disappointed in celebrity open passage

[Christine Frances]

I would love to give credit to whomever did all this work:D Speak up!! I just remembered I was so excited when I read it, I didn't make note of the poster:o

[Jade13]

 

 

Guest may apply the value of their Open Passage account against the cost of a Celebrity Cruises® individual or group cruises;

 

 

It needs to be added that neither passage can be used with a "GroupX" booking.

[ORV]

I would love to give credit to whomever did all this work:D Speak up!! I just remembered I was so excited when I read it, I didn't make note of the poster:o

 

And of course it may or may not be correct. I see more than a few things that contradict themselves and what others have posted as their experience.

[Orlandocruiser]

Thanks that makes it all pretty clear (well as much as cruise line gobbledegook can be clear!:))

[Glendakayself]

Thanks Christine.

 

We did have one experience that is not mentioned. DH and thought we both needed to put down a $100 deposit on an Open Passage while on board. We left the cruise with two certificates and two numbers. When I called to book our cruise months later, we were told that each certificate is a separate booking. Without asking, the rep said she could get a supervisor to combine the deposits into one certificate if that was our desire. That cancelled DH's certificate and applied his deposit to mine for the purpose of our specific booking.

 

You can also get the Captain's Club standard one-category upgrade at the time of appling the Open Passage if you book an inside or oceanview.

 

I've read several posters on Cruise Critic state that if you decide to cancel the specific cruise reservation booked with an Open Passage you can transfer the funds in that Open Passage reservation to a later cruise if you do it at the time you cancel.

[ORV]

I would love to give credit to whomever did all this work:D Speak up!! I just remembered I was so excited when I read it, I didn't make note of the poster:o

 

And when you speak up and take credit for it I'd love for you to post a link to any of that info on the Celebrity website. I've searched and searched but can't find any of it. Of course we know how their website is.

 

Anyone else know where it's at on their website feel free to post a link also.

[Christine Frances]

And when you speak up and take credit for it I'd love for you to post a link to any of that info on the Celebrity website. I've searched and searched but can't find any of it. Of course we know how their website is.

 

Anyone else know where it's at on their website feel free to post a link also.

 

A lot of it is from the actual Open Passages Certificate. And the rest is a compilation of gathered information.

[Christine Frances]

It needs to be added that neither passage can be used with a "GroupX" booking.

 

What is a GroupX booking?

[Christine Frances]

Thanks Christine.

 

We did have one experience that is not mentioned. DH and thought we both needed to put down a $100 deposit on an Open Passage while on board. We left the cruise with two certificates and two numbers. When I called to book our cruise months later, we were told that each certificate is a separate booking. Without asking, the rep said she could get a supervisor to combine the deposits into one certificate if that was our desire. That cancelled DH's certificate and applied his deposit to mine for the purpose of our specific booking.

 

You can also get the Captain's Club standard one-category upgrade at the time of appling the Open Passage if you book an inside or oceanview.

 

I've read several posters on Cruise Critic state that if you decide to cancel the specific cruise reservation booked with an Open Passage you can transfer the funds in that Open Passage reservation to a later cruise if you do it at the time you cancel.

 

This is true although you should not use the word "cancel" because all the benefits with the OP booking # would go poof:eek: If you decide not to go on a booked cruise call and have it transferred to another cruise. You can keep doing this as long as you don't cancel.

[Christine Frances]

And of course it may or may not be correct. I see more than a few things that contradict themselves and what others have posted as their experience.

 

Which things did you notice ORV?:)

[Jade13]

What is a GroupX booking?

 

Some type of group booking that cannot be combined with booking onboard/OBC. It is not combinable with shareholders credits either.

 

A consumer would never know because all our TA said was that they had a group rate.

[fleckle]

......................

Open Passage Certificate

 

An Open Passage Certificate (account) is where you are free to book any future cruise at some future date (Ship – Date – Cabin category)

 

 

 

• You may apply the value of the Open Passage Certificate against the cost of the future cruise.
  
• You can use any current Celebrity promotional cruise pricing that is currently in effect at the time of booking; i.e. the so-called “Tuesday Specials”. etc.
  

