Help please using a future cruise certificate

[Freckles49]

We booked the Gems of Indonesia cruise Singapore to Singapore Nov 2015.

 

On arrival at the port in Singapore were told that 'due to a dispute with the Indonesian authorities' we would not be going to any of the Indonesian ports.

We missed 3 days in Bali and Komodo Island.

 

We were sent a future cruise certificate for £375 each, which we were happy with but I am having trouble using it.

 

Each cruise Ive seen advertised by a travel agent Ive been told that I cant apply the certificates due to 'the excellent rate' advertised.

Ive also tried using it directly with Celebritys website but when I put in the certificate details the message is that Im unable to use it.

 

Any help would be very much appreciated.

 

Jen

[DebbieMacG]

I've never had a problem applying this kind of future cruise certificate to any cruise but it has had to be done over the phone and then the certificate has to be posted, they will then apply it to the booking, this can take several weeks. I would suggest you ring Celebrity direct.

Edited March 11, 2016 by DebbieMacG

[MicCanberra]

Perhaps a call to the captain's club host will be more effective.:D

[rjg41]

I am a retired travel agent.

 

First read the terms and conditions on your future cruise certificate to see if it says anything like, cannot be applied with other discounts, etc. For example things like "xciting deals".

 

Another possibility is FCC's do impact the agents commission but the size of yours does not seem substantial enough to deter the agent from wanting the booking.

 

As suggested, call Celebrity, either reservations or Captain's Club, to get a clarification. If the TA's are shunning the booking you can always book directly with Celebrity.

[az_tchr]

You cannot use a future cruise certificate on the website for a booking. must be done via the phone. There are indeed some (a few) restrictions.

[rose6]

Last month I used a future cruise certificate and had it applied to my booking before final payment. I just called captain's club and the transaction was completed while I was on the phone with them. They emailed me a new invoice. I assume you are in the UK, so I don't know if it would take longer there. Good luck.

Edited March 11, 2016 by rose6
Spelling

[happy 2 b cruising]

Last month I used a future cruise certificate and had it applied to my booking before final payment. I just called captain's club and the transaction was completed while I was on the phone with them. They emailed me a new invoice. I assume you are in the UK, so I don't know if it would take longer there. Good luck.

 

We had two $100.00 FCC's given to us by Celebrity because we had air conditioning problems in our room for three days. When I tried to apply them to a future cruise I was told they were not valid for Transatlantics or certain Holiday cruises. I did have to jump through hoops to finally get the credits applied to a different cruise. Good luck, let us know what you finally get your FCC's applied to.

I did not book directly though Celebrity so it took more work than a simple call to the Captain's Club.

[Freckles49]

We had two $100.00 FCC's given to us by Celebrity because we had air conditioning problems in our room for three days. When I tried to apply them to a future cruise I was told they were not valid for Transatlantics or certain Holiday cruises. I did have to jump through hoops to finally get the credits applied to a different cruise. Good luck, let us know what you finally get your FCC's applied to.

I did not book directly though Celebrity so it took more work than a simple call to the Captain's Club.

 

Thank you...so how did you get this applied?

 

I have contacted the Captains Club today and have been told I will get a reply in 7 days. Im starting to think that Celebrity have given us something with one hand but are taking it away with the other.

 

I hope Im wrong.

 

Thanks to all

jen

[MicCanberra]

Good luck,

I imagine that if any of the restrictions stop it being applied, it will a bigger sour taste than if you had never had the FCC in the first place.

My advice is don't let that happen, book the cruise you want and if it is applied, then good, if not, too bad.:D

[Suzy Smith]

We had a future cruise certificate issued as compensation for problems on one of our cruises and I seem to remember that the UK booking conditions were that it was not applicable to certain discounted fares and once we had applied it to a certain cruise, we would not have been able to transfer it to another cruise if we had to cancel the original one for any reason. We typically book about eighteen months ahead of the sail date and because of the restrictions, we didn't want to use the certificate until nearer final payment. However, we were concerned that with such a big time gap, we might book it through a Celebrity reservations agent who told us we could use the certificate and then find at final payment that it would not be accepted - and of course, UK booking conditions would mean we could not then cancel without losing our deposit. The way way we handled it was to select a cruise and then call Celebrity reservations and book it through them. They checked that our certificate could be used towards the cost of that particular fare and, before paying the deposit, we asked them to email us confirmation that we would ultimately be able to apply the certificate to that reservation, which they were happy to do. The certificate has to be posted to them and it can take a while for it to go through, so we sent it well in advance of final payment date.

 

Sorry if I have made it all sound very complicated and I probably haven't explained it very well, but bookings in the UK are not as flexible as in some other countries. I am happy to say it all worked out fine for us in the end.:)

Edited March 11, 2016 by Suzy Smith

[Freckles49]

I've never had a problem applying this kind of future cruise certificate to any cruise but it has had to be done over the phone and then the certificate has to be posted, they will then apply it to the booking, this can take several weeks. I would suggest you ring Celebrity direct.

 

Can you give me a number to ring the appropriate department please?

 

Thanks

Jen

[Suzy Smith]

Can you give me a number to ring the appropriate department please?

Thanks

Jen

Celebrity UK reservations number is: 0844-493-2043. Our future cruise certificate listed the particular cruises and types of fares that were specifically excluded, so it is worth reading the small print and making sure you will be able to use the certificate for your selected cruise before calling them.

