New to Celebrity - seeking pricing help

[CA_Cruzing]

DW and I are new to Celebrity.

 

I am seeking info on qualifying a current cruise fare offer:

Mar 22 2019

10 Night Ultimate Carib Cruise (Eastern Carib)

Veranda Stateroom

Deck 9, midship, room 9193

$1869 per guest (2 guests total) with $100 off each fare, $1769 is the promo price

Go Better is complimentary (choosing $150 OBC/pp and Prepaid Tips)

Neither of us are big drinkers and we bring our own wine (what's Celebrity's wine policy?)

Taxes & Fees come to $209.08 total

$3747.08 is total fare

Per person cruise cost per day comes to $176.90 (w/o taxes & fees)

 

Any thoughts on if this is a good promo?

Past experiences on when/if Celebrity runs a sale that might exceed this deal's value?

 

Final question, what age demographic will this cruise see? DW and I will be 50/49 respectively on this cruise. We're seeking to avoid being the "youngest of the bunch" on any cruise.

[Mr. Click]

The pricing with the "perks" is reasonable to me for 10 nights. Is that pricing with a non-refundable deposit or a refundable one? I prefer to book refundable and then watch for price drops the can help me because I am not locked in but I am reserved. Celebrity's wine policy is two bottles per cabin allowed but if you want to bring your wine to the dining room or a bar/lounge onboard there is a corkage fee. No corkage fee in your cabin. At 49/50 you won't be the youngest but you also won't be the oldest. It is not a party boat/crowd like Carnival but it is not the old folks home either..

[CA_Cruzing]

The pricing with the "perks" is reasonable to me for 10 nights. Is that pricing with a non-refundable deposit or a refundable one? I prefer to book refundable and then watch for price drops the can help me because I am not locked in but I am reserved. Celebrity's wine policy is two bottles per cabin allowed but if you want to bring your wine to the dining room or a bar/lounge onboard there is a corkage fee. No corkage fee in your cabin. At 49/50 you won't be the youngest but you also won't be the oldest. It is not a party boat/crowd like Carnival but it is not the old folks home either..

Fully refundable, $900 deposit. I'll only book refundable.

 

I agree the cost per person/per day for this room type is reasonable.

 

Having not sailed Celebrity before, would I see much price fluctuation (any potential savings)?

 

We've sailed Carnival many times before. We are seeking a more upscale approach and seeking to avoid a very senior crowd. Nothing against mature folks. We'll all get there some day.

[ghstudio]

I doubt you will find great deals on a March cruise to the Caribbean....you are sailing during "spring break" which really spans almost all of March and April. Expect some college aged folks (perhaps travelling with parents) and a little more strictness about bringing wine/liquor on board at port stops. The rule is two bottles of wine per cabin at embarkation....and then anything you buy at a port is kept for you until the end of the cruise.

[cruzzzinma]

That cruise includes Holy Week, the week before Easter. That is Spring break in a lot of school districts.

[CA_Cruzing]

That cruise includes Holy Week, the week before Easter. That is Spring break in a lot of school districts.

 

Easter Sunday is April 21, 2019.

 

The cruise is Mar 22 - Apr1.

 

Here in CA, I checked spring break for schools and they're closer to mid to late April 2019.

 

How about on the east coast or other states for their Easter breaks/Spring breaks?

[CA_Cruzing]

I doubt you will find great deals on a March cruise to the Caribbean....you are sailing during "spring break" which really spans almost all of March and April. Expect some college aged folks (perhaps travelling with parents) and a little more strictness about bringing wine/liquor on board at port stops. The rule is two bottles of wine per cabin at embarkation....and then anything you buy at a port is kept for you until the end of the cruise.

Great points. I would figure Carnival would attract a larger spring break crowd (college and kids in school) with some sailing with parents/family.

 

Does Celebrity attract a younger crowd even on a 10 day cruise?