 

Terms and conditions:

 

 

US Residents: Guest will receive an onboard credit in the value of $50-$300 USD.

 

 

• Onboard credit value is based on length of sailing and will be assigned per stateroom, when ship and sailing date is selected.
  
• Open Passage Onboard Credit is not combinable with discount offers.
  

 

And of course it may or may not be correct. I see more than a few things that contradict themselves and what others have posted as their experience.

Exactly! With such contradictions, it is no wonder that people get different stories and different interpretations from different Celebrity agents and travel agents.

 

According to the above statements (extracted and highlighted in red), "current Celebrity promotional cruise pricing that is currently in effect at the time of booking"

is allowed

 

but "discount offers" are not allowed. :confused:

 

So passengers are expected to know whether a lower rate is promotional cruise pricing or a discount offer, when even their own agents don't agree about which rates are combinable with Open Passages and which are not.

[ORV]

Which things did you notice ORV?:)

 

I'll point out a couple, it appears there are parts of it that are quoted more than once, I tried to "quote"(copy your post) it but it has so many font enhancements you can't read it while you are trying to reply. I've cut and pasted it and will show a couple. I may have misunderstood on a point or two, it happens. What I type I'll do in red.

 

Celebrity Passages On Board Booking Program(s)

 

While on board a Celebrity cruise a passenger may take advantage of a Celebrity booking program that is restricted to passengers on a cruise. To activate this program requires a deposit of $100 per person ($200). At the time of making a deposit you will need to make a decision because there are two distinct versions of the Celebrity On Board Booking Program:

 

1. First is the Onboard Reserved Passage where you commit to and book a particular cruise (Ship – Date – Cabin Category) at the time of intial deposit

 

2. The second is an Open Passage Certificate(account) where you do not commit to a particular cruise at the time of deposit but you are free to book a future cruise at some future date.

 

Be aware that the Benefits and Restrictions are different for these two on board programs and they are:

 

Reserved Passage (Specific Booking)

 

The Reserved Passage Onboard Credit (OBC) is applied to the booking of a future cruise (Ship – Date – Cabin category) at the time of the deposit.

 

The Celebrity OBC is based on length of the cruise and is assigned per stateroom not per person and is assigned to the guest who actually books the cruise.

3 – 5 nights = $50/stateroom

6 – 9 nights = $100/stateroom

10 – 13 nights = $200/stateroom

14+ nights = $300/stateroom

 

Brochure says you get up to 3 free category up grades within the same category stateroom: There seems to be some confusion what this exactly means, see the upgrade comments under the “Gotcha’s” commentsThere is no confusion here, it is for any category from inside to Concierge Class up to C2, you used to be able to go from C3 to C1 but they stopped that at the start of this year. The upgrade is only within a category, Inside to Inside, Oceanview to Oceanview. Veranda to Veranda

 

You may use the Celebrity's Choice Air Program to book your airfares.

There are no additional deposits due until final payment (75-days before cruise date)

 

If you wish to transfer the Reserved Passage booking to a travel agent it must be done within 60-days of the actual booking.

 

You may combine the Celebrity OBC with any of the TA’s OBC or other given TA perks.

 

The prices you will pay for a cruise are the current Celebrity published pricing including any current promotional like the “Tuesday Exciting Deal Specials”http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Exciting_Deals/XcitingDeals_cel_tues.pdfThis part could add confusion, you are eligible for price drops up to final payment.

 

NOTE: With the Reserved Passage there are some hidden “Gotcha’s”:

 

Reserved Passage Onboard Credit (OBC) prohibits converting it to an Open Passage account or to select restricted fares.

 

Reserved Passage Celebrity OBC is not combinable with any Captain’s Club or shareholder OBC or any other promotional Celebrity OBC.

 

Reserved Passage is not combinable with any Celebrity price discount offers like the Celebrity “Tuesday Specials”

 

The price you pay for a cruise is the current Celebrity published pricing at the time of booking. See above

 

According to the Captain’s Club support desk: The Free Upgrades ONLY apply to Inside & Ocean View category Staterooms it does not apply to Deluxe Ocean View Veranda Staterooms and up. YET you read some CC forum comments it appears that the upgrades do apply to the Veranda cabins and above. See above for correct info I posted I fear it seams that getting a consistent definition of the rules from Celebrity depends on whom you talk too.

