Is Celebrity giving value for money?

[neverbeenhere]

Luckily we left this one alone.

[SPacificbound]

The conversion is $450 per night. If you think that's reasonable then that's find but for me that's an awful lot of bucks for a room, meals and a half decent show.

 

I look at it this way.... for that $450. per night we would be getting transportation, hotel, all meals, snacks and entertainment. That is definitely less then we would pay for the same on a land vacation in the UK. I have no idea where OP is from, but since pounds were mentioned I am assuming UK.

 

We paid that much for a four star hotel in London. :)

[jasm8449]

Things are worth what people are willing to pay for them.

[fortinweb]

According to Miriam Webster:

 

sarcasm: the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really want to say especially in order to insult someone, to show irritation, or to be funny.

 

I'd guess that posts 13 and 16 were meaning the opposite of what they said.

 

I'm guessing that the DON'T actually mean that " we just love paying a high cost for so little value"

or that

 

"every penny is a total waste."

 

The problem in print is that it's difficult to determine if people are showing irritation, insulting or trying to be funny.

 

Perhaps people do book cruises that they think cost a lot for little value and are a total waste of every penny, but I kind of doubt that. In which case it qualifies as sarcasm. Saying the opposite of what they mean for whatever the end targeted end result.

 

I see that as satire more than sarcasm. But I've been told that I have a dry sense of humor. It took my wife almost 30 years to finally put up with my sense of humor instead of getting irritated at me. ;)

 

A word of advice - stay away from The Daily Show With John Stewart, The Colbert Report, Saturday Night Live, and The Tonight Show With David Letterman if you confuse satire as sarcasm.

[The_Big_M]

I see that as satire more than sarcasm.

 

Well, satire is the use of sarcasm.

 

So not necessarily any different, just where it's used.

 

However, I don't believe the OP's question warranted a sarcastic, or satirical response. Clearly you do, but I doubt that is the viewpoint of the operators here either.

 

Note that doesn't mean that people viewing it that way shouldn't watch shows you suggest or other satirical forms. It's all about what's appropriate for the environment.

[welshfamily]

I am answering this post by assuming OP is from the UK and basing my calculations on UK or European ports.

Celebrity's prices for 2014 are a lot more expensive than last year. We paid approx14% more for our 2013 over 2012 cruise. The cruises we are looking at have gone up approx. 37% however the recent offer is giving us a 15% discount. This still leaves a 22% price increase. The Baltic cruises are the cheapest per night at the moment. We haven't seen this in the last 7 or 8 years and believe this is unusual. We are playing a waiting game due to losing part of our back to back cruise due to the Equinox being chartered for 7 days at the beginning of August as Booking when cruises are first out usually gives the best price.

Some of the answers are from posters living in the States. We cruise regularly in the Caribbean as my husband does a lot of work in the states. These cruises are cheaper per night, £700 for 7 days( Caribbean ) as opposed to £1200 ( UK or Europe) therefore their replies may well be based on Caribbean experiences. I m basing my figures on a balcony 2b cabin.

IMHO Celebrity is very good value for money on Caribbean cruises but not so on the others. However we really like Celebrity and when the price is right for us we will book.

[Fouremco]

I am answering this post by assuming OP is from the UK and basing my calculations on UK or European ports.

Celebrity's prices for 2014 are a lot more expensive than last year. We paid approx14% more for our 2013 over 2012 cruise. The cruises we are looking at have gone up approx. 37% however the recent offer is giving us a 15% discount. This still leaves a 22% price increase. The Baltic cruises are the cheapest per night at the moment. We haven't seen this in the last 7 or 8 years and believe this is unusual. We are playing a waiting game due to losing part of our back to back cruise due to the Equinox being chartered for 7 days at the beginning of August as Booking when cruises are first out usually gives the best price.

Some of the answers are from posters living in the States. We cruise regularly in the Caribbean as my husband does a lot of work in the states. These cruises are cheaper per night, £700 for 7 days( Caribbean ) as opposed to £1200 ( UK or Europe) therefore their replies may well be based on Caribbean experiences. I m basing my figures on a balcony 2b cabin.

IMHO Celebrity is very good value for money on Caribbean cruises but not so on the others. However we really like Celebrity and when the price is right for us we will book.

