Celebrity rip off solo cruisers

You aren’t looking at this the way celebrity is. You are not being forced to purchase 2 drink packages. You are booking a cruise line/room/rate that includes perks. True, you cannot use the double perk, but you also aren’t paying full price for the perks. In my experience booking 2 per cabin, a balcony cabin costing double per person over an inside is pretty typical. So to get a balcony cabin for double the cost of an inside, with the drink package included, isn’t a bad deal to me. This is how celebrity prices now. Plenty of people, even two per cabin, who don’t drink at all feel the same way. It’s not a ‘solo rip off’

 

In the US, at least, as the sailing gets closer the typically offer guarantee cabin bookings that do not include the perks, maybe wait and see if those are offered on this sailing to you. But I don’t think you’ll find that the discounted price will be the price you are looking at minus 2 full price drink packages. Because with the promo rate you aren’t paying for 2 full price drink packages.

 

 

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I am paying for 2 when there is only me, i cant drink for 2

Happy to pay extra for upgrade but why should i pay for 1 drinks package and 1 wifi package i cant use?

Even if i book last minute still exactly same policy no matter what country i sail in!

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I don't use the pools, yet the cost of them is included in my fare. I don't go to the production shows in the theatre, yet the cost of them is also included in my rate. Should Celebrity discount fares for all the people who don't use all of the "perks" ?

Two included drink packages appear to be included in the fare the O.P. is paying for the category of room desired, the option is to take an inside room with no perks, but that isn't acceptable to the O.P. either.

Perhaps Celebrity realizes they just can't be everything to everybody, and as a mass market line price their product to provide for as many as possible, while meeting their profit requirements.

There are so many cruise lines out there I sure would not give my custom to one that I consider rips me off.

I just look at the bottom line and decide if it's what I want to pay. If not, then I look for another cruise.

You're bogged down in the trees when you should be looking at the forest.

The price cabins based on DOUBLE occupancy...so each cabin costs double the "per person" rate. Not a "rip-off"...it's what the cabins cost!

He wasn't making the normal solo complaint about the double pricing. He was complaining about Celebrities pricing model where they include the drink packages (or other benefits) in the base pricing for Ocean views in above (a change they made a few years back), resulting in higher base prices. As such a solo is paying the prices that include 2 drink packages. Unlike the insides where the benefits are bundled into the base prices.

His complaint is that they should unbundle the drinks package from the solo fare for ocean view and above, like they do in insides, since as he put it, cannot drink twice as much.

I travel solo, suites, and regularly just buy one drinks package (never two) once I've booked the cruise, so I'm not sure what you mean. I've never been required to buy two, but when i do take the "go best" package I get $300 rather than just $150, so no complaints here. It would be nice for me if Celebrity's market share weakened enough that they needed to reduce the solo supplement, but that's generally not the case.

A few years ago Celebrity changed their pricing models, such that when you book ocean view or above they include perks in the fare. They usually do not include fares for those cabins that do not include the perks (unlike the pricing model before the change where you purchased the base fare and added the perks you wanted Celebrity went to including the perks, marketing them like they were free inclusions, but at the same time raised the base price of the fares to what the old fares + purchased perks would have been. Basically forced purchases).

On inside cabins you can still buy them at the old fares without the perks. Thus the OP's comment about wither having to pay for 2 drink packages or being stuck in an inside cabin.

I sound like a broken record but to the OP...just book with a US travel agent and you MAY be pleasantly surprised.

If 2 people dont drink in a cabin at least they can still drink 2 coffees 2 cokes etc etc.

I am paying for 2 when there is only me, i cant drink for 2

Happy to pay extra for upgrade but why should i pay for 1 drinks package and 1 wifi package i cant use?

Even if i book last minute still exactly same policy no matter what country i sail in!

 

 

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If you are paying for two drinks packages perhaps you should get a second card for a second drink - useful to make stronger drinks :D. We had the classic drinks package on our last cruise, my wife doesn't drink so I would often use her card along with mine to get two drinks - bar staff had no issue putting the drinks in the same glass.

In the UK, after final pay date you will often see cheap "guarantee" rates that don't include drinks packages or any other "free" perks and surprisingly given that they've taken these free perks off the price is much lower.

As a solo cruiser why do I get ripped off if I choose a oceanview or above.

As a solo traveller I pay double already on most ships but on Celebrity if I book oceanview or above I get 2 free classic drinks packages! Nothing is for free and the 2 packages are included in the upgrade price from inside.

As a solo passenger I cant drink twice as much and as someone who dosent drink cant even drink one.

Why cant I just book a cabin and add 1 non alcoholic drinks package like on most other cruises?

Solo travellers are a good chunk of the cruising market but it seems like we are not welcome on Celebrity cruises. As were stuck in an inside cabin or ripped off for 2 drinks packages.

 

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If you truly feel ripped off then just purchase a cruise on another line more to your needs.

i cruise solo and pick the sailings that interest me and pay the price i am willing to pay.

 

I just returned from a solo cruise in an oceanview and didn't have the drinks package at all, so you must have booked under a different promotion. But the drinks package includes non-alcoholic beverages, so it's not like you can't drink those even if you don't drink alcohol.

