Are the perks really free?

[dutchclogs]

If you like to sail NCL - have a look into german pricing and or TA

Within germany NCL cruise price is all incl - no tax, no service charge - for nothing....

 

Nice tip! I've noticed that Celebrity also has different promotions for different regions . The trick is comparing like with like and what is the personal value of the offered perk(s).

[oskarNZ]

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the difference in pricing structure between cruises and countries.

I've often felt a bit cheated here in New Zealand, often not being eligible for some of the great deals overseas. However, having just booked my second Celebrity cruise, I feel like the deals I've been able to get with Celebrity are better than what I've been able to find with most other lines.

For my booked Edge cruise, the upgrade from 1 perk (Classic Drink) to Go Best (Premium Drink, Unlimited Internet, and $300 obc pp) was just NZ$92pp (approx US$65). That is for an oceanview cabin. It was a no-brainer. I had compared Edge to other ships (inc. Celebrity's) doing similar routes, but once I factored in the cost of drinks and internet and obc, very few worked out cheaper.

While in business, nothing is really truely free, as long as the customer is happy and believes that they are getting good value for money, then I guess that is all that matters.

[sanger727]

You still have to pay the service charge ($224 for drinks and dining) on top of the $14 daily grats. This is where NCL starts to lose value compared to Celebrity. On NCL on a 7 night cruise you pay an extra $420 for 2 people just in service charges and tips. They also don't include water, specialty coffees, etc which really diminishes the value for .

 

 

Not saying it's equal. But your also adding in dining which celebrity doesn't even offer. 7 nights x 2 for the UBP service charge is $199, plus $13.50 DSC x 2 x 7 makes the total $388... on celebrity to get the premium drink package it's $165. Plus the same DSC makes the total $354... so comes out to a $34 difference for 2 people and 7 nights, not significant. Granted, I don't like that NCL doesn't include the coffee and water; I'm a craft cocktail/martini drinker so the premium package is a must.

 

They just offer different things. What's a joke is celebrities big/better/best... obviously the UBP is the first pick, which leaves you w DSC (at 13.50 pp pd, or $300 OBC) for $15 pp pd; or the best at $45 pp pd. If you are on a cruise longer than 10 days you can almost purchase those things for the same price as the 'go best' upgrade!!

 

 

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[NantahalaCruiser]

Not so sure about more bang for your buck.

 

On one cruise I have, cruise fare includes your choice of two perks (lets assume beverage and Internet). This is the "go better" package as it has two perks. You can purchase "go best" which would include free gratuities (worth $162) and $150 OBC. Thus these two additional perks are worth $312/person.

 

 

However, the cost of going from "go better" to "go best" is $540/person.

 

 

Paying $228 more than the added two perks are worth is not what I would call more bang for your buck.

 

You forgot to mention that Best also includes the upgrade to the Premium Beverage Package, which for your 12N is another $141.60 per person; so it's about $454 versus $540 - but still a short fall of about $86.

 

Agree that for a 12N like yours, no one in their right mind would pay to go from Better to Best; my guess is that most of the longer cruises with Best are getting all 4 perks with their suite purchase.

 

However, I do note that for a 7N, the daily incremental value is $150/7 = $21.43 for the OBC. Add another $11.80 for the upgrade to Premium and $13.50 for gratuities and you have $46.73 versus $45; thus a $1.73 per person per day savings!

Edited March 21, 2017 by NantahalaCruiser

[4774Papa]

Great. Thank you

Just checked NCL as we set thinking of Alaska next year

They charge $99 per person for drink plan on 7 day cruise and $12 for dining in specialty restaurants 3 nights

Still not too bad since drink plans are so pricey

We did Alaska on the NCL Sun because NCL and a great promo, third and fourth passengers were free in our balcony and drinks packages then were not assessed the 18%.

 

The drinks package on NCL had a poor selection of wines, especially red wines, which I favor. Now, if we book NCL, we don't pick the drinks packages due to the poor selection and the 18%. We usually spend about $250 on liquor for a week long cruise.

 

We dislike the price bundling of Celebrity cruises and our next one is a TA in October, that had just basic prices, no promos. Since we are elite, we don't have to buy much alcohol, with the free happy hour.

[Canada17]

You forgot to mention that Best also includes the upgrade to the Premium Beverage Package, which for your 12N is another $141.60 per person; so it's about $454 versus $540 - but still a short fall of about $86.

 

Agree that for a 12N like yours, no one in their right mind would pay to go from Better to Best; my guess is that most of the longer cruises with Best are getting all 4 perks with their suite purchase.

 

However, I do note that for a 7N, the daily incremental value is $150/7 = $21.43 for the OBC. Add another $11.80 for the upgrade to Premium and $13.50 for gratuities and you have $46.73 versus $45; thus a $1.73 per person per day savings!