I agree with your observation that Caribbean cruise prices might result in better value when compared to the prices for European cruises, but how do Celebrity prices compare to those of similar cruise lines within the same European market? Have their rates also gone up, or is it only Celebrity that has experienced these increases?

 

[Orator]

According to Miriam Webster:

 

sarcasm: the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really want to say especially in order to insult someone, to show irritation, or to be funny.

 

I'd guess that posts 13 and 16 were meaning the opposite of what they said.

 

I'm guessing that the DON'T actually mean that " we just love paying a high cost for so little value"

or that

 

"every penny is a total waste."

 

The problem in print is that it's difficult to determine if people are showing irritation, insulting or trying to be funny.

 

Perhaps people do book cruises that they think cost a lot for little value and are a total waste of every penny, but I kind of doubt that. In which case it qualifies as sarcasm. Saying the opposite of what they mean for whatever the end targeted end result.

 

Good post! As the author of post 13 permit me to comment on my intentions. First: IMHO the OP asked a loaded question where they were trying to get answers that supported their position. They revealed their bias in their first line. To me,that type of post invites some sacastic and hopefully humorous response. What do they say about "action-reaction"? Second: I give a direct answer to their comment/question about justifying price. That answer simply stated was that the market determines price and value. Has anyone denied that? That's my position and I'll stick to it not matter what "snarky" comments may be made by those who disagree.

Edited November 5, 2013 by Orator

[CathyCruises]

We just tried to book a room at the Grand Californian at Disneyland. One night = $800:eek:!! Needless to say, we did not book, stayed at Embassy Suites a mile away with free breakfast for $145.

 

So, in the OP's case, I would definitely not be booking that cruise--I would either hold off for lower prices (we all know they fluctuate greatly) or find a different vacation.

 

in response to the original question, my last X cruise was less than $50/night, so for us, yes Celebrity certainly DOES give value for money!!!

Edited November 5, 2013 by CathyCruises

[Hobbsey]

We just tried to book a room at the Grand Californian at Disneyland. One night = $800:eek:!! Needless to say, we did not book, stayed at Embassy Suites a mile away with free breakfast for $145.

 

So, in the OP's case, I would definitely not be booking that cruise--I would either hold off for lower prices (we all know they fluctuate greatly) or find a different vacation.

 

And, of course, the OP could always consider something other than a C3 catagory for significant savings on the very same cruise.

[PTMary]

We just tried to book a room at the Grand Californian at Disneyland. One night = $800:eek:!! Needless to say, we did not book, stayed at Embassy Suites a mile away with free breakfast for $145.

 

Not a fair comparison at all. The $800 for the Grand Californian includes the 2-day Park Hopper passes for two people at $210 each. That makes the actual room rate $380 per night. Still expensive, but it's a much nicer hotel, and more convenient to the parks since one of the entrances is directly from the hotel. Plus there are additional benefits to staying at a Disney resort hotel, such as early entry on select mornings when the park is much less crowded.

 

You will be paying $565 for your Embassy Suites stay with the same park tickets. You are only saving $235, not $655 as you are suggesting.

 

When comparing prices, it helps by being reasonably accurate.

 

And as Hobbsey wrote in the post immediately before this one, the OP could consider a less expensive stateroom category and be on the same cruise for less, much like CathyCruises will be visiting Disneyland for less money by choosing a less expensive hotel room.

Edited November 5, 2013 by PTMary

[bar_20]

I have been on one Celebrity cruise. My wife and I just completed two HAL cruises within three months. What I found with HAL was they have cut way back on everything. Their prices are nearly the same as they were a few years ago but their food and service levels have fallen among others. We are booked on a 28 day BTB cruise with Celebrity in April. The price BTW was $1200 cheaper than Hal for a similar itinerary. I would rather pay more knowing that I am getting the same level of service that I used to get, than find out the experience has diminished.

[welshfamily]

Fouremco,

How does Celebrity compare to other cruise lines in Europe?

A very valid question when discussing value for money. I can get an Oceania cruise for 12 days instead of 14 days cheaper than Celebrity. There are no 14day cruises during the period I am looking at therefore I am unable to compare like for like however I would save nearly£300 a person. As Elite with Celebrity we get certain free perks which could however account for some of the saving. I would class Oceania as 5* plus whereas Celebrity are in the same bracket for us as Cunard which are also cheaper than Celebrity by a similar amount. The Celebrity sailings from Barcelona are cheaper than the sailings from Southampton for the Med. even when adding airfare.

