The New Normal? No True Sale Events?

[Tom and Ingrid]

My wife and I were reviewing the Celebrity "sales" this past holiday weekend, and exactly nothing jumped out at us as a good deal - let alone very good or great.  

 

I've seen the comments lately and get daily e-mails about "deals", but it really seems like the new normal is X doesn't want or need to sweeten the pot anymore. Even off-peak cruises seem full price - or, more likely, inflated "MSRP" and then basic discounting to "full" price.  

 

Not wanting to jump ship to other lines, but with a few others in our sights - Virgin, MSC, Princess, and Cunard - I do wonder if I need to pay more attention to how those lines are pricing and offering sales over time.

 

Is this really just an X thing (few real deals) or is the high occupancy rates allowing all cruise lines to keep prices at full price?  

[leaveitallbehind]

IMO most fare "sales" are very similar with the outcome, but just worded differently or maybe with a different sale focus.  But it seems as though with each successive each sale that follows the last ends up at about the same place regarding the actual base fare. IMO this is really nothing new.  And with bookings trending as strong as they are in the industry I wouldn't expect any real savings with any of them near term. JMO.

 

Within each successive offer I think the real variability comes with seasonal peak and off peak pricing that has historically been in place.  I would expect that to continue with or without any real "sales".

Edited September 6 by leaveitallbehind

[cruisestitch]

 

[mrgabriel]

We have primarily sailed on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity and the only true 'sales' were found on outside TAs that specialise in time limited deals. We still see those, and some of the last minute pricing that Celebrity is offering is pretty good, too. 

 

As @leaveitallbehind said, ships are full. Why would you offer a tremendous markdown when your product is selling really well? 

[horseymike]

Basically a shell game. Discounts on drink packages are calculated from a significantly higher price and still come in bottom line higher than just a few months ago.

[leaveitallbehind]

15 minutes ago, mrgabriel said:

We have primarily sailed on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity and the only true 'sales' were found on outside TAs that specialise in time limited deals. We still see those, and some of the last minute pricing that Celebrity is offering is pretty good, too. 

 

As @leaveitallbehind said, ships are full. Why would you offer a tremendous markdown when your product is selling really well? 

Keep in mind the fares that can be offered through TA's primarily come from group and block based pricing originated by them or the cruise line that is provided exclusively by the cruise lines to the TA's for these types of bookings.  The resulting reduced fare (plus any commission inclusions) that is offered individually is not published or available through the cruise lines directly to the individual.  That is why it is usually a good idea to check with a TA to see what group based fares may be available for your sailing.

Edited September 6 by leaveitallbehind

[Pennstatedj]

The prices will not come down as long as the ships are full. 

We did find a great price after checkin date for a Florida resident on the Beyond for a 6 day cruise in September. If there are any bargains they will be in the Caribbean during hurricane or immediately after holiday week. Other than that good luck. Most older passengers want over 7 days and X has removed a lot of them even during season thereby creating a supply and therefore a higher price. They know what are doing when it comes to pricing and keeping ships full. 

[leaveitallbehind]

8 minutes ago, horseymike said:

Basically a shell game. Discounts on drink packages are calculated from a significantly higher price and still come in bottom line higher than just a few months ago.

...which are planner based optional additional cruise items.  And, as you indicate, will fluctuate pre-cruise based on sales levels, etc., for these items.

 

But these are not the fare based sales as referred by the OP.  Just clarifying.

Edited September 6 by leaveitallbehind

[ChucktownSteve]

The easiest way to determine when a sale is not a sale?  Look for the word sale in the headline.  They've been doing this for a long time.  Make it up. Then put it on "sale". But the new sale price is not any cheaper than it was.  Then they take away the "sale" price.  Rinse and repeat.

[Lastdance]

What would a real sale look like on Celebrity?:  Free gratuities?

                                                                         OBC(depending on cabin/suite

                                                                         35% off drink packages

                                                                         Two free specialty dinners

                                                                         Two free excursions

                                                                         guaranteed 1-2 category moveup

                                                                         5% discount off cruise

                                                                        *Pick two out of three

 

Just wondering what might tempt you...

                                                                        

Edited September 6 by Lastdance

[Tyler414]

Not necessarily a sale, but I’ve booked cruises well over a year in advance and am happy(ish) with the pricing.  Example is an 11 day cruise in the Caribbean in March 2025 that I booked in June 2023. It’s almost sold out (popular itinerary). Currently an inside cabin with “all included” is almost $1500 more than I paid for my sunset veranda on an E-class ship. I also received $450 OBC (LONG GONE).  

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, Lastdance said:

What would a real sale look like on Celebrity?:  Free gratuities?

                                                                         OBC(depending on cabin/suite

                                                                         35% off drink packages

                                                                         Two free specialty dinners

                                                                         Two free excursions

                                                                         guaranteed 1-2 category moveup

                                                                         5% discount off cruise

                                                                        *Pick two out of three

 

Just wondering what might tempt you...

