Alternative to Celebrity

[richsea]

m

 

My experience booking Celebrity S1 suites is that the initial demand is very high and the prices go up as the bookings increase. Most people do not pay what is currently showing on line. Celebrity has eliminated their regular 14 day winter itinerary. But most S1 suites are a single price with the Best Bundle.

You might have better luck using the certificate for a cruise in the winter of 2021 when they are released soon. (Perhaps one of the 12 day cruises unless Celebrity reintroduces the 14 day itinerary)

 

For instance we have the January 20, 2018 Silhouette 12 day cruised booked in an S1 corner suite. The total cost is $7051 for two people with the four Best Perks. We have an additional $700 OBC from our TA. This was booked when it was first released. The cost of any suites on this cruised went up almost immediately and they have been sold out for a long time. We will see what happens after the final payment is due.

 

I am not cruising on the Edge until they introduce the second ship with a longer itinerary and more competing pricing.

 

Good luck

Right now a catagory 2B balcony on this Silhouette sailing is going for $6,950 with free tips (& $250 obc from our on line TA). A standard balcony for almost $7,000 for a 12 night cruise? They have to be kidding.

At these prices, it will be a cold day in hell when I book another Celebrity cruise.

[Oville]

Right now a catagory 2B balcony on this Silhouette sailing is going for $6,950 with free tips (& $250 obc from our on line TA). A standard balcony for almost $7,000 for a 12 night cruise? They have to be kidding.

At these prices, it will be a cold day in hell when I book another Celebrity cruise.

 

Of course you are looking at a 12 day Jan/19 much sought after cruise in October/2018. These longer Caribbean cruises are always very popular and get expensive not long after becoming available, think days. If you don’t book them ASAP you will pay, nothing new.

[Hlitner]

Veterans get 10 percent off

 

My understanding is that the discount is only for those who are on active duty or "retired" from the military. The last time I looked there were about 2.1 million retired vets who would meet that criteria. But there are about 20 million more vets who are not "retired" and would be out of luck.

 

Hank

[BosoxI]

m

 

My experience booking Celebrity S1 suites is that the initial demand is very high and the prices go up as the bookings increase. Most people do not pay what is currently showing on line. Celebrity has eliminated their regular 14 day winter itinerary. But most S1 suites are a single price with the Best Bundle.

You might have better luck using the certificate for a cruise in the winter of 2021 when they are released soon. (Perhaps one of the 12 day cruises unless Celebrity reintroduces the 14 day itinerary)

 

For instance we have the January 20, 2018 Silhouette 12 day cruised booked in an S1 corner suite. The total cost is $7051 for two people with the four Best Perks. We have an additional $700 OBC from our TA. This was booked when it was first released. The cost of any suites on this cruised went up almost immediately and they have been sold out for a long time. We will see what happens after the final payment is

 

Good luck

 

2021 is just too far out for me to even think about. The 10-day Regent cruise I mentioned would cost $33 a day per person more than your 12 Day in an s-1 on Celebrity. I love the corner S1 but I would have to go with Regent at those prices.

 

I am hopeful we will find the right cruise for this winter while we are on the Silhouette in December. That's when my wife hopes to apply the certificate she won. We'll see. Thanks for your good wishes

[richsea]

Of course you are looking at a 12 day Jan/19 much sought after cruise in October/2018. These longer Caribbean cruises are always very popular and get expensive not long after becoming available, think days. If you don’t book them ASAP you will pay, nothing new.

Hi Katie. Yes, I realize that the longer January sailings usually command higher prices, but lately Celebrity’s rates go beyond that, at least in my opinion. Last January we did 20 nights on Princess (2 10 nighters booked as one 20 nighter) for $6,160 in a balcony. This January, there is a 14n, a real one, not a b2b on Princess for $5,142. As a rule, we prefer Celebrity, but find Princess provides a very similar experience. After over 20 years of pretty much sailing Celebrity exclusively, their prices are forcing us to look elsewhere. Sometimes I feel like a traitor, lol, but it is what it is.

[grandgeezer]

So far our alternative is to stay home and save the money. 2018 didn't work out but maybe next year - until we get off the couch like other folks.

 

We just got home from a week on MSC Seaside in a Yacht Club Suite. We've never done a suite on Celebrity but we can't imagine it would be worth the extra $1,000+ p.p. per week.

We leave in 2 1/2 weeks for a week on the RCL Allure of the Seas, in a Grand Suite. We got a super good price on it, about what you would pay for a Aqua Class on Celebrity.

