Same dollars but not equal value ?

[annnmarie]

I have always supported a cruise line's right to charge a passenger the double rate for one person in the cabin, as a capitalist who owns stock in Celebrity and two other lines, I completely agree that if a cabin is priced with two people in mind, than a person wanting the same space to We themselves should pay double.  However, when it comes to rewarding loyal passengers, I do not believe a person's marital status, or other subjective selection process should come into play. Try as hard as I have to understand, I do not understand how one person's money can be valued more than another's when it is the exact same amount.  I can not understand how the following does not fall under some kind of unfair business practice:  Recently my neighbors (all married couples) booked a 12 day celebrity cruise. This is not a group cruise, or group rates, so, we all ended up paying $4397 without including any taxes and "fees". We are all are Elite level in Captain's club. As a reward for spending $4397 all were rewarded with their choice of one "perk" or amenity of varying value.  Most chose the amenity worth the most, the classic drink package "worth" $1562.  One couple chose gratuities "worth" $320. These "rewards" were for spending $4397 with Celebrity. However, my "reward" for spending the exact same about of money was $160 for gratuities. Or, I could have chosen a $781 "rebate/reward/amenity for my money spent. It appears that passengers who are married are rewarded solely on the basis of their friendship or marital status, not on the amount of money they spend with Celebrity.  Single, widowed, and those simply choosing to have their own cabin, and who spend THE SAME amount of money with Celebrity, receive "thank yous", "perk", rewards, or "gifts" worth exactly one half for their $4397, as other individuals who spent the same amount.  While I expressed that I support the payment of a double room price, this business practice of making some people's money more valuable than that of others, seems close to the line of an illegal business practice. Of course I know they have checked this out and are legally able to do this, but, it is no different than an advertising campaign recently offered by a local grocery store in my area. The offer was, spend $250 in groceries in ONE purchase, and receive a $50 gift card of your choice. It clearly listed the choice of cards. What it did NOT say was, this offer good only for married couples or those cohabitating in the same residence. Single individuals and widowed individuals spending $250 will receive their choice of a $25 gift card.

Do others, not just single people, I mean most people, actually think this is a "fair" practice ? Or, would giving rewards based on MONEY SPENT be the best business practice ? 

[mef_57]

13 hours ago, annnmarie said:

I have always supported a cruise line's right to charge a passenger the double rate for one person in the cabin, as a capitalist who owns stock in Celebrity and two other lines, I completely agree that if a cabin is priced with two people in mind, than a person wanting the same space to We themselves should pay double.  However, when it comes to rewarding loyal passengers, I do not believe a person's marital status, or other subjective selection process should come into play. Try as hard as I have to understand, I do not understand how one person's money can be valued more than another's when it is the exact same amount.  I can not understand how the following does not fall under some kind of unfair business practice:  Recently my neighbors (all married couples) booked a 12 day celebrity cruise. This is not a group cruise, or group rates, so, we all ended up paying $4397 without including any taxes and "fees". We are all are Elite level in Captain's club. As a reward for spending $4397 all were rewarded with their choice of one "perk" or amenity of varying value.  Most chose the amenity worth the most, the classic drink package "worth" $1562.  One couple chose gratuities "worth" $320. These "rewards" were for spending $4397 with Celebrity. However, my "reward" for spending the exact same about of money was $160 for gratuities. Or, I could have chosen a $781 "rebate/reward/amenity for my money spent. It appears that passengers who are married are rewarded solely on the basis of their friendship or marital status, not on the amount of money they spend with Celebrity.  Single, widowed, and those simply choosing to have their own cabin, and who spend THE SAME amount of money with Celebrity, receive "thank yous", "perk", rewards, or "gifts" worth exactly one half for their $4397, as other individuals who spent the same amount.  While I expressed that I support the payment of a double room price, this business practice of making some people's money more valuable than that of others, seems close to the line of an illegal business practice. Of course I know they have checked this out and are legally able to do this, but, it is no different than an advertising campaign recently offered by a local grocery store in my area. The offer was, spend $250 in groceries in ONE purchase, and receive a $50 gift card of your choice. It clearly listed the choice of cards. What it did NOT say was, this offer good only for married couples or those cohabitating in the same residence. Single individuals and widowed individuals spending $250 will receive their choice of a $25 gift card.

