Suites prices have gone wild

[tomcruiser1234]

what’s your max price per night per cabin on a low end suite.  

 

It seemed that $500 per night was the going rate but now its pushing as high as $1000 per night per cabin.  

 

Thoughts ???

[Ken the cruiser]

When cruising first started back up, an S2 was running around $375 pp/day, so we booked them on an Edge B3B, a Constellation B2B and a Reflection B2B. But then when demand started to outweigh supply, they started getting a little too pricey for us. Now we only book AQ cabins. 

[prmssk]

We just booked an MSC Yacht Club suite for a third of the price of a comparable Celebrity Retreat cabin on a comparable itinerary!  I believe we are now generally priced out of the Retreat. So yes, prices are crazy. Somebody must be willing to pay them though as they are booking up so I really can’t blame Celebrity. 

[basenji56]

I can't justify paying three times the price for a Sky Suite over a veranda.  I don't hang out at the pool so the Retreat has no interest to me.  I don't drink alcohol so an included drink package is not interesting.  I'm sure additional space and Luminae are great.  But not worth three times the price.  More power to anyone who can afford the suite prices.

 

[binro01]

Charge what the market will sustain. If the price outpaces the demand and willingness to pay the offered price, the price will come down. I think we all got a little spoiled during the restart with the 50% capacity and the amazing pricing we took advantage of. Then add in the global inflation rates going on, and we get what we are seeing.

As for MSC, you do get what you pay for. MSC Yacht Club is great if you never leave the enclave. On Celebrity the whole ship is a beautiful and wonderful experience. Entertainment between lines are not even comparable to me, as well as the specialty restaurants and diverse venues. 

[tomcruiser1234]

What’s crazy though even during startup the suites were all booked and really very few deals. Now all other cabins were a steal. Lol

[RichYak]

IMO Retreat prices have now, for the most part, surpassed the value of the product.

[horseymike]

45 minutes ago, binro01 said:

Charge what the market will sustain. If the price outpaces the demand and willingness to pay the offered price, the price will come down. I think we all got a little spoiled during the restart with the 50% capacity and the amazing pricing we took advantage of. Then add in the global inflation rates going on, and we get what we are seeing.

As for MSC, you do get what you pay for. MSC Yacht Club is great if you never leave the enclave. On Celebrity the whole ship is a beautiful and wonderful experience. Entertainment between lines are not even comparable to me, as well as the specialty restaurants and diverse venues. 

How is the food in the MSC Yacht Club ?

[mac_tlc]

It is getting difficult to find a bargain. On Beyond now in SS at $339pppd. 
 

My highest price used to be about $400pppd and it was possible to get lower. Now, if you find anything on any ship for less than $500pppd it’s rare. Most hover around $700pppd. 
 

Unless it’s a unique itinerary or we find a bargain, I can’t justify the current sticker prices. 
 

And it’s not just Celebrity, Royal’s GS’s and above have jumped a lot too. An MSC Seashore YC in November 2023 we were looking at was around $350pppd. 
 

mac_tlc

Edited April 14, 2023 by mac_tlc

[binro01]

20 minutes ago, horseymike said:

How is the food in the MSC Yacht Club ?

The food in the YC restaurant is quite good. On par with Luminae, now if you go to a MSC specialty restaurant, they are not on par with Celebrity's specialty restaurants. Like I said, the whole ship experience on MSC does not compare with Celebrity.

Edited April 14, 2023 by binro01

[kjwinston2019]

1 hour ago, basenji56 said:

I can't justify paying three times the price for a Sky Suite over a veranda.  I don't hang out at the pool so the Retreat has no interest to me.  I don't drink alcohol so an included drink package is not interesting.  I'm sure additional space and Luminae are great.  But not worth three times the price.  More power to anyone who can afford the suite prices.

 

Yo9u sound like you Cruise alot. That is great. When we travel it is really a treat and a Holiday. We like what you get in the Retreat. Our favorite cruises are the ones that have Lots of Sea days...Lots of Sea days! Relaxing is our adventure. Great food, New people to meet, reading a good Book and not a very big Crowd. Just enjoying each other company. Don't need roller coasters, racing cars, standing in line for a slide. Nope, Counting waves on a larger Veranda, having a butler Pour my scotch if there not too busy. Is it worth it, well yest evey 3 years the payment is to me worth it. Just enjoy the cruise...remember when gas was just 1.99 per gallon?

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, binro01 said:

As for MSC, you do get what you pay for. MSC Yacht Club is great if you never leave the enclave.

That's oddly phrased. I feel that the Retreat might even be worth current prices if it had such an enclave. Lunch on port days on Celebrity? You're stuck with the masses. A dip in a pool on most ships? Same thing. What the Retreat does, they do very well, but the product clearly has some pretty glaring  deficiencies.

[kjwinston2019]

Remember the Titanic...and the Class System ....IT's BACK! 

 

 

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

34 minutes ago, horseymike said:

How is the food in the MSC Yacht Club ?

 

To me, food is the problem with MSC's Yacht Club.  It's just mediocre and the service is not as professional as Celebrity's.  But I am not willing to pay the current prices for Retreat suites.

[Cruise till you drop]

We just got off the Edge Panama Canal and stayed in a SV (11th floor) for about $350pp/day (with drink pkg, Wi-Fi and tips and taxes).

 

When I priced the Sky Suite immediately next to our room (11th floor corner SV), it was $860pp

 

I also priced the move up and it would have been about $360pp extra (more than double)

 

Insane

Edited April 14, 2023 by Cruise till you drop

[binro01]

4 minutes ago, RichYak said:

That's oddly phrased. I feel that the Retreat might even be worth current prices if it had such an enclave. Lunch on port days on Celebrity? You're stuck with the masses. A dip in a pool on most ships? Same thing. What the Retreat does, they do very well, but the product clearly has some pretty glaring  deficiencies.

