Future booked cruises with All Included? Tips no longer included.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

On 8/29/2023 at 4:32 PM, terrydtx said:

Today in the mail we got our 2024-25 Oceania Grand Voyages catalog and found some interesting cruises at remarkable costs per night. One we are going to look at is the 23 day Amsterdam to London June 2024 cruise on the Marina. We can book a Penthouse Suite from $600pp per night or a Veranda from $452pp per night. This why so many Celebrity customers are jumping ship after all the recent changes to the product. We never book the air with Oceania as it is mostly a rip off but the non air prices includes the beer and wine beverage package, free Wi-Fi, all specialty restaurants and a $500pp shore excursion CREDIT.

 

We booked this deal last week for Regent. It's not available directly through Regent but many TAs can book it. Concierge Class cabins and below. Rate shown is for the lowet Cat Verandah cabin. We booked Concierge at about $400pp/nt. To us it's a great way to try Regent.....and AI. Even includes a pre-cruise night at the Biltmore in Miami. 

 

Edited September 1, 2023 by suzyluvs2cruise

[poeticlicensed]

The all in package pricing is a mystery to me. I'm looking at one cruise and AI is 55 pp pd. On another cruise its 166 pp pd. I cannot figure out why such a disparity. One would think that drink costs, gratuities cost and wifi cost would be similar no matter what cruise you are on. Which leads me to believe its all made up so taking away tips is meaningless, given there's no baseline 

[the penguins]

15 hours ago, Bullswood said:

From the reported Celebrity explanation in post #3

 "All Included package pricing was modified to align with the evolving needs of our guests and offer added flexibility when booking."

I have no idea what "evolving needs" means but in any event, this has no mention of a cost saving or simultaneous price rise. So if this statement is not to be regarded as deceptive (or arguably a downright lie) one would expect the price of the AI supplement to be reduced from Oct 4 so that price of current AI benefit = price of reduced AI benefit+tips.

If not and the explanation is proved to be incorrect, does Celebrity really think its average customer (or TA) is that dumb and why not just tell the truth?

In summary you are just speculating.

You clearly understand the maths (sorry math) involved . On 4 October we will all see what the changes actually mean and only then will be able to make informed decisions on our ongoing relationship with X.

[the penguins]

6 minutes ago, poeticlicensed said:

The all in package pricing is a mystery to me. I'm looking at one cruise and AI is 55 pp pd. On another cruise its 166 pp pd. I cannot figure out why such a disparity. One would think that drink costs, gratuities cost and wifi cost would be similar no matter what cruise you are on. Which leads me to believe its all made up so taking away tips is meaningless, given there's no baseline 

Once tips are removed it will be much easier to see exactly what X is charging for the drinks and WiFi on any particular cruise. You will also be able to compare the AI price against paying for the 2 elements separately.

Will the cost per night be the same on every cruise ? 

I doubt it as the new system will give X much more flexibility to play with the rates depending upon demand.

We are currently looking at a cruise in 2025 on HAL and the price on that for tips/drinks/WiFi is £50 (around $60) per person per day.

[poeticlicensed]

12 minutes ago, the penguins said:

Once tips are removed it will be much easier to see exactly what X is charging for the drinks and WiFi on any particular cruise. You will also be able to compare the AI price against paying for the 2 elements separately.

Will the cost per night be the same on every cruise ? 

I doubt it as the new system will give X much more flexibility to play with the rates depending upon demand.

We are currently looking at a cruise in 2025 on HAL and the price on that for tips/drinks/WiFi is £50 (around $60) per person per day.

I totally understand the disparity in rates, based on demand, season, location etc. But you would think that wifi and booze would cost pretty much the sane, given that the cruiseline pays a negotiated rate via contract for booze and they are the ones providing wifi. 

[the penguins]

3 minutes ago, poeticlicensed said:

I totally understand the disparity in rates, based on demand, season, location etc. But you would think that wifi and booze would cost pretty much the sane, given that the cruiseline pays a negotiated rate via contract for booze and they are the ones providing wifi. 

Cost - yes. Selling price - no.

[the penguins]

18 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Agree with you!  Celebrity failed in the execution.  A $5 cookie that is big and different from the rest and sharable with DH is something I would have considered buying to go along with my scoop of gelato.  It goes back to timing, execution, and communication.  You are so right about the possibility of some over zealous staff thinking they should remove the for free cookies to push people toward the for fee cookies instead.  The smell of baking cookies alone would have been enough to draw attention and sales.

