Future Cruise Credits

[scottie920]

Can anyone explain how these work and if it is worth purchasing?

 

Thank you.

[lincslady]

Can anyone explain how these work and if it is worth purchasing?

 

Thank you.

 

 

Scottie - I see you are travelling on 22nd August. The 5% onboard booking discount seems at present to be a bit of a moveable feast - some people say it has not been honoured. Keep your eyes peeled on this board. However, if you can get something in print from the future cruise sales person while you are on board it should be OK. What happens at present, unless the rules change, is that you put down a deposit - recently £500 in the UK - and have an 'open' booking for a future cruise, no need to specify which, and have quite a time to decide on it. The 5% should be deducted from the final price (after any other discounts) on your next cruise (not including air fares) when you book. If you do not book another you should get your deposit back, after the requisite two years or whatever.

 

For us so far it has worked fine, but as you will have read, things are changing. Do hope you will want to do another Seabourn after this - as you know everyone loves the ships but does not like the back office! Maybe this will improve when Seattle get it all sorted.:)

[scottie920]

Thanks Lincslady,

 

So if whilst on board I pay a £500 deposit which guarantees a 5% discount on a future SB cruise? Do you have to book direct with SB UK or can you book with a TA, as the discounts with a TA are usually more than 5%?

 

Thanks

 

PS I thought your comments on the 'Disgraceful treatment' were very useful.

[lord of the seas]

Thanks Lincslady,

 

So if whilst on board I pay a £500 deposit which guarantees a 5% discount on a future SB cruise? Do you have to book direct with SB UK or can you book with a TA, as the discounts with a TA are usually more than 5%?

 

Thanks

 

PS I thought your comments on the 'Disgraceful treatment' were very useful.

 

You place the booking with any TA, UK or US if you wish.

You get the 5% discount plus whatever your TA gives you.

You can't lose.

[Roxburgh]

Scottie - I see you are travelling on 22nd August. The 5% onboard booking discount seems at present to be a bit of a moveable feast - some people say it has not been honoured. Keep your eyes peeled on this board. However, if you can get something in print from the future cruise sales person while you are on board it should be OK. What happens at present, unless the rules change, is that you put down a deposit - recently £500 in the UK - and have an 'open' booking for a future cruise, no need to specify which, and have quite a time to decide on it. The 5% should be deducted from the final price (after any other discounts) on your next cruise (not including air fares) when you book. If you do not book another you should get your deposit back, after the requisite two years or whatever.

 

For us so far it has worked fine, but as you will have read, things are changing. Do hope you will want to do another Seabourn after this - as you know everyone loves the ships but does not like the back office! Maybe this will improve when Seattle get it all sorted.:)

 

I booked my next cruise while on-board Quest. The 5% additional discount was most certainly honoured as it has been in the past.

[lord of the seas]

I booked my next cruise while on-board Quest. .

 

Did you book a particular cruise or was it an open booking as it has always been.

[stamfordian]

You place the booking with any TA, UK or US if you wish.

You get the 5% discount plus whatever your TA gives you.

You can't lose.

 

That's what I had been led to believe. However, see my earlier posts under the thread about Rick Meadows where Seattle has flatly refused to honour the 5% On board credit. My last post on the topic read:

 

"Not at all. The document we received confirming our $1000 deposit and entitlement to 5% discount on our next booking was identical to the one we had received on previous sailing (apart, obviously from dates!) which was honoured against a discounted booking on our next trip. The cruise sales specialist on board confirmed verbally "you go and get the best deal you can from your agent and then we discount that by 5%".

 

However when we attempted to book this time the travel agent was told the 5% did not apply. When I queried with Seattle that's what I was told emphatically.

 

The reservations manager concerned was Olivia Dalesandro and she assured me that she had discussed the matter with senior management and that was the case.

 

Any further enlightenment on this would be welcome. As I said in an earlier post the absence of the discount has not stopped us from booking as we want to do this cruise. The actual sum is not a deal-breaker but we feel we have been misled between what we were assured on board and what reservations were prepared to accept.

 

Is this just a sign of things to come? Does anybody have an entree with Meadows or other senior management to contest this?"

 

I have now written to Seabourn/HAL's General Counsel stating that I believe they are in breach of contract and asking her to get it sorted. I will advise when (if?) we get a reply.

 

I note Lord of the Seas comment at the end of that thread regarding a good travel agent. The agent we booked through is listed as one of Seabourn's prime partners and claims to be the largest booker of discounted cruises in the USA.

[lord of the seas]

Stamfordian,is the large agent from Houston?

 

I am waiting for Roxburgh to reply as to his onboard booking.

[Roxburgh]

Did you book a particular cruise or was it an open booking as it has always been.

 

In this case I booked a particular cruise. But this is the fourth time we have done the on-board booking - twice we booked a particular cruise and twice we did not - and we have never had a problem with the 5%.

 

Edit: it is listed on the guest confirmation as "Miscellaneous Credit"

[stamfordian]

Stamfordian,is the large agent from Houston?

 

Yup!

[lord of the seas]

Stamfordian,is the large agent from Houston?

 

Yup!

 

I have used them a long time ago but i could not get a personal service and found that the cruise agents that you deal with are just order takers and they have not travelled on the Seabourn ships so are not good at answering questions.They are in fact a supermarket and sell all lines.

 

The 5% onboard booking comes off the cruise price and then the agent gives you their own discount,my UK agent gives another 12%

[lord of the seas]

In this case I booked a particular cruise. But this is the fourth time we have done the on-board booking - twice we booked a particular cruise and twice we did not - and we have never had a problem with the 5%.

