Booking for newbies?

[jb456]

Hi Guys,

 

Were complete newbies! Spending the last few days reading these boards has helped very much and I thank you all for the information.

 

I've been seeing a few people mention that rather then only getting 1 of the 123 promos, there getting all 3 or 2.. On another thread a poster mentioned his TA got him all 3.

 

Others mentioned they got the upgrade to premium drink package free.

 

 

So any insight on how a newbie can pull this off?

 

We were planning to just call Celebrity and let them make the booking for us... Is this a mistake?

[kitty9]

A lot of times, people get perks by using a travel agent. I never book directly with the cruise line because I get too many perks from my TA. If you find one that does high volume business with Celebrity, they can negotiate extra perks with the cruise line. Now, if you want to try and call yourself, and try to get a lot more stuff, have at it, but I doubt you'll succeed. Those people who work at the call center really don't have the power to give you freebies, as they're just reservation agents.

[Miaminice]

Hi,

 

here are the details of the 123go!-promo.

 

You get one offer of your choice for regular cruises and two offers of your choice for Europe cruises.

 

 

The included beverage package is the Classic package - limiting the choice of drinks to certain maximum prices per glass/bottle - Wine 8$, beer 6$ and so on.

 

If you prefer the more expensive wines you can upgrade to a Premium package which includes more expensive drinks.

 

With both packages you can have as many drinks as you want - only the choice of drinks is limited with the Classic.

Edited January 23, 2014 by Miaminice

[gsb]

Some TA's "give you" 2--e.g.--Bev package plus prepaid gratuities.

 

To get by with this, you must prepay your gratuities with Celebrity and then the TA gives you OBC for the same amount.

[phoenix_dream]

Agree that your best bet in getting extra perks is with a travel agent that does a lot of business with Celebrity. Unfortunately, board rules prohibit us from mentioning names. But if you do some searches on the internet and a little homework, you should be able to find an option. If you know people who regularly cruise, I would suggest you also ask them- they are likely to know a couple to recommend. There are pros and cons to using these agencies (which are primarily online). The pros are that they are really experts on the topic, and they can offer better perks and answer questions for you. The cons are that many charge additional fees for cancellation (beyond what the cruise line charges) and at least one of the major ones is not available on week-ends.

 

For a first time cruiser what I would recommend is to do some research first online to see what the deals are, then go to a brick and mortar agency in your area that specializes in cruises, and see if they can match what you find. At worst, you will get at least what Celebrity offers and will have someone who is a specialist that you can talk to in person. You may not save quite as many $$, but as a newbie the extra advice and service might be worth it.

[jb456]

Thank you guys.. I know the promo terms and what you get. It was more of a question how people are able to swing "additional" perks for free.

 

Thank you Kitty/GSB/Pheonix for explaining how it works with a travel agent... That is what I was looking for... Thanks to the others for taking the time to comment as well.

 

I'm going to search for some additional travel agents to see if I can pull off a freebie... Our friends who are long time cruises recommended one to us that we meet with yesterday. Rather nice girl with lots and lots of info. Going to call her back and see what she can do.

 

Thanks again everyone!

Edited January 23, 2014 by jb456