Mock Booking - Carnival vs. Celebrity

[CHMan00]

So, as an experiment, I just did a mock Booking between two cruise lines. I have never sailed Celebrity, and have done several Carnival (I am about to sail on the Sunshine in October), based on the idea that it is cheaper. However, these numbers from a mock booking show a different story. I chose the same time of year, with as similar of itineraries as possible.

 

CARNIVAL

 

Ship: Fascination

Days: 7

Deprarting: San Juan

Cabin: Balcony (Standard Deck 6)

Departure: OCT 23 2016

Ports: St. Thomas, Barbados, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, St. Marten

 

Price for 2: $1,810

Gratuities: $161.00

 

Total: $1,971

 

Onboard Credit offered: $0.00

Cheers (if desired): $788.90

 

Grand Total: $2,759.90

 

CELEBRITY

 

Ship: Summit

Days: 7

Departing: San Juan

Cabin: (Veranda) Balcony

Departure: OCT 22 16

Ports: St. Croix, Martinique, Dominca, St. Kitts, St. Thomas

 

Price for 2

 

Go Big offer: $1,800.00

Includes choice of free Gratuities, Onboard Credit, Free Internet or Classic Beverage package.

 

No matter which one you choose, it is going to be cheaper, and offer more than Carnival's cheapest package.

 

Go Best Offer Price for 2: $2,428.00

Includes Classic Beverage package, Internet for 2, Prepaid Gratuities, and $300.00 on board Credit.

 

No matter how you look at it, Celebrity is offering a much better deal than Carnival.

 

So the question, why is Carnival thought of as the best value in cruising?

[lizardhowson]

Certainly gets one thinking... :)

[naturist]

Plus in my opinion the Summit has alot more to offer than the Fascination. Both are nice ships, but I'd favor Celebrity in this example.

[txgranny]

Wow I am now curious will look into celebrity thank you

[loubetti]

That's surprising to see!

 

Celebrity is a different animal than Carnival. "Modern Luxury" as they describe it. However, it will not be a Carnival experience, it is way more sedate. If that is something you can handle, go for it. The best way I could describe Celebrity is that it is RCI's version of Cunard, but without the British accent.

 

Also, learn a few words of Greek for when you meet the captain, it just might land you at his table for dinner, as I know first hand several times over! :D

[Davey Wavey]

Like everything, you can find exceptions to the rule. Try doing 10 bookings across different time periods and see if you get 10 times Celebrity being less expensive and then ask your question.

[sprint180]

Thanks OP. I never think to look at Celebrity. I will have to check them out.

[KatieCharlotte]

I agree that you can find excellent deals on any cruise line if you're flexible on dates, and that Fantasy cruise you're looking at is way more than I'd pay to sail on it in October. My parents take advantage of being retired with no kids at home by finding the best deals on a variety of cruise lines, and I plan to do the same when my vacation schedule can be more flexible. But I have yet to find any cruise that compares to Carnival's price for our family size and the limited times when we can travel.

[cruzeluver]

Wow. In that example, the Celebrity deal is far superior. We have sailed twice on Constellation which is nearly identical to Summit and its a very nice ship, far, far better than a Carnival Fantasy-class ship. I would take that deal in a heartbeat.

[CHMan00]

Wow. In that example, the Celebrity deal is far superior. We have sailed twice on Constellation which is nearly identical to Summit and its a very nice ship, far, far better than a Carnival Fantasy-class ship. I would take that deal in a heartbeat.

 

I never book a cruise a full year out, but it is a very good deal. It is a much better deal than my 8 day Sunshine cruise next month, too. I don't know if I will like Celebrity or not, but if this deal is available closer to the time I want to book, I will definitely take it over the Carnival Cruise.

[loubetti]

On Celebrity, forget about the hairy chest contest and non-stop announcements, and the cruise director in your face (figuratively) all the time.

 

Celebrity is on a different level. No better or worse than Carnival, but they are not the same by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Book them with this in mind.

[CHMan00]

On Celebrity, forget about the hairy chest contest and non-stop announcements, and the cruise director in your face (figuratively) all the time.

 

Celebrity is on a different level. No better or worse than Carnival, but they are not the same by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Book them with this in mind.

 

I cruise to relax. I wouldn't miss any of that. I wouldn't take my kids on Celebrity though. They would miss the water slides too much.

[SkyMaster]

HMMM,,,Celebrity used to be my favorite line, and we sailed them over, and over again. Stopped when it started getting WAY more expensive than some of the others, but frankly, with the goofy stuff Carnival has started doing lately, I think I'll start taking a second look when I book. Thanks for the eye opening information! ;)

 

"SKY"

[cruising maniac]

The itinerary for Summit is much better. Celebrity is our favorite and the food is really good. Service is comparable between the two. We chose based on itinerary and price. Last year, the Reflection and this year, the Breeze.