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

I would be happy, if, as a solo, “paying for two”, they would upgrade me to the premium package. That is still less than the value of two classics, but sure would be nice.

Just to clarify. In the UK, all OV and above bookings include a drink package without any option to select a different perk (like OBC) and they never have the option to book without including at least the drink package?

Then the OP has a good point. IMO it is not really fair to require all Celebrity bookings in the UK to take the Classic Drink Package even when two people are on the booking.

Do UK passengers have the option to book other discounted price categories without any of those "free" perks, as we do in the USA and Canada?

(e.g., senior, military, interline, resident (state or province), travel agent, police or firefighter rates -- even saw a teacher discount one time)

Hotel rooms also typically cost the same price for one person as for two, although basic hotel room prices usually do not include meals, except perhaps a breakfast buffet or some type of happy hour drinks/snacks.

But I do remember trips to England when they charged per person rather than per room, so when traveling with children it would cost the same amount to have your children share your room as to get a separate room for each child.

Not having traveled to England with children recently, I don't know whether or not they still do it that way, but the per-person charge included a big British breakfast.

I also recall that when traveling around the British countryside, if you stopped at a pub for lunch, you could bring your dog inside with you, but you had to leave your child outside on the porch.

(This is not intended as a criticism of the Brits. We in the US have certainly had many strange liquor laws through the years, and still have some to this day.)

Do UK passengers have the option to book other discounted price categories without any of those "free" perks, as we do in the USA and Canada?

(e.g., senior, military, interline, resident (state or province), travel agent, police or firefighter rates -- even saw a teacher discount one time)

 

Hotel rooms also typically cost the same price for one person as for two, although basic hotel room prices usually do not include meals, except perhaps a breakfast buffet or some type of happy hour drinks/snacks.

 

But I do remember trips to England when they charged per person rather than per room, so when traveling with children it would cost the same amount to have your children share your room as to get a separate room for each child.

Not having traveled to England with children recently, I don't know whether or not they still do it that way, but the per-person charge included a big British breakfast.

I also recall that when traveling around the British countryside, if you stopped at a pub for lunch, you could bring your dog inside with you, but you had to leave your child outside on the porch.

 

(This is not intended as a criticism of the Brits. We in the US have certainly had many strange liquor laws through the years, and still have some to this day.)

 

We do not have those options and furthermore our deposits have always been non refundable.

As for our laws around children and pubs. A lot has changed and it’s difficult to find a pub that isn’t full of families enjoying a meal.

https://www.gov.uk/alcohol-young-people-law

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I book solo and know up front that is what it is. I have the option of going w/ the residency rate which may be lower w/o the perks but usually the numbers don't add up if I was to purchase the drinks package and lose my OBC or gratuiteis from TA or both. If there is a 2nd perk I always go for the OBC since you get the full $300. Even this time my TA gave me the OBC instead of pre-paid gratuities since it made sense as it was more that the gratuities. Is Celebrity making money off the unused package, sure. Do I wish they would may realize that and do something like give the premium package instead of classic when sailing solo since they still come out ahead, sure. But I know full well going it what it is and make my decision based on that.

OP you have my sympathy. It always amazes me the people who will respond without taking the trouble to fully read and understand the issue.

In my book you ARE treated unfairly on this and you should not have to book with a US TA to get around this (although it would solve your problem). It should be a level playing field for all customers and it’s not. Simple.

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In the UK, is the drink package the only option when you book with just 1 "perk" or could you choose the OBC instead? If you can pick the OBC and get the full $300USD, I would got that route since the classic non-alcoholic drink package would less than $150USD and that would at least leave you with the rest as spending money.

Once you select the wireless offering then your $300 OBC is gone. There’s no ‘balance’ after you make the choice and again- that’s wireless for 1 device, not 2.

In the u.k you cant book oceanview or above without the 2 drinks packages even if you book on the Celebrity website unless its a re positioning cruise.

So sounds like a U.K only problem?

 

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Suggest you consider using a US TA instead.

There's a cure for feeling ripped off. If you have to pay double why not bring a friend who may not otherwise be able to afford a nice vacation.

I promise you will feel great!:)

You also can't gamble twice as much, or book twice as many shore excursions – so I suspect the reason behind the policy is that Celebrity doesn't really want to encourage solo travelers to take up cabins they think they can sell to couples. Their ships, their rules. If that's a bad business decision, they will have empty cabins and drop the single supplement to fill them.

This is exactly the case. Celebrity wants to maximize occupancy and a solo cruiser taking up a double, triple, or quad occupancy cabin doesn't help in this goal. The solo cruiser limits the revenue generated once passengers are on board. So thus the supplements are really to dissuade people from booking solo.

This is exactly the case. Celebrity wants to maximize occupancy and a solo cruiser taking up a double, triple, or quad occupancy cabin doesn't help in this goal. The solo cruiser limits the revenue generated once passengers are on board. So thus the supplements are really to dissuade people from booking solo.

Also to dissuade a couple from booking two connecting rooms.