Huge price increases

[lovescarborough]

Today I received an email from Celebrity announcing their new ( to the UK ) pricing structure. It's now called 'Sail', Sail Plus ( includes 2 perks ) and Sail All Included (includes 4 perks ). We have a fully paid up cruise for Jan 2020 and a reservation made onboard in January this year for January 2021 being 12 nights on the Equinox in the Caribbean. I thought I would look to see what the prices were now.

We currently have a balcony cabin priced at £1858 pp including drinks package, gratuities and $500 OBC between us. 

The new 'better' pricing structure is priced at £2619 pp, same level of cabin, including drinks and grats but not OBC. The drinks package includes £10 pp per day extra charge. 

Even without any perks the starting price was just over £2100 ! 

Now we do love Celebrity and have taken many cruises ( elite plus level now ) but this is just going too far and 2021 may well be our last one with Celebrity. 

Are these levels of price increases happening across the pond or are we just unlucky here in the UK ? 

[paphoslady]

I'm at a total loss with Celebrity's pricing to be honest. I know its a lot to do with supply and demand, high prices for cruises that are selling well and lower prices for cruises with plenty of cabins left. I also don't understand why the price can change so much after final payment in America, is this because lots of cabins can potentially be released for sale again? Is this partly due to refundable deposits so you can have several cruises booked but the ability to cancel them if your circumstances change or you change your mind?

I'm really not a fan of this "better" pricing plan either, to give the customer more choice or to increase prices??

[If only]

No, your not unlucky Celebrities pricing structure is out to lunch.  Prices for 2021 are ridiculous.  We are Elite plus as well & still play the game.  At least playing the game there is always hope that prices will fall. Sooner or later we will all start looking elsewhere.

[jelayne]

If I understand your post correctly you are comparing pricing/perks of a cruise you booked 24 moths in advance  with the current price of that same cruise which is now 13-14  months away.  In our experience prices on  most sailing are at the lowest when they are first opened for booking and prices climb until after final payment.  
 

We just booked a fall 2021 TA with the bev package, prepaid gratuities, internet and $350 OBC  for $192 pp per day.  The fall 2020 TA on the same ship, same A1 cabin exact same perks is selling today for $254 pp per day.  Most likely if I check the price of the 2021 in 10-11 months it will much higher than it is today.

[richstowe]

Talk is cheap .

If prices are too high for the market , demand will dry up . Everything else is just words . 

As a side note, cruise lines LOVE  loyalty . Ours, not theirs . Customers wedded to their brand are nirvana .

[cruzin-again]

I priced a Caribbean cruise in October 2020 on the 18th November and then again on the 20th, after the introduction of the new pricing, same cabin, same perks £300 pp more!!

 

[Hlitner]

Ever since LLP has assumed her position of CEO, Celebrity has been implementing price increases coupled with various on board cut-backs.  This is keeping with some of her early remarks about Celebrity underpricing its product.  A few years ago we were major Celebrity fans and they were always at the top of our list when we were comparing cruises before booking.  Now, we only look at Celebrity as an afterthought and other then booking a last minute terrific deal on the Summit (this past June) we have seen nothing about X to cause us to book.  In the next 12 months we are cruising about 100 days on MSC, HAL, and Princess and might add another cruise on a premium line such as Seabourn.  Celebrity has not figured into any of our future plans (we will continue to assess last minute bargains) since we do not think they are competitive against other cruise options.  

 

My only advice to the OP is to shop around (among all cruise lines) for the best deals that fit your personal wants.  You will likely discover that when you carefully assess the competition, Celebrity no longer competes.  As long as folks are willing to pay the prices (and accept the cut-backs) nothing will change other then to see higher prices and more cut-backs.  But the "worm will turn" once many others look at the total market and adjust accordingly.    We recently saw a Celebrity cruise where an Aqua Class cabin was actually priced higher then a cruise we recently took on Seabourn. Go figure.

 

Hank

[miched]

To the Op

 

I live in the USA.  We have a few more cruises booked with X and those will probably  be our last and have even considered canceling a few of them.

 

Those  that we have booked are pushing the limit for value but looking at the prices of future cruises they are a “bargain” so we may take them as our last hurrah.

 

i don't see any more cruises after those as the prices are way out of line.

 

Our lives don’t revolve around taking a cruise and we have may more enjoyable things to do that is a lot cheaper.

 

Will X miss us.  I don’t think so as there many rookies out there with more money to throw away than I have and that is their target.. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

Edited November 26, 2019 by miched

[grandgeezer]

January 3, 2020 seven day Caribbean on the Reflection: $Suite guarantee $2120 p.p., including all taxes and fees. Comes with all four perks plus an extra $400 (total) OBC Sail Now promo. $600 fully refundable OBC from online travel agency. If the experience would be like the same as the cruise we took on the Equinox, In October, still a couple a hundred dollars p.p. more than it's worth to us.

