Is Celebrity getting a lot more expensive?

[Cruise a holic]

19 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I'm with you - but, at the same time, perhaps they should limit alcohol sales and trans-fats !

 

Tom

While what you are saying is in jest- really not a bad idea!  would be nice if we could all be healthy and live long lives.   We have to start somewhere- cigarettes kill , second hand smoke also.  It imposes upon bystanders.  We can argue about drunk driving, etc.  But would be nice to start somewhere.

Edited December 13, 2022 by Cruise a holic

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

3 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

While what you are saying is in jest- really not a bad idea!  would be nice if we could all be healthy and live long lives.  

 

As long as we never outlive our $  !!

 

Tom

[Cruise a holic]

Just now, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

As long as we never outlive our $  !!

 

Tom

With the cruises we take- maybe we will!

[Keys Kathy]

53 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Yes I noticed that as well. Many evenings I chose to sit at the martini bar in Eden for that reason. 

I am sure we were there with you! We usually sat at the end. You look familar!

[NC58]

We cruised on Edge back in 2019 and for a OV it was 2800 with all the perks . We just booked on Saturday a March 5th cruise on Reflection , 7 nights in an interior cabin ( we are never in our cabin so no big deal to us as we are out on deck and stay there  all day ) with all the perks including the drink package and $275 OBC . total including port and taxes was $1722 per cabin which we thought was a great deal   . Maybe they are discounting  the S class ships , but we prefer S class as we like more traditional ships .  

[Bellaggio Cruisers]

On 12/11/2022 at 10:13 AM, jagoffee said:

Good questions.  Hopefully not at this level, but I suspect prices will remain relatively high.  Celebrity offers a very nice overall suite experience and even better at the RS and above level.  Hard to beat.  In a suite, I believe the suite experience is significantly better than even a Regent experience.  (And of course Oceania as well). Very smart strategy by Celebrity. Personally I think the Retreat package pushing Celebrity to a different level compared to their normal competitors. Different comparison at the non suite experience.  

Definitely not true… we are Regent cruisers. Tried Celebrity in September. Royal suite. Similar price as PH on Regent. Regent outshines Celebrity in every category. Suite amenities, butler services, dining, etc. Sticking with Regent!

sheila

[Hlitner]

Getting back to is X becoming too expensive we think one has to say in "comparison to what."  Our own interest is to cruise in "Retreat" suites and we have been completely turned away from X by their cost as compared to some of the smaller ship luxury lines.  Just the other day we priced-out some X cruises on E-Class ships for next Nov-Dec.  The cost was somewhat higher then we would pay if we booked Seabourn or the Explora Journeys.  While X is a decent cruise line it is not a luxury line.  And unlike some cruise lines (such as MSC) the "ship within a ship" Retreat suites are not confined to a defined and private section of the ship.  Consider that on our recent MSC Seashore cruise in their Yacht Club, the YC was actually a controlled section of the vessel not open to those from outside the YC.  We had our own lounge, pool deck, restaurant, buffet, Guest Relations/concierge desk all contained within an expansive section of ship accessed by electronic means.  NCL something similar with their Havenin  simular with their Haven Suites (on some ships).  The Retreat set-up is somewhat different and also more expensive (than MSC).  For those not familiar with pricing, it is possible to cruise on Seabourn for under $500 a person/day on some cruises.  Explora Journeys can also be booked for around that price range if one does the lower categories.  But on lines like Seabourn, the lowest category is still a suite and the only difference from most higher categories is the deck/location.   When you start to get up to the $1000 per person day (one can easily spend this on many X Retreat Suites) you can cruise on just about any luxury line including Seabourn. Silverseas, Regent, etc.  

 

So, the issue (at least for us) is can one justify paying small ship luxury prices to be on a mega ship with the best of everything?   Since we do love small ships, for us the answer is no.  I think for folks who prefer mega ships the answer would be yes.   Just keep in mid that small luxury ships can go to many places not accessible to mega ships.  And tendering ashore on a ship that has 450 passengers is much nicer than tendering off a ship with 3-5000 passengers.

 

Hank

[dreamer321]

2 hours ago, Fortunatefew said:

I booked a 12 day cruise November 2021.  Half price for 2nd guest and all inclusive. Classic drinks package, wifi and gratuities. The cruise is for January 14 2023 so I booked 13 months in advance. 

I often do a dummy booking to compare - category verandah deck 9 mid ship cabin under the new Journey Eventfull sale (all inclusive)  It would cost only $12.00 more than 13 months ago. 