Do others, not just single people, I mean most people, actually think this is a "fair" practice ? Or, would giving rewards based on MONEY SPENT be the best business practice ? 

The cruise lines are pretty clear about the 'rewards' being based on 2 people per room.  I don't agree with it if the same money is spent, but then I rarely can afford pricing that includes any 'freebies'.  You still end up paying for that in the pricing somehow.

But I can't get over the grocery store scenerio....It takes a lot for me to boycott, but that might be them talking to my back with the groceries left at the till.  It makes no sense.

[dswallow]

I hadn't really thought about it much since Royal Caribbean, at least in the US market, doesn't sell the cabins that way. Have you considered writing a letter to the Celebrity CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo and making a case for something, perhaps a solo traveler in a double occupancy cabin can choose 2 amenities?

 

 

[annnmarie]

Yes as a matter of fact I have considered writing a non-confrontational letter to Lisa. I am a Florida resident who has followed her amazing career. I am truly interested in how such a business practice was arrived at in the first place.  I also notice one response here mis-read my illustration about a "give away" at the grocery store. Mef_57 missed the word "not" in my illustration I gave. I wrote the grocery store did NOT say if you are single and spend $250 you get only 1/2 of the "give away", but I feel that is what Celebrity is doing. I love Celebrity, but I really feel this is very unfair. Charge double for the stateroom, FINE, but give "freebies" based on amount spent. I also cruise Royal Caribbean a LOT. You are correct, they don't do this type of pricing rip off, I simply pay double. Royal does not give people a perk worth $1500 for a $4300 purchase, and then give another person a perk worth $750 for the same $4300 purchase. Of course they CAN, they can do anything they want, I just don't understand why the perks are not based on amount spent ? I really don't care for the whole "pick a perk" thing anyway. I've been on NCL a few times, but I try to avoid them as much as possible due to their pricing structure. Last December I went on Breakaway out of NOLA only because they finally realized their pricing structure is not appealing (including things people do not need or want, and then the passengers are shocked when they receive their final bill at debarkation and find their "FREE" drink packages and dinners were far from "FREE", the 18% ADDITIONAL is never really advertised. I have frequent cruiser friends who usually do HAL and RCCL. They were shocked to have over $340 in charges for their "FREE" drinks and dinners. Now at least NCL offers an "honest" price with no "Free" perks. At least when Celebrity includes a "FREE" classic or premium drink package, you don't get an additional 18% shock at the end of the voyage. 

[annnmarie]

 

Yes as a matter of fact I have considered writing a non-confrontational letter to Lisa. I am a Florida resident who has followed her amazing career. I am truly interested in how such a business practice was arrived at in the first place.  I also notice one response here mis-read my illustration about a "give away" at the grocery store. Mef_57 missed the word "not" in my illustration I gave. I wrote the grocery store did NOT say if you are single and spend $250 you get only 1/2 of the "give away", but I feel that is what Celebrity is doing. I love Celebrity, but I really feel this is very unfair. Charge double for the stateroom, FINE, but give "freebies" based on amount spent. I also cruise Royal Caribbean a LOT. You are correct, they don't do this type of pricing rip off, I simply pay double. Royal does not give people a perk worth $1500 for a $4300 purchase, and then give another person a perk worth $750 for the same $4300 purchase. Of course they CAN, they can do anything they want, I just don't understand why the perks are not based on amount spent ? I really don't care for the whole "pick a perk" thing anyway. I've been on NCL a few times, but I try to avoid them as much as possible due to their pricing structure. Last December I went on Breakaway out of NOLA only because they finally realized their pricing structure is not appealing (including things people do not need or want, and then the passengers are shocked when they receive their final bill at debarkation and find their "FREE" drink packages and dinners were far from "FREE", the 18% ADDITIONAL is never really advertised. I have frequent cruiser friends who usually do HAL and RCCL. They were shocked to have over $340 in charges for their "FREE" drinks and dinners. Now at least NCL offers an "honest" price with no "Free" perks. At least when Celebrity includes a "FREE" classic or premium drink package, you don't get an additional 18% shock at the end of the voyage. 

