New Celebrity Bundle Pricing (Go! Big, Go! Better, Go! Best)

[JaneStarr]

If you pick the go better at an additional $15 pp., per night

 

For the on board credit, on a 10 day cruise you break even ($15 X 10 days $150 cost for a $150 credit); less than 10 days you win; more than 10 days Celebrity wins.

 

For the prepaid gratuities that cost $150:

In a standard stateroom you win on a 12 day or longer cruise ($12.95 X 12 days = $155.40 vs. $150 cost) Celebrity wins on 11 days or less.

 

In CC or Aqua you win again on a 12 day or longer cruise ($13.45 X 12 days =$161.40).

 

In a suite you win on a 10 day or longer cruise ($15.45 X 10 days = $154.50).

You've obviously put a lot of thought into this!

I totally agree with your conclusions on the OBC, if you are choosing it as your 2nd perk (under "Go Best")

 

I think you have an incorrect assumption in your gratuity analysis.

If you're talking about a 12 night cruise in the gratuity example, the $150 PP price doesn't seem correct.

If you choose it under "Go Best" it would be $15 pp/night for 12 nights, which comes to $180 pp.

 

Since the gratuity cost (under GO Best) and benefit are both "per night", you will only come out ahead on this if in a suite. Suite grats are the only ones > $15 pp/night. They are currently $16.45 pp/night.

Hope this helps. There are just so many moving pieces to consider :)

[mattjs]

I took a look at our 3 open reservations and found a significant price increase versus what we booked under 123-All Inclusive / Spring Sale.

 

We booked AquaClass A1 cabins on each voyage (with 1-category CC upgrade).

 

I also compared Go Best versus retaining our booking and upgrading a la carte on the ship.

 

(Cost per person)

12-Dec-15 Reflection

$1229 (123AI) / $1610 (123AI+prem+internet) vs. $1764 (Go Best)

 

11-Dec-16 Eclipse

$1499 (123AI) / $1966 (123AI+prem+internet) vs. $2199 (Go Best)

 

05-Mar-17 Constellation

$2849 (Booked) / $3363 (A123AI+prem+internet) vs. $3729 (Go Best)

 

Note, the above is priced with separate unlimited internet package per person. (299 / 349 / 349). In practice, only one of us would need to access the net, so the savings to upgrade are even lower.

 

Total Savings per cabin to retain 123AI, upgrade to premium drinks and 1 internet package vs. Go Best:

$605 / $815 / $1080 (Total $2500!!!)

[Cruise Junky]

If you pick the go better at an additional $15 pp., per night

 

For the on board credit, on a 10 day cruise you break even ($15 X 10 days $150 cost for a $150 credit); less than 10 days you win; more than 10 days Celebrity wins.

 

For the prepaid gratuities that cost $150:

In a standard stateroom you win on a 12 day or longer cruise ($12.95 X 12 days = $155.40 vs. $150 cost) Celebrity wins on 11 days or less.

 

In CC or Aqua you win again on a 12 day or longer cruise ($13.45 X 12 days =$161.40).

 

In a suite you win on a 10 day or longer cruise ($15.45 X 10 days = $154.50).

 

Except, my 12 day cruise in a regular balcony cost $180 to upgrade. So I lose on both the OBC and the tips. Odd match that X is using.

Edited July 7, 2015 by Cruise Junky

[232271]

My 7 night Alaska cruise RT out of Van Couver, with 123GO sale, in an Aqua suite, is $4010. With new package it will cost $4950.

[robcruz]

You cannot possibly come out ahead by picking free gratuities (big to better) regardless of the length of the cruise. Gratuities are $12.95 or 13.45/day and the upgrade costs $15-/day. The longer the cruise, the more you lose. Who is Celebrity trying to kid?

[CruisingChick]

You cannot possibly come out ahead by picking free gratuities (big to better) regardless of the length of the cruise. Gratuities are $12.95 or 13.45/day and the upgrade costs $15-/day. The longer the cruise, the more you lose. Who is Celebrity trying to kid?

 

I don't know who they are trying to kid, but they aren't fooling me.

 

For us, we usually book inside cabins or wait for Resident or Senior Rate. So we won't get any perks, but am wondering if more people will now wait for deals making demand greater. I have no Celebrity cruises booked at the moment.

[samsteph]

What people seem to be forgetting is that 123go! was a PROMOTION; GoBig, GoBetter, GoBest is a new PRICE STRUCTURE. In reality, you cannot compare them except for the fact that if you waited until July 6th to book a cruise, you missed the SALE.

To me it seems that Celebrity is moving away from setting customer expectations that the next sale is always around the corner and encouraging them to book whenever they are ready, with the confidence that the price they see will not be undercut by a new promotion every few months.

Just my thoughts :).

[ghstudio]

What people seem to be forgetting is that 123go! was a PROMOTION; GoBig, GoBetter, GoBest is a new PRICE STRUCTURE. In reality, you cannot compare them except for the fact that if you waited until July 6th to book a cruise, you missed the SALE.

