Past Passenger Rates

[muffydawg]

Hello. We are a group of 6 considering the Feb 2010 Mercury voyage (Eastern Carib) out of Charleston. Among us we've sailed RCCL, Regent and Princess.

 

If we've sailed twice with RCCL are we eligible for Celebrity past passenger rates?

 

Thanks.

[Soccer Mom 96]

Celebrity and RCCL don't generally offer past passenger "rates" like you are used to on Princess and some of the other lines. With RCCL and Celebrity, you receive savings certificates to be used on certain cruises. However, you can't get Celebrity savings coupons unless you belong to the Celebrity Captains Club. Once you hit the "Platinum" level on RCCL, you can join Celebrity's at an equal level even if you haven't sailed them yet...but with only 2 RCCL cruises, you are most likely still in the "Gold" (unless you have taken really long cruises and/or booked suites) which doesn't give that crossover benefit.

 

I hope I made sense.

 

Soccer Mom

[starlake]

I am almost positive the answer to your question is no. You can not get the same class upgrade unless you have sailed previously on Celebrity.

I hope I am reading your question correctly and supplying you with the correct answer.

[j!m]

we have sailed with X 12 or 15 times and have never heard of "rates" for past passengers

 

i suppose you mean some form of discount

 

as far as i know everybody (even with the same room) seems to pay a different price just like on the planes

 

its a crazy way to do business but it seems to work (for X)

 

i cant imagine that anyone pays the advertised rate on their website

[ECCruise]

Unlike RCCL, where past cruisers above a certain level get $200-300 discounts on balcony cabins, the only "break" you get on X is a one category upgrade, not including balconies or suites, for previous cruisers.

[CathyCruises]

Correct--and that would be a 2C to a 2B, or a 2B to a 2A--NOT 2A to CC!

 

:cool: Cathy

[Lois R]

we have sailed with X 12 or 15 times and have never heard of "rates" for past passengers

 

i suppose you mean some form of discount

 

as far as i know everybody (even with the same room) seems to pay a different price just like on the planes

 

its a crazy way to do business but it seems to work (for X)

 

i cant imagine that anyone pays the advertised rate on their website

 

You can't? I always pay the rate on the website. If the cabin

category goes down they issue me a credit. But the price on

the site is what I pay.

[j!m]

hello lois

 

we book through a full service t/a here in canada and have NEVER/EVER

paid the price on the X website, always less

 

i have always assumed the advertised price is like a rack rate for hotels, almost nobody pays that

 

just as an example a cruise we have booked for june with Az is presently listed (for our room) as $6100 approx each, we have a booking for $4900 each, these are all $Cdn amounts

 

i cant comment on what happens in the USA but was frankly always under the impression you folks paid less than most "foreigners" ie the brits, aussies and we poor northern cousins

 

and i have never heard of a discount for frequent sailors other than the usual captains club offers which you have to find yourself

 

j!m

[Lois R]

hello lois

 

we book through a full service t/a here in canada and have NEVER/EVER

paid the price on the X website, always less

 

i have always assumed the advertised price is like a rack rate for hotels, almost nobody pays that

 

just as an example a cruise we have booked for june with Az is presently listed (for our room) as $6100 approx each, we have a booking for $4900 each, these are all $Cdn amounts

 

i cant comment on what happens in the USA but was frankly always under the impression you folks paid less than most "foreigners" ie the brits, aussies and we poor northern cousins

 

and i have never heard of a discount for frequent sailors other than the usual captains club offers which you have to find yourself

 

j!m

 

Hi,:) after I started sailing with Celebrity (2003) they disallowed

any discounts. Travel Agents can give on board credits, pay

the insurance, give their clients wine, etc. but the price is the

price. If you are paying less I am guessing your TA is discounting

it out of their commission or the UK does things differently maybe.

 

I don't remember exactly what year they announced that

(about not allowing discounts) but it has to have been in the

last 3 or 4 years.

[j!m]

lois

 

we never receive obc/wine etc from the t/a and if the t/a is giving us a piece of the commish thats ok by me

 

maybe it is instead of wine?

 

but in 12 days even i couldnt drink $2400 of wine!!

 

all i know is we always pay less than the "rack" rate and generally around 15-20%

 

the example i gave you is for real

 

j!m

[Lois R]

lois

 

we never receive obc/wine etc from the t/a and if the t/a is giving us a piece of the commish thats ok by me

 

maybe it is instead of wine?