 

Open Passage Certificate

 

An Open Passage Certificate (account) is where you are free to book any future cruise at some future date (Ship – Date – Cabin category)

 

The future cruise (Ship – Date – Cabin category) is not required at the time of the deposit.

 

The future cruise may be booked directly with Celebrity or booked through a travel agent of your choice.

 

You may apply the value of the Open Passage Certificate against the cost of the future cruise.

 

You can use any current Celebrity promotional cruise pricing that is currently in effect at the time of booking; i.e. the so-called “Tuesday Specials”. etc.

 

The Celebrity OBC is based on length of the cruise and is assigned per stateroom not per person and is assigned to the guest who actually books the cruise.

3 – 5 nights = $50/stateroom

6 – 9 nights = $100/stateroom

10 – 13 nights = $200/stateroom

14+ nights = $300/stateroom

 

If you wish to transfer the cruise booking to a travel agent it must be done within 60-days of the actual bookingWhen you buy it on the ship or when you book the cruise? Seems people interpret it both ways if you read this thread.

 

You may combine the Celebrity OBC with any of the TA’s OBC or other given TA perks.

 

There is no expiration date on an Open Passage Certificate account

 

You may use the Celebrity's Choice Air Program to book your airfares when booking a cruise.

 

There are no additional deposits due until final payment (75-days before cruise date).

 

The price you will pay for a cruise are the current Celebrity published pricing including any current promotional like the “Tuesday Exciting Deal Specials”http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Exciting_Deals/XcitingDeals_cel_tues.pdf

NOTE: With the Open Passage Certificate (account) there is some hidden “Gotcha’s”:

 

The Open Passage Certificate’s $100 deposit required per person ($200) is non-refundable. (Use it or lose it)

 

With the Open Passage Certificate you do not get any of the free cabin category upgrades that you get with the Reserved Passage booking.

 

Open Passage Certificate (account) OBC is not combinable with any Captain’s Club or shareholder OBC or any other Celebrity promotional OBC.

 

If an Open Passage account is applied to an actual cruise (ship and sailing date), and then canceled for any reason the guest may apply for a refund, less the value of the initial Open Passage deposit ($200).

 

For a US resident an Open Passage Certificate is not transferable to another guest (person’s name). BUT for some reason or other a Canadian resident can transfer it to another person (strange.)

 

Only one Passage Certificate may be applied per cruise. You cannot use two Passage Certificates to try and double the Celebrity OBC per cruise.

 

An Open Passage Certificate account is ONLY valid on a Celebrity ship and no other cruise line, including any other affiliates of Celebrity.

 

If you wish to transfer both these program versions to a travel agent it must be done within 60-days of the actual booking.See above

 

It apparently it is very important that when you call your TA or Celebrity to book a specific cruise using an Open Passage that you use the Open Passage booking # because Celebrity will use that number to assign the OBC to the booking. What you must not do when or your TA book s cruise and then try to apply the OPEN Passage # it will not work because in effect you now have 2 booking #'s. It is very important to protect the Open Passages reservation #

 

Terms and conditions:

 

US Residents:

 

Guest will receive an onboard credit in the value of $50-$300 USD.

 

Maximum ONE Onboard credit per stateroom can be applied to an Open Passage account.

 

Onboard credit value is based on length of sailing and will be assigned per stateroom, when ship and sailing date is selected.

 

Open Passage Onboard Credit is not combinable with discount offers.Other people say it can be combined with resident, military, teacher, 55+, who's right?

 

Converting an Open Passage account to select restricted fares is prohibited.

 

If an Open Passage account is applied to an actual ship and sailing date, and then the booking cancels for any reason, guest may apply for a refund, less the value of the initial Open Passage deposit.

 

Guest may apply the value of their Open Passage account against the cost of a Celebrity Cruises® individual or group cruises; however it is non-transferable to another guest.

