Guarantee downgrade?

[Reader0108598]

Trust me, I have checked out with both Celebrity and the TA about our confirmation and know its a guarantee of a 2A or above so not sure what your point is?

 

Regardless of whose fault it is, we, the customer, are paying the price.

 

Right now, as far as I am concerned, both the TA and Celebrity are in breach of contract since I have a contract with Celebrity and the TA that clearly states we have paid for (many many months ago) a 2A Cabin or above, not below!!!

 

You would be right! Stand your ground !

[wallie5446]

This is definitely a cruise line issue, not a TA issue. Don't punish the messenger who is just doing his/her job relaying the info. To verify this, all you have to do is call Celebrity directly, and ask why this happened.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

They have, Celebrity has never spoken with clients booked thru a TA, and will not with them. Don't know which post the OP told us this in.

[WpgCruise]

Recognizing the O.P. is not in the USA however suggest a very careful review of the contract.

 

The USA version reads that the cruise line can assign any cabin, even a downgrade if they compensate, or refund. I'd be careful just where I draw the line in the sand, or the O.P. could end up waving goodbye from the pier.

 

In this case a water problem has removed 35 cabins from inventory, and as all balcony and above have been sold to people who paid for a specific balcony then all Celebrity can do is offer more money, "perks" etc. They can't make more cabins.

 

There will come a point when Celebrity will say, Take it or Leave It, and that's why I suggest a careful review of the contract is in the O.P.'s best interest.

 

Right now, as far as I am concerned, both the TA and Celebrity are in breach of contract since I have a contract with Celebrity and the TA that clearly states we have paid for (many many months ago) a 2A Cabin or above, not below!!!

[fleckle]

think of it as round 1 of negotiations.

go to your roll call and see what kind of deal they are offering others.

.

we were on a RCI -TA cruise a few years ago.

RCI was DESPERATE for balconies. so they contacted people that had booked early ( lower price) first.

It was interesting to see them up the deal with every round.

That is similar to what the airlines do when they oversell flights.

They ask for "volunteers" to give up their seats, and and keep sweetening the pot, offering better and better incentives until they get enough people to volunteer.

 

In this case, it would be a smart move for Celebrity to do what RCI did. They could start by contacting passengers who booked balconies at discounted prices without any perks, offering them more and more perks until they induce enough people to give up their balconies voluntarily.

 

That would result in a win-win resolution for everyone and it would cost Celebrity practically nothing.

 

 

[If only]

I just spoke with the TA and they are adamant that Celebrity contacted them yesterday to tell them there are no balcony Cabins left and the TA said all categories above are sold out. Not sure if I believe they but they are going to have to offer us more to downgrade.

 

I just checked and we made this booking on Aug 4th 2015!!!!

 

Just my 2 cents worth, have done about 60 cruises with Celebrity & never known them to downgrade once a deposit has been made, but they also don't normally give Guaratee cabins a year out. It is usually about 6 months out at the most that a guarantee is offered & any time we have done a guarantee we have had our cabin within a week or two at the most. My thought is that the TA had blocked a # of cabins & oversold them, then when she went back to Celebrity they didn't have any balconies left. I think your TA owes you.

Edited August 21, 2016 by If only

[wrk2cruise]

One of the benefits of a good TA is they have more clout than individual clients. I used to use a local brick and mortar TA who was generally successful resolving some of these complex issues dealing with her district sales support people. I wouldn't throw too many stones at the TA until they have a real chance to negotiate with Celebrity on Monday. Some of the departments who routinely deal with these things at Celebrity don't work on the weekend.

 

I am surprised that a GTY booking made a year ago didn't have a cabin assignment long before now.

 

I have only heard on these boards one other time where someone had booked a suite and at time of sailing no suites were available.

 

I feel for the OP but it doesn't sound like negligence on anyone's part just bad luck where a block of rooms were unexpected removed from inventory.

 

If the OP does end up having to take the inside room I'd definitely try to speak with the Guest Relations manager as soon as possible after boarding to see if they could move you to a balcony stateroom if one becomes available due to a noshow.