                                                                        

OK I'll play along:

OBC

1-2 category move up

5% discount.

 

As to my value proposition regarding those choices, we don't do ship excursions, so that is of no interest. As the amount would provide, I would use the OBC towards gratuities, drink packages, and specialty restaurants since it's it's their money anyway. 5% discount isn't tremendous but is it is something and I would book a low to mid level suite category to maximize that, as well as the OBC, and use the move up to improve that.

 

Edited September 6 by leaveitallbehind

[Iamcruzin]

9 hours ago, Tom and Ingrid said:

 

Not wanting to jump ship to other lines, but with a few others in our sights - Virgin, MSC, Princess, and Cunard - I do wonder if I need to pay more attention to how those lines are pricing and offering sales over time.

 

 

This is nothing new. It's been going on for years. I have found the best prices by jumping ship to multiple lines in spite of the loyalty programs offered. The key is not to look for a sale but to calculate what you are willing to spend per day and how that would compare to a land trip to the same place. The sales are just a decoy to get you to look and unless you priced out a particular cruise at the time of release you can't tell if it is an actual sale.  

[d9704011]

4 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

key is not to look for a sale but to calculate what you are willing to spend per day and how that would compare to a land trip to the same place.

Willing to spend per day is OK but comparing cruise ship itineraries to land trip visits doesn't work very well.  What if we're going to Greece, Italy and France locations?

Edited September 6 by d9704011

[OysterD]

9 hours ago, Tom and Ingrid said:

 

Not wanting to jump ship to other lines, but with a few others in our sights - Virgin, MSC, Princess, and Cunard - I do wonder if I need to pay more attention to how those lines are pricing and offering sales over time.

 

Is this really just an X thing (few real deals) or is the high occupancy rates allowing all cruise lines to keep prices at full price?  

 

Recently booked a fairly last minute (6 weeks in advance) cruise on Silhouette. I had looked around at virgin, NCL and princess and (very briefly) MSC and X was the cheapest for a 7+ day Med cruise on a decent ship. MSC might have been a little cheaper but I wanted a relaxing holiday, not to be surrounded by chaos. All the lines had 'sales' on, but I'm pretty sure they're all the same as X and have the same (or very slight variation on) 'sale' year round. 

[Iamcruzin]

3 hours ago, d9704011 said:

Willing to spend per day is OK but comparing cruise ship itineraries to land trip visits doesn't work very well.  What if we're going to Greece, Italy and France locations?

 What I mean by a land vacation was to price out all inclusive resorts which you wouldn't do for any place but the Caribbean. Right now I booked an 8 day Italy Greece itinerary on Princess for 3 adults all in with drinks, WiFi, Gratuity refundable deposit for $221 pp pd.  An 8 day similar itinerary on Celebrity all included refundable deposit was $275 pp pd.  Celebrity is offering 75%off second guest and OBC the sailing is for Jan 2025 and Princess was offering 3rd guest sails free, 40% off and $99 refundable deposit for guest 1 and 2 and the sailing is for May 2026. Both seem to be offering a sale but the price is pretty close. I am waiting for Celebrity to release Europe Spring /Summer 2026 to compare.  It's costing me $500 for two nights in a hotel in NY no food included for early November so either cruise is a bargain compared to that.

Edited September 7 by Iamcruzin

[ChucktownSteve]

I ignore the touted "sale" items.  I find similar itineraries on different cruise lines.  Following the pandemic, I did that with Celebrity and Regent.  Comparing similarly sized suites, I found Regent a lower price pp/pn on three cruises.  That was because Celebrity was trying to eat up all that excessive FCC issued through the pandemic so their rates went sky high while cutting back on services and quality.

 

But Regent includes all specialty restaurants, gratuities, premium liquor (including liter bottles in your suite), excursions in every port, free pre-cruise hotel night for concierge and above suites, transfers, taxes/fees and more.  At the time they also did a two category upgrade.

 

As Tyler414 pointed out, the best time to book for pricing is earlier.  I usually book two years out; when itineraries are first released.  Only once in all my years have I found a better re-pricing due to a sale on any line I've sailed.

[dreamer321]

On 9/6/2024 at 7:15 AM, Tom and Ingrid said:

My wife and I were reviewing the Celebrity "sales" this past holiday weekend, and exactly nothing jumped out at us as a good deal - let alone very good or great.  

 

I've seen the comments lately and get daily e-mails about "deals", but it really seems like the new normal is X doesn't want or need to sweeten the pot anymore. Even off-peak cruises seem full price - or, more likely, inflated "MSRP" and then basic discounting to "full" price.  

 

Not wanting to jump ship to other lines, but with a few others in our sights - Virgin, MSC, Princess, and Cunard - I do wonder if I need to pay more attention to how those lines are pricing and offering sales over time.

 

Is this really just an X thing (few real deals) or is the high occupancy rates allowing all cruise lines to keep prices at full price?  

The advertised sales are just a marketing gimmick.  