We've never done suites before but the lower categories, on Celebrity don't work for us as they once did in the past, too expensive and too many changes, and not for the better.

Before last week we had been on the couch since December 2016. For the right price we would definitely to Seaside again and since we've been on the Allure several times, I think we could say the same thing.

[MisterBill99]

Hi Katie. Yes, I realize that the longer January sailings usually command higher prices, but lately Celebrity’s rates go beyond that, at least in my opinion. Last January we did 20 nights on Princess (2 10 nighters booked as one 20 nighter) for $6,160 in a balcony. This January, there is a 14n, a real one, not a b2b on Princess for $5,142. As a rule, we prefer Celebrity, but find Princess provides a very similar experience. After over 20 years of pretty much sailing Celebrity exclusively, their prices are forcing us to look elsewhere. Sometimes I feel like a traitor, lol, but it is what it is.

They're working on a "supply and demand" model, where they start at a reasonable price and then raise them as people book, often to a price many find ridiculous. Then when you get to final payment and people cancel or the remaining cabins they drop back down. That's fine if you book early but if you look later on, you're going to be turned off by the high prices, and it leads to looking at alternatives like HAL or Princess (or even Oceania) since they will compare favorably to the high prices.

 

One way around this is to find a travel agent with a group that still has the original pricing. The Panama Canal cruise I'm about to leave on was like this. A big online TA had 2A balconies for $2849 while Celebrity's website was over $4000, as was my normal TA (a franchise operation) whose corporate parent did not have a group on the sailing.

 

In theory, Celebrity's switch to non-refundable deposits is supposed to fix this, but the refundable fare is generally only $100 more so it's easy enough to just book that if you're not sure you will be taking the cruise.

[richsea]

They're working on a "supply and demand" model, where they start at a reasonable price and then raise them as people book, often to a price many find ridiculous. Then when you get to final payment and people cancel or the remaining cabins they drop back down. That's fine if you book early but if you look later on, you're going to be turned off by the high prices, and it leads to looking at alternatives like HAL or Princess (or even Oceania) since they will compare favorably to the high prices.

 

One way around this is to find a travel agent with a group that still has the original pricing. The Panama Canal cruise I'm about to leave on was like this. A big online TA had 2A balconies for $2849 while Celebrity's website was over $4000, as was my normal TA (a franchise operation) whose corporate parent did not have a group on the sailing.

 

In theory, Celebrity's switch to non-refundable deposits is supposed to fix this, but the refundable fare is generally only $100 more so it's easy enough to just book that if you're not sure you will be taking the cruise.

I agree Bill, with your suggestions regarding booking stratagies. We’ve probably used them all, although I have not looked around for those agents with the original pricing, I have taken advantage of them when the on line TA we use has them. I used to like to book early, but lately have been waiting until after final payment. While I understand their thinking on the non refundable deposit, I won’t book using one. I guess my point is that the normal price point for a Celebrity sailing is at a level that I am not comfortable paying, so we just have to broaden our horizons. Our retirement funds can only go so far!

Enjoy your Panama Canal sailing! We sailed the canal on Millennium some years ago and passed Infinity sailing the opposite way in Gatun Lake. Lots of waving back and forth and lots of fun. The canal is amazing!

[MisterBill99]

I agree Bill, with your suggestions regarding booking stratagies. We’ve probably used them all, although I have not looked around for those agents with the original pricing, I have taken advantage of them when the on line TA we use has them. I used to like to book early, but lately have been waiting until after final payment. While I understand their thinking on the non refundable deposit, I won’t book using one. I guess my point is that the normal price point for a Celebrity sailing is at a level that I am not comfortable paying, so we just have to broaden our horizons. Our retirement funds can only go so far!

And I was the opposite. I used to wait for price drops before booking. I remember one year I was waiting for a price drop on a Bermuda cruise and ended up with a Baltic cruise instead because it got really cheap (also discovered that a family member had booked the same Bermuda cruise I was looking at which caused us to look for something else :) ). Lately I have been booking a year or more in advance. While I will not pay the ridiculous prices like I found on the PC cruise (or what is currently being charged for Edge) I have not been waiting for the big price drops after final payment, either, and I do get upset when I see it go way below what I paid (which is why I generally do not look).

