Cabin swapping-- Celebrity told me it was okay!

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Yesterday, I had been posting on a thread wherein the OP and another couple had booked two cabins with the guys in one cabin and the gals in the other. The reason was because they were from different states, and one couple qualified for a residency discount but not the other. This way, they could each get the residency discount, since it only requires one person per cabin to meet the qualification. His question was related to what they could do about getting their SeaPass cards recoded so a person from each couple could unofficially (or officially) swap cabins, so the couples could actually travel together, or if they could at least get extra cards that would only open the cabin door. The thread quickly turned into accusations of fraudulent intent, and was locked.

 

I had responded on that thread by reporting that I had called Captain's Club and asked if this was at all permissible, since we're considering doing something similar to this, treating DW's parents to their first cruise. They would qualify for the senior discount, if it's offered. The answer then was that if we booked both rooms on the same credit card, we could get extra cards that would only be good for opening the cabin door, and we could go back and forth as we pleased. I took that to mean that this is restricted to only those traveling together under the same payment, and that it wouldn't work for two unrelated couples, each paying their own way.

 

To be sure about this, I decided to call Captain's Club again today and ask again. Here's what happened--

 

I said we were waiting for the 2012 Alaska itineraries to come out, and explained I had called the day before, but wanted to follow up, in case I was not clear. I said our intention was to book guys in one room, gals in the other, to take advantage of Captain's Club benefits for all. The agent immediately mentioned that it would be to our advantage to book it that way if we were booking an inside or OV, so we could both get the CC upgrade. I said that we were planning on getting balconies, and asked what would happen if a senior discount would pop up. I was told we'd both get it, and that was the smart way to book it. Just go to Guest Services to get the extra door keys so each couple could stay together.

 

Next, I mentioned I was told that both cabins have to be on the same credit card. She said that I was told that because they can't switch SeaPass accounts around, and billing would get messed up. Their procedure is to have all parties keep their original SeaPass card for billing and identification, but to issue extra door key cards so people can get into the other cabin. But it wouldn't be necessary for both cabins to be on the same card, as long as the parties involved were willing to straighten it all out amongst themselves. So I said I knew of a couple that was traveling with another couple that qualified for a residency discount, so they were booking it this way, and she says that happens all the time-- people can save quite a bit of money doing it like that.

 

I took a deep breath, and mentioned I was a member of Cruise Critic. I asked what's to stop people on a roll call from getting together and doing this, and she said there was nothing to stop them. Celebrity was fine with it. People do this all the time.

 

Two things to remember here. Celebrity and Captain's Club agents are not famous for their consistency and accuracy, and reportedly they have been known to give inaccurate information in order to get a booking (and commission). However, the agent I spoke with was very confident and seemed knowledgeable. There was no hesitancy or equivocating-- she knew exactly what I was asking, and was well-prepared with the answers. And I made it clear I was not booking at this time, so she had no motivation to purposely give me false information. I mentioned that I would be passing this information on. I didn't happen to ask if I could use her name, so I'll not mention it now.

 

I make no claim as to the overall accuracy of the information I was given, I'm just reporting my experience. Do with it what you will. I would encourage you to call and verify it for yourself, just not everybody at once. I made it very obvious that my motivation in asking about swapping cabins was an effort to take advantage of both Captain's Club benefits and promotional pricing, and she clearly understood that's what I was asking. So please refrain from comments about how I'm attempting to defraud Celebrity, or how it's morally reprehensible.

 

I plan on asking all this again when I book next week, and asking that I be provided some sort of documentation that this was agreed to, just to head off any potential problems when we board. The senior discount may never even come up, but I want to be prepared if it does. If anyone has had actual experience with doing this, or attempting to do this, let's hear from you.

 

Gonzo, I guess you can submt that personal ad now!

[ORV]

So how old to you need to be for the senior discount and does it always apply, or just selected sailings? Is it a percentage or based on number of nights?

