ChucktownSteve

I received the same offer for our Alaskan cruise:

For a limited time, you can earn up to $100 in OBC when pre-booking shore excursions on all 4-night or longer Celebrity voyages to Alaska between September 1, 2014 and December 31, 2015. Pre-reserve at least four shore excursions per person to qualify for OBC, which you can use to purchase additional tours, spa treatments, specialty dining, and more. Tours must be booked by December 31, 2014 and sell out fast, so take advantage of this special offer today.

I immediately deleted it. But it was still in my trash bin when I saw this thread.

We already have the free classic bev package for two, free gratuities and OBC. Therefore we'd have to way overpay eight Celebrity tours for $100 OBC in advance. What genious in X marketing thought this was a good deal for us?

Now do a buy one get one free might be a promotion that would work. Then they'd be price competitive with the private tour companies.

I'd be curious to see how many people fall for the promotion.

As to Oceania, you just may be disappointed. However, I think there are a lot of intangibles about Oceania that are hard to quantify in dollars and cents. Those intangibles (able to get best dock locations, go places larger ships can't go, always improving and changing for the better (fill out those mid-cruise and final cruise evaluation forms - then watch your changes occur!!), having tourism reps come on board the ship, more ports and fewer sea days than most cruise lines, etc., etc.) add a lot of value. Then again, if you don't like the older passenger base (especially on the smaller ships, which I think attract an older crowd) or the lack of non-stop, younger-based entertainment (what Celebrity does better), you may feel that Oceania is just not your thing. But hey, it beats sitting at home, right?

 

You and beachchairs enjoy your cruises, whatever rooms you end up in! No matter what or where they are, you'll still have an immaculate bathroom, clean towels and sheets, and an absolutely fabulous cabin steward/stewardess and his/her assistant to keep it nice for you!

By the way, we just got back from Lisbon. I LOVED that city. Hope you get to see a little of it before going to the airport! If not, make sure to get up early for the sail-in - you'll see a lot that way, assuming it's light!

You just happened to mention the things about a cruise ship that are important to me. I also prefer the smaller to mid sized ships They're more intimate.

Besides we happen to be one of *older* passengers in our mid 60's. :D

We're spending an extra two nights in Lisbon before flying home. So you have an uncanny knack for knowing our preferences. ;)

our deposits were $900 pp....that is huge....have never given that kind of deposit....

 

as I said, we paid for an inside guarantee.....on the first day of sales....and were given an inside cabin almost right away....

we were surprised at the speed that was done.....

We purchased our Marina cruise from Rome to Lisbon next month more than a year out. We paid the GTY rate through our travel agent and got an immediately assigned cabin of our choice...low and inside where the DW prefers. The TA got us a total of $600 OBC, the free internet and prepaid gratuities! I was thrilled to be able to pay bottom rate and get early cabin of choice. We only use the cabin for napping/sleeping and we're very port intensive anyway.

I'm just glad we're trying O for the first time since I've learned such positive things about the line. Even though it's more per night than other lines, I expect it to be a good value with quality.

If you suspect bed bugs in your cabin, whatever you do, don't turn off the lights! They like to multiply in the dark like single inebriated people looking to hook up at closing time. :rolleyes:

I have the free classic package on two upcoming cruises. After looking at the available liquors under the classic and premium plans, it's a NO brainer for me. Well worth the $11.50 per night.

But I'm going to wait until the first morning before upgrading. I can "suffer" through the classic package for a 1/2 night. The full sea day I'll definitely get my value.:D

Besides, I want to use my OBC or my DW will spend it on jewelery in their shops. :eek:

Yippee no more Rum Runners. ;)

Therefore my and I should tell them that we are single and are brother and sister and not married so we can get double points. :rolleyes:

 

Happy sailing 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

If I read what you said correctly, you'd tell them you sleep with your sister to get extra club points? :eek: :rolleyes:

I think you missed the content. That's for ONE person in a stateroom paying the 200% single penalty. I'm sure if you took two staterooms with the 200% fee per stateroom, they'd be more than happy to give you the extra club points. :p

OMG I don't know how I stumbled upon this thread but I was on probably one of the last Admiral Azure Seas cruises out of FLL. I loved the ship. It was so cozy and friendly. We were invited to dine with the Captain at his table one night.

I believe it was just before Admiral went out of business so they were cutting corners. The only entertainment on board were ship's crew. One night the Captain played his accordion as the full show. lol Truly unforgettable. :eek:

She was a GREAT ship.

I forgot to mention---we have some Choice Hotel points that we could use to book the room. I know it is bare bones, but the reviews seem pretty positive.

That motel is about a 20 minute drive to the port if there's no traffic. I haven't stayed there since I live in Charleston. However if you're only spending one night and don't want to be downtown until the day of your cruise, this may suit your purpose. There are several restaurants near by in the Tanger Outlet area.

Your claim in the original post was that the reduction in costs in the quarterly financial report shows that passenger service, food quality, etc. is being degraded.

Just to set the record straight, That wasn't my claim. It was the Dow Jones article that said that.

