conquesodor

Celebrity has risen its prices due to the inclusion of Beverage packages and other perks. If you remove the value of the Beverage packages, you will see that the average price increase is on line with other lines.

That could be a partial explanation, but don't other cruise lines also frequently offer beverage packages, not to mention other perks? I see ads for NCL offering "free open bar", dining packages, and other perks frequently. Of course, NCL is one of the lines with a higher overall increase in price too. Does Carnival, RCCL and Princess operate differently?

It would be interesting to see when perks became common practice for each cruise line and how that corresponds to average price, but I have no idea how to figure that out.

I've been wondering about the many comments I've seen lately about the cost of a cruise on =X= going up. I recently found a website that is primarily interested in selling you a price tracking service, but will also show you historical price data for each of the mass market lines. (I'm not sure I can link directly to the site, since they are selling a service, but if you google "cruise price drop checking" you should be able to find it.)

You can only view average price per day for each of the four major cabin categories: interior, ocean view, balcony, and suite. These averages are going to leave out a lot of variables about ship, itinerary, etc., as well as lump a lot of other options into just 4 basic buckets of data, but this doesn't mean that the trends aren't interesting or valid. In most cases you can view a graph going back to 2010, but the trend line is a little tricky to get a precise read and you have to guess whether the line is on say, $180 or $190 for a given year. With these caveats about averages and imprecision out of the way, I thought I'd share a summary of what I found concerning the average prices per day for balcony cabins on =X= and other major cruise lines since 2010.

I don't claim to be an expert on math, statistics, etc., so if there is a glaring problem with my assumptions or conclusions, please be gentle.

General comments:

I'm focusing on balcony cabins, since they are the most common cabin category. However, the overall trends from one category to another, seem to generally match each other.

Prices across all cruise lines have been increasing steadily since 2010, but Celebrity has indeed seen the largest percentage increase in price. :eek:

I will note the price for 2010, 2013, and 2016 to give you a sense of the trend, as well as the overall percent change in price from 2010 to 2016. (For Disney, data only goes back to 2012)

All prices are average price per day for a balcony class cabin, across the entire fleet.

Celebrity

2010: $180

2013: $225

2016: $280

Percent change: 43%

Princess

2010: $225

2013: $225

2016: $250

Percent change: 10.5%

NCL

2010: $180

2013: $190

2016: $225

Percent change: 22%

RCCL

2010: $190

2013: $200

2016: $210

Percent change: 10%

Carnival

2010: $150

2013: $160

2016: $170

Percent change: 12.5%

Disney

2012: $275

2014: $300

2016: $375

Percent change: 30%

Final thoughts:

In 2010, Celebrity's average price was lower than Princess and comparable to NCL and RCCL.

By 2013, Celebrity's average price was tied with Princess, and now significantly more than RCCL or NCL.

In 2016, Celebrity's average price was $30 higher than Princess and was the second most expensive line overall. Only Disney was higher.

Three lines: Princess, RCCL, and Carnival, managed to keep their price increases over the last six years to a modest 10%-12%.

NCL and Disney saw larger increases of 22% and 30% respectively, while Celebrity's prices rose a whopping 43%.

Thank you to the OP and everyone else who shared stories of excursion close calls and missed departures. I think it's a good reminder not to take it for granted that you are taking a risk booking with an independent company. Things can and do go wrong, even with the most reputable private operation. It's interesting and reassuring to hear how the guaranteed return works when something unexpected happens.

That said, I've taken a mix of private and X sponsored excursions on my cruises. I generally try to apply a common sense cost / benefit analysis to the decision. If the time in port is on the shorter side, if we need to tender ashore instead of walk off, if the excursion requires an extended or complicated trip inland and is scheduled to return close to departure time, etc., then I'll usually opt to pay Celebrity and get the guaranteed return that the extra cost buys. On the other hand, if it's an easy port to access, the trip is expected to return many hours prior to departure, and there are some very well recommended private companies to book with, than I'll usually go that route. I definitely recommend doing your research. I've only been unhappy with two tours (one X and one private) and each could have been avoided if I had planned ahead.

Price has rarely been a factor when comparing X excursions to comparable private tours, but sometimes a private company will offer something expanded or unique that X simply does not. I'm also not averse to exploring on my own if the destination is easy to navigate.

So, research, use common sense, and enjoy! :)

While I agree with you in general, there are some tours/ports where we do take Celebrity Cruises. Belize comes to mind where the port stop is not long and some of the ruins are quite a distance away involving bus and then boat to get to. Our last visit, there were three small buses...we were on the first bus and arrived back 15 minutes after the ship was scheduled to depart. The other two busses followed with the last one arriving about 45 minutes after the scheduled time. The ship, of course, waited.