[mylove]

We did this on RCCL to get a senior discount.In fact the woman that worked for RCCL told us to do this.When we went to check in we told the person what we did and they changed the people to the right rooms with the right credit cards.

 

Kimberley

[dkjretired]

I still go back to threads on these boards over the years where people doing this were caught at the pier and ordered to pay the difference or not be allowed to board. All you need is one smart agent who is putting together 2 and 2 and getting 4.

[ghstudio]

So how old to you need to be for the senior discount and does it always apply, or just selected sailings? Is it a percentage or based on number of nights?

 

It is not offered on many cruises...it's a marketing decision on a cruise by cruise basis and then only on certain categories.....just like any other marketing discount.

[ramman]

So how old to you need to be for the senior discount :55

and does it always apply: no

, or just selected sailings: typically to fill cabins , same as the military discount, etc

Is it a percentage or based on number of nights? it is a stated per person price

[PartyAllDaTyme]

So how old to you need to be for the senior discount and does it always apply, or just selected sailings? Is it a percentage or based on number of nights?

 

At least one person booked in the cabin must be 55. It's not offered all the time, sometimes only on certain cruises, sometimes only on certain classes, sometimes for very short times, sometimes not at all. The amount of the discount varies in each case. It's similar to the discounts offered for military, fire/police, or residents of certain states. It's why you need to enter that information if you book online, and that's how you see what discount, if any, is being offered, by going through the process of booking online. If a discount is available, you'll see it offered for a particular class, along with the regular price.

[mylove]

I still go back to threads on these boards over the years where people doing this were caught at the pier and ordered to pay the difference or not be allowed to board. All you need is one smart agent who is putting together 2 and 2 and getting 4.

 

In our case it was the agent that put us in the right rooms and put the credit cards to the right people,she said they do this all the time.:)

[ORV]

Thanks all, that what I thought, just wasn't sure.

[Gonzo70]

 

Gonzo, I guess you can submt that personal ad now!

 

Sweet! :D

[masterbaker]

We are just home from sailing the 3/12 Constellation. We went to Guest Relations onboard and got an extra keycard that was only good for opening our door (no purchasing) to share with some friends that were also on the same sailing so they could use our balcony while we were ashore. No questions, no problems, they didn't even ask who we gave the card to. Our reservations were not linked, not charged on the same CC, and our onboard accounts were separate.

[dkjretired]

In our case it was the agent that put us in the right rooms and put the credit cards to the right people,she said they do this all the time.:)

 

The agents aren't Celebrity. The one major thread a few years ago was through a TA and once they got to the pier they were required to pay the difference or boarding would be refused. The case we are talking about does not involved family or children. All you need is one smart agent at the pier..

[phoenix_dream]

The agents aren't Celebrity. The one major thread a few years ago was through a TA and once they got to the pier they were required to pay the difference or boarding would be refused. The case we are talking about does not involved family or children. All you need is one smart agent at the pier..

I am not arguing with your information at all, but I am curious how this would even come up at the pier? Unless someone specifically indicated at the pier that they were doing this to secure special discounts or the like, how would the pier agents even know the difference? Even if I am married, if I choose to take a different room than my husband (say with another friend or family member) what business is it of Celebrity's? Maybe hubby snores and I prefer to bunk with my girlfriend! I should be able to do this for whatever reason and still be able to get room keys for both rooms as long as that is a standard practice. Whether someone agrees it is right to do this is a different question, but as to logistics, why does Celebrity have a right to tell me just because I am married I need to pick the same room as my husband? How would they know it was to try to work the system? And even if they suspect, how could they prove it?

 

Again, not sure I would try to do this as it doesn't seem very ethical to me unless it were fully disclosed, but not sure how X could prove the intent was to take advantage or deceive.

