Celebrity to start Bundle Only Pricing- Will RCL be Next?

I wonder if RCL will do this as well. It seems like they are heading in that direction

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Celebrity-Cruises-to-go-exclusively-with-bundle-pricing/

I wonder if RCL will do this as well. It seems like they are heading in that direction

 

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Celebrity-Cruises-to-go-exclusively-with-bundle-pricing/

Should be interesting to see. Royal competes more with Carnival and NCL, so we will see if they can raise prices against those folks.

Should be interesting to see. Royal competes more with Carnival and NCL, so we will see if they can raise prices against those folks.

I think NCL is already offering bundle choices, not yet mandatory.

I think NCL is already offering bundle choices, not yet mandatory.

The article mentioned that only insides could be bought without a package. I just can't see that mandatory packages would fly against other cruise lines where the packages are not mandatory.

I think AI options would be nice, I wouldn't expect them to rush to it though.

MSC came with a version of this called 'Exclusive Experiences' introduced last September. I think they will compete directly with RCI and NCL as well.

They have

Bella - a la carte pricing, no dining or cabin selection

Fantastica - better cabin location, Free room service and breakfast in bed, 50% off select services and enrichment program for children.

Aurea - premium balcony or suite, unlimited drinks, My choice dining, one Free spa service, Private sundeck, priority boarding.

MSC Yacht Club, ship within a ship all inclusive with butler service. Private dining, bar and pool and unlimited spa entrance.

They introduced the Yacht Club that was somewhat copied by NCL with Haven.

I love the concept -- the All-Inclusive 1-2-3 Go! was a deciding factor in my cruise to Panama next March. When I calculated in the value of the beverage package, the included gratuities, and my $725 OBC:eek: ($300 from the 1-2-3, $300 for booking on-board, and $125 as an apology for a problem with our balcony last May), it brings the per-diem price down ridiculously low. We're cruising for a net cost of WELL under $100/person/day in Aqua Class!:D

I really like the idea and convenience of an all-inclusive product. For my last few cruises I've taken care of most things ahead of time to make the cruises feel all-inclusive, and it's been very enjoyable. I also agree with it being done in such a way that people aren't paying for things they don't want, but having the pricing available for those of us who do.

I'm anxious to see what the new suite benefits are...I'm hoping for tiered perks much like what they've done with suites on Celebrity, with the top suites being more or less all-inclusive. I'd also like to see Royal Caribbean handle their beverage packages more like Celebrity. I was on the Constellation in the Baltics for 12 nights last year, and I don't think I was presented with an annoying slip of paper once!:p

I wonder if RCL will do this as well. It seems like they are heading in that direction

 

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Celebrity-Cruises-to-go-exclusively-with-bundle-pricing/

RCL will implement a version named "Go Big, or Go Home" - An exclusive "Pay for everything we have to sell that you wouldn't otherwise ever purchase, or don't bother sailing with us again" program that's sure to be a big hit:rolleyes::eek:;)

RCL will implement a version named "Go Big, or Go Home" - An exclusive "Pay for everything we have to sell that you wouldn't otherwise ever purchase, or don't bother sailing with us again" program that's sure to be a big hit:rolleyes::eek:;)

I don't know whether to laugh or cry about what you said. RCI seems to be leaning in that direction sometimes with the cost of all the extras these days. :rolleyes:

I don't know whether to laugh or cry about what you said. RCI seems to be leaning in that direction sometimes with the cost of all the extras these days. :rolleyes:

yes they are and their "sales" have been a joke. Hence why we have 3 7 night cruises booked with Celebrity and one with NCL on Sky. Will still cruise Royal, but now look at all the other options as well. b/t Royal, Celebrity, Princess and NCL, will go with who gives us the most bang for our buck. Cannot wait to see what this new pricing on Celebrity will look like and whether it will be a better deal that I already have on Celebrity for my next 3 cruises with them

Will the new prices be combinable with resident and senior promotions? The current 123go offers are not, so....... This is nothing more than making 123go permanent and offer different pricing tiers for consumers to choose from. Long term I think it's a good strategy.

I don't know whether to laugh :

Oh, go ahead and laugh :p You KNOW that was funny! :D

When we began cruising, the filet on the menu was not an up charge; it was the "default" if you did not like was on the daily menu. I would pay more to avoid additional charges on board. Charge me more for a bundle. Give me onboard credit to use for shore excursions or a specialty restaurant. So many of us travel to get to port. Please continue to provide robes for us. Rethink some of the cutbacks. it's nice to have a pen and paper handy to leave a note for the steward ( or someone else you are traveling with). A plastic bags is great for use when you have a wet swim suit ( or need to carry something). I could go on but I won't .

