Is Celebrity getting a lot more expensive?

[barneyboy]

48 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

It’s for 2. By comparison the Caribbean cruise we’re doing next September is £2700 for 8 nights, same class of cabin. 

Yes the Mediterranean cruises seem to have really shot up in price. They’ve always been more expensive than the Caribbean. That’s a great price you got for the 8 night cruise. Only problem is the air fare is so expensive. 

[C4HCG]

22 minutes ago, barneyboy said:

Yes the Mediterranean cruises seem to have really shot up in price. They’ve always been more expensive than the Caribbean. That’s a great price you got for the 8 night cruise. Only problem is the air fare is so expensive. 

Agree on air fare but we do a week in Orlando too to get the best value we can.

[Gracie115]

Yes

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

9 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Yeah but Celebrity ships are not full and they are losing money.  They are giving away free cruises...

 

I'd say not as many, though I expect to get future offers for "free" balconies from the BCC. For a period of time, I was getting emails for these things every few weeks it seemed. I can't say I've seen one now in at least 2-3 months. Unfortunately, with my schedule, they're usually not far enough out to take advantage of -- which is why the 60% off casino rates were so appealing. 

 

EDIT - perhaps it is more the lower level players still getting the offers... those folks who walked by the $25 BJ table and said "too rich for my blood". I don't think they'll get very much blood from those turnips! I don't play the number of hours I used to (when on "tilt"), but I still have hundreds in play on most hands. I got about 7,500 points each of the last two weeks. I'm not really sure what that translates to - but I've found that I'm usually underrated (hey, that wasn't meant to be a funny)... 😉 

 

Tom

[NJRonbo]

Just out of curiosity, for those who get free cruise offers, what is that based on?  Elite level?  Time spent in the Casino?

[D C]

9 hours ago, jagoffee said:

You never gamble in the casino on board a Celebrity ship?  If not, why do they offer you a free cruise?

Does the Blue Chip Club pay Celebrity for the cruises?

That's been one of the mysteries.  I recall there being a thread about the emails from Blue Chip being legit and not a scam.  "I never gamble" was a common mention.

[mahdnc]

50 minutes ago, NJRonbo said:

Just out of curiosity, for those who get free cruise offers, what is that based on?  Elite level?  Time spent in the Casino?

Starting in July, there have been a large number of free cruises being offered to Pearl tier members of the Blue Chip Club which is unusual because Pearl is the entry tier. That's all we know for sure. 

[TeeRick]

We are Pearl members and actually do gamble a little on every cruise.  Entertainment purposes.  We have never once received an offer or email from the BCC.  I have received an offer or two over the years from RCCL but never Celebrity.   

[mahdnc]

Here are some other data points from my family.  My wife, son, and I are Pearl tier members and we have never been higher than that.  Our son is currently 26 and my wife and I are in our early 60's.

 

My wife exclusively plays the slots (usually the lowest denomination--penny or maybe nickel).  My son and I exclusively play blackjack at the lowest minimum tables.  My betting is consistently at the minimum for each hand ($10).  My son likes to vary his bet so it may swing from $10 to $20 per hand. Together the three of us probably play 3-4 times during a cruise ranging from 1-2 hrs each time.  We cruise once per year.

 

Of the 3 of us, our son is getting the free cruise offers since July.  He has yet to accept one and I would say that he has received emails offering free cruises 8-10 times so far including one earlier this week.  The emails are sent to my email address.  I used to forward them on to our son and now that I know he doesn't have time to do it, I throw them in the trash now which makes me ill each time.  I may need to see a therapist.

 

Edited December 15, 2022 by mahdnc

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

8 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

We are Pearl members and actually do gamble a little on every cruise.  Entertainment purposes.  We have never once received an offer or email from the BCC.  I have received an offer or two over the years from RCCL but never Celebrity.   

 

I have much less play time w/Royal, but yes - I'm still seeing a lot of "free" offers from them (perhaps 3-4 mailers/month).

 

Carnival threw out some strong offers over the last couple of months, so I booked a couple (suites w/bev. package and up to $2,000 OBC), despite Carnival not being my "line of choice". Yes, they can buy my attention to some degree!

 

Tom

[barbeyg]

I just priced Celebrity Ascent against RCI Wonder and Icon for a December week 2024, balcony cabin.  Not only was Celebrity $800 less than Wonder, but it came with a $200 shipboard credit.  So, even if Celebrity is going up in price, it's less than RCI is.  Looks like we are booking Celebrity Ascent. 🙂

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 minute ago, mahdnc said:

Here are some other data points from my family.  My wife, son, and I are Pearl tier members and we have never been higher than that.  Our son is currently 26 and my wife and I are in our early 60's.

 

My wife exclusively plays the slots (usually the lowest denomination--penny or maybe nickel).  My son and I exclusively play blackjack at the lowest minimum tables.  My betting is consistently at the minimum for each hand ($10).  My son likes to vary his bet so it may swing from $10 to $20 per hand. Together the three of us probably play 3-4 times during a cruise ranging from 1-2 hrs each time. 

 

Of the 3 of us, our son is getting the free cruise offers since July.  He has yet to accept one and I would say that he has received emails offering free cruises 8-10 times so far including one earlier this week.  The emails are sent to my email address.  I used to forward them on to our son and now that I know he doesn't have time to do it, I throw them in the trash now which makes me ill each time.  I may need to see a therapist.

 

 

Interesting - that's what's happening with our 30 yo. Played on ONE cruise 12 years ago (18th birthday), and get's more emails (my inbox) from BCC than I do. It would seem they want to get the younger/smaller players "hooked"!