 

Our rule of thumb when arranging tours ourselves or small groups is that we want to be back at the ship 90 minutes prior to scheduled departure time. Sometimes that means shortening a tour guides normal tour, but we'd rather not fret about missing the ship than force seeing everything.

Good advice. :)

I've never had a problem finding a quiet or peaceful place on M class to relax. Yes, the areas around the pool can get noisy, particularly when some sort of cruise director led activity is taking place, but there is plenty of other deck space forward and aft that usually isn't crowded and is much quieter. I've also enjoyed time outside on deck 5, either by the railing or sitting on a chair. There are plenty of lounges and public spaces that are very mellow during the daytime too. Cellar Masters or Revelations Lounge come to mind.

If you can afford a suite, great, but otherwise I find that my balcony that comes with my standard class cabin is one of my favorite places to enjoy my cruise. :)

I've enjoyed the martini bar before dinner, but avoid it at night when it gets very loud.

The area around cafe bacio is also very relaxing during the day, especially if you are enjoying a treat from the cafe. :D

The aft "oceanview bar" is also a great place to enjoy a drink or take food from the buffet, and usually is pretty mellow.

My biggest gripe is the DJ who plays loud music in the atrium area at night, which spoils the ambiance of the entire atrium space. :mad:

I have not sailed on S class (yet), but I think some of your observations are applicable to M class as well. I really enjoy X and think it is the best match for my tastes and budget, but I agree that some things X does just don't make sense or could be improved.

- Pool area. I'd also like real caribbean music (live or not) for caribbean cruises. While the pool areas are mellower on X than other cruise lines (which I definitely appreciate), I also agree that less cruise director "activities" would be preferable for me.

- Cellar Masters. Love the ambiance here, but agree that it's usually pretty dead. Someone else mentioned offering snacks to help bring the life back to another bar, which I think might work wonders here too. I realize there'd be some costs / logistics for X to do this, but some simple tapas or other snacks would be awesome. I do enjoy the wine appreciation programs they often run here on sea days.

- Bistro / Sushi on 5. I've noticed so much variance of opinion on these places. I really loved Bistro on 5 on Summit and sad to see it go. With Sushi on 5, some people have pointed out that the a la carte menu works well for having a cocktail and enjoying one or two items, rather than a full meal. From what I've seen, there are items on the menu that aren't sushi for the non-sushi lovers, but I agree the appeal may be limited for many.

- Atrium. On M class at least, it was very annoying to have a live DJ blasting music in the evenings. Never saw anyone dancing and it wrecked the ambiance throughout this large common area that shared space with Cafe Bacio.

- Theater. I don't mean to offend anyone who enjoys the shows, but for me the quality of the performances translates to the theater being a "poor use" of public space to me.

- General thoughts:

Some of the other "dead" lounges, etc., can be places of peace and relaxation too. So there's that.

Would like to see more cultural enrichment programming in general, which could be held in some of these public spaces.

I wouldn't mind being able to get a better burger or some Tex-Mex. Maybe upgrade / expand the poolside grill? (might not be practical though) The stuff served there now is very limited selection and average quality IMHO.

Haven't been in Michael's Club and doubt I'll get a chance to check it out any time soon. :rolleyes:

Would like to see clarification / confirmation of this. When on the Summit in April, the items at Cafe al Bacio were fantastic, but the selection frequently changed over the course of the day and from one day to the next. Did the OP witness what was offered over a few days at least?

Interesting discussion. From what I can tell from reading this and other posts here on cruise critic over the past couple years, X customer service off-ship can be very hit or miss. I'm not really sure what the reason for that is.

On my last cruise, I made sure to send in a detailed post cruise response to their survey and called out several crew members for their great service. The only thing I was critical about was replacing the Normandie restaurant with Tuscan Grille. I didn't receive any follow up from X about my comments, but I hope my positive comments about the crew members was noted and passed along.

I've generally only had very positive experiences onboard, but I did have a bad experience once with an X purchased excursion that I wrote a comment card about onboard. Someone from the shore excursion staff onboard did contact me the next day to follow up on my complaints, but other than apologizing that I was disappointed, they didn't offer me anything and simply told me that they generally only get positive reviews for that trip. I suppose I could have raised more of a stink, but I didn't.

If you book with Celebrity, Captain's Club, or if you are a member, you will get a one cabin upgrade...not for a suite. We are on the same cruise...

