American Express Cruise Privileges Program

[CruisinNana]

My TA called X and they will only let me have the AmX credit. Will not let me book other cabins for the credit! For a C1 cabin, it is $100 OBC plus the other perks mentioned.

 

When I asked her about combining AmX with stock, she forgot to ask. I told her just to wait and see, and if they do not combine, then I'll go to bat to try to make it happen.

 

Sorry I wasn't much help.

 

TA called again today and she was able to get the AmX perk on 3 of my 4 cabins.

[lysolqn]

TA called again today and she was able to get the AmX perk on 3 of my 4 cabins.

 

Great! That's how it should be, a maximum of three cabins on any given reservation. Have you heard yet about combining the stockholders' OBC with the AmX OBC benefit?

[travellovers]

Can anyone help me out with a number my ta can call and actually find out the super special secret tracking number they need. She called the amex ta line and they had a message that said they were closed....it was 4pm est...the message went on to say that their hours were until 8pm est. We both left messages. The problem is my ta is going out of town and we cruise next week...so need to get this done asap. would luv to get these perks

[lysolqn]

Can anyone help me out with a number my ta can call and actually find out the super special secret tracking number they need. She called the amex ta line and they had a message that said they were closed....it was 4pm est...the message went on to say that their hours were until 8pm est. We both left messages. The problem is my ta is going out of town and we cruise next week...so need to get this done asap. would luv to get these perks

 

Your TA needs to call AmX Platinum Travel Services (the phone number appears on the back of your platinum card) and ask for Agency Services.

[travellovers]

well after 4 days i have great news....my ta finally got through...with a lot of my research and you alls.

We booked through Delta cruises and my ta called the amex # on the back of my platinum card...that did not work but they gave her another number...and after 3 days of calling and not getting through we have sucess.

Have your ta call (I called they would not give it to me or call my ta) amex at 800-443-7672 option #5 then #2 for tracking number. They will then need to give it to Celebrity. I do not have any kind of confirmation in writing except that my ta says it is done...will see next week. I did not get the upgrade but did get the other perks.

We are on Milli in a family veranda and should receive $100 OBC. We tried to upgrade but are sold out. Only a few on the roll call for this cruise though...was wanting to have the cc party...oh well

Thank you all so much. We will probably get a bottle of wine with our credit...I will be sure to give a toast to cc!

[lysolqn]

well after 4 days i have great news....my ta finally got through...with a lot of my research and you alls.

We booked through Delta cruises and my ta called the amex # on the back of my platinum card...that did not work but they gave her another number...and after 3 days of calling and not getting through we have sucess.

Have your ta call (I called they would not give it to me or call my ta) amex at 800-443-7672 option #5 then #2 for tracking number. They will then need to give it to Celebrity. I do not have any kind of confirmation in writing except that my ta says it is done...will see next week. I did not get the upgrade but did get the other perks.

We are on Milli in a family veranda and should receive $100 OBC. We tried to upgrade but are sold out. Only a few on the roll call for this cruise though...was wanting to have the cc party...oh well

Thank you all so much. We will probably get a bottle of wine with our credit...I will be sure to give a toast to cc!

 

Glad it worked out for you. Enjoy your cruise!

[alexcturner]

I have been discouraged from using the program because AMEX travel is always several hundred dollars higher than any price my TA charges. IMO, it's not worth the extra perks if I am paying more upfront for the cruise. I have also found that price drops are nonexistent (not honored) when booking thru AMEX. I thoroughly enjoy the other perks that come with being a cardholder but not for this program. However, I am glad to see that others are able to use it.

 

Hi. Just wanted to comment on what has occurred with us when using the a Amex Plat Travel Agent for a Celebrity Cruise. I booked last year in October. We sailed this July. Our price went down at least 3 times(maybe 4) and our Plat Agent was able to cancel and rebook each time for us. However, I did confirm on the front end and that this would be how it would work. We still got all the other perks including an onboard credit from Celebrity. Hope this helps.

[I Love NC]

TO: GRACECARMO

 

How did you get the Am. Express Plat. card WITHOUT paying the $450 yearly fee?

