1-2-3 Promotion available to World with exception of UK

[chrishb]

CC is a great resource for cruisers, but I think in this case it is inadvertently causing dissatisfaction.

 

There is nothing unusual about companies charging different prices or running different promotions in different countries. Even within the UK, some stores charge different prices for the same goods in the north and the south of the country.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2141536/It-IS-cheaper-North-Price-divide-pub-food-film-tickets.html#axzz2K7K2XG9u

 

To me, it seems the problem is that UK cruisers are reading detailed accounts of the deals US cruisers are getting and, because we are all posting on the same boards, the price differences are brought home to them in a way that does not happen with most other products.

 

We Brits have to bear in mind that CC is a US-based website and we are living in a different country which is subject to different market forces and different regulations, so price differences are going to be a fact of life. Constantly making comparisons with prices and deals available in other countries will just make you unhappy and cruising is something that should enhance your life,:) not make you feel dissatisfied.

 

You are certainly right that different prices are existing even in the same country, however this is often driven by hight fix costs. In London or nearby the salaries and rents are much higher than in the north. So they compare apples and oranges. But we fix cost for celebrity are the same, even if the passenger comes from the US, the UK or from Andorra.

What makes me very unhappy with the 123 promotion is that the price difference is so high! We pay e.g. for our 18d cruise ~2800$ per Person. The free beverage package plus the gratuties have a value of ~1000$ per person. So I would have to pay 2000$ more than the US cruisers on board! With this amount of money I would know a lot of other things to do... Having this in mind on our next cruise really does not enhance my life, but let me feel very dissatisfied :(. Paying 30p more for a Big Mac is really not an issue in this context...

[Suzy Smith]

On any cruise (as on any flight) passengers will have paid a wide variety of prices depending on when they booked and what booking incentives were available and it is never a good idea to make comparisons with what others have paid.

 

I also think many people who are getting upset are equating the cost of the beverage package with the value of it to them as an individual. To us, the value of the beverage package is the total amount we would normally spend on drinks, which is nowhere near what Celebrity charges for the package, as we already have the free drinks at the Elite happy hour. So for many people the saving on the drinks-inclusive deal is not as significant as it seems at first sight.

[nijh]

I also think many people who are getting upset are equating the cost of the beverage package with the value of it to them as an individual. To us, the value of the beverage package is the total amount we would normally spend on drinks, which is nowhere near what Celebrity charges for the package, as we already have the free drinks at the Elite happy hour. So for many people the saving on the drinks-inclusive deal is not as significant as it seems at first sight.

 

I don't follow.

 

How else should someone equate the cost of a package, if not to the value to themselves as an individual? :confused:

[MicCanberra]

On any cruise (as on any flight) passengers will have paid a wide variety of prices depending on when they booked and what booking incentives were available and it is never a good idea to make comparisons with what others have paid.

 

I also think many people who are getting upset are equating the cost of the beverage package with the value of it to them as an individual. To us, the value of the beverage package is the total amount we would normally spend on drinks, which is nowhere near what Celebrity charges for the package, as we already have the free drinks at the Elite happy hour. So for many people the saving on the drinks-inclusive deal is not as significant as it seems at first sight.

 

I don't follow.

 

How else should someone equate the cost of a package, if not to the value to themselves as an individual? :confused:

This is a difference between the cost and the value.

The cost is around $50 per day per person for the drink package.

The value is that for some it is worth more as they do drink more than the $50 /day and for others it is less as they do not.

 

Would you normally spend that much per day if you didn't have the package, (maybe, maybe not). Without the package, your behaviour would change and you are more likely to drink less or cheaper drinks than with the package.

That said, the convenience and freedom of having the package makes it valued for me and I now drink more (not necessarily alcohol) and try many things I would not normally drink.:D

[English Tim]

One certain thing about this package is that participants will gain more weight than those not on it.

[Christine Frances]

You are certainly right that different prices are existing even in the same country, however this is often driven by hight fix costs. In London or nearby the salaries and rents are much higher than in the north. So they compare apples and oranges. But we fix cost for celebrity are the same, even if the passenger comes from the US, the UK or from Andorra.

What makes me very unhappy with the 123 promotion is that the price difference is so high! We pay e.g. for our 18d cruise ~2800$ per Person. The free beverage package plus the gratuties have a value of ~1000$ per person. So I would have to pay 2000$ more than the US cruisers on board! With this amount of money I would know a lot of other things to do... Having this in mind on our next cruise really does not enhance my life, but let me feel very dissatisfied :(. Paying 30p more for a Big Mac is really not an issue in this context...