[grandgeezer]

Just my 2 cents worth, have done about 60 cruises with Celebrity & never known them to downgrade once a deposit has been made, but they also don't normally give Guaratee cabins a year out. It is usually about 6 months out at the most that a guarantee is offered & any time we have done a guarantee we have had our cabin within a week or two at the most. My thought is that the TA had blocked a # of cabins & oversold them, then when she went back to Celebrity they didn't have any balconies left. I think your TA owes you.

 

In a group booking the travel agency goes to Celebrity and tells them they want a certain number of rooms, say 100 or 150 and they get pricing based on that and pass some of it on to the customer. It is not limited to any category or specific cabins. If it is a guarantee, Celebrity fills in the cabin number. This person booked a year ago so I doubt the maximum number of cabins was reached. If so, why did Celebrity send them a conformation and accept at least a down payment? At the very least Celebrity should "man up" and give an in depth reason why they are entitled to a balcony.

Almost weekly there are people complaining about the incompetence of the staff when they call in with a question or a problem, this probably happens in the internal reservations department also.

[chemmo]

I do understand waiting until Monday to see if the TA can do more for you but I strongly suggest a 'disappointed and upset' stance reiterating the couples first cruise (perhaps suggesting they could become regulars)....rather than an aggressive 'we are entitled to...' one. In my experience an aggressive customer tends to make airlines, hotels and I would think cruise lines go more to the stance of 'all we are legally bound to do....' Which in your case may be a cancellation and some possibly disappointing compensation.

 

If the situation is as suggested on the roll call a number of unusable rooms then there is a limit to what both X and yout TA can do. With schedules, flights and hotels booked you don't want the TA or the cruise line suggesting you cancel.

 

Sincere best wishes for getting a resolution you are happy with, please don't let it spoil your cruise, lots of people still have great cruises in OV rooms!

 

As others have said, please post again and let us know the outcome!

Edited August 21, 2016 by chemmo

[RobandJames]

Let me be clear about our booking process and story so far:

 

My partner and I have cruised on X a few times (so are Captain's club members) and for this cruise invited our friends who have never cruised before.

 

I booked with the large US online TA from the UK for both couples on Aug 2nd 2015 - 2 x 2A guarantee veranda cabins.

 

Mine and my partner's cabin was allocated about 4 weeks ago but our friends still say GTY.

 

Friday we get this call from the large US TA informing us of the situation without knowing/explaining why - offering the remaining GTY a downgrade plus the compensation already discussed. Our friends, first time cruisers, say no, since this is a trip of a lifetime for them.

 

I go back to the TA and politely decline. At no time have I been aggressive or 'entitled' - perhaps a little disappointed! I have also emailed the TA to put this in writing and suggested that maybe, my partner and I would swap with our friends (so they take our assigned balcony and we take the downgrade) if the offer was a little more compelling. We also explained we have booked flights and hotels at either end so postponing isn't an option.

 

We now await til Monday when the senior staff at our TA and Celebrity group booking/customer service people are back in the office to discuss and see what happens next.

 

I am stressed and nervous about the situation in case they say 'tough, there are no cabins left at all!'

 

What a mess! I know it's unavoidable about the leaks but it strikes me they should have contingency plans and maybe not be so greedy about filling/over selling the ship, to cope with unplanned for situations like this.

 

I will let you all know what happens next and thanks for the info and support.

[Reader0108598]

Let me be clear about our booking process and story so far:

 

My partner and I have cruised on X a few times (so are Captain's club members) and for this cruise invited our friends who have never cruised before.

 

I booked with the large US online TA from the UK for both couples on Aug 2nd 2015 - 2 x 2A guarantee veranda cabins.

 

Mine and my partner's cabin was allocated about 4 weeks ago but our friends still say GTY.

 

Friday we get this call from the large US TA informing us of the situation without knowing/explaining why - offering the remaining GTY a downgrade plus the compensation already discussed. Our friends, first time cruisers, say no, since this is a trip of a lifetime for them.

 

I go back to the TA and politely decline. At no time have I been aggressive or 'entitled' - perhaps a little disappointed! I have also emailed the TA to put this in writing and suggested that maybe, my partner and I would swap with our friends (so they take our assigned balcony and we take the downgrade) if the offer was a little more compelling. We also explained we have booked flights and hotels at either end so postponing isn't an option.

