X discontinues surcharge on Beverage package

[slei15]

23 minutes ago, BellKat said:

Waiving the fee for sales is one thing - waiving it forever is totally another. The original post was from yesterday and we were not officially notified until 9:22 this morning (Pacific time). 

 

Based on the timing, I am guessing the OP heard the news on the Trade Webinar yesterday afternoon that X hosted for TA's.  They generally don't send their e-mail communications until the day after they are verbally discussed in webinars, etc. 

[hcat]

This started as a happy news thread.. but has veered off course a few times..

 

We are  very happy we can include the Classic as a perk in our bext booking..without the daily upcharge!

 

Bigger issue price-wise,  is the big  difference  between non-refundable and  refundable prices ...We think the non -ref terms are too severe...losing  $100 pp  as a cancellation fee seems  more reasonable.

[DebInAntigua]

This part of the memo:

What happens to guests that paid to upgrade from 2 – 4 perks who already had the
Premium Beverage Package during the periods of 10/10 – 11/26/19?

A. Guests will receive an Onboard Credit of $14 per day. Guests who qualify for this onboard
credit must have booked under promo names 4PERKS or 4PERKS NRD during the offer period
of Oct 10 to Nov. 25,, 2019.

That sounds like if I bought 4 Perks during that date range, and it shows on my invoice as one of those promo names, I'll get OBC of $14 per day, per person?  Is that right?

Does anyone know if this would be automatic or would we have to call to request it? Curious how they will handle that.

Of course, I'm pretty likely to reprice my 2021 cruises between now and sailing, so maybe I shouldn't worry about it. But if the prices just go up between now and final payment, hopefully this would be automatically applied?

[DebInAntigua]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

This started as a happy news thread.. but has veered off course a few times..

 

We are  very happy we can include the Classic as a perk in our bext booking..without the daily upcharge!

 

Bigger issue price-wise,  is the big  difference  between non-refundable and  refundable prices ...We think the non -ref terms are too severe...losing  $100 pp  as a cancellation fee seems  more reasonable.

For USA customers, that is all you technically lose. The rest can be applied to the outstanding payment amount of a future cruise. As long as you intend to keep cruising X, you don't really lose out on anything but the $100 pp.

[LSKC]

2 hours ago, DebInAntigua said:

This part of the memo:

What happens to guests that paid to upgrade from 2 – 4 perks who already had the
Premium Beverage Package during the periods of 10/10 – 11/26/19?

A. Guests will receive an Onboard Credit of $14 per day. Guests who qualify for this onboard
credit must have booked under promo names 4PERKS or 4PERKS NRD during the offer period
of Oct 10 to Nov. 25,, 2019.

That sounds like if I bought 4 Perks during that date range, and it shows on my invoice as one of those promo names, I'll get OBC of $14 per day, per person?  Is that right?

Does anyone know if this would be automatic or would we have to call to request it? Curious how they will handle that.

Of course, I'm pretty likely to reprice my 2021 cruises between now and sailing, so maybe I shouldn't worry about it. But if the prices just go up between now and final payment, hopefully this would be automatically applied?

 

Wondering the same. We repriced during Veterens' day sale for our March sailing on Edge with the 4 perks NRD code... wondering if we will see OBC and is it per day/per person or just per day/per cabin? We transferred our booking to a Travel agent so i don't know whether to call and ask Celebrity or if I have to get my TA to do it ...or if it will just happen automatically (where would i see that online?)

 

[LSKC]

6 hours ago, ohiolovescrusing said:

Wonder about if purchased during Veteran’s Day Sale (4 perks for price of 2) ?  Booking says 4PERK SALE NRD?  

Let me know if you get an answer... we did the Veteran's day price match (booked earlier but had travel agent call in when price went down). our code says: 4PERK NRD on invoicing

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, DebInAntigua said:

That sounds like if I bought 4 Perks during that date range, and it shows on my invoice as one of those promo names, I'll get OBC of $14 per day, per person?  Is that right?

No. When you booked your cruise and selected the four bundled perks the PBP was one of the four not the CBP. The PBP never had the $14.00 PPPD charge. It was a charge only for the CBP. 

Edited December 18, 2019 by davekathy

[The_Big_M]

Nothing like a good coverup.

 

Now, if only Celebrity would worry about making a public announcement, available to all customers, instead of allegedly pursuing people sharing information to the privileged few. But "priorities..."

[BellKat]

13 minutes ago, The_Big_M said:

Nothing like a good coverup.

 

Now, if only Celebrity would worry about making a public announcement, available to all customers, instead of allegedly pursuing people sharing information to the privileged few. But "priorities..."

It will be public on Thursday, December 19th I believe

[slei15]

A simple google search will pull up the same FAQ document I posted on the RCCL creative site, which is unprotected and publicly available when going to the document from the search page. If it was not publicly available information, I would not have posted it. The information was provided to agents as a tool to share the news with our clients. No, you all may not be my clients, however; the reason CC likes to have agents on the boards is to be able to provide assistance and correct information to members without the need to get a sales pitch with it. I apologize if I have offended anybody by posting publicly available information. If it was non public, marked confidential or for my eyes only, it would not have been posted. In the real world I am also a CPA working with SEC reporting. I am well aware of what type of information is safe to share and what not to. 

