Celebrity marketing dept out to lunch?

[jgnova]

I don't understand the lack of Celebrity marketing in the DC area for the Baltimore departures. We've now benefited nicely with 4 price reductions totaling $800 each for our 2A as have many others. But the trade-off is that Celebrity is likely to pull out of Baltimore like they did after 2003 because of insufficient bookings.

 

I read the Washington Post daily, including the Sunday travel section and don't recall seeing regular, if any at all, ads from Celebrity. There was a major price drop this past week for our cruise but nary a mention in yesterday's travel bargains column. Given the demographics in this region (many well paid government and contractor employees) and the number of people within a few hours drive of the port (that would include Norfolk, Richmond, Charlottesville, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and that small town on the Hudson River called New York), I do not understand this utter failure.

 

Does anyone know what's going on and why Celebrity has chosen to limit themselves to a self-selected market-base?

 

j

[dkjretired]

I don't understand the lack of Celebrity marketing in the DC area for the Baltimore departures. We've now benefited nicely with 4 price reductions totaling $800 each for our 2A as have many others. But the trade-off is that Celebrity is likely to pull out of Baltimore like they did after 2003 because of insufficient bookings.

 

I read the Washington Post daily, including the Sunday travel section and don't recall seeing regular, if any at all, ads from Celebrity. There was a major price drop this past week for our cruise but nary a mention in yesterday's travel bargains column. Given the demographics in this region (many well paid government and contractor employees) and the number of people within a few hours drive of the port (that would include Norfolk, Richmond, Charlottesville, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, and that small town on the Hudson River called New York), I do not understand this utter failure.

 

Does anyone know what's going on and why Celebrity has chosen to limit themselves to a self-selected market-base?

 

j

 

Celebrity has just announced the appointment of a new marketing director. Don't know if it will change anything but thought it was relevent. Here's the link to the press release.

 

http://www.rclinvestor.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=103045&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1339700&highlight=

 

I don't think the problem is the city of Baltimore but the lack of ships on Celebrity's part. They have major committments to Alaska and Europe and they just can't have ships everywhere. Remember they only have 8 ships right now and I don't believe Mercury will be around much longer...Just my opinion...