Prices have gone up.

[markeb]

5 minutes ago, Goldenco said:

Thanks!  That makes sense, but I've not heard the term before.

 

Name changed in 2020 from Royal Caribbean Cruises LTD. They didn't change the stock symbol.

 

Celebrity doesn't have a CEO. RCG has a CEO and Royal Caribbean International has a CEO. The Celebrity brand president reports to the RCG CEO and board. The board represents shareholders. Shareholders, especially institutional ones, want to show profits, and servicing the debt is cutting into profits. Record revenue with record debt does not equal record profit, and profits lead to dividends and potentially increased value of equity. And happier shareholders. And retention of board members and CEOs...

[Jim_Iain]

53 minutes ago, TFree said:

Hi Jim - we have always enjoyed following your travels.  I still hope to bump into you someday, maybe either on Celebrity or on Oceania.

 

Tom & Judy

Even though we have not booked on Celebrity we still have a 2 TransAtlantic booked.   This year on Silhouette in November and on in November of 2025 from Lisbon to Buenos Aires (unless the cancel it for a 3rd time).  

 

I'm really getting excited about Oceania.   Incredible how many Celebrity Refugees are showing up on their forum.     I'm really toying with an Africa Cruise on Regent Seven Sea.  I had always wished Celebrity would branch out as oppose to just doing the same old routes over and over again.     The cruise we are looking at would go up the coast from Cape Town to Lisbon and then a TransAtlantic ending in Miami. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, TFree said:

The prices seem to us, too, to have gone up beyond the pace of inflation. 

I don't know...I have no sources to cite but I keep thinking about the hidden costs of cruising like fuel, food & beverage shipping and delivery fees, ship maintenance, etc.  I heard commentary the other day that suggested soda has increased in price by 36% over the last 2 years.  That alone will have an impact on beverage package prices.  I've certainly seen it in my local grocery store.  I can't get out of Walmart with a week's worth of groceries for less than $300 bucks and that's for two people with no alcohol in the buggy.  I truly believe it's what we can't see that is driving the significant price hikes.

[NutsAboutGolf]

This is why we need to dive deeper into things increasing in price relative to inflation vs the simplistic "everything has gone up"

 

[Lena11033]

2 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I don't know...I have no sources to cite but I keep thinking about the hidden costs of cruising like fuel, food & beverage shipping and delivery fees, ship maintenance, etc.  I heard commentary the other day that suggested soda has increased in price by 36% over the last 2 years.  That alone will have an impact on beverage package prices.  I've certainly seen it in my local grocery store.  I can't get out of Walmart with a week's worth of groceries for less than $300 bucks and that's for two people with no alcohol in the buggy.  I truly believe it's what we can't see that is driving the significant price hikes.

 

Its shocking the prices, I watch a YouTuber from London showing Marks and Spencers saying how expensive it was, then I showed her prices in Canada at a non fancy grocery store - yep I'm paying more. Her reasoning was cost of living in UK is more so started looking I'm probably paying the same.

 

Its at the point I've toyed with the idea of crossing over to Detroit to go grocery shopping to save money. My husband doesn't do shopping so when we've gone together and he's guessed the prices he's way off because he has no concept (although not taking him anymore, he puts too much random stuff in the cart lol)

[DaKahuna]

20 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

I had always wished Celebrity would branch out as oppose to just doing the same old routes over and over again.  

 

Jim,  That may be something you should post on the "Q&A With Laura" area.  Maybe they'll answer that and ignore all the request to change the drink package to match Royal's. 

 

[DaKahuna]

13 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I can't get out of Walmart with a week's worth of groceries for less than $300 bucks and that's for two people with no alcohol in the buggy.

 

 We use to call Costco the $100 store.  Now it's the $300 store.  Seens almost every time we go in there we can't get out for under $300. 

 

[Goldenco]

26 minutes ago, markeb said:

 

Name changed in 2020 from Royal Caribbean Cruises LTD. They didn't change the stock symbol.

