Huge price increases

[vermonter16]

Same here.  For the first time we have only 2 cruises booked...both for next year...one in January and the other October.  We may cancel the latter.  We looked at booking more cruises but the pricing is now out of control with Celebrity and we will choose another type of vacation or another line.  We love Celebrity but not at any cost.

[villauk]

6 hours ago, Luvcrusn said:

My point exactly. X has taken a customer that regularly booked with them, made them look elsewhere due to crazy pricing and lost them. 

 

 

Yes, it’s given many of us the push to look elsewhere.

[Hlitner]

This topic came to mind today when we booked another cruise for next year.  So now, we have 4 cruises booked for 2020 (30 day, 16 day, 25 day, and 14) and not one of them is with Celebrity or another RCI owned line.  Why?  Because the grass is indeed greener elsewhere.   

But my point is that some folks choose to whine here on CC about high prices but then they often book anyway.  The best way to deal with pricing problems is to look elsewhere.  Eventually supply/demand equalizes things....or as some like to say, "the worm will turn."  And when the worm does indeed turn, we will be fast to book with Celebrity.

 

Hank

[miched]

Another issue we have noticed is that besides the ridiculous increase in cost there are also the cuts in a lot of areas.

 

For most of our cruises for the last few years we have have a bev pack and upgraded to the premium.   Many of the premium spirits that were offered are no longer available 

 

We would spend a lot of time at the Molecular Bar and then it was changed to the World Class Bar.  We enjoyed the drinks and watching the Bts making them.   Thru the years they gradually cut the product.   They use to have the round ice cube that was made in that ice press.   Now it is the just chipped off block that was put into that press.

 

They had special glasses per each drink, now it is hot or miss.  They use to have fresh ingredients along the bar  that they used to make the drinks.  Now many drinks are made using a premix.  They had mixing glasses to make the drinks in, now they use a metal container.  These are cut that we noticed at the WCB on our last cruise and only had two drinks from  there because they weren’t as good

 

They use to have little square chocolate candies at the Cafe al Bacio that were in a wooden box.  Many didn't know  about them but we did.  They are no longer available

 

One bottle of water in AQ per cruise, it use to be daily,   no grand buffet,  they tried cutting out the chocolate on the pillow,  tried charging $10 for a hamburger.  
 

The prices of the specialty restaurants keeps increasing but the quality and offerings seem to be declining.  
 

I am sure that I am missing a lot of other cuts but the point is X claims that the cuts were made to keep the cost down???

 

i can afford to cruise because I worked, knew the value of a dollar and didn’t spend it foolishly.   To keep cruising on X at the current prices would be for me spending my money foolishly

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 27, 2019 by miched

[jelayne]

We have looked elsewhere, went back to Royal- way to many kids, food was mediocre on a good night, dynamic pricing on the beverage package not going there.

Tried  AZamara  paid more than AQ on X for the lowest level balcony.  MDR was a no go for us, on the best night 25+ minutes to be seated most nights 30-40 minutes.  Food, IMHO, was no better than MDR on X and it was a noisy crowded MDR with slow service.  Ship was dead at 9 pm. Included wines were hardly drinkable. On the plus side service in the buffet, Patio and bars was excellent,  breakfast on the veranda was great and the Captain  & HD were everywhere.  
Viking ocean, for us doesn’t cut it.  The included shore excursions are “drive bys”  food is very good but after dinner then what??  Customer Service leaves much to be desired.

still looking for the perfect cruise line that works within our annual 4-5 cruises per year.

[upwarduk]

Because of X pricing, we have looked elsewhere, Princess & Royal, but go back to Celebrity for product. If we hadn’t deviated we would be Elite plus on our next cruise.

IMO Celebrity has the ‘Edge’ as I feel more comfortable, I feel that I have come home. Maybe it’s because I’m not spending the first week on the cruise finding my way around, finding out how the new cruise line functions etc.

I’m glad that my next cruise will be on Celebrity, but I do wish that the new pricing in the UK reflected that we could cancel a cruise and not loose our deposit. Apparently we have not been brought into line with USA in that aspect, even with the new ‘basic price’ with no perks.WE still either loose our deposit if we cancel or pay £75 p.p if we transfer the cruise to another one.

[villauk]

11 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

Because of X pricing, we have looked elsewhere, Princess & Royal, but go back to Celebrity for product. If we hadn’t deviated we would be Elite plus on our next cruise.

