So "Pick Your Perk" Expires Today

[andy2032]

We just booked for the November transatlantic on the Constellation and were told this sailing does not apply to the pick your perk, but I have read some where on here that some people were given pick your perk on transatlantic sailings. Did I misunderstand or should we be getting the pick your perk?

 

Barb

[lexdisic]

We just booked for the November transatlantic on the Constellation and were told this sailing does not apply to the pick your perk, but I have read some where on here that some people were given pick your perk on transatlantic sailings. Did I misunderstand or should we be getting the pick your perk?

 

Barb

 

I recently saw a UK TA offering a drinks package only perk on a sailing. I do not know if this was for a transatlantic, but as they are usually exempt from the package, it could have been a TA offering it themselves in place of the other perks maybe?

[Gracie115]

We just booked for the November transatlantic on the Constellation and were told this sailing does not apply to the pick your perk, but I have read some where on here that some people were given pick your perk on transatlantic sailings. Did I misunderstand or should we be getting the pick your perk?

 

Barb

 

I think they may have been eligible during one of last year's promos, but they are not included in the current one.....which I actually can understand.... with so many days at sea and with what are usually lower fares for TA's it's probably not in X's interests to offer the promo for those trips. Too bad as we booked our 1st TA for spring 2015 but it is not eligible....oh well.....

[Iamcruzin]

Actually, the Pick Your Perk promo runs until April 30th so you'll have a few more days to wait to see what happens.

 

I don't have all the stats but from my limited research the prices did not drop after the previous promo's expired except for those instances where the bookings were low and they were dropping the price to get more cabins booked.

 

As far as the promo adding to the price of the cruise that is not what I've experienced. My two upcoming cruises are basically the same price as the ones I took a year ago except both of mine have the promo and last year they didn't. The only way I think the promo is affecting prices is to increase demand which results in fewer cabins being available.

 

I have been experiencing this as well. The Bermuda sailings that I was interested in for next year are almost double the price of the sailings this year and they are not eligible for the pick your perk promo. I think that itineraries that book quickly, are in short supply and are popular will continue to generate higher prices with or without the perk. 7 day itineraries for Alaska and the Caribbean which have more inventory and more competition between lines will eventually drop in price as they have in the past even with the perks. I would also add that with inflation I would expect the prices to start out higher from the year before. It's just basic accounting and economics. Whether they can retain the higher price is up to the consumer.

Edited April 28, 2014 by Iamcruzin

[meatloafsfan]

I have been experiencing this as well. The Bermuda sailings that I was interested in for next year are almost double the price of the sailings this year and they are not eligible for the pick your perk promo. I think that itineraries that book quickly, are in short supply and are popular will continue to generate higher prices with or without the perk. 7 day itineraries for Alaska and the Caribbean which have more inventory and more competition between lines will eventually drop in price as they have in the past even with the perks. I would also add that with inflation I would expect the prices to start out higher from the year before. It's just basic accounting and economics. Whether they can retain the higher price is up to the consumer.

 

The summer Bermuda sailings are expensive.

 

For the May / June sailings though, Celebrity was offering not only the Pick your perk but on many of the sailings, 3rd and 4th guests sail free. We booked a great deal for the June 1st sailing with the free drink package plus the 3rd person sails "free" (worked out to $689 Canadian per person plus taxes), what I would consider a steal for a Bermuda cruise.

 

I don't think it's just itinerary but also timing. I would expect to continue to see good prices PLUS perks for off season.

[PatC]

We just booked our 2015 Israel/Med cruise on board Equinox and have been told that the "perks" might stay but you will no longer be able to get the drink packages on these "perks". You are given this "perk" only if you book on board now.

 

Of course, things probably will change as they always do with Celebrity but, as of the expiration this time around, drink packages will only be available as a "perk" "on board" when you book a future cruise. We have the flyer.

 

They do have the dinner packages but I don't like them picking my first venue. On board they will offer you up to 20% off and being Elite Plus give you the extra 15%. These restaurants are empty most nights and the cost is getting higher? Go figure;)

 

Hopefully someone on board right now can confirm what we were told. As I said, things change moment to moment.:rolleyes:

 

 

PatC

[Iamcruzin]

The summer Bermuda sailings are expensive.

 

For the May / June sailings though, Celebrity was offering not only the Pick your perk but on many of the sailings, 3rd and 4th guests sail free. We booked a great deal for the June 1st sailing with the free drink package plus the 3rd person sails "free" (worked out to $689 Canadian per person plus taxes), what I would consider a steal for a Bermuda cruise.

 

I don't think it's just itinerary but also timing. I would expect to continue to see good prices PLUS perks for off season.

