New CC One Category Upgrade--How Does It Work?

[CathyCruises]

I've never been able to take advantage of this before, but now that they have included balconies I am hoping to be able to use it on our next cruise. I am just curious how it works.

 

Do you select the cabin you want, say a specific 1B cabin, and then just pay the 1C price? Is it dependent on the type of fare you get? For instance, if you book on a Tuesday Special, is it still applicable? I assume if you book a Guarantee it does not apply?

 

If using a TA, do you just give them your CC number and they arrange it through X directly?

 

Thx for any advice!!

 

Cathy

[BBsails]

I don't know all the particulars, Cathy. Here's my experience: I usually book directly w Celebrity then transfer to a TA. I never remembered this perk until I booked my upcoming (yea) cruise last summer. I have never been offered the perk by the agent, but this time I phoned back and requested it. He changed my rate to the one of the lesser category. No problem, but it seems you have to ask for it.

 

Betsy

[Barwick Cruiser]

I've never been able to take advantage of this before, but now that they have included balconies I am hoping to be able to use it on our next cruise. I am just curious how it works.

 

Do you select the cabin you want, say a specific 1B cabin, and then just pay the 1C price? Is it dependent on the type of fare you get? For instance, if you book on a Tuesday Special, is it still applicable? I assume if you book a Guarantee it does not apply?

 

If using a TA, do you just give them your CC number and they arrange it through X directly?

 

Thx for any advice!!

 

Cathy

 

I just did this with my T/A...wanted a specific 2A cabin and once she punched in my CC number it came up with the 2B price, as well as the reduced deposit, which was nice. Also gave a spot to choose which perk of the 123GO promo we wanted. Seemed easy enough for her to do!

Good Luck

Cathy

[CathyCruises]

Okay, great! So then my strategy will be to pick the cabin I want but look at the lower pricing, although often it makes just a little difference. But I'll take it!

 

In my experience, the deposit has always been $450/pp. Has that changed? Or what is it reduced to?

[brady19]

I asked my travel agent and she told me it does not include balconies, Im booked in cat 1B

[grayjay]

I asked my travel agent and she told me it does not include balconies, Im booked in cat 1B

Your travel agent is wrong - she obviously doesn't know about the new rules from November 2013 which give you a one-category upgrade for Captain's Club members.So if you pick a 1B cabin you'll pay for the 1C or ( as another example) you will get an Aqua Class A1 but only pay for category A2. It must be requested when booking and is based upon availability. I suppose that means if for example Aqua Class is nearly sold out and no A2 cabins available, you'll have to pay the full price for the A1. And vice versa - if the higher category ( in my example A1) is sold out you'll have to pay for the A2 in full because no upgrade is possible and there's no lower category in Aqua class. The system only works inside a special category, for example 2D/C/B up to 2A etc.

[brady19]

Your travel agent is wrong - she obviously doesn't know about the new rules from November 2013 which give you a one-category upgrade for Captain's Club members.So if you pick a 1B cabin you'll pay for the 1C or ( as another example) you will get an Aqua Class A1 but only pay for category A2. It must be requested when booking and is based upon availability. I suppose that means if for example Aqua Class is nearly sold out and no A2 cabins available, you'll have to pay the full price for the A1. And vice versa - if the higher category ( in my example A1) is sold out you'll have to pay for the A2 in full because no upgrade is possible and there's no lower category in Aqua class. The system only works inside a special category, for example 2D/C/B up to 2A etc.

 

That's what I thought. I would go from 1b to 1a if available.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[fleckle]

When I looked at the Alaska prices - Yikes!

 

It appears that they raised all the prices to implement the one category upgrade. So the "lower" price for each category below is still much higher than the category above it used to be when we cruised to Alaska previously.

 

It is a good sales technique - make it appear that you are giving your customers a discount when you are actually charging them more.

 

[grayjay]

When I looked at the Alaska prices - Yikes!

 

It appears that they raised all the prices to implement the one category upgrade. So the "lower" price for each category below is still much higher than the category above it used to be when we cruised to Alaska previously.

 

It is a good sales technique - make it appear that you are giving your customers a discount when you are actually charging them more.

 

So true - prices have risen immensely for the seasons 2014/15 for quite a lot of cruises, even if I don't really think the upgrades are the only reason for that. My RCL shares rise as well - which is nice to see - but we hesitate to book more cruises at the moment. I'd gladly go back to more reasonable fares and give up drink packages, upgrades etc. On the other hand, I just saw an inside cabin given away at 999 $ for an Antarctic sailing in this week's Exciting deal - a cruise where for quite a long time before the inside cabins were offered for more than 2500 $. So it's not quite sure if the new pricing system really will work.