Go Stupid, Stupid-er, Stupid-est. My offer to you...

[4774Papa]

We feel the same way. Our first cruise was in an inside cabin, and because of it, it was almost our last. We moved up to an ocean view and everything was good. A few cruises later, we tried a balcony and now we wouldn't consider anything less.

Yes,

We had an OV on our first cruise, which was fine, but we went with a balcony on the second. Now DW will only do a balcony. Even when we did a cruise out of Copenhagen in Sept/Oct last year to Norway, Iceland, Shetland Islands, Ireland and Scotland. We could not use the balcony because it was too cold.

 

I argued for going back to an OV, but DW would not hear of it.

[whitshel]

I know this has been beat to death but I'm going to give you my real life experience with the BBB.

 

We booked the Jewel of the seas for March 2017, Southern Caribbean while on a cruise this past March. Found out our wives have to work week we booked (School Break Changed) so we needed to switch it to the next week. We really didn't like the Jewels Itinerary the next week but like the Summits. So I called our travel agent to see if we could change our "next" cruise to Celebrity from RCCL, and he said yes.

 

So here are the financials, should we do it?

 

Jewel $918pp E1 Balcony x 2 with taxes = $1992 Total with a $165 OBC from the T/A

 

Summit- 2b Balcony $1019pp x 2 with Taxes and 1 extra perk (better)= $2413 - Drink Package for 2 and a $300 obc Plus a $250 obc from the T/A

 

So we are paying $450 more and getting $770 in a drink package and a $300 obc from Celebrity and a $250 obc from the T/A

 

So we are getting $1320 in perks for $450

 

Lets add that to the Jewel, Base $1992+$700 (drink Package-RCCL price)+$300 OBC and we have to pay $300 because a $300 obc on RCCL costs $300 not $210 like on celebrity so that nets out at $2992 basically $600 more than the Celebrity. Plus the OBC from the t/a is more for the Celebrity cruise because this is bundled in to the cruise fare so their OBC goes up, you can't do that with RCCL.

 

Just saying there is way to much complaining out there. Again I know this is a 7 day cruise and as your days go up your perks go down. I get that, but for the 7 day cruises, I think its a win win.

 

Did we switch? HELL YA!!

[woodyren]

I know this has been beat to death but I'm going to give you my real life experience with the BBB.

 

We booked the Jewel of the seas for March 2017, Southern Caribbean while on a cruise this past March. Found out our wives have to work week we booked (School Break Changed) so we needed to switch it to the next week. We really didn't like the Jewels Itinerary the next week but like the Summits. So I called our travel agent to see if we could change our "next" cruise to Celebrity from RCCL, and he said yes.

 

So here are the financials, should we do it?

 

Jewel $918pp E1 Balcony x 2 with taxes = $1992 Total with a $165 OBC from the T/A

 

Summit- 2b Balcony $1019pp x 2 with Taxes and 1 extra perk (better)= $2413 - Drink Package for 2 and a $300 obc Plus a $250 obc from the T/A

 

So we are paying $450 more and getting $770 in a drink package and a $300 obc from Celebrity and a $250 obc from the T/A

 

So we are getting $1320 in perks for $450

 

Lets add that to the Jewel, Base $1992+$700 (drink Package-RCCL price)+$300 OBC and we have to pay $300 because a $300 obc on RCCL costs $300 not $210 like on celebrity so that nets out at $2992 basically $600 more than the Celebrity. Plus the OBC from the t/a is more for the Celebrity cruise because this is bundled in to the cruise fare so their OBC goes up, you can't do that with RCCL.

 

Just saying there is way to much complaining out there. Again I know this is a 7 day cruise and as your days go up your perks go down. I get that, but for the 7 day cruises, I think its a win win.

 

Did we switch? HELL YA!!

 

That is what I have been saying in both the BBB and the SSS thread. To see if it is value to you don't compare to previous 1,2,3 go cruise prices. Compare the price to other similar lines RCL, Princess, HAL , NCL and what they offer for similar dates, cabins and itineraries and then you can factor in the value to you.