[hallux]

One thing to consider is that the "perks" are on a per-person basis, not on how much you spent for the base fare.  The room that received the $320 value for 2 people really had a "perk value" of $160 per person.

 

One thing some lines do (Norwegian for one) is award solo cruisers with double points when they sail in balcony or higher rooms.

[annnmarie]

Yes, exactly, you got it correct. As "per person" basis makes no sense at all. One reservation costs $5000. If there are two people in the room, the perk reward is worth (as you said) is $320 if they choose the gratuities. If there are three people in the room and they choose the gratuity perk, it is worth $320, if they have FOUR people in the room, and the total fare was $5000, they get a perk worth $320.

 

BUT...…. if a the fare is $5000, and ONE person pays the $5000, and chooses the gratuity reward perk, that person gets...…. $160 reward for their $5000 purchase, so yes, you got it right. Also, yes, most lines now give double points per night IF you pay the full double fare. There are some lines that do not do this, but most have changed to a more fair per dollar spent basis. Also, on those lines who do give double nights credit when one person occupies a stateroom, that only applies when the person pays the FULL double fare. In other words, once in a while a few lines will reduce the fare for a single in a double room, perhaps 175% instead of a full 200%. It's important for singles to realize when that is true, the occupant does NOT get double points.

[mef_57]

Perhaps the shopping anecdote was irrelevant. It did not come across as theoretical, but as a personal experience.

If it states perks are per person, you really don't have a leg to stand on.  'fair' doesn't come into business models....or life, come to think of it.

[dswallow]

16 hours ago, annnmarie said:

Also, on those lines who do give double nights credit when one person occupies a stateroom, that only applies when the person pays the FULL double fare. In other words, once in a while a few lines will reduce the fare for a single in a double room, perhaps 175% instead of a full 200%. It's important for singles to realize when that is true, the occupant does NOT get double points.

 

On RCCL, if you pay the fare as a solo traveler for a cabin that is normally double occupancy, whatever the single supplement surcharge is, you will get the extra point per night as a solo traveler in the cabin. The only time you don't get the extra point is when you book into a cabin that is specifically intended for solos... typically a "studio" cabin as they'll be called.

[Buckeye94]

I have traveled solo on Celebrity, and the only perk the double for solos is the OBC.  My last X cruise, before the new pricing options, came with two "free" perks.  Here's how I look at it:

 

Drink package: I can only drink one (or so they thought, just kidding!)

OBC: They double it for solo travelers paying double fare

Gratuitites: They're only charging me one set of grats, so I should only get one

Internet: I'm trying to escape the office, and no internet allows/requires me to do so

 

So, the best value for me is the drink package (most expensive) and OBC since I get double benefit.  And, they doubled my CC points.  Still sucks paying double, but I watch for deals and budget accordingly.

[annnmarie]

Yes, exactly, you got it correct. It would really be interesting to know how the "per person" basis was established, but of course, will never know that. If the strategy changes one day, as they do often, then one can safely assume that strategy did not work out as well as planned. A an excellent illustration of this is how NCL FIRST came out with their "pick 1, pick 2, pick 3" strategy, it was rolled out less than a year, and they added an additional option: a bottom line, no frills price. That makes perfect sense, but NCL is not a line I own stock in ….. LOL !  Several here have mentioned the previous Celebrity marketing strategy. On those voyages I sailed solo, I used the same rationale they mentioned, take the OBC as that can be used by one or shared by all in a cabin, sometimes as many as 4 !

