Caution when looking to add “All Included” to a Guarantee Booking

[RickT]

I often consider booking a guarantee cabin if there is a sufficient discount.   Just priced out a 10 night Italy/Croatia cruise at a very reasonable price of $2,595 CDN for a Verandah Guarantee.  I was shocked to see that the price jumped up to $5,186 CDN if I wanted All Included pricing (a whopping $2,591 or approx $250 per day). 
Seemed horribly wrong to me so I repriced the cruise using an Obstructed Verandah.  As expected the price of the cruise went from $2,595 to $3,332 CDN but only increased to $4,453 CDN with all included.  
 

I wonder if this is a website issue or Celebrity simply not properly pricing out this cruise when combining a guarantee with the All Included.  

[jojo1966]

I noticed the same bizarre pricing for an apex cruise. Worked out with a normal veranda at about 500 pounds added for AI..but with a guarantee veranda it added on almost 1000 !!! Must be an error somewhere surely 🤔 

[RTShaker]

When you switch to Al you lose the discount associated with the guarantee.

 

[PTC DAWG]

Sort of off topic, can a booking be changed to AI after the original booking?  Not AI originally…we have an SV and are looking to convert it to AI..no current SV’s showing on our cruise on Ascent..Jan 2026.

 

not booked as a guarantee originally..

Edited May 21 by PTC DAWG

[RickT]

38 minutes ago, RTShaker said:

When you switch to Al you lose the discount associated with the guarantee.

 

That I would understand except in my case the price was higher than a regular verandah with the AI.  Seems worst case scenario they should be equal.  And the AI added to a guarantee still says save $200-$800. 

[wrk2cruise]

39 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Sort of off topic, can a booking be changed to AI after the original booking?  Not AI originally…we have an SV and are looking to convert it to AI..no current SV’s showing on our cruise on Ascent..Jan 2026.

 

not booked as a guarantee originally..

 

Yes but at prevailing price and promo.  Maybe even has to be before final payment.  I think Celebrity would have to be called to find out the prevailing rate as I don't think TA's can see that data on sold out categories.

Edited May 21 by wrk2cruise

[NorthStarStateCruiser]

1 hour ago, RickT said:

I often consider booking a guarantee cabin if there is a sufficient discount.   Just priced out a 10 night Italy/Croatia cruise at a very reasonable price of $2,595 CDN for a Verandah Guarantee.  I was shocked to see that the price jumped up to $5,186 CDN if I wanted All Included pricing (a whopping $2,591 or approx $250 per day). 
Seemed horribly wrong to me so I repriced the cruise using an Obstructed Verandah.  As expected the price of the cruise went from $2,595 to $3,332 CDN but only increased to $4,453 CDN with all included.  
 

I wonder if this is a website issue or Celebrity simply not properly pricing out this cruise when combining a guarantee with the All Included.  

This has been an ongoing occurrence with the guarantee staterooms for AI where the price is higher than booking a specific cabin with AI.  My guess is that Celebrity is fully aware of this and intentionally keeps it this way to see who will fall for it.

 

For any sailing, it's worth comparing the AI pricing versus purchasing the drink package and wifi separately.  With the frequent flash sales that Celebrity now offers, it's often times cheaper to buy the add-ons after booking.  Also, the add-ons are fully refundable up until a couple days before the sailing whilst the AI price is lumped into the final payment and therefore falls under the same cancellation penalty schedule.  Another benefit of buying the packages after booking is your non-refundable cost for the purposes of travel insurance cancellation coverage is also reduced.  One final reason to purchase after booking is pricing for AI is not as easy to track as cruise-only in case you're looking to obtain a price reduction down the road.

[NorthStarStateCruiser]

1 hour ago, PTC DAWG said:

Sort of off topic, can a booking be changed to AI after the original booking?  Not AI originally…we have an SV and are looking to convert it to AI..no current SV’s showing on our cruise on Ascent..Jan 2026.

 

not booked as a guarantee originally..

You'd probably pay more to have the booking converted to AI at the current prevailing rate considering the category is sold out.  You'd also miss out on the opportunity to take advantage of a flash sale when it comes around for your sailing date.

[mcatmcat]

off topic 

what u can update from a guarantee to any room after final payment because they wont let you do it 🤨

[Lastdance]

16 hours ago, mcatmcat said:

off topic 

what u can update from a guarantee to any room after final payment because they wont let you do it 🤨

Once you have a guarantee, you cannot pay extra to upgrade either if your cabin has not been assigned.  This has happened to me.  Now, I am wondering about MoveUp: however, my price was very good.🤷‍♀️

 

I usually book suites when the cruise is first open for booking, so this is all new to me.  It is difficult to play the game without the rules.  We are elite+, so bringing water onboard, as we drink very little alcohol.

Edited May 22 by Lastdance

[Lastdance]

19 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Sort of off topic, can a booking be changed to AI after the original booking?  Not AI originally…we have an SV and are looking to convert it to AI..no current SV’s showing on our cruise on Ascent..Jan 2026.

 

not booked as a guarantee originally..

I have been told that it can, but most likely depends on the individual you speak with about this.

[PTC DAWG]

19 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

Yes but at prevailing price and promo.  Maybe even has to be before final payment.  I think Celebrity would have to be called to find out the prevailing rate as I don't think TA's can see that data on sold out categories.

Pretty much what I was thinking..

[PTC DAWG]

18 hours ago, NorthStarStateCruiser said:

You'd probably pay more to have the booking converted to AI at the current prevailing rate considering the category is sold out.  You'd also miss out on the opportunity to take advantage of a flash sale when it comes around for your sailing date.

Points to ponder for sure.  I am seeing discounts on drinks now...might should bite the bullet and go ahead and purchase, I can always reprice later.  

[Jeremiah1212]

20 hours ago, RickT said:

I often consider booking a guarantee cabin if there is a sufficient discount.   Just priced out a 10 night Italy/Croatia cruise at a very reasonable price of $2,595 CDN for a Verandah Guarantee.  I was shocked to see that the price jumped up to $5,186 CDN if I wanted All Included pricing (a whopping $2,591 or approx $250 per day). 
Seemed horribly wrong to me so I repriced the cruise using an Obstructed Verandah.  As expected the price of the cruise went from $2,595 to $3,332 CDN but only increased to $4,453 CDN with all included.  
 

I wonder if this is a website issue or Celebrity simply not properly pricing out this cruise when combining a guarantee with the All Included.  

 

 

 

This is not an error. It's something that is posted fairly often. If the cruise you are looking at is on the Exciting Deals list, the rate you are seeing is the discounted cruise only rate. The All Included rate is not discounted so there can be a substantial price difference between going All Included or Cruise Only for that particular category. 

[RickT]

22 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

This is not an error. It's something that is posted fairly often. If the cruise you are looking at is on the Exciting Deals list, the rate you are seeing is the discounted cruise only rate. The All Included rate is not discounted so there can be a substantial price difference between going All Included or Cruise Only for that particular category. 

I would agree except for the fact that choosing a cabin with the AI results in a lower price.  Furthermore when adding AI to a guarantee booking it still states a saving of $200-$800.  All in all very misleading IMHO.