 

We now await til Monday when the senior staff at our TA and Celebrity group booking/customer service people are back in the office to discuss and see what happens next.

 

I am stressed and nervous about the situation in case they say 'tough, there are no cabins left at all!'

 

What a mess! I know it's unavoidable about the leaks but it strikes me they should have contingency plans and maybe not be so greedy about filling/over selling the ship, to cope with unplanned for situations like this.

 

I will let you all know what happens next and thanks for the info and support.

 

Rob or James :)

 

I hope all goes well on Monday.

 

Reader

[RickT]

All you know is that as of today... someone made a mistake (my money is on the TA) and you appear to be paying for it.

 

One thing to keep in mind, even though your sailing currently says it is sold out, cabins do become available at late notice. My recent sailing on the Silhouette alternated from Sold Out to anything from an Ocean View to an Aqua Class... keep this in mind and if you decide to go on the ship ensure that both your TA and Celebrity offer you a verdandah or higher should one become available between now and sailing date.

 

If they agree to that, check the Celebrity Website twice a day and if you see a cabin fake book it on line and call your TA immediately!

 

Good luck.

[Spursgirl]

Let me be clear about our booking process and story so far:

 

My partner and I have cruised on X a few times (so are Captain's club members) and for this cruise invited our friends who have never cruised before.

 

I booked with the large US online TA from the UK for both couples on Aug 2nd 2015 - 2 x 2A guarantee veranda cabins.

 

Mine and my partner's cabin was allocated about 4 weeks ago but our friends still say GTY.

 

Friday we get this call from the large US TA informing us of the situation without knowing/explaining why - offering the remaining GTY a downgrade plus the compensation already discussed. Our friends, first time cruisers, say no, since this is a trip of a lifetime for them.

 

I go back to the TA and politely decline. At no time have I been aggressive or 'entitled' - perhaps a little disappointed! I have also emailed the TA to put this in writing and suggested that maybe, my partner and I would swap with our friends (so they take our assigned balcony and we take the downgrade) if the offer was a little more compelling. We also explained we have booked flights and hotels at either end so postponing isn't an option.

 

We now await til Monday when the senior staff at our TA and Celebrity group booking/customer service people are back in the office to discuss and see what happens next.

 

I am stressed and nervous about the situation in case they say 'tough, there are no cabins left at all!'

 

What a mess! I know it's unavoidable about the leaks but it strikes me they should have contingency plans and maybe not be so greedy about filling/over selling the ship, to cope with unplanned for situations like this.

 

I will let you all know what happens next and thanks for the info and support.

 

Your approach sounds eminently reasonable to me and I am totally sympathetic with the situation you find yourselves in.

 

Having booked with a US TA, sadly you are not protected by the UK's more stringent consumer regulations.

 

However, in your place I would definitely contact the Captain's Club to explain your plight and push for additional compensation via your TA.

 

I am sure you will still have a memorable cruise with your friends even if you sail in an OV cabin.

 

I hope it works out well for you.

[Project_gal]

I do understand waiting until Monday to see if the TA can do more for you but I strongly suggest a 'disappointed and upset' stance reiterating the couples first cruise (perhaps suggesting they could become regulars)....rather than an aggressive 'we are entitled to...' one. In my experience an aggressive customer tends to make airlines, hotels and I would think cruise lines go more to the stance of 'all we are legally bound to do....' Which in your case may be a cancellation and some possibly disappointing compensation.

 

If the situation is as suggested on the roll call a number of unusable rooms then there is a limit to what both X and yout TA can do. With schedules, flights and hotels booked you don't want the TA or the cruise line suggesting you cancel.

 

Sincere best wishes for getting a resolution you are happy with, please don't let it spoil your cruise, lots of people still have great cruises in OV rooms!

 

As others have said, please post again and let us know the outcome!

 

I have to agree with the suggested approach if for no other reason that someone booking from the UK through a US TA may be on unsound ground as far as consumer rights.

