Solo rates for the new all-inclusive Celebrity policy

[croozer]

I just read an article with the headline "Celebrity Cruises Will No Longer Charge for Drinks, Wifi, or Tips on Ships."  The article also said,  "This move to a more all-inclusive experience will begin on November 17, 2020. Always Included will replace Sail Your Way and include three amenities: tips, WiFi, and the cruise line’s Classic Beverage Package." I seem to recall that "Sail Your Way" was available for an additional cost and might have been popular enough that they're trying to make it standard.  

So how does this affect the solo traveler who has to pay 200%? Are we going to be paying the increased rate for two drink packages, two wifi packages and tips for two people?  Might Celebrity take this into consideration and go back to a lower single supplement percentage, like 150%, as in the distant past?

Anybody have any information or feelings about this?  

[Traveling Mike]

I just checked it on the current pricing structure and you are paying  two drink packages, two wifi packages and tips for two people if you choose them.  I come up with the same price (-taxes and fees) for one person or two people.  If I choose to upgrade to all perks for one person the cost is what it costs for two people.  I know it is not fair.

[Roz]

I agree it's not fair, and Celebrity should adjust the fare accordingly.  I'm OK with paying double for the cabin.  Don't like it but I understand the economics.  But paying double for optional extras is another matter.

[coastcat]

Agreed. I took some screenshots of current pricing for 3 randomly selected cruises, with both single occupancy and double occupancy mock bookings. It is ridiculous that solos get charged for two sets of perks when they can only use one. One of the 7-day cruises priced out to be an extra $900 per couple, so $450 per person, for two perks. Assuming you pick the beverage package as one of the perks, that's a good deal. A solo on the same trip would be charged $900 for just one pair of perks. Not a good deal. For my solo transpacific on Celebrity Solstice I was able to book a no-perk fare; if I'd taken the 2-perk version, that would have cost enough extra to cover paying for the premium beverage package plus WiFi plus the flight home from Tokyo!

 

So now I'm curious to see what happens to single-occupancy pricing when the perks become the standard. From what I could tell from posts on the Celebrity board, solos will get no pricing break. If there's no base fare option available, then Celebrity is pricing itself out of the solo market except on ships with the single-occupancy Infinite Verandas. My mock bookings on Edge indicate that solos in Single IVs are charged the same per-person rate as people in regular cabins, but just once.

 

I'd hate to think I'll be one-and-done with Celebrity because it otherwise seems like a great compatible match for my style. Being limited to the two Edge-class ships if I don't want to get ripped off... meh.

Edited November 17, 2020 by coastcat

[farmersfight]

10 hours ago, coastcat said:

So now I'm curious to see what happens to single-occupancy pricing when the perks become the standard. From what I could tell from posts on the Celebrity board, solos will get no pricing break. If there's no base fare option available, then Celebrity is pricing itself out of the solo market except on ships with the single-occupancy Infinite Verandas. My mock bookings on Edge indicate that solos in Single IVs are charged the same per-person rate as people in regular cabins, but just once.

 

I totally agree with you, Celebrity needs to keep those no-perk fares for the sake of us solo cruisers. Having to pay double for the perks, in addition to double for the cabin, is totally unfair.

 

10 hours ago, coastcat said:

I'd hate to think I'll be one-and-done with Celebrity because it otherwise seems like a great compatible match for my style. Being limited to the two Edge-class ships if I don't want to get ripped off... meh.

 

Fear not! A third Edge-class ship, the Celebrity Beyond, is on the way. Originally scheduled for delivery, Fall of 2021 but probably delayed somewhat because of covid. More single Infinite Verandas will be available! (I think we discussed those single IV's previously and I had to do some research on them. I'm still very interested in trying one out as a solo).

 

 

Take care..

[broberts]

Fair or not, the company is not interested in giving up income it would otherwise earn. 

[Roz]

4 hours ago, broberts said:

Fair or not, the company is not interested in giving up income it would otherwise earn. 

 

I would argue they're not really earning the income.  Charging passengers for services they're not delivering.

[broberts]

3 hours ago, Roz said:

 

I would argue they're not really earning the income.  Charging passengers for services they're not delivering.

