123 go - has gone!

[Pushka]

Our Alaska B2B went up $350 and $450 respectively; and no drinks package and no $300USD (each leg) OBC. That represents, without even factoring the drinks package (which we love) a savings of $1400! :eek: Then add in the drinks package of $110? a day? That is another $1500! Almost $3,000 difference in "value". Yikes. That really was a sale!

[mrsavoigt]

Any idea if any deals will come out for a November cruise? I thought we were planning ahead plenty far, but apparently not!

[karena1]

I have 3 cruises booked, 2 I booked on the 31st to take advantage of the 123 promo before it goes away. So all 3 I have booked have the Bev Pkg and really good prices.

 

Yesterday they all went up, some a lot! Our December Silhouette is up $300 pp and no perks. So glad I booked while the promo was on!

 

With the promo it was a no brainer to book Celebrity over Royal and Princess as the prices were pretty comparable and getting the pkg was a huge bonus. Now I will compare all 3 again and go with the best price.

Edited April 2, 2015 by karena1

[SusiejaneUK]

I have 3 cruises booked, 2 I booked on the 31st to take advantage of the 123 promo before it goes away. So all 3 I have booked have the Bev Pkg and really good prices.

 

Yesterday they all went up, some a lot! Our December Silhouette is up $300 pp and no perks. So glad I booked while the promo was on!

 

With the promo it was a no brainer to book Celebrity over Royal and Princess as the prices were pretty comparable and getting the pkg was a huge bonus. Now I will compare all 3 again and go with the best price.

 

Yes, Celebrity's change in pricing policy will see them lose their competitive edge. I wonder if this change coincides with the incoming new President in February? Shame though - I believe they will lose market share if they continue with new pricing games.

[Suzy Smith]

Yes, agree fully. I love Celebrity but the pricing games are getting to be a bit of a joke. :mad:

 

Totally agree about the pricing games, especially as those of us who book in the UK are not able to play the booking and cancelling games that are possible in some other countries. We got a good price and the 123Go package on our next cruise, but today's prices are almost £1,000 more per person without the perks!:eek:

 

We are planning for next year and would not book at the current prices and don't want to have to hang around waiting to see if the prices will come down or perks will be added, so we have booked a completely different holiday next year. If X stops playing games, we may come back in the future, but I feel that once you lose confidence in a product, you usually just move on and I feel many others will do the same.

[Leviathan2772]

Unfortunately prices aren't likely to go down in the long run. Some refer to this pricing as a game. No it's marketing. You may not like it, but it happens. They're called promos and they're temporary, not permanent incentives. If one didn't book a cruise in hopes of lower prices with no promos. A regrettable loss. As the say - if you snooze, you lose.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

Unfortunately prices aren't likely to go down in the long run. Some refer to this pricing as a game. No it's marketing. You may not like it, but it happens. They're called promos and they're temporary, not permanent incentives. If one didn't book a cruise in hopes of lower prices with no promos. A regrettable loss. As the say - if you snooze, you lose.

 

I didn't get all the people waiting for the promo to end, maybe they were looking at more expensive veranda's in Alaska or something. Our CC Veranda dropped basically to OV price when subtracting the perks (and counting the beverage package as $100 pp), which is a better deal than I got on Carnival a few years back. There's no way Celebrity would offer that when the dust settled. If I hadn't already booked something in 2015, and had a Next Cruise Cert to transfer on Royal Caribbean, I would have booked more...

[Pushka]

Ive priced HAL, NCL, Princess and Celebrity for Alaska next year and Celebrity are in the mix. HAL doesnt have balconies on the itinerary from Vancouver so its full suite or inside. Ruled them out immediately. NCL/Princess minisuite about the same price as Aqua on Celebrity. And booking during Spring promo which was available to us Aussies put Celebrity way ahead. They are probably back to being in line with the others now the deal has gone.

[Iamcruzin]

I didn't get all the people waiting for the promo to end, maybe they were looking at more expensive veranda's in Alaska or something. Our CC Veranda dropped basically to OV price when subtracting the perks (and counting the beverage package as $100 pp), which is a better deal than I got on Carnival a few years back. There's no way Celebrity would offer that when the dust settled. If I hadn't already booked something in 2015, and had a Next Cruise Cert to transfer on Royal Caribbean, I would have booked more...

 

I agree. However, there are many who don't get use of the drink package. It could be a medical condition or they just don't like fancy coffee or alcohol. Others are elite or elite + and are content with what Celebrity offers them with their status. For those few, a drink package has no added value. With that said they still could have chose the paid gratuity or OBC which is real money. The problem is that the value depending on what room you book may not have covered the cost of what they considered to be an inflated price to begin with. Many here have found travel agents who either pay gratuities or offer OBC. So those perks may have little value as well.

