Royal future cruise credit good for Celebrity?

[BillOh]

Ok, I didn't search it first, but would Royal Future Cruise credits be applicable to Celebrity?  So much is up in the air now. I'm almost ready to give up on cruising 2020 and I've been planning for a long time for our 40th anniversary on 5/2/2021.   I found Freedom's last scheduled cruise out of San Juan looks good, but the cruise ends on our actual anniversary and my wife is not happy with the idea of traveling home, and those hassles on our actual anniversary.    I've been considering an X cruise, but had planned on making d+ first, which I should have been tomorrow after returning from our Adventure cruise that didn't happen!

[KroozFoolz]

"Q : Are Future Cruise Credits interchangeable between Royal Caribbean’s family of brands?
A : No, you’ll have to apply your Future Cruise Credit to a future cruise onboard Royal Caribbean International."

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-with-confidence

[h20skibum]

1 hour ago, BillOh said:

  I've been considering an X cruise, but had planned on making d+ first, which I should have been tomorrow after returning from our Adventure cruise that didn't happen!

 

D+ would not get you anything extra on X.   D, D+, and Pins all transfer as Elite on X.   If you find something nice on X, go for it.   You can always use the fcc for another Royal Cruise.

[drrich2]

Here's a suggestion; after the cruise, spend 2 or 3 days at a resort on Puerto Rico so you don't have to head straight home on your anniversary day. Many years ago, my wife and I honeymooned aboard our first cruise, Adventure of the Seas, out of Puerto Rico, a 7-day southern Caribbean cruise followed by 3 days at the Hyatt Dorado (which has since been remade into something else, so I'm not pushing it specifically).

 

While staying at a resort, visit El Yunque Rainforest and enjoy the island. 

[LibertyBella]

I used to try to always travel for my anniversary and/or birthday(s), but one cannot always predict when the best itineraries or the best prices are offered, so I have become much more flexible.

 

I had booked a RC cruise for a big birthday early April and because of the virus, it was cancelled and I celebrated quietly at home.  It was a fun itinerary, full of beaches and sunshine.

 

I enjoy Celebrity for more upscale adventures, such as last year's Greek isles cruise.  I try not to worry about my status and just go with what appeals to me for the year.

 

Puerto Rico is certainly seeking tourist dollars to help with the recovery from the hurricane  and now, the pandemic.  There is a lot to see and do, especially in Old San Juan.

 

You can just take two cruises next summer to make up for this year.  I find Bermuda cruises to be quite romantic, restful and safe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TMLAalum]

The Elite bennies on Celeb you get being Diamond  are excellent IMHO. 90 minutes of wifi, free bag of laundry , some free pressing and dry cleaning, free drinks during happy hour (either in the Sky Lounge or via vouchers), continental breakfast with mimosas or bloodies and one cabin category upgrade with a few exceptions and a few other perks such as a free gelato.

 

It will take me quite a few more Celebrity cruises to attain Elite Plus, but the advantages don't seem that worthwhile. Now if we could ever reach Zenith.....

 

We will (fingers X'd) be on our 1st RCCL cruise next fall as reciprocal Diamond members and the only perk I think that status will provide us is free drinks since the Empress has no Diamond lounge.

[Ourusualbeach]

9 minutes ago, TMLAalum said:

as reciprocal Diamond members and the only perk I think that status will provide us is free drinks

One 24 hour period of free internet and a free photo per member as well

[2chiefs]

If Celebrity is an option, we recommend it. We have been sailing Royal for many years and have recently been going on some Celebrity cruises. We enjoy it a lot but we also still cruise Royal (during low-kid seasons). We enjoy the Elite status on Celebrity (we are Diamond+ on Royal) and the events in the evening. As Diamond, you will also be Elite on Celebrity. Don't worry about achieving Diamond+ first because it doesn't get you any higher than Elite on Celebrity.

 

I like drrich2's suggestion about staying at a resort for a couple days for your anniversary. Sounds like fun.

 

Whatever you decide, have fun!

T

[pcur]

We love Celebrity, too.  However, they are so much higher in price that I get to my "I'd rather save that money and put it toward another cruise" level.  I have a hard time justifying Celebrity because:

 

• the cruise points don't go back to my RCCL C&A account, so I'm in the "black hole of D+ or Elite" with both programs, never moving forward to the next level if I switch between the lines
• the itineraries are usually the same
• Celebrity is usually 20% + more money

[TMLAalum]

1 hour ago, pcur said:

We love Celebrity, too.  However, they are so much higher in price that I get to my "I'd rather save that money and put it toward another cruise" level.  I have a hard time justifying Celebrity because:

 

• the cruise points don't go back to my RCCL C&A account, so I'm in the "black hole of D+ or Elite" with both programs, never moving forward to the next level if I switch between the lines
• the itineraries are usually the same
• Celebrity is usually 20% + more money

 

Celebrity's pricing that includes all 4 perks can be worth it even though the $$ amount is higher.