 

By selling a solo at a lower rate the company would be giving up the revenue of a double. While there is a small cost saving, it is trivial. venue

 

The old model of figuring out how much something costs and setting a price based on some markup is rarely used these days. With a trivial variance, a given cruise has a particular cost, i.e. cost can be treated as fixed. To maximize profit one then needs to maximize sales.

[coastcat]

Price comparisons! I did 3 mock bookings on November 14 and took screenshots of the pricing. I couldn't compare two of them because Celebrity's site is being weird - it lists the sailings but if you try to book them now the sailings don't exist. Weird. Here's the one I could book today...

 

• Ship: Celebrity Constellation
• Dates: October 2021, 9 days
• Itinerary: Mediterranean
• Cabin category: Ocean View

Original ppdo was $1,884 with no perks, $2,429 with two perks. For two people, that’s $3,768 without perks and $4,858 with them. Daily service charge was $15.50 pp per day so that’s now $4,047 and $5,137 respectively.

Original price for solo occupancy was the same as the two-person price. Including DSC (thankfully you didn't get double charged for that!), that's $3907.50 without perks or $4997.50 with two perks. Nine days of the classic beverage package for one person + surf-speed WiFi for one device is about $650, but you would have paid an extra $1100 for it.

The new price for the same cabin is now $2,199 ppdo, so $4,398 for the cabin. Based on the original no-perks price, you're now paying an additional $315 per person and receiving classic beverage + surf WiFi + DSC. If you sail as a couple, you're paying an extra $315 per person but getting about $787.50 per person in perks (based on $57/day for drinks, $15/day for WiFi, and $15.50/day DSC).

Solos, of course, pay the full 100% supplement. The new single occupancy for this cabin is $4,398 and based on the original no-perks pricing you're paying $630 to get $787.50 in perks.

Celebrity now offers upgrades called Elevate and Indulge. On this sailing, Elevate is an extra $40 per person (total, not per day) to get the premium beverage package plus $150 ShoreEx credit per person. Indulge is $310 per person to get the premium drinks, stream-speed WiFi, and $300 ShoreEx/OBC. Solos pay double of course, but they'll get $300 ShoreEx with Elevate and $600 ShoreEx/OBC with Indulge.

Conclusion: Solos are still overcharged but not as badly as they used to be. Nevertheless, book a Single Infinite Veranda so you don't have to do the math. 😄

 

Edited November 18, 2020 by coastcat
math is hard

[taznremmy]

17 minutes ago, coastcat said:

Conclusion: Solos are still overcharged but not as badly as they used to be. Nevertheless, book a Single Infinite Veranda so you don't have to do the math. 😄

 

Or cruise with Princess....who allows you two price options when you book....with or without perks.  And as a solo, you only pay for one set of perks.

Edited November 18, 2020 by taznremmy

[coastcat]

Just now, taznremmy said:

Or cruise with Princess....who allows you two price options when you book....with or without perks.  And as a solo, you only pay for one.

Oh, I am most definitely looking at Princess! At the moment I have an Asia cruise booked for December 2022 on NCL but am keeping an eye out for the release of Princess's late 2022 itineraries.

[farmersfight]

12 hours ago, taznremmy said:

Or cruise with Princess....who allows you two price options when you book....with or without perks.  And as a solo, you only pay for one set of perks.

 

As the way it should be! Good job Princess...

[farmersfight]

12 hours ago, coastcat said:

Price comparisons! I did 3 mock bookings on November 14 and took screenshots of the pricing. I couldn't compare two of them because Celebrity's site is being weird - it lists the sailings but if you try to book them now the sailings don't exist. Weird. Here's the one I could book today...

 

• Ship: Celebrity Constellation
• Dates: October 2021, 9 days
• Itinerary: Mediterranean
• Cabin category: Ocean View

Original ppdo was $1,884 with no perks, $2,429 with two perks. For two people, that’s $3,768 without perks and $4,858 with them. Daily service charge was $15.50 pp per day so that’s now $4,047 and $5,137 respectively.

