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Why doesn't Celebrity offer one perk?

gordylad

By gordylad,
in Celebrity Cruises

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steve ch

steve ch

Posted
Posted
What I meant was.....when sailings are released [all sailings] offer 1 perk. No matter what sailing offer a perk.

 

Customer would then book knowing the price and the perk.

 

Is this too easy?

Far too easy.

 

The cruise I've been tracking has had four price changes with and without various deals in the last 10 days. I don't think they want people to book with them.

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GUT2407

GUT2407

Posted
Posted
Far too easy.

 

The cruise I've been tracking has had four price changes with and without various deals in the last 10 days. I don't think they want people to book with them.

 

Only four, my last cruise had six price drops, plus numerous increases, and fluctuations in OBC, from $0 to $500.

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Gonzo70

Gonzo70

Posted
Posted
Why doesn't Celebrity offer one perk per sailing that would at least encourage people to book and save a lot of hassle for people looking for a deal.

 

Early on the perks are just marketing and not a deal. If a sailing has $300 OBC as a perk, the price is $300 higher than if it did not have that perk. The only time perks are actually deals are once it starts getting somewhat close to sailing date; then if there is still a plethora of available berths you might see a price drop or a "free" perk (i.e. a perk added without an equivalent raise in price).

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cporses

cporses

Posted
Posted

There is no such thing as a free perk. The cost of the so called free perks is factored into the overall pricing formulae for the ship. So nobody actually gets anything for free. It has been paid for by everybody onboard. It is only the way it is marketed that makes it appear free to entice customers.

 

Sent from my Lenovo TB2-X30F using Tapatalk

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fshagan

fshagan

Posted
Posted (edited)
There is no such thing as a free perk. The cost of the so called free perks is factored into the overall pricing formulae for the ship. So nobody actually gets anything for free. It has been paid for by everybody onboard. It is only the way it is marketed that makes it appear free to entice customers.

 

I understand your reasoning, but if you carry this to its logical conclusion, then everyone on board is paying the exact same price, and every cruise has the exact same profit margin, and RCCL's stock is the exact same price every day.

 

If I book a balcony cabin for $1,500 and have free gratuities, and my neighbor has booked the same class of cabin for $2,500 with no perks, I would say there are differences in the prices we paid. And, I got a free perk.

 

The way the marketing on perks really works is that X is able to offer something that doesn't cost them as much as the perceived value to the cruiser. "Free drinks" sounds really attractive to the cruiser, but X knows, over an average number of cruisers, that the total cost is going to be less than if they discounted the cabins and charged for drinks. The cruiser may be a lush who will definitely make out with the free drinks, but more likely the average cruiser remembers being surprised by a bar bill, and just likes the convenience of not having to deal with the surprise.

 

Variable pricing and free perks work as a strategy, just like add-on fees for dining do. Consumers can use that system to pay much less than the guy in the next cabin, and get actual, real, free perks.

Edited by fshagan
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royalcruz

royalcruz

Posted
Posted

There are usually perks offered on cruises that are sailing within certain dates. If you want to go on a particular cruise that is too far in the future to qualify, and you want a certain cabin, book it now and then when a perk is offered on that cruise call and ask for it to be added (they might say you have to pay a higher amount). If they won't do it, cancel and rebook to get the perk.

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bigbenboys

bigbenboys

Posted
Posted

I like the perks. What I like best is booking a sky suite onboard and getting all 4 perks plus $300 for booking onboard. For some it is the bottom line. For others it is about not having little pieces of paper to sign and put in a pocket or credit card holder. I did ask my TA about a price I saw on a website. It was much lower than what I was paying. It was a price with no perks.

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QE2_Fan

QE2_Fan

Posted
Posted (edited)

It's all got so confusing, last year Celebrity 'standardised' their pricing with the Go Big, Better Best option of 1,2 or all offered perks. (Excluding transatlantic, transpacific and repositioning cruises) You couldn't get a price WITHOUT a perk which a lot of people were not happy about as they preferred getting a base fare.

 

But now that 'standard' just seems another promotional gimmick where it's offered sometimes, not always, or added on after itineraries have been on sale for a while.

 

Perks included or not, their latest <high> pricing has kept my wallet shut from future deposits for now.

 

 

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Edited by QE2_Fan
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Myron E

Myron E

Posted
Posted

You have to be a smart shopper in this world, whether you buy a cruise or a North Face jacket.

 

We like to get out of NY for February, and while in Florida, tag on a Celebrity cruise. So we watch the deals and shop.

 

This year, on some weekend or other, there was a deal with a drinks package and some good OBC, then, after checking with our various TAs, one of them, for the same price, added their own OBC. So we ended up with a nice balcony room on a floor we like, with a drinks package and $475 OBC, which will pay for all tips and an upgrade on the drinks package, plus some extra.

 

You have to be a discriminating consumer in this world, and learn how to get the best deal you can, and, once committed, forget about what anyone else gets.

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fshagan

fshagan

Posted
Posted

I always see pricing on the on-line TA sites we use for one perk or more, with a price listed to get the other perks. Here's an example, redacted to keep in line with the ridiculous (but still respected) policy that you can't mention TAs here: http://screencast.com/t/1hv76P5G0gqx

 

You can take their low price with "Dining Credit" ... $50 toward any specialty dining ... and their version of a cash back offer, or pay more to get X perks. You can get "Go Big" for just $900 on this 7 day cruise.

 

This online TA often has pricing broken out with and without perks.

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