Goodbye to best Southern Caribbean 14,day Itinerary!

[Host Jazzbeau]

I think you have to request it at booking and it's $100 off the second cruise - or at least it used to be. Haven't booked any Celebrity back2backs for clients in a while so

 

Sort of like the Captains Club upgrade benefit - if you don't ask they don't automatically offer it to you and it has to be done at time of initial booking

 

They way Celebrity listed it on our invoices, it was $50 on each of the b2b legs -- so I wonder if I did a b2b2b would I just get an additional $50 [for a total of $150]?

[phoenix_dream]

I've booked several b2b's recently and not gotten a Celebrity discount on any. Never knew this even existed! Anyone have very recent experience?

 

As to the demise of the 14 day deep southern, add me to the list of the truly dismayed. We sailed it this winter, and loved it so much we booked it again next winter. My opinion is that the changes are related to the age thing. Celebrity's admitted desired demographic is the 30-40 somethings with money. While there are some younger Canadians or Europeans on the 14 night Caribbean sailings, the vast majority of the ship has leaned towards an average age of 60 and above (quite a bit above on our recent cruise). They had waiters trolling the Martini Bar virtually every single night trying to find takers for the specialty restaurants (so much so we were able to book one for 30% off and another for 2/1). Older cruisers do not spend as much on extras - they just don't (and I am one of them so this is not a criticism).

 

I am hoping I am wrong and they will bring an Edge class ship on that route, but haven't seen that yet.

[cherburt]

I think you have to request it at booking and it's $100 off the second cruise - or at least it used to be. Haven't booked any Celebrity back2backs for clients in a while so

 

Sort of like the Captains Club upgrade benefit - if you don't ask they don't automatically offer it to you and it has to be done at time of initial booking

We go thru a TA booked a 7 day and a 12 day on Silhouette in Jan. I did not expect to get anything off so was surprised to get 50.00 and 100.00 off the 2. Total of 150.00

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[WonderMan3]

We've done the 14 night Eclipse 4 times since 2014. With it going away for 2019 we switched over to the 12 night Summit out of Puerto Rico as it visits 10 islands.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Host Jazzbeau]

I got a brochure today from Oceania, touting "Snowbirds in Residence" cruises: 70-80+ days roundtrip Miami. But on further delving, it turns out this is just a b2b2b... of their winter-full of Miami roundtrips. Different ports each leg [i didn't check deeply enough to say no repeats, but not many], but you do come back to Miami every 10 days or so. [This may seem irrelevant to this thread, but I thought it was the same bait-and-switch of offering a "14-day" cruise that is really just two 7-days back to back.]

[vkb2751]

The btb discount is $50 for 9 nights or less and $100 for longer than 9 night cruises. Have asked for it and got it every time in addition to whatever offers we had.

 

A lot of the celebrity staff is not aware of it and same goes for TAs.

[Iamcruzin]

It seems all the cruise lines are drastically reducing the number of longer cruises. Shorter cruises attract a younger passenger demographic that are more inclined to spend for ancillary services like shore excursions, specialty dining, spa treatments etc. Celebrity seems to think that a pattern of 9/12 nt cruises in lieu of 14 nt cruises will result in higher overall revenues. A publicly held company like RCI is more interested in attracting new customers that help increase profit margins and pleasing Wall Street than retaining long term customers that may potentially be less profitable on a per diem basis.

 

 

I'm inclined to agree. There are not many of us in the working force who can take 2 weeks in a row off from work no matter how many vacation days they have accrued. I can't swing 14 days but I can manage 9 or 10.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[NordicPrince]

I'm inclined to agree. There are not many of us in the working force who can take 2 weeks in a row off from work no matter how many vacation days they have accrued. I can't swing 14 days but I can manage 9 or 10.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

One of the reasons DW and I were able to book the 14 day cruise for next year is that the cruise leaves on a Sunday and returns on a Sunday. So the end result is that we only have to take 10 days of actual vacation time from work in order to do it. We've done 10 day cruises and think they are great. The Equinox cruises we've done leave on a Friday and return on a Monday. We always fly in a day prior early so you use 8 vacation days (if you flew in late you would only use 7).

