Celebrity " Promotion"

[cleobella]

So, I'm looking to book an Asian cruise (probably Japan) with Celebrity for 2020 or possibly 2021.  When we do overseas, more expensive cruises we usually book way ahead, when the price is less and we can choose from many available rooms.  However, I see now they have a very reasonable price or a more expensive price.  The more reasonable price is secured only with a non refundable deposit.  When I'm planning so far ahead I like the security of knowing I can back out of the cruise if I have to, though I have never done that in 13 cruises.  The more expensive price offers a refundable deposit, a couple of perks, but it's pretty expensive for an inside cabin.  So, I feel like they are really just pushing a firm booking process and thus I'm looking now at other cruise line options.  It's too bad because we like Celebrity, but I don't like this new way of pricing.  I am willing to sacrifice perks to get a reasonable inside cabin in a great location, but I'm am annoyed at the no refund thing.  Anybody have thoughts on this, maybe it's just the way it will be from now on and maybe they don't want early bookers so much?

[jelayne]

We also book a long time out.  We booked the 9/2020 TP and  Japan, Vietnam 22 months out.  We don’t book a cruise we don’t plan to take.  So for us the refundable deposit and 2 perks would be the way to go.   We have a annual travel insurance policy so should we need to cancel due to health, family emergency we are covered 

[MightyMike]

I'm not so sure it is as much about the non-refundable deposit as it is that Celebrity is getting so darn expensive everywhere.

 

We booked a refundable deposit for April 2021. We probably won't commit to it for sure until six months prior. I believe the non-refundable price next year will probably be even higher than the refundable price is right now. That seems to be how things have been going. Since I can't commit to this sailing, or even to Celebrity, refundable is the way to go for me.

 

Perhaps once I get more sure about taking another Celebrity cruise I will switch to non-refundable if the price is right. For now though, I appreciate the ability to walk away.

[jimmieg]

Perhaps you can take a policy with "cancel for any reason" for only the amount of time the deposit.

Or, check the rules -you may only lose a small amount of the deposit and get the rest as a future cruise credit.

[MightyMike]

The future cruise credit does take the sting out of losing the deposit. However, it requires us to stick with Celebrity, and we aren't quite there yet.

[upwarduk]

7 hours ago, cleobella said:

am willing to sacrifice perks to get a reasonable inside cabin in a great location, but I'm am annoyed at the no refund thing.  Anybody have thoughts on this,

Welcome to Celebrity UK T&C.

We have NEVER been able to book a cruise without loosing our deposit if we cancel.

Recently, perhaps in the last 3 years, we have been able to transfer our booking ONCE, but at a cost of £75 p.p. This was supposedly brought in after so many complaints. Passengers from the UK are sailing on the same ship as those from US, but we felt that we were treated VERY unfairly. 

At least you have a booking choice, we are still on ‘loose the deposit’ booking if we cancel, so UK passengers book the cruise they want to go on. We also buy insurance to cover any cancellation due to ill health.

[mrsgoggins]

This is a very sore point with many of us NOT booking in north America, as you will note from upwarduk's post. The T&Cs are very favourable to Canadians and Americans in that they are able to cancel penalty-free before final payment and also to 're-fare' if the price of their cruise drops. 

 

We in Europe at least, know from the outset that we will lose our deposit if we cancel for ANY reason.  As has been said, we know that we always have to have travel insurance should we need to cancel for genuine emergencies, eg sickness or the unexpected death of a near relative.  On one occasion, we needed to postpone a holiday for work reasons but my husband's employer (American at that) knew they must pay the costs associated with the cancelled holiday.

 

I have just completed my 'return from cruise questionnaire' and did not give a high score for if I would recommend booking a Celebrity cruise to others.  The different treatment of their international passengers was one of the reasons - although in fairness, I believe it applies to most of the major cruise lines.  You only have to read these boards to see how some passengers' behaviour affects bookings - multiple bookings made only to drop those not required at a later date, re-pricing (and why wouldn't you if you could, but those of us 'stuck' with a former high price don't feel quite so good about it!).  So to the OP, I would say, is it any wonder that the cruise companies are trying to get everyone on to the same fixed bookings?  

 

Before someone pops up to tell me that I can book with an American TA, I know this, have done so in the past, but would prefer to keep by booking direct with Celebrity and pay in sterling.  I have said before, that the younger, affluent demographic that Celebrity is targeting are also going to be internet active, and this sort of different treatment of passengers may not play well into the future.

 

Also, again in fairness to Celebrity, unlike upwardUK, I have never paid Celebrity to move a booking (booked on board and so allowed to move) and if I have had a moan to my Celebrity contact, who I rate highly, then I have received fair treatment, but will say no more. 

 

OP, as usually happens, you will probably get plenty of responses telling you they would never book with non-refundable deposits and will never book with companies who operate this, but I doubt that you would get the same response from non-Americans. I just hope that they do continue to work towards a level playing field, whatever that may be - but I think we can see the direction!

