Big news tomorrow (apparently!)

[AstoriaPreppy]

16 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

Except many, many days RCCL already has at least 2 ships there.

 

If I'm not mistaken, HAL/Carnival never stop at Half Moon Cay on the same day so they don't mix the brands, and I think the same thing happened with X/Royal at Labadee. I don't see why Coco Cay would be any different. 

[rodndonna]

1 minute ago, cw2go said:

 

 

 

I went back to reprice and double check myself. Holy Moly! 

 

I give the slight edge to Cel for Itinerary but NCL's ship is clearly newer with more dining options.   

 

Cel Summit Feb 15th 

Aft Stateroom $3049. 56 non refund & no perk w/$250 OBC 

 

NCL Viva Feb 9th 

Aft stateroom $5798.20 w/wifi & $50 towards shore excursions. Removed Bev and Grats to make it comparable. 

 

and for giggles...

RCCL Rhapsody Feb 16th Aft stateroom $3275 no perks

I don't consider this itinerary or ship comparable at all. Just for price point knowledge 🤑

 

Still shocked!

Patty 

 

We have the NCL Viva booked for Jan 2024, and then the X Summit for March 2025 - wanted to compare the new verses old experience on similar itinerary. 😀

 

[Susanb10567]

5 minutes ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

If I'm not mistaken, HAL/Carnival never stop at Half Moon Cay on the same day so they don't mix the brands, and I think the same thing happened with X/Royal at Labadee. I don't see why Coco Cay would be any different. 

I actually wouldn’t mind going to coco cay if it were just to be for Celebrity…but looking at cruise mapper it looks like Freedom of the seas is there most Saturdays and an Icon class ship will be there in November with the Reflection…

[cw2go]

2 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

We have the NCL Viva booked for Jan 2024, and then the X Summit for March 2025 - wanted to compare the new verses old experience on similar itinerary. 😀

 

That was my thought... mix it up but in reverse. I've sailed M class out of SJU. LOVE the Southern Caribbean route. 

At this price point seems like it's not happening. Maybe NCL will have a deal that I'll grab in the next few months. 

 

Patty 

[WatchHill]

1 hour ago, poeticlicensed said:

Not surprised that they are swapping Nassau for Coco Cay on some itineraries.  I  hear people endlessly complaining about Nassau when I'm cruising. Actually, the last 2 cruises we did that stopped at Nassau, we didn't even leave the ship. 

 

We're doing a TA  this fall and wish we were skipping Nassau. No plans to evel leave the ship, staying in the Solarium. 

 

We've been to Perfect Day once. Its was fine and honestly if I was given a choice between Perfect Day and Nassau, I'd choose Perfect Day. 

Edited June 27, 2023 by WatchHill

[rodndonna]

1 minute ago, cw2go said:

That was my thought... mix it up but in reverse. I've sailed M class out of SJU. LOVE the Southern Caribbean route. 

At this price point seems like it's not happening. Maybe NCL will have a deal that I'll grab in the next few months. 

 

Patty 

 

We did the Millenium apr 2023 in an aft and loved it. Have downgraded (for now) to get on the NCL cruise and hoping to bid up, but is not looking hopeful

[AstoriaPreppy]

1 hour ago, cruisestitch said:

This post seems to have gotten buried in amongst all the Coco cay business.  Can it possibly be true ?

 

I think this was a joke. Infinite Balconies have tested so well with the vast majority of passengers that Royal Caribbean is putting them on the Icon class. 

[NMTraveller]

5 minutes ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

I think this was a joke. Infinite Balconies have tested so well with the vast majority of passengers that Royal Caribbean is putting them on the Icon class. 

On Icon they are on there in much smaller numbers than a real balcony.  Celebrity chose to put all of them as IVs or at least 90%.

 

On Icon they are about 20%.

 

So I think that this post is true.  They are giving less and charging more.

[paulh84]

27 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

The Royal experience at Celebrity prices ...

 

Price out comparable RCL cruises. When you do an even comparison prices are very similar. 

 

An infinite veranda, same weekend, similar itinerary, two adults is nearly $6,300 on Icon. No drinks, no WiFi, no gratuities, paltry OBC if any. An Oasis class ship could bring it down around $4,000. 

 

16 minutes ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

 

I'd suggest that Cruise Critic users aren't representative of Celebrity's customer base in any statistically significant way. Celebrity has been an outlier amongst the mass market & premium lines for decades in not having a private island... being able to have a private stop, without needing to travel to a beach, where food (and alcohol if you have a bev package) is included is a no-brainer. 

