WARNING regarding non-refundable deposits

[NantahalaCruiser]

On 9/19/2018 at 2:05 PM, CHEZMARYLOU said:

When Celebrity implemented non refundable deposits they said if you cancel the cruise the deposit is forfeited. If you moved to another date or ship there is a $100 PP change fee. So, if your deposit is $200 PP you lose it if you cancel but forfeit $100 PP to change cruises and you move $100 to the new cruise.

If you cancel you do not fully lose the entire deposit. You lose $100pp and receive the remainder of the deposit as a future cruise credit - thus if you can make use of the future cruise credit you only lose the $100pp. This is essentially the same as moving to another ship/date; just a deferred move!

[PhoenixCruiser]

If you cancel you do not fully lose the entire deposit. You lose $100pp and receive the remainder of the deposit as a future cruise credit - thus if you can make use of the future cruise credit you only lose the $100pp. This is essentially the same as moving to another ship/date; just a deferred move!

How long does the future cruise credit last?

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[dutchclogs]

1 hour ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

How long does the future cruise credit last?

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

 

I understand 12 months from the date of cancellation of the original cruise? (Please correct me if this is not so!)

[villauk]

1 hour ago, PhoenixCruiser said:

How long does the future cruise credit last?

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
 

 

 

A year according to recent posts. I wonder if you are able to move it again to another cruise, like a placeholder booking, or if it’s once only move?

[upwarduk]

8 minutes ago, villauk said:

 

 

A year according to recent posts. I wonder if you are able to move it again to another cruise, like a placeholder booking, or if it’s once only move?

So, are still at a disadvantage if we book via UK, we just loose our deposit as we have always done ( different T&C).

I was once told that as I am Elite, I can move my booking for free, but only ONCE.

[mickey89]

3 hours ago, upwarduk said:

So, are still at a disadvantage if we book via UK, we just loose our deposit as we have always done ( different T&C).

I was once told that as I am Elite, I can move my booking for free, but only ONCE.

Yes you are still able to the transfer your booking free of charge (Elite and above) see T&C 1.12 Celebrity UK.

Edited November 11, 2019 by mickey89

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, mickey89 said:

Yes you are still able to the transfer your booking free of charge (Elite and above) see T&C 1.12 Celebrity UK.

Is that true for Canada as well, I hope so. I'm booked May 30 2020 on Celebrity Apex also a Bermuda cruise on the Summit July 5th and unable to make that date? Can I transfer without losing my deposit?

[mickey89]

1 hour ago, drakes2 said:

 Can I transfer without losing my deposit?

 

You need to check your T&C that apply to your booking - they may be different, they usually are !

[lidodeck03]

8 hours ago, NantahalaCruiser said:

If you cancel you do not fully lose the entire deposit. You lose $100pp and receive the remainder of the deposit as a future cruise credit - thus if you can make use of the future cruise credit you only lose the $100pp. This is essentially the same as moving to another ship/date; just a deferred move!

I booked on the Apex for November 2020 and this is what is at the bottom of the homepage of the Veterans Day Sale:

 

Price is per person, cruise only, applies to selected sailing, lowest available fare stateroom category, based on double-occupancy, reflects any promotional savings, and is subject to change and availability until booked. Additional terms and conditions apply to offers. Non-refundable deposit: Non-refundable deposit booking (“NRDB”) cancelled prior to final payment due date will receive a future cruise credit in the amount of the deposit minus a 100 USD per person service fee. FCC is non-transferable and expires after 12-months from issue date. 100 USD per person service fee applies to changes to NRDB ship or sail date.

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, mickey89 said:

 

You need to check your T&C that apply to your booking - they may be different, they usually are !

I called them and was told the charge is $100 for NR deposit. I have time to decide and if I cancel its not that big of a deal probably get that 100 back in some form.

[sanger727]

16 hours ago, fideauxdon said:

I'm confused about how the Celebrity "Non-Refundable Fare works. Here's what I don't understand:

Assume that I book a cruise that is Non-refundable for two people.

My Deposit is $900.

A few weeks later, because of an illness, we need to cancel the cruise.

We're still six months before the normal cruise ship penalty kicks in.

Do we have to pay $200 because of the "Non Refundable"  booking and receive a refund of $700, or do we forfeit the entire $900?

 

It's called non-refundable because you can't get any of the deposit ($900) refunded. If you want to cancel you pay a $200 penalty and get a $700 future cruise credit but it has to be used within a certain amount of time. If you cancel because you circumstances for cruising change and can't cruise at all for foreseeable future, you would in fact lose the entire $900. If you know that you will cruise again with celebrity and are ok with losing the $200 then it's not a big deal to choose non-refundable.

[cantstopingcruising]

On 4/4/2018 at 5:16 PM, jkgourmet said:

 

I'm not saying that we would do it, but I can think of two reasons: Because it's cheaper. Because we buy insurance.

Does your insurance include cancellation for any reason whatsoever?

[MaeBea1]

Does anyone know if you can apply the future credit for a cancelled NRD to another cabin on the same cruise?  

I booked a Suite for us and Aqua for another couple, not realizing the Aqua had a NRD.  Now the other couple may not be able to go and I'm wondering if I can apply the future credit portion of their NRD to our room.

[Edinburghgirl1]

I just don’t get why Celebrity offer refundable deposits at all. Surely it just encourages folks to make multiple reservations for cruises they probably don’t intend to take and then cancel most of them  just before final payment. This leaves the cruise company with cabins they may have to discount to sell at short notice. An airline would never allow this so why a cruise line. Doesn’t make good business sense to me. 

[dogs4fun]

On 4/4/2018 at 12:51 PM, sippican said:

I found that when visiting the Future Cruise department on a recent cruise we had to specify "refundable" during pricing inquiries.