Original price for solo occupancy was the same as the two-person price. Including DSC (thankfully you didn't get double charged for that!), that's $3907.50 without perks or $4997.50 with two perks. Nine days of the classic beverage package for one person + surf-speed WiFi for one device is about $650, but you would have paid an extra $1100 for it.

The new price for the same cabin is now $2,199 ppdo, so $4,398 for the cabin. Based on the original no-perks price, you're now paying an additional $315 per person and receiving classic beverage + surf WiFi + DSC. If you sail as a couple, you're paying an extra $315 per person but getting about $787.50 per person in perks (based on $57/day for drinks, $15/day for WiFi, and $15.50/day DSC).

Solos, of course, pay the full 100% supplement. The new single occupancy for this cabin is $4,398 and based on the original no-perks pricing you're paying $630 to get $787.50 in perks.

Celebrity now offers upgrades called Elevate and Indulge. On this sailing, Elevate is an extra $40 per person (total, not per day) to get the premium beverage package plus $150 ShoreEx credit per person. Indulge is $310 per person to get the premium drinks, stream-speed WiFi, and $300 ShoreEx/OBC. Solos pay double of course, but they'll get $300 ShoreEx with Elevate and $600 ShoreEx/OBC with Indulge.

Conclusion: Solos are still overcharged but not as badly as they used to be. Nevertheless, book a Single Infinite Veranda so you don't have to do the math. 😄

 

 

I agree, math is hard. I was getting a headache just trying to follow along with the math in your post 😉. Yeah, give me that Single Infinite Veranda...

[Roz]

17 hours ago, taznremmy said:

Or cruise with Princess....who allows you two price options when you book....with or without perks.  And as a solo, you only pay for one set of perks.

 

And, Princess gives double points if you pay double. 

[coastcat]

On 11/18/2020 at 6:15 AM, farmersfight said:

 

I agree, math is hard. I was getting a headache just trying to follow along with the math in your post 😉. Yeah, give me that Single Infinite Veranda...

 

Epilogue: I did a little more math and then followed my own suggestion: March 6, 2022 on Celebrity Edge to San Juan, Tortola, and St. Maarten, in a Single Infinite Veranda cabin.

 

It was a good price compared with a balcony cabin on NCL/RCL when you factor in the beverage/wifi/DSC charges. The cabin price was $2399, while I could book a comparable itinerary for that date on NCL Encore (with 2 specialty meals but without DSC, so that's a wash) for $100 more. Granted, on Encore I'd save money by booking a Studio and getting my sunrise time out on The Waterfront... 

 

The upgrade offers were not tempting but that could change after I see a post-pandemic price list for the Celebrity bars. One from last winter had a relatively sparse collection of alcohol options within the classic beverage package parameters. Seriously, Blue Moon and Bailey's Irish Cream are on the premium package list and I'd have to pay an upcharge for them? Good grief.

 

 

[Traveling Mike]

Before the change I could just pay the single supplement for the room.  I would pay gratuities for 1 person and WIFI for 1 person.  Now I have to pay double for everything.  I did email Celebrity and got a return call from the CEO Office.  I plan on doing my very best to persuade them on the importance of solo cruisers.

[farmersfight]

16 hours ago, coastcat said:

Seriously, Blue Moon and Bailey's Irish Cream are on the premium package list and I'd have to pay an upcharge for them? Good grief.

 

 

Blue Moon on the premium package list (with an up charge), eh? Blue Moon is my favorite and definitely my "go to". I knew I had good taste!

[coastcat]

6 hours ago, farmersfight said:

 

 

Blue Moon on the premium package list (with an up charge), eh? Blue Moon is my favorite and definitely my "go to". I knew I had good taste!

It's one of my favorites too. But premium? NCL has it available in their standard drinks package along with many other options which Celebrity designates as premium. Oh well, then on Celebrity I'll just stick with the usual beach-y blended drinks with embarrassing names.

 

Now I need to do some more math to pick a replacement for my April 2021 NCL cruise, which I suspect isn't going to sail. That's another thread, though! So bummed about that since I had booked an aft balcony to use up more FCC, and now prices have gone so high that it will barely cover a Studio later in 2021.