 

 

I was looking at the May/ first and second week of June sailings. May is our favorite time to sail. Weather is favorable and it's not too crowded. When the sailings for 2015 first opened exclusively for past passengers I inquired and the prices were more or just as expensive as sailing in July or Aug of 2014. Ironically when the itineraries went public the price dropped $200 but it was still too expensive to book especially since they weren't offering any perks. Since I live in driving distance to port it really pays for me to wait for a promotion or after final payment before I book. I wish I could go this year there have been some great last minute prices for CC, Aqua and Verandas. All of them included the pick your perk package.

[MissBreezy]

When we booked our Med cruise in September we got a great price and had been humming and hawing over getting a drink package but couldn't justify the price at the time. Fast forward to Black Friday, 123Go goes live and we can take a classic drink package AND $300 OBC for an additional total fare increase of $400. It was a no-brainer for us. Especially since we would have likely bought a drink package anyway.

 

Our cruise is selling very well. Oceanview is sold out, all the lower category balcony cabins are now on a GTY and only a handful of insides remain. Prices have skyrocketed in the last three months, the last 2B cabin left was selling at almost $2000 more than we paid before it went to a guarantee.

 

Like the PP above noted, I don't think its the drink packages themselves that are driving up price...it's the demand created by the drink packages.

Edited April 28, 2014 by MissBreezy

[lexdisic]

When we booked our Med cruise in September we got a great price and had been humming and hawing over getting a drink package but couldn't justify the price at the time. Fast forward to Black Friday, 123Go goes live and we can take a classic drink package AND $300 OBC for an additional total fare increase of $400. It was a no-brainer for us. Especially since we would have likely bought a drink package anyway.

 

Our cruise is selling very well. Oceanview is sold out, all the lower category balcony cabins are now on a GTY and only a handful of insides remain. Prices have skyrocketed in the last three months, the last 2B cabin left was selling at almost $2000 more than we paid before it went to a guarantee.

 

Like the PP above noted, I don't think its the drink packages themselves that are driving up price...it's the demand created by the drink packages.

 

You are probably right there. I had an e-mail from a TA saying that the take up of beverage packages is now 85% of booked pax. My average ship bill for drinks comes to around $30 a day including coffee, odd wine, beer etc so whether its the package or demand for the package causing the price hikes, I am now having to look elsewhere as I cannot justify the prices for the amount I consume. I certainly hope that the ships dont turn into a booze-fest with drinkers 6 deep at the bars trying to get a drink.

I must be getting old :(

[Cruise Junky]

We just booked our 2015 Israel/Med cruise on board Equinox and have been told that the "perks" might stay but you will no longer be able to get the drink packages on these "perks". You are given this "perk" only if you book on board now.

 

Of course, things probably will change as they always do with Celebrity but, as of the expiration this time around, drink packages will only be available as a "perk" "on board" when you book a future cruise. We have the flyer.

 

They do have the dinner packages but I don't like them picking my first venue. On board they will offer you up to 20% off and being Elite Plus give you the extra 15%. These restaurants are empty most nights and the cost is getting higher? Go figure;)

 

Hopefully someone on board right now can confirm what we were told. As I said, things change moment to moment.:rolleyes:

 

 

PatC

 

That's very interesting, thanks for posting. We board today and I was going to book one cruise, I might book two now.

[cruzinlisa]

I was looking at the May/ first and second week of June sailings. May is our favorite time to sail. Weather is favorable and it's not too crowded. When the sailings for 2015 first opened exclusively for past passengers I inquired and the prices were more or just as expensive as sailing in July or Aug of 2014. Ironically when the itineraries went public the price dropped $200 but it was still too expensive to book especially since they weren't offering any perks. Since I live in driving distance to port it really pays for me to wait for a promotion or after final payment before I book. I wish I could go this year there have been some great last minute prices for CC, Aqua and Verandas. All of them included the pick your perk package.

 

They are very high. When we were on our Connie cruise, we went to the future cruise desk 2 times to book and ended up not doing it. We knew we wanted to go next May for our 10th anniversary and did not want to do Alaska or Europe, so that makes Bermuda the best choice. But when we were on board the itineraries were not out or just not available for us to see. We thought about doing a booking for Carribean and possibly switching, but those prices were really high also.

 

If prices do not go down any and they do not offer pick or perk or 123 go then we will probably just cruise on another line or do something else. Our anniversary is May 13, which is before most kids are out of school so it should be an off peak time. But the prices do not seem very off peak to me.

[Jade13]

I am looking for a copy of the onboard booking Pick Your Perk to see if the drinks package is available past May 2015. I thought it was for all sailings with the exception of transatlantic and short 4 & 5 night cruises.

