"ALWAYS INCLUDED" PERHAPS CELEBRITY SHOULD RETHINK THIS ONE

[Pinboy]

14 hours ago, LGW59 said:

I draw the line at gratuities, they should always be included IMO and only be removed in extreme circumstances.  The service on Celebrity is so wonderful, anyone removing their tips should have to do the walk of shame.  The crew work so hard, I have heard "well I asked for a glass of wine and it took 5 minutes"   That stuff is nonsense

I'm with ya --- and, yes, it does bother me about the tips and also when the " honorable " ( ?? ) Elite ( Big Shots) that I see walking out of the Sky Lounge during HH with drinks in their hand. We all know it's nor permitted, but, the CC hostess is toooooo " scared " to say anything for fear of repercussions.

" "well I asked for a glass of wine and it took 5 minutes"   That stuff is nonsense "

Holy cow, that reminds me of the time my waiter forgot my 3rd shrimp cocktail , blah, blah blah .

 

[ChucktownSteve]

45 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

" "well I asked for a glass of wine and it took 5 minutes"   That stuff is nonsense "

Holy cow, that reminds me of the time my waiter forgot my 3rd shrimp cocktail , blah, blah blah .

 

 

I never saw shrimp cocktail with blah blah, blah on the menu before. Has Celebrity had that long?

[Pinboy]

Just now, ChucktownSteve said:

 

I never saw shrimp cocktail with blah blah, blah on the menu before. Has Celebrity had that long?

LOL--- The blah, blah, blah had nothing to do with the 3 shrimp cocktails.

It referred to all the other " stuff " he didn't bring all at once .

( The 2 filet mignons, the small side of fries and the 4 deserts because the Maitre'D , the Bum , said there was no room to add 3 more tables beside ours ).

LOL-- If you think I'm exaggerating the amount of food I order----- you are correct.

 

 

[ChucktownSteve]

5 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

LOL--- The blah, blah, blah had nothing to do with the 3 shrimp cocktails.

It referred to all the other " stuff " he didn't bring all at once .

( The 2 filet mignons, the small side of fries and the 4 deserts because the Maitre'D , the Bum , said there was no room to add 3 more tables beside ours ).

LOL-- If you think I'm exaggerating the amount of food I order----- you are correct.

 

 

 

So the filets, fries and deserts are always included!

 

Notice how I "circled back" to the thread topic? 😉

Edited November 3, 2021 by ChucktownSteve

[the penguins]

3 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I think you have their response.  You don’t want the perks?  They offer Guarantee and/or SAILAWAY rates.

Regrettably not, to get Sail Away rates you have to accept a guarantee cabin so not "and/or. Also only on a selected number of cruises.

[4774Papa]

On 11/2/2021 at 7:45 AM, 4774Papa said:

Congratulations Celebrity,   I updated my cruise search yesterday comparing TA cruises from Europe to Florida for Fall 2022.   I found that X has opened the door wider to booking WITHOUT AI.

 

The catch is that we have to book a guarantee.  We can do that if the prices are descent.

 

Reflection-  Oct 31 Barcelona to FL  total for balcony guarantee  $3,969.48 

 

Constellation Oct 22, Rome to Tampa total for balcony guarantee $3,261.46

 

THEN, I compared to Royal C.

 

Vision of the Seas  Nov 4  Bar. to FLA.   Balcony $3,243.00

 

Odyssey- Rome to FLA    Balcony guarantee $ 2,721.42

 

Glad that Celebrity is now more competitive. 

I went back and redid the Reflection cruise and took the AI option, price was $4,572.48  or about $600 more for AI.  That was about $46 per day.

[PTC DAWG]

6 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

I went back and redid the Reflection cruise and took the AI option, price was $4,572.48  or about $600 more for AI.  That was about $46 per day.

Yet, someone on here keeps insisting it's a $100 per day....not you, but point stands.

 

Honestly, I'd pay $30 a day to be able to choose room location...not to mention what else that $30 could get you.    

Edited November 3, 2021 by PTC DAWG

[silviaeaston]

On 10/27/2021 at 7:39 PM, Spif Barwunkel said:

There have been several threads pertaining to Celebrity's  "Always Included" feature and for the most part negative comments abound. I have always been a proponent of AI, perhaps because it has not caused me consternation when booking cruises. However, there are lots of seasoned, intelligent cruisers who seem to think that AI is a form of misdirection, disabling an otherwise smooth booking process while enabling X to take away their choice. The more I read and participate in these threads, the more I have come to realize that this might be the case.

 

Whether intentional or not, X's presentation of the AI feature is at best, confusing. Beyond that, understanding where it relates and when it applies can cause frustration in that one does not feel in control of the booking process. Simply put, Celebrity is in control of what I want. I will settle for what X wants to give me. That kind of mindset among current passengers does not ensure loyalty. And, when Celebrity is looking to attract new cruisers, the easiest approach to book a cruise without doing research and reading between the lines is the one that works best.