RCI are cheaper but I believe this is always the case as are NCL and Holland America. These are 4 to 4* plus in my opinion. This makes comparison difficult.

 

Entertainment.

One of the posters has mentioned including an amount for ticket prices in ones calculations. This is a fair point as Entertainment on land based holidays does cost however I would not expect to visit a theatre every night even if I were in London and most good hotels provide decent background music or a pianist or singer. Many All inclusive hotels in Europe offer a wide range of evening entertainment and additional water sports etc. which also makes comparison difficult.

The value of Entertainment has dropped for us as we rarely go to the large production shows as these have remained the same on each Solstice ship since their Launch. If Celebrity were to introduce new production shows this would add value to us as repeat Customers.

[Orator]

Comparisons and contrasts might be interesting talking points, but are really not relevant to finding an answer to the original statement. Perhaps an operational definition of "value" can be found by examing the results. If cruise categories fill at the price offered then it can be concluded that a sufficient number of customers saw a "value"in booking. If cabin categories don't fill then the price is not considered a "value" by a significant number of potential passengers.. Price adjustments for unsold cabins are designed to increase the number of people who see "value"and book. In some cases, as the Feb. 15th Century cruise, enough people saw "value" to fill the ship quite quickly. The few remaining cabins are now at a premimum price so that those who booked right away must feel that they recieved a fantastic value. Each person decides what "value" is for them and acts accordingly. The OP has his standard of "value" and the price of the particular cabin category he desires is not "value" to him. My guess is that others have booked at least some of the cabins so there is a "value" to them. Once I was standing next to a man who upon seeing a shipof a certain line commented that eh wouldn't return to that line even if the cruise was free. To him even "free"was not a "value"

[stratixman]

This whole discussion strikes me as pretty aimless.

 

Everybody has differing concepts of value. Much of the talk in this thread centers on the issue of cost and not value. The two should not be confused. The prices quoted by the OP are certainly not cheap, but that doesn't necessarily equate to a bad value proposition. Value can only really be assessed within the context of both the objective and the subjective benefits that one personally associates with each choice they have to consider.

 

The OP characterized the cruise price as ludicrous but did not really provide specifics of their concept of value proposition. So we don't really know what the OP would expect to be provided at the price mentioned, or what the OP thinks the price ought to be for those elements of the cruise being considered.

 

I did a quick perusal of 12 day Baltic cruises to compare lowest cost verandas. Celebrity is not out of line in its pricing compared to other major lines, which were within $200 pp of one another for the same sailing length and itineraries. Costa actually was quite a bit higher. So are the other lines offering some significant benefits that might make them a better value at relatively the same price so as to characterize Celebrity's prices as ludicrous? I hardly think so.

 

Also, might knowing what the cost would be for a comparable 12 day Baltic land vacation, visiting 6 different cities, shed some additional insight into the perceived value of the cruise price? My bet is that it would easily cost as much, or likely more, than the cruise. That being the case then I would say Celebrity is offering good value.

[terrierjohn]

The conversion is $450 per night. If you think that's reasonable then that's find but for me that's an awful lot of bucks for a room, meals and a half decent show.

Does that price include airfare from some remote location?

[aquaclass]

I think the word "value" has a variety of definitions. The OP uses the word value in the original question, but quickly equates value with "cost" or "inflated cost". Value might mean different things to different people. For some value might be lowest price, for others its the most fun, for others it might be the best family activities, etc

 

For this post from the OP, I will suggest one definition of value is getting the most for your money

 

I think it is interesting that Celebrity would probably NOT describe themselves as a "value" cruise line. Neither would I. I willingly pay a bit more to get more "value" ..... what I value

 

Many could choose a cruise with the lowest daily cost which in the cruise industry often means a "fun ship", in general I choose not to. My value would be more in line with "modern luxury". I know I am probably going to have to pay a bit more to get that.

 

Many would choose a cruise with the largest buffet, an afternoon hairy chest contest, and long slides into the pool. This is value to them. For me value would be dining in Blu, a glass of wine in Cellar Masters, and a Smithsonian lecture during the day. I know I am going to have to pay a bit more for it.

 

I also know that others value the same things I do. If I choose a cruise with high popularity like during the holidays or a peak season or a special or desirable itinerary I expect to pay a bit of a premium.