 

Celebrity doesn't have a CEO. RCG has a CEO and Royal Caribbean International has a CEO. The Celebrity brand president reports to the RCG CEO and board. The board represents shareholders. Shareholders, especially institutional ones, want to show profits, and servicing the debt is cutting into profits. Record revenue with record debt does not equal record profit, and profits lead to dividends and potentially increased value of equity. And happier shareholders. And retention of board members and CEOs...

You are correct. Laura Hodges Bethge is the president, not CEO replacing Lisa L-P. RCL is already at record price, I think.  When will they start up dividends, not that they were great before, (and I didn't hold RCL for the dividend)?

[Hlitner]

Interesting thread.  By 2010, DW and I had become Elite Plus and big fans of X.  We routinely cruised 1 or 2 longer X cruises (along with cruises on other lines), until LLP was named CEO.  Within a few months it became clear that LLP was cutting-back on many little things (I called it death by a thousand cut-backs) and our final straw was a very small thing.  We were on one of the Solstice Class ships, in Aqua Class, and asked for some extra bottle of water (which cost X about 15 cents per bottle).  Our steward explained that X had recently change the rules and we would now have to pay for bottles after the first couple of bottles included at embarkation.  Previously, in AQ, there was no problem getting all the bottled water anyone needed.

 

This was not the first cut-back, but it annoyed us to a degree we have never returned to X.  When the Retreat Suites caught our interest, we priced them out and realized we could cruise on Seabourn (our favorite luxury line) for less money than in a Retreat Suite.  Celebrity was good, but in its best day it has never been a luxury line.

 

Over the years we have posted, here on CC, our feeling that it made little sense to pay the big dollars for a Retreat Suite when one could cruise on a decent all-inclusive luxury line for about the same or less money.  So reading this thread makes me wonder, "what took you folks so long" to get it!

 

I should add that we will soon be on our 18th cruise line, and would happily book a future X cruise (in a Retreat suite) if we found a deal that made the X cruise an acceptable value.  Our last few cruises have been on HAL, Explora Journeys, and Seabourn. In the next few months we will again be on Seabourn and Silversea.  All of those cruises will cost us less overall, per passenger/day, than the lowest cost Retreat Suite on X.  Go figure.

 

Hank

[mac_tlc]

34 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

This is why we need to dive deeper into things increasing in price relative to inflation vs the simplistic "everything has gone up"

 

I agree.
 

In a similar fashion, I flew out of Bradley Airport in CT yesterday. Early flight, thought about an Egg McMuffin at McDonalds until I saw the price. 
 

What is now typically $4.99 that used to be $2.99 was $10. 

 

mac_tlc

[George C]

3 hours ago, Les43 said:

It’s certainly worth keeping an eye on prices  We had booked a CS on Connie late June 2025 but last wkend found that a RS was cheaper on the early June sailing.  We moved the reservation and tonight the price has increased by £600 for the RS and over £1k for the CS! 

Love royal suite on M class have done it last couple of years and have it booked again in March, great perks , free specialty restaurants, free liters of liquor etc . 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

There are deals out there 

No one is forcing you to book a cruise 

If you don’t think the cruise price is good value for your dollar don’t book it 

😁

[Stem to Stern]

45 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 We use to call Costco the $100 store.  Now it's the $300 store.  Seens almost every time we go in there we can't get out for under $300. 

 

Same.  But half the buggy sometimes is filled with wine.😂🤣😂

[DaKahuna]

6 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Same.  But half the buggy sometimes is filled with wine.😂🤣😂

 

 I belong to a local wine club .. plus I am still working my way through some "restocking" purchase I made during COVID

[Lena11033]

14 minutes ago, Stem to Stern said:

Same.  But half the buggy sometimes is filled with wine.😂🤣😂

 

I'm jealous we can't buy alcohol at Costco, in fact the government run liquor store just went on strike because they aren't happy the premier it trying to get more stores to sell alcohol - totally going to back fire on them as now I'm going straight to the distributor to have it delivered to my house lol

I'm sure others are going to find work arounds

Edited July 7 by Lena11033

[PhillyFan33579]

2 hours ago, Goldenco said:

Just a question: What is RCG? The stock symbol is RCL.  I assume BOD is Board of Directors.  BTW, The AI concept is not just Celebrity; e.g. Norwegian has The Haven.

