Prices Too High

[buggins0402]

I consider anything in the $50-$100/pp/night range not expensive.

 

Celebrity wants $318 pp/night Aqua for the 2018 cruise I'm looking at.

 

That's expensive.

[CruisingChick]

Celebrity wants $318 pp/night Aqua for the 2018 cruise I'm looking at.

 

That's expensive.

 

They have to cover all those drink packages.

[villauk]

Celebrity wants $318 pp/night Aqua for the 2018 cruise I'm looking at.

 

That's expensive.

 

So is it worth booking a regular balcony and purchasing the UDP? Just a thought :).

[buggins0402]

They have to cover all those drink packages.

 

LOL! This is killing me...if I had just a little bit more flexibility with dates that I can take off from work, I wouldn't even look at the Celebrity cruise.

 

But to be fair, repriced the HAL and for just a Verandah it's about as bad...but has a few more perks.

[Mynki]

LOL! This is killing me...if I had just a little bit more flexibility with dates that I can take off from work, I wouldn't even look at the Celebrity cruise.

 

 

What's killing me is the fact that I can't do a Celebrity cruise sailing to ports I actually want to visit in a S1 cabin which comes with all four perks including premium drinks packages and additional OBC from the TA for $145.75 per person per night plus taxes and port charges.

 

I can get the time off work but my wife can't.

 

We don't buy on price but buy on value. And $146 per night for that class of room offers very good value in my book. And no, it's not a repositioning cruise.

 

EDITED to add:

 

The cost of those perks if purchased individually, $350 OBC, gratuities, internet and premium drinks would equate to around $100 per person per day on their own!

Edited September 23, 2016 by Mynki

[kelmac]

Celebrity lost us (temporally) last Xmas on the Equinox. We really wanted to book the Xmas cruise 2016 because the itinerary was wonderful. But they wanted $3,400 + per person in an CAT 10 inside. Air fares were high and hotels were up there as well. Sticker shock caused us to book a short cruise on the west coast and combine it with some time in Phoenix.

 

Of course, that same Equinox cruise is down to around $1,700 pp and we would have jumped all over that. If Celebrity had just offered a reasonable price from the get go, we would be headed to the deep Caribbean instead of the Mexican Riviera. By this time of the year, we usually have 3 or 4 Celebrity cruises booked, but now we have one HAL, one Celebrity and four NCL cruises booked.

We've learned how to make NCL as premium as Celebrity and have more choices going forward.

 

Celebrity is still our "go-to" cruise line, but they are making it a bit more difficult.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[ISABELLA]

[

 

The cost of those perks if purchased individually, $350 OBC, gratuities, internet and premium drinks would equate to around $100 per person per day on their own!

 

But if you were not "given" all perks - would you buy all of them? So, unless you intend to buy these perks anyway - it doesn't matter how much do you think you " save" on " given" perks.

[ISABELLA]

Choice Air has some very reasonable deals. For example, I checked on a TA leaving out of Barcelona this October. Flights from JFK and Newark were as low as $313.

 

Yes, I always buy my air for TA from Choice Air, but domestic flights are not cheap.

[Mynki]

 

But if you were not "given" all perks - would you buy all of them? So, unless you intend to buy these perks anyway - it doesn't matter how much do you think you " save" on " given" perks.

 

I don't disagree with the point you're making, but we'd buy internet, use the $350 easily and of course pay for gratuities. Would I pay the retail amount for a premium drinks package? Possibly not, bit we'd certainly incur a bar bill, so for the price I quoted I maintain it's an excellent deal. I think $146 per person per day is good value without any perks as you have a reasonable sized cabin, Luminae and Michaels Club included etc.

Edited September 23, 2016 by Mynki

[richsea]

Celebrity lost us (temporally) last Xmas on the Equinox. We really wanted to book the Xmas cruise 2016 because the itinerary was wonderful. But they wanted $3,400 + per person in an CAT 10 inside. Air fares were high and hotels were up there as well. Sticker shock caused us to book a short cruise on the west coast and combine it with some time in Phoenix.

 

Of course, that same Equinox cruise is down to around $1,700 pp and we would have jumped all over that. If Celebrity had just offered a reasonable price from the get go, we would be headed to the deep Caribbean instead of the Mexican Riviera. By this time of the year, we usually have 3 or 4 Celebrity cruises booked, but now we have one HAL, one Celebrity and four NCL cruises booked.

We've learned how to make NCL as premium as Celebrity and have more choices going forward.

 

Celebrity is still our "go-to" cruise line, but they are making it a bit more difficult.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

 

Hi Kel. Could you elaborate on NCL? Thanks.

[CruisingChick]

What's killing me is the fact that I can't do a Celebrity cruise sailing to ports I actually want to visit in a S1 cabin which comes with all four perks including premium drinks packages and additional OBC from the TA for $145.75 per person per night plus taxes and port charges.

