Second price drop

[aml3679]

Every week, I check the Celebrity site for a price drop.  A few months ago, we saved over $400 and today, $500 plus free gratuities.

[gerelmx]

29 minutes ago, aml3679 said:

Every week, I check the Celebrity site for a price drop.  A few months ago, we saved over $400 and today, $500 plus free gratuities.

 

What is the ship and the date?

[jelayne]

Over the past 14 years of cruising we have gotten a number of price drops and did a happy dance each time.  But in reality it just means we originally booked at a price that was too high.  

[aml3679]

10 hours ago, gerelmx said:

 

What is the ship and the date?

Celebrity Equinox - Feb 15, 2020 going out of FLL

[aml3679]

9 hours ago, jelayne said:

Over the past 14 years of cruising we have gotten a number of price drops and did a happy dance each time.  But in reality it just means we originally booked at a price that was too high.  

 

9 hours ago, jelayne said:

Over the past 14 years of cruising we have gotten a number of price drops and did a happy dance each time.  But in reality it just means we originally booked at a price that was too high.  

Please don't rain on my parade.  Thanks.

[SallyKB]

For previous cruises I was living in Canada and booked through a big box store. Each time there was a price drop I let them know and they contacted Celebrity, sometimes getting more discount than I anticipated. We now live in the UK and have recently booked direct with Celebrity. I noticed a price drop today so called them. They said they would give us $300 OBC (which did not equate to the price drop),  however they said that this would be a one-time only offer and if the price was to drop again no discount would be applied to our booking. 

Is this a UK thing? Is it best to cancel, lose your deposit and book again if there is a big discount? It seems a bit unfair that there is one rule for one and one for the other depending on where you live!

[TeeRick]

10 hours ago, jelayne said:

Over the past 14 years of cruising we have gotten a number of price drops and did a happy dance each time.  But in reality it just means we originally booked at a price that was too high.  

This is so true!

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, aml3679 said:

 

Please don't rain on my parade.  Thanks.

I apologize.  I’m glad you were able to take advantage of some good size price drops.

[Mike981]

11 hours ago, jelayne said:

Over the past 14 years of cruising we have gotten a number of price drops and did a happy dance each time.  But in reality it just means we originally booked at a price that was too high.  

 

Could be. Or one of many other factors could have been involved.

Unfortunately for us we cruise at peak times, so we try to book as early as possible. I'm happy for anyone who gets a price drop, for us it has never happened in well over a dozen cruises. We booked this past February for this coming January and it is over 50% more expensive. If you add in our perks, it gets close to 100%.

[gerelmx]

46 minutes ago, SallyKB said:

For previous cruises I was living in Canada and booked through a big box store. Each time there was a price drop I let them know and they contacted Celebrity, sometimes getting more discount than I anticipated. We now live in the UK and have recently booked direct with Celebrity. I noticed a price drop today so called them. They said they would give us $300 OBC (which did not equate to the price drop),  however they said that this would be a one-time only offer and if the price was to drop again no discount would be applied to our booking. 

Is this a UK thing? Is it best to cancel, lose your deposit and book again if there is a big discount? It seems a bit unfair that there is one rule for one and one for the other depending on where you live!

 

Different Countries different rules

[BigRedFan]

12 hours ago, aml3679 said:

Every week, I check the Celebrity site for a price drop.  A few months ago, we saved over $400 and today, $500 plus free gratuities.

Thanks for posting this.  I checked my B2B Australia booking and was able to get a $1060.00 price reduction Plus the beverage package added in!!!!  I am now waiting to hear back from my TA regarding my upcoming Antarctica sailing which also qualifies for the reduction.  :)

 

[sandancer]

5 hours ago, SallyKB said:

For previous cruises I was living in Canada and booked through a big box store. Each time there was a price drop I let them know and they contacted Celebrity, sometimes getting more discount than I anticipated. We now live in the UK and have recently booked direct with Celebrity. I noticed a price drop today so called them. They said they would give us $300 OBC (which did not equate to the price drop),  however they said that this would be a one-time only offer and if the price was to drop again no discount would be applied to our booking. 

Is this a UK thing? Is it best to cancel, lose your deposit and book again if there is a big discount? It seems a bit unfair that there is one rule for one and one for the other depending on where you live!

Yes.  This is a UK thing. I’m amazed they gave you the OBC. Booking in the UK means accepting the terms and conditions that apply here. Very restrictive. That’s why we use a US based TA these days. 

[mrsgoggins]

6 hours ago, SallyKB said:

 

Is this a UK thing? Is it best to cancel, lose your deposit and book again if there is a big discount? It seems a bit unfair that there is one rule for one and one for the other depending on where you live!

 

Amen to that!  I’ve long thought that non-north Americans were treated like ‘cash cows’ by all of the major cruise lines.  We get tied into high prices with which we are largely stuck.  I’ve also been given extra OBC when I phoned up. More often though, I’ve moved the booking (booked onboard) and paid cash for same lower-priced cruise. I have in the past used an American TA but I don’t have the stomach for that sort of currency gamble right now.

