Advice for getting best discount on future cruise?

[C-Ya]

Hi Everyone,

 

I am wondering if the is any advice to booking a future cruise? 
 

My wife and I recently did a Mediterranean cruise on the Celebrity Edge and we fell in love with Celebrity Cruises. We booked that trip by just calling the Celebrity phone number and booking with their agent. We got the Sunset Veranda we wanted, but later realized that we got NO onboard credit whatsoever.

 

We are looking at booking a cruise on Celebrity Beyond for next year. We see the commercials on TV in which Celebrity is offering 75% off second passenger, along with a $800 per cabin, onboard credit. Is this going to be my best deal?

 

My main curiosity is…….. what are the advantages of using a travel agent for the Beyond booking, or other future cruises. I know this is a touchy subject on this site. However, I am not asking this question because I am looking for a travel agent. I am asking because I honestly don’t know why I would want to use a travel agent, when I can just call the cruise line directly. 
 

We would like to continue to cruise for many years, but right now, I don’t think we are getting the same discounts others get, because we lack the knowledge on how to best book the cruise?

 

Thank you for anything you think we should know.

 

PS We both have jobs that keep us from being able to spend endless hours researching the above. So how do get the best deal on booking the Celebrity Beyond for a 11 day cruise, next December?

[cruzzzinma]

My agent discounted our fare by $1,000.

[jelayne]

Some TA have group pricing which saves money, others offer additional benefits for booking with them, eg dinner in a specialty restaurant, wine, and some offer refundable OBC ranging from $50 to up to 10% of the fare.

[Shiba_Lover]

Unfortunately, researching is how many of us do get "the best fares".  We check and check again, then have the trip re-priced.  Your TA could do this for you, but sometimes they may miss it.  We call in and do it ourselves if we have booked direct with Celebrity, or call the TA and have them do it if booked with the TA.  We watch for sales, watch these boards and see when someone posts a good deal, etc.  Many have a relationship with their TA and the TA knows that they want and when they see a deal, the TA contacts them.  Celebrity also has a "last minute" page and if you are able to go then - have a look and jump on those. 

 

I would say book the December trip, then you can contact a TA and ask them if there is any benefit to transferring to them  (you only have so many days after booking to transfer - I can't remember what it is.  I'm sure someone here can advise on that.  And the TA will handle the transfer).  They may say "I can get you a better fare, or additional OBC".  That will start your relationship with the TA.  Then, you can go from there.  Aks them to watch for re-price opportunities.  Or every so often - just have a peek at the same trip and if it is less expensive - ask the TA to re-price.  Some can even put a fare watch on it.

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Until about a couple of months ago, we would always book our Celebrity cruises using our Celebrity Vacation Planner we have had for years, while we would get around 8% in perks from our current TA when we booked our other Princess, Disney and NCL bookings through them. The “insider information” our CVP continually provided to us was more valuable than booking our Celebrity cruises through our TA. However, when he accepted a job with a different cruise line about a year ago, the replacement CVPs were just not the same. So when we recently booked a July 2024 B2B cruise on the Apex, we did it through our TA and now we will get 8% in OBC on those cruises once we board the cruise.

 

The only advice I can give you as to getting the best discount on future cruises is to book a cruise as soon as comes out, usually 18-24 months in advance, and do periodic “mock” bookings from then on out. If the price goes down, usually within the first 6 months, and it makes economic sense to refare the booking, have your TA (or CVP) request the lower price. We also initially book our Celebrity cruises with a refundable deposit and then just prior to final payment have it refared to a nonrefundable deposit, if it still makes economic sense to do so.

 

However, regarding a cruise that is just a year away, the price has probably already gone up quite a bit, especially if it’s in December, since it was originally released over a year ago. So if you’re looking to get a discount, my suggestion is to do some research to find a TA you can work with that will give you at least 8% worth of perks, based on the cruise fare, to book with them.
 

BTW for us, and we cruise quite a bit, it took us over 5 years of cruising before we finally switched to a TA, and we went through a few before we finally found one we could work with. 😁

[39august]

C-Ya that promo saying $800 OBC is UP TO that amount. The actual amount of OBC depends on the category and price of the cabin you book. 

[Lastdance]

40 minutes ago, 39august said:

C-Ya that promo saying $800 OBC is UP TO that amount. The actual amount of OBC depends on the category and price of the cabin you book. 

...along with the # of occupants!

[C-Ya]

I just booked the cruise on the website.

