Price drops -- was I dreaming??

[Cruise Raider]

I thought Celebrity sent out notifications that they would no longer be sending out steep price drops after final payment but rather offer captain's club members an offer for an upsell / upgrade. Was I dreaming or was that a very short lived policy??

 

First cruise since they implemented this and it is not even as they say. What gives?

[az_tchr]

I thought Celebrity sent out notifications that they would no longer be sending out steep price drops after final payment but rather offer captain's club members an offer for an upsell / upgrade. Was I dreaming or was that a very short lived policy??

 

First cruise since they implemented this and it is not even as they say. What gives?

 

The comment was made by the CEO of RCCL. What he said was they would no longer be making deep discounts during the last approximately 30 days. Am not sure it was clear as to whether he was referring to just RCCL (they were really the big discounters in the Caribbean) or all the lines owned by RCCL. There was an interview on a travel show (I did not see it) where someone reported that he said 30-40 days.

 

Exactly what that means is certainly subject to interpretation, but I would think there would still be significant price drops after the final payment date. This simply caused by TAs making block bookings for groups and then releasing anything from one to a hundred cabins back on Celebrity just before the payment date. For example 3 TAs in Australia turned back over 300 cabins last year on the Connie for a special Gallipoli cruise very late and the price for a C cabin dropped from $2699 to $1799 just after final payment date. Many were offered upsells - cheap. We did battle and got a reduction of almost the $900pp.

 

There have been many reports of upgrade offers to cruisers in a "policy" that was put in place a short time ago on CC. Do not think it is restricted to just Captain's Club members.

[1cruiselvr]

Depends on inventory after final payment. For example, a Caribbean cruise sailing next week has been sold out for some time. Nobody on the roll call or X board has mentioned being offered an upsell. Inventory is tight. I have seen 1 cabin in a category open up for a day, then the category closes again. I know this is not exactly what you asked, but I think the reality of the upsell/no discount announcement is totally dependent upon inventory availability after final payment is due. My 2 cents. TAs holding onto 300 cabins for a cruise seems excessive to me. They actually thought they'd sell that many? My personal opinion on that subject is that the cruise line should limit how many cabins can be held by a TA. Then the fire sale last minute after final payment would less likely happen. Again, just my 2 cents on the subject.

[teecee60]

The comment made by the CEO of RCCL was they would no longer be making deep discounts during the last 30 days.

 

Exactly what that means is certainly subject to interpretation, but I would think there would still be significant price drops after the final payment date.

 

This caused by TAs making block bookings and then releasing from one to a hundred cabins back on Celebrity just before the payment date. For example 3 TAs in Australia turned back over 300 cabins last year on the Connie and the price for a C cabin dropped from $2699 to $1799 just after final payment date. Many were offered upsells. We got a reduction of almost $900pp.

 

There have been many reports of upgrade offers to cruisers in a "policy" that was put in place a short time ago.

 

 

 

I think the reality of the upsell/no discount announcement is totally dependent upon inventory availability after final payment is due.

 

TAs holding onto 300 cabins for a cruise seems excessive. My personal opinion is the cruise line should limit how many cabins can be held by a TA. Then the fire sale last minute after final payment would less likely happen.

 

The CEO can, and most likely WILL make all the intentionally misleading statements he possibly can... in an effort to encourage as many people as possible... to book as early as possible... at the highest possible price the market will bear. (THAT would insure very high profit margins and most likely a juicy bonus for himself) ;)

 

It is quite simply nothing more than supply and demand. Popular and/or limited itineraries will sell out with little or no discounts/perks offered. Those itineraries/sail dates that are below capacity will be discounted in what ever way the cruise lines can offer to fill those cabins. :cool:

 

There have been a LOT of threads here on CC concerning this topic and an oft recurring statement is the cruse lines will sail with large numbers of empty cabins just as soon as you see entire herds of swine performing aerobatic maneuvers at Oshkosh. :D

 

They will do WHAT *E*V*E*R* is necessary to fill as many cabins as possible to keep from loosing money, not just on empty cabins, but from the lost opportunity to sell drinks, specialty dining, shore excursions, watches and all that "investment grade 'art.'" :eek: :p :rolleyes:

 

That includes upgrades for a price, upgrades for free, "Tuesday Specials," resident/military/over 55 specials, etc, etc, etc.

