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

[4774Papa]

Absolutely agree. I don't see how BBB negates Elite & above perks. If you are satisfied with the CC drinks & internet offered with the perks, the you don't have to pay to upgrade; just take the OBC, & use it as you see fit, whether it's excursions, additional drinks, or on board shopping.

As far as any increase in base prices are concerned, we'll just continue to look for sailings with a cost that we are comfortable with & book it. If we feel the cost is too high, well, there are other cruise lines out there, & some very similar to Celebrity.

I agree with Rich on my future strategy on booking with Celebrity in the future, if I do so.

 

As elite, and not heavy drinkers, we would go for the free grats or OBC.

However, since Celebrity has jacked up prices, we will pay more.

 

So, before I book, we will compare with Princess, HAL and NCL.

We just booked a cruise with NCL since their prices haven't risen as much as Celebrity and they offered a excellent benefits, including third and fourth person in cabin are free. We have never done three in a cabin, but DW's Daughter will be going with us as a freebie.

[Nova Scotia cruiser]

This does have something to do with the new X promotion. I sent an e mail to my TA on Saturday asking her to give me a comparison to my two outstanding cruises booked. I just wanted to know if I was better to stay as is or change to the new Big, Better, Best. Just to add info, I booked the last 2 cruises via X website then transferred then over to her agency, so little effort on her side. Now 5 days later she has not responded to my email. Am I over reacting. On more than one occasion I have emailed her requesting info on cruises and she has not responded.

[JaneStarr]

This does have something to do with the new X promotion. I sent an e mail to my TA on Saturday asking her to give me a comparison to my two outstanding cruises booked. I just wanted to know if I was better to stay as is or change to the new Big, Better, Best. Just to add info, I booked the last 2 cruises via X website then transferred then over to her agency, so little effort on her side. Now 5 days later she has not responded to my email. Am I over reacting. On more than one occasion I have emailed her requesting info on cruises and she has not responded.

For what it's worth, I don't think you're over-reacting. I highly value prompt communication and responsiveness. At the very least, I would've expected a quick reply letting you know when you could expect the information requested.

 

That being said, I choose to use a a boutique cruise agent who's become a friend and travel companion over the years.

She can't afford to offer the extra perks that the big online or box story agencies offer, but she is ALWAYS available and never charges us any fees. I appreciate the savings she has gotten us (even at a loss of commission) more than some extra perk. She's even managed to get us upgraded to the Royal Suite on 2 cruises at no extra cost!

 

Just FYI, if you decided to book a future cruise while onboard, be aware that Celebrity will automatically assign the booking to your current agent. You have to tell them if that is not your wish. Make sure to double-check your paperwork to ensure there isn't a mistake on this.

Jane

[Nova Scotia cruiser]

So should I just suck it up and move on to another TA.....all opinions are appreciated.

[chamima]

This does have something to do with the new X promotion. I sent an e mail to my TA on Saturday asking her to give me a comparison to my two outstanding cruises booked. I just wanted to know if I was better to stay as is or change to the new Big, Better, Best. Just to add info, I booked the last 2 cruises via X website then transferred then over to her agency, so little effort on her side. Now 5 days later she has not responded to my email. Am I over reacting. On more than one occasion I have emailed her requesting info on cruises and she has not responded.

 

For what it's worth, I don't think you're over-reacting. I highly value prompt communication and responsiveness. At the very least, I would've expected a quick reply letting you know when you could expect the information requested.

 

That being said, I choose to use a a boutique cruise agent who's become a friend and travel companion over the years.

She can't afford to offer the extra perks that the big online or box story agencies offer, but she is ALWAYS available and never charges us any fees. I appreciate the savings she has gotten us (even at a loss of commission) more than some extra perk. She's even managed to get us upgraded to the Royal Suite on 2 cruises at no extra cost!

 

Just FYI, if you decided to book a future cruise while onboard, be aware that Celebrity will automatically assign the booking to your current agent. You have to tell them if that is not your wish. Make sure to double-check your paperwork to ensure there isn't a mistake on this.

Jane

 

I also don't think you're over reacting.

On the outside chance she didn't see your email try sending it again.

Then , when you're on your Reflection cruise in the fall (it says on your signature that you have cruise on the Reflection in October) ask your fellow CC members who they use as TAs and take notes!

That's how we found our wonderful TA.

IF you book another cruise on while on board make sure that cruise stays with Celebrity and goes to no agent.

Then when you get home contact all the agents you've been given and ask them 1)what benefits (OBC, etc.) they give and 2) what potential fees (cancellation fee, change fee, etc.) they charge. You'll be able to see who responds quickly and who meets your needs.

You then have 60 days to transfer the cruise to your new TA.

