My wife and I are booked on a Celebrity cruise in March. We booked it early last fall. Since then the price has dropped $50 per person, although at one point it was $110 per person lower and since been raised back up a bit. When both my travel agent and I called to see about a rebate, we were told there was nothing they would do other than to move us from the front of the ship more toward the middle. This will be our 8th cruise and first on Celebrity. We chose it because we had heard good things about the line and the itinerary goes some islands we have never been to before. My issue is that every other cruise line has either given us either on-board credit or a rebate when the price dropped, including Royal Caribbean. Celebrity was basically rude to us over the phone and were somewhat not happy that we would even think of asking for such a thing. My feeling is that since we were one of the first ones to be booked, we should not have to pay more than someone who waits until last minute to book. I certainly understand the need to fill the ship and the need for discounted fares, but fair is fair and this does not seem fair to me. Has anyone else had a similar experience, and if so what happened? Thanks for any responses.
Last march we cruised with celebrity, and since we booked WITH celebrity, they ended up lowering our price, and as a result , we received a GREAT deal on a suite. this year we booked through a travel agent, and any price reductions could not be guaranteed because we booked through an agent.
March?
millenium out of San Juan on March 7th? We will be on that one!
happy sailing!
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Monarch of the seas 1998
Voyager Of The Seas 2000
Brilliance of the Seas 2005
Costa Atlantica 2006
Caribbean Princess 2007
Radiance of the Seas 2008
Vision of the Seas 2009
Celebrity Millennium 2010
Celebrity Millennium 2011
Celebrity century June 2011
I sincerely doubt it has anything to do with the fact it is booked through a travel agent or direct. If you note my post above they changed policy for cruises booked AFTER May 17, 2010. They don't have different policies for where a cruise is booked.
There are some cruise lines that have had a no-rebate policy for a long time, such as NCL, Silversea and others. As Cruise Fanatic noted, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity's no-rebate policy is more recent, but has been in place since May. They compare it to buying a suit in September, and bringing it back unworn in February to ask the store for money back because the suit's price has gone down since 5 months earlier. It's not gonna happen.
I've heard cruise lines say that the only way they'll refund money these days is if they also have the right to ask for more money, if the price of your category has gone up. The price of your category may have been as likely to go up as down. Those who wait until the last minute to book are just as likely to pay more on most cruises, be sold out of the category they want, or have the least desirable cabin locations from which to choose. It's even more of a gamble than booking early with the possibility that the price may go down.
Once you're within the penalty period (as of final payment date), cruise itself is no longer being adjusted in price, no matter who booked it and when it was booked.
Are you sure you were not asking for the reduction AFTER final payment? Celebrity will honor any price reductions as long as they are still in effect when you request them and, more importantly, as long as it is before final payment. TA or Celebrity will do this.
Celebrity Price Reduction Policy???
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