 

In addition to that, I feel that it is very unclear who is at fault here. As someone else pointed out, guarantees are not usually available a year pre-cruise and I strongly suspect that the TA may have overbooked a block booking and insufficient people cancelled. Where they may normally have expected to be able to request more rooms from Celebrity, the flooding issue had resulted in insufficient rooms being available.

 

Without knowing for certain here who is at fault, it is difficult for the OP to take the correct stance.

[RobandJames]

Yes it's not really clear who is really at fault, and of course I doubt we will ever really know. What I can say is that the TA says they received an email from Celebrity about lack of veranda cabins and that "in all my years of working at xxxx, this has never happened before". Bad luck for us I guess!!

[villauk]

We disembarked from Connie on Thursday and while we did have the water turned off for 'maintenance' one morning from 1am until 5am, I don't recall anyone mentioning about a flood :confused:? Not saying it wasn't the case, but I didn't hear anything and we were on deck 7 (where most of the 2A cabins are). There was an industrial vacuum out one morning, but there were still people in those cabins. Has the current roll call sailing mentioned anything about the flooding issue and pax having to move cabins, as they are obviously onboard now? Just wondered as it is a few weeks until your sailing if X are saying they're short of rooms because of a flood?

 

Had you been keeping an eye on the inventory over the last few weeks before this email? Did it appear that most balcony cabins were already sold out? Anyway, that's irrelevant now, but I do hope you get it sorted as we've just experienced a fantastic cruise on Connie ;). Very admirable of you to offer your balcony to your friends; I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time once onboard :).

[cheeseheads4ever]

Hmmm? I would swap rooms with your friends. Great gesture. Id like to get your friends off on the right foot with cruising. Yes i think its a great deal. If its not a deal breaker not having a balcony. If you already booked the airline tickets etc. sounds like you are locked into this.

I guess I havent got a warm fuzzy feeling from booking through a TA from anyone eho posts. Just another person to deal with. Not my problem it celebritys well not my problem its the TAs. Dont like that stuff. Good luck in your decision.

[ECCruise]

In a group booking the travel agency goes to Celebrity and tells them they want a certain number of rooms, say 100 or 150 and they get pricing based on that and pass some of it on to the customer. It is not limited to any category or specific cabins. If it is a guarantee, Celebrity fills in the cabin number. This person booked a year ago so I doubt the maximum number of cabins was reached. If so, why did Celebrity send them a conformation and accept at least a down payment? At the very least Celebrity should "man up" and give an in depth reason why they are entitled to a balcony.

Almost weekly there are people complaining about the incompetence of the staff when they call in with a question or a problem, this probably happens in the internal reservations department also.

 

At last!

 

A cognizant post by someone who understands how group bookings work (as opposed to the many here who have no idea and are so willing to add their opinion to the thread-="it is the TAs fault!" "Celebrity has done nothing wrong")

 

The OP has notification from =X= that they have a confirmed guarantee cabin. It is impossible for a TA to "oversell" a category (which several have erroneously opined about) since everything flows through Celebrity's back-end booking system. The fact that the OP has verification of their reservation indicates that the TA did what they intended to do--book 2 guarantees. The problem, quite obviously, is that Celebrity has oversold the category and trying to reconfigure. Why else, pray tell, would they be offering at least some compensation? If it was the TAs, fault, they would try, at least at first, to dump it back on them.

 

Unless there are a large number of pax affected, I would think that this will all work itself out rather quickly, especially if the OP is firm but reasonable.

[WpgCruise]

At last!

 

A cognizant post by someone who understands how group bookings work (as opposed to the many here who have no idea and are so willing to add their opinion to the thread-="it is the TAs fault!" "Celebrity has done nothing wrong")

 

The OP has notification from =X= that they have a confirmed guarantee cabin. It is impossible for a TA to "oversell" a category (which several have erroneously opined about) since everything flows through Celebrity's back-end booking system. The fact that the OP has verification of their reservation indicates that the TA did what they intended to do--book 2 guarantees. The problem, quite obviously, is that Celebrity has oversold the category and trying to reconfigure. Why else, pray tell, would they be offering at least some compensation? If it was the TAs, fault, they would try, at least at first, to dump it back on them.