[bigbeergut]

3 hours ago, upwarduk said:

Welcome to Celebrity UK T&C.

We have NEVER been able to book a cruise without loosing our deposit if we cancel.

Recently, perhaps in the last 3 years, we have been able to transfer our booking ONCE, but at a cost of £75 p.p. This was supposedly brought in after so many complaints. Passengers from the UK are sailing on the same ship as those from US, but we felt that we were treated VERY unfairly. 

At least you have a booking choice, we are still on ‘loose the deposit’ booking if we cancel, so UK passengers book the cruise they want to go on. We also buy insurance to cover any cancellation due to ill health.

 

Is this no-refund policy unique to Celebrity or do other cruise lines follow the same policy in the UK?  Do you have any idea why Celebrity has different terms and conditions in the UK?

[di T]

2 hours ago, mrsgoggins said:

This is a very sore point with many of us NOT booking in north America, as you will note from upwarduk's post. The T&Cs are very favourable to Canadians and Americans in that they are able to cancel penalty-free before final payment and also to 're-fare' if the price of their cruise drops. 

 

We in Europe at least, know from the outset that we will lose our deposit if we cancel for ANY reason.  As has been said, we know that we always have to have travel insurance should we need to cancel for genuine emergencies, eg sickness or the unexpected death of a near relative.  On one occasion, we needed to postpone a holiday for work reasons but my husband's employer (American at that) knew they must pay the costs associated with the cancelled holiday.

 

I have just completed my 'return from cruise questionnaire' and did not give a high score for if I would recommend booking a Celebrity cruise to others.  The different treatment of their international passengers was one of the reasons - although in fairness, I believe it applies to most of the major cruise lines.  You only have to read these boards to see how some passengers' behaviour affects bookings - multiple bookings made only to drop those not required at a later date, re-pricing (and why wouldn't you if you could, but those of us 'stuck' with a former high price don't feel quite so good about it!).  So to the OP, I would say, is it any wonder that the cruise companies are trying to get everyone on to the same fixed bookings?  

 

Before someone pops up to tell me that I can book with an American TA, I know this, have done so in the past, but would prefer to keep by booking direct with Celebrity and pay in sterling.  I have said before, that the younger, affluent demographic that Celebrity is targeting are also going to be internet active, and this sort of different treatment of passengers may not play well into the future.

 

Also, again in fairness to Celebrity, unlike upwardUK, I have never paid Celebrity to move a booking (booked on board and so allowed to move) and if I have had a moan to my Celebrity contact, who I rate highly, then I have received fair treatment, but will say no more. 

 

OP, as usually happens, you will probably get plenty of responses telling you they would never book with non-refundable deposits and will never book with companies who operate this, but I doubt that you would get the same response from non-Americans. I just hope that they do continue to work towards a level playing field, whatever that may be - but I think we can see the direction!

Well said! I used to book nearly all my cruises with my American agent for lots of reasons. But now I would say it’s 50/50 uncertainties in exchange rates being one of the reasons. It’s very unfair that we in the UK loose all our deposits on cancellations and I’ve never been able to get a price drop here😔

[Redrobo]

4 hours ago, upwarduk said:

Welcome to Celebrity UK T&C.

We have NEVER been able to book a cruise without loosing our deposit if we cancel.

Recently, perhaps in the last 3 years, we have been able to transfer our booking ONCE, but at a cost of £75 p.p. This was supposedly brought in after so many complaints. Passengers from the UK are sailing on the same ship as those from US, but we felt that we were treated VERY unfairly. 

At least you have a booking choice, we are still on ‘loose the deposit’ booking if we cancel, so UK passengers book the cruise they want to go on. We also buy insurance to cover any cancellation due to ill health.

 

Its been mentioned on TV by travel experts that deposits can aqnd should  be returned especially if there is time for the supplier to sell the holiday(or in this case a Cabin)  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47949915 

[Hlitner]

The no-refund fares and deposits are happening with many cruise lines...not just Celebrity.   HAL has been doing it for several years.  I think it makes a lot of sense.  If you feel comfortable booking with "no refund rules" then that is your option and you get rewarded with some savings.  If you prefer more flexibility you can get it, but at a price.  These kind of policies have existed in the airline, hotel and resort industries for many years.

 

There is another side to this story from the cruise line's perspective.  There are too many cruisers who will book multiple cruises with the intention of later cancelling all but one.  In fact, we know a couple that has booked 3 cruises from next New Years!  Why?  They cannot make up their minds which cruise they want to take and this way they can reserve the cabins they want on each cruise.  For them its no biggie and they will get their deposits back once they cancel.  But they have taken cabins out of inventory which means others who want to book those cruises/cabins lose out.  And when lots of people do this and then cancel around the final payment period the cruise line is flooded with available cabins at the "last minute."  Sometimes this forces the cruise lines to lower the prices to unload all these last minute cabins.   

