Included Perks offer

[grandgeezer]

27 minutes ago, Luvcrusn said:

Each of us have to evaluate what works best obviously. Not everyone is Elite, Elite +, or Zenith, nor does everyone sail in a suite which also allows for access to Michaels Club or the new Suite Retreat area, so the drinks package (which we all know includes more than alcohol) has increased value to many. For those who choose to use their OBC for specialty dining, spa treatments, shore excursions, shopping etc., the option of two perks has value. Incidentally, we use the same TA😉 We often spend the OBC that comes from X and pocket the OBC from the TA. You're right, that it's only a deal if we want or enjoy the options.

I did not say or assume everybody has Elite, or higher status. I stated mine in attempt to explain why the prepaid perks didn’t work for us. In fact I stated “In our case”, not everybody.

[Luvcrusn]

8 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

I did not say or assume everybody has Elite, or higher status. I stated mine in attempt to explain why the prepaid perks didn’t work for us. In fact I stated “In our case”, not everybody.

I didn't think that you did, sorry if it came across that way. I did say I agreed with you that it's only a deal if we want, or enjoy the options. 

[RM]

Can someone tell me the cost of the internet for just surf per day?  Thanks

[Travelexpert35]

10 hours ago, whitshel said:

Not True some group prices come with the 2 perks now.  I booked a S/A cruise for my Aunt and SIL, when I 1st booked it I knew that the re positioning cruises didn't come with perks so I didn't look into any perks at all for them(back with go BBB).  They also booked on the $25 deposit sales which negates going into a group (deposit must be paid in full).  One day I called celebrity to changed cabins for them and for s#@ts n giggles I just asked them, finger in my dimple, does the group rated come with perks?  She said yep, they come with the current offer.  Im like whaaaaaat?  Not only was the group priced cheaper than the NRD but you can choose any 2 perks, I was floored.  So of course, I called them both and said you need to come up with the $900 deposit so we can move you into the group.  They obviously did.

 

Since then the price has gotten even more crazy.  Check it out, They booked the CC cabin for $1899 plus 2 perks.  They originally booked 1b's for the same price with no perks. (back on Go BBB).  Here's the screen shots now, total price for each is in the top left.

 

Just wondering...you must be a TA to access the cruising power site or is there another way to access it. You would never know about a group rate unless you were dealing with a BigBox TA. 

[Guindalf]

On 5/19/2019 at 5:41 PM, cruisingnewtoit said:

How did you get the 20% off the drink package?

 

‘Where are you seeing 20% off?

 

This is simply upgrading to the Premium drinks package at $10 + 20% gratuity per day. 

[cruisingnewtoit]

3 minutes ago, Guindalf said:

 

‘Where are you seeing 20% off?

 

This is simply upgrading to the Premium drinks package at $10 + 20% gratuity per day. 

I didn't see it. My comment was in a response to a poster saying they received 20% off after upgrading by paying an extra $10 a day.

[Guindalf]

The extra $10 a day is not a discount though. It’s the going rate for the upgrade.  There is no mention of any discount in the post you quoted. 

 

 

[lifeisrealygood]

There has been some conversation here as to what you would use your On Board Credit (OBC) for if you get all four perks, the Go Best package.  One thing that Celebrity does not advertise, but it is allowed is this:  You take say $200 of your OBC to the casino, and they give you $200 of chips that cannot be redeemed for cash (house chips), but they can be used to play the tables.  We play blackjack with the OBC.  So, let's assume you have a night where you bet all the fake house chips, and break even.  When you win, even though you bet the house chip, they pay you with real money (chips).  So, if you bet all $200 of your fake money, and convert it to $200 of real money, you have broken even.  You started with $200, and you leave with $200.  However, you started with worthless money, and you walk away with $200 in real money.  So you can use your OBC to convert the OBC to real money.  Just a thought for how to use your OBC.  

 

You can also use your OBC to purchase shore excursions, but those would be through the ship, not independent excursions.  Another thought.  