While they said cruise only pricing is available for inside cabins only in reality it is available for all classes. By selecting the go big option which includes one benefit you just select the prepaid gratuities which you woukd have to pay for anyway. Really don't know why they excluded the inside cabins.

RCL will implement a version named "Go Big, or Go Home" - An exclusive "Pay for everything we have to sell that you wouldn't otherwise ever purchase, or don't bother sailing with us again" program that's sure to be a big hit:rolleyes::eek:;)

:D I love it! :D In our case... Go big or go often (Carnival from now on if prices keep hiking up like they do). I choose "often", on a budget, rather than all inclusive (stuff I don't want). BTW... booked Magic today for $96 per person per day (including taxes and fees) for a cove balcony... Southern Caribbean, here we come.

Of course they will. As it said in the article, this has been 2 years in the making. The big agencies are getting behind it already and why not. It will give them bigger commissions and Celebrity larger profits.

We all know that the Royal bottom line is all that's important to them as they want to keep the stock price up and the shareholders happy. It would not surprise me to see them follow the $$$$ trail very quickly and start bundling as well.

:D I love it! :D In our case... Go big or go often (Carnival from now on if prices keep hiking up like they do). I choose "often", on a budget, rather than all inclusive (stuff I don't want). BTW... booked Magic today for $96 per person per day (including taxes and fees) for a cove balcony... Southern Caribbean, here we come.

Carnival magic or Disney Magic?

Carnival magic or Disney Magic?

Oh, definitely Carnival Magic. If Disney were that price, I would book a whole month. They are way outside of our budget. :D

And why are transatlantics excluded?

And why are transatlantics excluded?

Possibly because on a pp pd basis they are priced very low. If they added the amount to cover the offered perks they may not be competitive with other lines.

They better not try to sell me an All-Inclusive package that I don't want. If they do I'll boycott them!:mad:

By the way. I already boycott my local grocery stores - they raised the price of eggs, milk, meats, all sorts of stuff.

I also boycott clothing stores. Have you seen the prices for pants & shirts lately?

And, I stopped driving. they're not gonna get me to pay higher gas prices.

I might be hungry, naked, and have to walk everywhere, but I'm happy?:confused:

Can't blame any cruise line for trying to find new ways to bring in revenue. With the cost of everything rising, they're welcome (as far as I'm concerned) to try new things; the cruising public will tell them if they work or not.

They better not try to sell me an All-Inclusive package that I don't want. If they do I'll boycott them!:mad:

 

By the way. I already boycott my local grocery stores - they raised the price of eggs, milk, meats, all sorts of stuff.

 

I also boycott clothing stores. Have you seen the prices for pants & shirts lately?

 

And, I stopped driving. they're not gonna get me to pay higher gas prices.

 

I might be hungry, naked, and have to walk everywhere, but I'm happy?:confused:

 

Can't blame any cruise line for trying to find new ways to bring in revenue. With the cost of everything rising, they're welcome (as far as I'm concerned) to try new things; the cruising public will tell them if they work or not.

+1

Love the "this is all about greed" posts we keep reading....as if the #1 reason ANY public company is in business isn't to make as much money as possible. No cruise line is immune...I had two Celebrity cruises booked at one point and their CC board was full of complaints regarding changing itineraries to include overnights to save costs. NCL boards were full of complaints about not being able to bring food back to your cabin. Companies exist to put another dollar on the bottom line...most of the time that means increased prices or decreased services...or both.

Intersting label: bundled. Makes me think of ATT Uverse bundling my telephone, internet, and TV.

Anyway, I've been "bundling" my cruise pricing for years, because I always include the price of tips when I'm budgeting. With MTD we always pay them with final payment, so it's always been a part of the price.

I'm sure the base cruise price is now increased to account for the cost of these extra offers.

Seems like business as usual to me.

I would have a couple of questions. First, can you book one perk for person A in a cabin and a different perk for person B? On a 7-night cruise, $300 of on-board credit might be a little too much for my wife and I, and definitely too much for shorter cruises.

Second, once you book, can you use on-board credit to book excursions before embarkation, or does that literally mean "on-board credit"?

Intersting label: bundled. Makes me think of ATT Uverse bundling my telephone, internet, and TV.

 

Anyway, I've been "bundling" my cruise pricing for years, because I always include the price of tips when I'm budgeting. With MTD we always pay them with final payment, so it's always been a part of the price.

 

I'm sure the base cruise price is now increased to account for the cost of these extra offers.

 

Seems like business as usual to me.

This is exactly what I thought about bundling...LOL. I've got UVerse "bundled" as well. I would consider an all-inclusive package if the pricing makes sense to me.