[Freckles49]

Celebrity UK reservations number is: 0844-493-2043. Our future cruise certificate listed the particular cruises and types of fares that were specifically excluded, so it is worth reading the small print and making sure you will be able to use the certificate for your selected cruise before calling them.

 

many thanks to everyone who has posted so far.

I will let you know how I get on.

We have sailed 8 times with Azamara and once with Celebrity but hope that our loyalty to the RCC brand may count for sonething.

 

Jen

[awhfy]

After 4 years! I was finally able to use a FCC. The only way it worked was to call Captains Club & the first thing I said was I want to use my blasted FCC, any hope? The agent laughed & said no problem & used it & we still got 4 perks & the extra OBC from the FCC

[IsanTom]

I've never had a problem applying this kind of future cruise certificate to any cruise but it has had to be done over the phone and then the certificate has to be posted, they will then apply it to the booking, this can take several weeks. I would suggest you ring Celebrity direct.

 

I agree! Call Celebrity direct and tell them you are using a voucher! After you receive a confirmation with the voucher applied, you can then transfer your booking to a TA for further benefits! Bon Voyage!

[MicCanberra]

After 4 years! I was finally able to use a FCC. The only way it worked was to call Captains Club & the first thing I said was I want to use my blasted FCC, any hope? The agent laughed & said no problem & used it & we still got 4 perks & the extra OBC from the FCC

 

Good work.:D

[MicCanberra]

many thanks to everyone who has posted so far.

I will let you know how I get on.

We have sailed 8 times with Azamara and once with Celebrity but hope that our loyalty to the RCC brand may count for sonething.

 

Jen

 

Good luck,

Remember if you get no joy, then get onto the Captain's Club host.:D

[Suzy Smith]

Good luck,

Remember if you get no joy, then get onto the Captain's Club host.:D

 

Calling Captain's Club may work well in some countries, but the OP is in the UK and has already tried that without any immediate success (see post 8 above). She has also tried booking through a TA and booking online (neither of which was successful) and is understandably becoming frustrated with the whole process, but the one thing she has not done is call Celebrity UK reservations, who are the people who will be able to sort it out for her. We have successfully used a FCC for £1200 in the UK without any problem. It is true that it can't be used on certain sailings or discounted fares, but these are stated on the certificate. If the OP checks that her chosen cruise is not on the list of exclusions and then calls reservations, I am sure she will finally get there!:)

 

I don't know how often UK cruisers use FCCs, as our reservations agent was not familiar with them, but we emailed her a copy of the letter we had received from Celebrity, together with a copy of the certificate, and from then on it was plain sailing!

Edited March 12, 2016 by Suzy Smith

[DebbieMacG]

I've had them twice. The first one I used through a TA, sent it to them, they sent it to Celebrity. The second one, I called Celebrity, they told me to post it to them (I'm in the UK and it was a UK address) and it was applied. When I changed the cruise (transferred the deposit over as you can do when elite for free) they moved the saving onto the new cruise.

 

One thing I was told was they have to be applied before final payment.

[happy 2 b cruising]

Thank you...so how did you get this applied?

 

I have contacted the Captains Club today and have been told I will get a reply in 7 days. Im starting to think that Celebrity have given us something with one hand but are taking it away with the other.

 

I hope Im wrong.

 

Thanks to all

jen

 

My Travel Agent dealt with Celebrity after I decided what cruise I wanted it applied to. I was told if I cancel my cruise I will lose my FCC's. I had a price drop on the cruise fare after the FCC's were applied and FCC's disappeared off the new invoice with the lower price. More phone calls to TA & Celebrity to get it reinstated on invoice. This process for me was not a easy one :(

[MicCanberra]

My Travel Agent dealt with Celebrity after I decided what cruise I wanted it applied to. I was told if I cancel my cruise I will lose my FCC's. I had a price drop on the cruise fare after the FCC's were applied and FCC's disappeared off the new invoice with the lower price. More phone calls to TA & Celebrity to get it reinstated on invoice. This process for me was not a easy one :(

 

At least you got them back.

[Algebralovr]

The FCCs are a pain and my TA dislikes them, but it is what it is. That is how Royal and Celebrity have chosen to deal with passengers when things happen on board. They used to give OBC for the cruise you had the problem on. Now they give the FCC to be used on a Future Cruise .

 

My TA was successful in getting one applied to a cruise we already had booked, and even getting Celebrity to extend the expiration date by a month. It might have helped that it was a small FCC, that we got it on a holiday cruise, that we were past final payment on two more cruises, had one two week that was to leave just after the FCC was to expire (4 days) and we had booked two more cruises, one of which we booked 4 rooms on.

 

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

[Freckles49]

My Travel Agent dealt with Celebrity after I decided what cruise I wanted it applied to. I was told if I cancel my cruise I will lose my FCC's. I had a price drop on the cruise fare after the FCC's were applied and FCC's disappeared off the new invoice with the lower price. More phone calls to TA & Celebrity to get it reinstated on invoice. This process for me was not a easy one :(

 

Thank you again everyone for posting advice. I really appreciate the time youve taken and I will keep you posted.

 

Jen

[wales4ever]

We were on the same cruise as you. We had the same certificate. We used it last December on a Caribbean cruise with no problem.

[Freckles49]

We were on the same cruise as you. We had the same certificate. We used it last December on a Caribbean cruise with no problem.

 

Are you able to give me some details regarding how you came to use this so easily?

 

Thanks

Jen