New Celebrity Bundle Pricing (Go! Big, Go! Better, Go! Best)

[Wine-O]

Hi there,

 

We can confirm that 2 guests will receive the Internet package.

 

Wow! With all the free unlimited internet packages, the speed is going to go from slow to very, very slow with everyone connected. :eek:

[cascadecruiser]

As I see the BBB program, It is really degrading the Captains Club benefits if you are in the three top tiers - Elite, Elite Plus & Zenith. We are Elite Plus (working towards Zenith) and usually take longer cruises with a balcony cabin. I don't need any more free drinks, I have more internet than I can use (when you can get connected) and usually get OBC/ free gratuities when booking on-board or from a travel agent. There is no upside for us as DW will not do an inside, so we will be waiting for any special offerings after our current bookings!

[Oville]

For whatever it's worth...here's a comparison for our 10 day ABC island cruise...Oct 2016 on Infinity

 

Originally booked AQ 2 (by choice over AQ 1) at $2049 pp, 123 GO PROMO......included Classic bev for 2, $300 OBC per cabin, and grats for 2...valued at $300 by X

 

After being strung along for quite awhile, we learned via Cruisecritic postings that our cruise would be cancelled, so switched to same itin for 2 wks later..Because they had not yet cancelled, we had to pay $2099 per person to switch dates...this was the ALL IN PROMO which also has grats, classic bev and $300 OBC ..hope this one does not get chartered!

 

TODAY....same 10 day cruise in AQ2 is listed for booking at following rates:

 

$ 2499 GO BIG...pick ONE perk among:

grats for 2, Classic bev for 2, $150 pp OBC, unlim internet

 

$ 2634 GO BETTER ...pick 2 perks from the list

 

$ 2904 GO BEST.....get the 4 specifies perks (2 of which we have no use for. As Elite Plus the Internet mins (200) work fine as does the Classic...so no need for BEST...

 

we woud in the future have to cost out everything for BIg (as in Big Loser... you get only 1 perk) or BETTER ( as in Better for Celebrity)

 

Not surewe will be willing to go through all this in the fture after our 3 booked cruises

 

Something's fishy. I'm on this same cruise. We booked an A1 (with A2 E+ pricing) for $2099 in December '15. Just looked at the current pricing: Big $2,099, Better $2249 and Best $2549.

 

I have no idea where you are getting your numbers, but the don't reflect the Celebrity website.

[TourDeCruise]

I have two cruises booked with X. Western Carib in Dec and Western Med Oct 2016. Well believe me I am looking to book elsewhere after this new turn of events. We really enjoyed the 123 promos, but I priced the Med cruise under the new scenario and it was way more expensive...for the terrible Internet and premium beverage....I don't think so! Also very disappointed with my TA, as I asked her to run the numbers and I haven't heard from her...I ran the numbers myself. Guess I am not getting much service for the one hundred per cabin obc....anyone out there recommend a good TA.

 

You could stick with your current bookings instead of rebooking at the higher prices. You would keep whatever amenities are associated with your current bookings. Unfortunately, that may mean sticking with your current travel agent.

 

Our base price for the W. Med (we're on same cruise as you) stayed the same, but I don't know how the base price compares in Canada. If we were to rebook at the same price, we would lose two amenities so of course, we will stick with our 123 all-inclusive we got for booking Concierge Class under the last promotion that expired on July 5th. Can you use US travel agents? Under Cruise Critic rules, we are not allowed to post travel agency names. Maybe someone on our rollcall could give you some guidance.

[Oville]

Sorry

Edited July 7, 2015 by Oville

[Oville]

Okay, one more try.

 

Hcat, here is the screen shot I just took of our cruise. Our numbers are no where near each other.

 

Edited July 7, 2015 by Oville

[midwestchick]

What's P.T. Barnum's famous quote??

 

"There's a sucker born every minute".

[TommyD3]

Hi there,

 

We can confirm that 2 guests will receive the Internet package.

 

It does not really matter since UNLIMITED internet for one person means they have 24 hours per day of internet. They can just hand their device to their spouse when not using it. No one is going to use the internet for 24 hours per day:)

[Tangocherie]

Okay, one more try.

 

Hcat, here is the screen shot I just took of our cruise. Our numbers are no where near each other.

 

 

 

Perhaps the pricing was in $Can ?

[richsea]

I have two cruises booked with X. Western Carib in Dec and Western Med Oct 2016. Well believe me I am looking to book elsewhere after this new turn of events. We really enjoyed the 123 promos, but I priced the Med cruise under the new scenario and it was way more expensive...for the terrible Internet and premium beverage....I don't think so! Also very disappointed with my TA at Icruise.com, as I asked her to run the numbers and I haven't heard from her...I ran the numbers myself. Guess I am not getting much service for the one hundred per cabin obc....anyone out there recommend a good TA.

 

I am confused. You booked a Western Med. cruise & were happy with your perks, & the price you paid, & now you're upset because the cruise you booked is more expensive now??:confused: What am I missing?? What's to be upset about??

[neverbeenhere]

"There's a sucker born every minute".