 

That is assuming we in the US/Canada can get to Europe for free. It seems to me that this promo is to get US/CND people to spend $2000-$3000 in airfare to book these cruises in Europe which evens out the total cost of the cruise.

[Sparkle 123]

That is assuming we in the US/Canada can get to Europe for free. It seems to me that this promo is to get US/CND people to spend $2000-$3000 in airfare to book these cruises in Europe which evens out the total cost of the cruise.

 

I take your point but if that is the case you would think they would offer Europeans the 123 go offer for non European sailings which they are not, they are only offering the free drinks package on EX UK sailings for UK guests:confused:

[Christine Frances]

The only other thing I can think of is that the NA itineraries are selling well and they don't have to offer promos to fill the ships. I could only get 1 of the 3 promos for our Indonesia cruise and the expense to get there is ridiculous but X must be happy with the numbers. I have had two cruises in Europe that we booked 11 months ago and I can't take advantage of the promo's because the fares have increased so much - they have held steady on one and only slightly decreased on the other - so it does not benefit us to take the 123 promo. But I am watching:D

[DebbieMacG]

Just had yet another email offering me the 123 promotion and yet again there is no where saying its not available in the UK :(

 

I "get" the whole thing about market forces and different countries, but the UK is the only place excluded from this offer. It was not displayed in the terms and conditions at all to begin with and is still not displayed in most communications.

 

Also Celebrity are saying this offer is for new bookings only yet they have been giving it to anyone already booked who asks for it whether they are past final payment or not clearly breaking their own terms and conditions.

 

A lot of people on my roll call have been able to get the offer despite the fact that we all booked a long time ago, that's fantastic good luck to them :) why should I not be able to be given that opportunity because I live in the UK? Because the terms and conditions say so? Yes they do (now) but they also say the offer is for new bookings only! It's ok to break rules for one and not the other? :(

[laslomas]

Just had yet another email offering me the 123 promotion and yet again there is no where saying its not available in the UK :(

 

I "get" the whole thing about market forces and different countries, but the UK is the only place excluded from this offer. It was not displayed in the terms and conditions at all to begin with and is still not displayed in most communications.

 

Also Celebrity are saying this offer is for new bookings only yet they have been giving it to anyone already booked who asks for it whether they are past final payment or not clearly breaking their own terms and conditions.

 

A lot of people on my roll call have been able to get the offer despite the fact that we all booked a long time ago, that's fantastic good luck to them :) why should I not be able to be given that opportunity because I live in the UK? Because the terms and conditions say so? Yes they do (now) but they also say the offer is for new bookings only! It's ok to break rules for one and not the other? :(

 

You hit the nail on the head!! Well put. The Head Office should keep to their Terms and Conditions. After all, what's the point in writing them otherwise. :confused: If they chose to ignore them, then they should not pick and chose where their customers reside, we are all their customers. and deserve equal treatment.

[Gordoncruickshank]

That is assuming we in the US/Canada can get to Europe for free. It seems to me that this promo is to get US/CND people to spend $2000-$3000 in airfare to book these cruises in Europe which evens out the total cost of the cruise.

 

Why then don't they encourage us to travel across the Atlantic to pick up Caribbean cruises which also costs all of us big $$$.

 

There are no offers in the UK for anything other than European based cruises and those that offer the drinks package are thoswe leaving from the UK, which involve the least pleasant part of European cruising, the Bay of Biscay

[kruzgal]

Why then don't they encourage us to travel across the Atlantic to pick up Caribbean cruises which also costs all of us big $$$.

 

There are no offers in the UK for anything other than European based cruises and those that offer the drinks package are thoswe leaving from the UK, which involve the least pleasant part of European cruising, the Bay of Biscay

 

Exactly! We can only presume they just don't want us Brits to sail with them - unless we go from Southampton, which many of us don't.

[chrishb]

That is assuming we in the US/Canada can get to Europe for free. It seems to me that this promo is to get US/CND people to spend $2000-$3000 in airfare to book these cruises in Europe which evens out the total cost of the cruise.

 

But you are also getting the beverage package for already long ago booked sailings, independent were they are. Also after final payment the package has been credited for free. So it´s definetly not only for poorly booked cruises.

By the way, for our transpacific cruise we have also to fly in (2500$ per person) and do not get anything additionaly (gratuties, OBC, beverage package etc).

You see I am really frustrated with the treatment by Celebrity :mad:

[MicCanberra]

But you are also getting the beverage package for already long ago booked sailings, independent were they are. Also after final payment the package has been credited for free. So it´s definetly not only for poorly booked cruises.

