ak1004

How was it different before? They still were giving you an invoice without itemization of WiFi, specialty restaurants, non alcoholic beverages etc. They are just moving closer to the all inclusive model of SB and SS. Does anyone consider SB or SS pricing "opaque"? It's just up to you to compare between different brands considering all inclusions.

Well, with oLife, you could say the same about the cost of the first WiFi. Or the cost of specialty restaurants. How about the cost of non alcoholic beverages? The question is why do you need to separate them? It's a single price with “Simply More", you know what's included and what's not, the only question now is how does it compare to the competitors? Not everyone might like the new inclusions and the price increase associated with it (we don't as non drinkers), but there is no doubt that the new pricing model is indeed more simple than the previous one.

If it's a different ship, it doesn't matter. If it's the same ship, it does because it could be a matter of perspective. I don't believe that things change so drastically in 9 months on the same ship.

I couldn't say it better. It's not only about the food, it's the whole package. Regarding the cost, when people complain that O is expensive, I suggest checking Celebrity prices. Their "start from" prices look low, but they exclude port fees and are for non refundable deposit. A refundable deposit increases the price dramatically. And when you add non alcoholic drinks, internet, specialty restaurants etc. the prices become pretty close (sometimes even higher than O).

It's actually a US TA. I checked few Canadian TAs, none provided any rebates.

Yep. Our TA sends us a rebate check few weeks before the sailing.

We were on the Regatta last September, never had any issues, a wonderful cruise. Then we read two one star reviews named "disaster" and "awful cruise". It was almost like we were on different sailings. Maybe matter of perspective? Some people always look for glass half empty..

Rebates?

Do you KNOW this or it's pure speculation?

For years, people were complaining about O "opaque" pricing. oLife was not really complicated actually once you spent a few minutes to understand it. Now they make it even more simple. You can book with air or without air. Both options have certain inclusions. Cannot be any more simple, and people still complain and call it opaque..

Same with us. Referrals are the best source of business for any business.

I don't believe it. The loyalists are the best ambassadors for every line (this is true for any product or brand). They are the best source of new customers. And when they leave, they often take their friends with them. Loyalty benefits are a very small part of the total cruise fare.

4 random ports. Looks pretty clear to me. One included (usually panoramic which is another name for a bus tour with couple photo stops), and the rest are extra cost.

We were in regular cabin too. Entertainment and enrichment were outstanding, among the best we had on any ship. However, the service and food were very mediocre. And still pretty crowded. I was told that suites get much better food and service, but for the price of the suite, we can book O.

SS excursions are actually pretty good. Typical group size is around 25-30 people, and there is a wide selection. We did Safari by 4x4, fjord cruise, desert dune drive etc.

Regular cabin or suite?

Different galaxies. No lines. No crowds. Very few children. Much better food. More personal service. No comparison at all. We are not going back to big ships.

Are there any differences in service between older and newer ships? We were on the Spirit last December (our one and only SS cruise so far, booked on two more). We felt it's a perfect size, the ship felt very well maintained, the food was excellent. However, we felt some slight inconsistencies in service. Water not re filled in time, some dishes arrived not hot enough etc. To be fair, we were a group of 5 couples, and I know it's not easy to serve such a large group. Still, most of us felt that for an ultra luxury ship, the service was slightly below expectations. Maybe it was an isolated case (staff transition etc), maybe it was due to our group size. Trying to understand if we should expect a better service on our Dawn cruise in December.

If it's only $300 it's not bad actually. It's 11 nights, right? Can you check some other sailings please?

That sucks.. It's very different with SS. You get selection of 5-7 included excursions that you can select from in each port. You can take more than one, and you pay for the second one, but the prices are very reasonable, usually under $100 USD. Then you have 2-4 "selected" excursions that are extra cost, but also more unique. Those are extra cost and also more expensive.

Yes, but $800 credit is per cabin, so $400 per person. House select is $400 per person, so the increase is exactly the added amount of the drinks and the excursions.

you mean they just give you a single excursion in each port? No options to select from?

I'm actually checking SB prices all the time. They do have few Mediterranean and West Europe sailings that are around $600-650 CAD per day, usually for OV. O OV is typically around $400-450 CAD. This is still a significant difference. However, if on July 1st O prices increase say by $80-100 CAD per day, then the prices will become pretty close. This is even before any promotions, and SB had a 15% promotion last year for all sailings, so many sailings were around $500-550 CAD. This would be a no brainer. Same is true for SS, and SS also includes one excursion in each port. Last year we were able to book SS cruise at $550 CAD per day, which was actually cheaper than our cruise on Vista. Plus their entry level cabins are over 300 sqft (not to mention unlimited black caviar). I'm sure O management is well familiar with those numbers, but maybe they are not really interested in cheap guests like myself who book the cheaper cabins and don't spend much money on board.

But we all ignore the fact that EVERYTHING is more expensive now. Looks at flights. Our friends just booked premium economy flights to Europe at $3,200 CAD. Per Covid, you could fly business for that kind of money. And yes, people will pay or stay home. Those are the only choices. I for one don't go back to Celebrity, and I don't drink, so I will likely pay for other people's drinks. The only thing is that I might be doing it on SS or SB, not O if O prices become comparable to SS or SB.

Well, if you don't do cancellation insurance anyway, I really don't see the big difference between penalty starting 6 months or 4 months prior to sailing.. Not to mention that most credit cards have it included. But obviously it's a personal choice.