Celebrity's IT department

[seaworthy1]

Have a Celebrity cruise booked with a final payment date July 12, this week I have received two emails from celebritywebsupport.com... the first one on 6/22 said I had 5 day to pay my balance due or cruise would be canceled. Called the regular res. # and was told the resolution desk was a 40 min. wait but they were sure it was just a typical IT clitch, and not to worry.

 

Well, having dealt with Celebrity's land staff and their IT people, I was worried. So I call the Captains Club and explained my story, after pulling up my res. info. the agent first said my final payment was due on the 27th of June. I told him I had this res over a year and it had always been July 12. He interrupted me and said wait, his screen was changing, and it now showed July 12. He apologised, said not to worry it was just a one time clitch...

 

Today I receive another email saying I had two days to make final payment or my cruise would be canceled. Called Captains Club and was told they couldn't see how this could happen, as they were always notified when a notice to cancel was sent out. The agent said she would look into it, but I shouldn't worry about it, there was no way my cruise would be canceled.

 

We really enjoy cruising on Celebrity once the ship has left the port, but up until that point, not so much. We don't have much experience with other cruise lines, but their web sites and IT people can't be as screwed up as Celebrity, can they?

[WestLakeGirl]

We feel your pain

[notjaded]

OP: I would call Celebrity and ask them whether they really have a website URL that is "Celebritywebsupport.com"

 

I suspect that you are being phished....

[Bennettanddebbie]

RCCL is known for their horrendous IT capability (or should I say lack of capability). It is fairly obvious to me (being in the industry) that the same platform is used for RCI and Celebrity (and probably Azamara).

 

Although I would certainly hold Celebrity responsible for fixing any of their screw ups , is it really worth the potential hassle over pulling your payment up by two weeks? Personally, I never let a final payment go down to the wire.

 

 

Bennett of BennettandDebbie

[bEwAbG]

Why don't you go ahead and pay? It's 2 weeks early but is 2 weeks really that big of a deal? I'd be worried that there is some date buried in your reservation that is triggering this, and if an auto-cancel were to process, you could lose your room if it's put into inventory and someone else books it. People on the phone can promise you the moon but sometimes systems override what people think should happen.

[varoo]

Just wondering if this screwup is somehow related to their recent final payment deadline change from 75 days out to 90 days out.

 

Reservations made under the 75 day policy were supposed to be grandfathered in, but this is the Celebrity website, after all. :eek:

 

I agree with the others that it is easier to go ahead and pay it off now simply to have the matter resolved, sparing yourself from any further wasted time, hassles or concerns about it.

 

 

[chemmo]

We received an email AFTER we had made full payment saying our cruise would be cancelled if we did not pay the outstanding balance. Celebrity were very apologetic confirming our payment had gone through....and then again a week later another one saying 'if we did not pay the outstanding balance of $0 our cruise would be cancelled'. We again contacted, they again said it was a glitch...we insisted on an email clearly stating that we had paid in full and our cruise would not be cancelled.

 

The snag is much as they reassure you, the fact that a 'glitch' can send out those emails it is unnerving.....at the back of your mind is the idea a computer could cancel your cruise..Although all logic (and X staff) tell you this can not happen it is there at the back of your mind. Over the next couple of weeks I kept checking on the website that our suite had not come back up for sale....

 

We love Celebrity and don't let these issues put us off booking but we do wish they would sort them out!

[kevinyork]

We had two reservations for a cruise in September to pay for. Managed to do one payment online but on trying the second one the payment screen showed a total amount higher than the actual balance. I called them (7 pence per minute) and made a card payment over the phone. A few days later I called again as the reservation still showed no payment but the amount was pending on my credit card account. They said the payment hadn't been processed correctly and would clear my card account in 7 days. After 7 days I went back online and paid the full correct balance including tips. 2 days later a balance still shows equivalent to the tips. So I called them again today and they confirmed full payment has been received and to ignore the website.

 

The weirdest thing is on one reservation number for 2 of us the status of the online check in shows "2 of 3 people completed". Who else is sharing our cabin.

 

A mess of an IT system that certainly doesn't meet their modern luxury slogan.

 

 

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[leehal]

With regards adjusted balances, I only paid the figure from the original booking statement. An outstanding balance showed after payment but this was adjusted to zero after a couple of days. I would check and see if you can have the 2nd payment refunded if you think you have over paid.

 

 

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Edited June 26, 2016 by leehal

[Chunky2219]

I've never understood why people book direct (with any line) rather than through a TA. All I've ever got for going the indirect route is lower prices, better OBC and someone who will sort out my problems on my behalf.

 

If TAs in the US don't fulfill this role then apologies for feeling a bit smug about one of the few UK advantages we get.