 

That's how I was able to do a 15 night transatlantic for $449pp and a 23 night transpacific for $799pp. (both with $250 OBC!)

Edited February 10, 2016 by teecee60

[cheeseheads4ever]

Hello TeeCee 60,

 

How do you possibly book a 15 night cruise so cheap? We were always told a $100 a night per person was good..can you send me some of your tricks.i have a private email if you'd like that..we are relatively new cruisers too only cruised 6 times.

Larry

[thebutlerdidit]

 

That's how I was able to do a 15 night transatlantic for $449pp and a 23 night transpacific for $799pp. (both with $250 OBC!)

 

Teecee, I wish you would asterisk your deals to explain that you own company stock, and because transatlantics and transpacifics are what you choose, in cabins that don't qualify for any other perks, $250 is given. It's misleading for Joe Cruiser to think that they can book a cruise and expect the same.

[twin123185]

My upcoming 4/2 Constellation 13 day TA dropped in price a couple of weeks BEFORE my final payment. Don't know or understand why Celebrity had a great deal for New Jersey residents on a cruise leaving out of Florida but I won't question it. $549 pp for an inside. If I took a guarantee it would have been $499. Price is around $619 now.

Nice that I have the stock $200 credit too but. It nice the stock is down 35% this year......

Edited February 10, 2016 by twin123185

[HokiePoq]

The CEO can, and most likely WILL make all the intentionally misleading statements he possibly can... in an effort to encourage as many people as possible... to book as early as possible... at the highest possible price the market will bear. (THAT would insure very high profit margins and most likely a juicy bonus for himself) ;)

 

It is quite simply nothing more than supply and demand. Popular and/or limited itineraries will sell out with little or no discounts/perks offered. Those itineraries/sail dates that are below capacity will be discounted in what ever way the cruise lines can offer to fill those cabins. :cool:

 

There have been a LOT of threads here on CC concerning this topic and an oft recurring statement is the cruse lines will sail with large numbers of empty cabins just as soon as you see entire herds of swine performing aerobatic maneuvers at Oshkosh. :D

 

They will do WHAT *E*V*E*R* is necessary to fill as many cabins as possible to keep from loosing money, not just on empty cabins, but from the lost opportunity to sell drinks, specialty dining, shore excursions, watches and all that "investment grade 'art.'" :eek: :p :rolleyes:

 

That includes upgrades for a price, upgrades for free, "Tuesday Specials," resident/military/over 55 specials, etc, etc, etc.

 

That's how I was able to do a 15 night transatlantic for $449pp and a 23 night transpacific for $799pp. (both with $250 OBC!)

 

Very true about lines doing what it takes to fill up the spots. We've read in business publications about the percentage of profit that comes with the onboard spending. In addition no matter how little one pays, the gratuities go a long way toward paying the crew.

Like the previous poster, I, too, am curious where you find the great last minute deals. The well known last minute sites or X's site or is there an email list from X one can join for these deals?

[twin123185]

Keep eye on websites and here on CC. That's how I found about my price drop.

[teecee60]

:o

Teecee, I wish you would asterisk your deals to explain that you own company stock, and because transatlantics and transpacifics are what you choose, in cabins that don't qualify for any other perks, $250 is given. It's misleading for Joe Cruiser to think that they can book a cruise and expect the same.

 

It's absolutely true that I own company stock (both Royal Caribbean AND Carnival) that allows the "shareholder credit" of up to $250 OBC for any cruise of 14 or more days. (less credit with shorter cruises) but ONLY if there is NO other OBC or perk from Royal/Celebrity/Azamara as part of your booking.

