What are peoples thoughts on Always INcluded?

[MisterBill99]

12 hours ago, PelicanBill said:

Right! Prices are not being discounted much right now. Same discussion over on NCL board. Everyone complaining prices are high as NCL promotes 30% off "deals" that have very high base prices.  A lot of future 7 day cruises that could be found a year ago for $3000-4000 are running $4000-$5000 now.

 

I think pricing now is higher than it was a year ago for most/all lines. They're bleeding money and are going to need to make it up. I have a cruise booked on Oasis OTS for August (which I doubt will happen but will not cancel on my own because my now former TA changed me to a non-refundable fare without my permission when repricing it last year and I want a refund) and the prices are higher than they were last year.

Edited February 6, 2021 by MisterBill99

[elaineb]

I have maybe 1 drink a day and my husband doesn't drink.  We are cruising in November with my son and his girlfriend who both do not drink.  We are spending an awful lot of money for 4 people who consume little to no alcohol.  My husband and I could care less about the internet on vacation.  We like to chill.  So I feel we are paying for perks we do not need.  I preferred when we could pick which perk/perks we wanted.  We like Celebrity because it is quieter and more laid back.  However, in the future, we may have to go back to RCCL on a Radiance class.

[davekathy]

Just now, elaineb said:

I have maybe 1 drink a day and my husband doesn't drink.  We are cruising in November with my son and his girlfriend who both do not drink.  We are spending an awful lot of money for 4 people who consume little to no alcohol.  My husband and I could care less about the internet on vacation.  We like to chill.  So I feel we are paying for perks we do not need.  I preferred when we could pick which perk/perks we wanted.  We like Celebrity because it is quieter and more laid back.  However, in the future, we may have to go back to RCCL on a Radiance class.

Agree about having choices but there are other non acholic drinks offered on the CBP.  

[Tipsy tea party]

I totally agree with elainb, I don’t take any alcohol, tea or coffee and my husband only drinks the odd glass of wine with dinner so I feel annoyed I have to accept the new ‘all included’ price. Internet I can do without too, I just wait until we’re in port. We always pay gratuities and tip any staff member who have given us good service. I have heard Celebrity staff read these boards so hopefully they might reconsider. 

[elaineb]

9 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Agree about having choices but there are other non acholic drinks offered on the CBP.  

Yes, but non alcoholic, specialty coffees and fresh squeezed oj does not come anywhere near the extra amount of $$ we are paying.

[davekathy]

1 minute ago, elaineb said:

Yes, but non alcoholic, specialty coffees and fresh squeezed oj does not come anywhere near the extra amount of $$ we are paying.

I realize that, just pointing out there are other choices with the CBP.  Might as well take advantage of it when your having to pay for the CBP going forward. We always got the CBP as a bundled perk in the past and when we wanted water we always got the bottled water offered with the CBP. There's other offerings with the CBP we don't order. We have never tried or even came close to getting our monies worth from the CBPs. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

I wonder if they should just include nonalcoholic beverages in the package 🤔

internet is dirty cheap to give away now , probably shouldn’t  even call it a perk 😁

[wrk2cruise]

Celebrity certainly doesn't think it's cheap  12 night cruise $25 pp/pd.   That's $600 I'd rather have in my pocket!

 

Edited February 6, 2021 by wrk2cruise

[jelayne]

I doubt that if X offers  a basic no perk fare it will not be at  price close to the AI price less the purchase cost of the beverage package, wi-fi and gratuity.

 

We have 5 cruises booked for 2022.  For 3 of the 5  I have found  fares without perks on some TA sites;  the difference between the AI price and the no perk price  ranges from $600 pp to $129pp.   For $129pp  on 7 N  the AI price, to me,  is a better deal than cruise only.  So waiting until 90 days out  to book without perks isn't always necessary but it may not be the savings we might think.

