Disappointed with my latest Captain's Club "Departures"

[cruisintwinsmom]

Hmmm, seems to me that if I were an Ohio resident and getting CA resident rates that I wasn't entitled to I probably would not feel the need to tell everyone about it. :rolleyes:

I wondered the same thing. Another thread talked about X checking Id for those resident and senior discounts that don't really apply, doesn't that mean they would check a drivers license?

[JUST ADD WATER]

We love Celebrity and honestly will cruise her as long as we can find a "descent" price. I don't expect $599 PP on Celebrity, but I will NOT pay greater than $999 PP for an inside. Just too many other options out there. We cruise in less popular times of year (not summer and not school breaks) and are very flexable about the week we go. The room we pick needs to be a "fair deal". To us this is $999 or less inside, $1099 or less outside (window only), $1499 or less balcony, etc. We have cruised in everything from insides to suites. We will pay more to get a good deal on a better room, no problem. Don't get me wrong, these may not be your idea of "fair" prices. Just our personnal guidelines for the last 13 cruises. Coupon or not, if the above is satisfied we'll book Celebrity every time.

 

I have noted a decline in the Future Sales Consultants on the ships. The one we had on Century in May was RUDE :mad: and insulting. First time I ever left a Celebrity ship and did not book my next cruise on board. I wrote Celebrity and got a canned response. You could tell they never even addressed the issues I raised [one example: She told us not to bring our 5 year old son on Celebrity. Our son was sitting in the Century kids center as we were speaking (By the way he had a wonderful time and the crew was great with him!). I was livid.] I learned right then to address any issues you have WHILE YOU ARE STILL ON THE SHIP! The folks on land don't give a rat's a** when you call them.

 

Sorry :o , didn't mean to get so worked up! Just thinking about that lady makes me spit bullets! Anyways we came home and booked a PRINCESS cruise for October. Later our agent (TA) heard what happened and called Celebrity to raise a little hay. Made us feel better that at least she got their attention and we got some answers to our questions and comments. So we are back on Celebrity in January and June.

 

For what it's worth that's our 2 cents!

[LoneStar72]

Interestingly enough, I got the "Departures" in the mail two days ago, and last night I got a call from a survey company that was working for Celebrity -- they wanted to know if I got the "newsletter", had I read it, and what I remember of the contents.

 

John

[hajekfam]

I wondered the same thing. Another thread talked about X checking Id for those resident and senior discounts that don't really apply, doesn't that mean they would check a drivers license?

First of all, those that have a qualified discount fare have their cruise ticket marked as such (from what I have read in the past). Some discounters would put a sticker over the markings which is why people were shocked to learn they would have to pay.

Secondly, you have to present your drivers license and birth certificate or your passport before boarding. So - even though your cruise documents go to a

California address, you better have the California license or the drivers license with the correct birthdate to back up the discounted rate.

[greeneg]

Interesting thread. After reading it and comparing it with our experiences, I almost have to wonder what some of you are talking about. We just haven't had anything except outstanding customer service from Celebrity.

 

Our first Celebrity Cruise was the ill-fated June, 2001 Northern Capitols cruise out of Amsterdam on the Galaxy: the ship damaged her port screw leaving Amsterdam and the net result was that the cruise had to be cancelled. Celebrity did everything that could have been done to convert what could have been a disaster into an experience that everyone that we talked to could smile about. We didn't hear a single complaint and I personally don't see how Customer Service could have been better handled.

 

Since then we have had nothing but positive experiences with Customer Service. I always book through Captain's Club and if I have questions, the answers are always clear and the responses prompt. I may not always like the answer or get the one that I want, but I have always been treated courteously and with interest by the Service Reps with whom I have dealt.

 

I actually had occasion to write a letter to Jack Williams about one trip that we made. I may be naive, but from the way the response was written, it was either answered by him or at his specific direction: my comments were very specifically responded to and I noticed that several had been addressed in subsequent cruises. ( I am certain that I wasn't the only one to comment on these things, but I did like the response to my letter.)