BUT under the "new" strategy, if the fare comes to $5000 for one person, and another cabin comes to a fare of $1250 PP for 4 people in the cabin,  and  they choose the gratuity reward perk say, the "reward" perk is $320 regardless of 2, 3, or 4 in the cabin, they can share it up any way they want, 2 ways, 3 ways 4 ways (each would get $80 toward their gratuities), free to do what they want. But ONLY if there is one person, is the perk or credit cut in half. It will be interesting to see if it dawns on someone in the marketing department in the future, that this might not be the idea strategy, as NCL did. Meanwhile, I have a total of 5 TA's now who have said they are really interested in finding out the thinking behind this too. At least it is a personal choice if as a solo we want to accept this "offer", or pass. I am really curious to see if a year from now if this changes. I for one remember WELL when a solo pair same price as two people and got the same number of reward points. When people, TA's included, began to really study that system, things changed to a dollar spent basis. RCCL it seems to me was the leader, others seemed to hold off for awhile, then one at a time others changed their policy until most, not all, have now changed. Time will tell. 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2019 by annnmarie
clarity

[annnmarie]

As an FYI, someone was wondering if the parallel illustration of various marketing schemes I gave (grocery store incentive to spend at least $250 in one transaction and receive a $50 value gift card as a "reward") was literal or theoretical, and if it was a  personal experience. Actually it was neither. The strategy was literal, not theoretical, but was not a personal experience because I never took advantage of the offer !  Continued to buy in smaller amounts....LOL... retired people here tend to eat out more.... LOL... and keep less on hand. Happy voyages frequent floaters, rather sailing solo or other 😍 I'll be off for Royal Caribbean's 50th anniversary cruise in just a few more weeks. Sailing solo on this one in a double balcony... maybe some of you are on this one too ?

Edited September 13, 2019 by annnmarie
typo

[brillohead]

On 9/12/2019 at 6:48 PM, annnmarie said:

Also, on those lines who do give double nights credit when one person occupies a stateroom, that only applies when the person pays the FULL double fare. In other words, once in a while a few lines will reduce the fare for a single in a double room, perhaps 175% instead of a full 200%. It's important for singles to realize when that is true, the occupant does NOT get double points.

This is NOT true on Royal Caribbean.

I just did a B2B on Majesty of the Seas with my fare being purchased during a "no single supplement" special offer (just after Cuba got banned, they had to scramble to fill the ship).

There were a gazillion of us on the ship in single rooms having paid just one fare with no single supplement, and we all got our double points for being solo in the room.  

The exception, as stated above, is when it's a "studio" room that is designed to only hold one occupant.  Then there is no single supplement charged, and the person is only eligible for one point per night.  (I believe that with the new RoyalUp program, you also only get your original room's points, even if you end up upgrading to a higher level room.  So if you were in a studio room and did a RoyalUp to a regular room, you'd still only get one point per night.)

As for whether perks should be per-person or per-dollar-spent, my recommendation is to vote with your wallet.  I rarely drink booze and I rarely eat in specialty restaurants, and it bothers me that people who get those "perks" are getting more value than I would with a measly shore excursion or internet perk (nothing to do with solo or double occupancy, just in perceived dollar value of the perk).  Since I don't agree with the "perk" pricing model, I vote with my wallet and don't cruise on lines that have higher fares with "free" perks.  Problem solved.

 

[annnmarie]

Good to hear what Brillohead posted about the double points ! I booked 4 cruises on Odyssey OTS for 2020, including the inaugural. Booked double balcony for that one; the other 3 I will do solo, booked single balcony room on those. No double points on those because they are priced for singles, but, only a few RCCL ships have single BALCONY rooms (maybe only Quantum or maybe just Quantum Ultra class ships ?). I think one or two oasis class have "virtual balcony" rooms for singles, but they also do not bring double points. It really varies. I paid very close attention until I reached the level where I'm not charged more than 150%, but then again, there are some exceptions to that also. It applies in most cases, but there are certain sailings on certain ships that the 150% max does not apply. Voting with you wallet is right on !  The "perk" game is a hot topic among frequent floaters, works pretty well for first time or those who have only been on, maybe less than 5 (?) cruises, after that, people start to think about the "free" offers very carefully...LOL ! Also tough on those forced to BUY drink packages and have medical conditions that allow NO alcohol at all, even moderate drinking. More and more are submitting the medical paper work for exemption. Paying $1500 instead of $750 when one has a spouse who is allowed no alcohol at all, is really making a huge "donation".  