[dkjretired]

I am not arguing with your information at all, but I am curious how this would even come up at the pier? Unless someone specifically indicated at the pier that they were doing this to secure special discounts or the like, how would the pier agents even know the difference? Even if I am married, if I choose to take a different room than my husband (say with another friend or family member) what business is it of Celebrity's? Maybe hubby snores and I prefer to bunk with my girlfriend! I should be able to do this for whatever reason and still be able to get room keys for both rooms as long as that is a standard practice. Whether someone agrees it is right to do this is a different question, but as to logistics, why does Celebrity have a right to tell me just because I am married I need to pick the same room as my husband? How would they know it was to try to work the system? And even if they suspect, how could they prove it?

 

Again, not sure I would try to do this as it doesn't seem very ethical to me unless it were fully disclosed, but not sure how X could prove the intent was to take advantage or deceive.

 

Still have to give correct addresses as they will be on your documents. That is why I said a smart pier agent may pick it up. They do look for people who try to get by with residency discounts, age discounts or other discounts...The thread I was referring to was at least two years ago but it was exactly the same circumstances as the person who posted this a couple days ago. Don't need an intent to deceive, just the need to pay the correct fare. Also, to answer your question, the person bringing this up said they wanted to get to the ship and get the cards made so that they are with their own spouses so the point you made is not really applicable here.

 

Maybe they have changed their policy, for this couple I hope they did but what they were proposing to do once they got to the pier was potentially financially damaging..

[phoenix_dream]

If they admitted what they were doing at the pier, then I can understand what happened in that particular circumstance.

 

But my point about which cabin I choose to be in still stands. If I am traveling with friends and the wives want to bunk together and the husbands want to bunk together what business is it of Celebrity's? I guess I am saying that there may very well be reasons other than trying to 'beat the system' that people may decide to bunk with traveling companions instead of spouses. What gives Celebrity the right to say when spouses are traveling, they must either bunk together or pay fares as if they were? Seems discriminatory to me. If a non-married couple were traveling and they 'split cabins' with another couple for whatever reason, there is no way Celebrity would know and therefore they would 'get away' with it without incident. Why should people get singled out for this just because they are married and/or living at the same address? Doesn't seem right, particularly if there are no specific written rules or contracts that address this - or are there?

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Still have to give correct addresses as they will be on your documents. That is why I said a smart pier agent may pick it up. They do look for people who try to get by with residency discounts, age discounts or other discounts...The thread I was referring to was at least two years ago but it was exactly the same circumstances as the person who posted this a couple days ago. Don't need an intent to deceive, just the need to pay the correct fare. Also, to answer your question, the person bringing this up said they wanted to get to the ship and get the cards made so that they are with their own spouses so the point you made is not really applicable here.

 

Maybe they have changed their policy, for this couple I hope they did but what they were proposing to do once they got to the pier was potentially financially damaging..

 

This is why I plan to ask the Celebrity agent I book with to send me a letter of confirmation stating that Celebrity acknowledges that our booking was done in a way to take maximum advantage of promotional pricing and Captain's Club benefits with their full knowledge and encouragement, that we do not intend to travel in the cabins as booked, that we may obtain additional door key cards to facilitate this, and that the fare will not be adjusted upon boarding. If we get a stubborn pier agent that still refuses to allow us to board without coughing up, at least I have some pretty substantial grounds for pursuing a refund afterwards.

 

I understand about pier agents on the lookout for people attempting to claim discounts that they're not entitled to, but is it possible the thread you refer to had people who had said they were residents of a particular state, but weren't, or had claimed to be over 55, but weren't? Or is it possible that the incident you described is a lone example of a policy not being followed correctly? We would legitimately have one person booked in each of the two cabins who are over 55, so we would be paying the correct fare. If push comes to shove, we could just travel that way, too.

 

I just thought of an interesting scenario-- "I'm sorry, we cannot allow the senior discount for one of these cabins because you do not meet the proper criteria. You will be required to pay the current regular fare for that cabin. Because of a price drop after final payment, the price of that cabin is now $200 less than what you paid. Here's your refund." Nice to dream, anyway.