 

I believe it was said about Barnum, not by him.:)

[Oville]

Perhaps the pricing was in $Can ?

 

Perhaps, though I believe Hcat is from the U.S. You might be onto something.

Edited July 7, 2015 by Oville

[BEAV]

I think it's evident Celebrity isn't looking to necessarily target their loyal cruisers who have Elite (and above) status with this latest pricing strategy. They're going after a different type cruiser who may be happy to pay for extra amenities that are bundled into one price as opposed to an "a la carte pay as you go" system. Kinda like those of us (myself included) who like to pay the upgrade fee from Classic to Premium at final payment time as opposed to doing it later at embarkation. And I believe there's a market segment out there who isn't necessarily looking to save money by bundling, but, again, just wants to include as many amenities they know they'll use all for one price.

 

When it comes to booking a hotel, I fall into the category of customer that will probably book a "bundled" package that not only includes the room, but also added features like breakfast and parking, maybe wi-fi, etc. I may not be getting any price breaks in doing so, but I just want to include as much into one, single price to "keep it simple" and avoid nickel and dime charges on my final bill.

 

As someone else commented earlier in this thread, this is a new pricing structure and not necessarily a promotion like 123 GO, etc. I believe both Lisa and "Celebrity Cruises" referred to this new price structure as "standard rates". With a promotion, you're looking for value added at a cost savings. Later on in this game a few months down the road if Celebrity needs to stimulate bookings, who knows, they may come out with a promotion where you get the "Go Best" for the "Go Better" price (a savings of $35 per person, per day). Now THAT would be a promotion for getting all four perks for just $15 per day over the "Go Big" price. If they're desperate enough for bookings, then look for "promotions" just like they did when they came out with 123 Go, etc.

 

As an Elite Plus cruiser with Celebrity, I, too, have done all the number crunching and doubt I'll ever book anything higher than "Go Big". Unless of course they come out with a "promotion".

 

As to price hikes, I think a lot of the cruise lines are experimenting with this to see what the market will bear. At least I read similar comments like this on some of the other boards. But there will always be soft sailings and the need to run promotions of various types to fill berths. As I posted earlier, the Exciting Deals promotion is going on this week just as it does every week. This new pricing structure hasn't killed it, nor senior, resident and/or military rates on those sailings where Celebrity needs to move inventory.

Edited July 7, 2015 by BEAV

[hcat]

Perhaps the pricing was in $Can ?

 

 

 

 

I'll have to take another look...those are the numbers I wrote on the back of my ABC invoice.....maybe I put in a diff itin b/c I planed to check all my booked cruises.... definietly not Canadian prices...I don't think.,,

[Nova Scotia cruiser]

You could stick with your current bookings instead of rebooking at the higher prices. You would keep whatever amenities are associated with your current bookings. Unfortunately, that may mean sticking with your current travel agent.

 

Our base price for the W. Med (we're on same cruise as you) stayed the same, but I don't know how the base price compares in Canada. If we were to rebook at the same price, we would lose two amenities so of course, we will stick with our 123 all-inclusive we got for booking Concierge Class under the last promotion that expired on July 5th. Can you use US travel agents? Under Cruise Critic rules, we are not allowed to post travel agency names. Maybe someone on our rollcall could give you some guidance.

 

Hi Tour de Cruise, sorry for posting my TA info. We too are sailing Concierge Class on the western Med. My TA is actually in south Florida, there is no problem using a uS travel agency from Canada. Any recommendations from other sailors would be appreciated. I have actually booked my last two cruises on X website and then transferred them over to my TA so there is no work for her to do. That is why I am upset that she couldn't even help me through this change in benefits at Celebrity....am I wrong in expecting this from my TA.?

[bob278]

I have two cruises booked with X. Western Carib in Dec and Western Med Oct 2016. Well believe me I am looking to book elsewhere after this new turn of events. We really enjoyed the 123 promos, but I priced the Med cruise under the new scenario and it was way more expensive...for the terrible Internet and premium beverage....I don't think so! Also very disappointed with my TA at Icruise.com, as I asked her to run the numbers and I haven't heard from her...I ran the numbers myself. Guess I am not getting much service for the one hundred per cabin obc....anyone out there recommend a good TA.

 

I am confused. You booked a Western Med. cruise & were happy with your perks, & the price you paid, & now you're upset because the cruise you booked is more expensive now??:confused: What am I missing?? What's to be upset about??

I'm a little confused, too. The first sentence says they have a cruise booked. The second says they "enjoyed the 123 promo (already cruised or enjoyed the idea of what they had included at the price?).

 

My guess is that they have the cruise booked with 2 of the 3 123Go perks and are comparing it to the Go!Best with premium drink upgrade and unlimited internet, but I'm not sure.

 

My overall interpretation is that the poster assumes all future cruises will be more expensive than what they booked. While that is not a pleasant thought, it didn't take this new structure to make me think that. Prices are on an upward trend all over. But there are enough examples in this thread that the new pricing model does not automatically mean that current cruises have gone up.

 

My opinion is that I still have to do my due diligence to find the best deal for me (just like I have done for years). The definition of that is the cruise (on whichever cruise line in whatever cabin category) I think gives us the best value for our dollar. When I can't find anything we like, we'll stop cruising.