[annnmarie]

Should have added: probably won't take long for some lines to "catch on" that people have figured out the "free" perk game. NCL apparently caught on that some people figured out they will be left with huge gratuity charges on their final bill due to the "free" perks they accepted. Now, NCL also offers a bottom line, no frills (meaning no "perk", freebies, etc.) price for those who prefer to buy drink by drink, or book only one or two upcharge restaurants. Things change as people "vote with their wallets" as you say. Bravo !

[tinkr2]

On 9/15/2019 at 9:47 PM, annnmarie said:

Should have added: probably won't take long for some lines to "catch on" that people have figured out the "free" perk game. NCL apparently caught on that some people figured out they will be left with huge gratuity charges on their final bill due to the "free" perks they accepted. Now, NCL also offers a bottom line, no frills (meaning no "perk", freebies, etc.) price for those who prefer to buy drink by drink, or book only one or two upcharge restaurants. Things change as people "vote with their wallets" as you say. Bravo !

I think you have a basic misunderstanding the perks on NCL. You will not have a "huge gratuity charge on your final bill". when booking the cruise, if you chose a perk, they add gratuity of the drinks package on right then and there, as well as the dining package. This is because people failed to tip staff as it was free. When the perks first rolled out, there was no gratuity added. but before you board the ship, all your drink and dining gratuity is paid. It will not be on your own board bill.

as far as perks on celebrity go, you chose the perk of gratuity being paid. Thats a set number, you do not have 2 sets of gratuity, merely one. you could have chosen the more valuable drinks package  but you still can not drink 2  drink packages. I do get that if you paid for 2, you should get 2. But you do not have 2 sets of gratuity.

[annnmarie]

12 hours ago, tinkr2 said:

I think you have a basic misunderstanding the perks on NCL. You will not have a "huge gratuity charge on your final bill". when booking the cruise, if you chose a perk, they add gratuity of the drinks package on right then and there, as well as the dining package. This is because people failed to tip staff as it was free. When the perks first rolled out, there was no gratuity added. but before you board the ship, all your drink and dining gratuity is paid. It will not be on your own board bill.

as far as perks on celebrity go, you chose the perk of gratuity being paid. Thats a set number, you do not have 2 sets of gratuity, merely one. you could have chosen the more valuable drinks package  but you still can not drink 2  drink packages. I do get that if you paid for 2, you should get 2. But you do not have 2 sets of gratuity.

 

12 hours ago, tinkr2 said:

I think you have a basic misunderstanding the perks on NCL. You will not have a "huge gratuity charge on your final bill". when booking the cruise, if you chose a perk, they add gratuity of the drinks package on right then and there, as well as the dining package. This is because people failed to tip staff as it was free. When the perks first rolled out, there was no gratuity added. but before you board the ship, all your drink and dining gratuity is paid. It will not be on your own board bill.

as far as perks on celebrity go, you chose the perk of gratuity being paid. Thats a set number, you do not have 2 sets of gratuity, merely one. you could have chosen the more valuable drinks package  but you still can not drink 2  drink packages. I do get that if you paid for 2, you should get 2. But you do not have 2 sets of gratuity.