I cruising on Beyond in January. I booked my cabin at the end of July total cost with All Included and $100 OBC was $1323 during the Solo Sailor promotion .  Same cruise today would cost me $2927. I'm feeling pretty good right now with my deal.

[drakes2]

2 hours ago, Keys Kathy said:

I am sure we were there with you! We usually sat at the end. You look familar!

I was on the Edge January 28th 7 night Western with my sister but I've done lots of Celebrity cruises.

 

[Keys Kathy]

We were on the transatlantic in April. I anyone is doing that this spring, make sure you buy LOTS of chocolate in Bruges!

[NMTraveller]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

 

 

So, the issue (at least for us) is can one justify paying small ship luxury prices to be on a mega ship with the best of everything?   Since we do love small ships, for us the answer is no.  I think for folks who prefer mega ships the answer would be yes.   Just keep in mid that small luxury ships can go to many places not accessible to mega ships.  And tendering ashore on a ship that has 450 passengers is much nicer than tendering off a ship with 3-5000 passengers.

 

Hank

The excursions for mega ships are drive for hours and hours to get there.  For the smaller ships the drive is much much shorter.

[BoundForSea]

Celebrity has identified a very special but very high yield client and a lot of the brand and the new vessel designs are built toward this group. These are the guests who have the disposable income to cruise regularly and pay very high Luxury prices (Azamarra, Regent, Seabourne, SilverSea, etc) however, the age group of this market is younger than the average for those Luxury brands, and they demand a cutting edge modern ship with the space of a mega ship but the feel of a small ship. They want the best foods and the best service. They want the posh ambiance but a modern more energetic version. They want spaces that look good on “Insta” with a Prosecco or a Aperol Spritz in hand or on their table or in the shots. Chic is the idea and Celeb even named a formal night for it.  They want more energy on board but without the main line generic feel. The brand appeals to alot of people however the target is this marketshare  and is the bullseye as it provides ALOT of yield and profitability.  An Iconic Suite for a 10-12 night sailing comes close to a few days on a Yacht Charter. Thats big money.  Anyway, thats my $0.02. Being in my 40s if a sailing costs the same as a Regent or other Luxury brand, Ill take the Luxury brand every time. I however don’t have social media soooo….  Lol. Thats just me.
 

 

[Oceangoer2]

15 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I'm with you - but, at the same time, perhaps they should limit alcohol sales and trans-fats !

 

Tom

I agree with post as well, but this is not a fair comparison....I'm not affecting my health by breathing in another's alcohol or trans fats...they just do that to themselves...😉

Edited December 14, 2022 by Oceangoer2

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

2 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

I agree with post as well, but this is not a fair comparison....I'm not affecting my health by breathing in another's alcohol or trans fats...they just do that to themselves...😉

 

I don't know... on Carnival (more so of late) it would appear that alcohol contributes to fights, where others may become injured!   lol

 

Tom

[Oceangoer2]

9 hours ago, BoundForSea said:

Celebrity has identified a very special but very high yield client and a lot of the brand and the new vessel designs are built toward this group. These are the guests who have the disposable income to cruise regularly and pay very high Luxury prices (Azamarra, Regent, Seabourne, SilverSea, etc) however, the age group of this market is younger than the average for those Luxury brands, and they demand a cutting edge modern ship with the space of a mega ship but the feel of a small ship. They want the best foods and the best service. They want the posh ambiance but a modern more energetic version. They want spaces that look good on “Insta” with a Prosecco or a Aperol Spritz in hand or on their table or in the shots. Chic is the idea and Celeb even named a formal night for it.  They want more energy on board but without the main line generic feel. The brand appeals to alot of people however the target is this marketshare  and is the bullseye as it provides ALOT of yield and profitability.  An Iconic Suite for a 10-12 night sailing comes close to a few days on a Yacht Charter. Thats big money.  Anyway, thats my $0.02. Being in my 40s if a sailing costs the same as a Regent or other Luxury brand, Ill take the Luxury brand every time. I however don’t have social media soooo….  Lol. Thats just me.
 

 

This is most likely true, but you're identifying a very small market with the disposable income to provide the luxury experience on a very large ship.  These 'younger' people will not fill that ship (maybe the Retreat).  I also think many of the 'older' market want the very same enchancements to their cruise.  If you think the majority of either of these markets are overly satisfied with the IV cabins on E class provided for their experience you haven't paid attention.

[Oceangoer2]

3 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I don't know... on Carnival (more so of late) it would appear that alcohol contributes to fights, where others may become injured!   lol

 

Tom

You're stretching to prove your point.  Lets stay with the 'smoking' issue.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

14 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

You're stretching to prove your point.  Lets stay with the 'smoking' issue.