 

Edit: it is listed on the guest confirmation as "Miscellaneous Credit"

 

Thanks Roxburgh,

I had read that they are only accepting specific cruise bookings to qualify for the 5% onboard discount and not open booking.

Lets hope that we here from someone who has just booked an open booking.

[Seabourn-nail]

Thanks Roxburgh,

I had read that they are only accepting specific cruise bookings to qualify for the 5% onboard discount and not open booking.

Lets hope that we here from someone who has just booked an open booking.

You can hear that from me.... I changed a cruise with a 5% discount from an open booking, to a different cruise.... Unless it is announced I don't believe they could change that possibility. Towards the end of your cruise, you're always asked to make the "open booking" in order to secure your 5%!

Marja

[JaneBP]

I have a crossing booked for 2012, but ran out of onboard booking deposits. I wonder if I can book on board and have the deposit credited to the current booking?

[NEOPHYTUS]

I have a crossing booked for 2012, but ran out of onboard booking deposits. I wonder if I can book on board and have the deposit credited to the current booking?

 

Reading the fine print on my latest 5% Onboard pink Receipt (April, 2011), came across the following : " The 5% Onboard Booking Savings applies to cruise fares only,is applied sequentially, is not transferable and will be applied to your reservation prior to final payment."

 

Key word being, sequentially, IMO, it would rule out retroactively.

[stamfordian]

 

I have used them a long time ago but i could not get a personal service and found that the cruise agents that you deal with are just order takers and they have not travelled on the Seabourn ships so are not good at answering questions.They are in fact a supermarket and sell all lines.

 

The 5% onboard booking comes off the cruise price and then the agent gives you their own discount,my UK agent gives another 12%

 

But you're not allowed to tell me who that is - so I'm stuck with the supermarket guys who apparently offer the cheapest prices, even if their service lacks somewhat!

 

However, the question of Seabourn refusing to honour the agreed 5% discount is not, I suggest, a travel agent issue. I am waiting to hear what their legal department comes back with.

[NEOPHYTUS]

 

But you're not allowed to tell me who that is - so I'm stuck with the supermarket guys who apparently offer the cheapest prices, even if their service lacks somewhat!

 

However, the question of Seabourn refusing to honour the agreed 5% discount is not, I suggest, a travel agent issue. I am waiting to hear what their legal department comes back with.

 

Please keep us informed, this new wrinkle is indeed troubling.

[sovereigncruiser]

I have just been on Seabourn Spirit for 14 days & have made 2 open bookings. I paid £250 for each one & the bookings are now valid for 4 years (previously it was 2 years). The booking fee is now £250 per person, so would be £500 per couple.

[goaliedad30]

Regardless of whether they honor it on all fares, we did some quick math and determined, at least for us, that it really was at best a wash. We just finished two weeks on Legend, and our next cruise will probably be in at least 14-18 months, given other family and work priorities. As such, I can take the amount of the deposits and simply leave that money invested. Over 18 months, it should return at least as much as I would get from the discount being offered. If it turns out to be 24 months before we can go, we'll come out way ahead.

 

Our conclusion was that unless we knew we'd be sailing again within around 6 months, at best the discount was a break-even proposition given the time value of money, and worst-case, we actually came out behind.

[Roxburgh]

Regardless of whether they honor it on all fares, we did some quick math and determined, at least for us, that it really was at best a wash. We just finished two weeks on Legend, and our next cruise will probably be in at least 14-18 months, given other family and work priorities. As such, I can take the amount of the deposits and simply leave that money invested. Over 18 months, it should return at least as much as I would get from the discount being offered. If it turns out to be 24 months before we can go, we'll come out way ahead.

 

Our conclusion was that unless we knew we'd be sailing again within around 6 months, at best the discount was a break-even proposition given the time value of money, and worst-case, we actually came out behind.

 

I put down $1,000 and get 5% off my next cruise. That cruise will cost me $15,000 (example) before the discount. 5% of $15,000 is $750. That gives me a return of 75% tax free and risk free on my $1,000. Show me where I can get that in an alternative investment or help me understand where my arithmetic is faulty.

[lord of the seas]

I have just been on Seabourn Spirit for 14 days & have made 2 open bookings. I paid £250 for each one & the bookings are now valid for 4 years (previously it was 2 years). The booking fee is now £250 per person, so would be £500 per couple.

 

So, still £500 per suite deposit,now they are calling it £250 per person.The only real thing that has changed is you now have four years to use it rather than two years.

[wripro]

Not to mention if you're booking a world cruise. 5% off that is FAR more than one can ever earn through investments

[Roxburgh]

Not to mention if you're booking a world cruise. 5% off that is FAR more than one can ever earn through investments

 

Quite! I used the $15,000 as a fairly conservative example. My next cruise is more expensive than that and the return on my $1,000 correspondingly larger ... and that in just 7 months.

[Seabourn-nail]

Not to mention if you're booking a world cruise. 5% off that is FAR more than one can ever earn through investments

I was about to mention that too..... It makes a whole lot of difference!

Marja

[dalliowner]

There are two things to note, first the expiry date is to when you book and not when you sail so if like me you book 18 months in advance it can stretch the time to 3 1/2 years or perhaps now 5 1/2 years. secondly I always use my 5 % as part of my deposit so you do not have to wait until the final payment.

 

 

John