When a sale is actually a sale

[grandgeezer]

If you are a Celebrity cheerleader or have to have the "free" drink package, don't read any further.

 

After being a Celebrity fan for years, last week I booked a B2B (14 days) on RCL's Allure leaving November 29. I got an e-mail from my online travel agency today, telling me RCL is having a sale where the cruise price was the same as I paid but the cruise line pays the taxes and fees, which is a savings of about $160 p.p. To get that I would have to cancel and rebook, but because I was booking another cruise at the same time there would be no cancellation fee. We were able to keep the same cabin for both legs so we did so. Here is a comparison of the cruises.

 

Equinox leaving out of Miami for 14 days on November 29. $2,222.84 p.p. for an unobstructed balcony. Includes the drink package, prepaid gratuities and $125 obc. which is nonrefundable.

Allure leaving out of Ft. Lauderdale for 14 days (B2B) on November 29. $1,573 p.p. (with Diamond Discount) for an unobstructed ocean view balcony. Includes prepaid gratuities and $200 obc, which is refundable so we can take it home.

 

Bottom line cost: Equinox $2,222.84 minus $118.75 (after paying 5% of the obc to take home) is $2,114.09 p.p. Allure $1,573 minus $200 obc (taking home) is $1,373.00 p.p.

 

Since we refuse to pay the high costs of drinks, we are saving $1,482 for the same experience except some different ports. We've cruised on the Allure several times so we know exactly what we are getting into.

 

If we could get deals on Celebrity we would have never left, but like them, it's all about the all mighty dollar.

[kenevenpar]

For you that sounds like a good deal. For us, the $650 price difference for 14 days, works out to $46/day. We would certainly get that much value with the drink package between specialty coffee, bottled water, sodas, coctails and wine at dinner. No brainer for us.

 

We prefer =X=, have more cruises on RCCL, and will sometimes use HAL. The deciding factor is always our perceived value of the total price.

[cruiserhal]

I think I could understand your point if Royal and Celebrity were the same product but they are not. In my opinion, Celebrity overall is the superior product and is worth the few extra dollars per day. FYI - I'm not a cheerleader. Diamond Plus on Royal and Elite Plus on Celebrity gives me a lot of past cruises to compare them. I will say constructive things if I think either one deserves it.

 

Enjoy your royal B2B.

[Cruizen Susan]

I think I could understand your point if Royal and Celebrity were the same product but they are not. In my opinion, Celebrity overall is the superior product and is worth the few extra dollars per day. FYI - I'm not a cheerleader. Diamond Plus on Royal and Elite Plus on Celebrity gives me a lot of past cruises to compare them. I will say constructive things if I think either one deserves it.

 

Enjoy your royal B2B.

 

Totally agree. I'd take Celebrity any day over Royal, when it comes to quality. That being said, I'll do Royal out of Baltimore or Cape Liberty for convenience sake and not having to fly....

 

There's no such thing as a bad day at sea on ANY ship!! (almost!)

[gdpups]

Curious what year you are talking about?? I couldn't find a 14 day Equinox cruise going out the end of November in either 2015 or 2016?? You also don't mention what ports Equinox docks at for the comparison.

 

I was on Equinox last November which included ports in Panama, Costa Rica, Belize, etc and I personally would pay more for a cruise that included those ports then I would for a B2B on Allure that only stops in St. Maartin, St. Thomas, Falmouth and Cozumel.

 

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are owned by the same company, but the products they offer in the different lines and ships are different. I have cruised many times on both lines and am happy I have a choice.

[Muushka]

Curious what year you are talking about?? I couldn't find a 14 day Equinox cruise going out the end of November in either 2015 or 2016?? You also don't mention what ports Equinox docks at for the comparison.

 

I was on Equinox last November which included ports in Panama, Costa Rica, Belize, etc and I personally would pay more for a cruise that included those ports then I would for a B2B on Allure that only stops in St. Maartin, St. Thomas, Falmouth and Cozumel.

 

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity are owned by the same company, but the products they offer in the different lines and ships are different. I have cruised many times on both lines and am happy I have a choice.

 

I think the OP meant Eclipse.

[4774Papa]

grandgeezer,

Sorry, but I don't understand our point about drink packages.

 

I understand the prices for the cruises that you quoted. Perhaps you can elaborate.

[Denny01]

Edited. Removed this post. I realize now that the OP was comparing the RCL with Eclipse not Equinox so my inputs aren't any use.

 

Den

Edited April 11, 2015 by Denny01

[rjrpar]

I could be way off base but you are comparing a b2b to a 14 day cruise. The drawbacks to a b2b are extra travel days, a port day in FLL, and some duplicate entertainment in the theatre. To us those drawbacks are worth a significant part of your savings

[Cruizen Susan]

I could be way off base but you are comparing a b2b to a 14 day cruise. The drawbacks to a b2b are extra travel days, a port day in FLL, and some duplicate entertainment in the theatre. To us those drawbacks are worth a significant part of your savings

 

Comparing apples with oranges.

[stipmom]

I used to interchange between RCCL and Celebrity although I had sailed on Celebrity more.

