Are Celebrity alienating UK Passengers if so why?

[scottie920]

Flash sales for excursions/drink packages etc for or North American/Australasia colleagues. Nothing whatsoever for UK passengers as far as I can see. The difference financially is around 40% on same cruise. For example excursion UK site £205 per person.USA site $145 (£113) per person. 
I can completely understand these passengers booking at these extremely good prices and well done if you have been fortunate to do so but why should UK passengers have to pay more for the same experience.

Surely we should all pay the same amount for excursions or are Celebrity expected UK passengers to subsidise others.

 

[jelayne]

Are there no flash sales around UK holidays?  I guess I thought that we had Flash Sales around our holidays and there would be sales around the time of UK holidays for UK bookings.

[WestLakeGirl]

Is it only UK citizens that see these discrepancies? What about Austrians? Germans?  What prices are available to them? South Africans?

Edited September 1, 2023 by WestLakeGirl

[Mark_UK]

I'm UK based and called earlier to ask if the labour day sale prices could be applied to our booking, they said no as wasn't available to UK market. We've had public holidays here last weekend and back in May with no sales. 

 

Feels a little bitter that I have to pay 40% more for an excursion just because of where I live, but it's the same product delivered in the same location presumably at the same cost.

Edited September 1, 2023 by Mark_UK

[mahdnc]

59 minutes ago, scottie920 said:

Flash sales for excursions/drink packages etc for or North American/Australasia colleagues. Nothing whatsoever for UK passengers as far as I can see. The difference financially is around 40% on same cruise. For example excursion UK site £205 per person.USA site $145 (£113) per person. 
I can completely understand these passengers booking at these extremely good prices and well done if you have been fortunate to do so but why should UK passengers have to pay more for the same experience.

Surely we should all pay the same amount for excursions or are Celebrity expected UK passengers to subsidise others.

 

 

I am sorry to read this.  While it is common for sales to be geographically limited, the fine print terms and conditions on Celebrity's website do not mention it.

 

*Offer applies to bookings made between August 30, 2023 – September 4, 2023 (“Offer Period”), and applies to select sailings departing September 10, 2023 – December 27, 2024, excluding chartered sailings (the “Offer Cruise”). Labor Day Sale (“Offer”) provides per person savings on select new purchases of Drink Packages, Shore Excursions, Specialty Dining, Wi-Fi, Photo, Gifts & Gear, Casino and EFFY Jewelry, and varies by product, ship, and length of voyage. Drinks provides up to 35% in savingson classic and premium drink packages and excludes upgrades, Shore Excursions provides up to 45% in savings and excludes offerings at Perfect Day at Coco Cay, Private Journeys, Helicopter Tours, Transfers, Inside Access ship tours, Airplane/plane tours, Captain’s Club tours, Sailings with deployment changes, Charter and Holiday sailings, overnight stays, Extend Your Stay, Multi-day Adventures, and tours with less than 5 tickets; Specialty Dining provides up to 25% in savings and excludes Christmas and NYE Holiday sailings; Wi-Fi provides up to 55% in savings: 35% on Premium Wi-Fi Packages and 55% on Upgrade to Premium Wi-Fi Packages; Photo provides up to 65% in savings; Gift & Gear provides up to 35% in savings and excludes select products; Casino provides up to 40% in savings and EFFY Jewelry provides up to 40% in savings. Price shown at time of purchase reflects savings. Additional fees may apply to booking changes or cancellations. Shore Excursions can be cancelled or modified up to 24 hours prior to scheduled tour departure for a full refund, excluding tours involving flights, trains, special events, overnight stays, hotel stays, Multi-day Adventures and Private Journeys. Cancellations will be refunded in the original form of payment; onboard credits will be applied to guest’s account, and credit card, debit card, or other form of cash equivalent payments will be credited back to the original form of payment within 30 days. Offer will not be available onboard and is non-transferable or combinable with Captain Club discounts or any other offer or promotion. VAT is included in price where applicable. Offer is subject to availability and change without notice and may be withdrawn at any time. Celebrity reserves the right to cancel the Offer at any time, correct any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions, and change or update fares, fees and surcharges at any time without prior notice ©2023 Celebrity Cruises Inc. Ships’ registry: Malta and Ecuador.

[ela123]

I don’t understand why this is. If I am logged out all the sale prices show on my cruise planner as soon as I sign in the price is substantially higher. It seems completely unfair.

Edited September 1, 2023 by ela123
Spelling

[Jeremiah1212]

It works both ways. Two different markets. When the GB site has a better offer than the US site like the Fly Cruise deals, more OBC, etc. people booked in the US can’t take advantage of it either. 

[ela123]

1 hour ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

It works both ways. Two different markets. When the GB site has a better offer than the US site like the Fly Cruise deals, more OBC, etc. people booked in the US can’t take advantage of it either. 

I know they do that for actual cruise prices as the terms are different but this is for shore excursions and dining/drinks 

[ECCruise]

2 minutes ago, ela123 said:

I know they do that for actual cruise prices as the terms are different but this is for shore excursions and dining/drinks 

If you have, for example, a UK special that is $500 less than what we have to pay in the US, but have to pay $45 more for an excursion on said sailing, how can that not be a better deal?

 

I'm confused. 