 

AND, what is ACCOLADES?

 

Thank you in advance

[STLCRUISIN]

We have two cruises booked in 2010 through Amex Platinum and I contacted RCCL Shareholder Benefits about the question of combining OBC's and this was their response:

 

Good day,

 

The shareholder onboard credit is only combinable with your Royal Rewards points from your Visa credit card. It is not combinable with any other onboard credit offers including American Express.

Please let us know if you need any further assistance.

Thank you.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

What a bummer :(.

[tiyana4]

Hi. Just wanted to comment on what has occurred with us when using the a Amex Plat Travel Agent for a Celebrity Cruise. I booked last year in October. We sailed this July. Our price went down at least 3 times(maybe 4) and our Plat Agent was able to cancel and rebook each time for us. However, I did confirm on the front end and that this would be how it would work. We still got all the other perks including an onboard credit from Celebrity. Hope this helps.

 

I'm glad you were able to take advantage of the price drops. We booked a cruise thru AMEX back in 2007 and the price dropped to half of what we originally paid for our balcony, they wouldn't give us the lower price or upgrade us to a suite whose price had dropped to what we paid. I love AMEX, but I can't take the chance of paying more in hopes of getting a price drop. Our TA gives us a great price up front that I am happy with.

 

TO: GRACECARMO

 

How did you get the Am. Express Plat. card WITHOUT paying the $450 yearly fee?

 

AND, what is ACCOLADES?

 

Thank you in advance

 

I also have the AMEX platinum and do not pay an annual fee. I was given the upgrade a few years ago. I'm guessing it was a perk of being loyal for so many years.

 

We have two cruises booked in 2010 through Amex Platinum and I contacted RCCL Shareholder Benefits about the question of combining OBC's and this was their response:

 

Good day,

 

The shareholder onboard credit is only combinable with your Royal Rewards points from your Visa credit card. It is not combinable with any other onboard credit offers including American Express.

Please let us know if you need any further assistance.

Thank you.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

What a bummer :(.

 

Go figure.... But not to worry, the shareholder credit is better anyway, particularly for longer cruises ($200+).

[lysolqn]

Deleted

[LINGBER]

Update: I was originally trying to get a tracking number for my Eclipse cruise next summer (before I turn the booking over to a TA) but I never thought of my HAL booking on the Eurodam this XMAS. I emailed my TA and asked if she could contact AMEX and see if the perks were available. She reminded me that I paid the deposit with Future Cruise Credits I had purchased last year on the Noordam. Since I use my Platinum AMEX for everything, (need to keep those points coming so I can fly to my cruise ports) :) I located the items on my online statement to show I had purchased the Cruise Credits from HAL with my Amex and she contacted American Express Platinum Travel Services.

 

She emailed me with some good news. Amex issued her a tracking number! I figured I would get Dinner for 2 in the Pinnacle for each cabin booked as the shipboard credits were limited to suites. In turns out I wasn't eligible for the Pinnacle. Not sure why BUT..... instead they adjusted my price down 2 categories so I could keep my same cabins! I saved about $100.00pp Yeah! Thanks to all of you for the info on this thread!

[frisbeeace]

I made a booking today through a US travel agent and he was told that non-US based Platinum Amex cardholders do not qualify for the program. Does anybody had luck otherwise? Anybody in the UK or other countries tried to use the program so far?

[MJonTravel]

Had already booked our 7/5/10 Equinox sailing from Rome. Asked our travel agent about possibly applying the Amex benefit, and she said no problem.... She called Amex, got our tracking #. Initially thought we were getting an upgrade, but that would've been from an A2 to A1 which wasn't so much...so we got the $100 dollar OBC. No muss, no fuss. Although we did have to refund our deposit to our Celebrity Visa and charge it to our Amex Platinum.

[TRacanoUK]

I just was able to take advantage of this program and thought I'd post my results.

