Celebrity customer service

[ORV]

Every thing is run by MBO. Any level of service for what ever reason has a pat answer that only that level can handle and so up the line of supervisors, you go looking for answers.

My recent experience was pretty good, but poor outcome for me. I'm still dealing with it a little, but at some point, it is not worth the time or effort.

We have a TA who is a friend, we only use her when the company offers OBC or something else we need. However, I am "experience" at booking EVERYTHING and prefer to do/manage my own bookings. For less experienced travelers/cruisers, a GOOD" TA is a great way to go. I actually get better deals on many things that the TA would never have time to find. No one, will understand how detailed and time consuming travel planning can be.

 

Side note, on my invoice, my perks are so hard to understand, they do not just say beverage package etc, and when I ask the Agent, if it was truly on there it took her some time to see it. Maybe they have a different screen when looking at the reservation.

 

Actually everyone has different ways of looking at things, but I feel it's the more experienced cruisers that are savvy and use TAs and know which ones to use.

 

But a less experienced cruiser would certainly benefit for a good TA.

Edited October 21, 2016 by ORV

[Luvcrusn]

Hello !

 

I am a newbie on Cruise Critic and new to Celebrity Cruises.

I like to share my pleasant experience booking my 2017 Western Caribbean

a few weeks ago.

I never used a TA while travelling around the world (flight, land, sea), rather

doing research and exploring options myself. That takes a lot of time but I really enjoy doing the research.

I booked the cruise on the website of Celebrity and the booking process

went very smooth. I call it "booking process" because it is a process which

takes several days. I have read about this on Cruise Critic before, so I was prepared.

I booked Aqua Class with GoBest and Half-of-2nd-Guest.

The 4 perks of GoBest showed up as follows:

OBC -- immediately after booking

Beverage Package -- 1st day after booking

Prepaid Gratuity -- 2nd day after booking

Free Internet -- 3rd day after booking

At this point my reservation was confirmed and I was happy !

A few days later I noticed a price drop for this cruise.

I called Celebrity, got a very helpful lady on the phone and had the

price adjustment done in 5 minutes or less. I received a guest copy of

the booking confirmation via eMail within 10 minutes after hanging up

the phone.

My experience booking the cruise on the Celebrity website and with

Celebrity customer service is to my satisfaction :)

I can see that the website of Celebrity is work in progress but I also

noticed improvements during the last couple of weeks.

The booking confirmation is not easy to read but it is not rocket

science either, Celebrity just uses codes to identify the items/services.

This is just my experience and I would have probably got a TA involved

if I had problems during booking.

 

Thanks for reading...

and 2-thumbs-up for all the information on Cruise Critic !!!

Wolfgang

 

Just a note, I've done it all myself too, and when I'm booking anything, air, land or sea I go through the process, then check several TA. I've often found that the prices, perks and OBC varies between cruise line, and among various TAs. Often, a given TA offers a lower price, more OBC or perks than does the direct booking with the cruise line. You do, once you book with a TA have to go through them for service, changes and often answers, which is why you need to be confident in your arrangements and your choice of TA if that's the route you choose.

Best bet is, be happy with itinerary, cost, perks, OBC and cabin when you originally make the booking. If there's a price drop that can't be accessed then my theory is...I was already happy and I don't let it spoil a great vacation.:)

[hcat]

I'm confused by all this. We use a TA. Have done that in all but our first cruise where I learned my lesson. The TA deals with all these issues and has always delivered what was promised at price promised and given us more perks, better service at same or better prices than on cruise lines site. I always check the fine print do some comparative shopping and if I have a ? I call and it's resolved with 1 call quickly. Win win!

 

We used to use a TA..local company affiliated with a large agency. She was excellent but when she began to ask us about the ships etc, we decided to do it on our own...has worked ok. We still use a TA for land vacations with tricky itins, air etc

 

Point I was making is that sep parts of X work on one's files...and the one that puts in the perk credits runs behind at certain times..esp if there's been a big sale. And it seems they deal with earliest dep dates first...