Then, transfer to a TA. I can't name any of them on here, but you can email me...there are good ones and not so good ones. Also, you can use one that Celebrity gives a lot of credit to... sometimes it is a crap shoot until you find a good one. I am very happy with mine...trek 2 Tahoe @aol dot com

 

You have a very lone time before you need to change to another cruise or lose 100 deposit with a TA...around 3 months before the cruise.

 

I booked a suite the first day they were released and received all four perks, birthday certificate and a super price. It went up a few hours later and is a lot higher now...1,000...I always watch for deals etc. that is just my nature.

 

Glad you are happy; I sure am! I have done a cruise very similar to this one and loved it...will miss Kusadasi in Turkey, but sure understand why...

S

 

 

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Thanks! I'll email you for that recommendation shortly. :)

It looks like from your signature that you booked the same Italy / Greece cruise that I'm looking at!

It does look like all the Reflection itineraries are back! :) However, when I select the 4/27/2018 Italy - Greek Isles cruise on X's USA site, it tells me that there are no cabins available in ANY category. :confused:

When I look at a different online TA site, it shows plenty of cabins available and I can do a dummy booking without a hitch. Good news is that the price hasn't changed for a veranda cabin from a few weeks ago. I am only being offered a classic beverage package as an included perk.

Any advice on finding the best TA for getting the best deals?

If I book now, how long do I have to get a full refund / change the booking to something better without penalty?

This does seem like very poor customer service on X's part. It's hard to believe it's an "IT issue" that a) only affects Reflection, b) that takes this long to fix, c) and there is no clear communication about the issue to customers or TA's. On the other hand, if they are just blowing smoke that's even more aggravating and there's no excuse for not explaining more.

Curiously, I looked at a big online cruise TA this afternoon and they are still showing the 2018 spring/summer Reflection sailings in the Med, but they all say "call for price" and won't allow you to book online.

I'm trying to consider other options, but this is intended as a honeymoon cruise and I don't want to experiment on a different line when my fiance and I both enjoy sailing on X and want to have that experience again.

Checking again this morning - no change.

I emailed X customer service yesterday morning asking about this and have not received a reply or even a confirmation that an inquiry was received.

It doesn't have to be chartered for the whole 5 months, sometimes a couple of charters throws out quite a few sailings, especially if the port stops are altered. Look what happened to Equinox this year: the ship was redeployed to the Caribbean after many bookings had already been made for Europe in 2017 ;). It could quite possibly be just a glitch - who knows with X.

Ugh, I hope the entire season isn't messed up. In the past, I've been very flexible and booked my cruises 6 months or less from sailing. However, now I'm trying to plan a honeymoon and this or other potential uncertainties is really frustrating. I had no idea that planning a cruise 15 months out could be this tricky.

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I called this morning and they are saying they can see the cruises so may be a glitch in the system...which would not be surprising.

I hope it is just a glitch, and if it is it's quite a doozy. It's more than 24 hours since you called and there's still no evidence on X's website that Reflection is sailing anywhere from May 2018 through October 2018.

My TA got back to me after talking to her Celebrity sales rep and was assured the Reflection was not chartered.

Thanks for passing this along. I'd find it hard to believe that Reflection got chartered for a solid 5 month period. Did your TA have any other thoughts about what is going on?

Interesting thread. Thanks for sharing. Maybe one day I'll cruise with this level of service, but for now I can afford and happy to get a standard veranda cabin. :-)

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Thanking for sharing this. Very informative and interesting.

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I've been looking very seriously at the 4/27/2018 cruise out of Rome and heading to Greece, but that is nowhere to be found when I checked a few minutes ago. I saw Reflection cruises for autumn 2018, but nothing for spring or summer.

If anyone learns more, please share it here!

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While it is helpful and interesting to hear from fellow cruisers about their tipping practices and experiences, considering the range of opinions, it's hard to judge what is "correct" or not. I've heard that Europe and other parts of the world have very different customs and expectations about tipping than we do in the States. Considering all this, I'd love to hear from some former (or current) cruise workers on what their experiences and thoughts are regarding tips. There are some great "tell all" stories from former cruise employees on Reddit, but I didn't read anything on there about tipping.

My personal rule of thumb is: tip extra for exceptional service rendered, particularly if your exceptional needs are being catered to.

The advantage to booking on board is the extra OBC offered (above the $300 that's part of the Go Big-Better-Best offer) for doing so. That's the incentive to wait because you rarely get that as part of a public sale. Sometimes the deposit is reduced, too.

 

Savvy travelers will transfer that booking to their TA for more perks once they're home.