 

"Joe Cruiser" CAN and WILL get the EXACT same deals...IF he owns the stock... avoids the never ending, inane marketing schemes... shops for the best deals... (especially after final payment) and books through online sites that offer lower prices and/or more perks/OBC than available by booking directly from the cruise lines.

 

I have learned a LOT of VERY valuable information from many other members here on Cruise Critic about how to get better deals on cruise vacations and I enjoy passing it on to others. If you think I need to include a detailed three or four paragraph explanation of each and every specific of how I get each and every deal...sorry, that's just not going to happen, I don't type that well and people should be able to do their own research. :o

 

I specifically stated in my previous post that one cruise was a transatlantic and the other was a transpacific, and am fairly sure most people understand I wasn't in a Penthouse Suite. I don't demand that people who say they "saved $900pp and got $800 OBC" explain every single specific or that they most likely STILL paid some (undisclosed and) ridiculously high price because they bought into the marketing hype and CHOSE a much more expensive type of cabin. :rolleyes:

 

 

Very true about lines doing what it takes to fill up the spots. We've read in business publications about the percentage of profit that comes with the onboard spending. In addition no matter how little one pays, the gratuities go a long way toward paying the crew.

Like the previous poster, I, too, am curious where you find the great last minute deals. The well known last minute sites or X's site or is there an email list from X one can join for these deals?

 

Cruise Critic rules prohibit the mention of specific travel agencies but there are many online sites, search for cruise ship discounts, 90 day ticker, or last minute cruise deals. ;)

Edited February 10, 2016 by teecee60

[az_tchr]

Depends on inventory after final payment. For example, a Caribbean cruise sailing next week has been sold out for some time. Nobody on the roll call or X board has mentioned being offered an upsell. Inventory is tight. I have seen 1 cabin in a category open up for a day, then the category closes again. I know this is not exactly what you asked, but I think the reality of the upsell/no discount announcement is totally dependent upon inventory availability after final payment is due. My 2 cents. TAs holding onto 300 cabins for a cruise seems excessive to me. They actually thought they'd sell that many? My personal opinion on that subject is that the cruise line should limit how many cabins can be held by a TA. Then the fire sale last minute after final payment would less likely happen. Again, just my 2 cents on the subject.

 

The TAs in question had blocked over 700 cabins and ended up selling a bit over 1/2 directly and many more were sold directly with Celebrity. Since this was a special 100th Anniversary cruise for Gallipoli where thousands of Australians died in WWI it was a big deal for them and that many cabins appropriate. The cancellations happened because the Turkish Govt. decided nobody off a cruise ship could visit the memorial site on that one day. Ended up still with 1400 Aussies on board.

[Cruise Raider]

The comment was made by the CEO of RCCL. What he said was they would no longer be making deep discounts during the last approximately 30 days. Am not sure it was clear as to whether he was referring to just RCCL (they were really the big discounters in the Caribbean) or all the lines owned by RCCL. There was an interview on a travel show (I did not see it) where someone reported that he said 30-40 days.

 

Exactly what that means is certainly subject to interpretation, but I would think there would still be significant price drops after the final payment date. This simply caused by TAs making block bookings for groups and then releasing anything from one to a hundred cabins back on Celebrity just before the payment date. For example 3 TAs in Australia turned back over 300 cabins last year on the Connie for a special Gallipoli cruise very late and the price for a C cabin dropped from $2699 to $1799 just after final payment date. Many were offered upsells - cheap. We did battle and got a reduction of almost the $900pp.

 

There have been many reports of upgrade offers to cruisers in a "policy" that was put in place a short time ago on CC. Do not think it is restricted to just Captain's Club members.

 

That was the report I thought I saw ... for some reason, thought it was Celebrity but most definitely could have been from RCCL as I receive a LOT of cruise line info in my email.

I was able to get a deep discount very close to sail date on one of my cruises a few months back ... actually was able to upgrade to a CC cabin from an inside for very little extra. I wasn't complaining about that so really am not entitled to be complaining about this upcoming cruise either....so I won't!