[Nova Scotia cruiser]

I also don't think you're over reacting.

On the outside chance she didn't see your email try sending it again.

Then , when you're on your Reflection cruise in the fall (it says on your signature that you have cruise on the Reflection in October) ask your fellow CC members who they use as TAs and take notes!

That's how we found our wonderful TA.

IF you book another cruise on while on board make sure that cruise stays with Celebrity and goes to no agent.

Then when you get home contact all the agents you've been given and ask them 1)what benefits (OBC, etc.) they give and 2) what potential fees (cancellation fee, change fee, etc.) they charge. You'll be able to see who responds quickly and who meets your needs.

You then have 60 days to transfer the cruise to your new TA.

That is great advice. Thank you so much....I will definitely proceed in this manner. Thanks again!

[GottaKnowWhen]

So should I just suck it up and move on to another TA.....all opinions are appreciated.

 

"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

 

In my limited cruising experience (3 sailed, 3 additional booked) I have used 2 different TAs and then Celebrity directly twice. I keep switching because I do not want to put up with poor or non-existent customer service. I may try one more time, but for now I have given up on TAs, can't see that any small $OBC or whatever would compensate for the lack of responsiveness. I am happy with Celebrity's service.

 

So, yes in your case I would recommend to run away as fast as you can. Find another TA or forget TAs altogether. BUT note that you may incur a fee for leaving your current TA for your current bookings. Before you do anything, check your arrangement with them. And I wonder: since they ignore your request for some information, might they just ignore your request for them to release your booking? You may be stuck...

[ECCruise]

This does have something to do with the new X promotion. I sent an e mail to my TA on Saturday asking her to give me a comparison to my two outstanding cruises booked. I just wanted to know if I was better to stay as is or change to the new Big, Better, Best. Just to add info, I booked the last 2 cruises via X website then transferred then over to her agency, so little effort on her side. Now 5 days later she has not responded to my email. Am I over reacting. On more than one occasion I have emailed her requesting info on cruises and she has not responded.

 

Probably.

 

Our TA had compared all 4 of our booked cruises (the increases were laughable, BTW) and emailed us before 11 AM Monday with detailed results. No effort needed on my part. One of the many reasons why booking with a good TA is essential (the biggest is huge price savings) and why we would never even consider booking direct.

 

Plus, picking a TA may have a bit to do with luck. On our ~60 cruises we have used probably 7 or 8 different TAs (some move on, some retire, we move on for location, etc.) but overall our experience has been in the 90 percentile acceptable. And again, lucrative enough in savings to pay for several of those cruises completely.

Edited July 8, 2015 by ECCruise

[grandgeezer]

Here is my own analysis of one of my booked cruises. As currently booked has no 123Go benefits.

 

Concierge Cat C3 7 Night Alaska Aug 2016

 

In Nov 2014 listed at $2099.

In Feb, 2013, went to $2199

In Mar, 2015, went to $2099

In Apr, 2015, went to $2199

In Jun, 2015, went to $2299

 

As of 8 July 2015:

Go Big = $2299

Better = $2404 (= + $105 compared to Big)

Best = $2614 (+ 210 compared to Better)

- - — - - -

I booked in April at $2199

 

If I need to rebook Big at $2299, and I choose $150 OBC, net price decrease of $50.

 

If I rebook Better at $2404, choose $150 OBC and Beverage Pkg, net price increase of $55 yields $385 value beverage package.

 

If I rebook Best at $2614, net price increase of $265 (- $95 gratuities = net increase of $170) yields $455 Premium Bev Pkg + $299 internet.

 

I would welcome someone to check my math, but to me it looks like a no-brainer: the Big Better Best is a far better option than sticking with my original booking.

 

Does that include the $200+ taxes and fees? To each his own, but we would never ever pay $300+, per day, on any ship, to any destination. Last fall we did 27 days on the Equinox, in a C2 balcony and we paid only $2,300 p.p., which included prepaid gratuities and $450 in obc. The drink packages don't interest us. As long as your happy, that's all that matters.

[richsea]

This does have something to do with the new X promotion. I sent an e mail to my TA on Saturday asking her to give me a comparison to my two outstanding cruises booked. I just wanted to know if I was better to stay as is or change to the new Big, Better, Best. Just to add info, I booked the last 2 cruises via X website then transferred then over to her agency, so little effort on her side. Now 5 days later she has not responded to my email. Am I over reacting. On more than one occasion I have emailed her requesting info on cruises and she has not responded.

 

You're not over reacting. You should find a more responsive TA for future bookings. Having said that, why can't you just do the math?

[Nova Scotia cruiser]

You're not over reacting. You should find a more responsive TA for future bookings. Having said that, why can't you just do the math?