 

I remember once on a RCl cruise we were going to see a movie in the theater on a sea day.  They popped popcorn outside the entrance and sold to people as they entered the theater.  The smell of fresh popcorn drew us in and yes, we each bought a bag to eat while watching the movie.  These things can be done...maybe they should just consult with us experts here on CC next time 😁.

Popcorn at the movies is free on HAL - or at least it was.

[hcat]

15 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

You know the Lawn Club Grill warm cookie with gelato dessert?  They should have considered peddlling those at the gelato bar.  Bet there'd be a line of folks wanting to shell out $10 or more!  I know, I shouldn't give anyone at X ideas, but so many posters on here rave about that one dessert a whole lot.  

it is the best treat!

[WonderMan3]

20 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Wondered where you went Wonderman!  Hope your cruising adventures continue to take you far and wide. I’ve missed your live reports. 

Thank you! Been keeping busy with road trips and other land-based travel. Hopefully a cruise will be in our future again someday. It might be with Oceania next though.

[Islander500]

On 8/30/2023 at 10:25 AM, OysterD said:

Exactly, and without the hysteria, speculation and incorrect assumptions. Just the facts. Which in reality don't amount to many changes. 

Except these are just this last week.  The major change that affects many more cruisers across the board are the new, significantly reduced menus (in both quality & options) in the MDR and Blu, & possibly Luminae. Can’t confirm the 3rd one but certainly can the first two.  

[tigervixxxen]

On 8/31/2023 at 7:53 PM, goofysmom99 said:

You know the Lawn Club Grill warm cookie with gelato dessert?  They should have considered peddlling those at the gelato bar.  Bet there'd be a line of folks wanting to shell out $10 or more!  I know, I shouldn't give anyone at X ideas, but so many posters on here rave about that one dessert a whole lot.  

Or give away free warm cookies at the gelato counter would certainly increase gelato sales. It’s an underutilized space, anything to draw people there and give them incentive to pay up for a $6+ cup of gelato is real marketing. 

[hcat]

7 hours ago, Islander500 said:

Except these are just this last week.  The major change that affects many more cruisers across the board are the new, significantly reduced menus (in both quality & options) in the MDR and Blu, & possibly Luminae. Can’t confirm the 3rd one but certainly can the first two.  

You are correct...This is one of the main issues that does  NOT seem to be addressed by New Celebrity, while we bemoan the cooke capers.  It is likely to affect all cruisers for the longer term unless they add some better choices to the main dining venues. Better  cuts of  meat,  much nicer veggie & potato choices..  Not just simple fare slopped onto the plate.  Diner food is better and more creative.!

Edited September 2, 2023 by hcat

[Veinless]

On 8/31/2023 at 4:43 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

Agree with you!  Celebrity failed in the execution.  A $5 cookie that is big and different from the rest and sharable with DH is something I would have considered buying to go along with my scoop of gelato.  It goes back to timing, execution, and communication. 

How about a 12” piping hot, Italian-style cookie covered in tomato sauce, pepperoni, and gooey cheese? You know that’s next…

[mac_tlc]

On 8/31/2023 at 5:43 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

 

 

I remember once on a RCl cruise we were going to see a movie in the theater on a sea day.  They popped popcorn outside the entrance and sold to people as they entered the theater.  The smell of fresh popcorn drew us in and yes, we each bought a bag to eat while watching the movie.  These things can be done...maybe they should just consult with us experts here on CC next time 😁.

The popcorn cart was set up outside of Studio B on the Oasis last month every time there was an event there, mainly the ice shows. $2.50 a bag --- saw a decent number of purchases.

 

 

mac_tlc 

[HMR74]

I can say one thing. The Royal Burger at lunch in RCL's MDR is far far better than the  Burger in Celebritys MDR for lunch-at least for s class. . The plated chicken lunch was anemic looking.

 

If X is going to do consistency across all ships then its bench mark for consistency should be McDonalds inot  in quality of the product (eg cheap meat)  but consistency on presentationa and preparation. X is far from having that nailed down,.

 

I have had lunches ithe VPs of national  and local chains where they ordered a few things and if one was unsatisfactory they got up and went to the kitched to show staff how to do it.

X said it was going to simlify menues to make it easier.

It did accomlish that goal.