I think you are incorrect in that the BOD wants the loans paid off quickly.  I  think the new CEO want to show record revenue.  

To add to previous responses, RCG = Royal Caribbean Group. They are the parent company that owns the following cruise lines: Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Silversea. 

[markeb]

2 hours ago, Goldenco said:

You are correct. Laura Hodges Bethge is the president, not CEO replacing Lisa L-P. RCL is already at record price, I think.  When will they start up dividends, not that they were great before, (and I didn't hold RCL for the dividend)?

 

Probably a couple of quarters after they get debt under control. Which could be awhile...

[RichYak]

3 hours ago, George C said:

Love royal suite on M class have done it last couple of years and have it booked again in March, great perks , free specialty restaurants, free liters of liquor etc . 

Free specialty restaurants on M class isn't much--but it is worth something.

[George C]

7 hours ago, RichYak said:

Free specialty restaurants on M class isn't much--but it is worth something.

We normally do le petit chef and Tuscan each twice and a couple of late lunches at raw on 5 , rest in Luminae.

[NutsAboutGolf]

14 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

Jim,  That may be something you should post on the "Q&A With Laura" area.  Maybe they'll answer that and ignore all the request to change the drink package to match Royal's. 

 

 

FYI, During a Q&A session, Capt Matt said it takes 3 years to secure a new cruise's ports/itinerary

[LMHSRN]

14 hours ago, George C said:

Love royal suite on M class have done it last couple of years and have it booked again in March, great perks , free specialty restaurants, free liters of liquor etc . 

NOTHING IS FREE.  You are paying for it all.  
Enjoy!

[PTC DAWG]

17 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I can't think of a single thing that hasn't increased in price...Not...One...Thing...

 

But I shop around and I think I have been able to find some decent deals...not like in the past, but decent enough for me to keep checking in with Celebrity when I start cruise planning.  

 

Our November cruise is on MSC in the Yacht Club...we are paying $6k for 7 nights in a YC deluxe veranda....two years ago we paid $4800 for the same type of cruise...

Agreed...although TV's seem to keep getting bigger and cheaper.  🙂

[PTC DAWG]

15 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Even though we have not booked on Celebrity we still have a 2 TransAtlantic booked.   This year on Silhouette in November and on in November of 2025 from Lisbon to Buenos Aires (unless the cancel it for a 3rd time).  

 

I'm really getting excited about Oceania.   Incredible how many Celebrity Refugees are showing up on their forum.     I'm really toying with an Africa Cruise on Regent Seven Sea.  I had always wished Celebrity would branch out as oppose to just doing the same old routes over and over again.     The cruise we are looking at would go up the coast from Cape Town to Lisbon and then a TransAtlantic ending in Miami. 

The smaller ships have different ports that they are capable of accessing, they also have a different customer base with more money and TIME...which allows for a totally different cruise experience.  

 

Choices are good...

[MCC retired]

For those of us that booked bargain rates as the cruise lines began recovery from  the pandemic ,

cruise rates have increased greatly but not as much as the onboard purchases ($17 beers).

[Jim_Iain]

16 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

I agree.
 

In a similar fashion, I flew out of Bradley Airport in CT yesterday. Early flight, thought about an Egg McMuffin at McDonalds until I saw the price. 
 

What is now typically $4.99 that used to be $2.99 was $10. 

 

mac_tlc

Know the feeling I got sticker shock a couple months ago when I took the Grand Kids to McDonald's.   I had not been in one in years.  It took almost a full C note.