X discontinues surcharge on Beverage package

[C-Dragons]

X has made the decision to discontinue the controversial surcharge they were adding to the Beverage packages.

If you have already been charged this for the Classic Beverage package, you will automatically be upgraded to the Premium Package.

[cruisestitch]

Wowsers!

 

Do you have a press release or some sort of official statement from X?

[wrk2cruise]

Wow.  Is anyone in control of this cruise line?  One bone head move after another.

[sandian]

Is this for British Cruisers? & do you get the choice of a reduction in fare or are they just automatically upgrading everyone?

[hcat]

31 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

X has made the decision to discontinue the controversial surcharge they were adding to the Beverage packages.

If you have already been charged this for the Classic Beverage package, you will automatically be upgraded to the Premium Package.

 

Glad it's gone...so it  seems it is back to being just another perk folks can select!

 

Interesting  that they will upgrade  folks who had to pay, but  will not offer a refund if you only wanted the Classic to begin with....

 

 

[C-Dragons]

1 hour ago, wrk2cruise said:

Wow.  Is anyone in control of this cruise line?  One bone head move after another.

The comment made regarding this decision was that X listened to feedback from their agents and customers.

[C-Dragons]

1 hour ago, sandian said:

Is this for British Cruisers? & do you get the choice of a reduction in fare or are they just automatically upgrading everyone?

Unfortunately no refunds will be made, so I doubt they would take it off the cruise fare.

[sandian]

2 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

Unfortunately no refunds will be made, so I doubt they would take it off the cruise fare.

Thank you, I suppose we will find out when we board, or will we be informed beforehand.?

[C-Dragons]

4 minutes ago, sandian said:

Thank you, I suppose we will find out when we board, or will we be informed beforehand.?

I'm sorry I don’t know. If you booked with a TA perhaps you could contact them.

[mayleeman]

15 minutes ago, C-Dragons said:

The comment made regarding this decision was that X listened to feedback from their agents and customers.

Still looking for a source or cite? Thx!

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

In my opinion, Celebrity should not have had to listen to feedback from its agents and customers to know this was a bonehead move.  But they seem to be less about improving the guest experience and more about improving the bottom line these days.

[wrk2cruise]

When the current promo ends in 2 days I wonder if prices will just go up $14 pp/pd on all fares?

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, C-Dragons said:

Unfortunately no refunds will be made, so I doubt they would take it off the cruise fare.

I booked a cruise on 11/23/19 and was charged the $14pp pd.  Three days later I was checking prices due to some promo.  When I did a mock booking the $14pp pd charge wasn’t added.  I called and the charge was removed.

Edited December 17, 2019 by jelayne

[Cat4158]

We booked 10 days ago and the upcharge for the drinks package had been removed. I had taken screenshots of the fare only two days earlier and, at that time, it still included a £200 upcharge for UK bookings that included the classic package as a perk. So pleased that we waited!  

[HFX]

So we already have the premium drink package. Do we get upgraded to the "Drinks and more package" 

 

If already paying a premium, you should get an upgrade, or at least an OBC in the amount of the 14pp pd.

 

We booked in November 2019.

Edited December 17, 2019 by HFX
add

[Lastdance]

4 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

Wow.  Is anyone in control of this cruise line?  One bone head move after another.

 

Honestly, I would have to say no!  Sales, discounts, emails, price increases and decreases, along with information are all over the place and changing by the second...so much for dynamic everything.  The 20% off on airfare is showing $800 more than I paid, and the flights are not as good as mine!  

 

When I booked the Transpacific for 2022, from Sydney to Honolulu, it showed all S1 corner afts gone...really?  Why have so many of them reappeared?  I only know this because of asking to be waitlisted.  So if you booked NRD and the prices decrease, good luck with that!  "What's it all about...Celebrity?"

 

sorry...just a little venting

Edited December 17, 2019 by Lastdance

[C-Dragons]

2 hours ago, jelayne said:

I booked a cruise on 11/23/19 and was charged the $14pp pd.  Three days later I was checking prices due to some promo.  When I did a mock booking the $14pp pd charge wasn’t added.  I called and the charge was removed.

I failed to mention that Nov. 26th was the date X chose to discontinue the surcharge. Glad you were able to have it removed.

Edited December 17, 2019 by C-Dragons

[hcat]

Glad we booked before the new charges  were introduced,  and have not bookd yet from  the new offerings  hoping it sorts itself out soon

[NantahalaCruiser]

3 hours ago, HFX said:

So we already have the premium drink package. Do we get upgraded to the "Drinks and more package" 

 

If already paying a premium, you should get an upgrade, or at least an OBC in the amount of the 14pp pd.

 

We booked in November 2019.

The $14pp pd fare increase was only if you selected the Classic and never if you selected all 4 perks with the Premium.

 

Now if you selected the Classic Perk, paid the $14 fare increase and then paid additional to Upgrade to Premium, that's a different story. You should then request to be refunded the Upgrade purchase.

[mikkelhansen]

8 hours ago, C-Dragons said:

I failed to mention that Nov. 26th was the date X chose to discontinue the surcharge. Glad you were able to have it removed.

I posted about the apparent removal here a few days ago (but it's good that there is now a separate thread about it):

 

It seems that Celebrity used the Black Friday promotion for a "soft launch" of the removal:

Good on their part!

 

[terrydtx]

10 hours ago, C-Dragons said:

I failed to mention that Nov. 26th was the date X chose to discontinue the surcharge. Glad you were able to have it removed.

That explains why we didn't get charged the surcharge for our 2021 cruise, we booked on the 27th through our TA. When the TA looked at the cruise on the 25th the surcharge showed up when we took the CBP as one of our perks. I questioned why if it was a "Free" perk would they charge $14 per day for the perk? X told her it was their policy, but we were traveling all day on the 26th so we didn't book until the 27th and the extra charge was gone.

[K.T.B.]

Hopefully this is true!  So far I've seen nothing about it either on their website or in the news.

[cluso]

11 hours ago, C-Dragons said:

I failed to mention that Nov. 26th was the date X chose to discontinue the surcharge. Glad you were able to have it removed.

We booked a cruise on Monday, 25 November through a large online TA.  The next day the upcharge was removed.  It was actually included in the base fare amount.

Reading the verbiage on the TA site was confusing.  I bet the TA's had some input to Celebrity's back peddle.

[sandian]

14 hours ago, C-Dragons said:

I'm sorry I don’t know. If you booked with a TA perhaps you could contact them.

Hello I contacted Celebrity & was fobbed of with excuses, told me they had not removed the charge just added it to the Cruise price instead of showing separately.Took a screenshot of the price without the upcharge & within a couple of hours had received a new invoice with upcharge removed. Many thanks for making me aware of this

[Iamcruzin]

13 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

When the current promo ends in 2 days I wonder if prices will just go up $14 pp/pd on all fares?

Probably and if anyone had a brain in their head they would have just raised the price for everyone $2 and nobody would have known. Instead they add it to the one perk that draws business and the most attention.  I know if I had something booked I would have just picked the $300 OBC and paid gratuity  and would have used the savings on the gratuity and the OBC to buy drinks. Perhaps those who are elite and have access to the free cocktails did the same.