best place to purchase celebrity cruise?

[frisbeeace]

I can´t say how it works explicit for Americans using a TA.

 

In Europe you will have a small TA this will call another agency, the agency will call the partner of Celebrity. Online TA in the States have longer bussiness hours and more faster information

 

It is the same way here as the RCCL rep acts as a wholeseller and does not deal directly with end users. This was the reason why I lost a couple of price reductions and decided to work with an online agency.

 

However, be aware that sometimes fares are lower for your country of residence and you will miss them or lose price reductions working with a US based TA. Today Aqua Class for my sail date is $2,199 locally while it is being sold at $2,699 in the US. You can see both prices just by changing countries at Celebrity Cruises web site.

 

Reason could be that Celebrity prefers to burn empty upscale cabins abroad where none or just a few were sold to avoid facing lots of price reduction requests in their larger markets.

[carnivalman]

You're giving up a lot of OBC for "what-ifs"

 

 

How does that saying go? Screw me once shame on you, screw me twice shame on me!!!!! I'd rather be penny wise than pound foolish.

 

I don't play what if games. Since I had a problem that took a while to straighten out, I choose not to play games. OBC is nice but not at the risk of potential problems. Rather be Safe than Sorry. That's why I get to the airport the night before a flight and at the port city the day before the boat leaves. It's called the cost of doing business.

 

Recently, we left a hotel at the Philly airport to get our flight to San Juan for a cruise departing following day, and on the shuttle bus was a couple getting their flight to Ft. Lauderdale for a cruise leaving the day of their flight. In a roundabout way I found they always stay at the airport in Philly the night before flying out the same day to the city where the boat leaves from. While there may be a good reason, why risk a foul-up the day of and just fly into the port city the day before and spend the same amount of money for a room?

 

And if there is a problem at the dock, the fact it's a company employee is better than hearing, "please call your TA your papers are not in order".

 

As far as travel experience, I've logged over 1 million air miles. So I have a little bit of experience of what can go wrong and thus assess the potential snafus and risks.

[cvaty]

It is the same way here as the RCCL rep acts as a wholeseller and does not deal directly with end users. This was the reason why I lost a couple of price reductions and decided to work with an online agency.

 

However, be aware that sometimes fares are lower for your country of residence and you will miss them or lose price reductions working with a US based TA. Today Aqua Class for my sail date is $2,199 locally while it is being sold at $2,699 in the US. You can see both prices just by changing countries at Celebrity Cruises web site.

 

Reason could be that Celebrity prefers to burn empty upscale cabins abroad where none or just a few were sold to avoid facing lots of price reduction requests in their larger markets.

Hi frisbeeace,

thank you very much for your post.

[Bridge Maven]

It can work the other way too. Whenever I find a price for an existing reservation that is is lower than it was at the time of booking, I simply call the cruise line where someone can help me immediately and receive an e-mail with that amended lower price by the time I get off the phone. When a similar situation happened with a reservation that I booked through a travel agent, the travel agent was not in when I called, no one else in the office could help me, and it took days for her to return my call. By that time the lower fare was no longer available so I wound up paying more than if I had booked the cruise directly through the cruise line.

[ghstudio]

It can work the other way too. Whenever I find a price for an existing reservation that is is lower than it was at the time of booking, I simply call the cruise line where someone can help me immediately and receive an e-mail with that amended lower price by the time I get off the phone. When a similar situation happened with a reservation that I booked through a travel agent, the travel agent was not in when I called, no one else in the office could help me, and it took days for her to return my call. By that time the lower fare was no longer available so I wound up paying more than if I had booked the cruise directly through the cruise line.

 

You obviously do not have a good travel agent....he/she should have either returned the call, had someone in the office who could handle the call, or refund the difference to you. That's pretty inexcusable and I would probably have pushed quite a bit.

[gold1953]

Hi all, I booked my cruise this week, Constellation..Jan.03/10..Panama Canal. I called a major TA and Celebrity. Even though the same cabin price showed for both it was almost $200.00 cheaper through Celebrity as they had a 'Canadian' price which did not reflect the true exchange rate. The TA had to use the currency conversion rate. He seemed surprised at my total and said he could not compete. Now I am on the daily watch for price reductions . This was my first experience in booking as my only other cruise was last month ( Carnival Sensation , 4 night , Bahamas) was booked by friends.After reading a few posts I feel even better about booking direct hearing how there is a better chance of getting a reduction before it bounces back up.:p After the one simple cruise I am already feeling like an addict!

[101Jus]

To me it depends upon how much control you want to have over your booking. As others have said you can sometimes get on board credits or other small things from travel agencies, especially the large online ones. They are prohibited from offering a cruise rate that is lower than Celebrity so that price will be the same.

