GoBig Better Best not always good deal

[wallie5446]

Also I have noticed that they aren't dropping price to rock bottom to fill rooms like they have done in the past . They are offering go better (2 perks) and go best (4perks) as an incentive to book and I have also noticed them raise the price of ocean view rooms to the same price as verandas. This tactic fills up the verandas so that when they are filled they can get a higher price for the ocean view rooms. They also do this with Concierge and Aqua.

 

We have sailed 3 diff lines in the past 5 years, and 7 diff line since 1987. The reason we, as others, have stayed with Celebrity, is the quality of the on ship product, which is why they can obtain the higher price. Quality trumps every time.

[Iamcruzin]

We have sailed 3 diff lines in the past 5 years, and 7 diff line since 1987. The reason we, as others, have stayed with Celebrity, is the quality of the on ship product, which is why they can obtain the higher price. Quality trumps every time.

 

While I agree with Celebrity being a quality product I don't find the prices to be higher than other lines I compared them with. For example NCL which doesn't compare in quality was actually more expensive for a Bermuda cruise. Yes the prices have gone up due to the all inclusive pricing but it still works out to be less expensive for me in the long run compared to Princess which also can be more expensive than Celebrity.

[4774Papa]

While I agree with Celebrity being a quality product I don't find the prices to be higher than other lines I compared them with. For example NCL which doesn't compare in quality was actually more expensive for a Bermuda cruise. Yes the prices have gone up due to the all inclusive pricing but it still works out to be less expensive for me in the long run compared to Princess which also can be more expensive than Celebrity.

 

We just booked an 11 day cruise on Royal Caribbean to New Zealand out of Sydney for April 2018 for about $1400 pp. The Celebrity 10 day NZ cruise out of Sydney around the same period was more than double in cost about $3000 pp.

 

Of course, Celebrity was giving promos, but considering the value of the promos to us, the Celebrity price was still many hundreds of dollars more.

Other cruises that I have looked at booking, the difference hasn't been as much, but comparing Royal and NCL every time Celebrity is the highest. We prefer Celebrity, but not with the price differences out there.

[Cruise Junky]

While I agree with Celebrity being a quality product I don't find the prices to be higher than other lines I compared them with. For example NCL which doesn't compare in quality was actually more expensive for a Bermuda cruise. Yes the prices have gone up due to the all inclusive pricing but it still works out to be less expensive for me in the long run compared to Princess which also can be more expensive than Celebrity.

 

We booked a 10 day Caribbean yesterday and compared Princess and Celebrity. Both leave the same weekend, both 10 days, both come with drink packages. Princess was $1400 higher for the two of us and Celebrity also had the other three perks. Crazy pricing on Princess. I didn't compare it to any other lines but I almost choked at that one.

[davekathy]

I believe there are some that when booking a future Cruise while on board they do not take the time to do the math. Their caught up in the moment. It's like anything you purchase, take your time, know all your options and don't be pressured by the salesperson.

Edited August 9, 2016 by davekathy

[jagoffee]

We just booked an 11 day cruise on Royal Caribbean to New Zealand out of Sydney for April 2018 for about $1400 pp. The Celebrity 10 day NZ cruise out of Sydney around the same period was more than double in cost about $3000 pp.

 

Of course, Celebrity was giving promos, but considering the value of the promos to us, the Celebrity price was still many hundreds of dollars more.

Other cruises that I have looked at booking, the difference hasn't been as much, but comparing Royal and NCL every time Celebrity is the highest. We prefer Celebrity, but not with the price differences out there.

 

What category?

[MaryZ]

yesterday I looked at my baltic cruise, and had them reprice it. I saved $1,000 from the price I originally booked at. Because the price of the cabin went down by $300 pp and I no longer had to pay the fee to get the extra perk.

This is for a 2D in early may 2017. We have free wifi and beverage package. We won't upgrade the bev package so it works out fine for us.

[CELTICGIRLCRUISER]

I think most people know it is not a scam and can work it out on their own needs and what benefits them most.

[Iamcruzin]

Delete

 

 

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Edited August 9, 2016 by Iamcruzin

[Iamcruzin]

We booked a 10 day Caribbean yesterday and compared Princess and Celebrity. Both leave the same weekend, both 10 days, both come with drink packages. Princess was $1400 higher for the two of us and Celebrity also had the other three perks. Crazy pricing on Princess. I didn't compare it to any other lines but I almost choked at that one.

 

 

I also saw those prices and someone had the nerve to say find a Princess TA who can discount. Even at 50% off it was still too high.

 

 

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[4774Papa]

What category?

 

Balcony

[roquejo]

It really depends, case to case basis. On some sailings and cabin types it is not even bundled pricing and is given completely free.

 

For example, Celebrity Solstice is not my initial choice for Alaska this year. It is either NCL Jewel or RCCL Explorer of the Seas.

 

But for my choice of balcony cabin, Celebrity Solstice veranda cabin with 2 free perks is cheaper per day vs NCL with only 1 perk, and equals RCCL's Explorer of the Seas with no free perks.