 

Hi Larry, you don't need the Premium Beverage package, the Classic package includes the Affagoto, what more do you need?!! Order a few when you're on Equinox in September, just remember to save some for us when we board Equinox in October. Say hi to Nan for us and have a great day.

[NantahalaCruiser]

But not all Celebrity cruses can you find other fares, senior, resident etc. So you can't always compare prices with or without the perks. I usually look at RCCL pricing for a balcony without any perks and Celebrity is usually the same price with 1 or 2 perks. So I do think that Celebrity usually is a very good value

 

Interesting. Although I have never taken the time to do an exhaustive search, I have never experienced finding a cruise that I was interested in with perks included in a ocean view or veranda fare that did not also have the availability of a fare for these cabins without the perks.

 

Just curious, but could you please share with us a current cruise that has such a situation? I'd like to see how it is listed. By the way, I am only talking about cruises listed on Celebrity's US website. Thanks.

[sanger727]

Interesting. Although I have never taken the time to do an exhaustive search, I have never experienced finding a cruise that I was interested in with perks included in a ocean view or veranda fare that did not also have the availability of a fare for these cabins without the perks.

 

Just curious, but could you please share with us a current cruise that has such a situation? I'd like to see how it is listed. By the way, I am only talking about cruises listed on Celebrity's US website. Thanks.

 

 

Due to the people traveling I look for residency, police, and senior rates and have never found a non-perk rate that was compelling. At the most I've found $50-$100 off...

 

 

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[keesar]

We had called our Celebrity Planner. He mentioned that we were getting $490 in perks (OBC and Gratuities) with the current promotion. However, he told us that we were paying $480 to get those perks. He suggested going with a basic cruise and pay for the "perks" when we settled up at the end of the cruise. Pay Celebrity now or pay Celebrity later. He suggested pay Celebrity later.

[Talex831]

Technically, not free, just a bonus for a higher fare.

 

As well, a trip to X's website may clear up the gratuity issue, if you cannot find it in a search here.

 

Bon voyage

 

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I do consider part of the perks to be free. Cruise cost was $799/pp with nothing and $999/pp with Go Better. I would have paid for the beverage package anyways, so $400 for $1070 worth of perks is partially free to me. Paying $799 was an option for our cruise, we were not forced into the $999 rate, we chose it.

 

 

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[BSinPNS]

Just off Millennium with "free" grats and drinks. We could have upgraded the drinks package to the premium for 10USD per day plus 18% gratuity applied only to the additional 10/day. So effectively it was 11.80/day.

[mac66]

Yeah, perks aren't free, you pay for them. However, some are better value than others. We've upgraded to get some perks because the upgrade and the perk was a wash. In some cases it was a better value to upgrade and get the perks than just pay for the perks. But you still pay for the perks.

 

Kind of like the loyalty programs. Yeah, you get a "free" cocktail hour on some lines, maybe some trinkets, "special" treatment or other perks but they are not free, you pay for them through higher fares.

[grandgeezer]

Yeah, perks aren't free, you pay for them. However, some are better value than others. We've upgraded to get some perks because the upgrade and the perk was a wash. In some cases it was a better value to upgrade and get the perks than just pay for the perks. But you still pay for the perks.

 

Kind of like the loyalty programs. Yeah, you get a "free" cocktail hour on some lines, maybe some trinkets, "special" treatment or other perks but they are not free, you pay for them through higher fares.

 

Agreed, nothing is free. The difference with the loyalty programs is the cost is built into everybody's fare, not just the ones that get the benefits. Thank you for your contribution.

[derekjp47]

There is no additional gratutity charged on the drink package. Having said that the perks are not free; they have been built into the fare you paid. Sometimes you can opt not to book with the perks and the rate is lower

 

We were just looking at a 7 night Summitt and a Veranda with 2 perks started at $2049. When I looked at other pricing options the price without perks and either a senior or resident rate was $900 per person less.

 

Price the cost of the perks and back that out of the fare, I think you will see you have a pretty good deal compared to similar cruise on another line

[grandgeezer]

Price the cost of the perks and back that out of the fare, I think you will see you have a pretty good deal compared to similar cruise on another line

 

Nov. 18, 7 day Caribbean out of Ft. Lauderdale on Holland America, $799 p.p. for a balcony, no perks.

Nov.19, 7 day Caribbean out of Ft. Lauderdale on Celebrity, $1019 p.p., for a balcony, no perks. $220 p.p. more, not a good deal in my book.

[poffles]

i am booked on Summit to Bermuda in August. We received free drink plan and $300 OBC.