So how come I managed to book our 2010 Eclipse cruise considerably cheaper through an online TA than with Celebrity direct? Not only did we secure the early booking discount of £400 that Celebrity was offering at the time, but also a further 10.2% off the price quoted by Celebrity on their website. In our case booking with a TA was a no-brainer!! In fact we had 3 TA's fighting over our business and continually bettering each others prices; worked out brilliantly for us!

[Cruise Junky]

So how come I managed to book our 2010 Eclipse cruise considerably cheaper through an online TA than with Celebrity direct?

 

Because good TAs figured ways around that stupid price rule pretty quick :)

[Bridge Maven]

So how come I managed to book our 2010 Eclipse cruise considerably cheaper through an online TA than with Celebrity direct? Not only did we secure the early booking discount of £400 that Celebrity was offering at the time, but also a further 10.2% off the price quoted by Celebrity on their website. In our case booking with a TA was a no-brainer!! In fact we had 3 TA's fighting over our business and continually bettering each others prices; worked out brilliantly for us!

 

Some TA's respect their clients and follow their rules while others do whatever they want. Even though I enjoy saving money, I would be reluctant to do business with anyone who thinks the rules don't apply to them.

[Ma Bell]

Some TAs who do a lot of business with a cruiseline are on a different commission structure and have the opportunity to get better group rates. They are not doing anything that's "against the rules".

[Mysticks1]

So how come I managed to book our 2010 Eclipse cruise considerably cheaper through an online TA than with Celebrity direct? Not only did we secure the early booking discount of £400 that Celebrity was offering at the time, but also a further 10.2% off the price quoted by Celebrity on their website. In our case booking with a TA was a no-brainer!! In fact we had 3 TA's fighting over our business and continually bettering each others prices; worked out brilliantly for us!

 

Good for you - it could be group rates if you are included in a group that the TA has booked. I have recieved lower rates from a TA by being booked with a group which included OBC, etc. Even though I didn't know until I boarded that I was in a group. The TA didn't mention that when I booked.

I am not familiar with the practices of overseas TA's so I can't comment on their practices or the guidelines that they have. My comments were based on my dealings with US Travel Agencies.

[2sunny]

We always book through our TA, she gives us an On Board Credit and usually also pays our gratuities, because as most of you said, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean do not allow discounting of the actual cruise rate. Our TA is available 24/7 so needing anything or having any questions is NEVER a problem. She has always been a GREAT help, especially when we first started cruising and had LOTS of questions. She never made us feel like we had dumb questions, in fact she gave us a lot of information that we did not even know to ask! She has her own Agency and she is the only Agent, so I do not have to worry about having to deal with 'other' people that do not know us. We have booked about 7 or 8 cruises with her and 3 land vacations. We have no reason to change.

[Wilcoam]

No personal offense Bridge Maven but if have chosen to book direct with the likes of HAL - NCL - and Princess (instead of going through a TA) you most likely greatly OVERPAID for your cruise

 

If you would tell people here - look I don't mind OVERPAYING cos I feel I get great service that would be one thing - but your posts don't reflect that - as my best guess is that you don't realize how much you in fact overpaid (?)

 

IMO that's awfully BAD 'economic' ADVICE

Now back to the original question regarding booking direct with X

 

Except for small OBC's IMO Celebrity does not discount as much as NCL - Princess - HAL (via TA's) eliminating a major reason why alot of us like to book via a TA

 

It basicially comes down to a personal choice between whether the TA can offer an OBC versus who you feel offers a better booking service

 

IMO if there's no OBC and it's a choice of using an on-line TA I would book direct with Celebrity - however If I had a local TA or one whom can offer a higher level of service because you are a repeat customer I would ALWAYS book with them instead of booking direct with a cruiseline

 

Oh ya and I would NEVER EVER buy a cruiseline or a TA Insurance policy - I would always buy primary insurance period but that's another post

 

Just my 3 cents (lol)

Good luck

jc

Cruises on all the Mainstream lines n Silverseas and prefers X over all of them

[Addict]

So how come I managed to book our 2010 Eclipse cruise considerably cheaper through an online TA than with Celebrity direct? Not only did we secure the early booking discount of £400 that Celebrity was offering at the time, but also a further 10.2% off the price quoted by Celebrity on their website. In our case booking with a TA was a no-brainer!! In fact we had 3 TA's fighting over our business and continually bettering each others prices; worked out brilliantly for us!

 

Hi. You may not be aware that the U.K. booking rules are different from the U.S. Our TAs are allowed to give discounts, whereas those in the U.S. are not. Their TAs will generally offer incentives of onboard credit to get round the fact that they can't (or should not) discount Celebrity's prices. That is one advantage the Brits have over the U.S (about the only one though).