[SUSIEK]

Curious as to what the rate category code was on Carnival. Was it an ES rate that would offer price protection? Being that the cruise is so far out you would probably get to take advantage of the price going down. Not sure that Celebrity offers that.

 

We have sailed on Celebrity a few times. Ships very nice, but the fellow passengers were not what we have become accustomed to with Carnival, NCL or Royal. I have never had so many "glares" at me when they saw we had a child. Really a turn off to us. I don't think I would take my son again.

[CHMan00]

Curious as to what the rate category code was on Carnival. Was it an ES rate that would offer price protection? Being that the cruise is so far out you would probably get to take advantage of the price going down. Not sure that Celebrity offers that.

 

We have sailed on Celebrity a few times. Ships very nice, but the fellow passengers were not what we have become accustomed to with Carnival, NCL or Royal. I have never had so many "glares" at me when they saw we had a child. Really a turn off to us. I don't think I would take my son again.

 

Yes it was Early Saver. But, even if you are able to get several price reductions, the Celebrity deal is going to be hard to beat.

[Davey Wavey]

We started with Carnival for the children's program and stayed with them. I have checked prices on the online cruise agencies and regularly see prices below Carnival, mostly Norwegian but Celebrity does show up alot. My sister works for Norwegian and offers me discounted prices with them, but the kids like Camp Carnival so much and my cruises are now comped by the casino that I don't know if I will ever switch. But this is a reminder to always check all the prices before you buy.

[Nic6318]

Of course you can't expect Carnival vs. any other cruise line on any given day for any given itinerary to always be cheaper.

 

I do believe that you will find that they are generally cheaper.

 

Like any other product in a store, just because there is a "SALE" sign doesn't mean it is the best value. As a consumer it is up to you to do your homework.

 

Are you saying that you always booked with Carnival just because you thought they would be cheaper without ever comparing the price of other products?

 

That would be like the people who try to bash Carnival without ever trying the product.

 

Lesson for everyone, if money is no object, buy the best. If you are like the rest of us, a little bit of research will always save you a lot.

 

Happy sailing to all

[SUSIEK]

Yes it was Early Saver. But, even if you are able to get several price reductions, the Celebrity deal is going to be hard to beat.

 

 

Sounds like you should go with Celebrity. We just booked MSC Divina for next May. Their offer was book an inside, get a balcony. Plus, kids sail free. Such an incredible deal for a 7night cruise we couldn't pass up. We have only sailed on MSC once on a 2 night cruise and did enjoy it. You never know when the deals are coming and all the lines run them. Better rates/deals at slower times or when a ship is not selling well. Lucky to be able to take advantage of them :-)

[CHMan00]

Of course you can't expect Carnival vs. any other cruise line on any given day for any given itinerary to always be cheaper.

 

I do believe that you will find that they are generally cheaper.

 

Like any other product in a store, just because there is a "SALE" sign doesn't mean it is the best value. As a consumer it is up to you to do your homework.

 

Are you saying that you always booked with Carnival just because you thought they would be cheaper without ever comparing the price of other products?

 

That would be like the people who try to bash Carnival without ever trying the product.

 

Lesson for everyone, if money is no object, buy the best. If you are like the rest of us, a little bit of research will always save you a lot.

 

Happy sailing to all

 

I have researched other cruise lines in the past, and find Carnival to usually have a lower starting point. NCL and RCL do advertise lower fares on their older ships sometimes. Their newer ships are usually much more expensive than Carnival's. However, this is a Fascination Class ship which I would expect to have a lower starting price, and if you look at the breakdown, after adding in the gratuities, drinks, a dinner or two in the steakhouse, the Celebrity deal is much, much better.

 

And no, I don't always book with Carnival, and when I do it is not based on the fact that I "thought they would be cheaper."

[Tapi]

It seems to me like, while Carnival is still many times cheaper than other cruise lines, these situations where Carnival is NOT the price leader are becoming more frequent.

 

We sailed on Princess last year and on Holland America the year before. Both times these cruises were considerably cheaper than similar Carnival cruises, which played a big role in our decision to select them. As I continue doing mock bookings for future cruises, I keep running into similar situations (although no cruise line has come anywhere near the price that we locked for our upcoming Carnival cruise in late May 2016).

 

Carnival has worked hard to create an image of being the price leader in the cruise industry, like Southwest has done in the airline industry. But just like a lot of people will go directly to the Southwest website and book their flights without realizing that its not the price leader anymore and that other airlines are offering a better price, a lot of people will continue to book their cruises on Carnival and not realize that another cruise line out there is offering a better price, on a better itinerary, or nicer ship.

 

If Carnival's prices stop being competitive, they will undoubtedly need to upgrade their product in order to compete head on with other cruise lines that traditionally offer a more upscale cruise experience.