 

I also hadn't thought of looking for an agent with a group and lower pricing, but I had looked at the popular online agency. since they had their Labor Day sale going on, and then looked at my TA's pricing, and was surprised to find it was $1400 more per person. My TA couldn't match it, so I booked with the big agency, which worked out well since they had free tips, drink package and OBC during the promotion. They charge a cancellation fee, which is why I don't usually book with them but in this case it was worth it.

 

Enjoy your Panama Canal sailing! We sailed the canal on Millennium some years ago and passed Infinity sailing the opposite way in Gatun Lake. Lots of waving back and forth and lots of fun. The canal is amazing!

Thanks! I guess they used to do a lot more sailings. Next year I think they may only be doing one round-trip on Infinity. I will have to take a look at which other ships will be in the canal during our passage.

[mafig]

I have never cancelled a cruise (knock on wood).

 

However, I still avoid any agency that charges cancellation fees. I'm beginning to think I should re-consider.

[MisterBill99]

I have never cancelled a cruise (knock on wood).

 

However, I still avoid any agency that charges cancellation fees. I'm beginning to think I should re-consider.

Really depends on the pricing. For a $2800 difference in price, I can take a chance on a $100 cancellation fee. Plus I fully intended to go on this cruise when I booked it. I actually had a similar Oceania cruise booked with my regular agent (who does not charge a cancellation fee) and cancelled it to book the Celebrity cruise. I felt a little guilty not rebooking with her, but she couldn't come close to the other agency's pricing.

[jagoffee]

2021 is just too far out for me to even think about. The 10-day Regent cruise I mentioned would cost $33 a day per person more than your 12 Day in an s-1 on Celebrity. I love the corner S1 but I would have to go with Regent at those prices.

 

I am hopeful we will find the right cruise for this winter while we are on the Silhouette in December. That's when my wife hopes to apply the certificate she won. We'll see. Thanks for your good wishes

 

Less than $300 a day per person on the Regent (with the same perks as Celebrity) is a great price IMO. I have never been able to find that kind of deal, but I will keep looking.

 

If you are not willing to book a Celebrity suite early or after final payment, you are unlikely to find anything in your price range. This has been the situation since Celebrity significantly increased the suite benefits.

 

Thanks

[jakesnana]

My understanding is that the discount is only for those who are on active duty or "retired" from the military. The last time I looked there were about 2.1 million retired vets who would meet that criteria. But there are about 20 million more vets who are not "retired" and would be out of luck.

 

Hank

 

Hank, that is not correct. Anyone with a DD214 is eligible for the Military OBC (not discount). I have personally used it several times for my husband and he was only active for 4 years.

[BosoxI]

Less than $300 a day per person on the Regent (with the same perks as Celebrity) is a great price IMO. I have never been able to find that kind of deal, but I will keep looking.

Maybe it's just a question of the new math, but I don't want you to go crazy looking for a Holy Grail that doesn't exist. Regent was well over $300 per person a day

[jagoffee]

Maybe it's just a question of the new math, but I don't want you to go crazy looking for a Holy Grail that doesn't exist. Regent was well over $300 per person a day

I may have just misunderstood your previous post when you said that your Regent Cruise was only $33 a day per person than my S1 January 2019 S1 booking. (Net $264 per person per day with the Best Perks).

 

It makes more sense based on my research that Regent would cost more than $300 per day per person. I see you have the same experience.

 

Enjoy your Regent Cruise.

[jagoffee]

Hank, that is not correct. Anyone with a DD214 is eligible for the Military OBC (not discount). I have personally used it several times for my husband and he was only active for 4 years.

Are you sure that you are not confusing Princess’s very generous stacking OBC policy with Celebrity’s discount policy?

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I promised to come back and report after my first cruise in MSC's Yacht Club.  So, MSC Yacht Club vs. Celebrity suite experience:

 

The boarding experience was excellent.  There's a special tent for YC passengers out front.  You drop your luggage and are escorted to the VIP lounge by a butler for processing.  Seating and refreshments available.  Once you are processed, you are escorted on board by a butler.  As we passed the Concierge Desk, the concierge informed us that our cabin was ready, so we were able to drop our carryons.  YC wins this one.

 

Cruise Critic gathering:  champagne and other treats served.  Captain gave brief speech and introduced the other officers.  We had a group picture taken and all get a copy of it.  Special cake.  Plenty of opportunity to mingle with other guests.  MSC blows Celebrity out of the water on this one.