 

Reasons to not wait include cabin selection if you're particular, making sure you get a room on itineraries that have limited sailings, and hedging against future price increases. Lots of variables.

Thanks, your summation makes a lot of sense! :)

I also hear a lot of people mention making reservations to hold things and then cancel or transfer reservations much later on, prior to final payment. I've never done this, but wonder if it's worth it or not? Don't you loose your deposit? It also would seem to artificially distort the market and availability of cabins if you are looking at a cruise 12 months or more out.

I also need to get more "savvy" about taking advantage of one deal and transferring it to get even more. The few cruises I've booked, I did so through Costco Travel, which seemed to have some decent incentives on top of what I saw offered elsewhere. Now I'm wondering if that's the best strategy? (this is assuming NOT booking on board)

I've been wondering the same thing as the OP, but I'm still curious about a number of things.

Are the on-board booking perks really not that good as compared to what you can get from a TA? When I was on Summit in April, they were offering $500 OBC, $25 down, and the Good-Better-Best perks. Seemed like a good deal to me, but I wasn't prepared to book a cruise at that point.

Are we comparing apples to apples? I can understand that some veteran cruisers know exactly which cabin they want, down to the cabin number, which would increase your incentive to book early. If you're looking for a particular suite or an aft cabin, they are in limited supply, so once again you have an incentive to book early. I'd think that those of us who will be happy with the majority of veranda cabin choices are probably okay with waiting.

Are cruises just released this week *really* selling out? Or is it just a very specific class of cabin? Or do the cruise lines play games like hotels and airlines do, and not put the whole ship up for sale at the same time?

My experience is limited, but I've usually gotten good deals and cabins waiting 3-6 months before the cruise to book. My upcoming (May 2017) 10-day Italy-Spain cruise was only booked last month and there were many cabins available.

On the other hand, prices seem harder to predict. On the above mentioned Italy-Spain cruise, the prices seemed quite good in October, but they've actually gone up since I booked. However, I'd think that =X= has little incentive to discount cabins for 2018 sailings, they have a lot of time to wait and see how many cabins sell at "full price." If you are flexible about cabin choice, I'd think that waiting a bit is the best option at this point?

Finally, my cruise shopping experience is limited to the Caribbean, where there is lots of competition for =X= to contend with. I'm not sure that's the case in the Mediterranean? If there are fewer alternatives, than there's less pressure to discount prices and greater odds if we wait that we'll not find the cabin we're looking for?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can shed some light on these issues.

I am not 100% certain, but I do not think we get the same promotions in the UK as in the USA.

 

I thought you wanted to check out cabins available. Are you able to put a hold on the cabin of your choice and then contact Celebrity?

I'm mainly curious how / why it would say that there are no cabins available when looking from the U.S., when it does show availability from the U.K. I was also trying to get a sense whether or not there was a special promotion or not. I've never been looking this far in advance and it just seems odd and confusing.

I'll probably wait until I am onboard Constellation in May to book, since from what I understand, this is often the best way to get the best deals. I still see availability for similar cruises in 2017 and with better prices, so I'm gambling that this is the way to go. :)

Another puzzle is why I haven't seen any emails from =X= in a while now, even though I am signed up. Aren't they promoting the new schedule for 2018?

If you go on the UK site you may see more cabins available. If you can't,which cruise are you looking at? I could check it out for you.

I figured out how to get to the UK site. So, =X= is offering a special promotion to the UK for the next 28 hours (or so) and that's why things look wonky here in the U.S.?

I'm looking on the =X= web site at the Italy and Greek isles itineraries, but no matter what class of cabin I select, it tells me, "Unfortunately we ran out of [insert class name] staterooms for this sailing. Let's try again by choosing another class or call our Certified Vacation Planners..."

What is going on?

I also see "special offer" splashed above every cabin type, but nowhere does it mention what the offer is. I see people saying they got perks by calling, is that the only way to get them?

I also agree that the prices seem artificially high - is this normal? I've never thought about booking a cruise this far out, (usually 4-6 months ahead) so maybe it's normal to pay a premium to get first choice of cabins?

CABIN #: 6094

DECK #: PH

CLASS: 2B Deluxe Ocean View with Balcony

AREA: Midship

BED NEAR: bath

QUIET?: Yes

BALCONY VIEW: Very good. Lifeboats immediately below balcony, but did not obstruct view.

BALCONY SIZE: Standard

WIND A PROBLEM?: no

SOOT A PROBLEM?: no

PROBLEMS/COMMENTS: This cabin features a door to access the adjoining cabin, which you can use if your family/guests are all travelling together. We were not, so the door remained locked. Good cabin, would choose again.