Is Simply Sail gone from Celebrity?

[HskrCrsr]

Looking at Celebrity's current promotions, Simply Sail seems to have disappeared. Not only does it not appear with promotions, it seems to have been scrubbed from the Always Included FAQ, which used to have this:

 

Q: What is Simply Sail? When is it available?
A: 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 was the only option (not necessarily a good option) for those not wanting Always Included or those who's Captain's Club benefits already covered their drinks, etc. Is it gone or am I just looking in all the wrong places?

[mfs2k]

I don’t see it anymore as an option on Beyond 10/26 when booking a guarantee cabin.  They’ve eliminated these cheapest fares and now discounting 25% with Always Included.

 

perhaps Celebrity is reading our comments on cruise critic and have acted responsibly since “always included” did not mean “always included.”

[goofysmom99]

That's unfortunate, especially for solos.  Since I already receive streaming wifi and premium beverage, as a solo, paying for two more with all included is painful.  

[jelayne]

Looks like Simply Sail is gone and Guarantee cabins that I’m seeing include AI and are priced the same as choosing your cabin.  Looks like those who felt AI was misleading have successfully made booking without AI no longer a option.

[shipshape sam]

Have not been looking at fares and various promotions.  We did book in December 20 20 for a December 2021 sailing with AI.  Did not use the internet any nor did DW and did not like the idea of trying to make sure we drank enough to feel we got that benefit we paid for.  We did try drinks we would not have paid for, so that was a plus. Did not want to use my phone and carry it everywhere including pool area, but it was nice to access info quickly.  Not sure how we would have learn things otherwise. We did use the gratuities that were included (paid for by higher price)  🙂

 

Hoping to sail Celebrity again, but I am getting the sense that the marketing of AI will change our value proposition in a bad way..hope not.  Already, I would not sail again any M class ships due to the way over the years, that space that was public is not either more cabins or Retreat space.  We sailed on Summit in December 2021.  It was great to be back on a ship/cruise.  Crew was great, capacity was about 40% we were told.  Food was very good too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 2, 2022 by shipshape sam

[NutsAboutGolf]

6 hours ago, mfs2k said:

perhaps Celebrity is reading our comments on cruise critic and have acted responsibly since “always included” did not mean “always included.”

 

Or reading the comments from those who stay in suites.  Perhaps the following thread had a hand in motivating them to make AI, more AI?

 

[micruiser2002]

37 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Or reading the comments from those who stay in suites.  Perhaps the following thread had a hand in motivating them to make AI, more AI?

 

I don’t think Celebrity can move that fast.😄😄

[mfs2k]

9 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Or reading the comments from those who stay in suites.  Perhaps the following thread had a hand in motivating them to make AI, more AI?

 

I think it’s possible. 

[sunviking90]

I was also wondering where this option went. DH doesn’t drink, and I rarely do, so I really object to paying for a mandatory drinks package. We drink a lot of coffee, but even that would never make it worth while. We also actually like NOT having wifi on a cruise as it allows us to really relax, read our books, etc. 
We have 4 Princess cruises booked this year, because we were able to book as we wanted. We may not be back on Celebrity.

[the penguins]

4 hours ago, sunviking90 said:

I was also wondering where this option went. DH doesn’t drink, and I rarely do, so I really object to paying for a mandatory drinks package. We drink a lot of coffee, but even that would never make it worth while. We also actually like NOT having wifi on a cruise as it allows us to really relax, read our books, etc. 
We have 4 Princess cruises booked this year, because we were able to book as we wanted. We may not be back on Celebrity.

We are trying Princess for exactly the same reason.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I've said it before and I'll say it again now - Princess got this right with Princess Plus / Princess Savers.  RCG really has turned Celebrity Always Included pricing into nothing more than a blatant cash grab.  Princess has a strong onboard product offering and is a easy replacement for Celebrity in my opinion.