 

At this point, I'm willing to test the waters and see what happens. If it goes south and we have to pay a few extra thousand at the pier, I'm sure my fellow Cruise Critics will jump in and volunteer to send in their donations to defray my additional costs.:rolleyes::p;):eek::D

[PartyAllDaTyme]

We are just home from sailing the 3/12 Constellation. We went to Guest Relations onboard and got an extra keycard that was only good for opening our door (no purchasing) to share with some friends that were also on the same sailing so they could use our balcony while we were ashore. No questions, no problems, they didn't even ask who we gave the card to. Our reservations were not linked, not charged on the same CC, and our onboard accounts were separate.

 

Thanks for sharing this. It might not quite answer the question about intent, but would give credence to the idea that Celebrity does not care who actually has access to what cabin.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Doesn't seem right, particularly if there are no specific written rules or contracts that address this - or are there?

 

None that I could find.

[dkjretired]

If they admitted what they were doing at the pier, then I can understand what happened in that particular circumstance.

 

But my point about which cabin I choose to be in still stands. If I am traveling with friends and the wives want to bunk together and the husbands want to bunk together what business is it of Celebrity's? I guess I am saying that there may very well be reasons other than trying to 'beat the system' that people may decide to bunk with traveling companions instead of spouses. What gives Celebrity the right to say when spouses are traveling, they must either bunk together or pay fares as if they were? Seems discriminatory to me. If a non-married couple were traveling and they 'split cabins' with another couple for whatever reason, there is no way Celebrity would know and therefore they would 'get away' with it without incident. Why should people get singled out for this just because they are married and/or living at the same address? Doesn't seem right, particularly if there are no specific written rules or contracts that address this - or are there?

 

I agree with you, Celebrity doesn't have any business being concerned if I am in the same cabin with my wife or not. That was not the point being made in the scenerio presented by the poster a couple of days ago. Moot point now since they have apparently changed their policy..

[dkjretired]

None that I could find.

 

Actually, there were under the scenerio presented having to do with qualifying for a discount from a particular state. Policy has been changed so no need to continue this.

[PartyAllDaTyme]

Actually, there were under the scenerio presented having to do with qualifying for a discount from a particular state. Policy has been changed so no need to continue this.

 

Nothing official, just based on my conversations with the Captain's Club reps and some anecdotal evidence from others. I still take your caution seriously, and won't be surprised if there are problems. Heck, there probably won't even be a senior discount offered, so it wouldn't apply for us, anyway.

[Tiggertastic]

Every year we book an adult and child in one cabin and the same in another then swap - as you can't have 2 teens in a room when you book

 

We go to reception and they give us extra key cards for each room

 

It's not done for discount but to get round the restriction that says they have to be accompanied

 

We swap and our son moves in with a friends son

 

We go to the desk the day before the cruise ends and get the bill. Tot up his costs and pay it on our credit card leaving the balance for the other teen to be paid from the registered card and we do it each year without a problem

[Freecall]

Every year we book an adult and child in one cabin and the same in another then swap - as you can't have 2 teens in a room when you book

 

We go to reception and they give us extra key cards for each room

 

It's not done for discount but to get round the restriction that says they have to be accompanied

 

We swap and our son moves in with a friends son

 

We go to the desk the day before the cruise ends and get the bill. Tot up his costs and pay it on our credit card leaving the balance for the other teen to be paid from the registered card and we do it each year without a problem

 

This seems a sensible answer to a real logistical situation.

 

What happens if you ask for a new seapass card and the original has a drinks package on it. I can't see that being allowed but nor can I see a way around it. If the cards on cabin 1234 are registered for the drinks package then every time they are swiped they will show as such and no bill will be generated.

 

.

[wvufan]

How do folks feel if, say, a husband and wife who were both veterans teamed up with a couple who both were non veterans and switched their bookings so both couples got veteran rates?

 

Personally, I will pay the rate that legitimately applies to me and will not be an accomplice to those who want to do otherwise.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[ORV]

Do the same moral arguments that we always see on the drink package sharing threads apply here?