 

Celebrity Beyond Dec 11th 2023 11 nights

 

Sunset Veranda - $6240 with a $450 OBC

(All Inclusive package)

 

$900 deposit (went the non refundable route)

 

At least we won’t have any airfare. We live 25 minutes from port. So there’s some savings! Lol

[hawkesbaynz]

When onboard purchase a future cruise certificate too. You will receive reduced deposit, OBCc and the ability to use it on a cruise that you wish. You can transfer bookings to a TA and recite e further OBC too. 

[NCteacherlovescruising]

I got $1050 OBC booking onboard a few days ago and my TA added another $300. 

Edited December 25, 2022 by NCteacherlovescruising

[hrhdhd]

I hope your SV isn't on Deck 7. Lots of noise from Eden at night. ☹️

[mpdog42]

5 hours ago, C-Ya said:

I just booked the cruise on the website.

 

Celebrity Beyond Dec 11th 2023 11 nights

 

Sunset Veranda - $6240 with a $450 OBC

(All Inclusive package)

 

$900 deposit (went the non refundable route)

 

At least we won’t have any airfare. We live 25 minutes from port. So there’s some savings! Lol

Great!!!!...A lot of people on CC recommend TA because they are TA's...Shop Around...Look for the Best deal...

Edited December 25, 2022 by mpdog42

[NorthStarStateCruiser]

13 hours ago, hrhdhd said:

I hope your SV isn't on Deck 7. Lots of noise from Eden at night. ☹️

We just sailed on Apex in a deck 7 SV and I agree that the louder music from the eden shows can be heard in the cabin. We only noticed this one night when we were going to bed at 11:30 and they were doing a later 11pm club night event. Otherwise, the shows with the louder music end around 11pm.

[Pinboy]

Find a cruise that you like-- a price you are comfortable with -- and, book it.

No matter what, there will always be " someone " who claims to get a better deal.

It's no different than buying a car, tv, or a fake Rolex watch.

Don't make yourself " crazy " over it. 

 

[LGW59]

5 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

Find a cruise that you like-- a price you are comfortable with -- and, book it.

No matter what, there will always be " someone " who claims to get a better deal.

It's no different than buying a car, tv, or a fake Rolex watch.

Don't make yourself " crazy " over it. 

 

Don't make yourself " crazy " over it. Is this even possible on CC???

[Lastdance]

6 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

Find a cruise that you like-- a price you are comfortable with -- and, book it.

No matter what, there will always be " someone " who claims to get a better deal.

It's no different than buying a car, tv, or a fake Rolex watch.

Don't make yourself " crazy " over it. 

 

I totally agree.  It is nice to share that you have this amount of OBC with others, but also make sure that you get it onboard, knowing what is NRF/RFD.  Owning the stock adds even more! 

[DaKahuna]

21 hours ago, C-Ya said:

Hi Everyone,

 

I am wondering if the is any advice to booking a future cruise? 

 

 Find the cruise you want and then shop multiple travel agents to see which gives you the best deal. 

 

 We have had great success in booking while onboard and then transferring to a TA within the allotted time frame. 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

As far as the official time frame for transferring a new booking to a TA, here's what's noted on the Celebrity web site.

 

Can I transfer my reservation to a travel agent if I purchased my cruise directly from Celebrity Cruises?

Bookings may only be transferred to a Travel Agent up until 30 days from creation if the request is made outside of Final Payment period and the booking is not paid in full. If a booking has a ChoiceAir ticket and the transfer request involves a change in currency we cannot accommodate a transfer. If you would like to transfer your reservation to a travel agent, please complete this form.

 

The Direct Guest to Agency transfer information above is applicable to U.S., Canada, Bermuda, and Caribbean bookings only.

 

FAQs: Making Reservations & Reservation Transfers | Celebrity Cruises

 

Edited December 25, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[kokopelli-az]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 

 We have had great success in booking while onboard and then transferring to a TA within the allotted time frame. 

 

This is exactly what we do.   Booking a future cruise while on board has the added perks of OBC, reduced deposit (like $100 pp), etc.   If you booked your current cruise with a TA, Celebrity will transfer your new cruise to that same TA (if you want, or you can tell them not to transfer it and then you can choose whatever TA you want).  

[Cjonthesea]

If you see what looks good, LOCK IT IN!  I'm kicking myself because I hesitated on an AMAZING deal that somehow popped up: Apex Transatlantic from Barcelona in Nov '23.

 

Solo Infinite Veranda Cabin for $2400 with Always Included! 

Minutes later, they were back to showing the typical Cruise Only Rate for about $4000. 

 

 

Argh! I'm miffed.