 

Last night, I booked a 7 night ex-San Juan cruise on Celebrity Summit (12 December) using my preferred travel agent which is Continental Cruises (for the points and the OBC they tend to give). With them, we got 3,000 miles and $50 OBC, which isn't really anything special, but the cruise was so cheap due to the residency rate, we had to jump at it and we booked a CC cabin.

 

Then, I saw this thread. I talked to American Express (I am a Platinum Charge Card holder) and they said that IF I had booked it with them directly, they would have given us:

 

$100 OBC, Complimentary Dinner for 2 at a specialty restaurant and a bottle of premium champagne for the room, double membership rewards points and a separate $100 statement credit (only valid once per year). The fact we had a residency rate was a moot point, they were eligible for the promotion.

 

Slightly disappointed, I thought about cancelling my original reservation (free of cancellation fees from X, but not my travel agent), but Amex told me that the priveldges could be applied to the reservation, REGARDLESS of whether I booked through PTS or through a travel agent or Celebrity. The only difference is I would lose the statement credit and double membership rewards points.

 

So, I had Continental Cruises call Amex (this was the only way to do it--the travel agent has to ask for Agency Services) and Amex helped Continental apply a $100 OBC (sadly it wasn't combinable with the $50, but its still something more) and they helped them apply the free champagne (which they confirmed is in addition to the X provided one for CC) and the free specialty dining for my wife and I for one night. We did lose out on the double membership rewards points, but given CO gave me 3,000 miles, this was a moot point and we lost out on the Statement credit, but its only good one time per year, so next cruise we'll take advantage of it.

 

All things considered, I was happy with this and glad that my $450+ annual fees aren't getting completely wasted (caveat--I use and abuse the other card priveledges such as the airport lounge access due to my work travel, so this is just an added benefit of the card).

 

ANyhow, just wanted to share our experience.

[lbw]

I'm surprised that you can't combine the OBC from your TA with the Cruise Privileges program. I always thought you could get TA benefits no matter what benefits you get from Celebrity.

 

On the subject of combining benefits, has anyone been able to combine Cruise Privileges with RCCL shareholder benefits? I asked an American Express Platinum rep and he referred me to Celebrity. Captains Club said I should ask American Express. The info on the Amex site does not mention it. On the RCCL Investor Relations site, the Cruise Privileges are not mentioned in the list of benefits that are not combinable. Has anyone gotten a satisfactory answer on this?

[TRacanoUK]

I'm surprised that you can't combine the OBC from your TA with the Cruise Privileges program. I always thought you could get TA benefits no matter what benefits you get from Celebrity.

 

On the subject of combining benefits, has anyone been able to combine Cruise Privileges with RCCL shareholder benefits? I asked an American Express Platinum rep and he referred me to Celebrity. Captains Club said I should ask American Express. The info on the Amex site does not mention it. On the RCCL Investor Relations site, the Cruise Privileges are not mentioned in the list of benefits that are not combinable. Has anyone gotten a satisfactory answer on this?

 

The answer I got on why I couldn't combine the TA OBC and the Amex OBC is that both OBC's were really being issued by Celebrity (e.g. the TA OBC was a Celebrity promotion and the Amex one is essentially a program between the two companies, but Celebrity issues the OBC). I suppose that makes sense. I'm not a shareholder, so I can't speak to the shareholder benefits.

[MJonTravel]

I believe I read earlier in the thread (too lazy to look again) that shareholder OBC and the Amex Cruise Privileges OBC were not combinable. In any event, I'd already sent in my request for shareholder OBC. I'll let you know what they say, and then we'll know fore sure.

[MJonTravel]

The shareholder benefits folks responded that I could not combine the shareholder OBC with the the Amex OBC.

[katiebeth]

Greetings,

 

After reading through this thread, I have gathered that the AMEX cruise privileges program for Celebrity and Azamara began April 1, 2009. We booked a cruise thru our TA on March 24, 2009 for the June 1, 2010 sailing on the Celebrity Eclipse. From what I have gathered, we may not be eligible for the benefits because we booked prior to April 1, 2009. (missed it buy a few days).