But DW thought it would be fun to try a longer cruise. With airfares being what they are you get more bang for your buck by taking the longer cruise. It is unfortunate that in the future we will have to look elsewhere (other than Celebrity) to expand our cruising horizons, most likely with HAL or Princess, to take longer cruises.

Enjoy your cruising days.

[bogofman]

14 night Eclipse faithful cruisers are old...and getting older. Older people have time and money to book a 14 day cruise. Younger working people have limited vacation days and don't usually book a 14 night cruise.

That may be the case in US but not in europe, we have loads of holidays, and don't book 7 day cruuses if we can find longer ones.

[richstowe]

In 2014, this cruise was based in Fort Lauderdale and included 8 island ports. By 2016, it had been moved to Miami and reduced to 7 ports with Celebrity's very late and very questionable decision to include an overnight stay at one of the ports. Still, this remains our favourite Caribbean itinerary and we will be sad to take our cruise next March knowing that it will be our last.

Just wondering , was it the port or do you not like overnight stays ?

These overnighters seem to be very popular .

[villauk]

That may be the case in US but not in europe, we have loads of holidays, and don't book 7 day cruuses if we can find longer ones.

 

7 days just isn't worth the airfare.

[Fouremco]

Just wondering , was it the port or do you not like overnight stays ?

These overnighters seem to be very popular .

We booked the cruise when the itinerary first opened up and we were looking forward to stopping in Grenada, a port we'd only visited once previously. Then, just a scant few months before sailing, X announced the change. The prevailing sentiments expressed on CC at the time in the many resulting threads were mostly negative, that the addition of an overnight should have been applied to new itineraries, not to existing ones, and that while a good idea in Europe, these stays weren't a great idea for the Caribbean. You may be right that passengers enjoy the overnight stops, but I suspect that many passengers would still prefer visiting another port if given the choice.

 

In our case, we enjoyed our overnight stay in Barbados, where we rented a car for the two full days and had a wonderful time. We're also looking forward to our night in Willemstad next March.

[miched]

Recently have sailed mostly on the Eclipse 14 day cruise. Many times doing it 3 times a year. Last year we cancelled the one we had in the spring as we were tired or it and booked B2B on the Silhouette.

 

I am sure that those who sailed many times as we have on that 14 day cruise don't do many tours, buy photos or anything else that is revenue producing except for the casino, bingo and cheap junk sales that causes a buying frenzy . 😱

 

This fall we will be doing a B2B on the Equinox for a total of 21 days. This is good business for X. They got 7 extra days out of us. It is also a bonus for us as we get another 7 days. 🤗

 

Actually 10 and 11 day cruises make sense for those that have 2 weeks of vacation time. 14 days is great for the retired but I think X wants to draw more from those that aren't the retired bargain hunters, and I am one.

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[WonderMan3]

We booked the cruise when the itinerary first opened up and we were looking forward to stopping in Grenada, a port we'd only visited once previously. Then, just a scant few months before sailing, X announced the change. The prevailing sentiments expressed on CC at the time in the many resulting threads were mostly negative, that the addition of an overnight should have been applied to new itineraries, not to existing ones, and that while a good idea in Europe, these stays weren't a great idea for the Caribbean. You may be right that passengers enjoy the overnight stops, but I suspect that many passengers would still prefer visiting another port if given the choice.

 

 

 

In our case, we enjoyed our overnight stay in Barbados, where we rented a car for the two full days and had a wonderful time. We're also looking forward to our night in Willemstad next March.

