Booking On Board, X Reverting to OBC's Based on Cruise Length?

[AJD]

I quote, with thanks to Kathie44; "X is quietly going back to the old system of awarding OBC according to how long the cruise is and not how much you spend. We booked a cruise on board Mercury Feb. 1 and got $200 OBC for a 11-night Carib with an OV cabin. Under the new,non-popular system it would have been only $50.

 

Has anyone else had this experience yet, we did not in mid January.

[keela1eva2]

I am happy to hear this as otherwise it is not worth booking on board for those of us especially in the UK.

We lose our deposit if we cancel so no point in booking for a $50 OBC

 

Sue

[CaroleSP]

I am among those who were unhappy with the change. I sure hope this comes to pass. thanks for the heads-up.

[marc and jan]

I am among those who were unhappy with the change. I sure hope this comes to pass. thanks for the heads-up.

 

ME TOO!

 

(Hi Carole)

[dmk]

I quote, with thanks to Kathie44; "X is quietly going back to the old system of awarding OBC according to how long the cruise is and not how much you spend. We booked a cruise on board Mercury Feb. 1 and got $200 OBC for a 11-night Carib with an OV cabin. Under the new,non-popular system it would have been only $50.

 

Has anyone else had this experience yet, we did not in mid January.

 

What deposit did they ask for? And is this again transferrable to another booking if you keep the same reservation#?

[Salty Dawg]

Good----We hope this does come to pass. We were done with booking on board under the "value of the cruise" system. If they revert back to the "length of cruise" system with the same OBC's, we're back in. I hope it's with a reduced deposit, but if not, the additional OBC is worth the full deposit.

[Andy]

Hi Everyone !

 

Before we all get too excited about this, several of us called Captains Club and were told the current plan is still in effect.

 

I asked on the other thread, if other recent passengers can let us know if they booked onboard, and what credit they recieved. Was it based on price of sailing (the current plan) OR, # of days of the saling (the old plan).

 

I certainly hope that Celebrity has listened to us, and reinstated the old plan. Hopefully, other recent passengers can pass along their booking onboard experiences. I look forward to hearing more details.

[Andy]

Good----We hope this does come to pass. We were done with booking on board under the "value of the cruise" system. If they revert back to the "length of cruise" system with the same OBC's, we're back in. I hope it's with a reduced deposit, but if not, the additional OBC is worth the full deposit.

 

Hi Salty Dawg !

 

I agree. We always booked all of our Cruises onboard. Since the change, we stopped booking onboard. From the looks of the future Cruise person's office, it seemed that bookings tapered off quite a bit. I wasnt surprised at all. If they do revert back to the old system, it will come just in time for us, as we are on Constellation in 5 weeks. Let's hope Celebrity has listened to us.

[Lois R]

Hi Salty Dawg !

 

I agree. We always booked all of our Cruises onboard. Since the change, we stopped booking onboard. From the looks of the future Cruise person's office, it seemed that bookings tapered off quite a bit. I wasnt surprised at all. If they do revert back to the old system, it will come just in time for us, as we are on Constellation in 5 weeks. Let's hope Celebrity has listened to us.

 

Hi Andy:) and I will be on Galaxy in 3:D

[tbelian]

Odd man out here (whats new right?). I liked the new obc policy. To me, there is something to be said for how much you pay, and what that should be worth in terms of a benefit.

[Sea Island Lady]

Hi,

 

I have been trying to find out some answers about this on a thread I posted today. I guess I was typing when this thread was first posted and didn't see it. :D

 

Here is my thread:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=13395088&posted=1#post13395088

 

On the Century last week 2/4 - 2/9, the flyer we received in the room, based the OBC on the cost of the cruise. Had the incentive been based on the length, it may have been worth more to us.

[Lois R]

Odd man out here (whats new right?). I liked the new obc policy. To me, there is something to be said for how much you pay, and what that should be worth in terms of a benefit.

 

tbelian, many times I agree with you on different subjects

but I gotta disagree this time.

Not saying I don't understand your point of view, but as a solo

I just cannot afford the more expensive cabins.

The one time I book a 10 night cruise (which is Galaxy

next month) it would have been really something

for me receive that 200 bucks. Actually I think I missed

it by only a couple of weeks. I booked while on Mercury

last March...the new policy came into affect right before

I booked:rolleyes:

 

I still love the line and continue to sail them but

it really would have been so nice........yes, 50.00 is 50.00

but 200? Would have been extremely nice.......