[Tourist1292]

For our 7 day cruise, the cost for two perks was $500. We choose the $300 OBC and the classic drinking packages for two. The OBC was used to pay for the internet package that I bought with 20% off and the remaining for gratuity. The actual cost for the drinking package became $100 pp including the 20% gratuity which is $11.9 per day. It is totally worth it even we just ordered a couple coffee and a juice per day.

[loving goldens]

So is the new way Celebrity is going to offer their cruises or is it just a promo....  I rather the one perk-two perk type of pricing...   :)

[bayonnejoe]

On 5/20/2019 at 11:59 PM, lifeisrealygood said:

There has been some conversation here as to what you would use your On Board Credit (OBC) for if you get all four perks, the Go Best package.  One thing that Celebrity does not advertise, but it is allowed is this:  You take say $200 of your OBC to the casino, and they give you $200 of chips that cannot be redeemed for cash (house chips), but they can be used to play the tables.  We play blackjack with the OBC.  So, let's assume you have a night where you bet all the fake house chips, and break even.  When you win, even though you bet the house chip, they pay you with real money (chips).  So, if you bet all $200 of your fake money, and convert it to $200 of real money, you have broken even.  You started with $200, and you leave with $200.  However, you started with worthless money, and you walk away with $200 in real money.  So you can use your OBC to convert the OBC to real money.  Just a thought for how to use your OBC.  

 

You can also use your OBC to purchase shore excursions, but those would be through the ship, not independent excursions.  Another thought.  

Most people that go to the casino know this. You can also use your OBC at the slots. Once you play however much you have loaded in the machines, whatever is left is yours. Believe me, they would love for everyone to use their OBC in the casino. The house always comes out ahead.

Edited May 22, 2019 by bayonnejoe

[loving goldens]

On 5/18/2019 at 11:22 AM, tartana said:

I am by no means an expert, but I have had good luck booking with US cruise companies who offer better prices/perks than Celebrity itself.  It would be curious to see what you could get included and the pricing compared to Celebrity directly.  I'm not sure how to name company names as I know there are limits to what can be said on this site.   

   So being a fellow Maitimer.... do you find you really save money having to pay the exchange rate booking with an american travel company?    I

[tartana]

13 minutes ago, loving goldens said:

   So being a fellow Maitimer.... do you find you really save money having to pay the exchange rate booking with an american travel company?    I

Big time - Our local Canadian companies hardly touch cruises in my area.  I got Free drinks, free grats and a total of $500 OBC with a basic balcony cabin price.  It's all the perks where you save. (If you are one to utilize the perks which we are)   From Canada, we hardly get any perks offers that I've ever seen. Cruises are typically priced in US anyway - the Canadian companies have already just converted them to CAD. 

[grandgeezer]

28 minutes ago, Tourist1292 said:

For our 7 day cruise, the cost for two perks was $500. We choose the $300 OBC and the classic drinking packages for two. The OBC was used to pay for the internet package that I bought with 20% off and the remaining for gratuity. The actual cost for the drinking package became $100 pp including the 20% gratuity which is $11.9 per day. It is totally worth it even we just ordered a couple coffee and a juice per day.

 I would skip the perks. The gratuities would come out of the $500 and I would save $297 which I would spend at home where I could get some real value for it.

[ghstudio]

27 minutes ago, loving goldens said:

So is the new way Celebrity is going to offer their cruises or is it just a promo....  I rather the one perk-two perk type of pricing...   🙂

Celebrity constantly changes their offers....they had non-refundable fares before...then they dropped that concept because no one booked them....now they are back.  You just can't predict what marketing program they will come up with.  Best bet is just to book with a TA where you can cancel without penalty...and then watch the offers. 

 

The current non-refundable option is a bit like the airlines putting in the least comfortable seats for the lowest price fare.  In both cases, you can book that low fare...but you pay a price.  The goal, in both cases, is to convince you to pay more than you used to pay for the same thing before the change because the marketing tells you that the new program is somehow "better". 

[Jeremiah1212]

Shop the travel agents. One has a Memorial Day sale priced in a way that it almost doesn't make sense to not take all 4 perks if you're considering doing any perks at all.

[Tourist1292]

22 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

 I would skip the perks. The gratuities would come out of the $500 and I would save $297 which I would spend at home where I could get some real value for it.