 

It's also important to note that comments on a CC thread aren't actually what most passengers want. So much of what generates engagement on Cruise Critic is pearl-clutching ("you won't believe what I saw *those* people doing"), or weird nostalgia ("I miss the days where the maitre d would flambe your steak table side on the cheese trolly"). People pile on in these threads, but they're not representative of any of the experiences I've had with other passengers onboard a Celebrity ship. It's also why Celebrity execs roll their eyes at CC... they've got tons of internal data that is much more representative of guest experience than anyone griping about the removal of the fry-your-own-steak station in the buffet.

 

If Celebrity is planning stops at Coco Cay, I'd assume they have evidence that shows the majority of guests would welcome this option (despited anecdotal bellyaching from message board users).

 

 

Right. I'll catch heat for this, but a certain generational segment here gets highly offended when they feel they are no longer 'the target demographic'. The reality is Celebrity has 5 new ships to fill if they don't eliminate capacity. 15,608 new berths since 2018. The metric they use is available passenger cruise days which is at an increase of nearly 5.7 million since 2018. The new to cruise and new to brand people typically start out with short cruises just like many people here did. They need to bring new people in somehow. Catering primarily to an aging population just does not work and does not make sense. 

 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

I would like a stop at Coco Cay but not going to do a 6 day or less cruise to get there. 

[Cap_D]

As I mentioned above, for the combination of ports being offered CocoCay is a replacement for Nassau or Key West.  Those are not disappointing losses.  (Apologies to Blue Lagoon fans, or whatever it's named).

 

New adults area at CocoCay opens in 2024. 

 

The Ascent will be in the Mediterranean, perhaps Beyond and Ascent weren't selling well?

 

Does having Beyond in the Caribbean during hurricane season increase capacity among all Celebrity ships or are there already about 6k rooms available during the same time this year?

 

Hurricane and the warmer months aren't traditionally when one goes to the Caribbean or the other islands on the itineraries.

 

Royals pricing for the few suites they have (with less suite amenities than Celebrity), many facing mini golf or a sport court, is often higher than Celebrity and often still requires upcharges to be comparable.  And, generally  half of the standard rooms are interior facing.  So, the person sitting next to you comments may go both ways.  

[NutsAboutGolf]

4 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Thanks, but I'm sure I don't wield that much influence.  But the new boss DOES and could very well have put in a few choice words to Mr. Liberty to make this happen.

 

My reaction is... whatever.  I've only been to one private destination island in the Bahamas - Princess Cays.  Since I'm not much of a beach or watersports person, and that's pretty much all that PC offers, I thought it was OK - but no more than that.  I know that PD@CC offers more, but I'm not rushing to get there.

 

But there's clearly an audience at X that will enjoy the stop. Have fun!

Not the first time something was mentioned on CC only for things to change in a few months.  Regardless, if nothing else, I’m sure someone from X management read your thread

[The_Big_M]

"Why is Celebrity visiting Coco Cay?

 

Celebrity Cruises is forever inspired to provide travelers a better way to experience the world around them. Part of this effort means reimagining what cruising could be, from thoughtfully designed staterooms and venues that bring people together, to exciting new programming, world-class entertainment, a robust food and beverage program, and itineraries that take guests to bucket-list places. "

 

Who writes this stuff?!?

[mahdnc]

1 minute ago, The_Big_M said:

"Why is Celebrity visiting Coco Cay?

 

Celebrity Cruises is forever inspired to provide travelers a better way to experience the world around them. Part of this effort means reimagining what cruising could be, from thoughtfully designed staterooms and venues that bring people together, to exciting new programming, world-class entertainment, a robust food and beverage program, and itineraries that take guests to bucket-list places. "

 

Who writes this stuff?!?

 

ChatGBT?

[riredsox]

2 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

You will be on Beyond.

No balcony’s ugh.   Unless a suite or sunset veranda.  On the other hand OV is much cheaper and practically the same as IV.  

[kleibo]

We enjoyed the Coco Beach club while in Coco Cay.  I think it was $100 a person but very quiet and very nice.  Never felt crowded to us.  There's a little flag on your chair and that indicates you want service.  They do have over water bungalows - pretty expensive though.  If you have the beverage package  - you can use it on the island.  Lunch at the Beach club was really good too and included.

[Honolulu Blue]

9 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Not the first time something was mentioned on CC only for things to change in a few months.  Regardless, if nothing else, I’m sure someone from X management read your thread

Awww, thank you. 🙂  I'm less certain than you about the influence I have, but it makes no difference anyway.

[Smileyatsea]

I'm scheduled on Beyond out of Rome for 11 nights including an overnight in Istanbul next May. 

 

Has anyone heard what ship would replace Beyond?  Or, if they are just cutting these itineraries period and I would need to rebook (with whatever parameters they lay out) on a different itinerary?

