Future Cruise Booking bait and switch

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, markeb said:

Can you book a placeholder and then shift to your “real” booking?

 

We ran into this with an onboard booking for Alaska 2024. We had 90 days, but the schedule wasn’t out. We were able to book something, not sure what any more, as far out as possibly, then rebooked Alaska once the schedule was released. 
 

Not perfect, but it’s an idea. 
 

Does your paperwork show 12 months? If so, call them on it. That’s a pretty major change. If it’s all verbal…

Great idea! If I might add, make sure the booking has a refundable deposit so you can easily change the “place holder” booking later on to a totally different one, regardless of itinerary or ship or both. There are limitations with booking a future cruise with a nonrefundable deposit.

[Nyhawkeye]

I have a one year future booking as well and have noticed that X has gotten much more aggressive in trying to get these converted into a real booking.  I am sure it is a push for revenue.  I am just ignoring the calls, emails, etc....until I am ready to book.

[karmamule]

8 hours ago, kdkstormy said:

I didn’t mean to create a heated debate.  I have already sent an email to my celebrity cruise rep and will update all when I have more info.  

 

It was alarming to see the email.  I have been so bombarded with Celebrity emails lately I almost deleted it without reading it.

 

Whatever processes generate Celebrity's e-mails have some issues. We have an upcoming fall cruise and had booked it back when the Indulge package was still around. A couple weeks ago I got an e-mail asking if I wanted to upgrade from Classic to Premium drinks package for my upcoming cruise. Since the Indulge package included Premium drinks I was surprised. Called their customer service and after checking the rep confirmed we did indeed already have the Premium package and said I could ignore the e-mail.

[pamkev]

We had this issue back in October along with several others when we placed Future Bookings on the Summit. It was only when one of our travel mates TA told her she had to book in 90 days when we all were told 1 year and had paperwork saying the same. Celebrity had to honor it and said the ship had the wrong paperwork. It took many phone calls and reaching up the chain to get that to happen.

 

I would think by now they would have the right paperwork.

Edited May 15, 2023 by pamkev

[jelayne]

11 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

With all the other Celebrity IT issues combined, it's unacceptable to panic customers like this. Even more reason not to buy this nonsense.

Panic seems a bit much.  They had the document saying 12 months, they apparently work with a CVP so have a contact to resolve the error and worse case if the certificate did expire they would be refunded their deposit.  Frustrating to have to make a phone call, yes but IMO no reason to panic or claim bait and switch.
 

[hcat]

13 hours ago, RichYak said:

So don’t you think “bait and switch” should read “mistake” in the thread title instead?

perhaps  "attempted bait and switch" or  "Celeb computers were wrong again?"

[kdkstormy]

Hi all

 

Just got of the phone with my CCP.  She was alarmed as well.  

 

She is digging into it - she looked at my booking number and it does say one year.  She is worried the  autobots in their system are using the new 6 months on all bookings and will make sure it doesn't automatically cancel.  She will be making sure that that my one year stays in place.

 

If any of you have a future cruise booking under the previous one year timeline, watch your emails for the expiration warning!

 

Thanks to everyone for their input.  If there are any further updates, I will come back and let you know 🙂 

[kdkstormy]

1 hour ago, kdkstormy said:

Hi all

 

Just got of the phone with my CCP.  She was alarmed as well.  

 

She is digging into it - she looked at my booking number and it does say one year.  She is worried the  autobots in their system are using the new 6 months on all bookings and will make sure it doesn't automatically cancel.  She will be making sure that that my one year stays in place.

 

If any of you have a future cruise booking under the previous one year timeline, watch your emails for the expiration warning!

 

Thanks to everyone for their input.  If there are any further updates, I will come back and let you know 🙂 

She just called me back.  She spoke with her supervisors and it is a system wide issue.  They recommended putting in a place holder booking with a refundable deposit and switching to the 2025 repositioning cruise I'm looking for when they are released.   

 

Better safe than sorry so we don't lose the Future cruise booking benefits.  

[mahdnc]

33 minutes ago, kdkstormy said:

She just called me back.  She spoke with her supervisors and it is a system wide issue.  They recommended putting in a place holder booking with a refundable deposit and switching to the 2025 repositioning cruise I'm looking for when they are released.   

 

I know some members on this forum have been doing exactly that for a while now.--which makes this whole 6 months, 12 months, 18 months discussion boring to them.

Edited May 15, 2023 by mahdnc

[kdkstormy]

28 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

I know some members on this forum have been doing exactly that for a while now.--which makes this whole 6 months, 12 months, 18 months discussion boring to them.

Yes it is a work around - unfortunately these place holder bookings take away available space for those who actually want to book those sailings.  

[mahdnc]

Just now, kdkstormy said:

Yes it is a work around - unfortunately these place holder bookings take away available space for those who actually want to book those sailings.  

