Booked fly/Cruise for oct and Celebrity wanted full flight price today

[Tudorcruisers]

I have booked cruises in the past with flights included and have only paid the initial deposit. This week I booked a cruise for October through a TA and today was advised we now had to pay the total price of the flights. I was just very surprised at this and was told it was because the seats they had been allocated were all used up so they had to buy more seats. If Celebrity offer this as part of the package and make a booking containing the flights is this not strange they come back to say they need to book more seats and require payment?

Has this happened to you if you booked a fly/cruise package?

[GJCruiser]

So in the past using Choice Air (Celebrity) you have been able to not pay for your reserved airfare until final payment? I know that Princess EZAir is that way, but to my knowledge Choice Air was always full air fare payment at reservation.

[Tudorcruisers]

So in the past using Choice Air (Celebrity) you have been able to not pay for your reserved airfare until final payment? I know that Princess EZAir is that way, but to my knowledge Choice Air was always full air fare payment at reservation.

 

I only paid initial deposit previously and assumed flight cost was in the balance, I have never been asked for flight cost at this stage.

[Lastdance]

So in the past using Choice Air (Celebrity) you have been able to not pay for your reserved airfare until final payment? I know that Princess EZAir is that way, but to my knowledge Choice Air was always full air fare payment at reservation.

 

 

 

I have always had to pay for mine, as soon as it was booked!

 

 

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[rubydoobydoo]

We booked our own flights for October as soon as they were released, it was a lot cheaper than than booking with Celebrity

We paid in full a year I advance

[Gingerbint]

Have you booked standard seats (Economy) or a higher grade Premium Economy/World Traveller plus etc?

When we have upgraded our choice of seat from economy, when flight booked as a package with Celebrity we have had to pay for the flights there and then to secure them.

If not then we pay as normal on final payment date - we have a Reflection cruise with flights booked for Jan 2019 and have not had to pay for flights yet.

[cltnccruisers]

We haven't used Choice Air yet but probably will for a Sept 2019 cruise. In researching them I came away thinking we would have to pay full fare when we book.

[grandgeezer]

We've used Choice Air eight times, the first time being six years ago and the last about two weeks ago. We had to pay upfront every time. We booked the cruise then went to choiceair.com and booked the air on our own. I don't know if that makes a difference or not.

[laslomas]

A couple of years ago I booked a Celebrity 'fly cruise package' through a travel agent, and only had to pay the usual deposit. I am from the UK, like Tudorcruisers so possibly it is not the same as USA. If booking direct with Celebrity on the UK website, after choosing the cabin it guides you through booking a flight and hotel if required, and then to the payment page and only the deposit is required. I just did a dummy booking and it is still the same today.

 

Possibly this is something that is better if done direct through Celebrity. Maybe Tudorcruisers travel agent is putting a package together rather than buying one from Celebrity, and so needs to cover the cost of the flight straightaway. A bit of a bummer!

[Tudorcruisers]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I shall write to Celebrity for some clarification as the request definitely came from them and the TA called them three times this afternoon as I kept saying we never had to do this before.

 

Gingerbint - plain old economy, no upgrade etc.

[jelayne]

In my experience there is a difference between booking a package - Air, hotel, transfers & Cruise and booking a cruise and purchasing air through Choice Air.

 

When we have booked a cruise and used Choice Air for flights we have always had to pay the air in full when we booked the flights. Just like when we book flights direct with the airline.

 

When we have booked a package we only paid a deposit but we didn’t have a choice of flights and didn’t have our flight info until 30-60 days before departures.

 

From what I have read on these boards it seem that packages are offered by Celebrity in the UK and Canada than in the US. In the US a package is more likely to be offered by a travel agency than by Celebrity.

[Luvcrusn]

Whenever we've booked flights using Choice AIr we've had to pay the airfare as soon as we booked it. The cruise was paid in full approximately 90 days out. (We've paid in full slightly before that since or TA always does payment in full about 7-14 days prior in case of snafus.)

[Project_gal]

I have booked cruises in the past with flights included and have only paid the initial deposit. This week I booked a cruise for October through a TA and today was advised we now had to pay the total price of the flights. I was just very surprised at this and was told it was because the seats they had been allocated were all used up so they had to buy more seats. If Celebrity offer this as part of the package and make a booking containing the flights is this not strange they come back to say they need to book more seats and require payment?

Has this happened to you if you booked a fly/cruise package?

 

Celebrity, in the UK, offer two ways of booking a cruise "package". The original way is all we have ever used and what you have probably booked before. For a few years they have also had the facility to use them in a similar way to a booking agent (such as other travel booking websites).

 

I have always found this second option to understand - especially how it works and when you have to pay. For that reason, I have never tried to use it despite it allowing more flexibility such as being about to book pre- or post-cruise hotels stays of more than three days.