 

 

I think it really depends on the port. We loved the overnight in Aruba as we had stayed there a few times and the island is very safe so we were able to visit a lot of the places we liked over two days and enjoy dinner out at one of our favorite restaurants. We didn't care for the overnight in Curacao as much. It was a stretch to find interesting things to do over two days and didn't feel compelled by anything to leave the ship at night. Their port area is nice but we'd been there multiple times before and into the town and there wasn't enough to draw us back.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[GottaKnowWhen]

...In our case, we enjoyed our overnight stay in Barbados, where we rented a car for the two full days and had a wonderful time. We're also looking forward to our night in Willemstad next March.

We have done the SoCarib just once, this February. We had been to Aruba before, on our first cruise, with Royal out of San Juan, 4 years ago. I would have been quite bored with another day in Aruba. But having an overnight there was great! The overnight gave us the freedom to rent a jeep for two days and to get out and about on our own. I did enjoy our new (one day) exposures to a few other islands we hadn't visited before, but the overnight was definitely a highlight for us. It was also our first S-class ship and we now have several more booked on the Eclipse.

[Gordoncruickshank]

We have done this itinerary 7 times and have it booked for 2018. For 2019 the best I can find is the Silhouette out of FL which does a 9 and a 12 alternating. As we usually add a week on the Silhouette to our 14 nights on the Eclipse travelling up to FL from Miami on the disembarkation day of the Eclipse, this will suit is better. We have the same cabin booked for each cruise and while the 9 day crusie has a fair number of sea days, the 12 night is mmuch like the exotic southern caribbean.

[Fouremco]

I think it really depends on the port. We loved the overnight in Aruba as we had stayed there a few times and the island is very safe so we were able to visit a lot of the places we liked over two days and enjoy dinner out at one of our favorite restaurants. We didn't care for the overnight in Curacao as much. It was a stretch to find interesting things to do over two days and didn't feel compelled by anything to leave the ship at night. Their port area is nice but we'd been there multiple times before and into the town and there wasn't enough to draw us back.

As you say, it depends on the port, but also on your personal interests. We've been to Aruba and Curaçao multiple times and have always preferred the latter. We both enjoy snorkelling and DIY tours, so we rent a car and head out for the day. We'll do the same this time, but for two days.

 

We aren't quite sure what to expect in Willemstad at night, other than some spectacular lighting of the buildings in the area of the Queen Emma Bridge on both the Punda and Otrobanda sides of the bay, as we haven't researched this aspect yet.

 

 

Even if we dine aboard, we'll definitely head out for a stroll with cameras and tripod in hand and hope to have results similar to the photo above from Google Images.

[GottaKnowWhen]

I've booked several b2b's recently and not gotten a Celebrity discount on any. Never knew this even existed! Anyone have very recent experience? ...

Already answered but I'll chime in. We got $50 discount for each 7-day leg of a b2b in Alaska last August. In December 2016 I booked two b2b, one a 13-day Italy & Adriatic followed by a 15 day TA to Buenos Aires on the Eclipse late 2018. As I was going through the process with my guy at Celebrity, he was summarizing costs, deposits needed etc and said "and of course you will get the $100 b2b discount on the first leg, but not on the transatlantic portion." A few weeks later I called and booked another b2b later in the Eclipse season, spring 2019, 14 nights from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso, then 15 nights on up to San Diego. The $100 per leg was not allowed since each of these legs is considered a repositioning cruise. When allowed it shows on the invoice as YDR7-B2B SAVINGS

Stan

[Olive Oyl & Popeye]

We also have booked the 14 night Caribbean cruise on eclipse for several years. We are truly disappointed that Celebrity has discontinued this popular itinerary. There are always many Canadians & European travelers in the ship. I didn't know that there where that many 30-40 year olds with money. Guess we will be looking for a different 14 day cruise. [emoji19]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[nekzaadvakil]

Very interesting discussion. From my perspective, a 10/11N itinerary is ideal from a working professional's perspective. Typically, we can get up to 2 weeks off from work or 15 days at one go. Keep 1 day for travel and a couple of days in the port you're leaving from, leaves one with 10-11 days for a cruise.