[Traveling Mike]

I just got off the phone with the Celebrity CEOs Office.  I sent them an email and they had a discussion about it in their office meeting and decided to push the issue to the correct committee.  They are going to push the Single Supplement issue to the committee that regulates pricing for Celebrity.  Hopefully they will come out  with a better pricing structure for the Solo Cruiser.

[taznremmy]

6 hours ago, Traveling Mike said:

I just got off the phone with the Celebrity CEOs Office.  I sent them an email and they had a discussion about it in their office meeting and decided to push the issue to the correct committee.  They are going to push the Single Supplement issue to the committee that regulates pricing for Celebrity.  Hopefully they will come out  with a better pricing structure for the Solo Cruiser.

THANK YOU!!!  Please keep us posted.

[coastcat]

7 hours ago, Traveling Mike said:

I just got off the phone with the Celebrity CEOs Office.  I sent them an email and they had a discussion about it in their office meeting and decided to push the issue to the correct committee.  They are going to push the Single Supplement issue to the committee that regulates pricing for Celebrity.  Hopefully they will come out  with a better pricing structure for the Solo Cruiser.

Hopefully they'll take a look at other all-inclusive lines and their (generally more equitable and thus welcoming) pricing structure for solos.

 

I've pondered the idea of trying Ponant due to their low supplements; for 2021 Alaska cruises, the upcharge ranges from 23% down to zero. The line is a bit formal for my tastes but still tempting.

[farmersfight]

21 hours ago, coastcat said:

Now I need to do some more math to pick a replacement for my April 2021 NCL cruise, which I suspect isn't going to sail.

 

Well, I've been a "busy little beaver" today and booked 3 solo cruises! I was trying to coordinate with my 2 sons who live out west, oldest in Washington state and the youngest in Arizona, to come on a cruise with me. I was looking at the new Carnival Panorama out of Long Beach, CA on a 7 day Mexican Riviera (Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta) from Aug 7th to Aug 14th, 2021. But, both my sons will be attending summer college classes, so they can't go 😭.

 

S, I looked inward and found my "solo crusing self" (even though I have yet to cruise solo, lol) and booked the brand spanking new Mardi Gras (Carnival) on an 8 day Eastern Caribbean out of Port Canaveral, FL on Dec 18-26, 2021 (X-mas cruise! Ho ho ho...). Next, I booked the Anthem of the Seas on an 11 day Southern Caribbean out of Cape Liberty, NJ on Jan 20-31, 2022. Finally, I booked Odyssey of the Seas on another 8 day Southern Caribbean out of Port Everglades (Ft Lauderdale) on Feb 26-March 6, 2022.

 

Interesting, I was able to nab those coveted studio balcony cabins on both RCL cruises. On the Carnival cruise, the Mardi Gras has what is called "junior balcony cabins" which are basically balcony cabins without the sofa. The junior balcony cabins are just a bit shorter (transverse-wise) than the regular balconies but the size of the balconies are the same.

 

Anyway, I'm pretty "stoked" about these 3 cruises. Now, the waiting begins (tick, tock)...

Edited November 24, 2020 by farmersfight

[coastcat]

10 minutes ago, farmersfight said:

 

Well, I've been a "busy little beaver" today and booked 3 solo cruises! I was trying to coordinate with my 2 sons who live out west, oldest in Washington state and the youngest in Arizona, to come on a cruise with me. I was looking at the new Carnival Panorama out of Long Beach, CA on a 7 day Mexican Riviera (Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta) from Aug 7th to Aug 14th, 2021. But, both my sons will be attending summer college classes, so they can't go 😭.

 

S, I looked inward and found my "solo crusing self" (even though I have yet to cruise solo, lol) and booked the brand spanking new Mardi Gras (Carnival) on an 8 day Eastern Caribbean out of Port Canaveral, FL on Dec 18-26, 2021 (X-mas cruise! Ho ho ho...). Next, I booked the Anthem of the Seas on an 11 day Southern Caribbean out of Cape Liberty, NJ on Jan 20-31, 2022. Finally, I booked Odyssey of the Seas on another 8 day Southern Caribbean out of Port Everglades (Ft Lauderdale) on Feb 26-March 6, 2022.