[cruzinlisa]

We took a Celebrity cruise last year and while I would not say it was cheaper on base price (it was not), it was overall the best value. And in the end, it ended up being very close in price. The base price was higher. But we got a drink package (which our TA upgraded to premium) and our TA gave us free prepaid grats. So it was really prepaid. We had no balance due on our sign and sale bill at the end. Factoring in the grats, our final price was not much more than a comparable carnival cruise without drinks. Once you factored in drinks, we came out ahead. I think we paid something like $1700 after all taxes for a 5 day cruise and we had an Aqua Class balcony (which is kind of like spa class).

 

We have not found another great deal. If I did, we would jump. We loved Celebrity.

[cruzinlisa]

Wow. In that example, the Celebrity deal is far superior. We have sailed twice on Constellation which is nearly identical to Summit and its a very nice ship, far, far better than a Carnival Fantasy-class ship. I would take that deal in a heartbeat.

 

Loved our cruise on Connie. It was a little quieter than Carnival, but not boring. Plus with the drink package, well we had fun. :D

[aflyingbuttress]

That's surprising to see!

 

Celebrity is a different animal than Carnival. "Modern Luxury" as they describe it. However, it will not be a Carnival experience, it is way more sedate. If that is something you can handle, go for it. The best way I could describe Celebrity is that it is RCI's version of Cunard, but without the British accent.

 

Also, learn a few words of Greek for when you meet the captain, it just might land you at his table for dinner, as I know first hand several times over! :D

 

I have to agree. The last ship I was on was Celebrity Eclipse and it was very sedate. The ship felt empty at night. There were no deck parties or anything going on outside after sunset. I kept wondering, where is all the fun? I felt like the advertised a lot more intellectual activities than I was able to find, which was a draw for me. I was bored.

 

This is coming from someone who is a total nerd, not a partier at all, was looking for a calmer ship than Carnival. There was just no excitement. That was my one and only experience on Celebrity but I suppose it depends on what one is really looking for. If I were looking for a relaxing and quiet vacation, I'd go Celebrity again. I think my 3 year old would be bored though so that is out until she's older anyway.

[Towel Critter]

I've been a huge Carnival fan since the early 2000s. Up until recently they regularly had many, if not all, of the lowest priced cruises available in the 6-8 day cruise range, and also offered the most bang for the buck. I'm seeing prices go up across the board, in many cases to near that, or above that, of typical prices from other more "high end" cruise lines. At the same time, they are cutting back. This is concerning me, as it looks like they may exclude me, and no doubt many others, from cruising with them in the near future. I really like the Carnival cruise experience, so I'd be very disappointed if that were to happen. If Carnival stays on their current pricing course, it looks like I may have to settle for an AI vacation in the future, as there are still bargains to be found there. Yes, there are still a few bargains to be found with Carnival, IF you don't care much what itinerary you sail on, and IF you have a very flexible schedule, and IF you don't mind a shorter cruise on an older, smaller ship, where partying is the name of the game. Otherwise, the pickings are slim, as I am finding out as I shop for a cruise to replace the 8 night cruise we just had to cancel last week due to sickness in the family. I am floored to see prices this high during hurricane season and right after the fire incident on the Liberty.

 

The only real bargains I'm seeing right now are a few of the remaining "Journey" cruises, and even there the prices are going up weekly. I'd love to go ahead and book one of them, before they get out of my price range. Unfortunately, the same sickness in the family that resulted in us canceling our cruise last week, also prevents me from booking for the time being. Of course, that isn't Carnival's fault, just one of the things that life throws at you from time to time.

 

I am far from a Carnival basher and hope to be able to sail with them over the coming years, hopefully as soon as sometime in the next few months, but I'm starting to wonder if that will be possible. I can only hope I am only one of many who are finding their current prices unpalatable, and that due to that, resulting slow sales will drive their prices back down to where they've been for the past few years. I'm not wishing anything bad on Carnival, just trying to figure out a way in my mind that I can continue cruising with them.

 

I'm certainly no expert on the matter, but I'm dubious of the wisdom in Carnival raising pricing to that of other more upscale cruise lines with higher quality entertainment, ships with more bells and whistles, and more varied onboard activities. It just seems obvious to me that many cruisers will say to themselves, "well, if I'm going to have to pay $__________ for a cruise, I may as well go with RCCL, Celebrity, NCL, etc... But if that happens, I guess it's a good thing for me and others in my income range.

 

Maybe I'm worrying over nothing. I remember one other time in the past few years when Carnival's prices were up and I feared I'd have to abandon them. The prices came back down after a while. Maybe that's what I'll see this time. I certainly hope so.

 

Just a few random thoughts from a concerned Carnival fan.