Complaints re Celebrity upsell - fair?

[Cassicruiser]

Okay I'll probably get flamed but I just have to get this off my chest. There is a new review posted in the review section from someone who enjoyed their Celebrity cruise but only gave it a one star as he/she felt strongly that their cruise was ruined by the constant upsell while onboard. For the spa, restaurants, and drinks packages specifically. So much so that they would never cruise Celebrity again.

 

While everyone is entitled to their valid opinion, I have been on both Celebrity and Royal Caribbean and both have exactly the same level of upsell for the exact same things. Am I alone here in thinking that the cruise lines run a business, and they are there to make money like any other business, and that's just the way of the world? I'm not picking on this specific reviewer, as there are many threads on this topic, but it just got me thinking.

 

Cruising is still the most affordable way to vacation, and the cruise lines give you an option of paying your base fare and not spending a cent more if you don't wish to. If you want to spend money on drinks, the spa and restaurants, that's your choice and they will make more money, which after all is their perfectly logical aim. If not, you don't have to, as the food in the buffet and dining room (included) is for the most part very good, and drinks are the same price as on land, with water, iced tea, juice, coffee etc freely provided. You don't need to go to the spa if you don't want to (as you would or wouldn't on land) and yes their prices are steep, as is any spa in a land based hotel. Yes they do have sales pitches everywhere but the staff are quite fine with you just ignoring them or saying no thanks.

 

We had a wonderful cruise last year on Celebrity and spent very little extra. Surely the cruise lines are entitled to keep their business running. If they didn't make money, they wouldn't be in business and we wouldn't be able to cruise. As long as they don't keep prices rising or continue to take away included options to make them fee paying options, I don't have an issue with this.

 

The other option is to pay an awful lot more and go on a premium all inclusive cruise line.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Cassicruiser

[yorkyred]

I don't have a problem as long as it's not over the top to the level it spoils my holiday. Went to Turkey a few years ago and the hassle to purchase things in the shops, bars, meals was so bad I said we would never go back and we never have.

[photomikey]

Occasionally I see a 1* review for what I think is a bogus reason. It seems to me that it evens out the 5* reviews that say "my room steward lit my pants on fire and stole my iPad, but the service in the dining room was great!".

 

Much like it's your right to not be bothered by the constant sales pitches, it seems like it other's right to be annoyed and express it in writing.

[Adidas4fun]

In my home I am regularly harassed by door to door sales people and telephone cold callers. Perhaps I should give my own home a one star review.

[tacrum43]

Just ignore the reviews if you don't agree with them. Some people just like to complain about something.

 

That being said, I do find upsells annoying, especially when it's for crap like $10 "watches" that break in a day or wine tastings (of the cheapest wine they could find). And the art auctions, which are laughable. I don't let it ruin my trip though.

Edited April 15, 2015 by tacrum43

[suec12]

Well I do find it annoying that so much paper is used for selling / pitching services and stuff and very little useful information is given. Everyday I was given information about amber unveiling - oooooooo - but the movies shown on the in-room channels that day were not listed. It's a tiny complaint but it does seem alot of paper is more or less wasted with advertising.

[SavvyAdam]

I have to agree with you, Celebrity is trying to make money. Upselling has just become a part of our consumer culture as we see it everywhere, asking if we wants fries with that, if we want to upgrade out cell phone package for more data, etc.

 

I guess it can be bothersome when you are on vacation and have already pre-paid for most things and they are asking you to spend more money.

 

Just simply ignore it.

[Onelung]

Like you say, they are in business to make money and most of it I just ignore. However, I do get cross about the charges for things that used to be included i.e. zumba on the deck or some of the food in the Aqua cafe.

[deise17311]

It does seem like every activity is some sort of upset versus the past where it seemed like real activities...

[CHEZMARYLOU]

I find it annoying but not to the extent that it would factor into a review of my cruise. I just wish I knew for a fact that they recycle all that wasted paper. We get a ton of junk mail at home but our City recycles it.

[luv2trvlnow]

I agree that the cruise lines are a business and their objective to make money. We were on the Summit last month and we were not bothered that much with upsells. I was pretty surprised. We didn't have a drink package or dining package, also not in a suite or Aqua class and I think we were only asked once if we wanted the drink package. That was it concerning the drink package.

