Is Celebrity Running out of Money?

[bcruiser1]

We've cruised Celebrity for several years, and they are becoming more desperate in their attempts to separate you from your wallet. Here's an example:        They started charging for restaurants on the ship.  First a minimal fee, and now they are up to $45 per charge per person.  Then they have an "add on" menu at their premium restaurants.  Which means you can buy additional items over the $45 that you're already paying:   They started charging for room service after 11:00pm.    Then they added an upcharge items on their regular dinning room menu.

 

Today, they told me that my deposit is non-refundable.  REALLY???  Are they running out of money?  Why would I book a trip for next year, without the comfort of knowing that I can cancel if need be.  It wouldn't be something that I'd want to do, but seriously, life happens, and tomorrow isn't a promise to any of us.

 

To be fair, if I do want a refundable deposit, I can choose two perks for $1000 extra, and then I can get my deposit back if we can't go.  Classy!  Huh?

 

 

 

[Cruising89143]

Just about every cruise line now has specialty dining and the prices continue to rise. NCL just raised their prices. Nothing new.

 

Room service charge is the same as parent company RCI. 

 

Parent company Royal Caribbean has a policy that all suites at Grand Suite and above have non refundable deposits. Thank goodness that Celebrity has not adopted that policy. Also now when you go to RCI’s site the first price that a person sees is only the NRD price. One has to go through the complete booking to see the price for refundable deposit price which is very time consuming and also a PIA.

 

I just tried a mock booking on Celebrity and it showed the normal refundable deposit rate. Nothing like RCI which if you’re not aware you will think that you’re booking a refundable deposit unless you happen to read the fine print. It’s my understanding that X does offer non refundable deposits but the rate is less also. Again this is nothing new in the industry. Carnival has been doing and now Princess has moved to this. I expect more and more cruise lines will make the move. 

[Highpeaklad]

Sounds perfectly normal to me. That’s what a deposit is, if you cancel you lose it. 

[Cruising89143]

Just now, Highpeaklad said:

Sounds perfectly normal to me. That’s what a deposit is, if you cancel you lose it. 

 

We don’t have the same policies here in the U.S.

[Toftwood]

Welcome to what is the “norm” in the UK where almost all cruise deposits are non-refundable and some are non-transferable too!

[Mynki]

7 minutes ago, Toftwood said:

Welcome to what is the “norm” in the UK where almost all cruise deposits are non-refundable and some are non-transferable too!

 

But we have the choice of booking in the UK or in the US depending on what is the best deal for us at the time. Personally I think that's a very good thing. :) 

[Covepointcruiser]

OP should let everyone know of a mainstream cruise line that does not have the same policies.    The title of this thread is ridiculous,  as you know that there is no evidence that RCI is not running out of money.    The thread should be removed.

[TeaBag]

I just checked one of our bookings and it is $700/pp extra for the non refundable deposit with 2 perks.  This punishes everyone who does not choose the drink package perk which is the most valuable one.  I will say it for the nth time, the day Celebrity announced the bundling of drink pkgs in with fares was the day we said Celebrity would go downhill for us and indeed it is.  We have 3 cruises booked for a long time.  After that, I guess we may look elsewhere.

[southernbreezes]

I think it is fair it costs money to book and cancel they should pass on the cost. You want to lock in your price plus keep shopping better deals right? Take out Travel Insurance it will cover your non-refundable deposit. No one is making any one go to the premium restaurants just do not go.

[upwarduk]

48 minutes ago, bcruiser1 said:

Today, they told me that my deposit is non-refundable.  REALLY???  Are they running out of money?  Why would I book a trip for next year, without the comfort of knowing that I can cancel if need be.  It wouldn't be something that I'd want to do, but seriously, life happens, and tomorrow isn't a promise to any of us.

Welcome to the world, T&C in the UK have always meant we loose our deposit if we cancel, so we only book cruises that we want to take.

We also have to declare our Insurance provider, so if we do cancel we make a claim. Nothing comes back from the cruise company.

[Fixit2010]

24 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

OP should let everyone know of a mainstream cruise line that does not have the same policies.    The title of this thread is ridiculous,  as you know that there is no evidence that RCI is not running out of money.    The thread should be removed.