 

But (if the base price stays at current levels), I like the idea of not subsidizing things for everyone that might be included in a more all-in fare. Our Elite benefits satisfy our alcohol and internet needs to the base price with almost a good deal for us. And if it slows the otherwise almost inevitable price creep, then I will continue to be a happy customer.

[hcat]

Perhaps the pricing was in $Can ?

 

Oops... so sorry. The numbers I posted for the ABC cruise are actually the numbers for our Jan 2016 9 nite Ultimate Carib on Equinox...in Jan 2016...so I can understand that prices would be up with it being closer to sail date..

 

for that one we pd $1699 pp for AQ1 versus currently $2,499 for BIG ( 1 perk)...we got the 3 perks, grats, classic bev and OBC... $300 standard, another $150 for a deployment promotion and 25 extra points for Cap Club after we sail..,Looks like we have a great deal!

 

 

For the ABC cruise it seems the price stayed the same...just no triple perks...

 

How do you take a screen shot? That is much easier than typing it all out

Edited July 7, 2015 by hcat

[chamima]

Oops... so sorry. The numbers I posted for the ABC cruise are actually the numbers for our Jan 2016 9 nite Ultimate Carib on Equinox...in Jan 2016...so I can understand that prices would be up with it being closer to sail date..

 

for that one we pd $1699 pp for AQ1 versus currently $2,499 for BIG ( 1 perk)...we got the 3 perks, grats, classic bev and OBC... $300 standard, another $150 for a deployment promotion and 25 extra points for Cap Club after we sail..,Looks like we have a great deal!

 

 

For the ABC cruise it seems the price stayed the same...just no triple perks...

 

How do you take a screen shot? That is much easier than typing it all out

 

So it didn't really stay the same.

You'd have to pay, at a minimum, 10 days of gratuities ($13.45 x 2 x10 =$279.00) , $300 OBC or drinks.

The way I see it your cruise has STILL gone up almost $600, even if it LOOKS like it stayed the same.

 

 

 

And HOW DO YOU take a screen shot?

 

*

Edited July 7, 2015 by chamima

[karena1]

For us, the Go Big will be about all we book. We want the bev pkg which is why I booked 3 cruises under the 123 promo. Don't need the Premium, so no value upgrading for that. We always do Select Dining and have to pay for our tips upfront. have no need for $300 OBC for $210 b/c I cannot put my tips on there, we don't do specialty restaurants or ships excursion.

 

We already get internet being Elite, and even if we didn't, I try to stay away from online when on vacation, so that is not a perk for us either.

 

So Go Big works and we will just book with that if we book another Celebrity

 

Here is where I am confused - I know Senior, military, resident does not work with this, but what if they just plain drop the price? would you be able to get the price break and still keep the Go Big? Does the price drop become the "new standard price"?

[Nova Scotia cruiser]

I certainly do not have the experience in cruising that you do, however, I believe that my opinion is as valuable as yours. I am very happy with the price that I have paid for both X cruises in the future, I was just trying to compare old pricing against the new program...I think that is a fair thing to do since it is my hard earned cash I am looking out for. For this reason I say that I may not be booking future cruises with X. Again my opinion, my choice. It may turn out that X provides me with the best bang for my buck...so be it.

[Lois R]

Just an FYI.....Naming Travel Agencies is against Cruise Critic policy

so nobody will be able to give you any suggestions. I was going to

quote your post but the name of your agency is in it......I learned many

years ago, that is a no-no.

Edited July 7, 2015 by Lois R

[Nova Scotia cruiser]

Just an FYI.....Naming Travel Agencies is against Cruise Critic policy

so nobody will be able to give you any suggestions. I was going to

quote your post but the name of your agency is in it......I learned many

years ago, that is a no-no.

 

Thanks, I am in learning mode, but I do appreciate you giving me the rules. I actually read the rules last week but missed the TA info.thanks again.

[hcat]

So it didn't really stay the same.

You'd have to pay, at a minimum, 10 days of gratuities ($13.45 x 2 x10 =$279.00) , $300 OBC or drinks.

The way I see it your cruise has STILL gone up almost $600, even if it LOOKS like it stayed the same.

 

 

 

And HOW DO YOU take a screen shot?

 

*

 

You are correct but I had posted about a much higher price and was correcting that part of my goof!

[CathyCruises]

So it didn't really stay the same.

You'd have to pay, at a minimum, 10 days of gratuities ($13.45 x 2 x10 =$279.00) , $300 OBC or drinks.

The way I see it your cruise has STILL gone up almost $600, even if it LOOKS like it stayed the same.

 

 

 

And HOW DO YOU take a screen shot?

 

*

On an iPhone or iPad just press the top right (on/off) button at the same time as pressing the round button at the middle bottom.

[MicCanberra]

I am going to wait for the dust to settle and when we are looing for another cruise, it will be research and shopping around as usual. If X comes out on top then we can go from there. Apparently the BBB promo won't hit Australian cruises until September this year so we have some more time to contemplate how it will affect us.:D