 

 

But I think that’s the whole point of the thread: is it worth such huge price differences for the product they are currently offering, when you can sail on luxury lines for less? Yes, there are deals out there for those that sail last minute or in off-peak times, but if you’re still working and have to cruise in the peak, holiday months, the difference may not be worth it (as others have highlighted in examples above).

 

Being Elite, you can move your booking once without paying the £75 transfer charge, and as many times as you wish for an onboard booking without losing your deposit. That said, the US reservations still have far more flexibility than those bookings over here. You will notice, though, that they are promoting non-refundable deposits far more in the US than they ever have previously.

[jelayne]

On 11/25/2019 at 12:41 PM, jelayne said:

We just booked a fall 2021 TA with the bev package, prepaid gratuities, internet and $350 OBC  for $192 pp per day.  The fall 2020 TA on the same ship, same A1 cabin exact same perks is selling today for $254 pp per day.  Most likely if I check the price of the 2021 in 10-11 months it will much higher than it is today.

 Update: checked pricing on all our bookings and the 2021 TA referenced above  was $400+ lower so called and the price was adjusted and our perks weren’t affected.  Now $177 pp per day.

[smtcan]

We are elite+ on Celebrity with 25 cruises, all of which we have enjoyed.  We are looking for a January to March Caribbean cruise next year, but Celebrity's prices are not competitive.  We want 14 days or two 7 days B2B, and find Princess at least $1000 cheaper for the two of us.  We usually prefer balcony, but even inside on X is expensive.  The Elite+ benefits have value for us, but not $1000.  We have cruised with Princess before and know what to expect from them, so will probably desert Celebrity unless a reasonable last minute cruise comes up.

[grandgeezer]

On 11/25/2019 at 11:41 AM, jelayne said:

If I understand your post correctly you are comparing pricing/perks of a cruise you booked 24 moths in advance  with the current price of that same cruise which is now 13-14  months away.  In our experience prices on  most sailing are at the lowest when they are first opened for booking and prices climb until after final payment.  
 

We just booked a fall 2021 TA with the bev package, prepaid gratuities, internet and $350 OBC  for $192 pp per day.  The fall 2020 TA on the same ship, same A1 cabin exact same perks is selling today for $254 pp per day.  Most likely if I check the price of the 2021 in 10-11 months it will much higher than it is today.

Our last transatlantic was in April 2016 on the Silhouette. We booked six weeks out and paid about $58 p.p. per day for a 1A balcony. This included all taxes and fees plus some of the gratuities as the amount from the ta didn’t cover all of it. We are Elite Plus so the 240 minutes of internet we got was more than enough. Also since we aren’t big drinkers, the loyalty drinks, plus the bloody Marys at the elite breakfast, and the free specialty coffee drinks were more than enough.

At the current pricing, transatlantics isn’t on the radar, six times is probably enough.

[NMTraveller]

This is what happens when the US economy is strong.  There is a strong demand for vacations.  I cruised the 2nd week of September and expected the cruise ports to be somewhat less busy.  They were flipping packed.  Supply and demand and demand is very high.  Let the good times roll.

 

Lately when I have looked at upgrading a previously booked cabin the prices were much higher and not worth it.

 

I am lucky that I have bookings two years out.

Edited November 28, 2019 by NMTraveller

[Dimarie40]

I just priced the Eclipse for the Transpacific from Sydney to Hawaii in April 2022.  We did this same sailing in April of this year.  We paid just over $7000 AUD for both of us in a veranda cabin plus another $1000 for a drinks package.  The 2022 sailing is coming in at $14,600 for both of us.  It does include a drinks package. That's roughly $5500 more than what the exact same cabin is going for now.  Consequently we will definitely not be booking early and will just wait until final payment time and see what's available and at what price then.  If the price drops to something more realistic then we'll book but that price is crazy!  Celebrity seems to be pricing many of us out of the market unfortunately. 