 

And I do have a question for the OP?  Do you also book refundable air fares?  Most folks do not even know that refundable air fares exist, but they do and they are very expensive!  So what do folks so?  They generally do not book their air until they are sure :).  

 

Hank

[micheleata]

We booked our trip for October in December with a resident rate, but then rebooked in January with the nonrefundable promo they had.   It was too good to pass up.   If we cancel we each lose $100, and the balance is transferable to another cruise.   

 

It's a chance you take... and like I said,  too good to pass up.

[bkbarrym]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

There is another side to this story from the cruise line's perspective.  There are too many cruisers who will book multiple cruises with the intention of later cancelling all but one.  In fact, we know a couple that has booked 3 cruises from next New Years!  Why?  They cannot make up their minds which cruise they want to take and this way they can reserve the cabins they want on each cruise.  For them its no biggie and they will get their deposits back once they cancel.  But they have taken cabins out of inventory which means others who want to book those cruises/cabins lose out.  And when lots of people do this and then cancel around the final payment period the cruise line is flooded with available cabins at the "last minute."  Sometimes this forces the cruise lines to lower the prices to unload all these last minute cabins.   

And yet Celebrity still offered reduced deposit promotions ($25/20) earlier this year. I recently received a promo from Hal for $1 deposits. Princess has done the same.

 

Besides, refundable deposits usually at $900 per couple still requires some commitment by most. Not many of us can afford to plunk down this type of money to hold several cruises. Even though it's refundable it would still tie up a lot of cash.

[cleobella]

So, I feel sorry for the UK cruisers on this issue, had no idea that all your deposits are nonrefundable and wonder what is the rational for this with the UK customers.  After I posted I saw that the deposit can be moved to another cruise if we have to back out, which does help.  To Hank (who always gives wise travel advise on this forum), yes I know that the airline industry practices this way too, and we do usually wait to book our airfare, booking long after our cruise.  I guess it's just that for us, historically, booking with a refundable deposit has made cruising easy to book, accessible, gives us a sense of security until we do final payment (at which time we buy insurance) and we have generally  get great value for our money cruising.  We have not yet had to back out of a cruise, but if this is a problem for cruse lines then I see the dilemma. The accessibility of booking and planning trips on our own is part of the attraction in cruising for us, but if cruise lines, Celebrity in this case, can't offer that ease of booking anymore, then I would start looking at other vacation alternatives.  I wonder what would happen in case of a travel advisory? As we are looking at Asia this concerns me a bit.

[NantahalaCruiser]

22 hours ago, cleobella said:

So, I'm looking to book an Asian cruise (probably Japan) with Celebrity for 2020 or possibly 2021.  When we do overseas, more expensive cruises we usually book way ahead, when the price is less and we can choose from many available rooms.  However, I see now they have a very reasonable price or a more expensive price.  The more reasonable price is secured only with a non refundable deposit.  When I'm planning so far ahead I like the security of knowing I can back out of the cruise if I have to, though I have never done that in 13 cruises.  The more expensive price offers a refundable deposit, a couple of perks, but it's pretty expensive for an inside cabin.  So, I feel like they are really just pushing a firm booking process and thus I'm looking now at other cruise line options.  It's too bad because we like Celebrity, but I don't like this new way of pricing.  I am willing to sacrifice perks to get a reasonable inside cabin in a great location, but I'm am annoyed at the no refund thing.  Anybody have thoughts on this, maybe it's just the way it will be from now on and maybe they don't want early bookers so much?

Several things happened when Celebrity went to the new pricing format:

Pro:

- Perks were added to inside cabins and repositioning cruises (acknowledge that perks are not free, but that the beverage package perks are certainly heavily discounted)

Con:

- Refundable deposit fares with zero perks for inside cabins were eliminated - now only available with non-refundable deposit fares

- Non-refundable deposit fares with 2 or 4 perks were eliminated - now only available with zero perks

- Prices across the board seem to have generally increased by a few percent at the same time - hapinstance or by design? Your guess is as good as mine.

 

Note: some of the above comments do not reflect differences for special sales or for bookings closer to or after final payment date.

 

In the past, Celebrity's price difference between refundable and non-refundable fares with the same number of perks was about 5%. So when you look at the price difference between a "reasonable" non-refundable 0-perk fare and an "expensive" refundable 2-perk fare, you can consider that the price difference consists of two parts: the 5% cost of refundable fares plus the cost of 2 perks. When you look at the difference from this point of view, you will see that the difference is "high" if you only select OBC and Gratuities as your perks; but "low" if you select either OBC or Gratuities plus the Classic Beverage Package.

 

Happy cruising.

Edited May 25, 2019 by NantahalaCruiser