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Just now, barbeyg said:

I just priced Celebrity Ascent against RCI Wonder and Icon for a December week 2024, balcony cabin.  Not only was Celebrity $800 less than Wonder, but it came with a $200 shipboard credit.  So, even if Celebrity is going up in price, it's less than RCI is.  Looks like we are booking Celebrity Ascent. 🙂

 

Those all look like great ships!

[barbeyg]

39 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Those all look like great ships!

They do, don't they?  🙂  I guess we are going to have to wait for Wonder and Icon to be a few years old before we are happy with the pricing.  But, we are very happy to be sailing the Ascent in 2024.  

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

48 minutes ago, barbeyg said:

They do, don't they?  🙂  I guess we are going to have to wait for Wonder and Icon to be a few years old before we are happy with the pricing.  But, we are very happy to be sailing the Ascent in 2024.  

 

I was pleased to see that the Allure, when she starts sailing the 3/4 night runs out of Pt Canaveral (replacing the Independence), has GS cabins for about $2k for the 3 nights, which is actually just a tad less than we paid on the Indy for 2-3 sailings. Not to mention that the Allure has a lot more to offer! I see some weekend cruises in our future on that ship.. I can skip out early on a Friday afternoon, drive 20 minutes, and be back in the office between 8-9 on Monday morning. 🙂

 

I certainly prefer longer sailings, but sometimes a quick fix does the trick.

 

Tom

[barbeyg]

1 minute ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I was pleased to see that the Allure, when she starts sailing the 3/4 night runs out of Pt Canaveral (replacing the Independence), has GS cabins for about $2k for the 3 nights, which is actually just a tad less than we paid on the Indy for 2-3 sailings. Not to mention that the Allure has a lot more to offer! I see some weekend cruises in our future on that ship.. I can skip out early on a Friday afternoon, drive 20 minutes, and be back in the office between 8-9 on Monday morning. 🙂

 

I certainly prefer longer sailings, but sometimes a quick fix does the trick.

 

Tom

Allure is a great ship!  They would have to drag me off after just a few nights though.  I'm afraid I would make a scene.  lol

 

Hope you have a great cruise, if you've booked.  🙂

[SusieAV8R]

23 hours ago, t18c97 said:

Didn't know they're not filling the ships yet. I know a RCCL cruise next month from Galveston on the Allure is sold out except for a few staterooms. 

RCCL is generally less expense which may account for differences in # of pay sailing on a particular line.

[terrydtx]

7 minutes ago, SusieAV8R said:

RCCL is generally less expense which may account for differences in # of pay sailing on a particular line.

We have looked at entry level suites on RCCL and they generally are more than Sky Suites on Celebrity with far fewer amenities and OBC.

[SusieAV8R]

2 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We have looked at entry level suites on RCCL and they generally are more than Sky Suites on Celebrity with far fewer amenities and OBC.

Interesting.  But RCCL have a greater number of restaurants and activities though?

[Ex-Airbalancer]

5 minutes ago, SusieAV8R said:

Interesting.  But RCCL have a greater number of restaurants and activities though?

Depends on the ship 

[terrydtx]

15 minutes ago, SusieAV8R said:

Interesting.  But RCCL have a greater number of restaurants and activities though?

We had originally booked a Grand Suite on the AOS for next June from Galveston before Celebrity announced the Equinox would be sailing next Summer from FLL. We are going to take our granddaughter with us. The Sky Suite on the Equinox was $200pp less than the RCCL Grand suite, and included a Butler, Premium drinks, WiFi, all gratuities and $30O each OBC for the three of us. With all the amenities on Celebrity that were not included on RCCL the real cost was hundreds lower. We canceled the RCCL cruise and lost $400 in NRD but we are still way ahead.

Edited December 16, 2022 by terrydtx

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Depends on the ship 

Food:  RCL if freedom class/2006+

Entertainment: RCL regardless of class

[grandgeezer]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

We have looked at entry level suites on RCCL and they generally are more than Sky Suites on Celebrity with far fewer amenities and OBC.

We compared the Grand Suite on the Allure to the Sky Suite on Celebrity Equinox before the pandemic. The Allure was over $100 p.p. per day less than the Equinox, even after adding in the tips. The perks offered on the Equinox were of little value so we went on the Allure. After it was over, we were real happy that we did make the right choice.

[Cruising89143]

2 hours ago, SusieAV8R said:

RCCL is generally less expense which may account for differences in # of pay sailing on a particular line.

I usually check RCI when booking and by the time that I add the OBC, gratuities and internet cost that comes with our X stateroom, RCI is much more expensive. That means putting up with more annoying kids. 

[Cruising89143]

2 hours ago, terrydtx said:

We had originally booked a Grand Suite on the AOS for next June from Galveston before Celebrity announced the Equinox would be sailing next Summer from FLL. We are going to take our granddaughter with us. The Sky Suite on the Equinox was $200pp less than the RCCL Grand suite, and included a Butler, Premium drinks, WiFi, all gratuities and $30O each OBC for the three of us. With all the amenities on Celebrity that were not included on RCCL the real cost was hundreds lower. We canceled the RCCL cruise and lost $400 in NRD but we are still way ahead.

We cruised on the Symphony last month. The GS that we booked was $7800.00 for a seven night cruise. The only thing included was internet, suite lounge and Coastal Kitchen. Just off the Solstice. Eight nights in a CS. Included a butler, gratuities, Premium drink package, internet, retreat amenities ( non revolutionized ship) and $600.00 OBC. The cost on X was $600.00 less than RCI without adding the missing items such as OBC, drink package, etc. We decided that RCI can keep their Oasis class. Entertainment was a disappointment. Technical issues caused delays or cancellations. 6000+ guests made for a packed ship. Solstice was a breathe of fresh air.