 

For me the Concierge class worked well because we would have purchased a drink package if it wasn't a perk and I book direct with Celebrity so the TA perks are not a consideration. After I deduct the perks which I would have paid for, the price per person comes to $719 for a C2 on a seven day cruise. Apparently many found value in the promotion as it filled rooms and increased or maintained the higher price. Those who are accustomed to booking last minute deals or who only book 6 months out are left with their jaw hanging because cheap deals seem to be far and few between.

[Stateroom_Sailor]

I agree. However, there are many who don't get use of the drink package. It could be a medical condition or they just don't like fancy coffee or alcohol. Others are elite or elite + and are content with what Celebrity offers them with their status. For those few, a drink package has no added value. With that said they still could have chose the paid gratuity or OBC which is real money. The problem is that the value depending on what room you book may not have covered the cost of what they considered to be an inflated price to begin with. Many here have found travel agents who either pay gratuities or offer OBC. So those perks may have little value as well.

 

For me the Concierge class worked well because we would have purchased a drink package if it wasn't a perk and I book direct with Celebrity so the TA perks are not a consideration. After I deduct the perks which I would have paid for, the price per person comes to $719 for a C2 on a seven day cruise. Apparently many found value in the promotion as it filled rooms and increased or maintained the higher price. Those who are accustomed to booking last minute deals or who only book 6 months out are left with their jaw hanging because cheap deals seem to be far and few between.

 

You brought up some good points, and I didn't see prices before the promo. For those that don't need or don't want the drink package, it turns into two perks. For us, that still would have put our 8 day cruise at $900 for a C2. An OV would have been another option with 1 perk, but I know that's not everyone's thing.

 

OBC only doesn't matter if you have no interest in spending money on the ship. TA OBC is refundable at the end of the cruise, you just have to ask the front desk to use the Cruise Line's OBC first. We have the $300 123GO OBC, and $197 from our TA (which I plan to keep the majority of).

[Kentucky816]

I am sorry promo is gone but I am doing the happy dance! With the promo for a 7 night on Infinity in an A2 getting all three perks we will be paying far less than any other cruise line was offering at the time I booked. Now the same cabin is up by $200.00 pp.

 

The Carnival cruise we have booked with the kids and grandkids is going to cost

us more for a 6 night once we factor in all the extras that we got on Celebrity.

 

It is crazy or what :eek:

[Ma Bell]

I agree. However, there are many who don't get use of the drink package. It could be a medical condition or they just don't like fancy coffee or alcohol. Others are elite or elite + and are content with what Celebrity offers them with their status. For those few, a drink package has no added value. With that said they still could have chose the paid gratuity or OBC which is real money. The problem is that the value depending on what room you book may not have covered the cost of what they considered to be an inflated price to begin with. Many here have found travel agents who either pay gratuities or offer OBC. So those perks may have little value as well.

 

For me the Concierge class worked well because we would have purchased a drink package if it wasn't a perk and I book direct with Celebrity so the TA perks are not a consideration. After I deduct the perks which I would have paid for, the price per person comes to $719 for a C2 on a seven day cruise. Apparently many found value in the promotion as it filled rooms and increased or maintained the higher price. Those who are accustomed to booking last minute deals or who only book 6 months out are left with their jaw hanging because cheap deals seem to be far and few between.

 

It's only been a couple of days. It remains to be seen what the prices will be.

[Oceangoer2]

We're in Canada and with the Cdn $$ against the US $, it costs us a lot more to cruise. The inflated cost of the cruise minus the perks makes it very expensive compared with past cruise prices. A lot of cruise passengers are Canadians getting away from our bitter winters (not to say some in the US haven't the same or worse in some areas), it would be wise for the bean counters to factor in the $$ exchange rate (which isn't expected to change for many years). If they did so and priced the cruises reasonably, it would also make the US price lower as well as they can't cater a price just for Canadians. Just MHO.

[BosoxI]

For DW and me the classic package made just a little difference. As Elite+s, we get ample drinks and coffees already, so having a glass of wine or a beer at lunch and a couple of glasses of wine at dinner made only a slight difference. Don't misunderstand, we enjoyed the benefit, but it wasn't so great that we would pay extra for it.

 

I've been noticing the price increases for some time, and thus, last Christmas we returned to Princess and took two delightful cruises at a much reduced cost. Food was better, cabins about the same, ships perhaps a bit less nice, but for the money, a much better deal, even with only a bar set up instead of the Elite deal on X. We've taken 20 cruises on Celebrity but we have no loyalty. It's strictly business for us, just as it is for X. Our next cruise will be on the Royal Princess and we're looking forward to it, our 25th on that line.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I personally think Celebrity is playing a bit of a classic "shell game" with pricing and promos. It goes something like this:

 

All promos end and go away

 

Raise prices across the board

 

Wait for consumers to get used to the new pricing

 

Re-Introduce promos w/o lowering pricing

 

Customers think they are getting a deal

 

 

The end goal is to raise both cruise fare and ancillary pricing across the fleet. The original 123Go promo helped with that, prices went up shortly before it was introduced, so customers thought - WOW, what a deal .... now 123Go, Pick your Perk and Spring into savings (all same promo really) have gone buh-bye and prices have gone up ......

