Celebrity Galapagos 10% Elite Discount Ending!

[LunaSeaRetreat]

Just received this sorry if it has been posted before. I guess we did lose something. We were hoping to go again when we down-sized in a few years. Oh well.

 

This represents a HUGE discount on Galapagos cruises as well as Machu Picchu packages and it's ending 12/30/13.

Galapagos cruises are available all the way thru 2015 and sell out far in advance. A $ 450 pp deposit by 12/30/13 locks in your space as well as this disappearing discount for Celebrity Elite Members on this experience of a lifetime!

 

Cynthia

[cruisestitch]

Do you have a link to this information, please? (end of discount for Elites)

[grayjay]

We were given the same information during our Equinox cruise at the beginning of December at the Future Cruises Desk. The discount is to be reduced to 5 %.

Unfortunately the best prices/cabins for 2014/15 are already gone. We're planning to book for 2016.

[Christine Frances]

We were given the same information during our Equinox cruise at the beginning of December at the Future Cruises Desk. The discount is to be reduced to 5 %.

Unfortunately the best prices/cabins for 2014/15 are already gone. We're planning to book for 2016.

 

For some reason I thought the 10% discount was for on board booking rather than the OBC that is offered for other ships. I didn't think it was an Elite perk but I have been known to be wrong once or twice:D

[Gonzo70]

For some reason I thought the 10% discount was for on board booking rather than the OBC that is offered for other ships. I didn't think it was an Elite perk but I have been known to be wrong once or twice:D

 

It is (or at least has been) an elite perk; I used it for my upcoming cruise and did not book on board.

[Christine Frances]

It is (or at least has been) an elite perk; I used it for my upcoming cruise and did not book on board.

 

Thanks Gonzo! my bad lol

[marieps]

There is no OBC on Xpedition as it is an all-inclusive cruise to start with. About the only thing you have to spend money on are whatever extra gratis you believe appropriate and any items in the gift shop. Hint to those going: Do not rush to be on the first panga. Get on the last one...you will often have a much smaller, intimate group. We toured the lava at Sullivan Bay with only 6 people, while other groups had 16.

Edited December 26, 2013 by marieps

[cruisestitch]

It is interesting that the insistence that Elites were not losing anything in the new system hasn't proved true, at least in this one case. If they wanted to lower the discount from 10% to 5% or eliminate it altogether, Celebrity should have done it long before the Elite/elite+/zenith business, dontcha think?

[The_Big_M]

For some reason I thought the 10% discount was for on board booking rather than the OBC that is offered for other ships. I didn't think it was an Elite perk but I have been known to be wrong once or twice:D

 

;-)

 

Yes, there was also a link to it in the Offers section if you logged in to the Celebrity website, showing it was a general offer.

 

I haven't checked to see if it is still up.

[ECCruise]

We were given the same information during our Equinox cruise at the beginning of December at the Future Cruises Desk. The discount is to be reduced to 5 %.

Unfortunately the best prices/cabins for 2014/15 are already gone. We're planning to book for 2016.

 

Not sure what you meant by best prices/cabins. Every trip we have looked at in 2015 the basic outside cabins on deck 3 are virtually all available. There are no lower category cabins ever and no verandas, only suites.

[Celebrity Cruises]

Hi all,

 

The 10% discount is a sales promotion and not a "benefit", so no one is 'losing' a benefit. This is a promotion that has been in effect for a while for Elite members and is finally coming to an end. If you book with a deposit by 12/31, you will be able to lock in the best price and this promotion before it ends.

[uktog]

Hi all,

 

The 10% discount is a sales promotion and not a "benefit", so no one is 'losing' a benefit. This is a promotion that has been in effect for a while for Elite members and is finally coming to an end. If you book with a deposit by 12/31, you will be able to lock in the best price and this promotion before it ends.

 

?? I have a printout clearly showing it as one of the Captains Club benefits.

 

Can you answer what is the situation re priority tendering as I am still confused, is this still in place or not?

[cruisestitch]

Thanks for coming to the discussion, Celebrity, but I also have a list of Elite benefits from a few months ago, where this discount is listed as being one of them.

