FREE DRINKS AND UP TO $250 TO SPEND ONBOARD - I am missing out?

[LPCKG]

We've recently made a booking on Solstice, departing Seattle 30 June 2017 (booking made 20 August 2016). We booked a Sky Suite directly with Celebrity. We received free drinks and wifi. However, no onboard spend. The website does state FREE DRINKS AND UP TO $250 TO SPEND ONBOARD. I checked at the time of booking and they advised this sailing did not have the onboard spend option, even though the website appears to suggest the on-board spend is available? We are content with the price, cabin etc. I merely don't like to miss out if we should get more...:rolleyes: The drinks/onboard spend offer expires on 30 August 2016. Is anyone else sailing on 30 June, have you received any onboard spend, if you booked direct? Can anyone clarify. I'm what they are saying is correct but the website is somewhat misleading.

[villauk]

I take it your post refers to a booking made in the UK? I only ask because you are going to get many replies from US bookers that are going to quote that you get 'all 4 perks with any suite' booking - that's the promo on the other side of the pond ;).

 

I believe only certain applicable sailings qualify for the extra OBC (according to the T&C and * on the website), but who knows?

[wallie5446]

When in doubt, call the Captian Club desk.

 

Indeed the package is diff on this side.

[Bo1953]

... and pending on the deposit made, cancel and rebook.

 

bon voyage

[kruzgal]

Sadly we don't have a refundable deposit when booking in the UK.

 

We have booked in the UK recently.....a different cruise date and ship.....and whilst we got the drinks package we didn't get any OBC either. I would agree the marketing is a bit misleading, but as usual it's probably in the fine print that only certain sailings get the credit and ours wasn't one of them. Suspect yours is the same.

[kruzgal]

I have just tried to do a dummy booking for your ship and dates but unfortunately the UK website is not working for me. However I can see exactly what you are saying and it is very misleading. When you click on the link underneath the 'Upto $500 onboard spend' and select worldwide sailings your cruise is listed (as is mine) which would imply we ought to get the credit. It is only after you have gone further down the booking process it says free drinks package, but no mention of any credit. I am going to chase this myself as well as it doesn't seem right and is extremely misleading.

[Wiltonian]

... and pending on the deposit made, cancel and rebook.

 

bon voyage

 

Totally WRONG advice for the UK, where deposits are non-refundable.

 

Stuart

Edited August 28, 2016 by Wiltonian

[LPCKG]

The booking was made in UK. What Celebrity have said is correct About NO OBC being offered on this particular sailing, they should know. It's just the website suggests OBC is included. Weren't going to cancel our booking /complain - we can't wait to visit Alaska, but it should be clear. It is usually crystal clear but on this occasion I think the T&C's sections is unhelpfully unclear to compound the generic 'offers' advert and, as said, it is not until you almost complete the booking that reference to OBC disappears for this sailing.

 

Thank you for confirming what I did believe to be the case!

[leehal]

We booked a Baltic cruise for next June and are UK based, we received $500 OBC for Aqua Class.

 

Are you basing this on what you were told or your initial booking breakdown/confirmation? Usually they are updated to show OBC etc later. We ended up on version 15 of our Med cruise which departs this Friday and are already on version 3 of our Baltic booking.

 

I am sure we booked the Baltic cruise on the same offer as you have that ends at the end of this month.

[leehal]

I've just checked and the offers based on booking from the .co.uk website are different from the .com

 

I would ring them to discuss, you should receive $250 OBC for that cruise.

[kruzgal]

I would agree...we should have $200 per balcony cabin for our trip. I am going to follow this up. I am wondering which trips do actually get any credit?

[leehal]

I would agree...we should have $200 per balcony cabin for our trip. I am going to follow this up. I am wondering which trips do actually get any credit?

 

From what I can see there is a slider option at the top of the search to turn off filtering with or without offers.

 

Current offer seems to be up to $500 OBC for european cruises and up to $250 for others.

[kruzgal]

Thank you LPCKG. I have contacted Celebrity and the onboard spend has been added to our trip. They say it is an error which has been reported to the IT department, but as loyal Celebrity cruisers they have honoured it. Suggest you ring them asap.

[leehal]

Thank you LPCKG. I have contacted Celebrity and the onboard spend has been added to our trip. They say it is an error which has been reported to the IT department, but as loyal Celebrity cruisers they have honoured it. Suggest you ring them asap.

 

For our second cruise we waited and waited for them to get the OBC correct, we booked on board when the 123 offer was available, can't believe we finally cruise again this week and ended up on version 15 of our booking!

 

Glad you are sorted in the end.

[Beanb41]

Voice your concerns direct with Head Office at concerns@celebrity.com If you have been unfairly treated then I am sure they will sort it out. I had a similar issue a couple of years ago when a drinks package wasn't given to me although it was advertised. Initially X refused to play ball but after going to Miami and complaining it was put right. You have nothing to lose if it was advertised. It is too easy for call centre operators to fob you off.