 

In your example I would consider the better a worthwhile option.

 

In fact in the case of your example if I wanted to upgrade to the premium bev package (as many do) I would shell out the $30 pp per day and get my grats covered as well. In that way I would get internet for $4 per day and I would get that made up I am sure by extra OBC from my TA's commission.

 

I would cash out all my refundable OBC and withdraw most of my non refundable at the casino.

[CathyCruises]

Is the $1469 senior rate per person or per cabin (I haven't seen very many fares where the rate for two comes out with an odd number)? If it is per person then it would be $320 extra to get $300 OBC.

 

The $1469 is per person, vs $1549/pp, which in my book is a difference of $80/pp x 2 = $160 for $300 OBC. Right?

[gimletgal]

The $1469 is per person, vs $1549/pp, which in my book is a difference of $80/pp x 2 = $160 for $300 OBC. Right?

 

How do you get OBC with the senior rate? Thought it was not combinable.

[grandgeezer]

That is what I have been saying in both the BBB and the SSS thread. To see if it is value to you don't compare to previous 1,2,3 go cruise prices. Compare the price to other similar lines RCL, Princess, HAL , NCL and what they offer for similar dates, cabins and itineraries and then you can factor in the value to you.

 

In your example I would consider the better a worthwhile option.

 

In fact in the case of your example if I wanted to upgrade to the premium bev package (as many do) I would shell out the $30 pp per day and get my grats covered as well. In that way I would get internet for $4 per day and I would get that made up I am sure by extra OBC from my TA's commission.

 

I would cash out all my refundable OBC and withdraw most of my non refundable at the casino.

 

As suggested, comparing similar dates and similar itineraries. Dec.6 on Celebrity $1199 for a balcony, pick one perk. December 6 on Princess $779 for a balcony, no known perk. Dec 6 on Holland America $629, no known perk. I am currently booked on the Celebrity one but I paid about what Princess is currently charging. I've been on them all, so if I had to book now, at the current pricing levels, it wouldn't be Celebrity.

[CathyCruises]

How do you get OBC with the senior rate? Thought it was not combinable.

 

The senior rate is $1469. The standard rate is $1549 and thus eligible for the go big offer.

[maxsales]

Is the $1469 senior rate per person or per cabin (I haven't seen very many fares where the rate for two comes out with an odd number)? If it is per person then it would be $320 extra to get $300 OBC.

I think you need to check your math

1549-1469 =80

80 x 2= 160

thus the difference for two to gain the 300 OBC is 160 or a 140 advantage.:)

[maxsales]

How do you get OBC with the senior rate? Thought it was not combinable.

 

I see the 1549 is the go big rate and the 1469 is the senior rate. Got it.

Edited July 26, 2015 by maxsales

[gimletgal]

I see the 1549 is the go big rate and the 1469 is the senior rate. Got it.

 

Yes! Got it as well. Just a little "jumbled" originally. :)

[RDC1]

The $1469 is per person, vs $1549/pp, which in my book is a difference of $80/pp x 2 = $160 for $300 OBC. Right?

 

Yep, I was reacting to the text and did not calculate the numbers.

[woodyren]

As suggested, comparing similar dates and similar itineraries. Dec.6 on Celebrity $1199 for a balcony, pick one perk. December 6 on Princess $779 for a balcony, no known perk. Dec 6 on Holland America $629, no known perk. I am currently booked on the Celebrity one but I paid about what Princess is currently charging. I've been on them all, so if I had to book now, at the current pricing levels, it wouldn't be Celebrity.

 

I agree and that is a perfect example of what I was suggesting.

[dodger1964]

Au contraire! The add-on to the price is ALSO per person...

So, yes, with double occupancy, you get $300 per cabin...but you pay $390 per cabin to get it!

 

On my 13 night Constellation cruise, for that "Go Better" promotion of a mere $195 PER PERSON or $390 per cabin, I can choose between $300 worth of OBC ($15x2) or $336.70 in prepaid gratuities ($12.95x13x2)...Do I want to lose $53.30 or $90?

 

EITHER is a BAD deal...