 

The YC lounge is huge and is surrounded by windows to the sea.  In fact, the whole ship is oriented to being able to see the sea.  I liked that.  You can get any drinks here (all included in the fare) and there are refreshments available (which change, depending on the time of day.  Star of the show here is the live music!  We had a piano player who was excellent and a piano and violin duo who were sublime.  I spent a lot of time in the lounge listening to music.  The captain and the staff hold a special reception here and he goes around and talks to everyone.  If you don't drink alcohol, try a non-alcoholic pomegranate mojito.  Very refreshing.  YC definitely wins this one.

 

Restaurant wasn't up to Luminae on Celebrity.  Service was iffy.  Food was so so.  The risoto and ice cream were excellent.  Don't order baked fish, they must bake it for hours.   I tried going to the restaurant for breakfast one morning.  The waiter finally showed up and took my order.  He then proceeded to chat with the folks at the next table for 10 minutes before going to place my order.  Really?  I didn't want to spend an eternity on breakfast.  Never went back.  Also never went for lunch.  Luminae is the clear winner here, both for service and for food.  Yacht Club restaurant and lounge did not have any non-alcoholic wine or champagne.  Celebrity has good versions of each.

 

The private sun and pool deck were excellent.  Plenty of loungers available.  Tables and chairs and loungers also available in the shade.  Good place for lunch and breakfast.  Omelettes, pasta, and hamburgers made to order.  Other options available.  Excellent service from butlers and pool butlers.  The cabanas actually face the sea.  What a concept!  YC wins this hands down since Celebrity currently doesn't have a private sun and pool deck.

 

The cabin was intelligently designed.  The balcony was a bit small and did not have a table.  Loved that there was lots of space between the bed and the furniture on the opposite wall.  Closet space a bit small for two people. Would be fine for one.  Real bedside tables with drawers.  Loved the light up rods in the closet!  And real hangers, not those dreadful things you have to slot into fixed hooks.  Bathroom was well designed and plenty of storage.  A seat in the shower.  Choice between excellent handheld shower or rain  shower.  Good water pressure.  Retractable  clothesline in the shower.  Shower door did not leak.  Shampoo and body wash in dispensers on the wall.  No conditioner or hand lotion available.  No cotton balls or Q-tips (not sure if those are supposed to be supplied).  Apparently a glitch in their supply chain.  They ship everything from Italy and apparently the container did not catch up with them.  Everything in minibar is free (including liquor) and what you consume is constantly replenished.  You can specify what you want.  Liked that they had salty snacks.  The chocolate covered peanuts were addictive.  Fruit bowl was huge and had lots of variety.  Replenished daily.  Nespresso machine in room.  Comparing a YC suite to a sky suite on Celebrity, would say the YC suite is a bit better.

 

Rest of the ship:  would never sail in a regular cabin on MSC.  WAY too many people.  Lines.  Ventured out once to try the pizza (it was cold) and the gelato (excellent).  Staff not nearly as friendly.  Celebrity definitely wins this one for the rest of the ship.

 

Newspaper:  Awesome!  Full replica of the Washington Post!  You get to choose the newspaper you want.  Loved it!  Delivered by the butler every morning.  YC blows Celebrity out of the water on this one.  Not sure if the newspaper is a Black perk or if everyone in YC gets it.

 

Price:  less than $2,000/pp for a 7-night cruise.  YC the clear winner here.  And they status match, so I instantly became Black (which is their highest level).  That status entitles you to a free meal for two in a specialty restaurant (we went to Butcher's Cut, which was excellent) and many special treats.  Their chocolate ship is amazing, as is all the chocolate on the ship.

 

So, would I do it again?  Absolutely.  As long as you don't care too much about the itinerary.  At the moment, they're only doing 7-nights out of Miami.  For Caribbean cruises--obviously, they have tons in Europe.  Have one booked for next November which improves on the current itinerary by going to their new private island.  The captain also announced that they will be building 4 new smaller ships (around 800 pax) which will be all Yacht Club.  More interesting itineraries, since small ships can go to ports that large ships can't.

 

Will be happy to respond to questions (if I can find this thread again!)  The "new, improved" Cruise Critic leaves a lot to be desired.

[Ozzmund]

Linda,

 

Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts on MSC, and specifically the Yacht Club.

We too have been looking at giving them a try although the lack of a 10-12 day cruise is disappointing.

 

Thanks again for the review.

[Hlitner]

On 10/5/2018 at 9:36 AM, jakesnana said:

 

Hank, that is not correct. Anyone with a DD214 is eligible for the Military OBC (not discount). I have personally used it several times for my husband and he was only active for 4 years.