[tfred]

5 hours ago, elaineb said:

I have maybe 1 drink a day and my husband doesn't drink.  We are cruising in November with my son and his girlfriend who both do not drink.  We are spending an awful lot of money for 4 people who consume little to no alcohol.  My husband and I could care less about the internet on vacation.  We like to chill.  So I feel we are paying for perks we do not need.  I preferred when we could pick which perk/perks we wanted.  We like Celebrity because it is quieter and more laid back.  However, in the future, we may have to go back to RCCL on a Radiance class.

They aren't making any profit from you or anyone like you.  They can't survive on that business model.  The cruise only fare is low profit .  Take a look at HAL and see how they are doing

 

Look at Las Vegas.  Years ago it was unlimited buffets, low price rooms and all sorts of enticements.  Not anymore.  Now - High priced rooms, expensive restaurants.  That is where cruises are going

 

Actually, companies do "fire" customers when they don't make profit from the group anymore.  Looking through some of these posts = no drinks, no internet (they do but off ship), no spa.  These no no profit customers that X doesnt want to continue with.  They are filling rooms but at no profit to them.

 

You will probably have to move on to another line, although I think the glory days of free everything are gone.   

 

 

[retired dude]

our last cruise with X will be our dec 21' sailing on the "connie"....We are proud and humble folks that got to elite on X through being loyal customers....We booked this 10 day  cruise on the"connie prior to the new AI policy and landed a midship balcony cabin on deck 9 for $750 pp total......We like so many folks dont need the internet/wi-fi, hey we are on vaca and don't need to share our cruise with anyone..We enjoy the happy hours and we do take a few great bottles of wine onboard with us....We dont need laundry service and we tip well...We don't need the beverage package either...We are just simple folks that enjoy simple cruising and we will probably go back to rccl(diamond) where they still appreciate older people that got them where they were before the pandemic hit us....If you can afford the AI program and dont need all the perks that come with it, then you are indeed fortunate folks. wish everyone well..........

[budmeister]

As we do not drink much or use wifi,  the new structure out prices me. I understand that the cruise line needs to fill its capacity with high profit passengers right now, but that is not us. We will not book again until that program is ended. Or, it is re-structured as just OBC- which would work fine for us.

[MisterBill99]

On 2/6/2021 at 12:24 PM, elaineb said:

Yes, but non alcoholic, specialty coffees and fresh squeezed oj does not come anywhere near the extra amount of $$ we are paying.

 

On 2/6/2021 at 12:33 PM, davekathy said:

I realize that, just pointing out there are other choices with the CBP.  Might as well take advantage of it when your having to pay for the CBP going forward. We always got the CBP as a bundled perk in the past and when we wanted water we always got the bottled water offered with the CBP. There's other offerings with the CBP we don't order. We have never tried or even came close to getting our monies worth from the CBPs. 

 

Before this change, we always took the drink package as the perk, even though we are not big drinkers.  Without the perk, I would never have purchased the beverage package at what they charged for it. But compared to the other options like $300 OBC, we were able to use it enough to make it a good deal. If you don't want to drink alcohol, you can always get the frozen drinks virgin, and we love to get drinks at Cafe al Bacio. I remember one cruise where ten of us had dinner together each night and all had the beverage package, and the waiter would get us bottled water each night instead of tap. I'm convinced he made money on each bottle sold.

 

I have not paid attention enough to know what the price increase was the day that AI went into effect vs. what it was with just one perk. Did it actually increase based on the list price of the beverage and Internet packages and full tips?

[tfred]

On 2/4/2021 at 4:40 AM, 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... 🙂

 

 exactly!

 

You are on any given cruise line for the overall experience.  If you are dissuaded with now everyone gets free drinks then there isn't much X can do.

 

There is a difference between "good value - got my monies worth" and "value - lower cost with tradeoffs".  X will not be a value cruise line, leave that to HAL

 

I flew 100k/year for 15 years and status was really best for "problems" that need to get rectified by the airline to make my experience better.  Got some upgrades (appreciated) , but what I valued was guest recovery when needed.  Delta could have bought me some drinks (and they did), but that wouldn't have swayed my decision who to fly when I am sitting in MSP trying to get home when flights are cancelled - that is where DL really helped.  Same with Marriott  - we can help you today with this problem and you may be first in line for that help.  That is what status gets you. 

