Is Celebrity Running out of Money?

[TeeRick]

The OP posted with a catchy title and just sat back and watched the big fish eat the bait. No additional appearance by the OP.  It happens often here on CC.  Some people like the attention.  I'm posting here too so including me.  I'm just a big tuna I guess.

[TeeRick]

3 minutes ago, oneputt18 said:

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.

You are correct but there is confusion about this.  RCCL now stands for Royal Caribbean Cruises LTD which is the parent corporation to all of these cruise lines.  On these boards posters generally use RCI as the parent corporation reference and RCCL as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. 

[Denny01]

14 hours ago, Fixit2010 said:

 

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.

Well, if I’d prepaid for a restaurant back home to dine all the time  (such as with MDR) and I wanted to dine at another restaurant, I guess I’d expect to pay the extra.

 

And the percentage increase? As in most threads on costs we way understate what things cost compared to what they cost now. Gas was $0.29 now it’s $2.50. Those gas companies must be running out of money!!

 

den

 

[bikerunner]

I agree. Dumb title.  Let’s see companies are out to maximize profits for there stakeholders.  The speciality restaurants drive revenue and they are a choice for people sailing.  Like many I’m us based and have a choice of refundable costs more with perks or non refundable deposits less with no perks.  Cruising costs have gone up but so has costs for other travel and vacations.  Still to me it works out as best overall deal   I take the perks since most of my cruises I book with celebrity are usually 10plus days so I find it worthwhile to get all costs out of way.  Usually drink and tips.  Room wise I’m good in any.  I just need a place to sleep and store things.  I usually end up with showers in gym spa.  

 

 

[Highpeaklad]

8 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

Well, if I’d prepaid for a restaurant back home to dine all the time  (such as with MDR) and I wanted to dine at another restaurant, I guess I’d expect to pay the extra.

 

And the percentage increase? As in most threads on costs we way understate what things cost compared to what they cost now. Gas was $0.29 now it’s $2.50. Those gas companies must be running out of money!!

 

den

 

 

I wish. It’s more like $6.50 here. 

[Fixit2010]

46 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

Well, if I’d prepaid for a restaurant back home to dine all the time  (such as with MDR) and I wanted to dine at another restaurant, I guess I’d expect to pay the extra.

 

And the percentage increase? As in most threads on costs we way understate what things cost compared to what they cost now. Gas was $0.29 now it’s $2.50. Those gas companies must be running out of money!!

 

den

 

So for example a family of 4, the charge has gone up to $180.  If my local novelty premium restaurant whacked that on the bill, it would not go down well and I would go else where.  The problem is that passengers are a captive audience and yes people will accept that and I get it that celebrity are a business, but I am not in the $10K+ suite bracket, an extra $45 per person on top of the fact that in my booking I have already paid for a meal, is in my opinion taking a liberty.  I am just as entitled to enjoy the facilities on the ship as much as anyone else but I feel the current costs that have been brought in are pricing people out.

[The_Big_M]

Running out of money, no.

 

Becoming greedier, sure.

[srdancer]

I am fine with paying more for a cruise with a refundable deposit. Royal Caribbean charges a few hundred more to book refundable and that's ok. No real perks either way. My issue is nonref with no perks vs. ref with perks. The price difference is astounding in most cases. I don't drink alcohol and don't like coffee or orange juice. DH has an alcoholic drink with dinner and one at the pool on sea days. The additional charges for ref are not worth it for us, but we are in our 70s and would not book nref.

We cruised on Celebrity in May, cruising again in Sept. Both were booked last year with reasonable prices. Next year we have one on the Anthem and one on Oceania, none on Celebrity.

[kearney]

I used to be in product management...not in this industry... but there is a pattern. You are generally judged by net sales or net profit.... to make your bones, so to speak, you want to implement some program that really pops sales or profits. If you do well.. you get promoted and moved on... and they folks who take over are left with the implications of your programs. So they might skate along with a program that continues to be effective....or they might crash and burn when the market no longer accepts the program. Often you have to come up with something else that will do the same thing that got your predecessor promoted... so if the specialty restaurant program worked in terms of sales... but benefits offset with everyone ordering the costly lobster... you decide to add an extra charge for lobster... The key is... people move on and often aren't there when the market says 'enough already' and they stop. As long as people are willing to pay extra for this and that...it will continue. Now, I for one, don't mind at all. I am a cheap bugger... so... if others are willing to pay a premium for suites, premium beverage packages, specialty dinning every night and the additional charge for this and that.... more power to them... in fact GREAT... that helps keep the basic veranda cabin affordable... I just have to stay disciplined... get my cocktails during captains club cocktail hour. And use my OBC for the occassional glass of wine at dinner or excursion.  Now I will say that I really enjoyed that classic beverage package that came with our Edge cruise... it was nice to get that specialty coffee and have a cocktail at 4 instead of waiting until 5.... but for the extra $50-60/day per person... I would rather use that on a cabin on another cruise. 