Thank you so much for the clarity. I cruise RCCL and Celebrity constantly and only been on NCL half a dozen times. I tried to help a friend, first time cruiser, understand why they had received a bill that had a pretty hefty gratuity charge (not the daily tip charge) at the end of their cruise (from San Juan). I was upfront with them and confessed I am not an NCL regular, but am on Celebrity and when I choose the deluxe drink package (as opposed to classic, the one most often offered but not always) it includes all gratuities. So nice to know now. Hopefully she kept her bill and when they return to Fl again for the winter, she can show me what was not included in their free perks. Honestly, in my opinion, the least "muddy" way of doing this is, like you say they are doing now. Whatever perks you choose that's it, there are no additional charges associated with that perk at all. That's the way Celebrity does it. For awhile there, Celebrity was not even offering the NO perk pricing as an option (like NCL's sail away I think they call it, the basic fare without adding extras) but I think so many of us frequent floaters objected when the dropped that for a period, they quickly went back to offering this no frills pricing. Clarity is the key I am sure all of us can agree. For brand new cruisers it is a mine field out there trying to figure out the best option. Drink packages for sure have always been a much better value for many, now at $89 PP per day charged by some lines, people are starting to really think if they will use that many drinks a day. On many Celebrity cruises (an example ones with three nights in ports like NOLA), you are purchasing so many drinks ashore that unless you have a passion for breakfast cocktails (mimosa ?) it's hard to justify the daily charge. For a weekend getaway, it's probably a raving bargain...LOL ! Thanks again for sharing your experience, if anyone asks me again hopefully I can help them understand.

 

Edited October 9, 2019 by annnmarie
enhanced clarity

[annnmarie]

On 9/15/2019 at 5:33 PM, brillohead said:

This is NOT true on Royal Caribbean.

I just did a B2B on Majesty of the Seas with my fare being purchased during a "no single supplement" special offer (just after Cuba got banned, they had to scramble to fill the ship).

There were a gazillion of us on the ship in single rooms having paid just one fare with no single supplement, and we all got our double points for being solo in the room.  

The exception, as stated above, is when it's a "studio" room that is designed to only hold one occupant.  Then there is no single supplement charged, and the person is only eligible for one point per night.  (I believe that with the new RoyalUp program, you also only get your original room's points, even if you end up upgrading to a higher level room.  So if you were in a studio room and did a RoyalUp to a regular room, you'd still only get one point per night.)

As for whether perks should be per-person or per-dollar-spent, my recommendation is to vote with your wallet.  I rarely drink booze and I rarely eat in specialty restaurants, and it bothers me that people who get those "perks" are getting more value than I would with a measly shore excursion or internet perk (nothing to do with solo or double occupancy, just in perceived dollar value of the perk).  Since I don't agree with the "perk" pricing model, I vote with my wallet and don't cruise on lines that have higher fares with "free" perks.  Problem solved.

 

Well said ! Also a reason I stay loyal to Royal, the rejection of the "perk" pricing/marketing model ! But when Celebrity (which I also frequent) fell into this, my heart sank, will RCCL be next I thought. Hope not ! 

As I understand the "Royal Up" is as you stated. I just booked a series of cruises on the Odyssey  which is going to be interesting. First segment in balcony room for 2, second segment in single cabin WITH BALCONY, and third segment as one person occupying a traditional double balcony room ! This will be really interesting to see which I get double night's credit, etc. The first segment will of course be one point per night for each of us, but the single balcony cabins (which certainly cost as much as just occupying a regular double cabin by yourself !) probably is ONE point per night, and then the third of nine days as a solo in a regular double cabin will probably result in 18 points. We'll see !

[annnmarie]

BTW, all of you who receive these "no single supplement" offers... do they come in RCCL emails ? We've been with Royal since the late '70s and have never received any kind of no supplement offers. Princess often did this in the past, paid 125 and 150%, but never any offers from RCCL. Do these no supplement offers come only from your travel agent ? Like to know more, thanks.

[annnmarie]

On 9/13/2019 at 12:15 PM, Buckeye94 said:

I have traveled solo on Celebrity, and the only perk the double for solos is the OBC.  My last X cruise, before the new pricing options, came with two "free" perks.  Here's how I look at it:

 

Drink package: I can only drink one (or so they thought, just kidding!)

OBC: They double it for solo travelers paying double fare

Gratuitites: They're only charging me one set of grats, so I should only get one

Internet: I'm trying to escape the office, and no internet allows/requires me to do so

 

So, the best value for me is the drink package (most expensive) and OBC since I get double benefit.  And, they doubled my CC points.  Still sucks paying double, but I watch for deals and budget accordingly.

I was trying to book a New Orleans cruise in the spring on Celebrity, and passed for the time being since, like you, if I am going to pay double, I want the drink package and the OBC as the "free" perks, but OBC had been removed as a choice. I decided to just monitor and see if it is added back at some time before the sail date ! 

