It certainly pays to book early on EDGE

[Presto2]

We have been watching the prices for EDGE very closely since we booked last March.

We paid £7,850 for a 3 night stay in Rome, flights from Manchester and all transfers. Our cabin is an E2 IV on deck 8

We have a Classic Drinks package included.

Our TA gave us £265 off but we wanted to compare like for like with Celebrity.

 

We have seen that Celebrity has new offers and wondered if we had done the right thing booking early. We had checked

before Christmas and the price range was above £9,000 for the same package.

 

Well, we have just checked again, like for like - the same cruise, stays, flights and transfers is coming out at £9,600 --- ouch !!

It may include free gratuities (that is not a lot) as a perk but I am amazed that the price is so high !!!

 

Glad we booked early for our 25th anniversary on this one or we would not have been able to afford it at the current prices

[Jim_Iain]

I've never been disappointed booking early.   I usually book when they first release new deployments.    Edge prices are crazy but got much crazier after we booked.  

 

We paid $16,498 for a Celebrity Suite ($8,499 each) and the prices have increased to a whopping $33,998 for the November TA.  

[Presto2]

20 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I've never been disappointed booking early.   I usually book when they first release new deployments.    Edge prices are crazy but got much crazier after we booked.  

 

We paid $16,498 for a Celebrity Suite ($8,499 each) and the prices have increased to a whopping $33,998 for the November TA.  

 

Am stunned !!!!!!!!!

 

Have to add that we have priced up the hotel, transfers and flights now if we did it ourselves and we seem to have a fab deal. Am wondering if they priced it up right, but will not complain ;-)

[Jim_Iain]

I wouldn't complain.   It seems like you have a pretty good deal with Hotel, Transfers, and Flights included.

 

I've never really seen all inclusive Flights, Hotels and Transfers bundled in the U.S. through Celebrity.    For a period of time they had package deals for Canadians with charter flights.   Not seen them in awhile.

 

 

[Caribbean Chris]

Yes, it does pay to book early. Our January 6 Aqua class room on Edge doubled in asking priced by the time we sailed two years later.

 

For American travelers, there’s also an option to have the cruise re-priced if fares drop, up until final payment date.

[grandgeezer]

To book early you have to think the early price was within reason. We didn’t so we didn’t book anything. After seeing pictures and reading some reviews, it looks like that was a good decision.

[bigdawgs]

We booked the Edge a year ago while on the Infinity in South America for an 11 night Amalfi/Greek Island Cruise on 9/9/19 (an E3 IV cabin on deck 7). We left a deposit of $100 pp. and the cruise fare was $3750 pp. It is now or was $6499 pp. It is now sold out. The fare included free gratuities and a small amount of OBC. We have never been to the Greek islands and are really looking forward to this trip. 

 

The other day we booked our airfare through Choice Air (Flights by Celebrity) and were very lucky to snag a biz fare of $2350 (open Jaw) round trip pp. However, there is no way we would have paid $6499 pp (for that amount we could book a suite on any of their other ships).

 

So YES, I believe the Edge is overpriced. I see where they are now offering all 4 perks but the fare is still much too high even for a new ship, IMO.

 

Happy travels.

Larry

[Presto2]

Am not complaining at all about the price - am just stunned by how much it has gone up !

We paid more than we would normally for our 25th anniversary and the fact that she was a new ship and the itinerary was fabulous sold it to us.

[medtech71]

Must be nice to be able to drop 15-20k on a weeks’ vacation....I’ll never know the feeling lol.  

 

 

[DebInAntigua]

On 2/2/2019 at 4:54 PM, Caribbean Chris said:

Yes, it does pay to book early. Our January 6 Aqua class room on Edge doubled in asking priced by the time we sailed two years later.

 

For American travelers, there’s also an option to have the cruise re-priced if fares drop, up until final payment date.

 

Will they still reprice if you have taken a deal that is a non-refundable booking? Or are you locked in then? (USA resident)

[Caribbean Chris]

6 hours ago, DebInAntigua said:

 

Will they still reprice if you have taken a deal that is a non-refundable booking? Or are you locked in then? (USA resident)

 

No, according to our agent recently - she said this new fare  will be nonrefundable, and you can’t reprice it later. We took it because we were close to final payment time anyway (nonrefundable at that point regardless) and saved $2000.

 

That one out to be a good gamble because prices went back up/sold out. 

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2019 by Caribbean Chris

[tallnthensome]

17 hours ago, medtech71 said:

Must be nice to be able to drop 15-20k on a weeks’ vacation....I’ll never know the feeling lol.  

 

 

Don't feel bad as no reasonable person should even if they could financially could. Early prices were bad and current prices are worse. There isn't anything on the Edge that justifies those prices no matter how people try to spin or justify it.

[Gordoncruickshank]

We usually book cruises for two years ahead - we will book 2021 in a couple of weeks time when on the silhouette - and we have never seen the price come down from that initial price.

 

It is more common for cruises booked in the UK to be bundled with flights and hotel accommodation. We don't do it after RCL dumped us at LAX in 2009 at 9am for a flight at 11pm that evening. Check in didn't open for 6 hours. After that we decided we would be in control of the process when travelling to the US for a cruise. We would often use the Cruise supplied flights and accommodation if travelling in Europe because where we stay you often have to combine multiple flights on the one day and using the cruise company for the transits puts the responsibility on to them to get you to the ship on time if there are any issues.