 

That is a very good point especially if the practice becomes widespread.  I remember one Cruise Critic member who chooses the least attractive cabin in their category of interest for their placeholder booking exactly for that reason.

[kathynorth]

28 minutes ago, kdkstormy said:

Yes it is a work around - unfortunately these place holder bookings take away available space for those who actually want to book those sailings.  

 

Plus we shouldn't have to do this since it's supposed to be a 12 month time frame.

[kathynorth]

For those of you more experienced with these future cruise bookings, do you need to book within 30 days if you wish to transfer a cruise to a TA to access the TA perks or can you still transfer to a TA if the cruise is booked at any point prior to expiration of the certificate?

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We are cruising in September and have bookings through December 2024. The cruise I am think of will not be available until late this year or early next. I asked our CVP about an open passages vs a placeholder and she recommended an open passages. Wonder if she would now recommend a placeholder.  We usually only have a placeholder booking for a month or 2 but I know if we do it in September it will be longer. 

[mahdnc]

12 minutes ago, kathynorth said:

For those of you more experienced with these future cruise bookings, do you need to book within 30 days if you wish to transfer a cruise to a TA to access the TA perks or can you still transfer to a TA if the cruise is booked at any point prior to expiration of the certificate?

 

When we purchased our two Future Cruises (choose later) bookings on board Constellation last November, our TA of record was automatically put on that booking by Celebrity.  The Future Cruises consultant is very clear about that because if you want to change the TA, you have to sign a form attesting to that (which we did once many years ago).  We selected our sailings a few weeks later when the new cruise season was released.

 

If you do not have a TA identified on your Future Cruises booking, I think you have 30 days or else Celebrity ends up owning your booking.

Edited May 15, 2023 by mahdnc

[JLMcruise]

18 hours ago, kdkstormy said:

On our November 2022 cruise we put a deposit down for the choose later.  It was 12 months that we were told we had to make a booking.  
 

I just got an email that it is expiring on May 16th.

 

I want to book a repositioning from Florida to Vancouver in 2025 but they haven’t released those yet!

The "coupon" they gave you when you booked it will have the amount of time on it and your reservation number. I have one that we have 18months to book. Just email a copy of your "coupon" with the reservation number and expiration date on it and a receipt of your deposit and Celebrity will fix it for you. I would also ask when they plan to release the cruises for that time period. Just did the Panama Canal east to west and love it. Hope you get the cruise you want!

[kdkstormy]

3 minutes ago, JLMcruise said:

The "coupon" they gave you when you booked it will have the amount of time on it and your reservation number. I have one that we have 18months to book. Just email a copy of your "coupon" with the reservation number and expiration date on it and a receipt of your deposit and Celebrity will fix it for you. I would also ask when they plan to release the cruises for that time period. Just did the Panama Canal east to west and love it. Hope you get the cruise you want!

I asked my cruise planner and she said they will be released in early to mid December

 

[hcat]

1 hour ago, kdkstormy said:

Yes it is a work around - unfortunately these place holder bookings take away available space for those who actually want to book those sailings.  

ha 

they are incompetent and  pax have to do a work around... typical X   tech

and now they can blame Autobots..

[bEwAbG]

Isn't there an insurance consideration as well?  You have so much time to get a pre-existing conditions waiver from deposit date.  

[kdkstormy]

2 minutes ago, bEwAbG said:

Isn't there an insurance consideration as well?  You have so much time to get a pre-existing conditions waiver from deposit date.  

I have medical insurance through my work benefits.  I get trip cancellation separately and get that a few months before the actual travel date.  

[kathynorth]

46 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

 

When we purchased our two Future Cruises (choose later) bookings on board Constellation last November, our TA of record was automatically put on that booking by Celebrity.  The Future Cruises consultant is very clear about that because if you want to change the TA, you have to sign a form attesting to that (which we did once many years ago).  We selected our sailings a few weeks later when the new cruise season was released.

 

If you do not have a TA identified on your Future Cruises booking, I think you have 30 days or else Celebrity ends up owning your booking.

 

I appreciate your response. That's what I was wondering about. 

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, kathynorth said:

For those of you more experienced with these future cruise bookings, do you need to book within 30 days if you wish to transfer a cruise to a TA to access the TA perks or can you still transfer to a TA if the cruise is booked at any point prior to expiration of the certificate?

We had to transfer our future cruise certificate to our TA within 30 days of purchasing it.  When we purchased the certificate we had 90 days to book so we booked a place holder.  14 months later the sailing we wanted was released and we moved to that sailing.

[kathynorth]

8 minutes ago, jelayne said:

We had to transfer our future cruise certificate to our TA within 30 days of purchasing it.  When we purchased the certificate we had 90 days to book so we booked a place holder.  14 months later the sailing we wanted was released and we moved to that sailing.

 

Now I'll know for next time. I wondered why people were booking place holders and now I know. I appreciate your response!