Do military veterans get a discount on Celebrity?

[davekathy]

7 minutes ago, critterchick said:

 One of my pet peeves is that lack of verification. My DH served in the Navy for 23 years. On one cruise we met a guy who said that he checks the box even though he never served. You can believe he got an earful. From me.  Princess (I think all of the Carnival-owned lines) require proof of eligibility before giving you the benefit.

 

I agree. Even stated that in one of my prior posts. 

[Mr. Click]

2 hours ago, critterchick said:

 One of my pet peeves is that lack of verification. My DH served in the Navy for 23 years. On one cruise we met a guy who said that he checks the box even though he never served. You can believe he got an earful. From me.  Princess (I think all of the Carnival-owned lines) require proof of eligibility before giving you the benefit.

Most cruiselines don’t consider you a veteran unless you have 2 years of active duty status. A friend of mine got pregnant and resigned her AF commission at 20 months, so doesn’t qualify for discounts.

 

And as I said earlier, I don't consider myself a veteran either but I was curious about what Celebrity considered a vet.  I have great respect for those who were able to and did serve.  My service time was during the late 60s and we all know how crazy it was then.  I did not run off to Canada, I did not get my doctor to write fake letters, he just wrote about my injuries and my recovery efforts and the enduring damage.  I did what I could do to fulfill my service requirement but when you are diagosed with an arthritic knee at the age of 23 you have to admit there are things you just can't do.  

[binro01]

Just as a side note, Celebrity's military discount is combinable with most discounts including Travel Agent group rates, so if you work with a TA and they are getting you into a group never forget to mention you are a vet. We have taken advantage of the 200.00 off multiple times in this manner.

Edited April 26, 2023 by binro01

[Boo's Mom]

On 4/24/2023 at 10:36 AM, njsmom said:

My husband is an Air Force veteran. He didn't retire from the military, but he was in for seven years with an honorable discharge. Is he eligible for any military or veterans discount on Celebrity? We have an upcoming cruise in July and I've read this about Celebrity and I'm not sure how it's applied or how to get it if he is eligible. (His Real ID shows his veteran status.)

 

Celebrity Cruises offers military members special savings. Savings are per person, for first and second guest, and are based on type of stateroom:

$25 – Inside and Ocean View

$100 – Veranda, Concierge Class, AquaClass® or The Retreat

 At least one guest in the stateroom must be an active, retired or veteran member of the United States military. A valid military ID must be presented at the pier to validate eligibility.

Here is a quote from an email conversation I was having with my TA at the time I booked a few cabins for family members.  I had been inquiring about a military discount. 

 

"According to Celebrity the resident rate discount and the Military discount are not compatible, so you get one or the other, the system chose the best rate.  If we had gone with the Military rate, he would only have gotten $100.00 discount instead of the large resident rate discount he received which all guests in booking received."

[Boo's Mom]

On 4/24/2023 at 8:23 PM, George C said:

I know in Texas you can show department of motor vehicles your dd214 and they will put it on your drivers license. Best discount for veterans is MSc they give you ten percent . 

It is SO handy to have veteran on my drivers license. 

 

[Boo's Mom]

7 hours ago, critterchick said:

 One of my pet peeves is that lack of verification. My DH served in the Navy for 23 years. On one cruise we met a guy who said that he checks the box even though he never served. You can believe he got an earful. From me.  Princess (I think all of the Carnival-owned lines) require proof of eligibility before giving you the benefit.

Most cruiselines don’t consider you a veteran unless you have 2 years of active duty status. A friend of mine got pregnant and resigned her AF commission at 20 months, so doesn’t qualify for discounts.

 

To be a veteran, a service member must have:

—        180 days of consecutive active duty (not counting training)

—        Or one day in a combat zone: served on Active Duty during a period of war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge was authorized.

—        Served in the National Guard or Reserve for 20 years and retired under honorable conditions. (passed 2016)

[Sigyn]

6 hours ago, Boo's Mom said:

To be a veteran, a service member must have:

—        180 days of consecutive active duty (not counting training)

—        Or one day in a combat zone: served on Active Duty during a period of war or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge was authorized.

—        Served in the National Guard or Reserve for 20 years and retired under honorable conditions. (passed 2016)

That is a very limited description of a veteran. You don't have to have 20 years in the National Guard to be a veteran. My brother-in-law was in the Army National Guard for eight years and was never called up for active duty, just did his two weeks every summer after basic, and he is a veteran with a DD214. He bought a house four years ago and used his veteran benefits for a VA loan. 