As a former product manager though .... I do wonder what is next as an add on charge will be... harder for the poor new product manager to come up with the next big revenue generator... I have some ideas... but will keep them to myself... would hate to give any one at corporate some ideas that I might be willing to pay for :)

[PTC DAWG]

I like the specialties...I wouldn’t cruise if I had to sit at the same table for every meal...

 

I will say, you could cruise and not spend an extra dime if you chose not too, I don’t get the OP’s gripe. 

[Cruising89143]

3 hours ago, oneputt18 said:

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.

 

LOL....However “you” want to put it, Royal Caribbean is the company that started it all. I think you knew what I meant but thanks for taking the time to point it out.😉

[Cruising89143]

2 hours ago, TeeRick said:

You are correct but there is confusion about this.  RCCL now stands for Royal Caribbean Cruises LTD which is the parent corporation to all of these cruise lines.  On these boards posters generally use RCI as the parent corporation reference and RCCL as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. 

 

Correct and to add to that when it comes to the stock listing it’s RCL. Royal Caribbean Limited.🙂

[Luvcrusn]

OP's original post in this thread was a re-post of a reply made by OP to another Cruise Critic member who was a frequent Royal Caribbean cruiser considering a booking on X. I think perhaps OP was upset when finding that his booking was a made with a non-refundable deposit and he was unaware of that. It was either his oversight, or poor communication from a TA if that's how he booked. He then created this thread. Specialty restaurants have been around for many years now and aren't going away (although specific ones may change depending upon their popularity). The flat $4.95 room service late night charge has been here for several years as well and it originated on Royal several years before its appearance on X. My advice is to be careful when you buy anything, know the terms of the sale and don't try to blame someone else if you find out you didn't do your due diligence. If you don't like the terms, don't buy the product. Choices are wonderful things. Vote with the wallet and not the keyboard....the wallet speaks the loudest.

[phoenix_dream]

19 hours ago, akcruz said:

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.  

 

 

I would agree with you - if only that were true.  But unfortunately it isn't.  Have you followed their cruise pricing over the last few years?  Up and up and up and up.  True of all (or most) cabins and doubly true for suites. (and triply true for the new ships!).   Used to be we had a shot at being able to afford a suite now and then - these days it is totally off our radar.  The economy is good and they have to pay for all those new ships somehow, so prices have been skyrocketing and add-on prices galore.  I think also that it is not just 'optional' things that have a charge.  Slowly but surely they are charging for things that used to be free - like gym classes and sushi as two examples, while at the same time taking away so many of the little touches that while in and of themselves are not big things,  add up to a less special experience overall.  And yes, Celebrity is not alone in doing these things but it's a shame.

[MISTER 67]

3 hours ago, The_Big_M said:

Running out of money, no.

 

Becoming greedier, sure.

Without a doubt, greed has taken over. All the lines are just about gouging. We've been cruising since 1982 and most of the changes have been for the worse. Charging more for photos, drinks, tours and automatic gratuities while cutting back on food, entertainment and service. Back in the day before the computers took over the lines would send you in the mail a nice cruise packet with your tickets, luggage tags and information  booklets, now you have to print everything and good luck trying to get real brochures.

Edited July 20, 2019 by MISTER 67

[Mynki]

I've barely skim read the last half of the thread, but I have to ask, do people actually pay the full rate of the specialty restaurants? You'll be approached by people trying to get you in regularly. Just tell them they're ok but not worth the money. We've always been offered a 30% to 50% discount as they struggle to fill the places. 

 

 

[Mynki]

For those wondering about a decline in service and increased prices etc. Watch this video (skip to 2.00) and listen. It explains the changes in mass market lines over the last few years quite well. It sums up a lot of the complaints about Celebrity that we see here on these boards regularly. 
 

