Overpriced Celebrity fares make me change cruiseline, regrettably!

[Tangocherie]

Good point, Airbalancer. I forgot about Constellation no longer doing transat crossings.

[Host Jazzbeau]

The heads of all the major cruise lines are on record that they plan to increase revenue as quickly as they can now that the US economy is coming out of the downturn. They held prices low and ran lots of sales to fill cabins, but this is not a long-term business plan for success. So I'm sure you are correct that Celebrity prices are trending higher (despite some soft cruises like the terrific deal we recently got in the eastern Med) -- but I expect you will find the exact same trend on the other lines you plan to research.

[4774Papa]

The heads of all the major cruise lines are on record that they plan to increase revenue as quickly as they can now that the US economy is coming out of the downturn. They held prices low and ran lots of sales to fill cabins, but this is not a long-term business plan for success. So I'm sure you are correct that Celebrity prices are trending higher (despite some soft cruises like the terrific deal we recently got in the eastern Med) -- but I expect you will find the exact same trend on the other lines you plan to research.

 

Sorry, the economy has been limping along with about a 2 percent growth rate.

 

Cruise pricing started moving up last year, from what I have seen.

 

With all the issues in Europe, I have read that airline fares to Europe are way down and Americans have cut back going to Europe. Perhaps Europeans are filling the empty cabins or not.

 

Another factor working in the opposite direction is that more and more boomers are retiring and starting to spend some of their retirement savings on travel.

[RDC1]

Did you see how they try to "sell" it? Apparently guests bringing liquids on board is now a security risk, similar to when you board an airplane.......

 

They did not say that guests that brought liquids on board were a security risk.

 

What they did say was that bringing liquids on board was resulting in backups during the security process and that eliminating them was in accordance with good security procedures.

[emileg]

...Another factor working in the opposite direction is that more and more boomers are retiring and starting to spend some of their retirement savings on travel.

I agree. On most Celebrity cruises we have been on, it seems like the majority of the passengers are over 60 years old. At 70, I am among the first of the baby boomers. We have certainly picked up our pace, from one or two cruises a year to two or three. Again, it is all supply and demand.

[SusieV]

I'd say that Celebrity is pricing people like me out. I used to do between 10-14 days a year, just basic Caribbean sailings in a balcony and the occasional splurge on CC or AQ.

 

I keep all my invoices (all prices in USD), and I can see that I paid $799pp for an 11 night Caribbean in 2006, $1420pp for 14 nights in a balcony in 2011, $980pp for 11 nights in a CC in 2010... I just don't see prices like these anymore. Even the exciting deals aren't really all that exciting. It's been creeping up a little bit every year, and perks or no I can't afford $1200-$1500pp for a one week Caribbean cruise in a balcony.

 

I don't know that we'll switch lines, but I might start cruising every 2-3 years instead of every year. I got lots of perks for my 2017 Eclipse sailing but we downgraded to an OV and still might not keep the booking because it's just too expensive.

[Tangocherie]

Especially now with our CAN$ so low compared to the US$.

[bigbeergut]

The Resident and Senior discounts advertised by Celebrity have really started to irritate me. Every time I check these discounts, they drop the Big, Better, Best options so it's not really a discount just de-contented cruise offer. Since it's not really an apples to apples comparison it's really misleading. In reality theses are not discounts.

[casper106]

We booked our Eclipse 2017 cruise back in 2015 when we were on the same cruise. The price has gone up since then. We aren't interested in the alcohol packages since there's no way we would ever drink that much per day. We take our allotted 2 bottles on board with us to enjoy in the room and at dinner we usually take 3 times to finish one bottle that we buy at dinner. On the last cruise,we took the premium water package since we do enjoy sparkling water. We won't be doing that again since the price has gone up.

 

Most likely this will be the last Caribbean cruise that we do on X for a while. We went on HAL last year and had a nice time and we will definitely book with them in the future.The prices are better for the same thing.

 

It's all about the bottom line with the cruise companies just as it is with us.

[cruzin.cat]

With so many cruises under your belt, I have a great idea for you, why not try something different altogether to gain new experiences with a different set of people. A change is as good as a rest. Just a thought!!

[Tangocherie]

With so many cruises under your belt, I have a great idea for you, why not try something different altogether to gain new experiences with a different set of people. A change is as good as a rest. Just a thought!!

 

 

Cruzincat,

 

I would love to expand my horizons. However, I am not yet retired which limits my cruise experiences. :)

[Miaminice]

1.