 

Sue

[Cruise Junky]

Hi. You may not be aware that the U.K. booking rules are different from the U.S. Our TAs are allowed to give discounts, whereas those in the U.S. are not. Their TAs will generally offer incentives of onboard credit to get round the fact that they can't (or should not) discount Celebrity's prices. That is one advantage the Brits have over the U.S (about the only one though).

 

Sue

 

The US one's do too. For our last Celebrity booking I think we were getting a $500 OBC, they asked if we would like that deducted from the final price...Hmmmm how is that different for discounting I thought :)

[101Jus]

Hi. You may not be aware that the U.K. booking rules are different from the U.S. Our TAs are allowed to give discounts, whereas those in the U.S. are not. Their TAs will generally offer incentives of onboard credit to get round the fact that they can't (or should not) discount Celebrity's prices. That is one advantage the Brits have over the U.S (about the only one though).

 

Sue

You're right, I wasn't aware of this! And there was me thinking I'd got a bargain :(. I guess more more Americans book direct with X than us Brits then? There seems little advantage for Brits to book direct.

[Addict]

You're right, I wasn't aware of this! And there was me thinking I'd got a bargain :(. I guess more more Americans book direct with X than us Brits then? There seems little advantage for Brits to book direct.

 

Hi

 

No advantage at all, however I would normally book on line through Celebrity, so I can keep control of the booking, then before final payment, get some quotes from TAs to see who will give you the best price, then transfer the booking to them. Most TAs will give you around 10% off Celebritys price. We have used a few but found the best to a major high street chain. Not allowed to mention who on here, but they are good cooks.:D

 

Sue

[excitedofharpenden]

Hi

 

No advantage at all, however I would normally book on line through Celebrity, so I can keep control of the booking, then before final payment, get some quotes from TAs to see who will give you the best price, then transfer the booking to them. Most TAs will give you around 10% off Celebritys price. We have used a few but found the best to a major high street chain. Not allowed to mention who on here, but they are good cooks.:D

 

Sue

Interesting Sue. I didn't know you could do that. I've recently booked a cruise direct on X's wsebsite for the reason you mentioned. If I do transfer it to a TA at a later date is it just a case of me phoning them up and giving the booking number? Does it preserve the non-refundable deposit element?

 

Thanks.

 

Phil

[Oceangoer2]

However, if you are in other countries than the US (and perhaps Canada) you are booking with a Celebrity agent...not celebrity. If you call celebrity and ask them to move your cabin or do anything at all with your reservation, Celebrity will tell you that they can't do it. If there is a financial question, Celebrity will tell you it's between you and the TA.

 

To me....that is not booking with Celebrity....

I book directly with Celebrity from Canada with no problem. Emails, phone calls, etc are with the same Celebrity Planner, based with RCCL (as they all are). Price drops have been refunded, cabins changed, OBC's paid (from booking onboard during a cruise)....with one phone call, not telephone/email tag. One difference from a TA...I look for the price drops myself and request from the Planner...he doesn't look for me; however, I like being in charge of my travel and not waiting for a TA to have the time to look/work for me and respect that it isn't everyone's cup of tea.

[Cindy G]

For my upcoming 17 night Mercury cruise, I found "gifts" from various TA's ranging a bottle of wine, $200.00pp OBC, prepaid gratuities to $500.00 cabin credit. Prepaid gratuities would amount to slightly over $500.00 as we will be in a suite. Celebrity is currently holding my reservation, but I will transfer to an agent before final payment.

 

I would have never known about procedure if it weren't for Cruise Critic. There is a wealth is information on these boards. Flagger, thank you, you know why....

 

Cheers! Cindy G

[Addict]

Interesting Sue. I didn't know you could do that. I've recently booked a cruise direct on X's wsebsite for the reason you mentioned. If I do transfer it to a TA at a later date is it just a case of me phoning them up and giving the booking number? Does it preserve the non-refundable deposit element?

 

Thanks.

 

Phil

 

Hi Phil

 

Celebrity won't accept instructions from the TA - you have to contact Celebrity yourself giving them the res.no. and the TA's details (with their agent code if you can get it). I normally try to leave it as late as possible until I transfer for two reasons....

 

1 TA's aren't always willing to honour the price drops so the longer you keep hold of the booking the better.

2 - The deadline for final payment is later with Celebrity than it will be with a TA - I transferred our last cruise to a TA within their final payment period, but before Celebrity's deadline - so I keep hold of my money longer. Celebrity weren't keen on transferring at this late stage though - but they did.

 

I just ring TAs and ask what discount they give on Celebrity cruises - it varies by Cruiseline. They are normally quite open about it depending on who you ring. Then explain you have a cruise booked direct and are looking at transferring - easy money for them as they don't have to sell you anything. As I said, normally TC are the best - even better than some online TAs that claim they cannot be beaten.