 

How the heck do you get and S1 for that price with all 4perks when I paid $130 per person per night for a Cat 10 Guarantee Inside Cabin with no perks?

 

I think I will need you to start booking my cruises for me.

[Mynki]

How the heck do you get and S1 for that price with all 4perks when I paid $130 per person per night for a Cat 10 Guarantee Inside Cabin with no perks?

 

I think I will need you to start booking my cruises for me.

 

Ha! For a small commission I could do that... :D

 

It's currently showing on a TA's website in the US. There are a few cruises past final pay date in Asia on Millennium and Constellation with all four perks in suites at very low prices.

 

Annoyingly, the air fare isn't that much either from the UK! There was even a cheap CS yesterday but predictably that's since been snapped up. I assume it was a late cancellation.

[Cindy]

Celebrity wants $318 pp/night Aqua for the 2018 cruise I'm looking at.

 

That's expensive.

 

Yes, it is!

 

We're doing a Med. cruise in the spring next year. We were originally scheduled to be on the Connie in May of THIS year, in an aft AQ cabin on what was to us a perfect itinerary. Unfortunately we weren't able to go this year, so as soon as bookings opened for 2017 I pushed the cruise out a year. I was never really happy with the new itinerary, and I didn't like the price for 2017 either, so I started exploring my options.

 

We decided the itinerary was the most important thing on this trip (my husband and I both want as few sea days as possible when we're in Europe), and finally settled on a HAL cruise. By switching, I not only got a longer, better (in my opinion) itinerary, I also moved from a per diem of $331.80/person/day in Aqua Class to a per diem of $280.00/person/day in an aft corner suite and picked up some perks (more OBC, pre-paid grats, and a big internet credit) in the process.

 

We loved our two Celebrity cruises, but we're not loyal to any line, and we choose our cruises based on a combination of itinerary, cabin availability, and price. I do think $331+ per day for a pretty small balcony cabin with a dedicated breakfast and dinner restaurant is excessive! If I'm willing to pay that, which I am, I'm certainly going to explore all my options and see what cruise I think gives me the best bang for my buck.

Edited September 23, 2016 by Cindy

[IrishLassie]

I agree that the pricing has gotten much higher. I'm glad we booked our cruise for nx March early. The price jumped $200. more for the same balcony cabin! :eek: And we got the same perks they are offering. If they keep getting higher, we'll have to go to another line, which we don't want to do as we're trying to stick to Celebrity because it's our favorite cruise line. :)

[buggins0402]

So is it worth booking a regular balcony and purchasing the UDP? Just a thought :).

 

Dang search feature isn't working. It's been a while since we sailed Celebrity...what's a UDP? If it involves drinks for both - DH has perhaps one or glasses of wine a cruise (when I order a bottle and the waiter just assumes both of us will be drinking and pours him a glass.)

 

I was pricing Aqua just to get Blu, trying to get dining similar to Oceania. O is doing a similar cruise in late March, but it's starting to to turn spring by then and it wouldn't achieve the long winter get away I'm looking for.

 

With O, we always start with an inside and see where the upgrade offers take us. Batting 3 for 3, with ultimate cabin outcome of a concierge and two PH's and have paid no more than $300 pp for the upgrades. But, we always go in knowing that we could get stuck there. We also have a knack for picking cruises that aren't selling well.

[ISABELLA]

I don't disagree with the point you're making, but we'd buy internet, use the $350 easily and of course pay for gratuities. Would I pay the retail amount for a premium drinks package? Possibly not, bit we'd certainly incur a bar bill, so for the price I quoted I maintain it's an excellent deal. I think $146 per person per day is good value without any perks as you have a reasonable sized cabin, Luminae and Michaels Club included etc.

 

It is a good price for a suite. You have to like the market it is sailing for that price....

Edited September 23, 2016 by ISABELLA

[Mynki]

It is a good price for a suite. You have to like the market it is sailing for that price....

 

That's the point as to why it's so appealing. We love Asia. ;)

[kelmac]

Hi Kel. Could you elaborate on NCL? Thanks.

 

Hi Rich,

 

NCL has low prices, but they have a ton of add on costs. We start in an inside or OceanView cabin, but have always worked our way up to a balcony after final payment. (We do that with Celebrity as well)

 

NCL offers the same Drink package, paid gratuities, internet and UDP extras, but you have to pay for additional gratuities that go along with the drink package.

 

We always get the UDP -- Ultimate Dining Package (the free one only gives you three nights), so we will purchase the remaining nights. Very important to eat EVERY evening meal in one of their great alternative restaurants; skip the buffet completely; eat breakfast/lunch in the dining room, or one of their no-pay alternatives. Cuisine is as good, if not better than Celebrity's MDR using this strategy. Beef is better than HAL's, Princess's and Celebrity's.