[prmssk]

2 hours ago, cw2go said:

 

Spot on! I priced a Cel & NCL cruise yesterday for a 2025 Southern Caribbean itinerary and NCL was $2400 more. 

It was almost apples to apples, I was shocked! 

 

Patty 

We are considering something like the Adventure of the Seas for a Family cruise to the ABC islands so now with the Beyond itineraries out, I just compared the two.  I was looking at 8 night cruises to the ABC islands from Florida for early August of 2024.  For a mid-ship veranda (which I recognize is an infinite veranda on the Beyond and a standard one on the Adventure), it's $4900 on the Adventure and $2500 on the Beyond (cruise only fares)!  Adding AI to the Beyond fare brings it up to $4000 which is still less than the cruise only fare for the older RCCL ship.

 

One difference is that these Beyond itineraries were released today so there hasn't been a chance for prices to increase with demand yet.  The Adventure itineraries were released late last year.  But can that account for such an upside downing pricing?

 

Edit to add:  Just did the same thing with a 4 night Bahamas and CocoCay itinerary comparing the Reflection to the Freedom of the Seas, and I see a similar pricing disparity (with Celebrity a lot cheaper).

Edited June 27, 2023 by prmssk

[NorthStarStateCruiser]

10 minutes ago, kleibo said:

We enjoyed the Coco Beach club while in Coco Cay.  I think it was $100 a person but very quiet and very nice.  Never felt crowded to us.  There's a little flag on your chair and that indicates you want service.  They do have over water bungalows - pretty expensive though.  If you have the beverage package  - you can use it on the island.  Lunch at the Beach club was really good too and included.

Be aware, the coco beach club day pass is now around $300 per person and the beach club cabanas are around $3000 per group.

[cosmo1027]

59 minutes ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

If I'm not mistaken, HAL/Carnival never stop at Half Moon Cay on the same day so they don't mix the brands, and I think the same thing happened with X/Royal at Labadee. I don't see why Coco Cay would be any different. 

I don't think this is true. I sailed on HAL last February and I assumed HMC would not be shared with a Carnival ship. Then I read people saying their sailing stopped at HMC with a Carnival ship. I quickly pulled up the port schedule and saw that our ship was alone that day, but saw other dates that shared with Carnival.

[kleibo]

4 minutes ago, NorthStarStateCruiser said:

Be aware, the coco beach club day pass is now around $300 per person and the beach club cabanas are around $3000 per group.

 

Wow that's a huge jump - I was just there in February.

[cw2go]

12 minutes ago, prmssk said:

We are considering something like the Adventure of the Seas for a Family cruise to the ABC islands so now with the Beyond itineraries out, I just compared the two.  I was looking at 8 night cruises to the ABC islands from Florida for early August of 2024.  For a mid-ship veranda (which I recognize is an infinite veranda on the Beyond and a standard one on the Adventure), it's $4900 on the Adventure and $2500 on the Beyond (cruise only fares)!  Adding AI to the Beyond fare brings it up to $4000 which is still less than the cruise only fare for the older RCCL ship.

 

One difference is that these Beyond itineraries were released today so there hasn't been a chance for prices to increase with demand yet.  The Adventure itineraries were released late last year.  But can that account for such an upside downing pricing?

I've gone back to double check myself. NCL and RCCL are much more than Celebrity with my Feb Southern Caribbean comparison. I was and am still shocked. 

 

For $2500 I'd jump on Beyond but I'm not a IV hater so that isn't an issue for me. 

 

Patty 

[RobertoF]

Demand for Caribbean cruises this summer was very strong so it makes sense for Celebrity to get an extra ship in FLL next summer. It is also a bold move running Reflection on 3-4 night cruises over the summer. I am surprised with Silhouette already running 3-4 night cruises out of FLL Celebrity would add another ship doing short cruises. It is a good way to attract new cruisers, and younger cruisers with the addition of CocoCay. It does seem a little off brand for Celebrity, though. But I am not complaining. We may well try the 3 night for a long weekend getaway. I prefer a 4 night TH-M to a 3 night F-M, but if the price is right either will compare well to a land-based weekend trip. I wonder if we would get OBC with our future cruise credits on a 3 night, since now it is limited to 4 nights minimum. Anyone have any experience with that? My guess is the answer is no but I would love to hear from anyone who tried to apply a FCC to a 3 night Celebrity cruise.

[poeticlicensed]

16 minutes ago, NorthStarStateCruiser said:

Be aware, the coco beach club day pass is now around $300 per person and the beach club cabanas are around $3000 per group.

$3000?? You can do a whole cruise for that.