 

Not quite sure what you mean by "does it preserve the non-refundable deposit element" - if you mean would you get your deposit back if you cancel, then no, same rules will apply.

 

Let me know if you need any more info.

 

Sue

[Bridge Maven]

No personal offense Bridge Maven but if have chosen to book direct with the likes of HAL - NCL - and Princess (instead of going through a TA) you most likely greatly OVERPAID for your cruise

 

If you would tell people here - look I don't mind OVERPAYING cos I feel I get great service that would be one thing - but your posts don't reflect that - as my best guess is that you don't realize how much you in fact overpaid (?)

 

IMO that's awfully BAD 'economic' ADVICE

Now back to the original question regarding booking direct with X

 

Except for small OBC's IMO Celebrity does not discount as much as NCL - Princess - HAL (via TA's) eliminating a major reason why alot of us like to book via a TA

 

It basicially comes down to a personal choice between whether the TA can offer an OBC versus who you feel offers a better booking service

 

IMO if there's no OBC and it's a choice of using an on-line TA I would book direct with Celebrity - however If I had a local TA or one whom can offer a higher level of service because you are a repeat customer I would ALWAYS book with them instead of booking direct with a cruiseline

 

Oh ya and I would NEVER EVER buy a cruiseline or a TA Insurance policy - I would always buy primary insurance period but that's another post

 

Just my 3 cents (lol)

Good luck

jc

Cruises on all the Mainstream lines n Silverseas and prefers X over all of them

 

We have booked cruises directly through five different cruise lines, including Celebrity, and based on our experience, we have received much better service from all of these cruise lines than we ever did from a travel agent.

 

I realize that there are some excellent travel agents but, unfortunately, we have never found them.

[excitedofharpenden]

Hi Phil

 

Celebrity won't accept instructions from the TA - you have to contact Celebrity yourself giving them the res.no. and the TA's details (with their agent code if you can get it). I normally try to leave it as late as possible until I transfer for two reasons....

 

1 TA's aren't always willing to honour the price drops so the longer you keep hold of the booking the better.

2 - The deadline for final payment is later with Celebrity than it will be with a TA - I transferred our last cruise to a TA within their final payment period, but before Celebrity's deadline - so I keep hold of my money longer. Celebrity weren't keen on transferring at this late stage though - but they did.

 

I just ring TAs and ask what discount they give on Celebrity cruises - it varies by Cruiseline. They are normally quite open about it depending on who you ring. Then explain you have a cruise booked direct and are looking at transferring - easy money for them as they don't have to sell you anything. As I said, normally TC are the best - even better than some online TAs that claim they cannot be beaten.

 

Not quite sure what you mean by "does it preserve the non-refundable deposit element" - if you mean would you get your deposit back if you cancel, then no, same rules will apply.

 

Let me know if you need any more info.

 

Sue

Sue, perfect! Thanks for the information. The bit I put about the deposit related to carrying it on to the TA should I wish to go that route.

 

Phil

[Addict]

Sue, perfect! Thanks for the information. The bit I put about the deposit related to carrying it on to the TA should I wish to go that route.

 

Phil

 

Oh I see what you mean now. The TA will allow for the money you have already paid. TC have it down to a fine art - others seem to have problems with their internal systems that make it difficult for them to account for any deposits paid direct to the cruise line - so you may get an invoice that shows the deposit not having been paid, even though they know you have - I always get them to handwrite on that we have paid £x already.

 

TC's system allows them to enter the deposit as being paid direct to cruiseline - and their invoicing always shows the correct amount.

 

No I'm not a TA - I have just learned the tricks of the trade really quickly through Cruise Critic info and making mistakes myself along the way of my relatively short cruising career!!! LOL.

 

Sue

[excitedofharpenden]

Oh I see what you mean now. The TA will allow for the money you have already paid. TC have it down to a fine art - others seem to have problems with their internal systems that make it difficult for them to account for any deposits paid direct to the cruise line - so you may get an invoice that shows the deposit not having been paid, even though they know you have - I always get them to handwrite on that we have paid £x already.

 

TC's system allows them to enter the deposit as being paid direct to cruiseline - and their invoicing always shows the correct amount.

 

No I'm not a TA - I have just learned the tricks of the trade really quickly through Cruise Critic info and making mistakes myself along the way of my relatively short cruising career!!! LOL.

 

Sue

That makes sense about the deposit. Thanks. I too am learning as I go along. Done bookings through a UK TA, a US TA and now for the first time direct on the X website. Wish I could work out why they have me down for a roundtrip airfare in my booking details on "My Celebrity" when I'm on a Transatlantic. I can sort that one out a little later with Celebrity though.

 

Thanks for you help, Sue.

 

Phil