To me it seems that Celebrity is moving away from setting customer expectations that the next sale is always around the corner and encouraging them to book whenever they are ready, with the confidence that the price they see will not be undercut by a new promotion every few months.

Just my thoughts :).

 

I agree with the above except for the part about no new promotions. I think it may take a couple of months before panic sets in on some cruises and we start to see "deals".

[Cruise Junky]

What people seem to be forgetting is that 123go! was a PROMOTION; GoBig, GoBetter, GoBest is a new PRICE STRUCTURE. In reality, you cannot compare them except for the fact that if you waited until July 6th to book a cruise, you missed the SALE.

To me it seems that Celebrity is moving away from setting customer expectations that the next sale is always around the corner and encouraging them to book whenever they are ready, with the confidence that the price they see will not be undercut by a new promotion every few months.

Just my thoughts :).

 

I don't care what it is, no one will pay $180 for $150 worth of service. Celebrity needs their head examined

[samsteph]

I guess it depends on what you "value". If your top choice is drinks, then you are way ahead of the game with GoBig; If your second choice is unlimited internet, then you are way way ahead by paying the $15 per day for GoBetter. After that, for a jump of $30 per day you can get the OBC, the gratuities and the drink pkg upgrade tossed in with GoBest.

In my opinion, it's the unlimited internet that make or breaks GoBest. If onboard internet does not matter to you, then GoBest is probably out and GoBetter just becomes a math problem.

[ghstudio]

I don't care what it is, no one will pay $180 for $150 worth of service. Celebrity needs their head examined

 

oh....don't count on that....some folks either won't think about it...or will just book because it's "easy". This is especially true of new cruisers who don't have the experience to know how to even do the math.

[UniPac]

For the prepaid gratuities that cost $150:

In a standard stateroom you win on a 12 day or longer cruise ($12.95 X 12 days = $155.40 vs. $150 cost) Celebrity wins on 11 days or less.

 

In CC or Aqua you win again on a 12 day or longer cruise ($13.45 X 12 days =$161.40).

 

In a suite you win on a 10 day or longer cruise ($15.45 X 10 days = $154.50).

 

Each day adds USD 15 to the "Upgrade cost" so a 10 day would be USD 150 and 12 day would be 180 USD - so only suite is worth the perk but only very close so not much worth.

[chamima]

oh....don't count on that....some folks either won't think about it...or will just book because it's "easy". This is especially true of new cruisers who don't have the experience to know how to even do the math.

 

 

 

Just thinking that Celebrity (and maybe all cruise lines) must hate CC.

They come up with this catchy new marketing scheme and ,horror of horrors, we've figured out the cost/benefit ratio is upside down. :p ;)

[Cindy]

Last night I looked at another of our Celebrity bookings, Italy & Croatia for May 2016. On that one, we would actually save money by taking the "Best" package, so there's no real consistency of what the new structure did to prices.

 

Unfortunately I think we're going to have to move that one, so it's not worth spending a lot of time on right now.

 

Would everyone reporting on their experiences with comparing pricing from before the sale to pricing now PLEASE include length of cruise in their descriptions! (And when they originally booked)

I think (but am not positive) that cruises 9 days or less work with this new program and that it's the 10 day or longer cruises that don't work.

Thank you all in advance.

 

Please accept my apologies...my May 2016 cruise has also gone up in price. I was looking at the wrong itinerary/date when I made the post above. I can't truly run the numbers because I haven't paid attention to it since I know we're going to have to push it out a year.

 

Both of the cruises I currently have booked are in AQ. The Equinox cruise is 11 nights in March 2016, and it was booked in early February of this year. The cost has skyrocketed, but it had already gone up $1,000/person before the change in fare structure. The Constellation cruise is 12 nights in May 2016, and it was booked in March of this year.

[Wiltonian]

Just thinking that Celebrity (and maybe all cruise lines) must hate CC.

They come up with this catchy new marketing scheme and ,horror of horrors, we've figured out the cost/benefit ratio is upside down. :p ;)

 

With all due respect, it isn't rocket science! ;-)

 

And the internet perk is only good value if you'd normally for a "big" package, rather than a few minutes a day to grab important emails.

 

As others have said, the classic drinks package on "Big" will be attractive to many; after that, unless you want the unlimited internet and the premium drinks, the net gain is minimal (and a arguably loss with shorter cruises).

 

It's all theoretical for us UK cruisers for the time being, of course.

 

Stuart

[WAVTAM]

US booking... Find a cruise.... regardless if I sign in or elect to skip senior or residents rates I still just get regular booking info. See no option for BBB

 

What I'm I doing wrong???

[ghstudio]

A review of some of the cruises on our favorite cruise price change notification site shows that celebrity has raised all fares except inside cabins which seem to be a little lower in price now. This ignores any perks like 1-2-3....it's a base rate to base rate comparison.