Edited October 21, 2016 by hcat

[XCruiser32]

That's very interesting! We had that amount charged, as well. Read on...

 

We recently booked onboard the day before leaving the ship. We received the invoice late, so I didn't really get a chance to go over everything while onboard.

 

FYI, when currently booking onboard, the offer is 2 perks (OV - AQ) and an onboard credit the amount of the deposit.

 

In our case, it was $100pp deposit = $200 OBC. And we picked Gratuities (11 night cruise) and the Beverage Classic Package.

 

Our invoice has an amount of $165 pp listed. I could not figure that out, as the gratuity amount would be less. So it sounds like the rep charged us for a Premium Package.:eek:

 

So I go to the Celebrity website and added my reservation number. The $165 pp charge is gone, but what a train wreck the invoice is (Both are!) Different from the original, but more correct. What is not correct is the Half Off promo amount on the onboard invoice. And it took me a while to figure this out...but we were suppose to get a CC discount rate (AQ1 for the price of an AQ2) Confirmed by the onboard rep. Instead we were charged for the AQ1 rate.

 

Going to call Celebrity tomorrow to try and straighten this out. In the meantime I have another onboard reservation to figure out. Booked 3 staterooms for a future cruise, and never received the invoices. :eek:

 

Here are the previously mentioned invoices (screenshots) if anyone is interested in seeing the differences. First screenshot (#3) is the onboard invoice. Second screenshot (#2) is from my Celebrity reservation page.

 

 

The $165 charge is for GoBetter Bev/Grats. This is an 11 night cruise. With GoBig (1 perk) being included already, to upgrade to gobetter would cost $15 per person/per day X 11 nights = $165 on top of the base rate. If you wish to "GoBest", it would cost $45 per person/per day X 11 nights = $495 on top of the base rate (NOT on top of the gobetter upcharge, but the base rate). There is another code on the reservation YHH3 which is the code for GoBetter for Free. When you get your invoice, it should be noted that if you qualify for for any promotions/perks, it can take up to 10 business days for it to be applied. As that is the invoice you received while on your cruise, the "value" had not been applied yet.

 

I can't answer as to why they did not apply the $154 for grats per person to the reservation as that is also what you chose. In 10 days you would then see a credit for -$154 per person to make those "free".

 

To upgrade from the Classic to Premium on an 11 night cruise would cost $129.80 per person.

[north29]

Hi Wolfgang,

 

Since you booked diret with Celebrity, you should have 60 days in which to transfer the booking to a travel agent of your choice, I use one of the large online agents) and add their own special bonus offers to the ones you received from Celebrity. In most cases this amounts to additional on board credit.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Just found out, if you have made final payment, you cannot transfer the booking. This is sort of what I have been going around and around with X about.

[XCruiser32]

Just found out, if you have made final payment, you cannot transfer the booking. This is sort of what I have been going around and around with X about.

 

Direct from Celebrity Cruises Website within the FAQ's:

 

Can I transfer my reservation to a travel agent if I purchased my cruise directly from Celebrity Cruises?

 

Bookings may only be transferred to a Travel Agent up until 60 days from creation if the request is made outside of Final Payment period and the booking is not paid in full. If a booking has a ChoiceAir ticket and the transfer request involves a change in currency we cannot accommodate a transfer.

[niccikatie]

The $165 charge is for GoBetter Bev/Grats. This is an 11 night cruise. With GoBig (1 perk) being included already, to upgrade to gobetter would cost $15 per person/per day X 11 nights = $165 on top of the base rate. If you wish to "GoBest", it would cost $45 per person/per day X 11 nights = $495 on top of the base rate (NOT on top of the gobetter upcharge, but the base rate). There is another code on the reservation YHH3 which is the code for GoBetter for Free. When you get your invoice, it should be noted that if you qualify for for any promotions/perks, it can take up to 10 business days for it to be applied. As that is the invoice you received while on your cruise, the "value" had not been applied yet.