 

I can well appreciate that there are occasions where people feel that their concerns have not been properly addressed; I have made one HAL cruise and I thought that they had the poorest and most indifferent Customer Service of any compay that I had ever seen as the problem was never truly resolved and they didn't even say "I am sorry that there was a problem". I am certain that there are others who have had the opposite experience with HAL.

 

My point is that, while I am sure that any Customer Service group can drop the ball, we have had nothing but excellent service from Celebrity and hope and expect it to continue. I do suggest that Captain's Club members use those resources to research fares/cabins, ask questions, express concerns. Sometimes working within the system is the better way to go.

 

As RCCL shareholders, and following the availabilty on our next cruise ( Zenith in January) it sure looks as thought the ship is going to be full so they can't be doing everything wrong. As far as the future is concerned, we'll have to see what happens, but my bet is that if the issues in this thread continue to be a concern to customers, Celebrity will respond to them in an appropriate and positive manner.

[Richard Stein]

Remember a couple years ago when Carnival decided to play fair. Well they never went after the TA's who rebated or did anything but try and level the playing field. They did not alienate the TA's like Celebrity is presently doing and their high prices are alienating the rest of us. Carnival tried direct selling and scaled back on it when the TA's objected. Renaissance tried to eliminate the TA's sell direct only. Where are they now. A good TA will get you a good price and work to get you upgraded. We reward them by coming back again and again. This effort by Celebrity will fail when the ships start sailing with some empty cabins. Their attempts at price fixing are anti-American.

[greeneg]

Anti- American? I thought that the American Way was to produce a quality product, sell it at a fair price, and generate a positive return for the shareholders of the Company. If their prices turn out to be un-acceptable, the market will send them a very strong message to which they will have to respond.

 

Not knocking the TA's at all, they provide value for service. I agree that they should be compensated adequately for those services. The question becomes however, who does the compensating? Increasingly, people who use the Internet, really may not need or necessarily want to pay for those services. If the cruise lines cannot afford to cut their prices below a certain line or have to "raise" their fares because of increasing costs, then perhaps the people who are comfortable and can book directly should not have to absorb the additional cost of compensating the TA. The airlines ( not that they are necessarily the model to follw) certainly see it that way; many carriers today penalize the customer with an additional charge for a paper ticket as opposed to an electronic one, or for dealing directly with a reservation agent as opposed to on-site booking. Not saying that this is good, it's just the way things are going, and I, for one, expect the trend to continue.

 

What I expect Celebrity to deliver is Perceived Value for Money; I am less concerned with what I spend than what I receive for what I have spent. As long as I feel that that balance is in my favor, I'll keep sailing with Celebrity.

 

Personally suspect that the next couple of years are going to be very interesting for the entire travel and leisure industry. We'll see how things go.

 

Best Regards,

[tmt9367]

Ed, I agree with most of what you have said. But, if a travel agency wants to give up some or all of their commission, they should be able. RCCL/CEL is trying to dictate how much a travel agency should make. If cutting commission gets more business because of cheaper prices to the consumer, then so be it. If the cruise line needs to get a certain amount for each cabin, and they get it, what's the problem with a travel agency making 8% commission opposed to 16%?

 

We're the type of cruisers that really don't need to use a T/A. We know where we want to go and what category cabin we need. I use a T/A because she's a friend and I like to help friends get ahead. I have used Cruisequick in the past and find that type of T/A very useful.

 

As for customer service, we have never had a problem in all of our 25+ cruises. Maybe we aren't picky or need as much attention as others, but customer service has always been there for us.

 

S

[BobN]

On our last cruise December 2003 the cruise department seemed to feel that is was a great bother to them to have a cocktail party for their loyal repeat customers. When we arrived at the party room they were serving the cheapest drinks that they could make (They would get you something else if you were willing to wait until they had time) The ships cruise department never said a word to welcome the attendes to their attempt to show appreciation for our support. Over all it seems that they have been able to fill the ships with enough passengers that they don't realize that they could go the way of many of the other lines that are no longer in service.