[Mr. Click]

Cruise prices are all about supply and demand. Yes, you are going in high season so if you are happy with the price you booked at you are fine. Over the past 10 years I have seen some wild changes, both up and down so do keep track. Even after final payment don't be afraid to ask for an upgrade if prices fall then. My own rule of thumb is I need to save at least $100 per person before I bother my TA about it. We have found the age range on Celebrity to be from the 40s up for couples and the 30s for families with kids. I have never felt like it was an old age home, especially in the Caribbean. Also keep in mind that age is a state of mind. I am past 70 now but I really never think of myself as old :) and I can keep up with a lot of folks half my age.

[garyl62]

With a 10 day cruise IMO you will not see a lot of spring breakers, most will be looking for a 7 day, that starts/ends on a weekend. As far as your wine questions, you may bring 2 750ml bottles per stateroom (not per person) on board at embarkation. If you purchase more in a port they will be held for you until the end of the cruise. Even though you may not be big drinkers, I'd suggest rethinking the tips perk instead of a drink package. The value of the tips are $195 PP based on your cabin selection on a 10 day cruise. When you factor in a few drinks, specialty coffees, some soft drinks and bottled water you may very well exceed that dollar amount ($19.50 per day) with drink purchases. It's not just alcohol that comes with the package so be sure you evaluate your habits completely before finalizing your selection.

[in2up2]

Easter Sunday is April 21, 2019.

 

 

 

The cruise is Mar 22 - Apr1.

 

 

 

Here in CA, I checked spring break for schools and they're closer to mid to late April 2019.

 

 

 

How about on the east coast or other states for their Easter breaks/Spring breaks?

 

 

 

I think most of the Northeast districts will have break closer to Easter, but Southern schools will have earlier breaks since school ends mid-May. Some may fall that week, but not many. And as previously stated, school aged families are much less likely to take a longer than 7 day cruise. I doubt you will find many kids on board.

 

 

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[NantahalaCruiser]

With a 10 day cruise IMO you will not see a lot of spring breakers, most will be looking for a 7 day, that starts/ends on a weekend. As far as your wine questions, you may bring 2 750ml bottles per stateroom (not per person) on board at embarkation. If you purchase more in a port they will be held for you until the end of the cruise. Even though you may not be big drinkers, I'd suggest rethinking the tips perk instead of a drink package. The value of the tips are $195 PP based on your cabin selection on a 10 day cruise. When you factor in a few drinks, specialty coffees, some soft drinks and bottled water you may very well exceed that dollar amount ($19.50 per day) with drink purchases. It's not just alcohol that comes with the package so be sure you evaluate your habits completely before finalizing your selection.

Since free gratuities are worth more than the $150 OBC it should be a choice between the Classic beverage package and the OBC.

 

Just one specialty coffee ($5.90) in the morning plus a $9 glass of wine with dinner ($10.62) each day adds up to $165.20 (including the 18% beverage gratuity) for the cruise - a better value than the OBC. Add in a daily free bottle of water or two and a free fresh orange juice and the beverage package is the clear winner over the OBC.

 

And with the beverage package, the is no need to bring the two bottles of wine from home - so you also save the cost of those two bottles!

Edited January 4, 2018 by NantahalaCruiser

[garyl62]

With a 10 day cruise IMO you will not see a lot of spring breakers, most will be looking for a 7 day, that starts/ends on a weekend. As far as your wine questions, you may bring 2 750ml bottles per stateroom (not per person) on board at embarkation. If you purchase more in a port they will be held for you until the end of the cruise. Even though you may not be big drinkers, I'd suggest rethinking the tips perk instead of a drink package. The value of the tips are $195 PP based on your cabin selection on a 10 day cruise. When you factor in a few drinks, specialty coffees, some soft drinks and bottled water you may very well exceed that dollar amount ($19.50 per day) with drink purchases. It's not just alcohol that comes with the package so be sure you evaluate your habits completely before finalizing your selection.