 

An Open Passage account may be transferred into a Group but not until final payment for the Group.

 

Captain’s Club plus shareholder onboard credits and other onboard credit or dollars off promotions are not combinable with the onboard credit for booking an Open Passage or any other future cruise onboard.Other people say it can be combined with resident, military, teacher, 55+, who's right? These are definitely "dollars off promotions.

 

There is no expiration date on an Open Passage account.

 

An Open Passage account is not valid on any other cruise line, including any other affiliates of Celebrity Cruises®.

 

Canadian Residents:

 

Guest will receive an onboard credit in the value of $50-$300 USD.

 

Maximum ONE Onboard credit per stateroom can be applied to an Open Passage account.

 

Onboard credit value is based on length of sailing and will be assigned per stateroom, when ship and sailing date is selected.

 

Open Passage Onboard Credit is not combinable with discount offers.Discussed above

 

Converting an Open Passage account to select restricted fares is prohibited.

 

If an Open Passage account is applied to an actual ship and sailing date, and then the booking cancels for any reason, guest may apply for a refund, less the value of the initial Open Passage deposit.It seems other people report differently

 

Guest may apply the value of their Open Passage account against the cost of a Celebrity Cruises® individual or group cruise.

 

An Open Passage account may be transferred to another guest.

 

An Open Passage account may be transferred into a Group but not until final payment for the Group.

 

Captain’s Club Discounts, Savings Certificates, plus shareholder onboard credits and other onboard credit or dollars off promotions are not combinable with the onboard credit for booking an Open Passage or any other future cruise onboard.

 

There is no expiration date on an Open Passage account.

 

An Open Passage account is not valid on any other cruise line, including any other affiliates of Celebrity Cruises®

 

NOTE: Very strange this is taken directly from the Celebrity Passages On Board Booking Program T&C’s.

 

US Residents:

 

Guest may apply the value of their Open Passage account against the cost of a Celebrity Cruises® individual or group cruises; however it is non-transferable to another guest.

 

Canadian Residents:

 

Guest may apply the value of their Open Passage account against the cost of a Celebrity Cruises® individual or group cruise. An Open Passage account may be transferred to another guest.

[Christine Frances]

Please remember folks, someone spent a lot of time putting this info together - maybe I shouldn't have posted it. Maybe he could have it explained it better for everyone but I think he did an excellent job. It is not a Celebrity vetted document but I thought it might explain a few things.

 

For the best/correct information, please call the Passages Desk (M_F) @ 888-727-4906 or Captains Club @ 800-760-0654 for anything that you feel needs further explanation. Both these department are the best for any questions regarding Passages. Try not to phone the regular X Customer Service #

 

 

There are two types of "category upgrades" The first is the standard Captain's Club upgrade perk - inside to inside and outside to outside.

The Reserved Passages upgrade is up to 3 upgrades within the same category - inside, outside and balcony. The option to upgrade to a C1 from a C3 was discontinued last winter some time.

 

The 60 days is from when you actually make a specific booking.

 

Oh and Jade13 - I called Captain's Club about GroupX and it is a Super discounted group rate which they do not often combine with other offers but she has a few next year that they can be combined with.

[ORV]

 

The 60 days is from when you actually make a specific booking.

 

 

That's not what some people are reporting.

[Christine Frances]

That's not what some people are reporting.

 

I realize that some TA's are telling people that they have to tsf within 60 of purchasing the OP but the TA is misinformed and that person should call the Passages Desk or have the TA do it. That is why, I think, that when you purchase and OP on the ship they automatically assign the OP to the TA who booked the present cruise. The Passages Certificate has a number on it which you use to make the booking. It is not a reservation until a cruise is booked. Please call to confirm if in doubt.

[ORV]

Yes, you can combine with other discounts such as 55+, Military, Teacher, and Resident. You just can't combine Celebrity OBC. You can combine TA OBC though.

 

That's amazing that you received no documentation at all. You should have gone back to the future cruise booking agent on board before you disembarked. I buy an Open Passage certificate on every cruise. This year there was a special w/Captain's Club that allowed combining with the Passages certificate. What a great deal!!! $500 in OBC with the combo (14+ nights cruise).