 

I can't answer as to why they did not apply the $154 for grats per person to the reservation as that is also what you chose. In 10 days you would then see a credit for -$154 per person to make those "free".

 

To upgrade from the Classic to Premium on an 11 night cruise would cost $129.80 per person.

 

This is the correct answer. Right now, 1 perk is included for oceanview, veranda, concierge and aqua. Suites get all 4. If you choose 2 perks (Go Better) or all 4 (Go Best) you will be charged something for the upgrade. Looks like yours was $165.

 

Here's a screenshot that shows the charges for the upgraded packages:

 

If you'd like to compare which package makes most sense, you can use the spreadsheet I created. All you do is type in the three costs (Go Big, Go Better, and Go Best) plus a bit more information about the cruise and your desired perks and it will tell you which is the better bargain based on the perks you'd actually use/want.

 

See this screenshot:

 

Here's a link to the spreadsheet if you're interested.

Edited October 21, 2016 by niccikatie

[XCruiser32]

This is the correct answer. Right now, 1 perk is included for oceanview, veranda, concierge and aqua. Suites get all 4. If you choose 2 perks (Go Better) or all 4 (Go Best) you will be charged something for the upgrade. Looks like yours was $165.

 

Here's a screenshot that shows the charges for the upgraded packages:

 

If you'd like to compare which package makes most sense, you can use the spreadsheet I created. All you do is type in the three costs (Go Big, Go Better, and Go Best) plus a bit more information about the cruise and your desired perks and it will tell you which is the better bargain based on the perks you'd actually use/want.

 

See this screenshot:

 

Here's a link to the spreadsheet if you're interested.

 

 

The internet has increased in price. Without taking into consideration any loyalty minutes, pricing would be as follows:

 

1 Hour regardless of length of cruise = $24.95

24 hours (continuous use) = $49.00

Unlimited 2-3 day $75 pre cruise/$84 onboard

Unlimited 4-6 day $147 pre/$164 onboard

Unlimited 7-9 day $237 pre/$264 onboard

Unlimited 10-13 day $282 pre/$314 onboard

Unlimited 14+ day $309 pre/$344 onboard

 

Per minute rate has been discontinued.

[niccikatie]

The internet has increased in price. Without taking into consideration any loyalty minutes, pricing would be as follows:

 

1 Hour regardless of length of cruise = $24.95

24 hours (continuous use) = $49.00

Unlimited 2-3 day $75 pre cruise/$84 onboard

Unlimited 4-6 day $147 pre/$164 onboard

Unlimited 7-9 day $237 pre/$264 onboard

Unlimited 10-13 day $282 pre/$314 onboard

Unlimited 14+ day $309 pre/$344 onboard

 

Per minute rate has been discontinued.

 

Yep! That's why that field just needs to be filled in by the user. It's been all over the place and different people are reporting different options. So, all one has to do is enter what they want in that box. All the purple fields are editable by the user and light blue fields are drop downs.

 

ETA: I did just update the link to the new flyer with the pricing you quoted. Hopefully, this is the end of all the craziness in regards to internet pricing!

Edited October 21, 2016 by niccikatie

[Iamthesea]

The $165 charge is for GoBetter Bev/Grats. This is an 11 night cruise. With GoBig (1 perk) being included already, to upgrade to gobetter would cost $15 per person/per day X 11 nights = $165 on top of the base rate. If you wish to "GoBest", it would cost $45 per person/per day X 11 nights = $495 on top of the base rate (NOT on top of the gobetter upcharge, but the base rate). There is another code on the reservation YHH3 which is the code for GoBetter for Free. When you get your invoice, it should be noted that if you qualify for for any promotions/perks, it can take up to 10 business days for it to be applied. As that is the invoice you received while on your cruise, the "value" had not been applied yet.

 

I can't answer as to why they did not apply the $154 for grats per person to the reservation as that is also what you chose. In 10 days you would then see a credit for -$154 per person to make those "free".