 

So how do you explain Solstice vs Explorer of the Seas having equal prices for Veranda/Balcony but X has 2 free perks vs RCCL with no free perks?

 

That is why I ended up with Solstice.

 

If the perks are treated as bundled pricing, then Solstice prices should be more expensive than Explorer.

Edited August 9, 2016 by roquejo

[DYKWIA]

You wouldn't do that, but you aren't everybody. Some people don't understand how the perks work and then call it a Celebrity scam.

 

It really doesn't matter whether legally it is a scam or not, if customers come away thinking they've been scammed it is not a good thing for your business

Edited August 9, 2016 by DYKWIA

[Flamencacha]

On my next X cruise, I snagged 450 OBC and a classic package. I am a solo cruiser. I had my agent reprice without perks it dropped my fair by $450. About 10 %. So I told her leave it as it was.

 

Paying for double occupancy on X really puts me out of their price range. I like balconies and I can't afford them. I can afford balconies on other lines, especially with a no or reduced supplement incentive.

 

I was on a TA 13 nights, had a Bon voyage bottle and paid corkage fees on two bottles of wine. I estimate I could have easily spent and average of 30-50$ a day on beverages. So as a perk

I give it a value of $40.00 a day.

 

Bottom line for me is how much it will cost and can I afford it. One day, I will catch a Balcony on X.

 

 

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[hvbaskey]

Yes, you should do the math. (See below).

 

When we booked our cruise over the weekend, the rep did question our choosing the Gratuities over the $300 OBC. He actual said that we should take the OBC. Then he quickly changed his mind when I pointed out the below.

 

Summer 2016 Gratuity Charges

 

•$13.50 per person, per day in standard staterooms

• $14.00 per person, per day in Concierge Class and AquaClass®staterooms

• $17.00 per person, per day in Suite Class

 

 

We will be taking upcoming cruises of 14 and 11 night cruises in an AQ where we have chosen the Gratuities over the $300 OBC. I believe we come out ahead! $308 and $476 for gratuities on those two cruises. ;) OK, $8 over the $300 is not that much, but we may decided to upgrade to a Sky Suite where the gratuities will be higher. I understand that once you choose the perk, it cannot be changed.

 

Grats in Suite Class at 12N or longer ($408) is also a better deal than $300 OBC.

 

As many others have said - do the math first and find out what works best for you.

 

The only scenario where I do not believe that Better or Best has any place is with Royal or Penthouse Suites. The ONLY perk you need is Big - for the Gratuities. Everything else is included with the cabin assignment, itself.

 

For these bookings, look for Resident Rates - if available.

 

Heather

[grandgeezer]

It really depends, case to case basis. On some sailings and cabin types it is not even bundled pricing and is given completely free.

 

For example, Celebrity Solstice is not my initial choice for Alaska this year. It is either NCL Jewel or RCCL Explorer of the Seas.

 

But for my choice of balcony cabin, Celebrity Solstice veranda cabin with 2 free perks is cheaper per day vs NCL with only 1 perk, and equals RCCL's Explorer of the Seas with no free perks.

 

So how do you explain Solstice vs Explorer of the Seas having equal prices for Veranda/Balcony but X has 2 free perks vs RCCL with no free perks?

 

That is why I ended up with Solstice.

 

If the perks are treated as bundled pricing, then Solstice prices should be more expensive than Explorer.

 

Explorer's quality of product dictates the price. The Solstice is buying your business.

[4774Papa]

It really depends, case to case basis. On some sailings and cabin types it is not even bundled pricing and is given completely free.

 

For example, Celebrity Solstice is not my initial choice for Alaska this year. It is either NCL Jewel or RCCL Explorer of the Seas.

 

But for my choice of balcony cabin, Celebrity Solstice veranda cabin with 2 free perks is cheaper per day vs NCL with only 1 perk, and equals RCCL's Explorer of the Seas with no free perks.

 

So how do you explain Solstice vs Explorer of the Seas having equal prices for Veranda/Balcony but X has 2 free perks vs RCCL with no free perks?

 

That is why I ended up with Solstice.

 

If the perks are treated as bundled pricing, then Solstice prices should be more expensive than Explorer.

 

The NZ cruises that I was talking about was 6 April 2018 Radiance of the Seas 11 day cruise.

 

The X cruise was on the Solstice.

 

Perhaps the promos work for you. They would not benefit that much for me.

The Beverage package on X would not be worth more than about $200.

Since we are elite on X we are diamond on RCCL, so we get the free happy hour. That reduces our liquor bill significantly and we don't drink bottled water, soda or expensive coffee. We don't use the internet, so that would not be valuable, I suppose the free gratuities or OBC would lower the costs a bit more, but since the spread was over $1500 pp, no way.

[karena1]

When we booked our Summit cruise for next April, a Veranda Balcony on Summit was exactly the same price as a balcony (with our D+ discount) on Adventure. AND Summit had the free bev pkg.