 

Actually I have done the math, as she didn't respond to my email. I assumed that it was her role to advise me of possible savings, otherwise, I will book with the cruise line directly or a TA that is more responsive. I posted on cc to get confirmation of what other travellers expect from their TAs.

[gordylad]

I think its perfectly understandable for you to make the request after all you are the customer however you may be one of many who have asked for the same information and if we [the cruisers] are feeling frustrated with all of these promotions which seem to change every two or three months then I think the TA will also be feeling the frustration.

 

From my side we have cruised with Celebrity every year for the past 5 years and since the first there seems to be a new promotion cropping up all the time and now we have this one which gives the cruiser 3 choices rather than one.

 

I understand Celebrity needs to make money and offer attractive incentives but really........

Edited July 8, 2015 by gordylad

[chamima]

Actually I have done the math, as she didn't respond to my email. I assumed that it was her role to advise me of possible savings, otherwise, I will book with the cruise line directly or a TA that is more responsive. I posted on cc to get confirmation of what other travellers expect from their TAs.

 

I think its perfectly understandable for you to make the request after all you are the customer however you may be one of many who have asked for the same information and if we [the cruisers] are feeling frustrated with all of these promotions which seem to change every two or three months then I think the TA will also be feeling the frustration.

 

From my side we have cruised with Celebrity every year for the past 5 years and since the first there seems to be a new promotion cropping up all the time and now we have this one which gives the cruiser 3 choices rather than one.

 

I understand Celebrity needs to make money and offer attractive incentives but really........

 

In situations like this I do the math myself first (because I expected the cruise fare to be higher than when we booked) but I have had situations where I expected to get a lower fare during one of these frequent sales and have contacted our TA to check if that, in fact, was the case.

She is usually overwhelmed with similar requests but has always sent me a quick email telling me just that and giving me an estimate of when she thinks she can get back to me.

Sometimes it's been as long as a week but I've been informed and so know she's working on it.

Edited July 8, 2015 by chamima

[MicCanberra]

It's actually a good illustration of a common marketing trick. By putting in an option that is less palatable you drive people to pick the other two. By having people scoff at the second option it may make more people select the third option.

 

Agreed, people already do this.

They look at getting a veranda Cabin '2' for a certain price, they can get a veranda Cabin '1' but it is not really worth the extra money, then they decide that a Concierge Cabin is much better value and will only cost just a little more than the veranda Cabin '1' so this is what they go for. The people have upgraded and the company has more money.:D

[GottaKnowWhen]

Does that include the $200+ taxes and fees? To each his own, but we would never ever pay $300+, per day, on any ship, to any destination. Last fall we did 27 days on the Equinox, in a C2 balcony and we paid only $2,300 p.p., which included prepaid gratuities and $450 in obc. The drink packages don't interest us. As long as your happy, that's all that matters.

 

We like to go places that we are interested in going to; when I am looking at a menu of cruise choices I sort by length and destination, not by price. Long periods on the ship are nice as well, but if we want to spend a couple weeks up and down the Alaska coast, then we'll pay the going rate and not think twice about it. If that financially limits me to three cruises every two years rather than two per year, so be it. Life is too short for me to worry about small details. Doing comparative analyses of 123Go vs BBB vs naked pricing and a la carte perks is a fun little mental exercise but I am not obsessing about whether or not I ultimately wind up with the Best Deal. YMMV

 

In fact, mostly I did my analysis because I get tired of the cynics and doom-criers looking for the downside of every change that Celebrity proposes. All this talk about how "Celebrity jacked up the prices..." and nothing but rumor and hearsay to support such assertions. So I though it an interesting counterpoint that the effective base rate of this one Alaska cruise I looked at did in fact have a $50 net decrease in price. If that is what it means to get jacked up, I can live with that!

[GottaKnowWhen]

...and have contacted our TA to check ...She is usually overwhelmed with similar requests but has always sent me a quick email telling me just that and giving me an estimate of when she thinks she can get back to me. Sometimes it's been as long as a week but I've been informed and so know she's working on it.

 

[My emphasis added to the quote above.]

 

I think anything over 3-4 hours is inexcusable. If they can't handle their business, they need to either hire more service personnel or have fewer customers. You can't do anything about their hiring, but you can reduce their workload by moving on to a more responsive agency. I think it is the charitable thing to do. ;)

[wallie5446]

Don't look now, but the Parent line is moving an shaking things up too!

 

Guests can get unlimited internet for $15 per day, per device when purchasing multiple days for the remainder of the cruise.

 

Guests can add a second device and get 50% off the second device, for a total cost of $22.50 per day ($15 1st device + $7.50 2nd device).