 

Unless there are a large number of pax affected, I would think that this will all work itself out rather quickly, especially if the OP is firm but reasonable.

 

My understanding from post 22 is that there is a flooding issue with 35 cabins. If this is the reason Guarantees can't be filled, I don't understand how this is an oversell.

 

There are now 35 less cabins, due to a flooding issue, so Celebrity is offering options

 

In that the O.P.booked under US terms, U.K. consumer protection won't apply

 

Hopefully a satisfactory solution can be negotiated, but Celebrity has the hammer on this one.

 

Keep in mind there will be 34 others impacted assuming a sold out ship so if the O.P. digs in too deep, they could be given a refund and oh so sorry from Celebrity

[GranthamMommy]

I just want to add my best wishes for how things turn out tomorrow.

Karma is a b*tch. Go on the cruise. You know you will have a good time, you're cruise professionals. Letting your friends have the balcony will bring good things to you - at the very least a fun time with friends that may turn in to life long cruise buddies. Ask for something REASONABLE from the TA and pack your bags!

 

Thank you for sharing your story. This could happen on any cruise and few of read the very fine print.

 

Happy Sailing.

[RobandJames]

One thing that puzzles me, if flooding is really the reason for this. My cruise doesn't go for 2.5 weeks so surely they could sort things out before then?

[ECCruise]

One thing that puzzles me, if flooding is really the reason for this. My cruise doesn't go for 2.5 weeks so surely they could sort things out before then?

 

I agree.

We were on a ship that encountered flooding--not ship water but SEA water, in many cabins while sailing the Drake passage. 6-8" of sea water in lots of cabins and they had redone all the cabins within 7 days. And this on a ship with 200 pax and far less resources.

[WpgCruise]

One thing that puzzles me, if flooding is really the reason for this. My cruise doesn't go for 2.5 weeks so surely they could sort things out before then?

 

Just speculating, but it may well be more than flooding. Could be the underlying infrastructure needs replacing and it's failure resulted in the flooding. Maybe a combination of lots of factors, materials need to be fabricated, furniture/carpeting need to be sourced. All just a guess on any ones part who isn't working for Celebrity.

 

Regardless, they don't have enough guaranteed balcony cabins for everyone who wants one, so somehow they have to do the best they can for all of their customers.

 

Please do come back and let us know the outcome. While this sort of thing happens so seldom a "one size fits all" policy probably isn't in place and it would be good to know what Celebrity can do in this particular situation.

[decemberpsyche]

I wish you the best of luck with this.

 

My 2 cents, I almost never like it when people stomp their proverbial feet and throw fits when **** happens because IMO it makes people look immature and entitled and well **** happens. But this, man you should be stomping your feet and getting more than you are being offered. Somebody messed up and it wasn't you.

 

I hope you can get this worked out, and have a good cruise anyway.

[hcat]

Hmmm? I would swap rooms with your friends. Great gesture. Id like to get your friends off on the right foot with cruising. Yes i think its a great deal. If its not a deal breaker not having a balcony. If you already booked the airline tickets etc. sounds like you are locked into this.

I guess I havent got a warm fuzzy feeling from booking through a TA from anyone eho posts. Just another person to deal with. Not my problem it celebritys well not my problem its the TAs. Dont like that stuff. Good luck in your decision.

 

I think this is the best approach...switch with your friends asap so they have a confirmed balcony....accept the other cabin at a reduced price plus perks before they are all gone, and try to get an agreement that you are preferred waitlisted for the very first balc that opens up...you can enjoy sharing the balc your friends have...and look ahead to a great cruise,..

 

We no longer use a TA...never book a guarantee, pick the cabin we like, never accept a change offer and check our "My Cruise Planner" frequently to make sure they have not cancelled us out...Good Luck!

Edited August 21, 2016 by hcat

[Beanb41]

In the interim whilst you are waiting for your TA to resolve the issue send notice of your plight to Miami Head Office via concerns@celebrity.com This email address goes into the CEO's office. Where I have had a significant issue in the past Head Office have either overruled a local decision or improved the offer made. You have nothing to lose. After sending your email expect an automatic reply that someone will be in contact within 5 working days. Haven't ever noticed that they miss this deadline.