 

 

 

.

[leehal]

We booked direct due to a lack of experience. We booked our first cruise on a whim when our planned holiday fell through, our next trip was booked on board. We got a decent deal and apart from the technical website issues and numerous attempts to get our OBC correct we are happy.

 

I still wouldn't know which TA to use to be honest, mainly because I haven't researched it. If we cruise more we might.

 

I do get the impression that perks are better in the USA when using a TA though.

 

 

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[chemmo]

I've never understood why people book direct (with any line) rather than through a TA. All I've ever got for going the indirect route is lower prices, better OBC and someone who will sort out my problems on my behalf.

 

If TAs in the US don't fulfill this role then apologies for feeling a bit smug about one of the few UK advantages we get.

 

 

 

.

 

I would not agree that all UK TA's are great, we have had a few who once they have your booking for cruise or land based vacation are unwilling to do anything else!

[blizzardboy]

Have a Celebrity cruise booked with a final payment date July 12, this week I have received two emails from celebritywebsupport.com... the first one on 6/22 said I had 5 day to pay my balance due or cruise would be canceled. Called the regular res. # and was told the resolution desk was a 40 min. wait but they were sure it was just a typical IT clitch, and not to worry.

 

Well, having dealt with Celebrity's land staff and their IT people, I was worried. So I call the Captains Club and explained my story, after pulling up my res. info. the agent first said my final payment was due on the 27th of June. I told him I had this res over a year and it had always been July 12. He interrupted me and said wait, his screen was changing, and it now showed July 12. He apologised, said not to worry it was just a one time clitch...

 

Today I receive another email saying I had two days to make final payment or my cruise would be canceled. Called Captains Club and was told they couldn't see how this could happen, as they were always notified when a notice to cancel was sent out. The agent said she would look into it, but I shouldn't worry about it, there was no way my cruise would be canceled.

 

We really enjoy cruising on Celebrity once the ship has left the port, but up until that point, not so much. We don't have much experience with other cruise lines, but their web sites and IT people can't be as screwed up as Celebrity, can they?

We booked our first Celebrity cruise a couple months ago. While doing my research in the few weeks before booking, I saw and pointed out to X several major errors on their site, all of which are still there. I was told they were busy putting together a new website as justification for ignoring their present-day problems and taking the few minutes to make the corrections. This tells me that the IT Dept has no accountability. From what I've seen and personally experienced, this lack of accountability is not limited to IT. My mentor used to say "the speed of the team is the speed of the leader". The issues I've encountered with Celebrity are systemic and a result of delegation without accountability, and the blame should be placed squarely on the Executive Offices.

Edited June 26, 2016 by blizzardboy

[BEAV]

Why don't you go ahead and pay? It's 2 weeks early but is 2 weeks really that big of a deal?

 

Two weeks can make a big difference if the charge winds up on an earlier billing cycle on the OP's credit card, resulting in their having to pay it off a full month sooner than they had originally expected.

[BEAV]

We booked our first Celebrity cruise a couple months ago. While doing my research in the few weeks before booking, I saw and pointed out to X several major errors on their site, all of which are still there. I was told they were busy putting together a new website as justification for ignoring their present-day problems and taking the few minutes to make the corrections. This tells me that the IT Dept has no accountability. From what I've seen and personally experienced, this lack of accountability is not limited to IT. My mentor used to say "the speed of the team is the speed of the leader". The issues I've encountered with Celebrity are systemic and a result of delegation without accountability, and the blame should be placed squarely on the Executive Offices.

 

During last weekend's Summer Solstice sale ($25 per person deposits), the instructions were to enter the reduced deposit amount in the "other" box when paying the deposit on the website. However when following those instructions you'd get a response of "Please enter an amount of $900 (standard deposit amount) or above." I've had this same experience during previous reduced-rate deposit promotions, so it's obvious these "glitches" never get fixed.

[kevinyork]

With regards adjusted balances, I only paid the figure from the original booking statement. An outstanding balance showed after payment but this was adjusted to zero after a couple of days. I would check and see if you can have the 2nd payment refunded if you think you have over paid.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

Thanks for that, will check.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I've never understood why people book direct (with any line) rather than through a TA. All I've ever got for going the indirect route is lower prices, better OBC and someone who will sort out my problems on my behalf.

 

If TAs in the US don't fulfill this role then apologies for feeling a bit smug about one of the few UK advantages we get.

 

 

Me neither. If there are any problems, my TA sorts them.

 

[BEAV]

I've never understood why people book direct (with any line) rather than through a TA. All I've ever got for going the indirect route is lower prices, better OBC and someone who will sort out my problems on my behalf.