 

Entertainment is better than Celebrity. Their space ratio on their older mid-size ships is pretty good. The ship decor is more lively compared to Royal, Princess, HAL..., but we kind of like that feel. Cabins are a bit smaller than Celebrity, but well laid out. Glass shower stall :)

 

We are going to try their megaships for spring break and next summer to see if we get the same vibe!

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

Edited September 23, 2016 by kelmac

[villauk]

Dang search feature isn't working. It's been a while since we sailed Celebrity...what's a UDP? If it involves drinks for both - DH has perhaps one or glasses of wine a cruise (when I order a bottle and the waiter just assumes both of us will be drinking and pours him a glass.)

 

I was pricing Aqua just to get Blu, trying to get dining similar to Oceania. O is doing a similar cruise in late March, but it's starting to to turn spring by then and it wouldn't achieve the long winter get away I'm looking for.

 

With O, we always start with an inside and see where the upgrade offers take us. Batting 3 for 3, with ultimate cabin outcome of a concierge and two PH's and have paid no more than $300 pp for the upgrades. But, we always go in knowing that we could get stuck there. We also have a knack for picking cruises that aren't selling well.

 

Ultimate/Unlimited Dining Package:

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Flyers/11024491_CEL_SpecialtyDiningPck_Flyer2.pdf

 

$29 per day. Nothing to do with drinks, just the dining option as detailed in the link above ;)

[hcat]

Prices are up...but we do fine in AQ /Blu with our booking perks ( even if just the alc package) and the Elite Plus perks ( internet, laundry)

 

We avoid the upcharges, add ons.& new a la carte eateries....

 

Only splurge at the spa with OBC on port pricing deals!

 

Still a reasonable price for a nice cruise vacation !

[deliver42]

I've booked a 7 night on the Equinox for next year, and am pretty happy with the price, but I also looked at a 11 night on the Reflection and there's no way.The price, IMHO is about $500.00 too high. If it comes down, I'll look at it again, but in the meantime I'll think about something else.

[buggins0402]

Ultimate/Unlimited Dining Package:

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Flyers/11024491_CEL_SpecialtyDiningPck_Flyer2.pdf

 

$29 per day. Nothing to do with drinks, just the dining option as detailed in the link above ;)

 

Thanks. That does add another wrinkle. A very good lead for what we value. It would make a nice all in easy peasy alternative to:

 

I've now added doing it land, because after our SE Asia trip this coming February, we'll have a boatload of Starwood points. Thinking fly into Lima, get to Macchu Picchu, go to BA, go to Rio, perhaps throw in Mendoza in between to chill. Flights between cities would be way cheaper than the cruise. I can pick my dates.

[HelenfromMelbourne]

We love Celebrity but also find we have to look elsewhere due to pricing sometimes.

 

Case in point: For our 2018, 14 night South East Asia cruise on Millennium, we have AQ booked for AUD $7890 including one perk.

 

We were interested in a Baltics cruise for July 2017-and it's out of the question with Celebrity-12 nights on Silhouette with one perk is AUD $12000 in AQ :(

[Host Jazzbeau]

I've booked a 7 night on the Equinox for next year, and am pretty happy with the price, but I also looked at a 11 night on the Reflection and there's no way.The price, IMHO is about $500.00 too high. If it comes down, I'll look at it again, but in the meantime I'll think about something else.

 

Since you're in the US, there's no penalty to book now and hope for a fare cut. That way you get the cabin you want, and if the price remains too high at final payment you just cancel.

[teecee60]

 

But the thing is "great deals" are subjective. An inside cabin is not attractive to us. In fact I'd liken an inside cabin on a long TA or TP to a prison cell and in those instances Celebrity would have to pay me to use up my vacation time spending lots of days at sea in a tiny room with no window. So yes, I appreciate the value in the costs for food and accommodation etc, but to me cruising should be a fun, luxury experience and the prices you've quoted don't equate to that for me personally so to other that feel the same as me your point is a little moot. Don't take that the wrong way.

 

And THAT is what is so absolutely fantastic about the free market... including cruises. :)

 

Everyone has different priorities... some people absolutely MUST have the 2000 square foot cabin and 1,000 square foot wrap around deck of a Penthouse Suite on an M class ship... and are willing to pay $500pp/night... or even more.

 

The ONLY time I spend in my inside cabin/prison cell is to sleep and shower, for which I am willing to pay $50pp/night...

 

... and I have absolutely no trouble finding plenty of cruises at that price... and quite often, even less.

 

 

Ultimate/Unlimited Dining Package:

http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/Flyers/11024491_CEL_SpecialtyDiningPck_Flyer2.pdf

 

$29 per day. Nothing to do with drinks, just the dining option.

 

$29 per day is what I paid for a 15 night CRUISE on Reflection! :eek: :D :cool:

 

Transatlantic from Rome to Miami for $449pp with $250 OBC... AND free "elite" drinks.

 

The cruise market seems to be doing an EXCELLENT job of satisfying a very WIDE range of demand.

Edited September 24, 2016 by teecee60