[mayleeman]

I get a kick out of this one considering how many people on CC have admitted they became TAs so they could book for themselves and get access to the super-double-secret-decoder ring TA information.

[davekathy]

5 minutes ago, slei15 said:

A simple google search will pull up the same FAQ document I posted on the RCCL creative site, which is unprotected and publicly available when going to the document from the search page. If it was not publicly available information, I would not have posted it. The information was provided to agents as a tool to share the news with our clients. No, you all may not be my clients, however; the reason CC likes to have agents on the boards is to be able to provide assistance and correct information to members without the need to get a sales pitch with it. I apologize if I have offended anybody by posting publicly available information. If it was non public, marked confidential or for my eyes only, it would not have been posted. In the real world I am also a CPA working with SEC reporting. I am well aware of what type of information is safe to share and what not to. 

Thank you.  

[Bo1953]

39 minutes ago, BellKat said:

It will be public on Thursday, December 19th I believe

Thank you, conspiracy theories abound! 

 

😁😁

Bon voyage 

[Jules1]

My husband and I are loyal Crystal cruisers for over 10 years. We are not inexperienced cruises, with 43 cruises, 377 days at sea.  Due to some extenuating factors we decided to try Celebrity again after a 10 year absence because there are more ships and itineraries available than Crystal currently has before their new builds start.  Our Celebrity Reflection cruise is in March. We purchased all 4 perks (including premium beverage pkg) to try to make it as inclusive as possible and as close to a Crystal Cruises experience where everything is included except shore excursions (specialty restaurants are also inclusive).  Ever since I purchased the cruise and have been reading the boards so that I am knowledgable again about Celebrity (we are Elite), I feel like I am being screwed.  I have no problem with paying a fair price for an amazing experience.  But everything I read is now there is a new promotion, a new sale, surcharges on the beverage package, leading me to believe that I have not gotten a fair deal.  This is ruining the planning of what was anticipated to be a nice cruise and perhaps a cruise line that might fit our needs when Crystal did not have anything to offer with our situation.  This may well be the end of our Celebrity cruises due to all this incessant price jockeying.  Just our opinion.

Julie

[mayleeman]

@Jules1  Perhaps you should not worry about the price issues, since you booked with 4 perks anyway. If the price wss acceptable when you booked, I don't see how any intervening sales prices or promotions could leave you feeling screwed since if the price for your cruise went down a simple phone call would have obtained it. Surcharges discussed here do not affect you with the Premium Package.

 

We loved the Reflection last April. I hope the next 3 months gives you a chance to get a more optimistic outlook! But don't expect Crystal...

Edited December 18, 2019 by mayleeman

[MarcArt]

If it helps, I just chatted with Moriah at Celebrity, and she confirmed to me that our Classic Package will be automatically upgraded to Premium. I am not sure of any other details, and, being new to the whole Cruise experience, nor can I understand every acronym used in previous explanations (or the subtleties of more seasoned CCs discussions on this subject), so I hope what I was confirmed by a Celebrity representative for our upcoming reservation on Summit seems true, and it applies to others.

[Bo1953]

4 hours ago, Jules1 said:

My husband and I are loyal Crystal cruisers for over 10 years. We are not inexperienced cruises, with 43 cruises, 377 days at sea.  Due to some extenuating factors we decided to try Celebrity again after a 10 year absence because there are more ships and itineraries available than Crystal currently has before their new builds start.  Our Celebrity Reflection cruise is in March. We purchased all 4 perks (including premium beverage pkg) to try to make it as inclusive as possible and as close to a Crystal Cruises experience where everything is included except shore excursions (specialty restaurants are also inclusive).  Ever since I purchased the cruise and have been reading the boards so that I am knowledgable again about Celebrity (we are Elite), I feel like I am being screwed.  I have no problem with paying a fair price for an amazing experience.  But everything I read is now there is a new promotion, a new sale, surcharges on the beverage package, leading me to believe that I have not gotten a fair deal.  This is ruining the planning of what was anticipated to be a nice cruise and perhaps a cruise line that might fit our needs when Crystal did not have anything to offer with our situation.  This may well be the end of our Celebrity cruises due to all this incessant price jockeying.  Just our opinion.

Julie

j - what would you consider to be a 'fair' deal?

 

Just curious, as everyone's consideration is different.

 

bon voyage

[MarcArt]

On 12/18/2019 at 8:49 PM, MarcArt said:

If it helps, I just chatted with Moriah at Celebrity, and she confirmed to me that our Classic Package will be automatically upgraded to Premium. I am not sure of any other details, and, being new to the whole Cruise experience, nor can I understand every acronym used in previous explanations (or the subtleties of more seasoned CCs discussions on this subject), so I hope what I was confirmed by a Celebrity representative for our upcoming reservation on Summit seems true, and it applies to others.