Just thought that after my previous deal, that an email came out stating they weren't going to do that anymore. With this in mind, I may just be looking to book last minute a lot more often now I know that they definitely end up dropping the prices.

[dottyparka]

How far in advance of the sail date is the final payment date for a typical 7-night cruise? I haven't booked with X before and was curious.

[varoo]

How far in advance of the sail date is the final payment date for a typical 7-night cruise? I haven't booked with X before and was curious.

75 days for a regular non-holiday cruise (for Americans).

 

 

 

Also check for any special category discounts for which you may qualify as they often offer good deals on those, even when they don't reduce the regular posted prices.

 

Those usually come without perks, so we need to figure out whether we are better off taking the lower price without the perks or the higher price with the perks.

 

For some discounted categories, the price drops can be minor, while for others they can be substantial and well worth giving up the perks.

No hard and fast rule as they keep changing all the time, varying from one cruise to another and from one date to another.

 

 

Edited February 18, 2016 by varoo

[MicCanberra]

I thought Celebrity sent out notifications that they would no longer be sending out steep price drops after final payment but rather offer captain's club members an offer for an upsell / upgrade. Was I dreaming or was that a very short lived policy??

 

First cruise since they implemented this and it is not even as they say. What gives?

 

We have never had that happen here, we have always needed to be proactive and even then never got any price drops but may have been able to upgrade for little or no cost.

[MicCanberra]

75 days for a regular non-holiday cruise (for Americans).

 

 

 

Also check for any special category discounts for which you may qualify as they often offer good deals on those, even when they don't reduce the regular posted prices.

 

Those usually come without perks, so we need to figure out whether we are better off taking the lower price without the perks or the higher price with the perks.

 

For some discounted categories, the price drops can be minor, while for others they can be substantial and well worth giving up the perks.

No hard and fast rule as they keep changing all the time, varying from one cruise to another and from one date to another.

 

 

 

Yes, it is 150 days in Australia:(

[Tranquility Base]

Yes, it is 150 days in Australia:(

Is that for the final payment date ?

Sounds a long time out.

 

I thought the 150 days was the date at which you forfeit your deposit.

[MicCanberra]

Is that for the final payment date ?

Sounds a long time out.

 

I thought the 150 days was the date at which you forfeit your deposit.

Sorry - Final payment is 70-90 days.

From the cruise contract for Australia.

http://www.celebritycruises.com.au/footer/australia-terms-conditions/

 

Final payment

 

We must receive the balance of the cruise and/or flight costs (after deducting the deposit you have paid) not less than 70 days before departure (90 days for Holiday sailings – Christmas, New Year and Easter departures) unless you book 70 days or less before departure (90 days for Holiday sailings), in which case you must pay the total cruise and/or flight cost at the time of booking. If we have not received all monies due to us in full and on time, you will be deemed to wish to cancel your cruise and cancellation charges as set out below (see clause 30, Cancellations and Refunds) will apply.

 

It is deposits at 150 althpough they may be lost at any time, if through a TA.:(

 

Cancellation of cruise

The following cancellation charges will then apply to your cruise.

 

Standard Cruises & Cruisetours (Cruise Portion Only)

Days Prior to Cruise Departure - Cancellation Charges

 

151 or more days - deposit is refundable

150-71 day - loss of deposit

70-46 days - 25% of fare*

45-31 days - 50% of fare*

30-15 days - 75% of fare*

14 days or less - 100% of fare

 

Holiday Sailings – Christmas, New Year & Easter

(Cruise Portion Only)

Days Prior to Cruise Departure - Cancellation Charges

 

151 or more days - deposit is refundable

150-91 days - loss of deposit

90-61 days - 25% of fare*

60-41 days - 50% of fare*

40-25 days - 75% of fare*

24 days or less - 100% of fare

 

*In instances where the deposit amount paid is higher than the 25/50/75% of cruise fare cancellation charge, then the highest of the two amounts is payable as the cancellation charge, i.e. the full deposit amount is retained.

Edited February 19, 2016 by MicCanberra