 

We made a change and were told we could not get the drinks package as it was not available past May 2015.

[Iamcruzin]

They are very high. When we were on our Connie cruise, we went to the future cruise desk 2 times to book and ended up not doing it. We knew we wanted to go next May for our 10th anniversary and did not want to do Alaska or Europe, so that makes Bermuda the best choice. But when we were on board the itineraries were not out or just not available for us to see. We thought about doing a booking for Carribean and possibly switching, but those prices were really high also.

 

If prices do not go down any and they do not offer pick or perk or 123 go then we will probably just cruise on another line or do something else. Our anniversary is May 13, which is before most kids are out of school so it should be an off peak time. But the prices do not seem very off peak to me.

 

Our anniversary is May 10 which is another reason we like May. If you are looking at Bermuda for next year then no they are not off peak prices. I started a spread sheet for This May and June last week and I update it every few days. There are some pretty strange pricing as they try to fill categories. One day the category is sold out two days later it available again.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cruise Junky]

I am looking for a copy of the onboard booking Pick Your Perk to see if the drinks package is available past May 2015. I thought it was for all sailings with the exception of transatlantic and short 4 & 5 night cruises.

 

We made a change and were told we could not get the drinks package as it was not available past May 2015.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2017316&highlight=book+onboard

[wallie5446]

One day the category is sold out two days later it available again.

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A lot of times the flux comes from that peskie:

 

Courtesy Hold

As a My Celebrity member you can easily access your Courtesy Hold reservation and manage all sections of your reservation online.

We will hold your chosen stateroom at NO CHARGE for 24 hours.

[Queen of Oakville]

I hit the holy grail for my Nov 15 cruise - good cruise fair, PYP, and good airfare! We also got 3/4 pax free.

 

I was sooooo tempted to book for March Break 2015 .... BUT ..... I can't book airfare yet.

 

I've been toying with putting some money down before April 30 to secure PYP ... but I will pass until I can see flight options too. Might wait to book something onboard. At least by that time, I will know airfare options.

[amycat]

I booked a 7 night Alaskan cruise for May 2015 last night. After I booked, I realized I forgot to add my perk. I called customer service and said I wasn't eligible because I wasn't cruising before March 2015. That information is probably written in plain view, but of course I didn't see it. We did get $150 onboard credit though...

[Cruise Junky]

On solstice right now...OMG she's gorgeous. Booked a Cariibean cruise for Nov 2015 yesterday and got $200 plus the drink package

[ghstudio]

I booked a 7 night Alaskan cruise for May 2015 last night. After I booked, I realized I forgot to add my perk. I called customer service and said I wasn't eligible because I wasn't cruising before March 2015. That information is probably written in plain view, but of course I didn't see it. We did get $150 onboard credit though...

 

I think it's a pretty safe bet 1-2-3 will be back for cruises after March 15th...just hang in there and keep watching.

[Christine Frances]

On solstice right now...OMG she's gorgeous. Booked a Cariibean cruise for Nov 2015 yesterday and got $200 plus the drink package

 

So glad you like Solstice:) Now you have to try all her sisters!

[RickT]

Nice to see Celebrity continues to have it's act together.

 

The 1,2,3 ended yesterday however it's still showing on their website today.

 

Ads are now showing up on other sites I visit which mentions Celebrity's Take 2 promo but when you click on the link a Celebrity page opens up saying the link isn't valid :rolleyes:

 

From another site it looks like Take 2 is just shipboard credits which are doubled if you book Choice Air.

[thebutlerdidit]

 

From another site it looks like Take 2 is just shipboard credits which are doubled if you book Choice Air.

It looks like with the Take 2 you can either get $300 off of the stateroom rate for 2 or choose to receive that $300 as OBC.

[lovetotraveltx]

Unfortunately, the Take 2 is only good on cruises through March, 2015, just like pick 4. We have Alaska booked in June, 2015. Got an OBC from Celebrity but are hoping for a perk :)

[nomad098]

In the UK the "Pick Your Perk" has stopped

 

And the new promo is "World of Extras" which is "Pick Your Perk" without the gratuities and choice air options :confused: running to the 2nd June

[Wiltonian]

In the UK the "Pick Your Perk" has stopped

 

And the new promo is "World of Extras" which is "Pick Your Perk" without the gratuities and choice air options :confused: running to the 2nd June

 

And not applicable to any European cruises this year!

 

See http://www.celebritycruises.co.uk/images/'World%20of%20eXtras'%20applicable%20sailings_tcm20-54471.pdf

 

Stuart