 

but in 12 days even i couldnt drink $2400 of wine!!

 

all i know is we always pay less than the "rack" rate and generally around 15-20%

 

the example i gave you is for real

 

j!m

 

I believe you:) and what I said is for real too;)

[Andy]

Correct--and that would be a 2C to a 2B, or a 2B to a 2A--NOT 2A to CC!

 

:cool: Cathy

 

Hi Cathy !

 

Just to clarify, the 1 category upgrade applies to Insides and Ocean View Cabins only. I wish we could upgrade balconies, but Celebrity's program does not allow it.

[CathyCruises]

Of course you are correct--I was just using numbers and letters and not thinking about what they really mean. Thanks for the clarification!

 

Cathy

[The_Big_M]

i cant comment on what happens in the USA but was frankly always under the impression you folks paid less than most "foreigners" ie the brits, aussies and we poor northern cousins

 

Not sure about there, but Australian cruisers have been re-directed to the Australian agent so far and the rates there correspond with those on the web site. No better deals here!

[Sky Sweet]

Even though Celebrity does not offer a past passenger discount for balconies and suites, the way Royal Caribbean does, I have found that even with that past passenger discount, RCCL usually costs more than Celebrity for a similar itinerary on a comparable ship.

 

Therefore, in reality, Royal Caribbean's discount merely lessens that difference.

 

The main advantage of Royal Caribbean's past passenger's benefits is its concierge lounge, which is a wonderful perk that enhances one's overall cruise experience.

 

They also have more useful discount coupons aboard the ship that don't require you to buy something that you don't want in order to use a coupon. I always save some money during a cruise with Royal Caribbean's coupons, while I usually scan through the ones that Celebrity provides and then throw them away.

 

Just a thought - but maybe Royal Caribbean can afford to do more for its past passengers than Celebrity does because their cruises are usually more expensive.

[Davey Interweb]

i cant comment on what happens in the USA but was frankly always under the impression you folks paid less than most "foreigners" ie the brits, aussies and we poor northern cousins

 

Canadians actually seem to get a break on Azamara pricing right now. Even though the CAD - USD exchange is about 22% today, CAD $ fares are demanding only a 2% premium over USD fares for the identical category on the three or four sailings I checked out. Thus, anyone in the US booking in Canadian funds would wind up paying about a fifth less than if he or she booked in their own currency.

 

US-based agencies can't offer CAD pricing, however Canadian-based agencies can book in either USD or CAD. I guess you're not a 'poor northern cousin' after all.

[willysgrandma]

It is not permitted on this site to post names, try to post names or tell people to contact you for the name of travel agents.

 

If a Travel Agency is discounting below Celebrity's list price, they can be suspended from selling Celebrity. Posting this information here can get the agency in trouble. TA's are not permitted to discount Celebrity or RCCL by the cruise line. You are not doing the agency a favor by posting any of this publicly.

[Host Walt]

Canadians actually seem to get a break on Azamara pricing right now. Even though the CAD - USD exchange is about 22% today, CAD $ fares are demanding only a 2% premium over USD fares for the identical category on the three or four sailings I checked out. Thus, anyone in the US booking in Canadian funds would wind up paying about a fifth less than if he or she booked in their own currency.

 

US-based agencies can't offer CAD pricing, however Canadian-based agencies can book in either USD or CAD. I guess you're not a 'poor northern cousin' after all.

Actually, with the rapid movement of currency exchange rates. it's quite possible that an Australian booking with a US agent can get a very good deal (or a very bad deal).

[Davey Interweb]

Actually, with the rapid movement of currency exchange rates. it's quite possible that an Australian booking with a US agent can get a very good deal (or a very bad deal).

 

Yep. I think the Aussies would probably realize a better deal in CAD funds, though. This piqued my interest, so I checked out a Celebrity sailing at random (maybe not so random, my parents will be on this one):

 

Oct. 11 Infinity, CC stateroom, per person:

 

$2549 USD = $3919 AUD

 

$2589 CAD = $3272 AUD

 

I used current FOREX rates for the exchange; this wouldn't be entirely real-world accurate because of fees/commissions or whatnot, but it's close and you get the idea. It's crazy how booking in one currency versus another can net a big savings for some folks.