Flafun888

"Do you have your own medical coverage that would include medical costs ON the ship or in Mexico? I'm assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that if you live in Florida, you'll have coverage for Key West. But CHECK."

I'll be calling my insurer tomorrow to ask about any coverage that may be valid while on the ship...thank you for the suggestion. Will also give trip insurance store a call as well. Somehow doubt I have coverage in Mexico, as many people seem to be saying international coverage isn't the norm anymore, but will confirm. We're definitely covered anywhere in U.S. or territories. Great input...much appreciated.

1st time cruiser here sailing this coming Feb: been studying insurance options and travel insurance forum section. Such terrific advice here about policies in general, but hoping for some specific guidance on this sailing.

It's just the 2 of us (50 and 49 hubbie/wife- healthy/no pre-existing conditions) doing a 5 day cruise. Two stops: Key West and Cozumel. We are FL residents who live minutes from port. So no hotels, airfare, or rental cars. We're paying about $600/pp fare, not counting taxes. I understand - thanks to all the wisdom on these threads - that it's less about recovering one's cruise fare - it's about protection for med and evac if something goes wrong.

So getting insurance isn't the issue - I'm definitely buying it. But can anyone estimate a ballpark % that should offer me reasonable M and E coverage for this sailing? Ship's policy was around 12% of the cruise fare...seems pretty high given no flights, no hotels, 1 non-U.S. port stop?

What do you think would be a reasonable % or price range I should look for when shopping that gives reasonable M & E peace of mind for Cozumel and open waters to/from without overinsuring/spending more than I really need?

Your advice is most appreciated.:)

This will be our very first cruise on ANY line and after a ton of research on my part, I picked Celebrity as the line and the 5 day Connie sailing as our first adventure. Everything I've read and heard since makes me so glad I did. Can't wait!

thank you all...really appreciate your quick response and helpful opinions. Was debating between the two dates and you put my mind at ease!

Hoping to book a Celebrity 5 day cruise Feb 21-26 and wondering if anyone has sailed around that time. I'm hoping to avoid spring break (a little bit is no big deal - just don't want the full blown March/April madness), This sailing is 20% cheaper than early Feb. How bad is it around this time? Thank you for any help/insights you can provide :)

JennAngel9...would you mind sharing which insurance company you found that lets you cancel for any reason and is cheaper than Celebrity's insurance? (If that doesn't violate any forum rules, of course!)

PLENTY - especially on a cruise like this. Departure port that's easily accessible by car for all those retired people. And not many would want an inside cabin for what is primarily a scenery cruise.

 

 

 

Celebrity is in business to make a profit for their stockholders. THAT is their single goal. Enticing NEW customers pays off bigger than keeping loyal customers happy. NEW customers spend more on the ship than loyal customers. Like it or not, the cruise industry is an anomaly to standard business practice. When you take all monies apent, The cost of getting new customers is not higher than keeping current customers.

 

I think Celebrity has simply figured that out quicker than sone other cruise lines. PS - I don't like it either.

I certainly understand the profitablity logic. But I do wonder if Celebrity is calculating the high residual costs of disillusioned/upset customers every time they play the pricing game? Airlines get away with it because people have to fly. No one "has" to cruise.

Every happy passenger has countless family members, friends and work colleagues that have never cruised before. Recommending a particular cruise line to others or bringing first timers aboard on future sailings can be a huge ROI lift - especially in the cutthroat Caribbean market where competition is rampant and there are many choices.

Celebrity certainly doesn't owe us anything - it's their right to play price roulette. But how much would it really cost the line to give some token OBC, a free excursion or a few specialty meals just as a little goodwill compensation when disappointed customers see fire sale price drops of 25% or more after final payment? The goal is not to make them "whole" as attorneys would say, but to just make them feel a little more valued. I know I would be much more inclined to recommend them to others in that scenario. And how many times could that single inexpensive gesture inspire positive word of mouth that nets the line a brand new friend or family cruiser- the exact target audience they seek?

In contrast, the stats on unhappy customers is well known. Especially when most can now vent virally to hundreds of thousands on social media in a matter of seconds.

I'm a first time cruiser...and yes I'll proably spend more $$$ aboard ship when I sail in Feb than the average experienced cruiser. So I'm supposedly one of the profitable passengers they seek. But I booked early because I needed a midship cabin and if I accidentally find out that rates plummeted, I will feel bad, despite understanding the rationale. I can't help it: I will hate knowing I'm paying a lot more for the exact same vacation experience others are getting. If the price drop is really severe, it may discourage me from booking early ever again and will taint the cruise a bit. Not logical. But emotions (and buying behavior) are rarely logical - advertising 101.

Celebrity is actually bucking today's trends...more hotels and vacation destinations will honor their lower promotional price, even after customers pay in full. Most major retailers will refund you the difference or give you a store credit if mdse goes on sale within 30-90 days after you purchase. You just have to ask. Firms are not doing this to be "nice". They've crunched the numbers and know it's more profitable when customers feel greater buying confidence and that positive word of mouth generates far more sales than advertising ever can.