[swjumbo]

There was a 50% off offer earlier this year on drinks packages and tours which was only available to UK customers.

 

I’m often in the US and check prices frequently. 

Sometimes it benefits us in the UK sometimes it benefits them in the US.

 

If you’re that upset by it and think you get better value in the US then why not use a US travel agent?

[ela123]

9 minutes ago, swjumbo said:

There was a 50% off offer earlier this year on drinks packages and tours which was only available to UK customers.

 

I’m often in the US and check prices frequently. 

Sometimes it benefits us in the UK sometimes it benefits them in the US.

 

If you’re that upset by it and think you get better value in the US then why not use a US travel agent?

I can’t use a US travel agent to book excursions 

[KforKitty]

3 hours ago, scottie920 said:

Flash sales for excursions/drink packages etc for or North American/Australasia colleagues. Nothing whatsoever for UK passengers as far as I can see. The difference financially is around 40% on same cruise. For example excursion UK site £205 per person.USA site $145 (£113) per person. 
I can completely understand these passengers booking at these extremely good prices and well done if you have been fortunate to do so but why should UK passengers have to pay more for the same experience.

Surely we should all pay the same amount for excursions or are Celebrity expected UK passengers to subsidise others.

 

I’ve just been saying the same thing to my husband.  I’ve seen two flash sales that UK customers are not able to access since booking my 2024 cruise.  This is my first Celebrity cruise booking but it could be my last if these discriminatory practices continue.

 

Catherine

[the penguins]

40 minutes ago, ela123 said:

I can’t use a US travel agent to book excursions 

You can if you book your cruise through them.

Book in the UK or US is your choice - mostly you will win by using a US Agent but of course currency fluctuations can also affect the overall result.

 

[Jim_Iain]

Wondering if UK residents or other non-US bookings are able to log onto the U.S. site and get the deals.

 

Yesterday I was recooking a number of excursions for the sale price.   I was also trying to book dinner for 2 rooms - on being an Australian Reservation and it wouldn't let me do it.    It did let me book two separate reservations and gave me the sale price for their Eden Reservation and paid for it on my Credit Card -   All the prices were in AU$.  for their reservation.

 

Go to bottom and Choose U.S.

 

[hopeless holiday booker]

I book through a US agent and tried to use my on board credit in the flash sale but it won't let me!  I tried to call but I kept on getting cut off I will try again tomorrow.  

I think if you're in the UK and you book through and US big box company you always get a better deal.  If you're travelling from a UK port usually cheaper to book UK.  I always check though!

In answer to your question - I don't think they alienate UK customers we just don't get the same benefits.  When people say it's swings and roundabouts, I've never found it so.  

[marianoam]

Can't UK residents book through Celebrity's US website?

 

I am from Argentina and I get the same prices that US residents get. My next cruise was booked directly through Celebrity's US website.

 

The same applied in my previous cruises with Royal Caribbean, Norwegian and HAL (all of them were booked directly, except for one, which was booked through a US travel agent, but also at the same price).

[emmas gran]

I just changed the site from UK to US but when I logged into my B2B2B the excursions are priced

in UK £.

[Captain-John]

I have a May 2024 sailing booked through a US agent (I live in the UK) and have been able to use OBC as well as pay for excursions. I then cancelled and rebooked them all to take advantage of the savings, all through the Celebrity website, with no issues.

 

Do I remember rightly seeing something that after a certain date you couldn't book through an agent in a different country with Celebrity (several lines already prohibit this)?

[mickey89]

20 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

I just changed the site from UK to US but when I logged into my B2B2B the excursions are priced

in UK £.

If you want to see US site without defaulting back to your region, you need to access via a VPN.  It's easy.

[the penguins]

26 minutes ago, Captain-John said:

I have a May 2024 sailing booked through a US agent (I live in the UK) and have been able to use OBC as well as pay for excursions. I then cancelled and rebooked them all to take advantage of the savings, all through the Celebrity website, with no issues.

 

Do I remember rightly seeing something that after a certain date you couldn't book through an agent in a different country with Celebrity (several lines already prohibit this)?

Not that you can't book but that the booking conditions will be those of your country of residence.

Live in the UK (UK address on booking) book in the US then UK rules will apply. Wether this is good or bad will vary. Certainly good if you have a serious complaint as it's much easier and cheaper to pursue X through the UK system.

[swjumbo]

So in reply to the OP methinks that Celebrity aren’t trying to alienate UK customers.

 

[signe63]

15 hours ago, WestLakeGirl said:

Is it only UK citizens that see these discrepancies? What about Austrians? Germans?  What prices are available to them? South Africans?

No Flash Sale in Denmark as well........

[KforKitty]

2 hours ago, mickey89 said:

If you want to see US site without defaulting back to your region, you need to access via a VPN.  It's easy.

I can see the US pricing using a VPN but as soon as I login to my reservation the sale prices disappear and prices revert to UK£.

 

 Catherine 

[Justpackingmybags]

Another thing to consider: UK prices always include the port taxes, which are an add-on to US prices (a bit like shopping here - our prices always include tax, whereas over the Atlantic you add on 2 lots of tax, generally)

Swings and roundabouts. 

[TeeRick]

Alternative.  Can you book non-Celebrity excursions at a better price?