 

True that different t&cs apply, but I have yet to read one single post telling me of a benefit gained in Europe that were not widely given to others.

 

[Edinburghgirl1]

The only benefit of being in the UK that I have come across when it comes to cruising is we seem to get cheaper airfares to most parts of the world even with the high airport taxes we pay, than those in the US. 

[sandancer]

1 hour ago, mrsgoggins said:

 

Amen to that!  I’ve long thought that non-north Americans were treated like ‘cash cows’ by all of the major cruise lines.  We get tied into high prices with which we are largely stuck.  I’ve also been given extra OBC when I phoned up. More often though, I’ve moved the booking (booked onboard) and paid cash for same lower-priced cruise. I have in the past used an American TA but I don’t have the stomach for that sort of currency gamble right now.

 

True that different t&cs apply, but I have yet to read one single post telling me of a benefit gained in Europe that were not widely given to others.

 

You’re right about the currency gamble. Fortunately we booked our Cruises more or less as soon as they were available and even with the rubbish currency rates we are still paying less than our UK TA could get for us. Of course US TA’s offer OBC so that is also worth having. 

[TeeRick]

7 hours ago, Mike981 said:

 

Could be. Or one of many other factors could have been involved.

Unfortunately for us we cruise at peak times, so we try to book as early as possible. I'm happy for anyone who gets a price drop, for us it has never happened in well over a dozen cruises. We booked this past February for this coming January and it is over 50% more expensive. If you add in our perks, it gets close to 100%.

We try to book on the first day the new itineraries open for Captain's Club members.  We have never been able to beat that initial offering.  The best we have done is to later go on ship and see if we can rebook the same cruise and get the extra perks offered like more OBC.  A few years ago we did this routinely.  In the past couple of years we have not been successful in that we can get more OBC but the overall cruise cost is higher.   

[RickT]

To the OP, congrats on your rate reduction.  I look at my cruise fare once a week and have already had two price drops for a March sailing on the Equinox.  I’ll continue doing this until sail date (yes, even past final payment).  Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t. X does make it hard by constantly switching up the promos meaning it’s a little difficult at times comparing Apples to Oranges and what perks mean anything to me.

Edited September 12, 2019 by RickT

[mrsgoggins]

11 hours ago, Edinburghgirl1 said:

The only benefit of being in the UK that I have come across when it comes to cruising is we seem to get cheaper airfares to most parts of the world even with the high airport taxes we pay, than those in the US. 

 

I am no expert on this so I could not disagree, and also we do not fly long-haul in economy/coach so take little interest in those fares. However, have you ever noticed the number of US folk who are able to use air miles to obtain cheap flights? The one scheme I am very familiar with is BA, and their Avios mileage programme definitely favours those from other parts of the world and Americans in particular (and good for them by the way, this is not a gripe about others' good fortune!). Now I get why that could be the case, but that does not detract from how often mileage flights are mentioned on these boards.

 

Back to the OP's statement "It seems a bit unfair that there is one rule for one and one for the other depending on where you live!" and with that, I totally agree.  Yesterday I was sent a Which? survey (UK non-profit Consumers' Association of which I am a member) on cruising and was able to make this point within a free-text box.  I'm not holding my breath for any light to be shone on this discrimination though.

 

 

 

 

[Alakegirl]

Are the UK passengers willing to give up their special protections?  US passengers don’t get them.  Are you certain you want they same rules for all?

[mrsgoggins]

1 hour ago, Alakegirl said:

Are the UK passengers willing to give up their special protections?  US passengers don’t get them.  Are you certain you want they same rules for all?

 

Yes.

 

I would like for you to show me just one example where a UK passenger has benefited from these 'special protections' where others have not.  I have seen posts where people from the UK have asserted that under EU regulations Celebrity would not be able to .......... (insert whatever!) but have never read of any actual examples.  We do have better protection when it comes to airlines I will give you that, but cruises?  I believe it would not make one jot of difference in the way in which Celebrity (or any other major cruise line for that matter) treated passengers were there to be a situation where passengers felt wronged.  I should love to be proven wrong - really!

 

I recognise that Europeans generally (and that will always include us in the UK whatever the Brexit outcome) are in the minority of passengers catered for by the big boys of cruising, but it is not for nothing that the cruise lines are trying to wean you (North American) folks away from the 'refundable deposit' model - they want to tie you in with hefty penalties for changes just like in the rest of the world. I understand the resistance to that by the way.

[sandancer]

7 hours ago, Alakegirl said:

Are the UK passengers willing to give up their special protections?  US passengers don’t get them.  Are you certain you want they same rules for all?

I would love to know what these special protections are. I’ve never heard of anyone benefiting from them. Only protection we’ve ever had was to purchase travel insurance and pay by credit card. 

[Edinburghgirl1]

Mrsgoggins I too always join airline programmes and have reached Gold status with Qatar and Sapphire with BA. We have used our air miles with Qatar to upgrade to business on our forthcoming flight to Bali in November.