The only part of that post that was mine was the first line. "Because they do" It was an observation of what appears to be an increase of such whining on the boards.

BTW I don't remember who brought up a reduction in Celebrity passenger service, but it wasn't me. My comment in a later post was a generalization of how companies in general were able to beat the bottom line without raising the top line. In the quarterly report, RCL beat both.

Celebrity has cut some corners over the years and they have raised pricing. Just compare your per night price from two to four years ago when the cruise market was soft to the current pricing which isn't as heavily discounted.

I'm not saying it was a bad thing. If I didn't like Celebrity, I wouldn't have booked two cruises for next year. :) I can't speak directly about food quality declining or not until next year's cruise because I haven't been on Celebrity since the Mercury three years ago

But our news is reporting some things are actually down these days. They made a big deal about Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches, PB, Jelly and bread are down.

 

Sure, many food stuffs have increased in cost, but there are certainly some areas that have not, and have declined, so the "mixed bag" may closely even out over time.

 

Also I think the lines have done things like reduced portion size (such as slimmer cuts of meat) that has let them remain steady in food cost. F&B Directors are well in tune with keeping food cost in line, by adjusting menus, ingredients, portion sizes etc.

When Celebrity begins serving PB&J then it's cost will be relevant to me since we don't have kids. :rolleyes: We're spending our kid's inheritance. :p

According to Dr. Mark J. Perry, a full professor of economics at the Flint campus of The University of Michigan, in an article on SeekingAlpha.com

"The biggest food price increases since last September have been for the various cuts of beef, which have all registered double-digit percentage price increases. Pork products like ham (3.4%) and bacon (7.5%) have also increased, as have milk (5.8%), eggs (2.7%) and cheese (2.3%).On the other hand, other meats have declined in price since last September - turkey by almost 12% and chicken breasts by 2.9%.

The retail prices of many other food items have fallen, many pretty considerably, since last September such as strawberries (-13.8%), coffee (-8.3%), potatoes (-8.2%), cookies (-8.2%), bologna (-7.5%), peanut butter (-7.3%), etc."

So what food stuffs do you suspect RCL buys more of? Isn't it more what they consume that affects the bottom line? If I'm a vegan (which I'd never be cause I love the taste of steak too much), the rise in meat prices doesn't affect my food budget. :D

The financial statements provide no evidence at all that rates are up, and little that passenger services are being significantly downgraded.

 

Total passenger days: 9.033 million vs. 8.486 (6.43% increase)

Total ticket revenue: $1.455 billion vs. 1.367 (6.44% increase)

On Board revenue: $.525 billion vs. .516 (1.72% increase)

 

On the cost side:

Food: $119.2 million vs. 112.5 (5.96% increase)

Food costs tracked passenger days fairly closely, so there is no pattern of cost-cutting there.

 

To summarize, it is not correct to infer from the financial results that fares are up. The numbers leave slightly open the claim that service has been materially reduced, but the relationship is fairly weak given that most of the cost reduction was related to matters other than shipboard service.

On the surface, your analysis makes sense. However I wonder if you're the one who does the grocery shopping in your household? I've noticed a dramatic cost increase in all categories of groceries over the past year.

According to a USA Today article in April "Two months of sharp increases in food prices show grocers are starting to pass along their higher wholesale costs to consumers.Retail food prices rose 0.4% in March, the same as in February and the largest amount since September 2011." http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/04/16/cpi-shows-food-prices-rising/7742669/

So I wonder; if passenger days increased and food costs increased more than food costs spent, wouldn't that indicate cost cutting in food service?

I have a different opinion regarding passenger days vs. ticket revenue. I suspect they're probably not in as much sync as the percentages might indicate. High competition in the Caribbean has driven down the price per passenger to maintain the occupancy rate (passenger days). According to the Dow Jones article in post #1, "Net yields rose 2.4% last quarter amid higher prices for soon-to-depart European sailings" So as some itineraries have increased price, others have had dramatic cuts.

I've made a couple of other observations. A couple of years ago, the Tuesday Exciting Deals had only one or two pages and were available on only one day. Now they're good for two days and are five to seven pages.

Prior to a couple of years ago, you never saw promotions such as 123go. How many times have they brought that back in the past two years? That's value added to try and maintain the booking price point since the food cost of liquor probably runs maybe 15% of their bar charge. Thus the giveaway is a high perceived value and low out of pocket cost.

But if they're giving away as much free liquor as that, a major on board revenue stream, then where are they getting their increased onboard revenue? Again from the original post, "Meanwhile, onboard revenue continued to rise, increasing 3% to mark RCL's 10th-straight quarter of increases."

I'd say that's good business practice to change with the market place and try to maintain your position in the industry. RCL walks a tightrope to keep both it's shareholders and passengers happy. So far they seem to be doing a pretty good job.

one of those pastries jumped off his cart and onto my plate. It was amazing!

Did you fight it off with a fork or your hand? :D

A lot of companies have been beating the bottom line estimates but the top line has remained flat. They made profit by streamlining goods/services and laying off people. That's the economy we've been in for the past several years.