 

Total cost for a 7-night cruise for one device is $105 or $157.50 for two devices.

 

The unlimited packages can also be pre-purchased in advance via Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner for sailings after August 1, 2015.

 

Guests can also purchase a daily package for $29.95 per day ($209.65 for 7-nights).

[Oville]

Don't look now, but the Parent line is moving an shaking things up too!

 

Guests can get unlimited internet for $15 per day, per device when purchasing multiple days for the remainder of the cruise.

 

Guests can add a second device and get 50% off the second device, for a total cost of $22.50 per day ($15 1st device + $7.50 2nd device).

 

Total cost for a 7-night cruise for one device is $105 or $157.50 for two devices.

 

The unlimited packages can also be pre-purchased in advance via Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner for sailings after August 1, 2015.

 

Guests can also purchase a daily package for $29.95 per day ($209.65 for 7-nights).

 

The parent company is RCCL, which is the parent company of RCI , Celebrity and Azamara. There is no "Parent line". Each line has its own CEO and managers.

 

What's your point? The cruise lines each have their own programs. Not sure why we who cruise on Celebrity should be concerned about what RCI is offering.

 

Wallie, I usually like your posts but this one.......

Edited July 9, 2015 by Oville

[chamima]

[My emphasis added to the quote above.]

 

I think anything over 3-4 hours is inexcusable. If they can't handle their business, they need to either hire more service personnel or have fewer customers. You can't do anything about their hiring, but you can reduce their workload by moving on to a more responsive agency. I think it is the charitable thing to do. ;)

 

But my point was that she is extremely responsive.

She answers me almost immediately and is available what sometimes feels like 24/7.

If she can't resolve my problem immediately she tells me in advance how long she thinks it will take to resolve.

[Oville]

Is it just me or has this thread gone way off topic?

[Tangocherie]

Is it just me or has this thread gone way off topic?

 

Absolutely not. People are just comparing their particular situations with what X wants to plug.;):cool:

[The_Big_M]

In fact, mostly I did my analysis because I get tired of the cynics and doom-criers looking for the downside of every change that Celebrity proposes. All this talk about how "Celebrity jacked up the prices..." and nothing but rumor and hearsay to support such assertions. So I though it an interesting counterpoint that the effective base rate of this one Alaska cruise I looked at did in fact have a $50 net decrease in price. If that is what it means to get jacked up, I can live with that!

 

Exactly. It's good to be prepared, but some were just automatically assuming that things would be worse, and threatening departure.

[woodyren]

Don't look now, but the Parent line is moving an shaking things up too!

 

Guests can get unlimited internet for $15 per day, per device when purchasing multiple days for the remainder of the cruise.

 

Guests can add a second device and get 50% off the second device, for a total cost of $22.50 per day ($15 1st device + $7.50 2nd device).

 

Total cost for a 7-night cruise for one device is $105 or $157.50 for two devices.

 

The unlimited packages can also be pre-purchased in advance via Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner for sailings after August 1, 2015.

 

Guests can also purchase a daily package for $29.95 per day ($209.65 for 7-nights).

 

I think this is quite relevant when comparing Apples to Apples. Celebrity can say the internet is worth X so that your savings look better. The fact is that another line (yes even one with the same parent company) charge substantially less than what Celebrity does.

 

Was this all part of the plan to make things appear of more value and/or to take advantage of the fact that a good proportion of people these days cannot deal with being disconnected from the web? Who knows?

 

I posted earlier that the net (high speed when in satellite range and very good at the time) internet was $180 total ($10pp per day) if you purchased the two person package on our recent 9 days Quantum cruise.

 

On another note we have booked a number of times with large online TA's and at times at a group rate. How will BBB apply to groups?

 

Also of interest is that at least one of the big ones is offering free grats on top of the drinks package already if you book with them. I haven't checked but assume they are charging the big rate and throwing in the grats.

Edited July 9, 2015 by woodyren

[wallie5446]

The parent company is RCCL, which is the parent company of RCI , Celebrity and Azamara. There is no "Parent line". Each line has its own CEO and managers.

 

What's your point? The cruise lines each have their own programs. Not sure why we who cruise on Celebrity should be concerned about what RCI is offering.

 

Wallie, I usually like your posts but this one.......

 

Thank You.

 

I guess my idea was that every Cruise line is changing this n that. It is not something that only Celebrity is doing. We have seen many things change since our 1st in 1987. But the overall on ship experience presented by Celebrity for what we have to pay, is better, IOHO, than what the others offer.

 

The lines copy each other's promotions and ideas. Is BBB a copy of blended ideas from others? It is starting to look like it.

[Oville]

Don't agree, Celebrity and RCI do not have the same model.

Edited July 9, 2015 by Oville