 

There are a number of cruises where the base rate has gone up by $150 ...some $250-300 and of course some higher...that's for "good", I presume. For most, I suspect that if you have 123 inclusive, you're better off doing nothing. If you have a choice of 1,2,3 then you have to see how the new bundle compares to what you have. I doubt that many will find any saving by moving to the new bundles unless you want to add unlimited internet to your classic drink package....or maybe add the OBC to a short cruise.

Edited July 7, 2015 by ghstudio

[hcat]

If you pick the go better at an additional $15 pp., per night

 

For the on board credit, on a 10 day cruise you break even ($15 X 10 days $150 cost for a $150 credit); less than 10 days you win; more than 10 days Celebrity wins.

 

For the prepaid gratuities that cost $150:

In a standard stateroom you win on a 12 day or longer cruise ($12.95 X 12 days = $155.40 vs. $150 cost) Celebrity wins on 11 days or less.

 

In CC or Aqua you win again on a 12 day or longer cruise ($13.45 X 12 days =$161.40).

 

In a suite you win on a 10 day or longer cruise ($15.45 X 10 days = $154.50).

 

Thanks for this post...I will check our three current bookings this afternnon and DO THE MATH. We have 123 and All In (triple perks). Hoping no need to change things around..Celeb booking is alot of work these days! Hoping it will ease up going forward,

 

When this program was announced I posted that arithmetic /math would be needed. Some folks thought I was wrong ....... this thread shows I wasn't!

[Big Beer Gut]

Last week, I booked a cruise from vacouver to Honolulu on the Solstice with the 123 Go package. When I compare the 123 Go package to the "Pay Most" package it is now $450 more expensive for 1 additional perk.

 

Celebrity must be smoking some really good stuff, if they expect this to increase sales:confused:

[grandgeezer]

Last week, I booked a cruise from vacouver to Honolulu on the Solstice with the 123 Go package. When I compare the 123 Go package to the "Pay Most" package it is now $450 more expensive for 1 additional perk.

 

Celebrity must be smoking some really good stuff, if they expect this to increase sales:confused:

 

What's P.T. Barnum's famous quote??

[knittinggirl]

How much is unlimited internet if we bought it on the ship?

 

We're looking at a 11 to 12 day cruise, and also the 15 day Panama Canal cruise that's already booked. Did I mention that 15 day Panama Canal cruise has jumped about $1,000 per person since we booked it w/ the 123 Go promotion.

[boquer]

I don't usually get into discussions such as this one. However....from what I've been reading here, and also from my call to Celebrity to check on the pricing on an already booked cruise....I feel obliged to participate.

So.... our booked cruise in December( a suite) has gone up eighteen hundred dollars in price. The only difference is that for eighteen hundred dollars more we could get free internet.

Phyllis

[chisoxfan]

I thought the 123Go was a wonderful promotion and we booked two cruises because of it (drinks, OBC, gratuities). I applaud X for making these components part of their overall pricing but it seems from the comments that they have over complicated their approach (although I can see where TAs love the fact they will receive commission on a greater expense..

123 promos stimulated sales because they were limited in time. Also I thought they were a benefit to the cruiseline that people who had this package were less sensitive to price changes since they typically occurred without the promo benefit package. Now if cabin price drops I will be able to

rebook at the lesser fare with the same benefit (potentially a bonus for the consumer).

Whether real or imagined the 123 packages also created the illusion that you were getting 'something for nothing' which from my experience was partially true.

Will have to see how this shakes out over time but I am thinking it will not ultimately be successful for X as a full time pricing strategy. JMHO

[kenevenpar]

What people seem to be forgetting is that 123go! was a PROMOTION; GoBig, GoBetter, GoBest is a new PRICE STRUCTURE. In reality, you cannot compare them except for the fact that if you waited until July 6th to book a cruise, you missed the SALE.

To me it seems that Celebrity is moving away from setting customer expectations that the next sale is always around the corner and encouraging them to book whenever they are ready, with the confidence that the price they see will not be undercut by a new promotion every few months.

Just my thoughts :).

 

Agreed for the most part, but do not forget that the base price is set based on supply and demand, and I am sure can, and will change based on Celebrity's pricing analysis.

 

I agree with the above except for the part about no new promotions. I think it may take a couple of months before panic sets in on some cruises and we start to see "deals".

 

Agree about promotions or deals. It will be interesting to see what happens to "exciting deals".

[Ma Bell]

I guess a lot of cruisers haven't been paying attention the last couple of years. The "free" promotions have accomplished the purpose which was raising prices and saving costs. It was a great strategy for the company and one they really needed to increase profits. Now they have many conditioned to accept convenience as a great deal.

 

It's smoke and mirrors and it worked. They were successful in establishing a new bottom line expectation for the price of a Celebriity cruise and going forward everything will be measured from that line. The market will still determine what kinds of "deals" there will be.