 

Also, the website pricing seems to default non-refundable until you get to the point to add the "refundable" option.

 

Seems like it may turn into quite a little money-maker (and piss off many in the meantime).

Interesting - thanks for posting. We usually book through the website and will keep an eye out for the "refundable" option.

[wrk2cruise]

11 hours ago, MaeBea1 said:

Does anyone know if you can apply the future credit for a cancelled NRD to another cabin on the same cruise?  

I booked a Suite for us and Aqua for another couple, not realizing the Aqua had a NRD.  Now the other couple may not be able to go and I'm wondering if I can apply the future credit portion of their NRD to our room.

 

FCC is not transferable, it must be used by the person named on the FCC.   You have 1 year from the date of issue to "use" it.  That means apply it to a reservation.  The cruise sail date can be more than a year from date of issue.

 

Once you apply it to a reservation if you were to cancel that booking number the FCC would be lost.  I believe however that if you move the ship or sail date there would be no problem as long as you keep the same booking number.  

 

Of course you should verify all this with Celebrity and have it noted on your booking to avoid any future problems.

[wrk2cruise]

On 11/11/2019 at 12:47 AM, NantahalaCruiser said:

If the only difference is refundable vs. non-refundable (same perks if any) then taking the non-refundable without travel insurance would be a better deal than taking the N-R with travel insurance since with the non-refundable you only lose $200 per cabin if you cancel (assuming that you can make use of the future cruise credit for the remainder of the deposit.) Insurance is bound to cost more than $200. That's why I only take out insurance at the time of final payment.

 

I just looked up insurance cost for a 11 day trip to Caribbean.  If you only cover the 450 pp deposit you can get cancel for any reason insurance which would pay you $337.50  (75% of the covered cost) for an uncovered event for $69.

 

Now would the insurance actually pay the $350 that Celebrity offers as FCC, probably not as they would consider that sort of a refund.  You'd have to have that discussion with the insurance broker.

 

Then when you apply more payment at final payment time you call and increase the coverage to cover the new non-refundable amounts.

 

Edited November 13, 2019 by wrk2cruise

[villauk]

4 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

I believe however that if you move the ship or sail date there would be no problem as long as you keep the same booking number.  

 

 

But if you moved it from a previous sailing and had already paid the $100 admin fee, could you move it again and if so, would you be charged another $100?

[villauk]

On 11/11/2019 at 7:55 AM, upwarduk said:

 

I was once told that as I am Elite, I can move my booking for free, but only ONCE.

 

On 11/11/2019 at 11:47 AM, mickey89 said:

Yes you are still able to the transfer your booking free of charge (Elite and above) see T&C 1.12 Celebrity UK.

 

 

I wonder if this will alter now the new IT system has been implemented over this side of the pond and with the new pricing for perks if the beverage package is chosen, in line with the US? 

[pmarrsouth]

8 hours ago, Edinburghgirl1 said:

I just don’t get why Celebrity offer refundable deposits at all. Surely it just encourages folks to make multiple reservations for cruises they probably don’t intend to take and then cancel most of them  just before final payment. This leaves the cruise company with cabins they may have to discount to sell at short notice. An airline would never allow this so why a cruise line. Doesn’t make good business sense to me. 

Presumably they have done the math on it and it’s highly beneficial for them. Same as airlines selling fully refundable fares (which they will refund even after the plane has taken off if you are not on it). Airlines charge a huge amount (7-10x more) for these tickets over the base fares (non refundable, non changeable etc). Hotels also do the same thing, with customers often being able to save 25%-50% with an advanced (non refundable, non changeable etc) booking 

 

Not looked at too many cruises compared to flights/hotels, but fully refundable (and only up until final payment date, not an hour before or a few days after) cruise fares seem to be 25-33% higher than non refundable. Plus they still have weeks-months to sell that cabin, and depending on how well the ship is filling, they might even get more for it than previously 

[Mark_T]

They can use the same tactics as the airlines, over-book the cruise with 'guarantee' reservations which don't get a cabin number and then release cabins to them as others cancel or they decide they can't sell the cabins they have left.

 

Get it right and you sail with a full ship, get it wrong and you may have to entice a few people to change cruises... 🙂

[upwarduk]

1 hour ago, Mark_T said:

Get it right and you sail with a full ship, get it wrong and you may have to entice a few people to change cruises... 🙂

This happened on our recent Royal cruise.

We were still being sent Royal UPS just one week before we sailed, yet 4 days before Royal were ringing from Miami asking passengers to go on another cruise the next month, or to share cabins.

Yet, the cruise sailed with 500 less passengers from the previous cruise, which had been a family summer holiday cruise, where families had shared cabins.

[wrk2cruise]

3 hours ago, villauk said:

 

 

But if you moved it from a previous sailing and had already paid the $100 admin fee, could you move it again and if so, would you be charged another $100?

 

I'm sure it would be the terms of the "new" booking rate.  If non-refundable rate then I'd pretty much guarantee the answer is yes.

 

I was told recently that if I were to reprice a NRD reservation to a refundable then it would be treated as a new booking and even book onboard OBC would be lost.  Just FYI.

[dutchclogs]

16 hours ago, upwarduk said:

This happened on our recent Royal cruise.

We were still being sent Royal UPS just one week before we sailed, yet 4 days before Royal were ringing from Miami asking passengers to go on another cruise the next month, or to share cabins.

Yet, the cruise sailed with 500 less passengers from the previous cruise, which had been a family summer holiday cruise, where families had shared cabins.

That's kinda ironic !

I  wonder how often this happens? Hopefully,  this is an exceptional rather than common experience  on Celebrity...