[Gonzo70]

Hi all,

 

The 10% discount is a sales promotion and not a "benefit", so no one is 'losing' a benefit. This is a promotion that has been in effect for a while for Elite members and is finally coming to an end. If you book with a deposit by 12/31, you will be able to lock in the best price and this promotion before it ends.

 

So why was it always listed as an Elite Captain's Club benefit on Celebrity's website? :confused:

[cruisestitch]

I'm reminded of the famous line uttered by Humpty Dumpty from the Alice story

 

"When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean......"

[travelberlin]

The 10% discount was listed as a benefit for Elite members not as a promotion. It would be good that Celebrity revises this properly and let us know before ending or changing it.

[TravelerThom]

Hi all,

 

The 10% discount is a sales promotion and not a "benefit", so no one is 'losing' a benefit. This is a promotion that has been in effect for a while for Elite members and is finally coming to an end. If you book with a deposit by 12/31, you will be able to lock in the best price and this promotion before it ends.

I'm reminded of the famous line uttered by Humpty Dumpty from the Alice story

 

"When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean......"

I HOPE that Celebrity Cruises "Official" is merely clueless [wouldn't be the first time "Miami" is clueless], since the other option is that they are outright lying. One of these years they MIGHT learn that CruiseCritic has a LOT more corporate memory than they do.

[uktog]

Either way, it is important to those on these boards - the official has to be 100% correct and accurate and cognisant of history otherwise their credibility will be shot, lets hope this was an accidental lapse and not an attempt to use smoke, mirrors and spin.

 

I for one would have liked due warning if the perk was being removed - perhaps tied into a promotional email about the Galapagos

[Gonzo70]

 

This is a promotion that has been in effect for a while

 

That is quite an understatement; I just did a search on Cruise Critic and people have been discussing this perk as far back as November 1, 2004!

 

See posts #164 & #262 in this thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=2660190&highlight=elite#post2660190

[hulamoon]

I booked this on board last week. We were told as long as you booked before the end of the year and became elite before sailing you would have the ten percent discount.

 

Next year it is reduced to five percent.

[doctorj2]

Was hoping to use this Elite "benefit" on a future Galapagos and Machu Picchu trip but not ready to book at this time to take advantage of this "promotion". I will certainly have to reconsider taking this trip with Celebrity in the future now. Come on Celebrity, you've had multiple experienced cruisers post the truth that was previously listed as an elite "benefit" that is now being removed, something you promised wouldn't be happening. The Celebrity Cruises poster needs to return and post to this thread or suffer a loss of trust as a poster and in turn for in the company.

[Redtravel]

That 10% discount was nice. If the demand for that cruise decreases, then the discount may be back....or the cruise fare will drop for all guests. As long as the supply and demand match, the cruise is at the right price. Celebrity does not make money on empty berths. Their goal is to make money. Finding a way to create demand is a selling feature. Announce a price hike or a discount stop may push people to book. Once people book, they seldom cancel.

[TravelerThom]

... Announce a price hike or a discount stop may push people to book...

It is a little hard to think that this discount stop is pushing people to book, since if I was not on Cruise Critic I wouldn't even know about it. I have seen no official announcement of it (and I have previously sail Xpedition, and am E+ with Celebrity). If you (or anyone) has seen an official announcement from Celebrity please tell me where it was.

 

I (and I think almost all here) acknowledge that Celebrity can withdraw this benefit, but we do not appreciate Celebrity's lack of honesty in the way they are doing it (claiming that there is no reduction in Elite Benefits, since this wasn't a Benefit, even though it had been listed as such for years).

 

Thom

[cruisestitch]

It's listed on the Captains Club letter received on board Eclipse 12/28/2103 at 5% discount so I guess that's official.

[TravelerThom]

It's listed on the Captains Club letter received on board Eclipse 12/28/2103 at 5% discount so I guess that's official.

Certainly more official than anything I've (NOT) received. I'm curious if it was listed as a sales promotion, or Benefit, or what? Can you fill us in on that?

 

thanks

Thom