Actually I think the title is a fair question and not an accusation that RCI is running out of money.  If anything is ridiculous it is the prices that celebrity have imposed.  A $20 cover charge per table that has increased to $45 per person is madness.  I don't believe celebrity have run out of money, they know people (daft people IMHO) are willing to pay this and as long as people do, they will keep charging.  If everyone stopped using the additional paid services, celebrity would soon drop the increases.

[Cruising89143]

5 minutes ago, Fixit2010 said:

Actually I think the title is a fair question and not an accusation that RCI is running out of money.  If anything is ridiculous it is the prices that celebrity have imposed.  A $20 cover charge per table that has increased to $45 per person is madness.  I don't believe celebrity have run out of money, they know people (daft people IMHO) are willing to pay this and as long as people do, they will keep charging.  If everyone stopped using the additional paid services, celebrity would soon drop the increases.

 

Well consider me daft then. I will continue to book the specialty dining when we cruise. It’s called having a choice. 😉 

[Fixit2010]

1 minute ago, cruisingator2 said:

 

Well consider me daft then. I will continue to book the specialty dining when we cruise. It’s called having a choice. 😉 

 

OK fine.  Though I do wonder how many people would still eat at their local restaurant on land if they  increased their cover charges by the same percentage.

[Cruising89143]

I have yet to find a restaurant here in town that charges a cover charge but we do frequent restaurants who have raised their prices. We have a choice. We can either continue to dine at those establishments or not. Again it’s a choice. 

[akcruz]

Personally I would rather they charge extra for those things not everyone wants instead of raising the base cruise fare.  This way we all get to pick and choose what is important to us and only pay for those things.  

 

Our first cruise was in an ocean view cabin in 1988, my upcoming cruise is just slightly more than that one in a balcony cabin.  How do they keep those base fares low, add on extras.  If people stop buying those extras, which I don't see them doing, watch your base price go up.

 

Now refundable vs non is a slightly different discussion but I do see it getting harder and harder to get a refundable rate just as it is for airfares and a lot of hotels.

[Cruising89143]

OP here is a screen shot from Celebrity. You have a choice when it comes to booking your stateroom. You have to choose between the non refundable or refundable deposit rate but you still have a choice and at least it’s easy to compare versus Royal Caribbean where it’s not. I hope X does not follow RCI’s lead.

 

Non Refundable rate left and Refundable rate right.

 

 

[K12Guy]

To answer your question posted in the subject line:

 

It's not likely Celebrity is running out of money. They are a for-profit company and are charging pretty much what every other line is charging based on supply and demand.

 

We have found that with Celebrity booking a suite (S2 to PH) is our best option. The S2 is really the best bargain because of the type and locations of the staterooms and their included perks; butler, Retreat, Luminae and embarkation, etc.

 

We recently did a move-up (successful) on an upcoming cruise and we were able to snag a Royal Suite at a very reasonable (perspective, here) rate. As such all the specialty restaurants are included, but we likely will mostly use Luminae since what we think of as the best food and service, overall.

 

With regard to deposits I see that Celebrity runs specials from time to time with perks included and refundable, reduced deposits. Of course we are in the U.S. and I have no idea what folks outside the U.S. are offered.

 

Also, passengers have forced cruise lines to go to non-refundable deposits because so many were booking multiple cruises and staterooms and then cancelling them before final payment, leaving the cruise line with lots of inventory they didn't want.

 

All that said, we still find Celebrity a very good option and significantly less costly than Regent (which we really enjoyed) or some of the 'snoot factor 5' class cruise lines.

 

We all have choices.

Edited July 19, 2019 by K12Guy
Added information.

[gerelmx]

The same with the plane, if you cancel they give you a voucher to be used before a year of the purchase date and you lose $ 200, it does not seem anything new, if you consider the refundable option with the perk, the rate is higher but the difference is less than the value of the perks

[JBare]

12 hours ago, K12Guy said:

Also, passengers have forced cruise lines to go to non-refundable deposits because so many were booking multiple cruises and staterooms and then cancelling them before final payment, leaving the cruise line with lots of inventory they didn't want.

We all have choices.

 

And the people that do want the cruise cant book it and go elsewhere because of chancers that play the odds.

[yorky]

14 hours ago, bcruiser1 said:

We've cruised Celebrity for several years, and they are becoming more desperate in their attempts to separate you from your wallet. Here's an example:        They started charging for restaurants on the ship.  First a minimal fee, and now they are up to $45 per charge per person.  Then they have an "add on" menu at their premium restaurants.  Which means you can buy additional items over the $45 that you're already paying:   They started charging for room service after 11:00pm.    Then they added an upcharge items on their regular dinning room menu.