 

If TAs in the US don't fulfill this role then apologies for feeling a bit smug about one of the few UK advantages we get.

 

Me neither. If there are any problems, my TA sorts them.

 

 

Speaking only for myself, I often will book/hold/deposit a stateroom on the website then later turn over to a TA. Often times it's on a weekend or after hours when I see something such as a specific stateroom I'm looking for, etc.

Edited June 26, 2016 by BEAV

[ORV]

We booked our first Celebrity cruise a couple months ago. While doing my research in the few weeks before booking, I saw and pointed out to X several major errors on their site, all of which are still there. I was told they were busy putting together a new website as justification for ignoring their present-day problems and taking the few minutes to make the corrections. This tells me that the IT Dept has no accountability. From what I've seen and personally experienced, this lack of accountability is not limited to IT. My mentor used to say "the speed of the team is the speed of the leader". The issues I've encountered with Celebrity are systemic and a result of delegation without accountability, and the blame should be placed squarely on the Executive Offices.

 

I take it you are fairly new to the Celebrity party. This is nothing new, I've been sailing with them for 7 years or so, the website and gotten worse over the years, not better. They've been promising changes for years. Do a search and you'll find threads complaining about for years.

 

As has been stated by others, this is just another reason to use a TA, they take care of this for you.

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

After many years sailing with Princess, my DW and I are considering a Celebrity cruise again as they have an itinerary that looks interesting. While I believe the cruise experience will be similar between the two lines, the Celebrity website leaves a lot to be desired. It's much easier to use the Princess website when looking at booking options, cabin availability/location, and prices. Maybe Celebrity needs to hire an IT person from Princess.

[bEwAbG]

Two weeks can make a big difference if the charge winds up on an earlier billing cycle on the OP's credit card, resulting in their having to pay it off a full month sooner than they had originally expected.

 

If you have to rely on the timing of billing cycles to pay for the cruise, then you probably shouldn't be taking the cruise.

[blizzardboy]

I take it you are fairly new to the Celebrity party. This is nothing new, I've been sailing with them for 7 years or so, the website and gotten worse over the years, not better. They've been promising changes for years. Do a search and you'll find threads complaining about for years.

 

As has been stated by others, this is just another reason to use a TA, they take care of this for you.

I do transfer my bookings to a TA after I've landed on an itinerary and cabin choice. If I had to write every question down, relay it to a TA, and wait for an answer, I'd never get anything booked. I do the majority of my own research before deciding on potential itineraries etc. My PCC at HAL is more knowledgeable about his line than any TA I've met, and that has spoiled me. I won't go into all the problems I've experienced with X, but I've never seen a line with so many admin, IT, and personnel issues. If their own senior reps are so confused by the inconsistent manner in which they classify cruises to exempt them from promotions, how could a TA do it any better?

I wrote a three page letter to Ms. Lutoff-Perla relaying the issues in booking our RS. Six weeks later I got a call from someone who could barely communicate. The sum total of the message relayed was "Sorry you had a problem." The Executive Office response denotes a totally apathetic attitude. Fish does stinks from the head.

Edited June 26, 2016 by blizzardboy

[BEAV]

If you have to rely on the timing of billing cycles to pay for the cruise, then you probably shouldn't be taking the cruise.

 

I'll give the OP (and anyone else) the benefit of the doubt they have their own valid reasons for not wanting to pay off their cruise two weeks before their final payment due date. It's not up to me to make any assumptions about their finances.

Edited June 26, 2016 by BEAV
spelling

[BEAV]

I won't go into all the problems I've experienced with X, but I've never seen a line with so many admin, IT, and personnel issues. If their own senior reps are so confused by the inconsistent manner in which they classify cruises to exempt them from promotions, how could a TA do it any better?

 

+1.

 

I had to write to =X= for clarification on whether RS/PH guests are entitled to complimentary dining in Bistro/Sushi on 5. The home offices said "yes" while the F&B management on Millie said "no".

 

Love the =X= on board product, hate the admin/IT BS! :rolleyes:

[cheeseheads4ever]

We are relatively new to booking cruises as well.we booked a April 2017 cruise.the original invoice showed a $450 OBC but online it shows no OBC but everything else is correct. We called our rep who of course was someone different than we booked cruise with and he said on his end it shows $450 OBC. Says that as long as it shows on his end we are ok. HMMM? I don't know about you but me I'm not so comfortable. I like everything to be correct. If our rep drops off the face of the earth the next person wouldn't know anything about OBC. What would you do call the rep and make him show it correctly online?That's what I think we need to do.

As far as a TA if you are in US do you really get that many extra perks over what get booking directly with Celebrity? If it's an extra $25 or $50 OBC I'm not sure it's worth it.