 

When we organise things we leave plenty of time to cover delays so that there is wriggle room if needed and plenty of other flights that we can take if the original flight is cancelled. For Miami we usually travel via Heathrow but stay overnight there and do a flight out to Miami the next day. We always arrive a couple of days before the cruise and never fly back the day of the cruise. It costs a bit more for hotels but the main reason for going is to cruise and I would hate to miss it due to a flight delay.

[Gordoncruickshank]

17 hours ago, medtech71 said:

Must be nice to be able to drop 15-20k on a weeks’ vacation....I’ll never know the feeling lol.  

 

 

The cruise is a TA so it is for 2 weeks.

[villauk]

36 minutes ago, Gordoncruickshank said:

We usually book cruises for two years ahead - we will book 2021 in a couple of weeks time when on the silhouette - and we have never seen the price come down from that initial price.

 

It is more common for cruises booked in the UK to be bundled with flights and hotel accommodation. We don't do it after RCL dumped us at LAX in 2009 at 9am for a flight at 11pm that evening. Check in didn't open for 6 hours. After that we decided we would be in control of the process when travelling to the US for a cruise. We would often use the Cruise supplied flights and accommodation if travelling in Europe because where we stay you often have to combine multiple flights on the one day and using the cruise company for the transits puts the responsibility on to them to get you to the ship on time if there are any issues.

 

When we organise things we leave plenty of time to cover delays so that there is wriggle room if needed and plenty of other flights that we can take if the original flight is cancelled. For Miami we usually travel via Heathrow but stay overnight there and do a flight out to Miami the next day. We always arrive a couple of days before the cruise and never fly back the day of the cruise. It costs a bit more for hotels but the main reason for going is to cruise and I would hate to miss it due to a flight delay.

 

We always do our own flights, but change if we can in the States. Mainly due to the fact that I always think there is more chance of getting a flight to the embarkation port once I’m in the US rather than over here: far more domestic flights in the US than international flights per day from the U.K. - it’s whatever you’re more comfortable with. We do always give ourselves a couple of days pre cruise in a hotel, though. 

 

Back to Edge, I think you had to weigh up the value of the initial pricing and if it was of value to you on an individual basis. For us personally, no way for a week in the Med in an infinite ‘oceanview’ cabin when other options were offering two weeks cruising for less money in a proper balcony.

Edited February 4, 2019 by villauk

[Gordoncruickshank]

1 minute ago, villauk said:

 

We always do our own flights, but change if we can in the States. Mainly due to the fact that I always think there is more chance of getting a flight to the embarkation port once I’m in the US rather than over here: far more domestic flights in the US than international flights per day from the U.K. - it’s whatever you’re more comfortable with. We do always give ourselves a couple of days pre cruise in a hotel, though. 

We are usually travelling to Miami at this time of year so going there direct takes away any of the snow risk in anywhere north of Florida. We have been travelling there or to the Caribbean for 20 plus years and the number of times we have heard of people getting caught in snow on their way to Florida makes us happy going as direct as we can. We still have to deal with Heathrow's inability to deal with low temperatures though! 

[upwarduk]

I have booked cruise /fly/hotel deals with Celebrity in the past as they guarantee getting you to the ship.

[Gordoncruickshank]

53 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

I have booked cruise /fly/hotel deals with Celebrity in the past as they guarantee getting you to the ship.

That is very true but there is no way to use Avios or Virgin Miles against the cost up flight upgrades.

[4774Papa]

At the prices X is charging to cruise on the Edge, it will pay well for us not to book that ship.

 

 

[DebInAntigua]

3 hours ago, Caribbean Chris said:

 

No, according to our agent recently - she said this new fare  will be nonrefundable, and you can’t reprice it later. We took it because we were close to final payment time anyway (nonrefundable at that point regardless) and saved $2000. 

 

That one out to be a good gamble because prices went back up/sold out. 

 

 

 

 

That's unfortunate. Guess I should have thought that through a bit more. Oh well. Live and learn!

[Cruise Junky]

20 hours ago, medtech71 said:

Must be nice to be able to drop 15-20k on a weeks’ vacation....I’ll never know the feeling lol.  

 

 

I just booked a 3 bedroom villa here for $500 Canadian a night, why the heck would I pay $20k for Edge!!

https://niramaya.com.au/

[Bo1953]

2 hours ago, Gordoncruickshank said:

That is very true but there is no way to use Avios or Virgin Miles against the cost up flight upgrades.

On CC's air forum, there have been a few people who have reported being able to do so NOT at the time of booking, of course.

 

Weather you can or cannot is based on the fare basis.

 

bon voyage

[Gordoncruickshank]

4 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

On CC's air forum, there have been a few people who have reported being able to do so NOT at the time of booking, of course.

 

Weather you can or cannot is based on the fare basis.

 

bon voyage

I have obviously tried it with their air department in the UK years ago but they wouldn't/couldn't do it

[Bo1953]

2 minutes ago, Gordoncruickshank said:

I have obviously tried it with their air department in the UK years ago but they wouldn't/couldn't do it

Sorry, needed to qualify, USA all other countries YMMV and yours did.

 

Here in the US many will 'attempt' the upgrades directly with the airline after booking and not with the cruise line air fare department.

 

bon voyage

[Presto2]

I don't want to mention the 'B' word but we booked the hotel, flights and transfers with Celebrity as we weren't too sure what Brexit would bring to travelling the Summer 2019. We wanted to make sure that we got to the ship !!

 

Ironically, we have checked out the flights, hotel and transfers now if we did it ourselves and we have saved a lot of money booking with them. VERY strange … beginning to think they did not price it up right !!!