[Dolebludger]

I have said this before, and I’ll say it again. We should have clear decisions to make when booking a cruise. We will book in the Retreat for our next cruise, and want the “whole nine yards’” included. Others may want something less expensive. Fine. But it needs to become more clear what we are booking than it is now. If I book a suite Retreat guarantee, use captain’s club and or claim a military discount, do I lose all or part of AI? Can I still use Luminae and Michaels/ Retreat Lounge? This is nor clear to me, and it should be!

Edited March 5, 2022 by Dolebludger

[NutsAboutGolf]

54 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

I have said this before, and I’ll say it again. We should have clear decisions to make when booking a cruise. We will book in the Retreat for our next cruise, and want the “whole nine yards’” included. Others may want something less expensive. Fine. But it needs to become more clear what we are booking than it is now. If I book a suite Retreat guarantee, use captain’s club and or claim a military discount, do I lose all or part of AI? Can I still use Luminae and Michaels/ Retreat Lounge? This is nor clear to me, and it should be!

 

Yes, only tips, drinks and wifi would have been removed if certain circumstances in the past.  It would appear currently (maybe its only for this current sale) you can only book AI, will be interesting to see how they discount low occupancy sailings

[NutsAboutGolf]

On 3/1/2022 at 7:54 PM, micruiser2002 said:

I don’t think Celebrity can move that fast.😄😄

 

lol!  X has moved quickly before specifically to close loopholes and during negative exposure...My best guess is they felt having to pay for drinks in the amazing Retreat was negative exposure.

 

There's a lesson to be learned here, if you want something to change, start a thread with "I'm staying in the Retreat and can't believe...XYZ" lol

[grandgeezer]

If Simply Sail is gone from Celebrity it’ll be interesting to see how many nondrinkers and light drinkers follow suit.

[DaKahuna]

Does anyone else think it is interesting that there are opposing positions still at play.

 

There is one side that is opposed to Celebrity not having Simply Sail, where drink packages and WiFi are not included. 
 

Then there are those that say they should always be included. 
 

As John Lydgate said long ago “You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time”.

 

 

[Jeremiah1212]

5 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

RCG really has turned Celebrity Always Included pricing into nothing more than a blatant cash grab. 

Well they certainly aren’t operating as a nonprofit organization…

 

They also have years of booking data (2014-2015?) through the 1-2-3-Go, Go Big/Better/Best etc deals to know how people booked which supported the move to AI.  Can’t win them all. If people need to move to Princess to save a few dollars, someone new will step in their place. 

[Dolebludger]

I shouldn’t think there should be opposite sides about this matter,  It should be simply clear to all who book what is and is not included for the price. We, for example, want the “whole nine yards” included in the cruise fare. Others have different objectives, and want to pay for only transportation and MDR meals in their cruise fare. This is fine with us. But the problem in the past has been that Celebrity’s system of when AI is available and when it is not has been so confusing that some have booked thinking that they had AI because they booked a Retreat suite, but did not get AI. There is no reason why someone wants to book for a lower fare without AI should not be able to do so. Just so long as it is clear what is being booked. Based on past confusion about this, we will book any future Celebrity cruise through our TA and tell him what we want included. And he had better get it right! 

[cublet]

6 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

If Simply Sail is gone from Celebrity it’ll be interesting to see how many nondrinkers and light drinkers follow suit.

Hello,

 

Add to that solo cruisers.

 

I'm reluctantly prepared to pay double for the room but having to pay for two drinks packages? Come off it!

 

As an Elite Plus, they aren't going to see me until this iniquity is sorted.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[Dolebludger]

Ah, yes, confusion and problems still reign! One thing that hasn’t been explained to me is that if one was booked in the Retreat but somehow didn’t get AI, did he/she still get included drinks only in the Retreat lounge, and get to dine in Luminae?  Like, pre-pandemic, we were in a CS and then on a RS on E class ships, and we were able to get included drinks at any lounge (including the martini bar) and had  certain number of specialty dining venues included. Then (just a very few years ago) there was no AI or SS. If you were booked in a suite class, these perks just were included, period. So perhaps all will understand my confusion with more recent inclusions and exclusions. Understanding what is going on with Celebrity now is important to us, as we would like to get back to cruising, and the “bang for the buck” with Celebrity suites (immediately pre-pandemic) was the best at that time. Under current circumstances, are

there more “hoops we need jump through” to get the experience we had then by just booking a suite?  