But if you read the original post, RCL beat top and bottom lines. So apparently they haven't chased off that many who couldn't be replaced by those willing to pay more/buy more. If you build value in a product, people are willing to pay for it.

RCL doesn't exist in a vacuum. I'm sure they're keeping a close eye on what their competitors are doing. If the other lines are adjusting the same way, then where else are the customers going to go?

Seems normal commercial activity to me.

 

Ummm how does one cut corners on a cruise...thought ships went around things!

Well usually but the Concordia didn't. :eek:

Regarding the other posts, I concur. I'm a pleased Celebrity cruiser and shareholder benefit user. Especially happy with the 8% jump in price this morning. :D

Because they do!

Royal Caribbean Beats Amid Falling Costs -- Market Talk

BY Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

— 8:54 AM ET 07/24/2014

8:54 EDT - Royal Caribbean (RCL) easily tops its upbeat 2Q profit forecast and gives another for 3Q as the cruise-ship operator sees solid revenue gains. Net yields rose 2.4% last quarter amid higher prices for soon-to-depart European sailings while costs excluding fuel fell 4.7%, helping earnings surge from a year ago. Meanwhile, onboard revenue continued to rise, increasing 3% to mark RCL's 10th-straight quarter of increases.

Actually at todays price CCL dividends yield @ 2.6% and RCL only 1.8%

Both are paying 25 cents/share/quarter.

 

Here's a 3 option shareholder plan, that I feel is very fair :

 

100 shares - 499 shares, no combining allowed.

500-999 shares, combinable with 1 other offer.

1000+ shares, combinable with all offers - even if you currently have more than 1 offer.

Some people may not realize that whether you own or don't own RCL stock, it does not financially benefit the company. You are buying those shares from someone who owns them and doesn't want them anymore. You are not buying from the company unless it's a follow-on stock offering.

However where RCL can financially benefit from your stock ownership is if you use it to purchase another cruise; thus creating loyalty and revenue.

The key to the shareholder benefit is using a TA that offers OBC that comes from them and not the cruise line. I always ask the TA the origin of the OBC or whether it's a pass through from Celebrity.

As a side note: I own 100 shares. The price jumped over 7.5% early today on earnings report. Whether it holds is anybody's guess. :cool:

As time went on it became less grand...see current thread on this subject

The last time ,a few years ago, that I went to the Grand Buffet on Mercury, I felt it was grand in name only. I wasn't impressed. It's not that the food was bad but there was nothing grand about the offerings IMHO.

Giving away free booze packages is a great way to attract younger cruisers who otherwise wouldn't sail on Celebrity.

Hey it worked on me and I'm over 60! :D rofl

Just because Celebrity is marketing to a younger demographic doesn't mean they don't want you. They're marketing to you in a different way. But the truth is, if they don't attract younger customers, then when we leave them (for a variety of reason i.e. dying, tired of cruising, moving to another line etc...) Celebrity won't continue to build their business. As a shareholder for the OBC, I want the growth.

It's not personal. It's business. I've been in marketing for over four decades. I don't mind them attracting a younger, more vibrant client (just so long as it's not the Carnival crowd ;)) as long as they still give ME what I seek in a cruise line.

Value and quality is what I seek and Celebrity still delivers to me.

I too received a brochure with new free gateways which included my current city instead of driving 1 1/2 hrs for the no additional gateway charge. I called my TA who, after checking with O, told me that was only for Caribbean cruises but not our Med cruise next year. Oh well.

Princess also sell soda by the glass. $1.95 plus 15% tip.

If your cruise line lets you bring soft drinks onboard like Celebrity does, that's the better way to go. My 12 pack on sale runs about 25 to 30 cents a can without tip. It was $2.00 per can from my cabin fridge/mini bar.

A lot of the suggestions were no brainers at saving on a cruise.

Here's one I discovered by doing research. I booked my current cruise while on my last cruise for the 3 cat upgrade and OBC. Then when I returned home, I found a travel agent who would give me another OBC for transferring the reservation to them. I found them by searching for a site with the words "cruise" and "compete".

The other thing is to be very careful regarding the OBC, (at least on Celebrity,) that the OBC is actually coming from the TA and not a pass thru from the cruise line. Celebrity won't let you combine the two if it's a pass thru. So I wound up with $350 OBC; $200 from the cruise line and $150 from the TA. Longer cruises get higher OBC, shorter ones get less.

Another way I saved money on the last cruise was to use Rum Runners to bring my favorite adult beverage onboard without detection by the Xray scanners. I used them for drinks in the cabin while getting ready for dinner or going out. However when we were in the lounges or main show enjoying the music, we purchased drinks there. We're not that cheap. Besides we have to use the OBC for something. ;)

We also fully packed one carry on size piece of luggage with cans of soft drinks (for mixers or drinking directly) plus bottled water which we put in the cabin's fridge. We had the cabin steward empty that for us. When the cruise was over, we had a small suitcase for things acquired during the cruise if needed.

Now those three are real money savers. :D