 

Is it possible to cancel and re-book in order to receive the AMEX benefits? We have two cabins and my concern is that we would risk losing the same cabins as we have, or have to pay a higher fee if fares have gone up. (I haven't checked fares, yet to see if they have increased.)

 

Any information or input would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Nancy

[MJonTravel]

Nancy,

 

I suppose anything is possible. Best thing would be to talk to your TA first and see if they are willing to work it. I'm guessing that you would be at some amount of risk of losing your two cabins, but again, I'm just guessing.

 

If the fares have gone up, I'm certain you'll be charged the new price, which might negate the value of the OBC or upgrade you'd receive.

 

Talk to your TA and see what they say. You might get a pleasant surprise.

[maryella]

Just an FYI for those looking forward to their free specialty dining reservations. We are on the 2/14/10 sailing of the Solstice in a Royal Suite booked with an AmEx agent. So we had 2 free dining reservations coming to us---one from the suite and the other from AmEx. I called today and was able to make 1 specialty dining reservation from the suite perk. However the AmEx perk reservation is only for 2 people (we have 4 in the suite) and can only be made once onboard not in advance. So sometimes these AmEx benefits look good until you try and use them. I was disappointed that I could not make an advance reservation. I know once we get onboard the prime times will be gone.

[EeezyCruiser]

Sorry to put a damper on the conversation, but during the past year we have been denied several times the Plat Cruise Priv Program perks due to the fact that the discounts I had with the cruiselines were so great, that the cruiselines refused to honor the CPP's! In other words, I got great deals, but no extras.

 

This happened with Azamara (who also refused the shareholder credit, but that's another thread), for our 38 day back to back cruise on the Quest in Nov/Dec. I asked for Amex Plat Service to intervene, but to no avail. The cruise line has the right to refuse.

 

HAL refused, as well, with a one day sale on the Volendam transpacific to Japan in Sept.

 

I was able to use the CRP on Silversea in 2008, but despite the fact that we had 5 back to backs, they would only issue the perks for one cruise.

 

Since these perks are the major reason I took the Plat card, to say that I am disappointed is an understatement. If I saw the glass more half full, I would simply say that this proves I must get very good deals on my cruises, but I'm not that much a half full gal.

 

Anyone else have any rejcts?

[MJonTravel]

They gave me OBC for our upcoming Equinox cruise. But I was denied the shareholder OBC because I had the Amex cruise privileges OBC already applied.

 

I mainly use the Amex card for airline lounge access, so anything else I get is kind of like cream on the top.

[RichS10]

For what its worth, we used the Platinum Cruise Privileges package on our last cruise on the Mercury but have decided not to do it again and have booked directly with Celebrity.

 

We ran into a lot of problems with our Agent who didn't seem to understand the program, gave us erroneous information about applying a Captain's Club Coupon to the cruise, and generally gave us an uneasy feeling about relying on what she said. Part of the problem was that the communications she sent would never actually confirm what she was telling us we would get from the AMEX package.

 

The final straw:

At the time of booking, she expressly assured us that AMEX would honor any reduction in the regular price of the cabin which might occur prior to sailing. But when that happened, neither she nor AMEX were available to apply a discounted fare to our account. She was on vacation and two different people at AMEX Travel said she had to be the one to adjust the price. By the time she returned, the per person fare had returned to its original price. Upon her return, she told us since the discount was no longer on the Celebrity website, there was nothing she could do.

 

Later, out of the blue, she called us with a three-way call with Celebrity, (which did not go well for her). During the three-way call, I made it clear that I did not blame Celebrity for what had happened since I understood Celebrity was unable to modify an "Agent Booking". From my point of view, we had an Agent who was supposed to manage this stuff, which IMO, she did not.

 

Ultimately, the proper OBC's and credits showed up on the account while we were on board, but we never knew whether or not this would actually happen. And I remained convinced that Celebrity made the adjustments on their own to make sure we were satisfied. And for that, I thank Celebrity.

 

So, given the aggravation and general confusion we experienced, we decided to forego the AMEX program this trip and watch our fare on our own. Less uncertainty and aggravation....which is the main point of taking a vacation anyway.

 

Rich