You just never know what might pop up and the $100 deposit is great. And, they never expire.

 

Found out the hard way that I could not transfer the booking to a TA offering free grats because itbwas more than 60 days since we had booked the Passage. I am now waiting for Celebrity to correct the onboard credit on my 10 day cruisento $200 (reservation is showing $100). We won't do it again

 

As you can see. Does differ from the T & C

[gimletgal]

Originally Posted by Christine Frances

 

The 60 days is from when you actually make a specific booking.

 

That's not what some people are reporting.

 

If you purchase an OPEN Passages certificate:

 

Only $100 required deposit - per certificate, NOT per passenger. (Once actual cruise booking is made, any additional passenger will also pay $100 deposit) Glendakayself is correct.

 

You are allowed 60 days (from date of actual cruise booked using certificate - NOT date you purchased the certificate) to transfer to a TA. Christine Frances is absolutely correct. There is a lot of misinformation on these boards. Unfortunately.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

If you get a guarantee room , you do not get a room upgrade:(

[tom5178]

We purchased a passages last year and just used it last night to book an Adriatic Sea 13 nt on Silhouette. We received an email from Celebrity that said we could combine it with the $1,000 Europe OBC special. So along with $200 from the passages, we got $1200 total obc.

 

Now I am wondering if I can transfer this booking to a travel agent and receive more OBC? Does anyone know if this can be done?

[ghstudio]

We purchased a passages last year and just used it last night to book an Adriatic Sea 13 nt on Silhouette. We received an email from Celebrity that said we could combine it with the $1,000 Europe OBC special. So along with $200 from the passages, we got $1200 total obc.

 

Now I am wondering if I can transfer this booking to a travel agent and receive more OBC? Does anyone know if this can be done?

 

There is no reason why you shouldn't be able to do this...it's within 60 days of your actual reservation.

[need2bespoiled]

We purchased a passages last year and just used it last night to book an Adriatic Sea 13 nt on Silhouette. We received an email from Celebrity that said we could combine it with the $1,000 Europe OBC special. So along with $200 from the passages, we got $1200 total obc.

 

Now I am wondering if I can transfer this booking to a travel agent and receive more OBC? Does anyone know if this can be done?

 

We're using the $1000 OBC and our TA has added Pre-paid Grats, Additional Onboard Credit and 1 free specialty dinner to a 12 day cruise. If we had purchased our Open Passage before Dec 3 (we bought it Dec 14 onboard) we would have also gotten the additional $200. I guess we could have fought for it, since we were onboard from 12/1-14 and didn't even get the certificate issue date until 12/21 but we just gave up. We're going to use the Open Passage for another cruise anyway.

[SusieV]

Just FYI, but the certificates are fully refundable to Canadians because of our laws. They are refundable, transferrable, or whatever else you might want to do with them :)

 

Now if only I'd bought more back in 2008... we still have one that gets price drops post final payment, but none that combine multiple offers anymore.

[robtulipe]

That's not what some people are reporting.

The problem here may be that if someone books a cruise directly with X using an Open Passage Certificate after the final payment date it can't be transferred to a TA. What one must do in this situation is to transfer or assign the Open Passage to your TA first and then book the cruise you want with that agency.

The problem with this is it takes a few days to do the transfer so cabin availability and pricing might change. It may be possible to have your agent put a hold on a cabin at a certain price and then change the booking number to your Open Passage number to finalize the booking once the OP has been assigned to them.

I've haven't done the latter but have done the transfer of the Open Passage, originally with X to my TA

[Jade13]

We're using the $1000 OBC and our TA has added Pre-paid Grats, Additional Onboard Credit and 1 free specialty dinner to a 12 day cruise. If we had purchased our Open Passage before Dec 3 (we bought it Dec 14 onboard) we would have also gotten the additional $200. I guess we could have fought for it, since we were onboard from 12/1-14 and didn't even get the certificate issue date until 12/21 but we just gave up. We're going to use the Open Passage for another cruise anyway.

 

What was that about? We were onboard Dec 1 and did not hear anything about additional credit for booking an Open Passage.