I went to dig up where that description came from and found this link: https://usveteransmagazine.com/2019/11/qualifies-someone-veteran/

It looks like that is what the Department of Defense uses for some of their purposes. Here is the VA description of a veteran: https://www.va.gov/OSDBU/docs/Determining-Veteran-Status.pdf

Edited April 26, 2023 by njsmom

[Sigyn]

On 4/24/2023 at 9:23 PM, George C said:

I know in Texas you can show department of motor vehicles your dd214 and they will put it on your drivers license. Best discount for veterans is MSc they give you ten percent . 

Norwegian also gives you 10%. We have it automatically taken off any fare we look at on NCL when checking out cruises. They also offer it to the spouse of a veteran even if the veteran isn't on the actual cruise. It's a wonderful benefit for those who served their country. 

I put a screenshot of the military benefit below. It's nice because you always know it's there, and it shows up on the final invoice, too, as a line item. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

14 hours ago, critterchick said:

 One of my pet peeves is that lack of verification. My DH served in the Navy for 23 years. On one cruise we met a guy who said that he checks the box even though he never served. You can believe he got an earful. From me.  Princess (I think all of the Carnival-owned lines) require proof of eligibility before giving you the benefit.

 

 

The best verification is to use ID.me which actually confirms you served yet, X/RCG would need to pay for that.  Otherwise having a check-in employee at the terminal glance at an ID or DD214 printout isn't all that effective as they can easily be faked

[Boo's Mom]

38 minutes ago, njsmom said:

Where did you find that description of a veteran? My brother-in-law was in the Army National Guard for eight years and was never called up for active duty, just did his two weeks every summer after basic, and he is a veteran with a DD214. He bought a house four years ago and used his veteran benefits for a VA loan. 

Here is some info from the VA.

See attached. 

As you can see, there is not a clear [one size fits all] answer.

Determining Veteran Status and Eligibility for Benefits .docx

[Sigyn]

9 minutes ago, Boo's Mom said:

Here is some info from the VA.

See attached. 

As you can see, there is not a clear [one size fits all] answer.

Determining Veteran Status and Eligibility for Benefits .docx 43.25 kB · 1 download

They do make it confusing! And then there's my 90-year-old dad who served in an active war zone during the Korean War, and that makes it "easy" to label him as a vet. 

 

The ID.me is an easy way to verify. That's what my husband uses, plus now he has the veteran status on his Real ID/driver's license.

Edited April 26, 2023 by njsmom

[PROCRUISE]

On 4/25/2023 at 9:12 AM, blade3 said:

When are you supposed to inform Celebrity to get this discount? Have always informed Celebrity agent of eligibility for Military Discount (frequent cruiser) and have never been told about this bonus!

My TA filed my DD-214 with the two cruise lines that I use, including X. Given $100 off the cruise fare on multiple cruises with X.

[Sigyn]

11 minutes ago, PROCRUISE said:

My TA filed my DD-214 with the two cruise lines that I use, including X. Given $100 off the cruise fare on multiple cruises with X.

It's $100 per person for the first two people in the cabin if it's a veranda cabin or higher. I was given $200 off this week: 

 

Celebrity Cruises offers military members special savings. Savings are per person, for first and second guest, and are based on type of stateroom:

$25 – Inside and Ocean View

$100 – Veranda, Concierge Class, AquaClass® or The Retreat

 At least one guest in the stateroom must be an active, retired or veteran member of the United States military. A valid military ID must be presented at the pier to validate eligibility.

Edited April 26, 2023 by njsmom

[indy406]

Did I have to apply for the veteran's discount last month when we booked our April 2024 Celebrity cruise? I asked once before after the fact and was told the discount wasn't offered on that cruise. (I wondered if my TA didn't pursue it because it might have cost him a couple bucks on his commission.) Anyway, I didn't even think of it this time. I'm assuming I'm too late based on what I'm reading here.

[Sigyn]

1 hour ago, indy406 said:

Did I have to apply for the veteran's discount last month when we booked our April 2024 Celebrity cruise? I asked once before after the fact and was told the discount wasn't offered on that cruise. (I wondered if my TA didn't pursue it because it might have cost him a couple bucks on his commission.) Anyway, I didn't even think of it this time. I'm assuming I'm too late based on what I'm reading here.

I had it added this week after I'd already made final payment. At the time, they said they don't normally do it that way, but that as long as you have it added before final payment it's okay. I'd definitely call my TA and ask them to add it. From my understanding, all cruises are eligible for it.

[GeorgiaRetiredCruisers]

I read someplace on the Celebrity site that you have to have ID to prove it, which of course we do as my husband did 25 years in the Army and retired. But truthfully we rarely get asked to show it.

 

For Military, First Responders, Fire Critters...one of the best discount sites to get on with is the IDme site if it ever pops up for you.  Lots of good discounts. They do run your credentials after you upload them and you are then in the system.