 

All the cruise lines are trying their best to raise fares AND ancillary revenue. If you wanna see some REAL mickey-mouse pricing stuff peek into the NCL boards - it's positively toxic over there!

Edited April 4, 2015 by scottamiller

[Stateroom_Sailor]

it would be wise for the bean counters to factor in the $$ exchange rate

 

This is where it becomes even more important to choose wisely. If I'm saving $1200 USD, the Canadian booking the same room, same promo, is saving $1500 CAD. Of course if we're booking after the 123Go, and prices have soared, we both could be losing that much as well...

[Aunt Tina]

We booked a cruise while onboard the Summit Feb 2oth cruise. We got all the perks, and were assured we could change the booking if we needed to, and keep the perks. Apparently that is only true if you re-booked it before the 123 promotion ended. When I called to make a change April 2, we were told we could only keep the onboard booking OBC, but not the 123 OBC since it had ended. We lost $150 in OBC to make the change.

 

If you book onboard - make sure you understand the booking/changing rules.

Are we being told one thing onboard when we book - and another when we try to change the booking - even to the same ship?

[AtlantaCruiser72]

We booked a cruise while onboard the Summit Feb 2oth cruise. We got all the perks, and were assured we could change the booking if we needed to, and keep the perks. Apparently that is only true if you re-booked it before the 123 promotion ended. When I called to make a change April 2, we were told we could only keep the onboard booking OBC, but not the 123 OBC since it had ended. We lost $150 in OBC to make the change.

 

If you book onboard - make sure you understand the booking/changing rules.

Are we being told one thing onboard when we book - and another when we try to change the booking - even to the same ship?

 

Any time you change ship or sailing with RCCL or X the new ship/date are subject to the perks available as of the date of the change for the new sailing. ANY previous promotions that were on the booking will fall off (with the exception of OBC from a Next Cruise / Passages certificate or standard past guest offers)

 

If an onboard agent tells you anything different they are either A) telling you what they think you want to hear to close the sale or B) misinformed as to the policies or C) a combination of both.

[Cruise Junky]

Any time you change ship or sailing with RCCL or X the new ship/date are subject to the perks available as of the date of the change for the new sailing. ANY previous promotions that were on the booking will fall off (with the exception of OBC from a Next Cruise / Passages certificate or standard past guest offers)

 

If an onboard agent tells you anything different they are either A) telling you what they think you want to hear to close the sale or B) misinformed as to the policies or C) a combination of both.

 

That's not true. An onboard booking can be transferred to another booking and you keep the perks. It had nothing to do with the current perks, it falls under the evergreen onboard booking. Lots of onboard agents recommend you just book anything if your cruise dates aren't out yet and just transfer it.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

That's not true. An onboard booking can be transferred to another booking and you keep the perks. It had nothing to do with the current perks, it falls under the evergreen onboard booking. Lots of onboard agents recommend you just book anything if your cruise dates aren't out yet and just transfer it.

 

Sadly that is no longer the case. I work for a very large travel consortium and deal with these issues on a daily basis. If the promotion you booked is no longer available they will not transfer to the new ship/date. The only promotions the new ship/date will qualify for are those available at the time the booking is modified and are subject to RCCL/X's terms on that current promo. The only thing that carries over is the onboard booking OBC, and even that will change based on the length of the new cruise and/or room type.

 

RCCL/X have gotten VERY strict about promotions in the last year or so and are nowhere as flexible as they used to be.

[purpletequila]

I agree as well. Also, consider the latest news about the Beverage Package increases and Celebrity trying to get an artificially inflated upgrade price from Classic to Premium. Between all of these, plus how I am treated as a solo, I feel disrespected by X and that Celebrity doesn't value my business. And as someone who not only runs a global company with heavy customer service focus, but is also a black belt shopper/consumer, I can tell you this is poison to a business.

 

Bad move, Celebrity. Very bad. Your target market...the very demographic you are lusting after, is VERY discerning, and these recent tactics are the quickest way to drive new (and old) customers away.

 

Yup.

I love Celebrity but when I went to book in recent days and saw the prices with no promo plus the cost of the packages, I declined and will continue to decline until another promo pops up.

[81Zoomie]

We loved our Celebrity cruise! However, given their recent price hikes and lack of inclusions we have found we can get a less expensive all inclusive cruise on some of the premium luxury lines. Perhaps for our next cruise we may opt for a more intimate upscale experience for less than the cost of a suite on Celebrity.

[Oceangoer2]

This is where it becomes even more important to choose wisely. If I'm saving $1200 USD, the Canadian booking the same room, same promo, is saving $1500 CAD. Of course if we're booking after the 123Go, and prices have soared, we both could be losing that much as well...

Guess it's all relative...your $1200 US and my $1500 Cdn has the same buying power in our respective countries and translates to a gain or loss equally. When I book my cruises, I'm not quoted in US but Canadian...big brother knows where I live...LOL.