MSC Yacht Club has spoiled us and even as their prices have risen, we still think it's a much better value.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Celebrity has also priced me out of the market.

 

I was looking for an 11-12 day Caribbean or partial Panama Canal transit cruise in early 2021 and narrowed my choices down to NCL Jade, Celebrity Constellation and HAL Zuiderdam.

 

I currently have two options tentatively booked with refundable deposits - One is a 12 day on NCL Jade 1/3/21 from Tampa in a full oceanview with free air, beverage package, 5 nights specialty dining, pre-paid gratuity and $100 onboard credit from NCL - $3526 with all taxes and fees. The second is the Zuiderdam 2/24/21 doing a partial Panama Canal transit for 11 nights from Ft. Lauderdale including beverage package, prepaid tips and 1 night specialty dining in a full oceanview room for $3225. While air is not included I still think the value is good for a Panama Canal sailing due to the much higher taxes associated with those sailings in general. Yes we would have to get air and probably would spend more in the end than the NCL sailing but the value is still there.  

 

I could have booked the Constellation leaving one day later than the NCL Jade on 1/4/21 for a similar 11 night itinerary in an oceanview with all 4 perks (premium bev pkg, pre paid tips, $300 onboard credit and unlimited wifi) and $200 extra onboard credit for $4962 and would have still needed to buy airfare.

 

While the Constellation would be my first choice of ship, there is just no way Celebrity is worth $1400 more than NCL or $1700 more than HAL PLUS the cost of air (included with NCL) for similar length cruises in the same sailing region.  I have long been a Celebrity cheerleader but no longer.  Not at these prices.  When, and if, Celebrity's pricing falls more in line with their competitors I will gladly sail with them again.  Sadly I don't see it happening anytime soon.  As a consumer I have plenty of other cruise options and need to ensure I'm getting decent value for my hard earned money.

Edited November 26, 2019 by AtlantaCruiser72

[kdkstormy]

We booked our January 10th cruise about 18 months out with 2 perks.  After a couple of small price drops and a promotion with 3 perks our final price was $4650 CDN total for a 1A on the hump (large balcony) for a 10 day cruise.  Since then, when I’ve checked prices it was as high as 10k and before there was little to no available cabins left about $7500 CDN.  

 

Glad I booked that far out.

Edited November 26, 2019 by kdkstormy

[montythecat]

Thank you to “lovescarborough” and other contributors to this

thread for the cost comparisons of alternative cruises to

Celebrity. It is good to have the hard evidence of my initial 

reactions. Unfortunately, we are joining those of you who are

now being forced to look elsewhere. The new “perks” pricing 

structure is particularly reprehensible. Since when is paying

$35 more for drinks per day a “perk”? We have always found

X cruises at what we believe to be sensible prices with a free

classic drinks package and, usually, gratuities as well. I can 

only hope that there will be a drop in sales and profits which

will cause Celebrity to have a rethink. If that were to happen

we would return immediately.

[mrsgoggins]

I am another who regularly used to monitor (past tense!) the prices of cruises I had booked, along with dates - I am a bit obsessive like that.  I had reached the conclusion last year that booking with Celebrity was not so appealing going forward and it is even more so since the recent changes and price hikes.

 

We were lucky enough to take 5 Celebrity cruises this year (a celebratory year), 4 of which were booked well in advance at 'good' prices and one last minute (Iceland and Ireland) because I believed it to be overpriced and when prices dropped, I jumped and booked.  I could only do this because that cruise was out of Southampton and so there were no last minute air fares (in August) to put me off.  Next year there are just 2 Celebrity cruises in the picture, booked as reasonable deals, and also 2 in 2021, again booked at lower prices than what is being asked now.

 

We take as many land vacations as we do cruises, and we enjoy them just as much.  Not only are the prices driving me away, but the website is no longer easy to use and make comparisons.  My use of Celebrity's website has dropped off significantly since the changes.

 

I know that we are lucky people to afford the lifestyle and vacations that we have, but I always want value for money and I can't see much of that with Celebrity now.

Edited November 26, 2019 by mrsgoggins

[chemmo]

Whenever you consider spending on a holiday, a car or even a new home there is always that final question of ‘Is it worth it?’... There is always a point at which no matter how much you like the product you feel it is overpriced. You either then look at alternatives or don’t spend your money...

 

[sound_guy0918]

Just glanced at Caribbean itineraries in December 2020...we can sail on the Summit for $1062pp with $125obc plus two perks, or Freedom of the Seas for $790pp and $75obc.  HAL is similar to RCCL and Princess is more expensive than X with zero perks of any kind.  In our view, the X vacation is the better value.