 

But if we were constantly being asked, it would definitely affect how I felt about the cruise line, especially since this was my first Celebrity cruise. There is a fine line a company has to be careful not to cross. They need to present the upsells but be careful to not push it too much. Too much pressing may make people decide to not purchase anything extra in retaliation. Thus costing the company money instead of making money.

[AugustW]

It is only the author's point of view. That being said, IMHO my feeling is just give me one price for the whole cruise. Let me include what I want (drinks, tips, excursions etc.). I don't wont to be solicited. I have no problem with the cruise company making a profit but they are selling me a vacation and don't want it disrupted by them constantly attempting to upsell me. I can honestly say it wouldn't take my trip from a 5 star to a 1 star review but it does annoy me. I don't mind paying extra but I prefer to take care of it before I board and not be bothered while I am try to relax.

 

Just my 2 cents.

[miched]

I haven't really been hounded by anyone constantly trying to upsell me for anything on board.

 

The first day there are many tables or displays trying to sell or make people aware of what is available and make it convenient for people that may want those services and I don't find any fault with that. It is not as bad as when walking off the pier and being asked every two feet or being shadowed to take a cab or tour.

 

Even sitting at the pool or in a lounge the hounding is not as bad as on some other lines where they constantly ask if you want a drink, most times at t pool I have to watch for a server and call out to them.

 

Many BTs told me that it is foolish to pay for the premium drink pack and after I had it 3 times I now stick to the classic and do find that it is adequate and since I have had it I have never been asked to upgrade to the premium.

 

happy cruisng 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[kenevenpar]

It must vary from ship to ship and cruise to cruise. On reflection, we did not feel the "hard sell", and appreciated the lack of over the top announcements for this or that sale. On other cruises there has been a bit more, but not to the point of annoyance. Other lines, a bit more, but not to the level where we were upset (HAL, RCCL).

[CruisingChick]

Well I do find it annoying that so much paper is used for selling / pitching services and stuff and very little useful information is given. Everyday I was given information about amber unveiling - oooooooo - but the movies shown on the in-room channels that day were not listed. It's a tiny complaint but it does seem alot of paper is more or less wasted with advertising.

 

Not only that but a lot of them now come in envelopes addressed to you by name as if you are receiving "some special invitation." That really irritates me.

[Queen of Oakville]

It must vary from ship to ship and cruise to cruise. On reflection, we did not feel the "hard sell", and appreciated the lack of over the top announcements for this or that sale. On other cruises there has been a bit more, but not to the point of annoyance. Other lines, a bit more, but not to the level where we were upset (HAL, RCCL).

 

This was our experience as well.

 

It's been almost 5 months since we got off Reflection, and i don't have any recollection of being bothered by upsellers. I certainly didn't get off my cruise complaining about it and it never factored into my review.

 

I inquired with the sommelier about upgrading my bev package and was told not to.

 

Yes, there are "agents" outside the oceanview with a stand to sell speciality dinners, but they were hardly accosting me. Perhaps because I usually had my children with me, they did not make any great effort?

 

I'm sure I walked by people from the spa trying to sell services, but a smile and a "no thank you" was all it took.

 

 

If I had to guess, I'd say the "upsell" experience for me on X was less intrusive than it is on other lines.

 

YMMV.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Queen of Oakville

[gold1953]

We have never been bothered by them . We just don't look at them when we walk by . As soon as you make eye contact you are inviting them to speak to you.

[itsjb1]

I just ignore whatever upselling doesn't interest me. Do hate to see the waste of paper though. Wish that I could put a no junk mail notice on the cabin mailslot

[cruise kitty]

I think it definitely varies from cruise to cruise, on our last Celebrity cruise, it was not an over the top problem, yes, they had the $10 sales, & they were advertising the shore excursions, but it was within reason.

 

On a previous Celebrity cruise, it was to the point of tacky, they pushed the shore excursions to the point of enlisting the Captain in his noon updates, they used scare tactics "you won't make it back to the ship if you don't use us" They had gold by the inch set up outside the restaurants, it was very annoying, & downgraded the experience IMO.