 

Interesting, I was able to nab those coveted studio balcony cabins on both RCL cruises. On the Carnival cruise, the Mardi Gras has what is called "junior balcony cabins" which are basically balcony cabins without the sofa. The junior balcony cabins are just a bit shorter (transverse-wise) than the regular balconies but the size of the balconies are the same.

 

Anyway, I'm pretty "stoked" about these 3 cruises. Now, the waiting begins (tick, tock)...

Wow, congrats on the bookings! You'll be disembarking Mardi Gras the same day I'm hopping onto NCL Bliss on that same Mexican Riviera itinerary you had looked at on Panorama. Junior balcony cabins, eh? Must go check out the deck plans...  

[farmersfight]

11 hours ago, coastcat said:

Junior balcony cabins, eh? Must go check out the deck plans...  

 

Yeah, when you look at the deck plans, you can see that the junior balcony cabins are just a little shorter (transverse - wise) than the standard balcony cabins. As I mentioned above, another difference is that the junior balcony cabins don't have a sofa like the standard balcony cabins (but the balconies are the same size).

 

Price-wise, the junior balcony cabins are a little less than the standard balcony cabins. With that said however, I still had to pay 100% solo supplement so this Carnival Mardi Gras 8 day cruise was somewhat pricey. I told myself that I would make an exception this time (of paying a 100% solo supplement) because I really want to experience/check out the brand new Mardi Gras. What other cruise ship can you ride a roller coaster at sea? Yeah, I know, NCL has those go-karts but I think I will have more fun on the roller coaster.

 

Carnival needs to designate and price (no 100% solo supplement) those junior balcony cabins for solo cruisers, as they are the perfect size for solos (still bigger than NCL's tiny, tiny studio cabins though and of course, you have a balcony!). Maybe I'll send Carnival an e-mail to that effect and recommend it, on behalf of us solo cruisers. It would make Carnival more "solo friendly" like NCL.

 

I feel real fortunate to have been able to book those RCL studio balcony cabins on 2 of their Quantum class ships, the Anthem OTS & the new Odyssey OTS. From what I understand, Odyssey OTS is actually designated as a Quantum-Ultra class (like NCL's Breakaway + class). Not sure what most of the changes are (even whether the overall size of the ship is bigger), but I did read somewhere that RCL totally redesigned the main pool and pool area to be a like a "beach club". Should be interesting to see & experience.

 

I really like the 11 day Anthem OTS southern caribbean cruise out of Cape Liberty, NJ on Jan 20, 2022 (not sure about possible nasty winter weather in NJ at the end of January though, lol. Fingers crossed already 🤞.). The cruise calls at San Juan, PR which I have been to multiple times so, I plan on just staying on the ship during the port call there (so I can have the ship & amenities almost to myself. Maybe no chair hogs!). But after San Juan, PR, the cruise hits some very interesting southern caribbean islands that I've never been to and definitely want to check out; Philipsburg - St. Marten, St. Johns - Antigua, Castries - St. Lucia and finally, Basseterre - St. Kitts & Nevis. Also, the cruise has 5 sea days so it is a well balanced 11 day cruise with 5 port days also.

 

Anyway, I "rambled on" a bit here (apologize). As you can tell, I'm stoked for these 3 booked cruises! Btw, I'm also going to keep my eyes open for a last-minute deal or solo supplement discounted cruise in October 2021. Being retired now, cruising is going to be my retired "activity of choice", lol. Take care!

Edited November 24, 2020 by farmersfight

[firefly333]

On 11/21/2020 at 11:51 PM, Traveling Mike said:

I plan on doing my very best to persuade them on the importance of solo cruisers.

Its every cruiseline trying this. Carnival is now offering cheers on us for a extra price. My reaction was the same as yours on celebrity, I paying for drinks for me and a non existent friend. To add insult to injury, a normal $250 solo deposit, they want a $500 deposit if you book cheers on us acting like it's for 2 of us. 

 

History carnival used to offer 1A category for no solo supplement, then 150% supplement, now for many years every cabins 99.9% is always 200%. That's why i moved to rcl for some recent bookings., at least I pay one deposit and if it's a regular cabin that holds 2  I get 2 loyalty pts.

 

It's clear no cruiselines really want solos imo