 

So it was a no brainer. Plus I can get cans of soda on Celebrity where Royal only has gun soda. I can live with that, but nice to have the cans and why would I pay $800+ for 2 of us for a pkg on Royal when I can get it included on Celebrity and it did not cost me a dime more for the cruise?

 

I always compare prices b/t Royal/Celebrity/Princess. Since I know we will never make Pinnacle on Royal, now we go with whoever gives us the most bang for the buck and has the Caribbean itin we want to take.

 

We did the same thing with Princess for this coming Dec. We were going to do Royal, but Princess offered the Sip N Sail. No difference in price, so took the deal with Princess on the new Regal Princess.

[varoo]

..........Perhaps the promos work for you. They would not benefit that much for me.

The Beverage package on X would not be worth more than about $200.

Since we are elite on X we are diamond on RCCL, so we get the free happy hour. That reduces our liquor bill significantly and we don't drink bottled water, soda or expensive coffee. We don't use the internet, so that would not be valuable, I suppose the free gratuities or OBC would lower the costs a bit more, but since the spread was over $1500 pp, no way.

 

We agree. The promos may be a good deal for one cruise, but not for the next, and worthwhile for some passengers but not for others.

 

When ready to book a cruise, we first check out the discounted prices available without perks (and with lesser perks) for which we qualify.

 

Then we compare them to Celebrity's standard posted prices that include perks such as Big, Better, Best, and the prices offered by TAs.

 

For comparison purposes, we use the value that the various perks are really worth to us (as you did with your beverage package example),

not the value that Celebrity assigns to them.

 

That makes it easy to determine which way of booking will be most beneficial to us for each cruise.

 

 

Also, we may initially book a cruise with the perks and then switch at a later date when a much better price shows up without the perks.

Those special category discounted prices come and go.

As long as you are before final payment, it is easy to switch (at least for those in the USA).

 

 

Edited August 10, 2016 by varoo

[NantahalaCruiser]

Prepaid gratuities are a better deal than OBC on itineraries of 24 days or longer! :D

 

With gratuities at 13.50 per day, it's better than the OBC at 12 days; for suites, at 17 per day, it's better at 9 days

[Bo1953]

Everyone needs to be aware that Celebrity's promotion is something you need to watch closely. On many cruises, especially those over 7-nights, the upgrade from Big to Better, 1-perk to 2-perks, will cost you more than the perk itself. A typical upgrade on a 14-night cruise had an increase of $210pp, $420, to receive an on-board credit of $300 per stateroom. A loss to the customer of $120. Celebrity is aware and tries to explain it away when caught but offers nothing. This is a scam perpetrated to take advantage of anyone that does not catch this trick. Buyer be ware.

 

Sometimes I find that at the grocery store too... a good reason to read pricing labels before purchasing or checking around to see if there is something which I like better just as, if not more, competitive.

 

Then again, if I Am happy with the price at the time of purchase, I buy it and 'usually' not fret later because something lower appeared for the same product...

 

bon voyage

[roquejo]

Explorer's quality of product dictates the price. The Solstice is buying your business.

 

It's the IT as well, Explorer's 7 day Alaska IT doesn't call Ketchikan and it is a major stop. I'm a natural D with RCCL and just got my Elite status in X because of RCCL. But among the Voyager classes, Voyager of the Seas is my favorite having sailed her 3X already, excellent service by the crew.

Edited August 10, 2016 by roquejo

[oneputt18]

Like it has been said before depending on the cruise and the cruiser.

 

Just booked 10 night southern caribbean on the Equinox with all four perks and a $250 loyalty discount.

Net was $1675 per person for 2A balcony.

The prepaid grats = $135

Premium package worth about $500 to me

$150 OBC

Unlimited internet not worth much but it will be nice not to watch our Elite free minutes.

So $1675-$785 =$890

[Oceangoer2]

Everyone needs to be aware that Celebrity's promotion is something you need to watch closely. On many cruises, especially those over 7-nights, the upgrade from Big to Better, 1-perk to 2-perks, will cost you more than the perk itself. A typical upgrade on a 14-night cruise had an increase of $210pp, $420, to receive an on-board credit of $300 per stateroom. A loss to the customer of $120. Celebrity is aware and tries to explain it away when caught but offers nothing. This is a scam perpetrated to take advantage of anyone that does not catch this trick. Buyer be ware.

I agree. Checked our price vs the 'upgraded' price and it would have cost more to re-book, which you're required to do. Told my X rep their marketing dept was pretty sneaky...lol. Buyer beware for sure.

[waverunner43]

If consumers would stick to their guns and let Celebrity know that deceptive advertising practices are not appreciated things might change. I will not book a cruise if I feel that they are trying to take advantage of me with their promotion and have canceled cruises for the same reason with no regrets. If others would do the same, it might be possible to get managements attention. Although their practices may not be illegal, they are unscrupulous and need to be eliminated.