Iamcruzin

Hurricane season is June 1 until Nov 30th. That's almost 1/2 the year blocked out.

There are a lot of people who find the package to be of value with or without the extra points. I don't chase points but if I happen to book a cruise or had a cruise booked during this time frame it would just be icing since we always book with a package if the price makes sense for us. This does not compel me to cancel my Celebrity cruise which is in the same time frame to book on Princess or compel me to book an additional cruise or sail solo in a suite just for extra points.

Actually my first cruise on Carnival 1986 used the term outside for rooms with an ocean view or obstructed view. The prices went up on both inside and outside categories the higher the deck you were booking. The top decks were the most expensive. You had higher status the higher up you were. At least in your mind as everyone had access to the same things. As time went on people realized the the top decks weren't that great since you were under the pool and experienced more noise. Now the cruise lines have loyalty programs so you can pat yourself on the back and feel good about yourself as you move up the ranks.

Which just means they change the banner to Red White and Blue and keep the same sale that has been running all year.

I noticed that too for an itinerary that I already booked. I was offered an AI price but now it's just priced for the sailing no choice to upgrade to AI at time of booking.

Give Princess time. We switched from Princess to Celebrity when they offered the 123 Go promotion and Pick your Perk. When it first rolled out you got drinks, wifi, gratuity and $ 300 OBC. you could pick any 3. Now it's a crap shoot. Just booked a cruise with them and added drinks and Wifi for $50 a day at the time of booking. Had I waited to purchase after the booking it was $72.99 just for drinks. Now they are playing the discount game and are offering drinks for $53.99.

Maybe in New York to Mets, Knicks and Islander fans. They don't complement Celebrity.

Orange is the New Celebrity....

It's a scaffold with an upgrade. Magic Carpet sounds like a ride at Disney.

I agree. On Royal and Celebrity you follow the package prices like the Stock Market and wait until it crashes.

We recently moved to Florida and we are taking our first residents cruise with the discount on Celebrity. It's a short cruise but I only booked it because it calls on Key West. After driving from New York we don't want to do another long drive for a while. So many places to see here and cruising in the Caribbean/ Bahamas doesn't have the same appeal as it did when we were living up north. I see more land trips in our future here in FL.

That has been the business model since I started cruising in the 80's. First time cruisers spend the most on board buying pictures and trinkets in the shop and booking the excursions. I remember spending $800 on board on family pictures years ago. Don't ask me where those pictures are today because I have no idea. Now I just take my own pictures and they are stored in the cloud and I view them in a loop on Frame TV.

The small 10% discount they offer in shops also generates more business. As a senior I can get 10% discounts all day long on land without belonging to a loyalty program. These cruise line loyalty programs are a lot about nothing especially if you are purchasing a drink and wifi package. The laundry service is the only value if you are on a long itinerary. Overall price and itinerary drives my business.

They are not doing this out of charity. It's pure profit. They already have you sucked in to being loyal it serves them no benefit to offer you anything more in value that would cost them money. It seems to be working because solo cruisers seem to be plotting a way to advance tiers. As if solo cruising wasn't expensive enough, they are now willing to purchase a plus package and book a suite solo. They are the real cash cows.

I feel the same way on Princess and Celebrity. I thought the Royal Class ships were bad enough with the smaller balconies than the Grand Class but Celebrity trumped Princess on the E class ships by turning all standard balconies into an ocean view with a slide down window like a car. Those Royal class balconies are starting to look good now. They also tweaked their program by matching your status from their other lines. I got bumped up on Celebrity because of my status on Royal Caribbean. I am no where near the top tier on any of the lines because we aren't loyal to one. I don't see any value in any of the perks they offer especially if you are buying a drink and internet package. Never say never but I don't think Princess will ever become Royal Caribbean with rides. The Carnival brand speaks to that.

The marketing is very seductive. Knowing what I know about the A/C system on cruise ships with traditional balconies I thought that when the partition was closed that the A/C would remain on in the room as it does when the sliding door is closed on a traditional balcony. After speaking to a friend who assumed the same thing when he booked an ABC island cruise in June on Beyond, I decided to book my next cruise on an S class ship after he told me of his experience. They may be nice for a cooler weather itinerary but in the Caribbean it would be a waste of money to book anything more than the lowest priced stateroom or anything lower than a suite. If I want to look out of a window I'll just stay home or book a cheap ocean view room on another line or different class Celebrity ship.

I hate the survey begging more than the sales pitch. With everyone giving tens across the board it is no wonder why changes that we complain about continue.

The OBC is from opening the credit card which I will use to pay for the cruise in order to qualify for the $1000 spent in the first 90 days. Does a $300 OBC post as a credit to my card or is it loaded to my Folio with Celebrity?

There are only 50 pieces worldwide and yet they are willing to let it go for 40% off. That just speaks volumes.

It's a marketing suggestion. Celebrity seems to be hungry.

It's only worth it if it is less than it would have been had you booked that category in the first place. Had you not priced it out at that time you can't tell.

Here is a double money making opportunity. I can see the ship photographers snapping a picture of Captain Kate as she fastens every bracelet and every necklace on the passengers who purchase a piece from her collection. When is the perfume and handbag release date?

That only applies to cruise line customer service reps. Cruise Critic members don't play that game.

How much would you save if you won the bid vs booking a Sky Suite to begin with? If you are losing the drink package that's a big ticket item and you also don't get the higher loyalty points.

A refundable deposit is important to me when book far out. I have actually canceled and switched to another cruise line for a more attractive deal on a similar itinerary as we got closer to sailing right before final payment.