 

It's good to stretch a bit, particularly in the morning. Of course, the smoking issue was OT as well 😉

 

Tom

[Oceangoer2]

2 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

It's good to stretch a bit, particularly in the morning. Of course, the smoking issue was OT as well 😉

 

Tom

🤐

[Oceangoer2]

11 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

🤐

And....a big 😉

Edited December 14, 2022 by Oceangoer2

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I would seem that the Blue Chip Club has moved the bar. Whereas last year I could get Casino60 (%) discounts, now it's 10% (for categories higher than Sky Suites). That makes a huge difference. I inquired about the change and they said it was in the last couple of months or so. 

 

That, combined with some fare increases/spikes - resulted in this comparison: Two weeks on the Reflection this Thanksgiving in a RS for very close to $10k total. Looking forward to two weeks on the Reflection fall '24 and even to stay in a CS, it would be close to $20k for the two weeks. So, I'd pay double and drop a category.

 

It's frustrating - tasting the (discounted) fruit, only to have it pulled away.... LOL

 

I get it though, they have people apparently tripping over each other to pay what the market will bear, why "give" these gems away !

 

Tom

[LGW59]

3 hours ago, Oceangoer2 said:

You're stretching to prove your point.  Lets stay with the 'smoking' issue.

The "issue" is actually, Is Celebrity getting a lot more expensive?

[flviking]

My data point.  Beyond S1 10 night southern Caribbean is up 24% between our Dec 2023 booking and our January 2025 booking.  Just 13 months apart.  Non holiday.  We still booked so they must know something.  I just wish they would expand the Luminae menu by adding an additional entree or three each night. Open for lunch on port days even for an hour.  As Beyond has about 200 suites that puts about 400 passengers eligible for Luminae each day.

[terrydtx]

Interesting topic, we discovered the Retreat last year by booking a Sky Suite and absolutely loved the experience and now only book SS on Celebrity cruises. We did a NCL Haven in 2019 and thought it was too overpriced for what we got. On 3 Celebrity Retreat cruises now we never felt that way. A Sky Suite gives us everything we want in a cruise, a bigger cabin, a real butler, a private dinning venue, a private lounge with bartenders, premium drinks package, premium Wi-Fi, all gratuities and generous OBC. We are looking at doing a South American cruise in 2025 and Celebrity and Oceania have a very similar itinerary we like. When we compare pricing with a Celebrity SS, the cost would only get us a standard Veranda cabin on Oceania. The Oceania Veranda cabin has none of the Retreat benefits I mentioned above, so in reality it would be much costlier. We have did an Oceania cruise in 2018 and I will admit the food and restaurants were much better than Celebrity, but that is about the only benefit we can see, so most likely Celebrity will be our choice for this cruise.

[jagoffee]

17 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Interesting topic, we discovered the Retreat last year by booking a Sky Suite and absolutely loved the experience and now only book SS on Celebrity cruises. We did a NCL Haven in 2019 and thought it was too overpriced for what we got. On 3 Celebrity Retreat cruises now we never felt that way. A Sky Suite gives us everything we want in a cruise, a bigger cabin, a real butler, a private dinning venue, a private lounge with bartenders, premium drinks package, premium Wi-Fi, all gratuities and generous OBC. We are looking at doing a South American cruise in 2025 and Celebrity and Oceania have a very similar itinerary we like. When we compare pricing with a Celebrity SS, the cost would only get us a standard Veranda cabin on Oceania. The Oceania Veranda cabin has none of the Retreat benefits I mentioned above, so in reality it would be much costlier. We have did an Oceania cruise in 2018 and I will admit the food and restaurants were much better than Celebrity, but that is about the only benefit we can see, so most likely Celebrity will be our choice for this cruise.

I agree that Oceania’s food and restaurants are amazing, but the beverage package is weak.  

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

26 minutes ago, flviking said:

My data point.  Beyond S1 10 night southern Caribbean is up 24% between our Dec 2023 booking and our January 2025 booking.  Just 13 months apart.  Non holiday.  We still booked so they must know something.  I just wish they would expand the Luminae menu by adding an additional entree or three each night. Open for lunch on port days even for an hour.  As Beyond has about 200 suites that puts about 400 passengers eligible for Luminae each day.

 

True - the Haven and Coastal Kitchens are both open for lunch on port days I believe - or were when we sailed last. On the Reflection, I had been looking forward to at least enjoying The Porch every day for lunch, but they cut that out on port days (from what they had been doing when we sailed earlier this year). Cut, snip, cut...

 

Tom