My last cruise on RCCl was in May of 2011 and on that cruise we had determined there was such a deterioration of product that we would not sail it again. The Celebrity product has also been diminished but no way as much as RCCL.I don't even check them anymore.

[Willman]

You are comparing two cruises over a random two week period. This does not give an accurate comparison of the value of the two cruise lines and their ships.

 

To this you would have to compare similar cruises over many, many weeks.

[gdpups]

I could be way off base but you are comparing a b2b to a 14 day cruise. The drawbacks to a b2b are extra travel days, a port day in FLL, and some duplicate entertainment in the theatre. To us those drawbacks are worth a significant part of your savings

 

OP must mean Eclipse, here is the itinerary. I would pay extra for Eclipse going to these port, which in my opinion are better, than the limited ports I mentioned that Allure goes to on a B2B.

 

 

Day 1 Miami, Florida 4:30PM

Day 2 At Sea

Day 3 At Sea

Day 4 Oranjestad, Aruba Docked 8:00AM 8:00PM

Day 5 Willemstad, Curacao Docked 7:00AM 5:00PM

Day 6 At Sea

Day 7 St. George's, Grenada Docked 8:00AM 5:00PM

Day 8 Bridgetown, Barbados Docked 8:00AM 5:00PM

Day 9 Castries, St. Lucia Docked 8:00AM 5:00PM

Day 10 St. John's, Antigua Docked 8:00AM 5:00PM

Day 11 Basseterre, St. Kitts Docked 8:00AM 5:00PM

Day 12 Philipsburg, St. Maarten Docked 8:00AM 5:00PM

Day 13 At Sea

Day 14 At Sea

Day 15 Miami, Florida 7:00AM

 

 

Miami, Florida

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

This may work for the OP, but for me it doesn't. Blah ports on Allure. Repeated twice. TONS more people. Not my cup of tea.

 

Linda

 

[e11wa]

OP must mean Eclipse, here is the itinerary. I would pay extra for Eclipse going to these port, which in my opinion are better, than the limited ports I mentioned that Allure goes to on a B2B.

 

 

Day 1 Miami, Florida 4:30PM

Day 2 At Sea

Day 3 At Sea

Day 4 Oranjestad, Aruba Docked 8:00AM 8:00PM

Day 5 Willemstad, Curacao Docked 7:00AM 5:00PM

Day 6 At Sea

Day 7 St. George's, Grenada Docked 8:00AM 5:00PM

Day 8 Bridgetown, Barbados Docked 8:00AM 5:00PM

Day 9 Castries, St. Lucia Docked 8:00AM 5:00PM

Day 10 St. John's, Antigua Docked 8:00AM 5:00PM

Day 11 Basseterre, St. Kitts Docked 8:00AM 5:00PM

Day 12 Philipsburg, St. Maarten Docked 8:00AM 5:00PM

Day 13 At Sea

Day 14 At Sea

Day 15 Miami, Florida 7:00AM

 

 

Miami, Florida

 

We're booked on this exact itinerary in November '16.

 

We were looking at a very similar itinerary on RCI Serenade out of Boston and into Ft Lauderdale, 12 nights vs 14 on Eclipse.

 

But Celebrity came in about $AU2000 cheaper for longer, with grats/obc/drinks included, RCI offered none of this, and would not let me book through their australian arm deals the rest of the world got.

 

The other deal breaker was Serenade skipping Barbados, one of the prime ports we want to visit.

 

have sailed both eastern and western on Freedom and Oasis, love cozumel, love st thomas and st maarten, but not enough to dedicate 8 sea days out of 14 to save a few bucks each day.

 

I also think for us, 30-something professionals with a taste for the finer things, celebrity is the product for us.

[karena1]

I guess it depends on the sail date/ship

 

I have booked 3 cruises on Celebrity b/c of the free bev pkg. Not one of the cruises was more expensive than Royal so getting the bev pkg was/is a huge perk. And if it was $100 more, it is still worth it. Would I pay double-no. But that has never been the case, prices are very comparable to booking Celebrity (even though we are D+ on Royal) so choosing Royal over Celebrity for these particular cruises was a no brainer.

[Host Jazzbeau]

because I was booking another cruise at the same time there would be no cancellation fee

 

This is the part I don't get. You mean that ordinarily your TA would charge you a cancellation fee? If so, you need a new TA!

[cruiserchuck]

This is the part I don't get. You mean that ordinarily your TA would charge you a cancellation fee? If so, you need a new TA!

 

I have discovered that some of the travel agents who provide the biggest discounts also now impose their own fee for cancellations, even if you are outside the cruise line's penalty period.

[budster]

Yes that huge online agency does charge a 100. Canc fee. They are not even flexible if rebooking. It usually eliminates price drops 😒

[Host Jazzbeau]

Yes that huge online agency does charge a 100. Canc fee. They are not even flexible if rebooking. It usually eliminates price drops 😒

 

This puts the huge on-line discounts I've read about in a different perspective. My TA gives me a little OBC, great advice and service, and never charges any fees for changes or cancellations. Since I have been able to rebook several times on a number of cruises, I guess I have saved more money from the cruise lines than I would have with the on-line discounts.