 

 

So sorry, I realized my math was wrong, but I can't edit my previous post. The daily cost for tips is not 19.50, but I believe it is $15 pp based upon the increase of Jan 2, 2018. This brings the tip cost to an equal of the OBC with a nod to Larry's comment above. Even more reason to consider if a beverage package may be a better option.

[keesar]

On cruises 10 days and longer, expect a very senior crowd. Especially in the Caribbean. Many younger folks cannot take the time from work or school. You may be one of the younger passengers.

 

Prices tends to vary. But if you really want that cruise, go for it now!

[TFLG]

You will be on the younger end of the spectrum but there will still be plenty your age. We are the same age and never have any issues feeling like the kiddies of the cruise. We did a 14 day carib on the Eclipse Nov 2016 and there were plenty of people our age. I would seriously reconsider your perk choices. The bevy package is the way to go even if you don't drink much you can easily drink more than $15 a day. Coffee, water, juice and a glass of wine or two will blow past the $15 a day you are getting with the OBC. Plus it gives you the opportunity to try some drinks you might not otherwise try. You also don't have to lug wine with you.

 

And the price you're getting seems reasonable. I have seen one of the large online TAs offering 3 perks right now so you might want to check them.

Edited January 4, 2018 by TFLG

[keesar]

Spring Break for public schools is usually the week of the third Monday in April.

 

Watch out for the scooters on the longer cruises.

[garyl62]

Spring Break for public schools is usually the week of the third Monday in April.

 

Watch out for the scooters on the longer cruises.

This varies by parts of the country and even by School Districts of contiguous cities. For instance the district my wife is a teacher in has had their spring break the last week of March for the last 7 years. Only one of those years did the city next door have break the same week.

 

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[CA_Cruzing]

Since free gratuities are worth more than the $150 OBC it should be a choice between the Classic beverage package and the OBC.

 

Just one specialty coffee ($5.90) in the morning plus a $9 glass of wine with dinner ($10.62) each day adds up to $165.20 (including the 18% beverage gratuity) for the cruise - a better value than the OBC. Add in a daily free bottle of water or two and a free fresh orange juice and the beverage package is the clear winner over the OBC.

 

And with the beverage package, the is no need to bring the two bottles of wine from home - so you also save the cost of those two bottles!

Thank you, Larry. Insightful.

 

Being a newbie, would you be so kind as to share/explain the beverage packages/offerings?

 

Wife and I usually budget 2 wine bottles for 3 nights. On this 10 day we would usually want 3 bottles and would buy a sparkling bottle on board. Maybe 5 mixed drinks max for each of us in a 10 day window. We're not really into liquor (in Mexico we do get our tequila on).

 

We do enjoy coffee beverages. Lattes, espressos and caps and a good cup of coffee on a rare occasion.

 

We'll likely bring our own wine anyways. We live near wine country here in CA and have our own collection to choose from. Wine Wings (Amazon) makes it super easy to bring wine in luggage.

[CA_Cruzing]

On cruises 10 days and longer, expect a very senior crowd. Especially in the Caribbean. Many younger folks cannot take the time from work or school. You may be one of the younger passengers.

 

Prices tends to vary. But if you really want that cruise, go for it now!

Ouch! "very senior" is what we seek to avoid.

 

We are hoping that Celebrity attracts a more affluent crowd (self employed/business owners) that can take 10-12 days vacation.

 

DW is a teacher on a year-round schedule so she's off in March/early April. I run my own business so I take vacation when DW is available. We are hoping for more a mix in this demographic.

 

Again, nothing against mature folks. We just want to cruise with some people closer to our demographic.

[CA_Cruzing]

You will be on the younger end of the spectrum but there will still be plenty your age. We are the same age and never have any issues feeling like the kiddies of the cruise. We did a 14 day carib on the Eclipse Nov 2016 and there were plenty of people our age. I would seriously reconsider your perk choices. The bevy package is the way to go even if you don't drink much you can easily drink more than $15 a day. Coffee, water, juice and a glass of wine or two will blow past the $15 a day you are getting with the OBC. Plus it gives you the opportunity to try some drinks you might not otherwise try. You also don't have to lug wine with you.