 

I suspect that, as the flights for a "standard package" offered by Celebrity was sold out, they have used the other option and that you have been required to pay for flights up front as you would on most booking websites. The consolation should be that the flights were cheaper than they would have been booking the traditional way.

 

Please ignore any replies form those talking about ChoiceAir., This is for US customers and not available in the UK. The system in the USA is very different to that in the UK.

[Tudorcruisers]

Hi projectgal. Unfortunately the flights are quite a bit more expensive than if we had booked same flight ourselves. We opted for their flights as there is the guarantee if flight delayed they make arrangements to get us to the ship. When we book flights ourselves we always go the day prior to sailing and for this cruise we can’t do that due to work commitments. I have emailed them to get an explanation.

[chemmo]

Hi projectgal. Unfortunately the flights are quite a bit more expensive than if we had booked same flight ourselves. We opted for their flights as there is the guarantee if flight delayed they make arrangements to get us to the ship. When we book flights ourselves we always go the day prior to sailing and for this cruise we can’t do that due to work commitments. I have emailed them to get an explanation.

 

If the flights are with a company like Jet2 the difference in price may be because they have already added in the cost of luggage.

 

We looked at booking flights with Celebrity to Barcelona for our September cruise. Initially Celebrity looked more expensive but once we added in the luggage to a mock Jet2 booking the price was the same to the penny! We have decided to book independently, however, as we are still dithering how much time to spend in Barcelona pre cruise!

 

Hope you can sort!

[villauk]

Celebrity, in the UK, offer two ways of booking a cruise "package". The original way is all we have ever used and what you have probably booked before. For a few years they have also had the facility to use them in a similar way to a booking agent (such as other travel booking websites).

 

Please ignore any replies form those talking about ChoiceAir., This is for US customers and not available in the UK. The system in the USA is very different to that in the UK.

 

OP,

ProjectGal is correct, the US replies do not refer to the system used in the U.K.

 

You may find X are using a totally different airline/route than the normal pre-packaged one they offer and so the flight costs are required upfront. Or basically their allocation of seats at the lower price has been exhausted?

 

Are there any flights you can book yourself the evening before rather than during the day that connect in Europe that are any cheaper? We’ve booked a late night flight before and stayed near an airport before transferring to the port the next morning? Sometimes the connecting flights are much cheaper, especially the evening ones -just a thought.

[Jade13]

Hi projectgal. Unfortunately the flights are quite a bit more expensive than if we had booked same flight ourselves. We opted for their flights as there is the guarantee if flight delayed they make arrangements to get us to the ship. When we book flights ourselves we always go the day prior to sailing and for this cruise we can’t do that due to work commitments. I have emailed them to get an explanation.

 

 

 

Book the flights on your own. No cruise line can guarantee they will get you to the ship on time if the flights are canceled and there is no other option. What they offer is that they will work with you to find the next available flight as any other travel agent will. Purchase trip insurance that covers missed connections in case you miss the ship.

 

How far are you flying the same day to make the departure time?

 

 

 

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[Tudorcruisers]

Hi Villauk, Its an Aer lingus flight and it’s from Dublin to Rome. Steve had gone online and we could have got it for quite a bit less even with a stand alone transfer but we liked the idea if delayed they would make arrangements to get us to ship. Unfortunately when they requested the payment yesterday I paid it and it’s non-refundable. On hindsight I should have waited till this week after seeing replies here and hopefully celebrity customer service replying to my e-mail. This forum is great for advice and information.

[Tudorcruisers]

I’m afraid I have already paid Jade13. We can’t go previous day which is what we have done a few times in the past and we’re too nervous about flight being delayed. In future I think we shall definitely stick to booking our own flights and going previous day.

[Project_gal]

Hi Villauk, Its an Aer lingus flight and it’s from Dublin to Rome. Steve had gone online and we could have got it for quite a bit less even with a stand alone transfer but we liked the idea if delayed they would make arrangements to get us to ship. Unfortunately when they requested the payment yesterday I paid it and it’s non-refundable. On hindsight I should have waited till this week after seeing replies here and hopefully celebrity customer service replying to my e-mail. This forum is great for advice and information.

 

Don't beat yourself up. We have often chosen to take the more expensive option for the peace of mind of having someone else do (some of) the worrying for us. It is difficult if you are put in the position of having to make up your mind on the spot.

 

We have, in the past, got a very good deal on flights from Celebrity when they have given us the option to "purchase" flights at the time we book two years pre-cruise but we have not been given that option for a number of year. No doubt they (belatedly) realised, as we had, that flight prices seem to be increasing rapidly these days. It has now reached the point where the price difference and the restrictions are too great but, then, we usually travel well before our cruise.

 

In your position, I may well have made the same decision as you. At least you can now relax knowing that your flights are booked and paid for, choose your seats and enjoy the anticipation of your cruise.

 

Have a great one.