We are booked for three more Celebrity cruises. While our last cruise to Iceland was one of the most expensive cruises we ever did, the next ones are either regular priced (Adriatic Coast) or amazingly low priced (Asia for 2017). One starting from Singapore (Vietnam, Malaysia etc.) is the cheapest cruise we ever did with X - we book on board well in advance and we always book AQ.

 

2.

I read all the stuff about Celebrity becoming too expensive, Celebrity outpricing itself and so on...

 

Let´s face it, as long as they have no problems filling their ships they are neither too expesive nor outpricing themselves. They are just becoming too expensive for YOU. And the fact is they run a business, they do not care about YOU. Why would they? As long as someone else is willing to pay the asking price, they are fine.

 

3.

Every individual has to decide which price for a cruise is OK for them.

If you have the feeling X is too expensive, change the cruiseline. Book with someone else... but PLEASE stop all these threads with the threats that you are going to change the line. What do you expect? Waiting for someone to beg you to stay? Not gonna happen.... ;)

[cruzin.cat]

Cruzincat,

 

I would love to expand my horizons. However, I am not yet retired which limits my cruise experiences. :)

 

I was thinking more in terms of a walking holiday, nature trek to unusual places that sort of thing rather than endless cruises.

[ORV]

1.

We are booked for three more Celebrity cruises. While our last cruise to Iceland was one of the most expensive cruises we ever did, the next ones are either regular priced (Adriatic Coast) or amazingly low priced (Asia for 2017). One starting from Singapore (Vietnam, Malaysia etc.) is the cheapest cruise we ever did with X - we book on board well in advance and we always book AQ.

 

2.

I read all the stuff about Celebrity becoming too expensive, Celebrity outpricing itself and so on...

 

Let´s face it, as long as they have no problems filling their ships they are neither too expesive nor outpricing themselves. They are just becoming too expensive for YOU. And the fact is they run a business, they do not care about YOU. Why would they? As long as someone else is willing to pay the asking price, they are fine.

 

3.

Every individual has to decide which price for a cruise is OK for them.

If you have the feeling X is too expensive, change the cruiseline. Book with someone else... but PLEASE stop all these threads with the threats that you are going to change the line. What do you expect? Waiting for someone to beg you to stay? Not gonna happen.... ;)

 

Very good post, probably falling on deaf ears though.

[Tangocherie]

1.

We are booked for three more Celebrity cruises. While our last cruise to Iceland was one of the most expensive cruises we ever did, the next ones are either regular priced (Adriatic Coast) or amazingly low priced (Asia for 2017). One starting from Singapore (Vietnam, Malaysia etc.) is the cheapest cruise we ever did with X - we book on board well in advance and we always book AQ.

 

2.

I read all the stuff about Celebrity becoming too expensive, Celebrity outpricing itself and so on...

 

Let´s face it, as long as they have no problems filling their ships they are neither too expesive nor outpricing themselves. They are just becoming too expensive for YOU. And the fact is they run a business, they do not care about YOU. Why would they? As long as someone else is willing to pay the asking price, they are fine.

 

3.

Every individual has to decide which price for a cruise is OK for them.

If you have the feeling X is too expensive, change the cruiseline. Book with someone else... but PLEASE stop all these threads with the threats that you are going to change the line. What do you expect? Waiting for someone to beg you to stay? Not gonna happen.... ;)

 

Precisely what I have done. Booked on Norwegian. Have you actually read the OP?

[Miaminice]

Precisely what I have done. Booked on Norwegian. Have you actually read the OP?

 

I have ;) i was more refering to many anwers and other posts than your's...

 

Saying YOU was ment as a general reference.

Edited July 10, 2016 by Miaminice

[grandgeezer]

After 15 straight cruises on Celebrity or Royal Caribbean, with two more booked in November, we have booked one on Princess for April. We have some friends who are Princessaholics, and knowing our disappointment with our last several cruises have convinced us to give it a shot. It is less money because there are no "free" perks. It also opens the door to saving a lot more as they have sailings from the west cost which means no long flights to the east coast and the expenses of hotels and meals that goes with it. If it works out, giving up everything that goes with being Elite Plus will be worth it. Money isn't the biggest factor in possibility of making a change, enjoyment of the product is. Time will tell.

[BigB0882]

We just took our first Celebrity cruise after only having sailed on Carnival. It was the most expensive cruise we ever took, by far. It was also worth every single penny. Maybe the Alaskan itinerary had something to do with it but well worth it. You saw where the extra money went to. The friendly staff, the much nicer decor, the cleanliness everywhere, nicer bathrooms both public and stateroom. I could go on and on. I don't know if I would pay so much for a Caribbean cruise since I have hit all the ports but X will be our go-to line for more exotic locations.