 

I am to the point where I believe Celebrity needs to rethink this one. Fraud is a powerful descriptor and has been used by some posters in referencing Always Included. Personally, I would not want that word to integrate any part of my business. I have never had a problem with AI. However, because so many good folks find this feature to be off-putting, perhaps Celebrity should find a better way to entice it's customers while being totally transparent in that endeavor.

 

 

VERY well, stated!  And it's worse for ME! since I travel SOLO, and having to pay double for the "ghost partner"...2x makes it not doable.  PLUS... I'm Elite Plus, so the drinks are generally (and other perks, like wifi) already included, so I had cancelled my thoughts on Celebrity for the near future, when I saw that they have had to "cut back" the "all included" and I will indeed have 2 Celebrity cruises booked at a nominal rate! (Nov. 12 and Dec 4 2021)

[silviaeaston]

On 10/28/2021 at 8:14 AM, 4774Papa said:

Thank you for posting this thread.   I have been complaining about AI and Celebrity's price bundling approach since it started.  

For a while transatlantic cruises were excluded from AI and still a good value, that changed and when I compare cruise prices with Royal and Princess, I find that Royal is my best choice.

AI has effectively gutted my Elite benefits and loyalty is pretty much out the window.

I will still check with Celebrity and compare with Royal, NCL and Princess, but won't spend a lot more just to cruise with X.

DITTO.... I'm Elite PLUS and travel SOLO, so I thought I would never go on a Celebrity again, until they have had to scale back and (also with the COVID crises) are now offering cruises for a fraction of what they intended to sell.

[silviaeaston]

20 hours ago, upwarduk said:

This is why gratuities have been added to the base price, they can’t then be removed.

This "gratuities added per day" came about 15 (or so) years ago!  I've been cruising since 1969 and NEVER had it been added!  One simply gave money to one's room attendant and dining steward.

[silviaeaston]

On 10/29/2021 at 10:09 AM, nocl said:

All depends if Celebrity decides that they can make the jump to a single price structure with inclusions.  If they do then the choice is simple book the one offered fare or sail with another line. Celebrity has wanted to move from mass market to premium for a while, and the sale of Azmara opens up thst niche in the RCL cruise lines.

They tried this route before (6 years ago?) and now with Azamara gone (as you mentioned) and the supposed "post COVID" demands (which hasn't happened yet, actually the opposite has happened, and ships, ALL, are sailing to a very low % !)  Nevertheless, Celebrity has had to considerably scale back their tariffs....

[nocl]

27 minutes ago, silviaeaston said:

They tried this route before (6 years ago?) and now with Azamara gone (as you mentioned) and the supposed "post COVID" demands (which hasn't happened yet, actually the opposite has happened, and ships, ALL, are sailing to a very low % !)  Nevertheless, Celebrity has had to considerably scale back their tariffs....

Most ships on most cruise lines are sailing pretty empty.  Have seen cases on some ships as low as 15-20% occupancy.  A lot of uncertainty when it comes to cruise ships in the general population.  For that matter even with dedicated cruisers.

[the penguins]

2 hours ago, silviaeaston said:

DITTO.... I'm Elite PLUS and travel SOLO, so I thought I would never go on a Celebrity again, until they have had to scale back and (also with the COVID crises) are now offering cruises for a fraction of what they intended to sell.

 

2 hours ago, silviaeaston said:

DITTO.... I'm Elite PLUS and travel SOLO, so I thought I would never go on a Celebrity again, until they have had to scale back and (also with the COVID crises) are now offering cruises for a fraction of what they intended to sell.

In an email I received from Marie Kirk, Celebrity Engagement Center, Wichita, she stated "we appreciate that not everyone wants or needs a full beverage package or WiFi access and we are working to address that". You can contact X direct to make your views known. E mail: celebrityengagementcenter@celebrity.com

[the penguins]

3 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Yet, someone on here keeps insisting it's a $100 per day....not you, but point stands.

 

Honestly, I'd pay $30 a day to be able to choose room location...not to mention what else that $30 could get you.    

You are doing the maths the wrong way round. Included in the AI price is  $100 per person per day to cover drinks and WiFi (not my figures but the figure X shows on the cancellation invoice it issues if you cancel a booking that had AI). Then when it offers a Simple Sail rate it only discounts the price by a fraction of the $100 sometimes by as little as $25. Solo passengers fare worse.

[ABoatNerd]

Scale back Celebrity. Not booking with your current blah!

I have a med tour booked, train and hotels and REAL restaurants. What a scam you are selling.

Not at all Celebrity.