 

Robert Anderson

Seabourn

800-929-9595 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-929-9595 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

EMAIL:seareservations@seabourn.comSeabourn.com.

 

Hope this clears it up

 

John

 

On the basis of this post and previous ones regarding what people had been told I sent email to Robert Anderson quoting these comments. My email and his reply posted below. Any comments anybody?

 

MY EMAIL TO SEABOURN

 

To: seareservations@seabourn.com

Subject: Attn Robert Anderson

Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:14:39 +0000

Dear Mr Anderson

My wife and I recently travelled from Lisbon to Istanbul on Seabourn Odyssey (30 March-11 April) and had a wonderful cruise.

On board we made an open forward booking for our next Seabourn cruise and were advised by Jennifer Kok - the onboard cruise specialist - that to obtain the 5% discount we had to deposit $1000. Indeed, this was exactly what we had done on our previous cruise last November.

However, there has been considerable discussion on this matter on the www.cruisecritic.com website over the past few weeks. The message below was placed on the site yesterday:

"I emailed Seabourn about the amount of deposit and received the following reply

Thanks for your inquiry. We have recently reduced the amount for an on board booking from $1000 to $500.

If you have any other questions, feel free to contact us.

Robert Anderson

Seabourn

800-929-9595 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-929-9595 end_of_the_skype_highlighting

EMAIL:seareservations@seabourn.com Seabourn.com.

Hope this clears it up”

 

Given that - according to this thread - people were being offered this 5% discount for a $500 deposit at least a couple of months ago, my wife and I feel very unhappy that we were charged $1000 in mid April.

The booking reference is xxxxxxxx dated 10 April 2011 and the receipt reference is xxxxxxxx where the figure of $1000 is pre-printed.

I should be grateful for your explanation.

 

ROBERT ANDERSON'S RESPONSE:

 

Dear

I guess I didn’t completely understand your question, or I would have been more clear in my response. Due to sometimes people not continuing to always sail together, we have made some adjustments to our on board booking policy and booking system. With this new system, the deposit amount of $500 will be attached to a person’s club number, as opposed to a particular booking number. Also, from now on, instead of being called an “On Board Booking”, it will be called a “Future Cruise Deposit”.

The suite deposit is still $1000 for a couple. We are upgrading our reservations system and when that occurs we will apply $500 from each guest. Only those guests with a $500 per person onboard booking deposit will receive the 5% discount.

I hope this clears up any misunderstanding or miscommunication, and if you have any further questions, feel free to contact me.

Robert Anderson

Seabourn

800-929-9595 EMAIL: seareservations@seabourn.com

[sfvoyage]

Dear Stamfordian,

 

Thank you so much for your follow-up and for posting Robert Anderson's response. It does clarify things for me: they are applying the deposit on a per person basis, instead of per suite basis. I guess this change does provide more flexibility, should the couple decide to travel separately subsequently and should each person still wish to apply his/her own discount and deposit to the next cruise.

 

What is glaring, however, is the original answer by Robert Anderson vis-a-vis his subsequent clarification. In the first email, he was quoted as saying, "We have recently reduced the amount for an on board booking from $1000 to $500."

 

If the above quote is in fact verbatim, it is quite clear that he was saying that the booking amount has been reduced by half. If this is merely a de-coupling of the per suite deposit into a per person deposit, he should have explained that in the first place, instead of causing all the confusion.

[dalliowner]

Sounds like the office is getting its self in the usual tangle and I think will not find out the truth until on board.

Lets be thankful that the ships are run so much better than the office:confused:

[lord of the seas]

Mr Andersons reply is not what Seabourn originally said or offered.

 

They reduced the per suite oboard booking deposit by 50% ie $1000 reduced to $500

Mr Anderson is now introducing a new senario of a per person deposit,which regular sailors know has never been the case.

When you pay an onboard deposit you pay for the suite not for a per person trip.

I think he is making it up as he goes along.

It is surely a left hand versus a right hand situation.

[curiousx]

It is surely a left hand versus a right hand situation.

 

LOTS, you took the words right out of my mouth

["Wandering Wino's&quo]

ROBERT ANDERSON'S RESPONSE:

 

Dear

I guess I didn’t completely understand your question, or I would have been more clear in my response. Due to sometimes people not continuing to always sail together, we have made some adjustments to our on board booking policy and booking system. With this new system, the deposit amount of $500 will be attached to a person’s club number, as opposed to a particular booking number. Also, from now on, instead of being called an “On Board Booking”, it will be called a “Future Cruise Deposit”.

The suite deposit is still $1000 for a couple. We are upgrading our reservations system and when that occurs we will apply $500 from each guest. Only those guests with a $500 per person onboard booking deposit will receive the 5% discount.

I hope this clears up any misunderstanding or miscommunication, and if you have any further questions, feel free to contact me.

Robert Anderson

Seabourn

800-929-9595 EMAIL: seareservations@seabourn.com

:mad:Wow, this just isn't correct.

1st I have a copy of the HALF DEPOSIT SPECIAL($500) from the desk of "Your Cruise Sales Specialist" (Charl Smith) given to us on our recent cruise on the Legend March 2011. Listing the additional 5% On Board Savings as one of the benefits of placing a deposit on a future cruise while still aboard our current cruise.

2nd I have a copy of the receipt of $500 deposit toward our future cruise. Both my husband and my names are on the receipt along with both Club#'s.

Please Mr. Robert Anderson explain this.