 

Your best repeat customer is a satisfied prior passenger, As a retailer I know how much it costs to get a new customer and how little appreciation it takes to keep a loyal one.:confused:

[greeneg]

TM: no disagreements here, we just haven't had an issue with Celebrity that hasn't been addressed. I really do not know what is behind the issues with fares and fees at this point. I do know that my experience with Celebrity has been that they are very sensitive and response it concerns which are expressed to them and if something is going on, or being tried that is someone in Corporate Headquarters "BrainStorm" ( can you spell bean counter?), I am willing to bet that if there is enough negative feedback given to them that there will be an appropriate response or an explanation.

 

I would agree with you that if a TA wants to give up part of a commission that is certainly their affair, but it may just be that the Line itself simply doesn't want any part of cut-throat or fare wars. Then again, it may be something else entirely.

 

Bob is certainly correct when he writes "Your best repeat customer is a satisfied prior passenger, As a retailer I know how much it costs to get a new customer and how little appreciation it takes to keep a loyal one." My comment is just that so far Celebrity has done what they needed to do to keep the Greens happy.

 

Best Regards,

[Ocean Boy]

"I would agree with you that if a TA wants to give up part of a commission that is certainly their affair, but it may just be that the Line itself simply doesn't want any part of cut-throat or fare wars"

 

 

However, th issue is not a fare war. Celebrity sets the price that they want to get for the cruise. The commission is money that belongs to the TA. I just don't quite understand the concept that Celebrity has the right to tell someone, the TA, what they can or can't do with their own money.

[Sky Sweet]

"I would agree with you that if a TA wants to give up part of a commission that is certainly their affair, but it may just be that the Line itself simply doesn't want any part of cut-throat or fare wars"

 

 

However, th issue is not a fare war. Celebrity sets the price that they want to get for the cruise. The commission is money that belongs to the TA. I just don't quite understand the concept that Celebrity has the right to tell someone, the TA, what they can or can't do with their own money.

What if you sold your house for its full asking price, but your real estate agent secretly gave part of her commission to the buyer? In that situation, do you think the real estate agent did anything wrong?

[greeneg]

"What if you sold your house for its full asking price, but your real estate agent secretly gave part of her commission to the buyer? In that situation, do you think the real estate agent did anything wrong?"

 

No, I can't say that the agent did "anything wrong", but what if I had two or more identical houses for sale and agents 2 and 3 do something different from agent 1; and then the customer turns to me and expects ME to do something about agents 2 and 3. I could end up "kind of in the middle" couldn't I? And if I told you that this was something that you would have to take up with the individual agents, how would you feel about that or towards me. I would certainly think that that would not engender good will towards the cruise line which may be what they are trying to avoid.

 

I agree that I would like to see Celebrity do more for its " frequent cruisers" but, truth be known, the last time that I checked ( February 2004 on the Zenith) I was told that there repeat cruiser rate was on the order of 92% so they must be doing something pretty well to generate that sort of loyalty.

 

I'll repeat myself to the extent that value= cost + what is received. I think that as long as Celebrity maintains high standards of service, the ships are clean and well maintained, and the food holds up, they will continue to do well because most people will feel as though they have received value for money. Now, if that does not happen, then a lot of the other factors mentioned here certainly do come into play and there certainly is a level at which all bets are off. Certainly they will have to be very careful to maintain standards and service and even improve them where possible, to the extent that that does not happen, then they become more vulnerable.

 

Bottom line, I think, is that we all agree that they have to protect their base. How that is done is certainly challanging and it will be interesting to see how they meet that challange.

 

Now the question is, does someone from Celebrity follow these threads?