Either way, the perks aren't worth the added cost...

 

You might lose money per trip, but you can make it up on volume!!:).

Edited July 27, 2015 by dodger1964

[Ma Bell]

Now we can see why the promotions have been so successful.;)

[Janet987]

So successful (for the cruise lines), others pile on:

Received an email from Holland America:

 

Book select cruises and receive all four offers below:*

1 FREE SIGNATURE BEVERAGE PACKAGE (up to US$1,400 value)

2 FREE PINNACLE GRILL DINNER (US$58 value)

3 REDUCED CRUISE FARES for 3rd/4th guests

4 50% REDUCED DEPOSIT

BOOK A SUITE and receive all four offers, plus US$300 onboard spending credit per stateroom and a FREE Canaletto dinner!

 

$1400 in liquor...Really?

[iMedic]

I haven't been paying much attention to the changes in pricing brought about by the introduction of BBB, mostly because other than a cruise in May 2017 we don't have any sea days planned for the foreseeable future. Today, however, I had a few spare moments to play around with the X website, and while I haven't done a detailed financial analysis i have seen some positives for us lower echelon status members from Canada.

 

I was playing around with cruises in December 2016 in the Caribbean, specifically the 3 December Reflection departure to the western Caribbean. The pricing is about where I'd expect it, ~$C1600 before grats etc. (I priced out the same one on the US website and it came out to 1499 USD (Or C$1952, assuming no conversion fees, which we know would never happen). Playing around with the BBB options what jumped out at me was that for ~$C250, we'd get the better option with 300USD OBC and drink package. However thanks to loony crashing of late the $C250 is actually closer to 190 USD, so as of right now the pricing scheme (at least without a deep financial analysis) looks like it isn't terrible.

[NoWhiners]

Hi all

 

I have been following this thread closely (as well as the original BBB) and it has been very interesting. We have booked our first X cruise, a B2B to SA in 2017. We have sailed only HAL so far and are 3 star with them. When we booked X was offering 123go or pick your perk, but only for CC and above. The price difference was quite a lot, so we did a little basic math, and decided to book a 2C (extra bonus--this is on the Infinity and we got one of the sweet 16), save the additional fare of a CC cabin and forego any perks. We decided that we could buy our own drinks and pay grats using the considerable OBC our big box retail warehouse offers (it it the one that was mentioned above, rhymes with bosco). The fare has gone up a since then, but I haven't checked for BBB pricing.

 

I am curious how this will all play out for X. I am also starting to worry that X may not be for us. Drink prices and tips for drinks are higher on X, I am getting a real sense of steerage vs suite pax due to all the restaurant games and other things, the many extra charge places to eat/drink (not just specialty restaurants), and the number of Elite + or whatever all the levels of frequent cruisers are. So, to now add more "perks" for even more money seems like a bad idea. But I do agree that many cruisers may just want the ease of knowing a bunch of stuff is already paid for.

 

It does seem as though the repeat cruisers with X don't benefit as much as newbies, like us, but we aren't really getting much besides our cabin. That was the choice we made, after considering the cost. So, as others have noted, it's all about what is important to each person, and to me, how much it will actually cost. As long as the final price is acceptable, and less than the price including perks, we are satisfied. i think the bottom line is what is most important to us, even allowing for paying for our drinks. (and we do drink but not enough to justify the additional cost of the CC cabin when we booked).

 

Lots of really good points made here and it has been an education for me--thanks to all!

 

ML

[Pate522]

Sorry - BBB?

[teecee60]

Sorry - BBB?

 

Abbreviation for Celebrity's latest marketing ploy... "Go Big...Go Better...Go Best," that just replaced the earlier "1-2-3-GO!" marketing ploy.

 

 

Hi all

 

I have been following this thread closely and it has been very interesting.

 

We have booked our first X cruise, have sailed only HAL so far. When we booked X was offering 123go or pick your perk, but only for CC and above. The price difference was quite a lot, so we did a little basic math, and decided to save the additional fare of a CC cabin and forego any perks. We decided that we could buy our own drinks and pay grats using the considerable OBC.