By the way, for our transpacific cruise we have also to fly in (2500$ per person) and do not get anything additionaly (gratuties, OBC, beverage package etc).

You see I am really frustrated with the treatment by Celebrity :mad:

Everyone can find a reason why someone else is better off, I agree that the policies are inconsistant and may even border on discrimination but there may be more too this that just X's policy. Our respective governments may have rules in place which limit what X can do.

For example, in the US they have the Jones Act, The UK may have something in place so that cruises from British ports are to have more advantages than those from other European ports ( for employment and trade reasons), which forces X's hand in what they can offer UK residents. Now this is speculation on my part but it is certainly possible.:D

[The_Big_M]

I just see it as marketing. Most companies have offers. They just don't offer them globally - they're offered by the marketing divisions of each country.

[nijh]

I just see it as marketing. Most companies have offers. They just don't offer them globally - they're offered by the marketing divisions of each country.

 

At a risk of repeating myself - this is pretty much a global offer...with a notable exception.

[The_Big_M]

At a risk of repeating myself - this is pretty much a global offer...with a notable exception.

 

Except it isn't a global offer. Each office still runs their own and that's why there are some differences.

[El_Rolfo]

But you are also getting the beverage package for already long ago booked sailings, independent were they are. Also after final payment the package has been credited for free. So it´s definetly not only for poorly booked cruises.

By the way, for our transpacific cruise we have also to fly in (2500$ per person) and do not get anything additionaly (gratuties, OBC, beverage package etc).

You see I am really frustrated with the treatment by Celebrity :mad:

 

Just a bystander here commenting, those air fares seem ridiculous. We are flying Helsinki-Heathrow-Miami and Fort Lauderdale-New York-Helsinki for ~$1000/pp. Do these ~2500 flights have a lot of connecting shorter flights? Or are you flying business/first class?

[chrishb]

Just a bystander here commenting, those air fares seem ridiculous. We are flying Helsinki-Heathrow-Miami and Fort Lauderdale-New York-Helsinki for ~$1000/pp. Do these ~2500 flights have a lot of connecting shorter flights? Or are you flying business/first class?

 

We have to fly Frankfurt-San Francisco-Honolulu-Sydney-Singapore-Frankfurt. These flights are considered one way which are always much more expensive than roundtrips. For our flights from Frankfurt via Atlanta to Miami and back, we also pay only 1000$

[jst4fun715]

I am just curious as I have friends in the UK that would like to book a cruise. If they would book with a US travel agent, how can they still get the promotion when you have to list the country of residency? Would that not disqualify them?

[English Tim]

I am just curious as I have friends in the UK that would like to book a cruise. If they would book with a US travel agent, how can they still get the promotion when you have to list the country of residency? Would that not disqualify them?

 

 

They never write to you. All the address is for is to register where you live. Just invent an address and 1-2-3 you've won the prize.

[jst4fun715]

They never write to you. All the address is for is to register where you live. Just invent an address and 1-2-3 you've won the prize.

 

Thanks! They actually do have a place here in the States so they do have an actual address. Appreciate the information.

[JonAlone]

As US cruisers are getting their gratuities included, one option for UK clients is to remove their tips and cite the unfair offer as the reason. Parity might then be restored.

 

I think that is an excellent idea... but would also make sure I gave cash gratuities to those who gave exceptional service.

 

My problem is the drink packages offered free in the 123GO offer... We don't get that in the UK for a 2 week TA crossing this april on Silhouette, but they do give it on Eclipse!

 

Well... on the first night it will be like being invited to a party and being the only person expected to pay for drinks! I would leave such a party!

 

Celebrity should come on HERE and amkie a 14 day offer for half price drinks packages... as a MINIMUM .... or they risk losing a lot of punters to US travel agents in the future... or to other cruise lines... Holland America and Princess could benefit greatly!

 

Only one or two travel agencies have offices in US and UK and can offer US bookings from the UK...

 

Viva la resistance .... Bon Voyage.

[JonAlone]

That is assuming we in the US/Canada can get to Europe for free. It seems to me that this promo is to get US/CND people to spend $2000-$3000 in airfare to book these cruises in Europe which evens out the total cost of the cruise.

 

You are forgetting the Transatlantics! We both have the same distances to fly!

 

It is in the interest of Celebrity to sort this QUICKLY!

 

I was on the phone to the UK office today and staff are VERY sympathetic and very troubled at the number of calls!

They also are aware of the Cruise Critic discussions on this on several threads for several sailings.

[laryco]

Just tried to get the 1 2 3 and no dice....