 

Today, they told me that my deposit is non-refundable.  REALLY???  Are they running out of money?  Why would I book a trip for next year, without the comfort of knowing that I can cancel if need be.  It wouldn't be something that I'd want to do, but seriously, life happens, and tomorrow isn't a promise to any of us.

 

To be fair, if I do want a refundable deposit, I can choose two perks for $1000 extra, and then I can get my deposit back if we can't go.  Classy!  Huh?

 

 

 

Ha ha, welcome to the world of cruising if booking in the UK my friend. You’ve all been spoilt.

[yorky]

13 hours ago, K12Guy said:

To answer your question posted in the subject line:

 

It's not likely Celebrity is running out of money. They are a for-profit company and are charging pretty much what every other line is charging based on supply and demand.

 

We have found that with Celebrity booking a suite (S2 to PH) is our best option. The S2 is really the best bargain because of the type and locations of the staterooms and their included perks; butler, Retreat, Luminae and embarkation, etc.

 

We recently did a move-up (successful) on an upcoming cruise and we were able to snag a Royal Suite at a very reasonable (perspective, here) rate. As such all the specialty restaurants are included, but we likely will mostly use Luminae since what we think of as the best food and service, overall.

 

With regard to deposits I see that Celebrity runs specials from time to time with perks included and refundable, reduced deposits. Of course we are in the U.S. and I have no idea what folks outside the U.S. are offered.

 

Also, passengers have forced cruise lines to go to non-refundable deposits because so many were booking multiple cruises and staterooms and then cancelling them before final payment, leaving the cruise line with lots of inventory they didn't want.

 

All that said, we still find Celebrity a very good option and significantly less costly than Regent (which we really enjoyed) or some of the 'snoot factor 5' class cruise lines.

 

We all have choices.

This is something that i’ve questioned before and frankly I find it unfair on the rest of us. Multiple cabins held at no cost reducing the choices for the rest of us and along with this prices rise. Many of us have to book up to a year in advance to secure a cabin in line with our annual leave. All these cabins suddenly become available closer to the sail date and the prices go down. I’m happy to see none refundable deposits for everyone if that’s what it takes to force people to act in a less selfish way.

[mdpa]

14 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

OP should let everyone know of a mainstream cruise line that does not have the same policies.    The title of this thread is ridiculous,  as you know that there is no evidence that RCI is not running out of money.    The thread should be removed.

Agreed, "click bait" very much like the "worst hamburger in the world" thread.

[deliver42]

What do you mean they told you the deposit was non refundable? When you are pricing the cruise, there is a very obvious choice on what kind of fare you want, refundable or non refundable. As far as specialty restaurants go, it's also your option whether you want to go or not.

[kelmac]

Good morning,

 

My wife and I have ten cruises booked through the fall of 2020.  We are cruising Celebrity, RCL, MSC, Crystal, and Holland America.  All ten have a non-refundable deposit and we are in the US.  Nine of the ten charge for their alternative restaurants (Crystal is the exception);  MSC Yacht Club and Crystal are all-inclusive, and the fares are relative to this perk. We skip drink packages and other perks with Celebrity, RCL and HAL, as they are not cost effective for our life style.  We are not cabin people, so inside cabins are fine with us, and this is the reason we can afford multiple cruises every year.  I would agree that our least cost effective cruise is on Celebrity's Edge, but our acute curiosity has won this battle.  At the same time, our cruise on the Reflection and HAL's Nieuw Statendam could be classified as mega-bargains.  

We love land travel as well, but cruising is still the best deal around.  

 

Enjoy!

Kel😄

 

 

Edited July 20, 2019 by kelmac

[oneputt18]

15 hours ago, cruisingator2 said:

 

 

Room service charge is the same as parent company RCI. 

 

Parent company Royal Caribbean has a policy that all suites at Grand Suite and above have non refundable deposits. Thank goodness that Celebrity has not adopted that policy. Also now when you go to RCI’s site the first price that a person sees is only the NRD price. One has to go through the complete booking to see the price for refundable deposit price which is very time consuming and also a PIA.

 

 

RCI is not the parent company of Celebrity, the parent company of RCI and Celebrity is RCCL . RCCL has six brands, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean International,Azamara, TUI Cruises, Silversea and Pullmantur Cruceros.