 

Edited November 28, 2019 by Dimarie40

[tvlgoddess]

This morning I almost fell off my chair when I was told  the price for the 14 day Iceland and Greenland cruise for Aug 2021!!  For an Aqua class the price was $14,270 Cdn.  For a C1, I was told it was $200 more.  It just didn’t make sense.  It hurts even more when we need to pay 33% more because of our weak dollar.  At this price I am waiting for HAL Voyage of the Vikings 2021 to be released.  We just returned from our first HAL cruise, 26 days on the Koningsdam which we really enjoyed.  The crew and service was great, the food was comparable and at times exceeded Celebrity, the Captain  was fantastic, one of the best IMO.  We will be back on Celebrity in March and April next year since we booked it over 2 years ago and the price was reasonable back then. Our last cruise on her was back in early 2018 and we will see if there will be big changes and if it’s worth sticky with Celebrity or going elsewhere.  At these atrocious prices I have a feeling we will be going elsewhere.

[tvlgoddess]

10 minutes ago, Dimarie40 said:

I just priced the Eclipse for the Transpacific from Sydney to Hawaii in April 2022.  We did this same sailing in April of this year.  We paid just over $7000 AUD for both of us in a veranda cabin plus another $1000 for a drinks package.  The 2022 sailing is coming in at $14,600 for both of us.  It does include a drinks package. That's roughly $5500 more than what the exact same cabin is going for now.  Consequently we will definitely not be booking early and will just wait until final payment time and see what's available and at what price then.  If the price drops to something more realistic then we'll book but that price is crazy!  Celebrity seems to be pricing many of us out of the market unfortunately. 

 

We did that itinerary back in 2013 in a Sky Suite for $6000 Cdn for both of us.   Yes, that was before drink packages and all.  But is it worth over $8000 price difference?

 

[emmas gran]

Hi thought I would throw in my two-penneth as we got fed-up with Celebrity increased prices and cut-backs onboard after 23 cruises with them and are Elite Plus.

We have cruised 3 times (56 days) with MSC this year all in the Yacht Club section of the ships and the pricing was very competitive. I would compare to a sky suite on X and you have a large pool deck and lounge with butler service the restaurant for YC guests, the food is not as good as X but it had improved  (our last cruise ended on 10th Nov). The pricing was excellent and they "status matched" our loyalty level to their highest tier --this has now been reduced for new applicants due to the large numbers who applied.  

On our last trip the highlight for MSC was the opening of Ocean Cay (private island)  however 4 days before we were due there the Captain announced and issued a letter saying it wasn't ready, because of this we were given $100 per cabin and 20% of the cruise fare paid as a future cruise credit. For us the $100 was enough but who is going to say no to the credit!!

MSC prices are now increasing and the admin isn't good they are trying to run before they can walk properly but they are a good product in YC ( I don't think I would cruise outside that area as the ships are big and crowded). We have a B2B booked with them in Feb 2020 then who knows as we are supposed to do Princess and then X in Nov/Dec in Asia & Australia. We also have the 20% to use on MSC

 

[miXterOB]

I am on board celebrity silhouette right now. We went to futura cruises and got info on current promos through them. The pricing is bloody ridiculous so there is no way we will be booking another Celebrity Cruise while onboard.

We have 3 days and with the current $25 deposit for Black Friday available through Monday we may go ahead and put a deposit down in hopes of a price drop between now and 2021. At $25 / it may be a good risk

[cantstopingcruising]

5 hours ago, miXterOB said:

I am on board celebrity silhouette right now. We went to futura cruises and got info on current promos through them. The pricing is bloody ridiculous so there is no way we will be booking another Celebrity Cruise while onboard.

We have 3 days and with the current $25 deposit for Black Friday available through Monday we may go ahead and put a deposit down in hopes of a price drop between now and 2021. At $25 / it may be a good risk

Is the  $25 deposit for 2021?

[SEA DOGY]

Yes celebrity cruises prices keep going up and up  i wonder why ,and they are heavily 

advertising  All over tv channels   Don’t believe me ?  Go and ask Alice 

 

[Stateroom_Sailor]

The price increases would make total sense if X were heading into the Premium/luxury-Light market (Azamara, Viking Ocean, Oceania), but judging by the downgrades on my April cruise on Eclipse, that hardly seems the case.  Cutbacks, mixed with price increases, is a dealbreaker for some of us.  That may be fine for the bottom line in the short term in this thriving cruising market, but what happens when the world economy heads for recession?

 

We're paying between $140 - $180 a night pp, for entry level suites on reposition HAL cruises, roughly what we used to pay for Aqua on X.  Sure, I miss Celebrity's modern designed ships, but believe I have moved on to a generally superior product as far as food, cabins, music, and itineraries.  The same is true for those who are trying MSC's Yacht Club, or the luxury market, any customer can become comfortable elsewhere, and it may be difficult to persuade them back.