Is the drink plan really free? Someone just told me on NCL you have to pay the 18 percent gratuity on the free drink plan

Thx

 

I know you got your answer that on Celebrity the 18 percent gratuity is fully covered within the free drink plan, unlike NCL that separates that out their 'free' drink plan and pushes that cost out to us (same as with specialty dining perk).

 

I wanted to add/expand on what someone else mentioned, that Celebrity may not have same upper $ limit for coverage on alcoholic drinks but they certainly surpass NCL in the other drinks on the free plan. Cappuccinos, lattes, full cans of soda, bottles of water (offered in line as you get off in ports to take with you) ... really good drink package. Would be nice if it covered the higher priced drinks but I don't think one can compare just that aspect of the offering to get a true comparison. Also consider that one doesn't have to upgrade to premium the first day of the cruise, perhaps try the lower cost drinks first then upgrade few days in to start drinking the higher cost ones you might want to try, this will save a few 11.80 days of the total upgrade cost.

 

The question of free with respect to total cruise cost, I'm sure there are times it is and times it isn't, but that isn't what you asked anyway :) Have a great trip!!!!!

[BridgeMates]

Are special coffees/lattes included in the Classic Bev plan?

[poffles]

Are special coffees/lattes included in the Classic Bev plan?

 

Yes I had them every day. Never ventured to any they have on the menu with alcohol so won't speak to those but yes cappuccinos/lattes yummm, with a side of one or two desserts they have there. Loved Cafe al Bacio!

 

What I listed in my above post is the Classic that they offer as perk.

[NantahalaCruiser]

Yes I had them every day. Never ventured to any they have on the menu with alcohol so won't speak to those but yes cappuccinos/lattes yummm, with a side of one or two desserts they have there. Loved Cafe al Bacio!

 

What I listed in my above post is the Classic that they offer as perk.

The alcoholic drinks at Cafe al Bacio are also included in the Classic - except possibly if your liquor of choice happens to be one of the very few only allowed with the Premium Package.

[Mythbuster]

We are booked on the Bermuda cruise in August in a Celebrity Suite. There was no rate offered without the Go Best (Premium Drink Package, Free Internet, Free gratuities and $300 OBC) promo. The booking system asked if I wanted to add the Go Best but the additional cost was $0. The perks credit on my invoice added to about $1800 including the $300 OBC. I compared a RCCL Grande Suite for the same time period and the price difference was only about $400 less with no perks, so the Celebrity rate with perks was still a much better deal. The perks may not be really free but I do not believe I am paying close to the retail value either.

[BridgeMates]

Even tho we've been on Celebrity before, we've never had a beverage pkg. Booked cruise on the Eclipse with the Classic pkg as a perk. I'm fine with the list of vodkas, etc. Will I be able to order an appletini or a mojito?

Appreciate your help.

[bigbenboys]

I gave up a A1 cabin to book a S2 suite on our next cruise in May. The S2 suite without perks was $1000 less pp than with all 4 perks. I like having all 4 perks. It just makes things easier.

[torpeedo]

We've never sailed Celebrity and we are considering a New England on the Summit and wondering about the offered perks and drink packages. What I read is that if we are offered the Classic and we order a drink more than the $8 we would have to pay the full amount of the drink? Not the difference? We usually sail RCI and I'm not familiar with the cost of drinks on Celebrity but you can't get much for $8 on RCI, most premium drinks are $13. (although RCI is now busily ridding ships of high end liquor and replacing with less popular and less$$ liquor) So if we get the Premium package which is sounds like comes to $11.00 or so a day, would you still have to pay the full amount of the drink if it's over $11 a day? As you can see, I'm confused!

[poffles]

We've never sailed Celebrity and we are considering a New England on the Summit and wondering about the offered perks and drink packages. What I read is that if we are offered the Classic and we order a drink more than the $8 we would have to pay the full amount of the drink? Not the difference? We usually sail RCI and I'm not familiar with the cost of drinks on Celebrity but you can't get much for $8 on RCI, most premium drinks are $13. (although RCI is now busily ridding ships of high end liquor and replacing with less popular and less$$ liquor) So if we get the Premium package which is sounds like comes to $11.00 or so a day, would you still have to pay the full amount of the drink if it's over $11 a day? As you can see, I'm confused!

 

Classic: If drink cost exceeds upper limit you pay full cost for that drink (not difference)

Premium: If drink cost exceeds upper limit you pay difference only

[torpeedo]

Classic: If drink cost exceeds upper limit you pay full cost for that drink (not difference)

Premium: If drink cost exceeds upper limit you pay difference only

 

Wow, that helps a lot and I guess it's Premium for us. On RCI we have the Concierge club open bar for 3.5 hrs so we never get the drink package there since there's more than enough going around. We will be Elite on Celebrity and I'm not sure what Michaels Club is or has so I think we'll do Premium if all works out. Thanks so much.