 

A 14N cruise means one needs to take 17-18 days off from work at one go which is very difficult for a working professional. Once I retire ( 7,539 days to go), i definitely will look at doing longer cruises.

[shipshape sam]

It seems all the cruise lines are drastically reducing the number of longer cruises. Shorter cruises attract a younger passenger demographic that are more inclined to spend for ancillary services like shore excursions, specialty dining, spa treatments etc. Celebrity seems to think that a pattern of 9/12 nt cruises in lieu of 14 nt cruises will result in higher overall revenues. A publicly held company like RCI is more interested in attracting new customers that help increase profit margins and pleasing Wall Street than retaining long term customers that may potentially be less profitable on a per diem basis.

 

A great example of how they are moving to a younger demographic and I think you are correct too about the profitability on a per diem basis.

 

14 day Southern Caribbean was a great itinerary on Celebrity.

[gerelmx]

Sad to hear this, I love these 14 day cruises. I also noticed that for our next cruise aboard the Eclipse on March 18 there are many cabins available although it is the spring break week and Easter week, only the suites are all sold out.

[bigbeergut]

Very interesting discussion. From my perspective, a 10/11N itinerary is ideal from a working professional's perspective. Typically, we can get up to 2 weeks off from work or 15 days at one go. Keep 1 day for travel and a couple of days in the port you're leaving from, leaves one with 10-11 days for a cruise.

 

A 14N cruise means one needs to take 17-18 days off from work at one go which is very difficult for a working professional. Once I retire ( 7,539 days to go), i definitely will look at doing longer cruises.

 

I'm not sure that I see the need to take 17-18 days for a 14 day cruise, at least from the United States. For a Sunday departure, traveling on the Saturday before the cruise and returning home on a Sunday seems to work for us. I've never needed more than 10 days vacation for a 14 day cruise. Saturday departures are a little more difficult traveling late Friday. Perhaps traveling on Fridays isn't convenient if you are traveling from the west coast.

 

The cruise lines also seem to match the 12 day cruises with a 9 day which requires a couple more days vacation for a much shorter cruise. The 9-day routes would seem to be far less appealing to working professionals.

 

I think it's purely economics. Three 14 day itineraries in a 6-week period vs 4 9/12 rotating itineraries in 6 weeks. I'll suggest the cruise lines find that the rotation with an additional cruise more profitable.

[Greyhound Crazy]

I think it's purely economics. Three 14 day itineraries in a 6-week period vs 4 9/12 rotating itineraries in 6 weeks. I'll suggest the cruise lines find that the rotation with an additional cruise more profitable.

 

 

This is the same thought we had. I am sorry to see the 14 day itineraries go - the Sunday departures made them an easy (and very enjoyable) holiday option for us.

[villauk]

I'm not sure that I see the need to take 17-18 days for a 14 day cruise, at least from the United States. For a Sunday departure, traveling on the Saturday before the cruise and returning home on a Sunday seems to work for us. I've never needed more than 10 days vacation for a 14 day cruise. Saturday departures are a little more difficult traveling late Friday. Perhaps traveling on Fridays isn't convenient if you are traveling from the west coast.

 

The cruise lines also seem to match the 12 day cruises with a 9 day which requires a couple more days vacation for a much shorter cruise. The 9-day routes would seem to be far less appealing to working professionals.

 

I think it's purely economics. Three 14 day itineraries in a 6-week period vs 4 9/12 rotating itineraries in 6 weeks. I'll suggest the cruise lines find that the rotation with an additional cruise more profitable.

 

The number of days required is obviously dependent on your locale - travelling to the US from other countries can mean a couple of days either side of the 14 night cruise is needed (resulting in possibly 13/14 days leave). I do agree about the profitability on the shorter cruises: they would definitely make higher profits sailing more of the 9 day itineraries as opposed to the 14 night runs.