[LPCKG]

Thank you LPCKG. I have contacted Celebrity and the onboard spend has been added to our trip. They say it is an error which has been reported to the IT department, but as loyal Celebrity cruisers they have honoured it. Suggest you ring them asap.

 

I'll give them a ring, doesn't hurt to try - my I ask, which sailing are you taking you appear to have experienced a similar mis leading advert too?

[kruzgal]

We are on December 19th 2017.....exactly the same as you, it was listed on the website under the onboard spend, but they said there wasn't any on this trip. Ask to speak to Kate in the 'multi skilled' team. I told her I wasn't the only one in this position and that I had seen someone else with this issue on the website cruise critic. We have sailed a lot with Celebrity (Elite level in the loyalty club) so not sure if that made a difference. Having said that, from your original post it seems as if you have already raised this them at the time of booking and been told 'no' when I was told yesterday it was an error on the website that was misleading. Definitely worth a try!

[villauk]

We are on December 19th 2017.....exactly the same as you, it was listed on the website under the onboard spend, but they said there wasn't any on this trip. Ask to speak to Kate in the 'multi skilled' team. I told her I wasn't the only one in this position and that I had seen someone else with this issue on the website cruise critic. We have sailed a lot with Celebrity (Elite level in the loyalty club) so not sure if that made a difference. Having said that, from your original post it seems as if you have already raised this them at the time of booking and been told 'no' when I was told yesterday it was an error on the website that was misleading. Definitely worth a try!

 

Are you on the Arabian Sea and India cruise for Christmas 2017?

[kruzgal]

Yes, we are. It took a long time for me to book as we needed clarification on the legal drinking age, but I finally got it in writing last week that it will be 18 years so we booked. It took over 2 months of emails, phone calls, nagging etc. so not overly impressed at the moment, but we have sailed enough with Celebrity to know the onboard experience will be good.

[villauk]

Yes, we are. It took a long time for me to book as we needed clarification on the legal drinking age, but I finally got it in writing last week that it will be 18 years so we booked. It took over 2 months of emails, phone calls, nagging etc. so not overly impressed at the moment, but we have sailed enough with Celebrity to know the onboard experience will be good.

 

We'll see you there then :). I didn't realise X had got back to you again changing the drinking age (I thought they'd previously stated 21). Well that's interesting for us also as we will have a DS over 18 at the time of sailing. Come on over to the roll call, we've only just joined :).

[kruzgal]

Yes....I did post an update on the thread I started weeks ago to say I now had it in writing that it will be 18 years. See here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2367100&highlight=legal

 

What a performance it has been, but worth it in the end as we got to book the trip. The terms and conditions have now been altered on the UK website to reflect the new information. I am trying not to get too excited as this far out there is still a possibility we won't make it (getting leave from work etc.) but we decided to book and take a chance, rather than wait and watch the prices go up and out of reach.

[villauk]

Yes....I did post an update on the thread I started weeks ago to say I now had it in writing that it will be 18 years. See here:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2367100&highlight=legal

 

What a performance it has been, but worth it in the end as we got to book the trip. The terms and conditions have now been altered on the UK website to reflect the new information. I am trying not to get too excited as this far out there is still a possibility we won't make it (getting leave from work etc.) but we decided to book and take a chance, rather than wait and watch the prices go up and out of reach.

 

Thanks, I'd missed it as we've only just returned from our Connie sailing ;). We did the same after seeing this year's pricing :eek:.

[StLucia]

We've recently made a booking on Solstice, departing Seattle 30 June 2017 (booking made 20 August 2016). We booked a Sky Suite directly with Celebrity. We received free drinks and wifi. However, no onboard spend. The website does state FREE DRINKS AND UP TO $250 TO SPEND ONBOARD. I checked at the time of booking and they advised this sailing did not have the onboard spend option, even though the website appears to suggest the on-board spend is available? We are content with the price, cabin etc. I merely don't like to miss out if we should get more...:rolleyes: The drinks/onboard spend offer expires on 30 August 2016. Is anyone else sailing on 30 June, have you received any onboard spend, if you booked direct? Can anyone clarify. I'm what they are saying is correct but the website is somewhat misleading.

 

We are in the same position got the drinks package for our Australia cruise but I contacted our TA this morning and X will not honour the ObC even though it is a qualifying cruise. The only way we can get it is to cancel and loose our £300 deposit and pay today's price which is much higher than we paid. It's not as if we would be getting anything that would cost X as it would be spent on board. Seems a bit mean to me. Why do they send me emails with that promote we can't have it?in the UK we are always the poor relations so far as X promotions are concerned.