CruisingChick: if you don't mind me asking, what was the sailing length and time of year for this cruise you mention?

Hi all...great thread...such helpful info. Question: As Floridians, we love the beach, but already live near it and go constantly, plus paddleboard a lot. We also bought the alcohol drink pkg on our upcoming cruise...so bar hopping and beach relaxation wouldn't be as much of a draw for us w/just 1 day at Cozumel. But I do love snorkeling...and don't get to do that much.

Another thread and this one mentioned Moneybar - do you think that might make more sense for us - or is Chankanaab so much fun/such a nice place, that's it's still better for Cozumel first-timers if I can choose only one? It's just the two of us, no kids.

Also: we sail in early Feb: do MB currents tend to be rougher that time of year? We are hoping for snorkeling we can swim to vs boat excursion. Thanks!

"I also looked at some sailings for Jan thru Feb. Sticker shock!!!! Some of the prices are more than doubled."

We've booked our very 1st cruise and stayed conservative length-wise until we know whether we like cruising: just 5 days in Feb to Key West and Mexico. Rates are running 609/pp for OV cabin (with PYP and possibly $95 ta obc). We need midship, so booked in Aug - even though we only live 20 min from port.

I'm definitely not trying to obsess over getting the cheapest price as that's a game I likely can't win, given cabin needs. But as a newbie, I guess I'm just looking for a bit of reassurance/perspective: is 609/pp fairly reasonable for a 5 day, given what Celebrity offers? And how much buyer's remorse am I risking? Do rates generally bottom out big time after final pymt even on these shorter cruises? A $50-75 drop - no sweat. A $200 drop on a $600 cruise - painful! :)

Will look into that as well. Appreciate your suggestion. Unless I go alone, any boat excursion is off the table...we've tried several times on even the larger dive boats with no luck. My poor DH just doesn't do well on dive boats or any boat smaller than a cruise ship with stabilizers.

ABQRobin: wish I could, but unfortunately my husband gets seasick on the boats that go out to the reefs, so this is not an option. It's either snorkle close to shore or not at all.:(

Will definitely research those threads you mentioned on the two additional areas. Thank you.

This thread was so helpful....thank you. Definitely will keep Moneybar on the list. If cost wasn't an issue, any other suggestions for great snorkeling spots with nice facilities in a safe area where no boat is needed? Fees are fine. Just can't do any boat rides to a reef. My husband gets seasick on those smaller boats that take you to the reefs (like ones in the keys). He's tried 2x with seasickness pills, ginger, no luck. We both swim fine and are in good health. Any other suggestions are most appreciated.

So jealous you guys have this flexibility...with a travel partner prone to seasickness, we have to pay more to assure a midship, lower level cabin. I would book those guarantees in a minute...what a great deal to pay less, then possibly get an upgrade to boot. But not worth the money saved if one's partner ends up in the bathroom or in bed for most of the trip.:(

"The drink packages encourages us to drink more than we should, for sure!" Definitely relate to that: no wrist twisting needed here to have a couple more when the "house" is paying. :)

"In our last Celebrity cruise, which was a 7 night out of San Juan, we spent $250 for the two of us, and that included frozen coffee beverages, water, martinis and wine"

Thanks Lisa: good point. You're giving me something to think about. We both loves our espressos and we enjoy drinking socially, but we're definitely not huge party people or excessive. Probably a drink during the day, maybe 2-3 more each between glass of wine at dinner and later that night at most. Will have to crunch the numbers again and see just how big a benefit it is.

Thank you CathyCruises and Dick in Falls Church: so helpful to get objective advice. Much appreciated.

thank you CathyCruises: appreciate your words of advice! Just 1 more question: do you think I'd miss out on anything booking direct with Celebrity in this instance, given there's no flights or land excursions to coordinate and no extras through offered by TAs at this point? Or is finding a TA still the safer bet? (I pretty much know the cabin location I want already and it's just the 2 of us - no group, adjoining rooms to coordinate.)

I'm a first time cruiser...following this thread and appreciate all the good advice people take time to share. I realize that no one can see into the future to give me guarantees, but could you still share your opinion anyhow based upon your booking experience?

Considering a oceanview room on a Celebrity 5 day Western Carrib Jan 15 sailing for me and my husband. Need something lower level/midship due to seasickness and really coveting that bev package perk that ends oct 5th :)

I live 1 hour from port, so no airfare issues - can be quite flexible.

Should I just pull the trigger now and pay more for the cabin to lock in that perk before it ends? (I checked around and there doesn't seem to be much else in terms of OBC or perks offered on this cruise right now thru TAs... their deals are same as booking with Celebrity directly, other than the one online TA that charges $100 pp agency change fee.

Do you think cabins may drop much on these shorter cruises? Is it worth missing out on bev package perk ending 10/5? Or is that really a pretty sweet deal already? And if I can't find a TA that offers anything more than Celebrity is offering already, does it make sense to just book direct given this is a pretty short, straightfwd trip?

Sorry about all the questions: just don't have anyone objective I know that I can ask :)