 

And the price you're getting seems reasonable. I have seen one of the large online TAs offering 3 perks right now so you might want to check them.

very sound advice. thank you. i agree that a $150 OBC isn't anything great. where can i learn more of what each drink package includes and costs per drink?

 

we don't mind BYO wine. we're pretty much pros at this stage lugging the good stuff with us on vacations.

 

we've never used a TA thus we don't know who the "large online" ones are. knowing you cannot name them on CC, maybe you'd be comfortable renaming them like Bostco instead of the large box store that begins with C instead of B?

 

i see in your sig that you're on Reflection in Mar 2019. which sailing? this is the ship and month we're looking at, Mar 22 2019.

[CA_Cruzing]

This varies by parts of the country and even by School Districts of contiguous cities. For instance the district my wife is a teacher in has had their spring break the last week of March for the last 7 years. Only one of those years did the city next door have break the same week.

 

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so here in CA where we live, spring break pretty much always aligns with Easter Sunday. like, always.

 

do other schools do it differently?

 

not that it's a biggie for us. i am doubting we'll see many families with young kids on a 10-day carib cruise.

 

sure they'll be some but few in gross numbers. we have reached the point where we can travel without our kids on each trip. it's like a blessing; the reward for 22 years raising kids already.

[Cruise Raider]

so here in CA where we live, spring break pretty much always aligns with Easter Sunday. like, always.

 

do other schools do it differently?

 

not that it's a biggie for us. i am doubting we'll see many families with young kids on a 10-day carib cruise.

 

sure they'll be some but few in gross numbers. we have reached the point where we can travel without our kids on each trip. it's like a blessing; the reward for 22 years raising kids already.

 

We sailed on the Equinox a few years back to celebrate my DH's 60th birthday ... mid to late March ... 10 night Caribbean. (I think ours was March 17 - 27)

No kids onboard ... definitely not a spring break cruise. We actually sailed on Carnival on an 8 night itinerary in February one year ... 300 kids onboard, mostly Canadians that were on spring break. Who could have guessed that one? So, I would guess spring break can occur anytime between mid February to late April.

The demographics were mostly people that were our age, in their 50's and 60's ... some older, not very many younger than that, though. Affluent crowd?? Well, maybe some, probably more so than on Carnival but you will probably find demographics across the spectrum ... anywhere from lower middle class to upper class.

I think the pricing for 2019 is still quite high and my best guess is that it probably will come down in price and that will probably happen after final payment. It's just a guess, though ... but based on past experience. Celebrity will usually allow you to upgrade your room if pricing comes way down once final payment date has passed....but usually will not give you any refunds or extra onboard credit. So, the key is to keep an eye on pricing and upgrade for a better cabin if you see a significant price drop that also includes any perks in your original pricing. The promo is decent and there are travel agencies that will give you a third perk and maybe even a loyalty credit for free, but the one I have in mind does have a cancellation fee so would wait to book if using this agency. 2019 is just too far off for that call.

[TFLG]

very sound advice. thank you. i agree that a $150 OBC isn't anything great. where can i learn more of what each drink package includes and costs per drink?

 

we don't mind BYO wine. we're pretty much pros at this stage lugging the good stuff with us on vacations.

 

we've never used a TA thus we don't know who the "large online" ones are. knowing you cannot name them on CC, maybe you'd be comfortable renaming them like Bostco instead of the large box store that begins with C instead of B?

 

i see in your sig that you're on Reflection in Mar 2019. which sailing? this is the ship and month we're looking at, Mar 22 2019.

 

 

We are doing the Mardi Gras cruise sailing March 1st I believe. You can email me at tflgee@gmail dot com and I will get the name of the TA. That cruise is a bit more than a typical carib cruise because it's a once per year cruise. We have never been to Mardi Gras or New Orleans so we are excited to do this one.