For the hard of thinking, I have no financial interests in Oceania cruises or the travel agent who produced the video. I was once wrongly accused of something similar on here before, hence mentioning that! lol 

[misterkevin]

It's too bad the OP didn't know they booked a non-refundable fare, but that's not Celebrity's fault. The nonrefundable fare trend has exploded in the last two years across the major cruise lines. It's happened with hotels as well lately. There are often two prices for the same room with the nonrefundable price being lower.

 

As for the costs of specialty dining, they too have increased, but they are discretionary after all. Celebrity's prices for specialty dining and drinks are a bit higher than HAL, Princess, RCL, Carnival, and NCL, but it's a more premium product in my opinion.

 

The race for shareholder value means there will be more shaving of services and ways to charge more in order to extract extra revenue from a basically static revenue source. Short of adding additional cabins (which they are, in fact, doing with the Edge Revolution makeovers), the only way to make more money is to charge more. Based on the last few years of RCL stock performance, there's no evidence the company is in bad shape.

[Cheryl H]

Can someone elaborate on the upcharges in Celebrity's main dining room?   This is our first Celebrity cruise and I was a little disappointed that I did not see a filet upcharge on the menu....(like the Chops filet you can upgrade to on RCCL's menu). 

 

And yes, I realize we are being upcharged for things that were standard decades ago.  But still it is nice to be able to choose a filet if available. 

[sfaaa]

21 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?

 

 

 

Next time, read the cruise deal and fine print before you buy. That way, may be you won't get hit with buyer's remorse after the fact.

[Mynki]

2 minutes ago, Cheryl H said:

Can someone elaborate on the upcharges in Celebrity's main dining room?   This is our first Celebrity cruise and I was a little disappointed that I did not see a filet upcharge on the menu....(like the Chops filet you can upgrade to on RCCL's menu). 

 

And yes, I realize we are being upcharged for things that were standard decades ago.  But still it is nice to be able to choose a filet if available. 

 

I think the poster may be referring to upcharges in Tuscan Grille where you pay a $45 upcharge to dine there and then you can also pay an additional upcharge for a better quality steak. 

Personally I found Chops to be a lot better than Tuscan Grille. Others will of course disagree.... :) 

[isdoo]

21 hours ago, upwarduk said:

 

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

eh?  What insurance company? No idea what you mean.

[kelmac]

6 hours ago, kelmac said:

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😄

 

 

Hi Everyone,

 

I thought I might add the cost of my upcoming cruises (per person total with all fees + taxes in inside cabins):

-- Radiance of the Seas (10 nights, Sept 2019) -- $930.14 each

-- Serenade of the Seas (12 nights, Oct 2019) -- $827.46 each

-- MSC Meraviglia (7 nights, Nov 2019) -- $1,451.23 each in Yacht Club inside cabin all inclusive

-- Crystal Symphony (7 nights, Nov 2019) -- $1,782.00 each in OV cabin -- all inclusive, including gratuities

-- Celebrity Edge (7 nights, Nov 2019) -- $1,119.19 each

-- HAL Statendam (7 nights, Dec 2019) -- $619 each

-- Celebrity Reflection (11 nights, Dec 2019) -- $827.47 each

-- Celebrity Reflection (11 nights, March 2020) -- $1,048.97 each

-- HAL Konongsdam (44 nights, March 2020) -- $4,576.00 each

-- Ovation of the Seas (10 nights, Sept 2020) -- $1,040.86 each

 

Enjoy!

Kel😃

[Mynki]

9 minutes ago, isdoo said:

eh?  What insurance company? No idea what you mean.

 

In the UK some travel agents have a racket going where they insist on you proving you have travel insurance before they accept your booking. It's a ploy so they can sell you there travel insurance products if you don't have any. 

In recent years many bank accounts give you travel insurance as well as other benefits so they've lost sales as a result. 

Edited July 20, 2019 by Mynki

[isdoo]

18 minutes ago, Mynki said:

 

In the UK some travel agents have a racket going where they insist on you proving you have travel insurance before they accept your booking. It's a ploy so they can sell you there travel insurance products if you don't have any. 

In recent years many bank accounts give you travel insurance as well as other benefits so they've lost sales as a result. 

never heard of that!