 

[keysey222]

On 8/29/2023 at 12:10 PM, sparkopotamus said:

I hope you're correct...awaiting a return call from X regarding the $200 increase in my total due when I checked my reservation on-line.  The .pdf I received in July is $200 less than what I see on-line.  Plus they added a Prepaid Tips of $460.00, which I'm unable to delete when I click the trash can icon.  When we booked this we received all four perks (OBC, PBP, tips, and WiFi...we are in an Aqua Sky Suite), plus an additional $200 OBC for being subject to Beyond-gate (the lift-and-shift of Beyond from the Med to the Carib, so now we are Equinox).

They automatically added extra prepaid tips to all 3 of our upcoming reservations for the Retreat under the Add-Ons tab in my account.  We booked back in 2022 and tips were to be included.  This is an additional charge, that if not caught, would've cost us over a thousand bucks. We paid one of the cruises in full and are now waiting for a $650 refund for their mistakes. I was able to delete the extra tips from the other two bookings (not paid in full yet). Any cruisers with upcoming sailings in the Retreat need to double check their bookings. Celebrity confirmed this was a mistake and shouldn't have happened.

[sparkopotamus]

11 minutes ago, keysey222 said:

They automatically added extra prepaid tips to all 3 of our upcoming reservations for the Retreat under the Add-Ons tab in my account.  We booked back in 2022 and tips were to be included.  This is an additional charge, that if not caught, would've cost us over a thousand bucks. We paid one of the cruises in full and are now waiting for a $650 refund for their mistakes. I was able to delete the extra tips from the other two bookings (not paid in full yet). Any cruisers with upcoming sailings in the Retreat need to double check their bookings. Celebrity confirmed this was a mistake and shouldn't have happened.

I’m sorry you’re having to wade through the less-than-optimal X bureaucracy to get a refund on something that should have never been charged. Thank you for confirming what I feared was true. I will double down on my efforts to get this charge removed prior to our cruise.  

[hcat]

29 minutes ago, sparkopotamus said:

I’m sorry you’re having to wade through the less-than-optimal X bureaucracy to get a refund on something that should have never been charged. Thank you for confirming what I feared was true. I will double down on my efforts to get this charge removed prior to our cruise.  

or file a Credit Card dispute!

[abbydancer2003]

Celebrity always has prepaid tips as an extra charge when you first book.  They usually fall off the booking within a few days.  The only time it can be a real problem is if you book within the final payment window - in that case you usually have 24 hours to pay it all and they won't have fallen off by then.  I had to (this was a few years ago) call and get them removed.

[hcat]

our grats did not fall off within the usually expected time frame..  When they corrected it  they/ it  added change fee

 

the  next rep devised a work around by reducing the fare....so far seems ok..but have to be on top of it..

[keysey222]

6 minutes ago, abbydancer said:

Celebrity always has prepaid tips as an extra charge when you first book.  They usually fall off the booking within a few days.  The only time it can be a real problem is if you book within the final payment window - in that case you usually have 24 hours to pay it all and they won't have fallen off by then.  I had to (this was a few years ago) call and get them removed.

Sadly, not in this case. We've had this cruise booked for over a year. Never fell off. We made final payment this week (is due within the next couple weeks, if not sooner) and were charged for the extra gratuities.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

On 8/28/2023 at 7:11 PM, Lena11033 said:

My upcoming cruises that aren't retreat I didn't do AI on my SV because they wanted to nail me with charges, I did get the tips added on so would see it possibly being like that. But as others pointed out AI price probably isn't going down from what it is now just removing the tips to 'add on' so still in the same boat so to speak of not doing AI. But hard to tell until the website changes after the said date and mock booking comparison

 

This. When I booked the ABC cruise on the Beyond for next summer while I was on board, I opted to pay only gratuities and not do AI since I am cruising solo. If I just added the gratuities, it only added them on for me. And then I can buy a drink package just for me - and add internet just for me. If I did AI I would essentially have been paying for 2 drink packages, 2 internet packages, and 2 sets of gratuities.

[abbydancer2003]

2 minutes ago, hcat said:

our grats did not fall off within the usually expected time frame..  When they corrected it  they/ it  added change fee

 

the  next rep devised a work around by reducing the fare....so far seems ok..but have to be on top of it..

Yeah, that's all been a mess.  I've seen refundable deposit cruises moved to a new date/ship etc, and changing to a non refundable, and a change fee attaches.  Call again to get it backed out.  Ususally, lately, they leave it and just add a 100.00 credit on the fare.  

[wrk2cruise]

Yea I had that happen as well.   Evidently the $100 pp change fee gets added automatically many times it shouldn't

 

[hcat]

IT glitch or rip.off!