What are peoples thoughts on Always INcluded?

[wrk2cruise]

19 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

have we considered booking within 90 days of sailing when AI is not included or priced in?

 

It's only going to be available without AI on select (not selling well) sailings.  I expect the selection will be very similar to the old Exciting deals program.

 

From the FAQ

 

Simply Sail will offer a cruise-only rate for select sailings within 90 days of departure.  Simply Sail will replace Exciting Deals with a new creative look and feel but maintain the same offering parameters.

[Bo1953]

Just now, wrk2cruise said:

 

It's only going to be available without AI on select (not selling well) sailings.  I expect the selection will be very similar to the old Exciting deals program.

 

From the FAQ

 

Simply Sail will offer a cruise-only rate for select sailings within 90 days of departure.  Simply Sail will replace Exciting Deals with a new creative look and feel but maintain the same offering parameters.

Okay, so that means one can either wait and see if their sailing is 'popular' or not, then book.

 

Then we need to be aware that if our selected sailing is popular, then the price will have increased as well...

 

Still our choice to either book ASAP or wait it out in hopes...

 

Yet, many of us know to a great degree which of our sailings will be popular and full. Roll the dice.

 

Also, someone has posted they have done the research already and have found other ways to sail almost any X ship without AI... and booked as they usually do.

 

Of course I would have never thought to do a bit of research to figure out if there was another way to this... then again?

 

bon voyage

[rvlandandsea]

16 hours ago, TeaBag said:

You're cheating yourself.  Actually it was 240 minutes and that was always plenty for us. 

Thanks for that correction. We barely used our allotment anyways, so 240 each was plenty for the two of us.  A mute point now as we have lost that benefit even if we book without AI in the inside 90 day range.

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, Bo1953 said:

think many of us who are complaining about AI and the related pricing, have we considered booking within 90 days of sailing when AI is not included or priced in?

That's only on select cruises, so waiting until the 90-day mark might not eliminate the AI. Of course, there's always the possibility of a price drop after final payment, but no guarantee on that either.

 

---

 

Oh, I see that @wrk2cruise has addressed this already. Great minds...

Edited February 4, 2021 by Fouremco

[Cruise Junky]

I was pricing a cruise yesterday on Canadian big box store and noticed lowest level of Balcony did not include it. The cruise was for 2022. 

[Miaminice]

33 minutes ago, rvlandandsea said:

 A mute point now as we have lost that benefit even if we book without AI in the inside 90 day range.

 

I don´t get that part. The 240 minutes are still an E+ perk. So If you book inside the 90 day range without AI you can still use the minutes... so you haven´t lost anything 🤔

Edited February 4, 2021 by Miaminice

[jelayne]

I am finding rates  for over a year away without AI for all levels of balcony cabins (including Aqua class) on some TA sites.   For one 7 night Caribbean the difference for a C3 was $650 pp.   

So with a bit of searching those who don’t want AI may be able to find pricing that works, just not by booking direct.

[Pinboy]

13 hours ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

1---If I am happy with the total cost of the cruise as it relates to what I am looking for, then monies spent on something that I might not take full advantage of is irrelevant.

2--- Forget all the perks. There's your price, take it or leave it.

3---You're entitled to nothing else.  Are you cruising or are you not? 

4---As for me, I'll be in a veranda cabin somewhere between decks 7 and 10.  

Point # 1 say it all , however, what bothers me is being backed into a corner.

( see points 2 & 3 ).

To wait until 90 days prior and only on selected cruises doesn't appeal to us. 

We like a verandah on the hump on deck 8 or 9 and these are always booked long in advance.

Point # 4 --- Because we always have a nice time and enjoy Celebrity, when the time is right, the Pinboy's will probably " bite the bullet " and book .  

Question : If I trip my waiter and he/she spills xxx on me, how many complimentary dinners does that qualify for in Murano ??? 

 

 

 

[weregoingcruising]

5 hours ago, Miaminice said:

 

Amen to that! And not just on this thread!
All this feeling of entitlement 🤢

We have done a significant number of cruises and yes, we are also in the top tier area of the loyalty program. And still I don´t have the feeling that the cruise lines owe me anything. 

 

Whenever we cruised, we cruised for the experience and joy of it and not for points. The experience is what we paid for and the cruise line delivered. 99 % meeting or even exceeding our expectations. Done! Next...

 

Of course I am not happy with all their decisions - AI being one of them. However, if we are not fine with their offer or think it´s to expensive I am free to book with another line. But wait... I love Celebrity, I want to cruise with Celebrity. I want the design I like, I want the service I love and I want all the cherries for a price that I love. Yeah, hardly ever works that way... 🙂

 

Well said. I will add that Celebrity always provided everything I paid for in the cruise contract between us. I never read anything in it guaranteeing Captains Club benefits. I don't feel they owed them to me and have to continue providing them. I will gladly accept and enjoy them for as long as they provide them at no cost to me. I will continue with or with AI if it  represents good value for my money.