 

To upgrade from the Classic to Premium on an 11 night cruise would cost $129.80 per person.

 

This is the correct answer. Right now, 1 perk is included for oceanview, veranda, concierge and aqua. Suites get all 4. If you choose 2 perks (Go Better) or all 4 (Go Best) you will be charged something for the upgrade. Looks like yours was $165.

[/url]

 

Thank you for the explanation. It was hard to decipher as when booking direct through Celebrity, or with a TA, the invoices have looked different.

 

And we did not "upgrade" to GoBetter. The 2 perks were included with an onboard booking. So that's why I did not understand the extra charge. Anyhow, the charge was taken off on the website reservation (as shown in my screenshot). ;)

[north29]

Direct from Celebrity Cruises Website within the FAQ's:

 

Can I transfer my reservation to a travel agent if I purchased my cruise directly from Celebrity Cruises?

 

Bookings may only be transferred to a Travel Agent up until 60 days from creation if the request is made outside of Final Payment period and the booking is not paid in full. If a booking has a ChoiceAir ticket and the transfer request involves a change in currency we cannot accommodate a transfer.

 

I actually did not read that, like most of us. Like I said there is more to this story than I have shared.

[oneputt18]

OP started this thread at 10:46 AM and stated X had lost a booking and a CUSTOMER.

At 4:36 PM, same day, the OP joined the roll call for May 15, 2017 Equinox cruise.

I guess they reconsidered.

[Iamthesea]

:D That's great, though! ;):)

[verodoodle]

Yes we reconsidered. We really like this cruise itinerary and Solstice class ships. We have booked most of our past cruises through the cruise line. We decided to use a TA and rebooked this cruise. I was only asking and hoping celebrity would honor what was showing on there web site. After two hours on the phone, with two Celebrity agents agreeing with what I was seeing, it got very frustrating.

Thank you for all the input.

[QE2_Fan]

The $165 charge is for GoBetter Bev/Grats. This is an 11 night cruise. With GoBig (1 perk) being included already, to upgrade to gobetter would cost $15 per person/per day X 11 nights = $165 on top of the base rate. If you wish to "GoBest", it would cost $45 per person/per day X 11 nights = $495 on top of the base rate (NOT on top of the gobetter upcharge, but the base rate). There is another code on the reservation YHH3 which is the code for GoBetter for Free. When you get your invoice, it should be noted that if you qualify for for any promotions/perks, it can take up to 10 business days for it to be applied. As that is the invoice you received while on your cruise, the "value" had not been applied yet.

 

 

 

I can't answer as to why they did not apply the $154 for grats per person to the reservation as that is also what you chose. In 10 days you would then see a credit for -$154 per person to make those "free".

 

 

 

To upgrade from the Classic to Premium on an 11 night cruise would cost $129.80 per person.

 

 

 

Ah! This makes sense, thank you! It's a little bit like a jigsaw puzzle sometimes where you are missing a piece! You just provided that missing piece [emoji38]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Luvcrusn]

Okay folks, I'd thought I'd seen it all, but here's a weird one, even for X's famous or should I say infamous IT department. We have 2 cruises booked with X. One well after final payment 49 days out, one 400 days out. Both appeared Saturday evening when I logged into MY Celebrity. After midnight, I logged back in to check luggage tag availability for the Dec. cruise and up came a message saying no reservations found. Ok. I logged out. Figured I'd manually add the reservations, put in reservation number, name, ship and sail dates for both...said no reservation could be found matching either. Entered the info for friends sailing on same Dec cruise...same thing. What's up with this? Did book through a TA, guess I'll call them Monday when they open, but hopefully X will straighten this out when I call at sunrise!

[Fish Lover]

Celebrity's website was down for several hours, until about 10am this morning. They put a splash page up directing people to call to make reservations. Usually, even when they make changes on the fly they keep the website up. Therefore I suspect there was some serious work being done and most likely (in my experience) having to do with the database. Try again today,

[Luvcrusn]

They are back, just like I figured, just sooner than I figured.