I am curious how this will all play out for X. I am also starting to worry that X may not be for us.

 

I do agree that many cruisers may just want the ease of knowing a bunch of stuff is already paid for.

 

It does seem as though the repeat cruisers with X don't benefit as much as newbies.

 

So, it's all about what is important to each person, and to me, how much it will actually cost.

 

As long as the final price is acceptable, we are satisfied. i think the bottom line is what is most important to us.

 

ML

 

Your points pretty much sum up the entire concept of "customer choice." ;)

 

Don't worry about your cruise and/or any class consciousness concerns. :cool:

 

Celebrity's on board experience is absolutely wonderful, even if you are schlepping in an inside cabin with the rest of us commoners. :p

 

The "loyalty benefits" once you get to the "Elite" level are pretty nice and nothing to sneeze at.

 

I USUALLY book one of those DREADFUL inside cabins, (better now that they no longer make you shovel coal :eek:) but just recently got an Ocean View cabin on a 15 night transatlantic for only $799pp, and we're getting a total of $525 OBC! :D

 

There are INCREDIBLE deals out there for those willing to shop around a bit. ;)

Edited July 27, 2015 by teecee60

[NoWhiners]

Abbreviation for Celebrity's latest marketing ploy... "Go Big...Go Better...Go Best," that just replaced the earlier "1-2-3-GO!" marketing ploy.

 

 

 

 

Your points pretty much sum up the entire concept of "customer choice." ;)

 

Don't worry about your cruise and/or any class consciousness concerns. :cool:

 

Celebrity's on board experience is absolutely wonderful, even if you are schlepping in an inside cabin with the rest of us commoners. :p

 

The "loyalty benefits" once you get to the "Elite" level are pretty nice and nothing to sneeze at.

 

I USUALLY book one of those DREADFUL inside cabins, (better now that they no longer make you shovel coal :eek:) but just recently got an Ocean View cabin on a 15 night transatlantic for only $799pp, and we're getting a total of $525 OBC! :D

 

There are INCREDIBLE deals out there for those willing to shop around a bit. ;)

 

LOL--shoveling coal was my favorite laugh! Thanks for the encouragement.

 

enjoy your OV and your TA

ML

[CruisingChick]

I am so happy to see others feel the same way DH and I do. Mostly when Celebrity comes out with something all the Cheerleaders back them up and say how wonderful it is.

 

This new pricing is terrible and yes we only book inside cabins but I bet these cabins will also go up in price from what they were in the past.

[rose6]

I share your concern that the price of insides will significantly increase under this new pricing structure. The higher prices for the upper categories may exceed the vacation budgets of some cruisers causing them to downgrade to insides. Others may book insides in protest of being required to pay for perks they may not wish to purchase.

[midwestchick]

I share your concern that the price of insides will significantly increase under this new pricing structure. The higher prices for the upper categories may exceed the vacation budgets of some cruisers causing them to downgrade to insides. Others may book insides in protest of being required to pay for perks they may not wish to purchase.

 

I think others will jump ship before they book a category they don't want to sail in, especially if they get a decent price.

I know I will be among the ship jumping group.

[Jade13]

I think others will jump ship before they book a category they don't want to sail in, especially if they get a decent price.

I know I will be among the ship jumping group.

 

I know you like Azamara but have you seen the rise in prices since 2009? Celebrity is/was supposed to be the less expensive option (assuming itineraries are similar). We are probably canceling a cruise with them that was scheduled for next year.

Edited July 29, 2015 by Jade13

[midwestchick]

I know you like Azamara but have you seen the rise in prices since 2009? Celebrity is/was supposed to be the less expensive option (assuming itineraries are similar). We are probably canceling a cruise with them that was scheduled for next year.

 

Yes, I did notice the price increase. The Norway cruise is much higher than when I booked it. I only book if I can get a good promo with ACC and it's an itinerary we want.

As far as 2009 rates, we didn't cruise with them until 2012 and then it was a last minute special when they were trying to fill the ship.

Edited July 29, 2015 by midwestchick