 

Another celebrity cruise, they were pushing the spa, but in a fun way :) they had little stands set up where you could get a free 5 minute or so massage or mini facial, but didn't harass people who said no thank you, & I admit, I signed up for a couple of full massages after that, there's a right way & wrong way to advertise on board.

[Iamthesea]

I don't know what changed, but from having 2 fairly recent cruises (Equinox and Reflection) there was a big difference in this "upsell."

 

The Equinox cruise was an 11 night Caribbean cruise in February and we were not harassed to upsell anything. We had the Classic package perk.

 

The Reflection cruise was a 7 night Caribbean cruise in late March. The upsell on that cruise was VERY annoying! Although I had the Premium package already, my daughters and our relatives had either the Classic or nothing. They were hounded for 2-3 days about upgrading. This happened everytime they ordered a drink or when passing by the beverage kiosk that were set up around the ship. Made me wonder if the bar staff get a kick-back (commission) for selling the packages. Same with the Specialty restaurants. We told them that we had reservations, but also made some for another night because we had OBC to use. ;)

 

My cousin decided to order the Classic package and the bar server talked her into the premium package even though I kept telling her she did not need it. He was a fast talker and before I knew it, she had purchased the Premium. He told her that if she upgraded, she could have any drink she wanted. I heard him tell her that, and not being familiar with the drink package offerings, I too believed it. Well, turns out that her favorite wine was priced higher than the premium package, per glass. She would have to pay an extra $1.50 per glass to get it. She refused saying it was the principle of the thing. I had to agree, but I purchased her a bottle of the wine at dinner one night as a surprise. Well, the surprise was on me! That bottle of wine sells at her local grocer for $20 per bottle, and she buys it on sale in bulk for $17. That same bottle cost me $55+ :eek:

 

We heard many other passengers, especially new to Celebrity like my relatives, complaining about the upsell. I was embarrassed because I had been touting how great and upscale Celebrity was. :(

 

PS - I feel the same way about the paper waste. I would take the papers off of my door and deposit them in the trash. It would be one thing if the advertisements were printed on thin, cheaper paper, but the sheets were all thick, color printed advertisements.

[smtcan]

The paper waste annoys me. The Captain's Club events are listed on a single sheet 'to cut down on paper', but the spa, art auctions and shops bombard us with paper that we have no interest in reading.

 

I have never felt pressured to buy anything on Celebrity. The tables for drink packages and specialty restaurants are easily avoided - just walk past without looking at them. The tacky sales outside the shops are similarly easy to avoid, you can even go down a deck and not even see them. A polite 'no thank you' works well if you are solicited by a sales person.

 

Sheila

[Ex-Airbalancer]

. I had to agree, but I purchased her a bottle of the wine at dinner one night as a surprise. Well, the surprise was on me! That bottle of wine sells at her local grocer for $20 per bottle, and she buys it on sale in bulk for $17. That same bottle cost me $55+ :eek:

 

We heard many other passengers, especially new to Celebrity like my relatives, complaining about the upsell. I was embarrassed because I had been touting how great and upscale Celebrity was. :(

.

 

you should had her buy the bottle because you get about 20% discount if you have a package

Have you ever bought a bottle of wine in the restaurant it is usually double the price of a store :rolleyes:

[Iamthesea]

I had the premium package, also, so if I received a 20% discount, the bottle was even more expensive than I thought! :eek:

[gergles]

I agree with the comment that the dailies don't utilize the space very well. There are constant inserts that give you more information about places where you can spend more money, but information about free/included activities is scant.

 

I also agree with the annoyance at the 'exclusive invitations' for the garbage events like the 'guess the price' contest (where you don't win the item, just a 5% off coupon) or the $10 watches, gold-by-the-inch, etc. etc. etc.

 

I don't particularly care about being upsold to, but I do expect the same quality of information for the free events too. I should know what's on TV, get a line or two of text about what the free events are all about, that kind of thing.

[Cruizen Susan]

you should had her buy the bottle because you get about 20% discount if you have a package

Have you ever bought a bottle of wine in the restaurant it is usually double the price of a store :rolleyes:

 

I agree. In fact, friends of ours own a restaurant, and most of their wines are triple their cost. Most of their profit is on the drinks, not the food.