[jerseygirl3]

Sorry to burst your bubble, but we're onboard the Constellation now and it's still the same system....based on price of cruise, not length. Just booked the Solstice for Feb. 8 and did an open booking. Any OBC is better than none.

[biker1972]

Sure am glad that in January I booked b2b while on Grandeur of the Seas for a cruise on Infinity (2 weeks each) and got a total of $400. RCI seems to base on length not cost. Company should be uniform!

[Kathie44]

According to Natalie, the cruise sales person, it's just beginning to be phased back in and not advertised yet. Evidently, I wouldn't have known if we hadn't booked a cruise when we did. On the booking form in the box that shows the current/new system ($50 for $0001-$2499; $100 for $2500-$3999; $150 for $4000-$5999; $200 for $6000-$7499; $300 for $7500 and higher) she highlighted $200 and wrote in the margin--"Test". The charges came to a little over $1100 pp. with the usual $450 down pp.

I don't see anything about the the status of the OBC if we changed to another cruise. We did secure OBC for a future cruise booked off the ship by signing up for the Passages program for $100 pp, applicable to the down payment when we book later, probably in the spring. On the Celebrity Passages receipt is says:

#of nights -- Onboard Credit

3-5 -- $50

6-9 -- $100

10+ -- $200

She did say something about the possibility of $300 credit, but it doesn't show that on this chart.

I hope this chart lines up when I post. If not, I'll edit.

 

We haven't received our official receipt from out TA yet, but I will see her next week at a family baby shower and will ask her about the OBC situation.

It seems to be pretty "hush hush" and experimental, but I think they realized the newer one was a dud.

[Andy]

According to Natalie, the cruise sales person, it's just beginning to be phased back in and not advertised yet. Evidently, I wouldn't have known if we hadn't booked a cruise when we did. On the booking form in the box that shows the current/new system ($50 for $0001-$2499; $100 for $2500-$3999; $150 for $4000-$5999; $200 for $6000-$7499; $300 for $7500 and higher) she highlighted $200 and wrote in the margin--"Test". The charges came to a little over $1100 pp. with the usual $450 down pp.

I don't see anything about the the status of the OBC if we changed to another cruise. We did secure OBC for a future cruise booked off the ship by signing up for the Passages program for $100 pp, applicable to the down payment when we book later, probably in the spring. On the Celebrity Passages receipt is says:

#of nights -- Onboard Credit

3-5 -- $50

6-9 -- $100

10+ -- $200

She did say something about the possibility of $300 credit, but it doesn't show that on this chart.

I hope this chart lines up when I post. If not, I'll edit.

 

We haven't received our official receipt from out TA yet, but I will see her next week at a family baby shower and will ask her about the OBC situation.

It seems to be pretty "hush hush" and experimental, but I think they realized the newer one was a dud.

 

 

Hi Kathie !

 

That does sound very encouraging. I am sailing on Constellation in 5 weeks, so I will report back. Hopefully, I will have the same results you had. Thanks very much for the information.

 

BTW, I totally agree the new program was a dud. I've been quite vocal about it, as well as many others on here. If they do make the change back official, I am happy to see that Celebrity is listening to us. I am sure the drop in Onboard bookings had something to do with it too. On my last few cruises, the Future Cruise consultant seemed to be far less busy with the new program. I hope they will get very busy again :).

[brazilgirl]

Hi

I am a newbie and all this chatter about OBCs has made me curious,What does it mean exactly and how do you get it?Thanks!

[grandsix]

There has been a noticeable slowdown in on board bookings. Someone made a strategic error. Going back to the old system will result in something that is important to Celebrity, many more advanced bookings. Proper advanced planning and projections are the heart of every successful business. This can be enhanced by making it more attractive to book on board. What are they waiting for, make the changes now.

[nps001]

Perhaps there is a difference between booking an actual cruise and booking an open cruise deposit?

 

During my January cruise, I booked an open deposit under a program called Celebrity Passages. I put down $100 but did not choose a cruise at that time. I was given a receipt that showed the OBC based on the price of the cruise, not the length of the cruise.

[MAXII]

Thanks Kathie: this is great news, just told hubby I gotta get looking at which cruise to book on our next one in November!

 

We used to book on board until the new system but for us the new way wasn't an incentive at all.