I always get the Military OBC on Princess cruises but have never heard of a similar benefit on Celebrity.  Guess I will have to check it out.   Here is what it says on the Celebrity web site:

At least one guest in the stateroom must be an active or retired member of the United States or Canada Military. A valid U.S. or Canadian military ID must be presented at the pier to validate eligibility. If eligibility cannot be validated, you will be charged the current standard cruise fare or otherwise be denied boarding.

 

 

Hank

[Dolebludger]

On 10/3/2018 at 1:22 PM, jagoffee said:

 

Less than $300 a day per person on the Regent (with the same perks as Celebrity) is a great price IMO. I have never been able to find that kind of deal, but I will keep looking.

 

If you are not willing to book a Celebrity suite early or after final payment, you are unlikely to find anything in your price range. This has been the situation since Celebrity significantly increased the suite benefits.

 

Thanks

 

I don't understand this post. We have been frequent Regent cruisers since 2002. The total cost for Regent cruises today is about $1000 per day per person. And for that price, you get a room as small as 216 sq. ft plus balcony. Want a larger room? It gets much more expensive. But if anybody knows of a Regent cruise for less than $300 per day per person, let me know and I will book it now! But neither I nor my TA believes it exists.

[Denny01]

A couple of responses:

1. Just made a reservation for a Celebrity TA in Oct 2019 and got a Military OBC. It exists.

2. No one who has touted MSC (never been on it so won’t give an opinon on it’s quality) haven’t mentioned the MSC smoking policy. Here is what I found on websites that list out varous Cruise Line smoking policies:

 -  MSC Smoking: Extensive: Inside: Casinos; cigar rooms; Designated lounge areas. Designated bar areas. Outside: Designated deck areas.

Not sure how ‘extensive’ the designated areas are in casinos, lounges, bars and deck areas. But those words more than infer smoking could be a major issue for Celebrity cruisers. So anyone who has cruised MSC might mention the smoking areas that seem to be much more extensive and allowable than Celebrity. And from numerous threads over the years, limited/no smoking is a very important to many Celebrity cruisers. 

 

Den

 

 

 

[jagoffee]

2 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

 

I don't understand this post. We have been frequent Regent cruisers since 2002. The total cost for Regent cruises today is about $1000 per day per person. And for that price, you get a room as small as 216 sq. ft plus balcony. Want a larger room? It gets much more expensive. But if anybody knows of a Regent cruise for less than $300 per day per person, let me know and I will book it now! But neither I nor my TA believes it exists.

I was just responding to several postings from BOSOX1 who was discussing the pricing of a Regent Cruise compared to the normal Celebrity S1 Suite. My research indicates that the Regent pricing Even higher than  the RS pricing.

Edited October 22, 2018 by jagoffee

[jelayne]

Linda, thanks for posting your review of your MSC cruise.  I have been waiting to hear what you though.  You confirmed some of what I thought, experience inside the YC vs the rest of the ship is different.  Food  and service A notch below,  price is better..  

 

In researching MSC I was surprise to see that there are inside cabins, veranda & suites in the YC; my question is how many children were there?  We are kind of spoiled  with AQ only 2 to a cabin or suites on X which seem to have very few children.  I love my grandkids but don’t want to find myself in the YC with the a lot  of children.  What did you experience?

 

 

[Baron Barracuda]

We've sailed mostly with Royal and X for the last 25 years but are currently enjoying our first Viking Ocean cruise and may never come back.   Cost for our 338sf Penthouse Verandah cabin for 14 nights on the Viking Star was under $300/night plus they threw in $400pp onboard credit and free air.   Ship is all-balcony, but small with just under 1000 passengers.  Food is much better than X.  Sushi, king crab legs and jumbo shrimp available every night at buffet.  HIgh tea offered daily.   Viking offers free specialty restaurants, complimentary shore excursion in every port, free wi-fi , free specialty coffees and  free beer and wine with lunch and dinner.  Most cocktails are under $8, otherwise bev pkg is only $20/night.  No casino is a downside, but there are also no children under 18 allowed.  The VO fleet is scheduled to expand from 6 ships to 16 over the next few years.  Well worth considering.

[villauk]

Linda, 

 

Thanks for posting your review. It sounds like The Yacht Club is definitely worth considering, especially as the price difference was so vast.

 

What were the shows like?