Does this current 30% off sale include upgrade to the Premium drink package?

[chamima]

I have been on hold with Celebrity for a half hour and have decided to come to where I usually get my most accurate info.

Does this current 30% off sale include any extra discount (from the 10% pre-cruise we already get as Elite) on upgrading our drink package to Premium?

 

Thanks all!!!

[jelayne]

I checked the Cruise Planner for our sailings and there is no discount for upgrading the beverage package, other than the Captains Clubs discount which is based on CC status.

[Denny01]

Try a Travel Agent, saves you time, and good chance of money. We haven’t seen upgrades of beverage packages in addition to other sales.

 

den

Edited December 11, 2021 by Denny01

[Tierun]

For my October sailing on Apex and my upcoming March sailing on Summit, the upgrade from classic to premium was $12 pppd.

[BennyBrun]

Check the cruise planner for the pricing.  The “sale” gets me all excited and then I log into the cruise planner for things I want and it is always the same price like dinning package and internet upgrades.  The biggest discount is usually on the photo packages.

[chamima]

49 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

Try a Travel Agent, saves you time, and good chance of money. We haven’t seen upgrades of beverage packages in addition to other sales.

 

den

 

 

We have a (wonderful!) TA but I know that every time she calls she, like me, has to wait on hold for hours. Multiply that by all her clients so I try to take care of what I can, on my own.

 

 

3 minutes ago, BennyBrun said:

Check the cruise planner for the pricing.  The “sale” gets me all excited and then I log into the cruise planner for things I want and it is always the same price like dinning package and internet upgrades.  The biggest discount is usually on the photo packages.

 

You have to call to upgrade a drink package - can't do that online.

 

I was pretty sure upgrading would NOT be part of the sale but thought I'd check if anyone had gotten it before I gave up.

[Denny01]

3 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

 

We have a (wonderful!) TA but I know that every time she calls she, like me, has to wait on hold for hours. Multiply that by all her clients so I try to take care of what I can, on my own……

 

Very nice of you, but do remember, your TA probably groups reasons to call all at once…..but  very thoughtful of you. I let my TA know if my request for info doesn’t need immediate assistance so they don’t have to jump on line or call immediately and they can take care of higher priority work. 

 

But my TA does a lot on her own initiative for me. I booked two 2023 cruises onboard Apex a few weeks ago to get the OBC and the low deposit, and had it moved to my TA. This week, she called and using her group bookings, saved me over $4,000 on the two bookings. I’m afraid the ‘I love to book myself’ option for my has gone away Big Time.

 

den 

[mahdnc]

Our sailing is covered by the current 30% off sale.  However none of the drink packages or upgrades have any discounts.

[micruiser2002]

What 30% sale is this?  I cannot find anything on their website about a 30% sale on beverage packages?  

[mahdnc]

20 minutes ago, micruiser2002 said:

What 30% sale is this?  I cannot find anything on their website about a 30% sale on beverage packages?  

 

It is only for select sailings.  I have this banner on my Cruise Planner web page for my Mar 5 Apex sailing:

 

 

Here is the original sales flyer for this promotion although the sale dates have shifted.

Edited December 11, 2021 by mahdnc

[Guindalf]

UP TO 30% OFF SELECT ITEMS. 

 

Short answer, no.

[PTC DAWG]

Upgrade on board, the bartender will appreciate you…

[paulajj]

3 hours ago, chamima said:

I have been on hold with Celebrity for a half hour and have decided to come to where I usually get my most accurate info.

Does this current 30% off sale include any extra discount (from the 10% pre-cruise we already get as Elite) on upgrading our drink package to Premium?

 

Thanks all!!!

Please let us know if you found out the answer. Thank you!

[upwarduk]

5 hours ago, Denny01 said:

Try a Travel Agent, saves you time, and good chance of money. We haven’t seen upgrades of beverage packages in addition to other sales.

 

den

It’s an Online only sale.

[Denny01]

25 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

It’s an Online only sale.

Understand. I was just making a general point. I guess I got to quit posting on how great TA’s are. You either use one or not and it’s very subjective. 

 

Den

[Bo1953]

Not for nothing, I can report that my TA has been able to get the 'web only' discounts for me and the group of 12... with no issues or problems, as far as I know.

 

bon voyage

[rachiem]

I phoned and got a discount on the classic to premium price.

I got it reduced from $12 to just under $9.50 pp

[chamima]

11 minutes ago, rachiem said:

I phoned and got a discount on the classic to premium price.

I got it reduced from $12 to just under $9.50 pp

 

Are you Elite or Elite + ?

There is normally a 10% discount pre-cruise for those categories of Captain's Club.

 

[rachiem]

1 hour ago, chamima said:

 

Are you Elite or Elite + ?

There is normally a 10% discount pre-cruise for those categories of Captain's Club.

 

I am select so I would be entitled to 5%...there was an additional 20% discount too

Edited December 12, 2021 by rachiem

[mayleeman]

On 12/11/2021 at 6:07 PM, Denny01 said:

Understand. I was just making a general point. I guess I got to quit posting on how great TA’s are. You either use one or not and it’s very subjective. 

 

Den

 

Denny, when you save $4000 on 2 cruises it means you are booking cruises many times the cost of ours.