 

Well, we are aboard the Summit, and our Classic Beverage Package has not been automatically upgraded to a Premium Package. Perhaps I misunderstood everything that had been said here, perhaps I misunderstood Moriah, the Celebrity respresentive I spoke to who said we would be upgraded...  But as I said elsewhere in our Roll Call, having been asked so many times in the first few hours of this Cruise whether we wanted to upgrade, I did, just so I don't have to be asked again.

Otherwise, everything is fine on board, and the spirit of the crew seems quite responsive and they are open and pleasant about serving us.

P.S. When I did upgrade late last night at the Guest Services desk, they waved the charges I had accumulated for the drinks that were over the Classic Package costs.

[ipeeinthepool]

Ok, now that we're past 12/19 has there been a public announcement from Celebrity on how they are handling the excess charges for the beverage package?  I made several reservations immediately after Celebrity released itineraries a few weeks ago and I suspect that the additional $14 charge was still in effect.  I don't see any direct indication of the charge in my confirmation and prices have changed so it's almost impossible to do a direct A to B comparison.  Do I need to call my TA check each reservation?  I haven't received any info from my TA.

Edited December 22, 2019 by ipeeinthepool

[davekathy]

4 hours ago, ipeeinthepool said:

Ok, now that we're past 12/19 has there been a public announcement from Celebrity on how they are handling the excess charges for the beverage package?  I made several reservations immediately after Celebrity released itineraries a few weeks ago and I suspect that the additional $14 charge was still in effect.  I don't see any direct indication of the charge in my confirmation and prices have changed so it's almost impossible to do a direct A to B comparison.  Do I need to call my TA check each reservation?  I haven't received any info from my TA.

I too haven't seen anything on Celebrity's website. I'd call the TA especially since the "beveragegate" letter was leaked here on CC and said all that selected the bundled CBP paid the $14.00 PP/PD charges would be upgraded to the PBP. Let us know what you find out. 

[grandgeezer]

4 hours ago, davekathy said:

I too haven't seen anything on Celebrity's website. I'd call the TA especially since the "beveragegate" letter was leaked here on CC and said all that selected the bundled CBP paid the $14.00 PP/PD charges would be upgraded to the PBP. Let us know what you find out. 

Quite a deal, they could have upgraded on their own for $12 p.p. per day. 

[Silkroad]

On 12/16/2019 at 4:13 PM, 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.

Thanks so much for your post C-Dragons! I was very surprised to encounter the Classic package surcharge when I booked on 22 November. Having no faith in automatic upgrades, I contacted Captain’s Club immediately after seeing your post. The nice rep wasn’t aware of the upgrade for those who had paid the surcharge, but checked into it. After finding a memo regarding the issue, she applied a Premium Package promo to my booking. Perhaps I could have saved a few dollars by taking a different approach, but as I had intended to upgrade to the Premium package anyway, I’m satisfied. BTW, the booking I made on 28 November did not have a Classic Package surcharge. I reside in the USA, and I made both bookings directly with Celebrity.

Edited December 22, 2019 by Silkroad

[C-Dragons]

2 minutes ago, Silkroad said:

Thanks so much for your post C-Dragons! I was very surprised to encounter the Classic package surcharge when I booked on 22 November. Having no faith in automatic upgrades, I contacted Captain’s Club immediately after seeing your post. The nice rep wasn’t aware of the upgrade for those who had paid the surcharge, but checked into it. After finding a memo regarding the issue, she applied a Premium Package upgrade to my booking. Perhaps I could have saved a few dollars by taking a different approach, but as I had intended to upgrade to the Premium package anyway, I’m satisfied. BTW, the booking I made on 28 November did not have a Classic Package surcharge. I made both bookings directly with Celebrity.

You are most welcome and I'm so glad you were able to benefit from the info. 🌺🌼🌺

[Blueskiesahead]

I feel a bit dumb asking this question, but how do you know if you were charged the surcharge for the classic beverage package?  I booked on 11/28/19 thru a travel agency (I think I'm not allowed to mention the agency), and can't tell if I paid a surcharge. I only know it cost $300 more to get the 3 perks called the "B.I.G." deal, which included a $300 per cabin credit, $100 per passenger credit, Classic Bev for first 2 guests, and 50% off the 3rd and 4th guest.

[mikkelhansen]

8 hours ago, Blueskiesahead said:

I feel a bit dumb asking this question, but how do you know if you were charged the surcharge for the classic beverage package?  I booked on 11/28/19 thru a travel agency (I think I'm not allowed to mention the agency), and can't tell if I paid a surcharge. I only know it cost $300 more to get the 3 perks called the "B.I.G." deal, which included a $300 per cabin credit, $100 per passenger credit, Classic Bev for first 2 guests, and 50% off the 3rd and 4th guest.

If you booked during the Black Friday (Big Deal) promotion, you weren't charged the fare increase. The BF promotion was the "silent launch" of the removal of the fare increase.