 

For example our upcoming 10 day Millennium cruise is priced at $4200 in a veranda cabin,  all-in for 2 w/ all 4 perks. So deduct $310 for grats, $300 OBC,  $600 premium beverage package (figure worth $60 per day minimum for both of us to include specialty coffees, soft drinks, and alcoholic drinks) and we are already at under 3k not including wifi. (And we had friends book onboard for us so have an extra $200 OBC but that cannot be fairly factored in my comparison)

 

Our upcoming 11 day Empress cruise in an OV cabin is priced at $3200 total. We do have $50 OBC so are $250 down from Celeb, will have to pay gratuities @$342, and spend $660 for drinks. So adding 250+342+660 without wifi, we are at @ the same cost as the Celeb cruise, albeit one day less but a veranda on the Millie as opposed to the OV on the Empress.

 

I will say that the Empress itinerary cannot be duplicated by Celebrity! We are looking forward to sailing her next year, especially since we lucked out in getting 7664!

Edited May 29, 2020 by TMLAalum
fuzzy math

[2chiefs]

20 hours ago, pcur said:

We love Celebrity, too.  However, they are so much higher in price that I get to my "I'd rather save that money and put it toward another cruise" level.  I have a hard time justifying Celebrity because:

 

• the cruise points don't go back to my RCCL C&A account, so I'm in the "black hole of D+ or Elite" with both programs, never moving forward to the next level if I switch between the lines
• the itineraries are usually the same
• Celebrity is usually 20% + more money

Agree with most of above but...

1. No level problem for us. We are Diamond + and will never reach Pinnacle so going back & forth not issue for us.

2. Itineraries mostly same. Agreed but Celebrity has way more longer 9-12 day cruises to choose from.

3. 20% more. I would say that this might not be as bad as this. Celebrity plays a lot of games with the "perks" and depending what you want, there are some real deals. I always calculate the per day cost with the perks of both lines included and my guess the real cost may be more around 10% higher but I manage to find deals more in line with Royal pricing.

Edited May 30, 2020 by 2chiefs

[NancyIL]

19 hours ago, TMLAalum said:

 

Celebrity's pricing that includes all 4 perks can be worth it even though the $$ amount is higher.

 

For example our upcoming 10 day Millennium cruise is priced at $4200 in a veranda cabin,  all-in for 2 w/ all 4 perks. So deduct $310 for grats, $300 OBC,  $600 premium beverage package (figure worth $60 per day minimum for both of us to include specialty coffees, soft drinks, and alcoholic drinks) and we are already at under 3k not including wifi. (And we had friends book onboard for us so have an extra $200 OBC but that cannot be fairly factored in my comparison)

 

Our upcoming 11 day Empress cruise in an OV cabin is priced at $3200 total. We do have $50 OBC so are $250 down from Celeb, will have to pay gratuities @$342, and spend $660 for drinks. So adding 250+342+660 without wifi, we are at @ the same cost as the Celeb cruise, albeit one day less but a veranda on the Millie as opposed to the OV on the Empress.

 

I will say that the Empress itinerary cannot be duplicated by Celebrity! We are looking forward to sailing her next year, especially since we lucked out in getting 7664!

 

I booked 7664 (and later changed to 8664) for the Sept. 14, 2020 Empress Canada cruise. When it looked like it would probably be cancelled  - I did a Lift and Shift to the same cruise in Sept. 2021.  The larger OV cabins on the starboard side were taken, but 7164 was available. 

 

Now I'm hoping that RCI doesn't get rid of Empress, since the larger RCI ships can't sail from Montreal.

 

One more thing: we really enjoyed our Celebrity Infinity Pacific Coastal cruise in September 2016. It started out as a 7-night from Vancouver to San Diego, then changed to a 7-night from Vancouver to San Francisco. When whatever RCI planned fell through for the 5 nights after our  cruise ended  - they extended the cruise to 12 nights - still ending in San Francisco.

Edited May 30, 2020 by NancyIL

[NancyIL]

36 minutes ago, NancyIL said:

 

One more thing: we really enjoyed our Celebrity Infinity Pacific Coastal cruise in September 2016. It started out as a 7-night from Vancouver to San Diego, then changed to a 7-night from Vancouver to San Francisco. When whatever RCI planned fell through for the 5 nights after our  cruise ended  - they extended the cruise to 12 nights - still ending in San Francisco.