[miched]

10 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

January 3, 2020 seven day Caribbean on the Reflection: $Suite guarantee $2120 p.p., including all taxes and fees. Comes with all four perks plus an extra $400 (total) OBC Sail Now promo. $600 fully refundable OBC from online travel agency. If the experience would be like the same as the cruise we took on the Equinox, In October, still a couple a hundred dollars p.p. more than it's worth to us.

MSC Yacht Club has spoiled us and even as their prices have risen, we still think it's a much better value.

 

We were on the Equinox in Oct and it would rank at the bottom of over 40 cruises that we have been on.   That cruise was lacking something.  
 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[Luvcrusn]

We always book early and then monitor our cruise pricing for price drops prior to final payment. The last price drop we saw on X prior to final payment was  on a Caribbean cruise in February 2016 on Constellation. Since then we've not seen another price reduction prior to final payment. We have also seen pricing become ridiculous. I started a thread "Pricing Gone Mad" where I noted the pricing for 4 Caribbean cruises in March of 2020 for an Aqua Class A2 cabin with the same type of deposit and identical perks. Many of the islands visited are in common on the itineraries. 

Reflection 11 nights $2799pp + taxes

Reflection 10 nights $2599pp + taxes

Reflection 11 nights $1949pp  + taxes

Silhouette 12 nights $5869pp + taxes

Cabin availability is similar.

The price of the Silhouette cruise is ridiculous. There is no way one additional night on Silhouette is worth $3100!

When planning cruise vacations up until last year we automatically just looked at X because we enjoy the experience and appreciate having smoke free ships (I'm really sensitive and can't even walk through the casinos on most others causing me to have to go up or down a deck when walking forward to aft to avoid the smoke). The current crazy pricing has now made us look at other cruise lines when planning a cruise vacations as well. Reading this and similar threads indicates to us that we're not alone and we and others will be booking elsewhere as well. We won't overpay for a cruise to have some free drinks, internet minutes or laundry. If X wants our loyalty, they can have it for a fair pricing structure. If I wasnt to gamble, I'll go to a casino, not book a cruise!  We have vacationed enough over the years to feel comfortable trying new things, and the current pricing is making X extremely unappealing. Since we are already very familiar with the X experience (and downgraded changes) over the years, we know a fair price when we see it and also know what an outrageous price looks like. Lately we've sadly seen few of the former more of the latter. X's current pricing is causing many of its loyal customers to look elsewhere. That's just a stupid business strategy because once you give customers a reason to look elsewhere a good percentage of them will go elsewhere. A successful business wants to keep its customer base and build upon it. Okay, rant finished.

[redjetz]

The only way Celebrity pricing makes sense any more is to sail in non-peak times, which many of us cannot. We prefer Aqua class, for Blu, but it was outrageous when we booked for March 2020, so we took a Veranda cabin. This cruise will make us Elite+ but I think we will start straying from Celebrity.
 

For a special event in 2021, we wanted Aqua or a suite, but the prices were so incredibly crazy even a year ago that we booked a Regent cruise instead. For only $500 pp more, which includes specialty dining, drinks (including the minibar),  gratuities, shore excursions, and internet. And the room is double the size. 

[2SeaWithMe]

We're returning to cruising after having kids.  I have total sticker shock.  The same itineraries we cruised before, but thousands more.  I couldn't justify 8k this year for a Thanksgiving cruise in a normal room.  

 

For the 6-8k I'm getting quoted on Celebrity,  I can get the suites and lots of perks on other lines.  

[Luvcrusn]

19 minutes ago, redjetz said:

The only way Celebrity pricing makes sense any more is to sail in non-peak times, which many of us cannot. We prefer Aqua class, for Blu, but it was outrageous when we booked for March 2020, so we took a Veranda cabin. This cruise will make us Elite+ but I think we will start straying from Celebrity.
 

For a special event in 2021, we wanted Aqua or a suite, but the prices were so incredibly crazy even a year ago that we booked a Regent cruise instead. For only $500 pp more, which includes specialty dining, drinks (including the minibar),  gratuities, shore excursions, and internet. And the room is double the size. 

My point exactly. X has taken a customer that regularly booked with them, made them look elsewhere due to crazy pricing and lost them. 

[Marine7]

1 hour ago, Luvcrusn said:

We always book early and then monitor our cruise pricing for price drops prior to final payment. The last price drop we saw on X prior to final payment was  on a Caribbean cruise in February 2016 on Constellation. Since then we've not seen another price reduction prior to final payment. We have also seen pricing become ridiculous. I started a thread "Pricing Gone Mad" where I noted the pricing for 4 Caribbean cruises in March of 2020 for an Aqua Class A2 cabin with the same type of deposit and identical perks. Many of the islands visited are in common on the itineraries. 