 

Will be watching this threas for sure and fingers are crossed.:)

[biker1972]

For Brazilgirl : OBC (on board credit) is money that can be spent on board a cruise. Can be used to buy drinks:) , pay tips, pay for drinks:) ,buy excursions, pay for drinks:) , pay for meals in specialty restaurants, etc. Did I mention bar tab? The credits can come from your TA, the cruiseline, from friends who want to give you a treat on your special cruise or even the company if you own 100 shares of stock. Any left over money in the account at the end of the cruise is lost:( . But is hard to not use OBC's. You can even get OBC's by using a credit card that is tied to the cruiseline. By booking a cruise while on a cruise, you can get OBC for the new cruise. RCI gives credits based on length of cruise. Celebrity used to this but switch to credits based on cruise cost. The question now is whether Celebrity is switching back to its fomrer practice. You can book and RCI cruise while on a Celebrity ship and while on RCI you can book a celebrity cruise which I just did and got $200 for each leg of a B2B. Now with my RCI stock I should get $250 for each leg. That's $ 900 to spend over 4 weeks.:D

[brazilgirl]

Biker

Thanks for clearing that up!I booked my cruise for a family of 5 on the Summit.My TA has no cruise know how-not her fault ,as I live in a small town in Brazil.Frankly I think this is the 1st Celebrity cruise she has ever sold.She sells mostly cruises along the coast of Brazil on Costa , MSC, Island and RCCL.Now I am curious if I could get some of this OBC , considering my cruise is 12 ngts to Europe for 5 people and was not cheap!!How do I discover if I can get some OBC?It sounds great!Thanks for taking time out and giving me this info!Kim

[c-legs]

:confused: Hi,

 

JMHO....But could it be that they're slowly re-setting the focus and will start allowing BOTH scenarios of OBCs ?? I remember some posters actually wishing this were the case when the original change came about....

Otherwise, this has all the smell and looks of a company realizing a strategic error and quietly applying corrective measures.....Kudo to ==X== if this the case.

The most telling clue here: ''test'' in the OP's booking form by Nathalie.

 

Cheers

;)

[Andy]

:confused: Hi,

 

JMHO....But could it be that they're slowly re-setting the focus and will start allowing BOTH scenarios of OBCs ?? I remember some posters actually wishing this were the case when the original change came about....

Otherwise, this has all the smell and looks of a company realizing a strategic error and quietly applying corrective measures.....Kudo to ==X== if this the case.

The most telling clue here: ''test'' in the OP's booking form by Nathalie.

 

Cheers

;)

 

Hi C-legs !

 

I was one of those people. As most of you know, I have been quite vocal on this topic. I have absolutely no problem with Celebrity having both programs. In fact, it makes perfect sense. Why not retain the current lower deposit program, to do a phantom booking and get the lower OB credit. At the same time, reinstate the old program, where you pick your ship/date/cabin, pay the higher deposit, and get the higher onboard credit. If both programs are running, it would offer 2 excellent future cruise options. I feel it would be a win-win for everyone. I said from the very beginning that both programs running together makes perfect sense, and I strongly feel the same way to this day.

 

Whatever it takes Celebrity. Just get the old program reinstated fleetwide as soon as possible. I am sailing on Constellation in 5 weeks, and I want to book more cruises :). I hope current Celebrity passengers will continue to keep us posted. I hope all of my typing on this subject helped make a difference. If it did, I thank Celebrity for listening.

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Odd man out here (whats new right?). I liked the new obc policy. To me, there is something to be said for how much you pay, and what that should be worth in terms of a benefit.

 

tbelian,

 

Your point is well taken by me. Actually a lot of the cruises I've booked would earn the same OBC amount under either system. I don't understand why so many people think that under the Dollar Amout system only $50 OBC would be earned, whereas under the length of cruise system the same cruise could earn $200. It just is not so in most cases. The dollar amount used is for cruisefare per stateroom, which includes port charges.

 

The Celebrity Passages OBC is based on the same criteria. I booked a 7 night Caribbean cruise and the price I paid earned me $100 OBC. Under the length of cruise criteria I would have earned the same $100 OBC.

 

I understand that a cruise at a great price could earn more OBC under the LOC criteria sometimes than the stateroom price criteria. But remember, you got a great stateroom price to begin with. On most cruises it will be the same or near the same OBC under either system.

 

And with X Passages the down payment is only $100 dollars and when you select a cruise the OBC will be determined by the dollar amount paid for the stateroom. This is a better deal on the down payment than under the old system.

 

Seems fair to me. Now, I must go find that flameproof suit I think I bought.