[paulh84]

We always book with a drink package and would get WiFi one way or another so there's no real change to us. 

 

The TA we use typically sweetened the deal by adding an additional perk + extra OBC, so the real devaluation to me would be their deal versus booking direct, unless they offer some really low group rates.

[TeeRick]

Following the lead of the very wise Spif to simplify and distill in post #63.

 

Always Included.  Marketing campaign.  Your options:

 

1)  Accept it if you are happy about it.  Go cruise and enjoy.

 

2)  Don't accept it.  Wait.  It will likely change to something else if ships are not full.  Always Does. 

 

3)  Don't accept it and be upset about your previous benefits or that you will not use all of the AI benefits included in your price.  Simple to find another cruise line that meets your needs.  You are the paying customer.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2021 by TeeRick

[cantstopingcruising]

We have a 12 night Mediterranean cruise booked for this May. An inside cabin on the Apex for $4700Cad incl grats for 2.

 

The exact same thing is now offered AI for 10,000 cad.

 

To me, this is insane!

[laslomas]

2 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

It's only going to be available without AI on select (not selling well) sailings.  I expect the selection will be very similar to the old Exciting deals program.

 

From the FAQ

 

Simply Sail will offer a cruise-only rate for select sailings within 90 days of departure.  Simply Sail will replace Exciting Deals with a new creative look and feel but maintain the same offering parameters.

 

This possibility interests me, especially as we never got Exciting Deals in the U.K. I checked the FAQ on the UK site and this is not mentioned. I thought I must have missed it so switched to the US site and found it there. So not sure if this is only an offering in the US. Once sailings begin I will need to check this out.

[poffles]

57 minutes ago, cantstopingcruising said:

We have a 12 night Mediterranean cruise booked for this May. An inside cabin on the Apex for $4700Cad incl grats for 2.

 

The exact same thing is now offered AI for 10,000 cad.

 

To me, this is insane!

 

That was my point, this cannot be explained away by AI costs only.  I am all for AI but the prices do not align for cruises I've priced, there are 'sign of the times' increases in there too which one should expect I guess so it makes it frustrating for many folks here (myself included) to 'right' the price differences. 

 

I have to just accept that there is not only 'embedded' AI cost in the new way going forward but hefty price increases introduced at the same time.  Ultimately it's the end total that matters and sadly costs like this will never sit right with me so I really hope this will level out along with healthier times.

Edited February 4, 2021 by poffles

[bikerunner]

Its all value to me.  If I dont feel its a good value when comparing to other lines/vacations then Ill book elsewhere.  Mostly Celebrity will come in about same or better overall when I finish it out.  Am I happy with all the changes not really but I also usually end up with most of the perks anyway.  The only one I am not a true fan of is the included internet but its minimal.  I rarely look and bothered with the Celebrity perks on status level.  I use them as needed but I dont purchase products/services because of them.  Just a nice extra thrown in.  Have tried a few other lines and just turned off by them overall, NCL, Carnival, RCL and MSC.  not a fan of them from service to cleanliness but might have been my experience overall others different.  I am planning on trying Viking and Oceana eventually when cruising starts but who knows when that will be available.  Overall losing some "freebees" dont really affect me, for others it will but Celebrity works for me and the ships also.  

[jagoffee]

10 hours ago, JKHawaii said:

To the chagrin of a some folks, the reason this topic keeps being posted is that many, many Celebrity cruisers are unhappy being forced to pay for drink and WIFI packages they don't want.  Captain's Club benefits or not, seasoned cruisers can see through the "Always Included" marketing scheme as a money grab from people who are forced to pay for these add-ons.

 

It's not about abnormal circumstances due to the COVID either.  I just booked a balcony cabin for 2 people on an 11-night Baltic cruise on Royal Caribbean for August 2022, gratuities included, but no drink or WIFI package.  The comparable 12-night Celebrity cruise would be $3000 more.

 

The price for my January 2022 Apex Caribbean cruise is now double the price I booked for a year ago sans "Always Included".

 

I've enjoyed my cruises on Celebrity, but I'm not paying thousands more for pretty much the same cabins, staff, and food as in the past just so Celebrity can gouge me for drink & WIFI packages I don't want.

 

We'll see what happens ........................ if Celebrity ship bookings are sufficient, then they can continue the marketing plan.  If not, then they'll be forced to revise the policy.  In the meantime, there are other options for my precious vacation dollars.

 

 

No one has any idea if the “AI” had any impact of the price of your cruise.  IMO the price difference had little to do with AI and more to do with the pent up demand.

10 hours ago, MisterBill99 said:

Now that they've negated several of the Elite perks, maybe they should start offering a discount for balconies like they do for C&A members on Royal. Or give a free/heavily discounted upgrade to the premium beverage package. Free Wi-Fi is nice, I never paid for it myself and made do with the free minutes, but I will certainly make use of it. They might also offer a better discount on specialty dining.