Yes.. I agree. I should have made the point by saying the that the Retreat experience is better on Edge class ships on Celebrity vs their older class ship where the special locations for suite guests are placed throughout the ship and might even be missing such as a dedicated suite sun deck and pool.

But I still stand by that the whole ship experience is better on Celebrity vs MSC. ie, entertainment, buffets, specialty dining, venues etc, etc.

[mac_tlc]

37 minutes ago, Cruise till you drop said:

We just got off the Edge Panama Canal and stayed in a SV (11th floor) for about $350pp/day (with drink pkg, Wi-Fi and tips and taxes).

 

When I priced the Sky Suite immediately next to our room (11th floor corner SV), it was $860pp

 

I also priced the move up and it would have been about $360pp extra (more than double)

 

Insane

Just to show how the prices have dramatically increased, we booked the 3/27/23 Edge trans canal in a SS when we’re onboard the Apex in January 2022. ( or maybe when we on the Edge in October 2021) Our price was $388pppd! 
 

Unfortunately we were unable to go! I kick myself when I see the prices of the same cruise on Beyond in 2024 and 2025.

 

I know booking early helps, but that advantage has been severely diminished with the Fall 2023. - Spring 2025 sailings.

 

mac_tlc

Edited April 14, 2023 by mac_tlc

[luvthec]

Like I tell my husband, our children will have NO PROBLEM spending our money on nice vacations and first class airfare when we're gone.  

 

What we just paid to upgrade from an SS to a CS for our upcoming Sydney to Hawaii TP was ludicrous.  But, if I (or my DH) gets Covid and we have to quarantine in our stateroom for days on end, I want a separate bedroom/living room space to get away from each other.  

 

This is a once in a lifetime vacation for us.  If we sailed 3 or 4 times a year, on B2B etc., probably wouldn't have happened.  

[DaKahuna]

56 minutes ago, RichYak said:

 Lunch on port days on Celebrity? You're stuck with the masses.

 

We have had some very good lunches on the Retreat Sundeck on port days.  

We've also dined with the masses in Sushi on Five as well and the occasional forray into the OVC.   

Is dining "with the masses" really all that bad? 

 

[mnocket]

2 hours ago, binro01 said:

MSC Yacht Club is great if you never leave the enclave.

I agree.  The rest of the ship is like something I'd expect on Carnival.  That said, I love the Yacht Club!

[padgman1]

29 minutes ago, luvthec said:

Like I tell my husband, our children will have NO PROBLEM spending our money on nice vacations and first class airfare when we're gone.  

 

What we just paid to upgrade from an SS to a CS for our upcoming Sydney to Hawaii TP was ludicrous.  But, if I (or my DH) gets Covid and we have to quarantine in our stateroom for days on end, I want a separate bedroom/living room space to get away from each other.  

 

This is a once in a lifetime vacation for us.  If we sailed 3 or 4 times a year, on B2B etc., probably wouldn't have happened.  

Good for you.

Probably smart, too, as we currently have friends on Eclipse who have tested positive for COVID-19 while on the ship...( not to be a Debbie Downer, just being factual).

[mnocket]

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

That's oddly phrased. I feel that the Retreat might even be worth current prices if it had such an enclave. Lunch on port days on Celebrity? You're stuck with the masses. A dip in a pool on most ships? Same thing. What the Retreat does, they do very well, but the product clearly has some pretty glaring  deficiencies.

Oddly phrased perhaps, but true.  That said I love the Yacht Club and spend most of my onboard time there.  They really do the ship-within-a-ship concept right.  Especially on the newer ships where the restaurant is also within the enclave.  It's a totally different environment than the Retreat.  I don't leave the Yacht Club much simply because I'm totally content there.  It's not like on Celebrity where Retreat guests tend to spend a lot of time outside the confines of the Retreat.  

[Arizona Wildcat]

Supply and demand.  Really simple.   Just like airline fare, seasonal rentals (Arizona November thru March), cripes you need a reservation to get in a lot of National Parks.

[mrgabriel]

Yes, suites are expensive - but they're sold out on most cruises that we're looking at so what does that tell you? 

 

What I'm finding insane is some of the prices for AQ. Last night I took a quick look at a December cruise on Infinity (Canaries) and AQ is outrageously priced - almost $2k more than Concierge class and $2300pp more than a verandah. That's a pretty steep premium for Blu, wifi and drinks. 

 

All US prices at the moment

- Inside from $1248pp

- OV from $1598pp

- Veranda from $2098pp

- CC from $2499pp

- AQ from $4392 (!)pp

- Retreat from $6391pp

Edited April 14, 2023 by mrgabriel

[basenji56]

1 hour ago, kjwinston2019 said:

Yo9u sound like you Cruise alot. That is great. When we travel it is really a treat and a Holiday. We like what you get in the Retreat. Our favorite cruises are the ones that have Lots of Sea days...Lots of Sea days! Relaxing is our adventure. Great food, New people to meet, reading a good Book and not a very big Crowd. Just enjoying each other company. Don't need roller coasters, racing cars, standing in line for a slide. Nope, Counting waves on a larger Veranda, having a butler Pour my scotch if there not too busy. Is it worth it, well yest evey 3 years the payment is to me worth it. Just enjoy the cruise...remember when gas was just 1.99 per gallon?

I cruise 6-7 times a year so can't afford to splurge to that extent so often.