 

Of our last 4 cruises, 2 have cost less than $3,000 (on X, 10 days each), and a 2 week B2B on RC cost under $2,000 for each leg. (All 4 were balconies.) We did it all ourselves, including numerous contacts with X and RC reps to get price adjustments. These were all booked over a 5 year period, so no big money purchase.

 

I shopped for TAs for those cruises  and none offered more than $50 each.

 

We also made probably at least 10 to 15 changes to precruise purchases in our Cruise Planner for each cruise, choosing and cancelling excursions, going back and forth on drink packages, etc.

 

Now with that many transactions, to me the control issue is worth far more than the $50 I was offered.

 

Would your TA have been able to offer a substantially higher amount for cruises averaging less than $2400?

 

I just think there are many of use who do not book at your fare level, or at a high frequency. We don't get offered those huge OBCs and other perks that come with booking cruises in the $5000+ range. 

Edited December 13, 2021 by mayleeman

[Denny01]

Mayleeman - I originally booked the cruise while on Apex with Celebrity and moved it over to my TA. She had a Group Rate for my 12N Iceland and 7N Norway cruise on Apex, standard Infinite Verandas, not Suites that greatly reduced the prices of the two cruises by that amount. The OBC is minor; the group rate of that TA company was substantially below Celebrity pricing. 

 

The Euro, especially the Northern Euro cruises are more expensive than the Caribbean, even the longer Caribbean cruises and that’s why it looked a bit odd that I saved nearly more money than it cost you for 2 Caribbean cruises. 

 

And that’s why I Hate to list out pricing. Unless you compare the same itinerary, similar dates and SRs, they are Very misleading. The point isn’t the amount, but that TA’s do have Group bookings that don’t impact your cruise but give you good discounts. 

 

Glad you were able to book cruises that met what you wanted to do, and what you wanted to pay…..the whole point. A good TA is good to have, but I fully understand other modes of booking. I use to book on my own a good deal and liked it. But finding this TA has, yes, saved me money but also saved me time and her team has found us itineraries and options I hadn’t considered. 

 

Enjoy! 

 

Den

[Denny01]

My wife just reminded me that the savings I referenced included our daughter’s SR and what she saved on her Single SR. 

 

Den

[mayleeman]

@Denny01 Ah, I hadn't considered price savings from group bookings. So many of the other posts on this topic were about how OBC represented a "savings" over direct rates with X that I thought you might have booked a  B2B2B in a penthouse suite!  Thanks for the clarification!

[Denny01]

55 minutes ago, mayleeman said:

@Denny01 Ah, I hadn't considered price savings from group bookings. So many of the other posts on this topic were about how OBC represented a "savings" over direct rates with X that I thought you might have booked a  B2B2B in a penthouse suite!  Thanks for the clarification!

That’s what we get from our TA many times. We normally book a higher deck Veranda and it works just fine for us. Been on more than a few B2B’s, usually going to Europe so we make the flights worth the time. We also stay in the departure ports a number of days. We haven’t stayed in the Line’s hotels, usually our own or TA’s picks, more inexpensive and better locations, depending. And we get the city’s travel cards for local transportation and discounts, stuff such as that. Started a list of hotels we would go back to (and Not!) to share on our Roll Calls. 

 

We are upgrading to a Sky Suite on a TransAtlantic. With all the seadays, decided to give it a go. But especially with Celebrity, we enjoy the entire ship, so don’t need the Retreats or ‘Ship-within-a-Ship’ you get with that sometimes. Funny how many posters say how great some other Line is, but wouldn’t ever cruise on it except for a Suite because the rest of the ship experience is ‘terrible’. No thanks. 

 

Enough wandering beyond the subject. We are all lucky to be able to enjoy cruising, and for us, our TA helps us extend it. It has little to do with how well off we are financially, I know more than a few well-to-do people who don’t go the luxury level…….I guess that’s why they are so well off!!

 

But remember, there are many who think ‘we’ who cruise a lot are very rich or spendthrifts! Heck, cruising to me is the more economic vacationing approach, and threads such as this to help each other save some, are great.

 

den

[hiccups]

9 hours ago, mayleeman said:

 

Denny, when you save $4000 on 2 cruises it means you are booking cruises many times the cost of ours.

 

Of our last 4 cruises, 2 have cost less than $3,000 (on X, 10 days each), and a 2 week B2B on RC cost under $2,000 for each leg. (All 4 were balconies.) We did it all ourselves, including numerous contacts with X and RC reps to get price adjustments. These were all booked over a 5 year period, so no big money purchase.

 

I shopped for TAs for those cruises  and none offered more than $50 each.

 

We also made probably at least 10 to 15 changes to precruise purchases in our Cruise Planner for each cruise, choosing and cancelling excursions, going back and forth on drink packages, etc.

 

Now with that many transactions, to me the control issue is worth far more than the $50 I was offered.

 

Would your TA have been able to offer a substantially higher amount for cruises averaging less than $2400?

 

I just think there are many of use who do not book at your fare level, or at a high frequency. We don't get offered those huge OBCs and other perks that come with booking cruises in the $5000+ range. 

You can make as many changes as you like in the cruise planner without needing your TA to do—that is completely separate.

 

Our cruise fares are in line with yours, and we still find it advantageous to use a TA.  The price is never more, and usually less, than what we find on the X website, plus we receive the refundable OBC.  Typically for our X cruises, the OBC is in the $125-$225 range.

 

For our more expensive Azamara cruises (ocean view or balcony), our OBC is between $700-$1500.