 

Now none of this post is intended to disregard those who want to book a cruise including only ‘simply sail” accommodations. They should be able to do so, and if they are excluded from doing so now, it is very wrong. It is just that we used to go that way in our younger years, but not anymore.

[grandgeezer]

12 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

Well they certainly aren’t operating as a nonprofit organization…

 

They also have years of booking data (2014-2015?) through the 1-2-3-Go, Go Big/Better/Best etc deals to know how people booked which supported the move to AI.  Can’t win them all. If people need to move to Princess to save a few dollars, someone new will step in their place. 

Where are all these new people now? This is the seventh month they’ve been sailing and am still seeing some low occupancy rates such as less than 50% on the newer ships and 30% on the older ones.

To us it’s not about saving money, we have more than we’ll ever spend, it’s about paying for something we don’t need or want. The other deals you mentioned gave us that choice, AI doesn’t.

They’ve been operating as a nonprofit organization for the past two years so they are getting good at it.

[Jeremiah1212]

6 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

Ah, yes, confusion and problems still reign! One thing that hasn’t been explained to me is that if one was booked in the Retreat but somehow didn’t get AI, did he/she still get included drinks only in the Retreat lounge, and get to dine in Luminae?  Like, pre-pandemic, we were in a CS and then on a RS on E class ships, and we were able to get included drinks at any lounge (including the martini bar) and had  certain number of specialty dining venues included. Then (just a very few years ago) there was no AI or SS. If you were booked in a suite class, these perks just were included, period. So perhaps all will understand my confusion with more recent inclusions and exclusions. Understanding what is going on with Celebrity now is important to us, as we would like to get back to cruising, and the “bang for the buck” with Celebrity suites (immediately pre-pandemic) was the best at that time. Under current circumstances, are

there more “hoops we need jump through” to get the experience we had then by just booking a suite?  

 

Now none of this post is intended to disregard those who want to book a cruise including only ‘simply sail” accommodations. They should be able to do so, and if they are excluded from doing so now, it is very wrong. It is just that we used to go that way in our younger years, but not anymore.

 

Always Included is gratuities, premium drink package, premium WiFi, and OBC. Nothing more, nothing less. You either have it or you don't. Any other dedicated dining room like Luminae, Blu, or space like Retreat Lounge, spa access for Aqua etc. always applies based on the cabin category, not if you have the four Always Included items or not. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

11 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

Where are all these new people now? This is the seventh month they’ve been sailing and am still seeing some low occupancy rates such as less than 50% on the newer ships and 30% on the older ones.

To us it’s not about saving money, we have more than we’ll ever spend, it’s about paying for something we don’t need or want. The other deals you mentioned gave us that choice, AI doesn’t.

They’ve been operating as a nonprofit organization for the past two years so they are getting good at it.

 

Overall occupancy is only one part of the equation, room category plays a big part and since day 1 of the restart, X's suites has consistently been sailing nearly 100%.  So if 75% of a sailing inside cabins are empty, as long as the suites are full, X probably doesn't really care.

[Islandbuoy]

34 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

Always Included is gratuities, premium drink package, premium WiFi, and OBC. Nothing more, nothing less. You either have it or you don't. Any other dedicated dining room like Luminae, Blu, or space like Retreat Lounge, spa access for Aqua etc. always applies based on the cabin category, not if you have the four Always Included items or not. 

Unless i went to sleep,current version of A I doesn't include OBC.

[Islandbuoy]

18 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Overall occupancy is only one part of the equation, room category plays a big part and since day 1 of the restart, X's suites has consistently been sailing nearly 100%.  So if 75% of a sailing inside cabins are empty, as long as the suites are full, X probably doesn't really care.

They need enough occupancy  to get sufficient tips to keep the workers happy! Insides matter a!so!

E