 

There are some really good deals out there but you have to look for them and book them when you find them.  A good resource is CruisePlum.com. You can filter by Celebrity then have it sort by Price per day.  Most of the cheapest deals are Transatlantic/repositioning cruises but you can find some other cheap itineraries here and there. They also have a price chart feature you can see the past prices for that particular cruise. On my next two cruises I booked at the cheapest or second cheapest price X has offered on that itinerary.  It just takes a little bit of work, either by you or your travel agent.  Good Luck and Bon Voyage

[mahdnc]

On 9/6/2024 at 9:15 AM, Tom and Ingrid said:

My wife and I were reviewing the Celebrity "sales" this past holiday weekend, and exactly nothing jumped out at us as a good deal - let alone very good or great.  

 

I've seen the comments lately and get daily e-mails about "deals", but it really seems like the new normal is X doesn't want or need to sweeten the pot anymore. Even off-peak cruises seem full price - or, more likely, inflated "MSRP" and then basic discounting to "full" price.  

 

Not wanting to jump ship to other lines, but with a few others in our sights - Virgin, MSC, Princess, and Cunard - I do wonder if I need to pay more attention to how those lines are pricing and offering sales over time.

 

Is this really just an X thing (few real deals) or is the high occupancy rates allowing all cruise lines to keep prices at full price?  

 

Your observations are correct.  Most of the sales are variations of the same thing (although some variations may be more appealing to certain passengers).  Also by marketing their every day prices as limited time sales, it allows Celebrity to put that FOMO countdown clock on their website.

[Iamcruzin]

On 9/6/2024 at 5:32 PM, Lastdance said:

What would a real sale look like on Celebrity?:  Free gratuities?

                                                                         OBC(depending on cabin/suite

                                                                         35% off drink packages

                                                                         Two free specialty dinners

                                                                         Two free excursions

                                                                         guaranteed 1-2 category moveup

                                                                         5% discount off cruise

                                                                        *Pick two out of three

 

Just wondering what might tempt you...

                                                                        

Any percent off of a drink package is bogus. The drink packages never actually sell for the original price it's just an MSRP. They start off at 15% off after you book and the percent continues to rise and fall as the weeks go on. I can't imagine anyone who is on Cruise Critic wood purchase the drink package unless it's at least 35% off and I have seen it as high as 40% off. Free gratuities can be measured and is actual money so I would consider that a sale.  Free meals and excursions wouldn't compel me to book.   I don't look for sales I look for a good daily price with extras included.

Edited September 7 by Iamcruzin

[Ex-Airbalancer]

9 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

Any percent off of a drink package is bogus. The drink packages never actually sell for the original price it's just an MSRP. They start off at 15% off after you book and the percent continues to rise and fall as the weeks go on. I can't imagine anyone who is on Cruise Critic wood purchase the drink package unless it's at least 35% off and I have seen it as high as 40% off. Free gratuities can be measured and is actual money so I would consider that a sale.  Free meals and excursions wouldn't compel me to book.   I don't look for sales I look for a good daily price with extras included.

Black Friday in 2023 it was 50% for drink packages 

[dreamer321]

20 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Black Friday in 2023 it was 50% for drink packages 

Yes, I booked the Premium Beverage package for $47.99 per day plus gratuity.  That's the price to aim for. The current regular price is $109 per day (before gratuities) although it's frequently discounted to around $80 per day(before gratuities).

[Syd58]

The best pricing is going to be very early (as soon as schedules are posted) or close to the sailing date. We have saved thousands by booking as soon as schedules are posted.

[Georgia_Peaches]

You should, IMO most definitely shop around. I’m fond of the Celebrity product as a whole but have absolutely no allegiance to the brand. I go where I can get the most bang for the buck and these days it’s not on Celebrity. With 3 MSC and 1 Regent cruise on the books, I will only squeeze something in with celebrity if I can find a last minute deal or a really good casino offer. And one of the things I love most about Celebrity as it relates to casino offers is that even the ‘cheapest’ accommodation is pretty darn nice!

[Lastdance]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

You should, IMO most definitely shop around. I’m fond of the Celebrity product as a whole but have absolutely no allegiance to the brand. I go where I can get the most bang for the buck and these days it’s not on Celebrity. With 3 MSC and 1 Regent cruise on the books, I will only squeeze something in with celebrity if I can find a last minute deal or a really good casino offer. And one of the things I love most about Celebrity as it relates to casino offers is that even the ‘cheapest’ accommodation is pretty darn nice!

My Oceania PH1 was such a deal for a TA.  I plan to really enjoy it.  Cruising, along with land stays booked together are where my plans are for next year.  The TA suite prices on Ascent were so high that a sunset suite was almost 18,000 at one point!  It did come down, but not enough IMHO.   Right now I have an SV, but am pending and locked for a suite.  Only time will tell and it is still above my suite on Vista/Oceania.  If I enjoy the Oceania product, I will consider booking again for 2026 on the Allura which is coming out soon.