[Host Jazzbeau]

We just took our first Celebrity cruise after only having sailed on Carnival. It was the most expensive cruise we ever took, by far. It was also worth every single penny. Maybe the Alaskan itinerary had something to do with it but well worth it. You saw where the extra money went to. The friendly staff, the much nicer decor, the cleanliness everywhere, nicer bathrooms both public and stateroom. I could go on and on. I don't know if I would pay so much for a Caribbean cruise since I have hit all the ports but X will be our go-to line for more exotic locations.

 

It might be even more worth it in the Caribbean because you could just stay on the ship and enjoy it 24/7!

[ECCruise]

And the fact is they run a business, they do not care about YOU. Why would they? As long as someone else is willing to pay the asking price, they are fine.

 

The carcasses of dead businesses reek with that kind of thinking.

 

The customer is the reason for business...without them there would be no viable company, no stockholders, nothing. It is company hubris such as that that starts a downward spiral. And that is without a downturn, which I quite guarantee is in the future and accelerates the whole process.

[richstowe]

Precisely what I have done. Booked on Norwegian. Have you actually read the OP?

Norwegian hmm . Glad to see NCL's behavior concerning their new carry on drink policy has hit the other cruise line forums . Love Celebrity but as my signature says , I'm loyal to none . Leaving on a NCL Med. Epic cruise 2 days after this change takes effect . Booked this cruise cause it was darn cheap but am not a fan of the rules changing after the fact . Still will have a great time.

 

So in sum , the grass ain't always greener but it can be cheaper but there may be a reason for that . NCL's policy for green grass may be manure . :D

[Lastdance]

I believe the key to having a good cruise is to also do part of your vacation on land. Having said that, i can finally understand why some people choose not to get off the ship...Yes, i am coming of age...my money is my choice, and so is my vacation. However, for now Celebrity is a pretty good fit. Like everything else Azamara is looking good too.:cool: I love that I am able to make these choices and visit so many wonderful places in the world. Complaining instead of doing is just a waste of time, but constructive criticism is the key to giving thought to where there may not be any...

Edited July 11, 2016 by Lastdance

[ISABELLA]

I am really confused as to why sailings out of Southampton are so expensive. I have been looking at 2017, 14 nights, Baltic, Med, or Canaries, Balcony cabin. I do not want to travel out of season so looking at May to September. All are priced at over £2000.

 

But if I decide to cruise around Asia - Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, etc. it will only cost me £1000 for the same product. Even adding flights, 2 nights in a hotel, and transfers, with Celebrity, it still works out cheaper than taking a cruise from my local port. Surely the main overheads are the same, staff costs, food, fuel etc. So what makes it so much more expensive to cruise from the UK? I have looked on US websites and the price difference is still obvious.

 

Is it something to do with port costs and taxes? or just pricing it high and hoping they can sell at the high price? I would love, just once, to sail from Southampton, but at these prices I will probably just continue flying to Florida and cruising the Caribbean. I know I will enjoy it anyway, but I would love to cruise without the flights there and back.

 

Convenience not to fly cost money....

[WL246]

I have booked this TA also hoping for a price drop. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed.

[teecee60]

 

As long as they have no problems filling their ships they are neither too expesive nor outpricing themselves.

 

They are just too expensive for YOU, they do not care about YOU. As long as someone else pays the asking price, they are fine.

 

Every individual has to decide which price for a cruise is OK for them.

 

If you feel X is too expensive, change the cruiseline. Book with someone else...

 

but PLEASE stop all these threads with the threats that you are going to change the line.

 

 

 

 

The carcasses of dead businesses reek with that kind of thinking.

 

The customer is the reason for business...without them there would be no viable company, no stockholders, nothing.

 

It is company hubris such as that that starts a downward spiral.

 

BOTH of you make completely valid points in your posts. The businesses that are successful IN THE LONG RUN... (not just to the next quarterly report) are the ones that accurately identify WHICH people are their customers, and keep those customers satisfied over the long run.

 

This is my first year in six I will NOT be sailing on Celebrity... I am not only threatening to sail with another line, I am in fact doing it...

 

In protest against Celebrity's high prices, this year I'm spending 55 nights on Royal Caribbean! ;) :D :rolleyes:

 

And I am STILL spending LESS THAN $50pp/night. THAT will show them! :p

 

Did I mention that I'm also getting the shareholder benefit on each and every one of those four cruises???

Edited July 11, 2016 by teecee60