 

btw - nice travel blog

 

 

[Orator]

" AI" is just an attempt to recover loses. Just look at the Suite pricing increases after Michael's Club became a Suite benefit. They took a venue, MC that made very little profit and turned it into a money maker by adding it to the Suite benefits and creating a demand at considerable higher prices. Perhaps that's the model for AI pricing. Prices for a TA I'm planning are almost double for the same cabin class compared to last year. Some will save money utilizing the Lift & Shift option, but new bookings will require more dollars. A tradeoff that I personal will not do. Wait for a WAVE sale and see if the prices come down. I'll book if they do and look elsewhere if they don't. My money, my choice!

[lv2cruisgrl]

Not liking it.  We are not big drinkers so paying for something I won't use is a waste of money.  Same with the internet, on a 7 night cruise I may check my email 3 times and the free minuets from my status,  are enough for me.  We are going to cruise less for sure, before we could get a Florida last minute cruise for a good price, I don't see that happening soon.  Plus the cost has increased, which I understand however I choose to spend my money wisely and on things I feel are worth it.  No more Loyal to Royal or CC.

[Lastdance]

My DH and I drink very little, maybe one per day; however, we go through tons of water and also drinks from CB.  I understand the rise in prices, but hope that some sense of normalcy will return with more choices.  My concern has been the advertising of "All Included," like it is really special because some people get to pay more.  Everything is an opportunity cost and we all have the choice to cruise or not based on our own criteria.  I have five cruises booked for 2022, one that I booked when it first came available.  Not being able to cruise(most likely canceling three more cruises beginning in June) has given me the opportunity to cruise at the higher price levels, or to find another cruise line.  So far, I am staying the course due to spending almost nothing due to the pandemic on any kind of travel.  We all have our own personal situations which dictate how we are most likely to spend our hard earned money.  I just really, really want to cruise and enjoy the world all included!

Edited February 8, 2021 by Lastdance

[Orator]

I feel a sense of entitlement! The CEO has said on a President's cruise and our 100th Celebrity cruise that we are special people. Some Captain's have called our cabin shortly after we boarded and welcomed us "home". We often get flowers and wine from a Hotel Director. Just about every crew member when they see our Zenith card says something like "thanks for your cruising with us". Just about every contact with the Miami office either begins or ends with "we really appreciate your loyalty". They continue to say this long enough and you really start to believe it! It's a new world and I can accept that I'm not really special. I am a passenger not a guest. When I board a ship I'm usually coming from home, not going home.

[mac_tlc]

The next few cruises we have booked on Celebrity are in suites, so the AI is not as big a deal, although the suite prices have gone up to create a $$$ gap to the non-suite cabins. If I was in a non-suite, the only part of AI that I would non want is the beverage package. We always get the internet and the timing of paying the gratuities is not an issue to me. 

 

Having said that, our January 2023 9-night Equinox cruise in an S2 is cheaper than the same itinerary on the same ship in the same cabin that we had booked for 5/14/2021 (booked pre-Covid and pre-AI), with an additional $300 OBC.  And the Nov/Dec 2022 itineraries are a few hundred dollars cheaper still. 

 

mac_tlc

[iancal]

No interest whatsoever.  One of us drinks, but not very much.  We never bother with the ships internet.

 

We like Celebrity but will do what we always do when decided what ship or cruise line to book.   We are not loyal to any cruise line.

 

Narrow our selection down to three ships/cruise lines, then compare the net net prices by placing  what we view as the value of any inclusive.  That means we will be imputing a very low value for included drinks and included internet.  

[TeaBag]

2 hours ago, iancal said:

No interest whatsoever.  One of us drinks, but not very much.  We never bother with the ships internet.