[annnmarie]

On 9/15/2019 at 5:33 PM, brillohead said:

This is NOT true on Royal Caribbean.

I just did a B2B on Majesty of the Seas with my fare being purchased during a "no single supplement" special offer (just after Cuba got banned, they had to scramble to fill the ship).

There were a gazillion of us on the ship in single rooms having paid just one fare with no single supplement, and we all got our double points for being solo in the room.  

The exception, as stated above, is when it's a "studio" room that is designed to only hold one occupant.  Then there is no single supplement charged, and the person is only eligible for one point per night.  (I believe that with the new RoyalUp program, you also only get your original room's points, even if you end up upgrading to a higher level room.  So if you were in a studio room and did a RoyalUp to a regular room, you'd still only get one point per night.)

As for whether perks should be per-person or per-dollar-spent, my recommendation is to vote with your wallet.  I rarely drink booze and I rarely eat in specialty restaurants, and it bothers me that people who get those "perks" are getting more value than I would with a measly shore excursion or internet perk (nothing to do with solo or double occupancy, just in perceived dollar value of the perk).  Since I don't agree with the "perk" pricing model, I vote with my wallet and don't cruise on lines that have higher fares with "free" perks.  Problem solved.

 

Well said ! Also a reason I stay loyal to Royal, the rejection of the "perk" pricing/marketing model ! But when Celebrity (which I also frequent) fell into this, my heart sank, will RCCL be next I thought. Hope not ! 

As I understand the "Royal Up" is as you stated. I just booked a series of cruises on the Odyssey  which is going to be interesting. First segment in balcony room for 2, second segment in single cabin WITH BALCONY, and third segment as one person occupying a traditional double balcony room ! This will be really interesting to see which I get double night's credit, etc. The first segment will of course be one point per night for each of us, but the single balcony cabins (which certainly cost as much as just occupying a regular double cabin by yourself !) probably is ONE point per night, and then the third of nine days as a solo in a regular double cabin will probably result in 18 points. We'll see !

[tinkr2]

29 minutes ago, annnmarie said:

BTW, all of you who receive these "no single supplement" offers... do they come in RCCL emails ? We've been with Royal since the late '70s and have never received any kind of no supplement offers. Princess often did this in the past, paid 125 and 150%, but never any offers from RCCL. Do these no supplement offers come only from your travel agent ? Like to know more, thanks.

There is a filter on NCL you can use. I tried quite a few Royal cruises and never found one. I joined the solo group where they post deals for solo but there did not seem to be much Royal listed.

 

[annnmarie]

1 hour ago, tinkr2 said:

There is a filter on NCL you can use. I tried quite a few Royal cruises and never found one. I joined the solo group where they post deals for solo but there did not seem to be much Royal listed.

 

Thanks so much 😀. Live in a community of constant cruisers and one let me know about cruise plum dot com. Knew some of the sites to look, but this one is really outstanding. It lists every commercial cruise ship including those in UK and other countries, very helpful. They do not sell or book any travel, just have so many filters and data is constantly being updated. Could not believe how exact: lists the % of supplement, exactly what this translates to in terms of dollars, etc. Takes a bit of just trying out the various displays and filters, but have not seen a site this detailed before ! 

Edited October 9, 2019 by annnmarie
correct spelling

[brillohead]

Royal RARELY has 0% single supplement.  

I happened to find the Majesty deal on the Going-Going-Gone sale flyer.  

 

[annnmarie]

18 hours ago, brillohead said:

Royal RARELY has 0% single supplement.  

I happened to find the Majesty deal on the Going-Going-Gone sale flyer.  

 

Another question, did they send you the going g g flyer ? I always have to remember to go to my C&A account and look at on a regular basis, then lately I started wondering if it is still Tues. that the new one comes out ? Things change so often and so much. Remember when they used to have double nights days and would send emails ? Seems like it was the slow weeks of Dec. before the holiday cruises. Thanks for reply !