[Sky Sweet]

"What if you sold your house for its full asking price, but your real estate agent secretly gave part of her commission to the buyer? In that situation, do you think the real estate agent did anything wrong?"

 

No, I can't say that the agent did "anything wrong", but what if I had two or more identical houses for sale and agents 2 and 3 do something different from agent 1; and then the customer turns to me and expects ME to do something about agents 2 and 3. I could end up "kind of in the middle" couldn't I? And if I told you that this was something that you would have to take up with the individual agents, how would you feel about that or towards me. I would certainly think that that would not engender good will towards the cruise line which may be what they are trying to avoid.

 

I agree that I would like to see Celebrity do more for its " frequent cruisers" but, truth be known, the last time that I checked ( February 2004 on the Zenith) I was told that there repeat cruiser rate was on the order of 92% so they must be doing something pretty well to generate that sort of loyalty.

 

I'll repeat myself to the extent that value= cost + what is received. I think that as long as Celebrity maintains high standards of service, the ships are clean and well maintained, and the food holds up, they will continue to do well because most people will feel as though they have received value for money. Now, if that does not happen, then a lot of the other factors mentioned here certainly do come into play and there certainly is a level at which all bets are off. Certainly they will have to be very careful to maintain standards and service and even improve them where possible, to the extent that that does not happen, then they become more vulnerable.

 

Bottom line, I think, is that we all agree that they have to protect their base. How that is done is certainly challanging and it will be interesting to see how they meet that challange.

 

Now the question is, does someone from Celebrity follow these threads?

In my hypothetical case, the real estate agent did something so seriously wrong, she could lose her license for it. When that buyer purchased his house, his loan to value ratio for fianancing was determined by the contract's sales price. Therefore, if a real estate agent secretly rebates part of her commission to the buyer, it is FRAUD. The point I am trying to make is that it is not always an agent's prerogative to do whatever they want with their commission.

[greeneg]

Point taken. Not being an attorney, I would have never picked up on that one.

[Ocean Boy]

I am no attorney so I will ask you this. If it is a cash deal for the house with no financing, and therefore no loan to value ratio for banking purposes, do the same rules apply??

[Sky Sweet]

I am no attorney so I will ask you this. If it is a cash deal for the house with no financing, and therefore no loan to value ratio for banking purposes, do the same rules apply??

Yes, because a buyer can always decide to obtain a mortgage after that sale closes. If that happens the lender would consider the recent sales price at that time. In addition, even though replacement cost should be an independent calculation, an insurance agent is likely to consider the sales price when he determines that amount.

[Ocean Boy]

OK, I am nowhere near knowledgable on the matter to disagree with you. However, I think that what does not apply is bringing this discussion into the realm of real estate in the first place. And that is because the things that you are bringing up as to why this is illegal for a real estate agent simply do not exist in the world of travel.

 

So, again, I still don't see where the cruise lines have the right to tell a TA what they can't do with their own money.

[Sky Sweet]

OK, I am nowhere near knowledgable on the matter to disagree with you. However, I think that what does not apply is bringing this discussion into the realm of real estate in the first place. And that is because the things that you are bringing up as to why this is illegal for a real estate agent simply do not exist in the world of travel.

 

So, again, I still don't see where the cruise lines have the right to tell a TA what they can't do with their own money.

I can think of a comparable situation in travel. What would happen if a travel agent gave someone a secret rebate from their commission and that person purchased travel insurance from Celebrity. In that case, their cruise would be insured for more than the person actually paid for it and they could make a profit by canceling their vacation plans.

[Ocean Boy]

I can think of a comparable situation in travel. What would happen if a travel agent gave someone a secret rebate from their commission and that person purchased travel insurance from Celebrity. In that case, their cruise would be insured for more than the person actually paid for it and they could make a profit by canceling their vacation plans.

 

Then I guess the old way was working just fine. Celebrity knew just what was being charged and how much of the commission was being rebated. So your point is rather moot as the senario would not have happened.