 

We like Celebrity but will do what we always do when decided what ship or cruise line to book.   We are not loyal to any cruise line.

 

Narrow our selection down to three ships/cruise lines, then compare the net net prices by placing  what we view as the value of any inclusive.  That means we will be imputing a very low value for included drinks and included internet.  

Exactly.  I think they're getting rid of all us loyalists? who never bought drinks or wine at dinner and who managed just fine with our internet allowance.  Goodbye Cruelebrity world.

Edited February 9, 2021 by TeaBag

[Pinboy]

19 hours ago, Orator said:

I feel a sense of entitlement! The CEO has said on a President's cruise and our 100th Celebrity cruise that we are special people. Some Captain's have called our cabin shortly after we boarded and welcomed us "home". We often get flowers and wine from a Hotel Director. Just about every crew member when they see our Zenith card says something like "thanks for your cruising with us". Just about every contact with the Miami office either begins or ends with "we really appreciate your loyalty". They continue to say this long enough and you really start to believe it! It's a new world and I can accept that I'm not really special. I am a passenger not a guest. When I board a ship I'm usually coming from home, not going home.

This is a great post !!!

After 100 cruises with Celebrity you are " entitled "  to receive recognition from the Staff , special treatment and absolutely deserve whatever else Celebrity gives you.  

Your comment " I am a passenger not a guest " is bang on.

LOL--- If you invite the Pinboy's to your home, are you going to charge us ??? 

Boca Raton,  uummm good .

 

 

 

 

 

[TeeRick]

21 hours ago, Orator said:

I feel a sense of entitlement! The CEO has said on a President's cruise and our 100th Celebrity cruise that we are special people. Some Captain's have called our cabin shortly after we boarded and welcomed us "home". We often get flowers and wine from a Hotel Director. Just about every crew member when they see our Zenith card says something like "thanks for your cruising with us". Just about every contact with the Miami office either begins or ends with "we really appreciate your loyalty". They continue to say this long enough and you really start to believe it! It's a new world and I can accept that I'm not really special. I am a passenger not a guest. When I board a ship I'm usually coming from home, not going home.

As one of Celebrity's most loyal customers, and one who has surely spent a great amount of money for their offerings with over 100 cruises, you are definitely deserving of their loyalty and special treatment.  But from your current post and many others, you do not seem to have a sense of entitlement, which means inherently deserving.  You are just plain old deserving.  I hope you get to enjoy 100 more cruises!😀

[hcat]

We  finally adjusted to the  2 perk pricing ..usually.selected Classic Bev and grats or OBC depending on value.  No need for  any more internet than E + includes. We now also bring our own water if we can..the stuff they include is  yuck.

 

Our only remaining booking is a suite that includes all the upgrades...many of which we don,t need but was the best value  .it will be a miracle if it ever happens,

 

We have enjoyed AIC at Sandals..Concierge /Suite Level...so maybe the AIC concept will be okay if not way upcharged

[ORV]

On 2/6/2021 at 5:10 PM, tfred said:

They aren't making any profit from you or anyone like you.  They can't survive on that business model.  The cruise only fare is low profit .  Take a look at HAL and see how they are doing

 

Look at Las Vegas.  Years ago it was unlimited buffets, low price rooms and all sorts of enticements.  Not anymore.  Now - High priced rooms, expensive restaurants.  That is where cruises are going

 

Actually, companies do "fire" customers when they don't make profit from the group anymore.  Looking through some of these posts = no drinks, no internet (they do but off ship), no spa.  These no no profit customers that X doesnt want to continue with.  They are filling rooms but at no profit to them.

 

You will probably have to move on to another line, although I think the glory days of free everything are gone.   

 

 

So spot on, people here have been told from the time they went Always Included that they are trying to weed out the low profit customers, yet the complaints continue. Until they actually start cruising again it's hard to say whether their new approach will work or not. Much/most of the bookings they are currently seeing I would be willing to bet are driven by FCCs & Lift & Shifts.