 

[mickey89]

On 11/28/2019 at 2:58 AM, NMTraveller said:

This is what happens when the US economy is strong....................

 

Understanding Celebrity pricing is difficult to say the least.  

A month ago it was significantly cheaper to book a Celebrity cruise in the UK.   Today its reversed by a massive amount, just checked our November'20 cruise - US price is cheaper by over £700 but even that is over £1000 more than I paid just 3 months ago, just ridiculous.  They are chancing their arm, looking at the cabin inventory there is still massive availability.   Maybe lots of people realise the prices are silly and waiting for the inevitable price drop before committing to a non refundable deposit which is becoming the norm.

Edited November 29, 2019 by mickey89

[NMTraveller]

7 minutes ago, mickey89 said:

 

Understanding Celebrity pricing is difficult to say the least.  

A month ago it was significantly cheaper to book a Celebrity cruise in the UK.   Today its reversed by a massive amount, just checked our November'20 cruise - US price is cheaper by over £700 but even that is over £1000 more than I paid just 3 months ago, just ridiculous.  They are chancing their arm, looking at the cabin inventory there is still massive availability.   Maybe lots of people realise the prices are silly and waiting for the inevitable price drop before committing to a non refundable deposit which is becoming the norm.

I would seriously welcome a Celebrity ship that was not 100% full.  My last Edge sailing was packed and crowded.

[mickey89]

5 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I would seriously welcome a Celebrity ship that was not 100% full.  My last Edge sailing was packed and crowded.

 

Prices fall.....ships fill, makes sense !

[yorky]

40 minutes ago, mickey89 said:

 

Prices fall.....ships fill, makes sense !

Obviously it’s how many people are booking at the higher rate against the percentage booking very late on. As the poster above in the UK the new perks way of booking has seen crazy price increases, I would say as high as 30% in many cases which is hard to understand unless the demand is genuinely there. I have to say though I think we are seeing a real change in Celebrity. If this forum is anything to go by many older and loyal Celebrity cruisers are looking elsewhere but they seem to be easily replaced by younger customers with money to burn. I tend to get emails more or less on a daily basis by US TA’s these days and I had another yesterday by one of I believe the big online agents and I could not believe the difference. The base price before taxes per person including all four perks plus an extra $100 dollars onboard dollars for an Asia cruise in 2021 that we are looking at was the same in dollars as we would pay in pounds with no perks at all. That’s a crazy difference of something like $2000 dollars for a couple on that cruise. Ok feedback on that TA is it’s fine until you have an issue, not the standards I would get from out own UK TA who are great.

[DYKWIA]

On 11/26/2019 at 8:48 PM, ShawninFL said:

This is a market.  They're selling vacations and cruise vacations in particular.  Like all businesses in a market economy they are looking to maximize their profit.....

 

A market, yes.... but not a Persian bazaar where unless you bargain you are ripped off.

 

This feels like walking into my Lexus Dealer keen to buy a new one from them.  Being told the new Lexus only has the features of the Toyota, and by the way it's now priced the same as a Rolls Royce, "take it or leave it".  I will walk out and go to another brand and even if they lower the prices and improve the produce I won't feel like going back, because they tried to mug me.

 

Whilst we enjoyed our summer cruise on the Infinity the ship was showing it's age,  it was quite  expensive and certain things did niggle us - small play list of music played on loop, quality of some spirits in the bar was very suspect - I have never tasted a brandy like the Henessey and Courvoisier on the Classic Package or even the Remy on the premium.

 

I've also recently read a story recently concerning a passenger on a RCI ship (sister company) who was charged $2950 for a spa treatment after agreeing to what she thought was $29.50 quick treatment.  RCI have refunded her and apologised, but something feels very wrong about sales techniques used on the ship.  Celebrity still have the Art auctions and some items they sell should come with a wealth warning.   These techniques are more befitting the Persian Bazaar I mentioned earlier.

 

 

Edited November 29, 2019 by DYKWIA

[NMTraveller]

Here in the US I see normal pricing.  Perhaps he could go to the US site and book there.  I just booked a nice cruise today with nice discounts.

 

Alternatively if the prices were lower in the UK I could go to the UK site and book there.