Reflection 11 nights $2799pp + taxes

Reflection 10 nights $2599pp + taxes

Reflection 11 nights $1949pp  + taxes

Silhouette 12 nights $5869pp + taxes

Cabin availability is similar.

The price of the Silhouette cruise is ridiculous. There is no way one additional night on Silhouette is worth $3100!

When planning cruise vacations up until last year we automatically just looked at X because we enjoy the experience and appreciate having smoke free ships (I'm really sensitive and can't even walk through the casinos on most others causing me to have to go up or down a deck when walking forward to aft to avoid the smoke). The current crazy pricing has now made us look at other cruise lines when planning a cruise vacations as well. Reading this and similar threads indicates to us that we're not alone and we and others will be booking elsewhere as well. We won't overpay for a cruise to have some free drinks, internet minutes or laundry. If X wants our loyalty, they can have it for a fair pricing structure. If I wasnt to gamble, I'll go to a casino, not book a cruise!  We have vacationed enough over the years to feel comfortable trying new things, and the current pricing is making X extremely unappealing. Since we are already very familiar with the X experience (and downgraded changes) over the years, we know a fair price when we see it and also know what an outrageous price looks like. Lately we've sadly seen few of the former more of the latter. X's current pricing is causing many of its loyal customers to look elsewhere. That's just a stupid business strategy because once you give customers a reason to look elsewhere a good percentage of them will go elsewhere. A successful business wants to keep its customer base and build upon it. Okay, rant finished.

Very well Said! I agree 100%.

[lovescarborough]

Well at least I know that I'm not alone in feeling that prices are a rip off !  Having worked in sales and marketing for many years I know that it is much harder and more expensive in advertising etc to attract new customers and all the companies I have worked with have recognised that keeping existing customers is essential . They form a vital core of your customer base with new customers being a welcome addition. The current strategy seems to be alienating some existing customers and in my view is very risky. It might work short term but long term is another matter.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

2 hours ago, Luvcrusn said:

When planning cruise vacations up until last year we automatically just looked at X because we enjoy the experience and appreciate having smoke free ships (I'm really sensitive and can't even walk through the casinos on most others causing me to have to go up or down a deck when walking forward to aft to avoid the smoke). The current crazy pricing has now made us look at other cruise lines when planning a cruise vacations as well. 

 

As an aside - Holland America has 6 ships in their fleet with 100% smoke free interior environments - Zuiderdam, Westerdam, Oosterdam, Noordam, Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam.  The only smoking areas anywhere on these ships is outdoors by the aft pool bar.  HAL often is competitively priced against Celebrity and has some great itineraries.  I find their food equal to what I get on Celebrity, and while they lack many of the audience participation gameshows/parties Celebrity offer in the evenings they do have good entertainment  - BB Kings Blues Club, Billboard Onboard Dueling Pianos, Lincoln Center Stage Concert series, etc.  While not "late" night ships a'la Carnival these 6 vessels will have at least 1-2 entertainments to keep you going until Midnight at least.

[wwcruisers]

11 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

As an aside - Holland America has 6 ships in their fleet with 100% smoke free interior environments - Zuiderdam, Westerdam, Oosterdam, Noordam, Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam.  The only smoking areas anywhere on these ships is outdoors by the aft pool bar.  HAL often is competitively priced against Celebrity and has some great itineraries.  I find their food equal to what I get on Celebrity, and while they lack many of the audience participation gameshows/parties Celebrity offer in the evenings they do have good entertainment  - BB Kings Blues Club, Billboard Onboard Dueling Pianos, Lincoln Center Stage Concert series, etc.  While not "late" night ships a'la Carnival these 6 vessels will have at least 1-2 entertainments to keep you going until Midnight at least.

 

I was surprised to find lots of Celebrity ex-pats over on the HAL boards! After finding ourselves pretty much 'priced-out' of X's suites -- and increasingly disappointed in their non-suite food/service -- we decided to give HAL a try. We were shocked to crunch the numbers and learn that we could book a Neptune (second highest) Suite on HAL for approximately HALF of what a Celebrity Suite on Eclipse cost -- for an almost identical itinerary. Granted, HAL's upper-end suite perks are nowhere near X's. But, I honestly liked sailing in X's Sky Suites, long before the advent of Michael's Club (now the Retreat?) and Luminae. So, we'll see how that corner-aft Neptune works out for us, next year!😎

[ShawninFL]

This is a market.  They're selling vacations and cruise vacations in particular.  Like all businesses in a market economy they are looking to maximize their profit.  The price Celebrity obtains for said cruise vacations is dictated by the market.  Yes, when these new itineraries are released, most of the time, the prices are astronomical.  Guess what?  Almost no one will book them.  The market then pushes the price down.  It's all supply and demand.  Book your vacation when you find a price that is acceptable to you for the itinerary, dates and "perks" included.