 

The included gratuities will hurt a few large travel agents who often offered it as a perk for booking with them. Less incentive to book with them.

 

Anyone remembered when Celebrity tried to get us to pay gratuities if we chose the beverage package perk like NCL does? That didn't last long. I assume that NCL still does that, and on the "free" specialty dining package.

My TA offer refundable OBC as the TA incentive.  It much better IMO and it should be easy to find one that offers the refundable OBC.

 

I believe initially you had to prepay your gratuities if you chose Select Dining.  I do not recall it being a requirement for the purchase of a beverage package. (Except for the gratuities related to the beverage package)

[davekathy]

 

7 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

I believe initially you had to prepay your gratuities if you chose Select Dining.  I do not recall it being a requirement for the purchase of a beverage package. (Except for the gratuities related to the beverage package)

Not sure when SD was introduced but we started doing SD in 2010 (first time we heard about it as a dining option) and we didn't prepay gratuities at that time. We have no issue with having the gratuities added to the booking. Pay now or pay later. BPs have always had the gratuities added at the time of the BP purchase. 

[Spif Barwunkel]

2 hours ago, Pinboy said:

Point # 1 say it all , however, what bothers me is being backed into a corner.

( see points 2 & 3 ).

To wait until 90 days prior and only on selected cruises doesn't appeal to us. 

We like a verandah on the hump on deck 8 or 9 and these are always booked long in advance.

Point # 4 --- Because we always have a nice time and enjoy Celebrity, when the time is right, the Pinboy's will probably " bite the bullet " and book .  

Question : If I trip my waiter and he/she spills xxx on me, how many complimentary dinners does that qualify for in Murano ??? 

 

 

 

Pinboy, You are too smart to be backed into a corner. Sorry, it just doesn't fit even though you said it. You are definitely a seasoned cruiser, I'll leave it up to you as to the truculent part. When you "bite the bullet" and book, I'll bet you don't even chip a tooth because you want to and you can and the cruise just fits.

 

To answer your question; for you none. For me, plenty since I'm rattin' you out. 

[Bo1953]

2 hours ago, cantstopingcruising said:

We have a 12 night Mediterranean cruise booked for this May. An inside cabin on the Apex for $4700Cad incl grats for 2.

 

The exact same thing is now offered AI for 10,000 cad.

 

To me, this is insane!

Yes, I can agree that in this case it is insane, yet since our 10 night Med sailing in October of this year (2021) has been cancelled, it really does not matter what price they place on your sailing as that itinerary is not going or so I believe.

 

bon voyage

[Spif Barwunkel]

2 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Following the lead of the very wise Spif to simplify and distill in post #63.

 

Always Included.  Marketing campaign.  Your options:

 

1)  Accept it if you are happy about it.  Go cruise and enjoy.

 

2)  Don't accept it.  Wait.  It will likely change to something else if ships are not full.  Always Does. 

 

3)  Don't accept it and be upset about your previous benefits or that you will not use all of the AI benefits included in your price.  Simple to find another cruise line that meets your needs.  You are the paying customer.

 

 

 

 

Thank you TR. A nicely condensed version. I know that it was very difficult for you not to add "ass" to the "wise". I do appreciate your restraint.

[sydbarrett]

3 hours ago, Cruise Junky said:

I was pricing a cruise yesterday on Canadian big box store and noticed lowest level of Balcony did not include it. The cruise was for 2022. 

It depends on the sailing. I had one booked without AI and then switched to one that only had AI (same TA). The big box bought a block of rooms as a group rate (with no AI) and then repackaged it. So whatever deal they were able to get at the time they are passing on to the consumer. You really have to be careful because you might think you are getting a better deal than you are (almost happened to me), unless you pay close attention to what's included in the fare.

[cantstopingcruising]

40 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

Yes, I can agree that in this case it is insane, yet since our 10 night Med sailing in October of this year (2021) has been cancelled, it really does not matter what price they place on your sailing as that itinerary is not going or so I believe.

 

bon voyage

Actually, we are waiting for final payment date to cancel. Unfortunately, it's an itinerary we really like and they are not repeating it next year. Looks like next year's European vacation will be hotels!  Don't mind that a bit! Just hope all is well and we can go!

[Pinboy]

1 hour ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

To answer your question; for you none. For me, plenty since I'm rattin' you out. 

Did you just say you want me to cancel the $ 300 OBC I put onto your account at Celebrity  ???

[Spif Barwunkel]

1 hour ago, Pinboy said:

Did you just say you want me to cancel the $ 300 OBC I put onto your account at Celebrity  ???

No, I did not say that. But please do. Murano dinners will do fine and I can enjoy them with a clear conscience.

[davekathy]

10 hours ago, Pinboy said:

Question : If I trip my waiter and he/she spills xxx on me, how many complimentary dinners does that qualify for in Murano ??? 

 

If you trip the waiter you deserve what ever she/he is carrying. You'll get to eat what was spilled on you as you are laughed out of the dining venue. 🤣