 

The classic drink package includes most beer and standard cocktails (margaritas, mojitos, pina coladas etc) the wine selection isn't great though (Wente, Kendal Jackson etc). Top shelf stuff, fancy martinis, world class bar cocktails will cost you a few bucks extra. Soda, juice, water, fancy coffees and teas are also included. Anything over the limit you just pay a few bucks for it. So you can get good wine if you want, it will just cost you the difference in price over the $9 limit. Again, probably cheaper than buying a decent bottle and bringing it with.

 

The Celebrity website has a list and it's been posted many times here in multiple threads.

Edited January 5, 2018 by TFLG

[cruiser61262]

Vacation in many parts on New England this year is April 7th because Easter is so early this year. It is usually the week of Good Friday which is back to the week of April 14th, 2019

[NantahalaCruiser]

Thank you, Larry. Insightful.

 

Being a newbie, would you be so kind as to share/explain the beverage packages/offerings?

 

Wife and I usually budget 2 wine bottles for 3 nights. On this 10 day we would usually want 3 bottles and would buy a sparkling bottle on board. Maybe 5 mixed drinks max for each of us in a 10 day window. We're not really into liquor (in Mexico we do get our tequila on).

 

Your comment is a little confusing - your 2 bottles for 3 nights should equate to at least 6 bottles for 10 nights, not 3! And the 6 bottles would be equivalent to 30 glasses or 1.5 glasses per person per night.

 

There is also the question: "Are you happy to drink a glass of wine in your cabin before going to dinner or would you rather have a couple of glasses WITH dinner?"

 

6 bottles of the wines available in the Classic Package, purchased in the restaurant, would cost about $280 including the 18% gratuity.

 

We do enjoy coffee beverages. Lattes, espressos and caps and a good cup of coffee on a rare occasion.

 

Add another $118 for 20 lattes ($5.90 each) and you are up to $398 - well over the $300 OBC.

 

We'll likely bring our own wine anyways. We live near wine country here in CA and have our own collection to choose from. Wine Wings (Amazon) makes it super easy to bring wine in luggage.

 

Seems like it should come down to whether or not your two bottles consumed in your cabin - an average of 1/2 glass per person per evening - really will meet your desires. In my opinion, it will not!

[Flatbush Flyer]

DW and I are new to Celebrity.

 

 

 

I am seeking info on qualifying a current cruise fare offer:

 

Mar 22 2019

 

10 Night Ultimate Carib Cruise (Eastern Carib)

 

Veranda Stateroom

 

Deck 9, midship, room 9193

 

$1869 per guest (2 guests total) with $100 off each fare, $1769 is the promo price

 

Go Better is complimentary (choosing $150 OBC/pp and Prepaid Tips)

 

Neither of us are big drinkers and we bring our own wine (what's Celebrity's wine policy?)

 

Taxes & Fees come to $209.08 total

 

$3747.08 is total fare

 

Per person cruise cost per day comes to $176.90 (w/o taxes & fees)

 

 

 

Any thoughts on if this is a good promo?

 

Past experiences on when/if Celebrity runs a sale that might exceed this deal's value?

 

 

 

Final question, what age demographic will this cruise see? DW and I will be 50/49 respectively on this cruise. We're seeking to avoid being the "youngest of the bunch" on any cruise.

 

 

 

It looks like you'll be flying from California (?).

You may want to also look at Oceania, which is a premium line and a far better experience (especially the food). O's cabin price (incl taxes/fees) for a similar cruise would cost about $2k more. BUT, that includes airfare (or a credit), internet, beverages, all specialty restaurants and a choice of excursions, booze or OBC. TAs who are top sellers for Oceania will often include gratuities AND share their commission. On the right itinerary, the net cost will easily be a far better value than Celebrity. Do the math.

BTW, you can bring as much wine AND spirits on board as you want (for cabin consumption. Take wine to dinner - there is a corkage fee.

 

 

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