For us, the gratuity is $210 for one CC with 2 people and $410 for the other with 4. We did skip the perks initially to save money but added the 2 perks during the upgrade to CC after the final payment. We only paid $190 per cabin for the upgrade which includes the 2 perks. Or we can just get the upgrade without perks at no cost. However, we saved even more by adding the perks as the OBC alone is more than the amount we paid. The OBC was used to pay for the gratuity of both rooms for 7 night plus part of the internet package. At the end, we still need to pay a small amount as the OBC is not sufficient for the gratuity and internet package. If you do not expect to use the OBC fully, then you should not get the perks. Even if we do not purchase the internet package, the upgrade with perks is basically giving us the classic drinking package for free as the upgrade cost is less than the gratuity which is almost completely covered by the OBC.

Edited May 22, 2019 by Tourist1292

[Marelaine]

On 5/20/2019 at 9:58 AM, RM said:

Can someone tell me the cost of the internet for just surf per day?  Thanks

 

For my 10 day cruise, the surf package is being offered for $125 for the whole cruise. I'm not sure, but I don't think it's available for purchase by the day. 

[bkbarrym]

1 hour ago, tartana said:

Big time - Our local Canadian companies hardly touch cruises in my area.  I got Free drinks, free grats and a total of $500 OBC with a basic balcony cabin price.  It's all the perks where you save. (If you are one to utilize the perks which we are)   From Canada, we hardly get any perks offers that I've ever seen. Cruises are typically priced in US anyway - the Canadian companies have already just converted them to CAD. 

Sometimes yes sometimes no. I booked our June cruise direct with Celebrity late January in $CDN. Afterwards checked pricing with big US T/A I've used in the past and found them to come out significantly higher when factoring in exchange and credit card charge so kept my reservation with X. In the past it worked out better with the TA, however not this time.

[srdancer]

OBC from Celebrity can be used before the cruise to book shore excursions, assuming you want to use Celebrity's excursions.

[tartana]

45 minutes ago, bkbarrym said:

Sometimes yes sometimes no. I booked our June cruise direct with Celebrity late January in $CDN. Afterwards checked pricing with big US T/A I've used in the past and found them to come out significantly higher when factoring in exchange and credit card charge so kept my reservation with X. In the past it worked out better with the TA, however not this time.

Yeah, I would only book when a big promo is on with lots of inclusions...in between sales, the prices are prob not that great with exchange. Holidays are times for really big Perk Promos typically.  Yes, the prices are probably up a bit during those sales, but no comparison to the value of the perks to me. I realize not everyone would want those perks, but they are things we would just spend a lot more money on, and it's nice to have them looked after. 

[TommyD3]

The new system is a total rip off for Zenith members. We get the premium beverage package and unlimited internet free. I looked at a 15 night cruise and it would cost me $676 per person to get $375 worth of OBC and prepaid gratuities. Of course that includes a refundable deposit. 2 or 4 perk offer is only worth it if getting a beverage package as one of the perks !!!

[DanaDanes]

5 hours ago, TommyD3 said:

The new system is a total rip off for Zenith members. We get the premium beverage package and unlimited internet free. I looked at a 15 night cruise and it would cost me $676 per person to get $375 worth of OBC and prepaid gratuities. Of course that includes a refundable deposit. 2 or 4 perk offer is only worth it if getting a beverage package as one of the perks !!!

Struggling to see how getting 2 perks free is a total ripoff....

[Orator]

1 hour ago, DanaDanes said:

Struggling to see how getting 2 perks free is a total ripoff....

The perks are not "free" . In most cases the cost is built into the price of the cruise. I experienced the same as TommyD3 when the difference in price with and without perks didn't justify the with perks price. I would have paid $1100 for perks with a total value of $750. This was for the Silhouette TA this October. I booked without the perks.

[citronella]

I just did the math also on an 11 night cruise we have booked.

 

Cost of 4 perks = $2408 Cdn

 

Cost of gratuities, internet and premium drink packages = $3000 Cdn approx

 

So, for us, a saving of about $600 Cdn by booking the 4 perks plus get an OBC $400 Cdn.  Worth it for us.