 

At the same time, the things that I value and know I am going to have to pay a bit more for, I don't value at ANY cost. For instance I value sailing AquaClass, but not at any cost ..... if an AQ stateroom was $500 more per day per person, I would look for other options.

[CathyCruises]

Not a fair comparison at all. The $800 for the Grand Californian includes the 2-day Park Hopper passes for two people at $210 each. That makes the actual room rate $380 per night. Still expensive, but it's a much nicer hotel, and more convenient to the parks since one of the entrances is directly from the hotel. Plus there are additional benefits to staying at a Disney resort hotel, such as early entry on select mornings when the park is much less crowded.

 

quote]

 

Are you sure about that? It was my son who checked on the prices, and as he and his wife have annual passes I think he would have mentioned that the prices includes the tickets. It does make more sense, though--maybe he didn't check closely enough, saw $800 and ran away!

[PTMary]

Not a fair comparison at all. The $800 for the Grand Californian includes the 2-day Park Hopper passes for two people at $210 each. That makes the actual room rate $380 per night. Still expensive, but it's a much nicer hotel, and more convenient to the parks since one of the entrances is directly from the hotel. Plus there are additional benefits to staying at a Disney resort hotel, such as early entry on select mornings when the park is much less crowded.

 

quote]

 

Are you sure about that? It was my son who checked on the prices, and as he and his wife have annual passes I think he would have mentioned that the prices includes the tickets. It does make more sense, though--maybe he didn't check closely enough, saw $800 and ran away!

 

Yes, I am sure. My husband and I have stayed at the Grand Californian several times so we are quite familiar with the prices. The price I quoted is for a typical non-special event date. Dates such as Christmas Eve and New Years Eve are higher, but these reflect only a few dates per year.

 

I did a mock booking just after reading your post. The price, with tickets, was very close to $800. Without, it was around $380.

 

If he has annual passes, he does not need the tickets. He needs to turn this selection off when checking prices to see only the hotel price without tickets.

Edited November 6, 2013 by PTMary

[iancal]

Value and price are two completely different animals. We are price sensitive but we are very much focussed on value. So, we are typically willing to spent more money to obtain a substantial increase in value.

 

And value is personal. It is a function of one's likes, dislikes, preferences etc.

 

We are cruising more often on Celebrity because for us it represents good value. But out price/value equation is very much dependent on when we cruise and on the itinerary.

 

We usually do land trips to Europe. However, cruise prices in the Med were so attractive over the past two years that they hit our price/value curve. So we booked. Same for our upcoming Eclipse cruise Christmas cruise.. Our price 'hit' last week and we booked. Absolutely excellent price and value when we compared it to other cruise lines and other vacation alternatives. We pay attention to Celebrity Tuesday specials.

 

The bottom line is that it is your decision. If a particular Celebrity cruise does not hit your sweet spot there are many other cruise and vacation options available to you.

Edited November 6, 2013 by iancal

[cle-guy]

I just stumbled across a graph at that website that will scan the sea for available cruises and other information.

 

It shows quite clearly that in July of last year, X raised rates on all cabins less than a suite and that price raise was constant for a full year, dropping down again in July of this year, as if they ran a 1 year experiment on increased pricing and have now lowered prices.

 

Also interesting was that Disney actually had the overall highest cost of cabins.

[iancal]

Perhaps the new CEO wanted to determine if raising prices would positively impact the top and bottom lines. OR if it would result in lower booking and increased fire sale pricing as the sailing date approached.

[richstowe]

I don't think any cruise line can justify inflated prices. I have been looking at a European June cruise 12 night in a C3 stateroom and even with the 15% reduction the cost in UK Pounds is 3,286 = £273 per night.

 

On our last cruise we received the free drinks package which softened the blow but personally £273 pounds per night is ludicrous.

I have been waiting for you to return so you can clarify your statement.

Do you believe this price is "ludicrous" for Celebrity or is it "ludicrous" for any cruise line in its class ?

 

You can always downgrade to a regular balcony.

[SixOneTwo]

Is this a question of getting the best cruise value for your money or getting the best value for C3?

 

Personally I would never put "C3 Cabin" and "Value" in the same sentence, simply because it's not my priority to pay that much for a cabin. I know others have different priorities, but most would agree that you can cruise for much less than a C3 fare.