 

I was trying to remember how the itinerary of our Pacific Coastal cruise evolved, so I found the roll call thread (Sept. 25, 2016 Infinity). We had originally booked a Sept. 11, 2016 7-night Vancouver to San Diego (or LA) cruise, but Celebrity changed it to an Alaska cruise. We then moved to the Sept. 25 Pacific Coastal cruise, which was 7 nights from Vancouver to San Francisco. There was a 5-day gap between our cruise ending and the next cruise departing from San Francisco - which was intended as overflow lodging for a SF convention. When it wasn't needed for that purpose, our cruise was extended to 12 days.  Our ports were Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle,  Astoria, Catalina Island, San Diego, Monterey, and an overnight in San Francisco.

 

Sorry to be off topic!!

[pcur]

2 hours ago, 2chiefs said:

 20% more. I would say that this might not be as bad as this. Celebrity plays a lot of games with the "perks" and depending what you want, there are some real deals. I always calculate the per day cost with the perks of both lines included and my guess the real cost may be more around 10% higher but I manage to find deals more in line with Royal pricing.

 

I had several cruises to cancel with refunds and FCC's on 3 different cruise lines.  So, I researched everything I could find for replacements, including RCCL, Princess, Celebrity, and HAL.  I found if an RCCL cruise charged a base of $800 per person for a certain category, before taxes and fees, Celebrity usually charged $1,000.  

 

The perks scenario doesn't work for us, because we don't buy drink packages, but drink during the evening happy hour where drinks are complimentary.  Tipping for drinks on any cruise line is a constant.  We have free wifi of some sort on 3 of the above listed cruise lines, so that's pretty much a wash.

 

Out of the hundreds of cruises I searched on my little replacement project, Celebrity was more expensive for the itinerary or the daily cost.  

 

Example:  We have a 15 night Princess cruise booked (hopefully) for April 2021.  Included is a drink package for both (because we don't have a free nightly happy hour with Princess), gratuities for both, and free wifi.  Celebrity's daily cost for the same cruise/same perks is double.  I just did a price check. 

 

Like I said, when it gets to that cost level, I'd rather buy another cruise.

Edited May 30, 2020 by pcur

[suzyluvs2cruise]

2 hours ago, pcur said:

 

Example:  We have a 15 night Princess cruise booked (hopefully) for April 2021.  Included is a drink package for both (because we don't have a free nightly happy hour with Princess), gratuities for both, and free wifi.  Celebrity's daily cost for the same cruise/same perks is double.  I just did a price check. 

 

Like I said, when it gets to that cost level, I'd rather buy another cruise.

 

What itinerary?

[pcur]

11 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

What itinerary?

 

Assuming Princess is sailing then, it's a roundtrip to Hawaii from San Franciso.  Hawaii has a bulletin out that "based on current assumptions" it won't allow cruise ships until the last half of 2021.  So, this one may not sail.  

 

However, Princess offers an FCC for double the deposit for cruises they cancel.  So, I'm holding the cabin and waiting to see.

 

Ruby Princess - 15 nights -  San Francisco roundtrip Hawaii

They are also offering their Princess Plus package with this sailing: drink package for two, gratuities for two, and free wifi.  (Our Big Box travel agency is also giving us a $310 store cash card).

 

If you ever book obstructed ocean view cabins like us, and you aren't familiar with this web site that shows pictures of all the OV cabins on Princess ships, this might come in handy:  https://sites.google.com/site/cabinviewbyrenmar/golden-grand-star-princess/cabins-401--425

[drrich2]

2 hours ago, pcur said:

We have a 15 night Princess cruise booked (hopefully) for April 2021.  Included is a drink package for both (because we don't have a free nightly happy hour with Princess), gratuities for both, and free wifi.  Celebrity's daily cost for the same cruise/same perks is double.

 

I wonder if that works in reverse. This reminds me of computer system price comparisons between Macs and PCs; if you take a package system in one, then to go the other and try to find or customize something to match it was exactly as possible, the 'other' may look worse. But you started out by finding a system you wanted, for the purpose you desired it, then tried to make another system match it.

 

What I'm asking is, if you start out with a Celebrity cruise package that appeals strongly to you, chosen without any reference to Princess, then you go Princess and try to find or make a package that's as similar as possible...does Princess tend to run substantially cheaper? 

[suzyluvs2cruise]

7 minutes ago, pcur said:

 

Assuming Princess is sailing then, it's a roundtrip to Hawaii from San Franciso.  Hawaii has a bulletin out that "based on current assumptions" it won't allow cruise ships until the last half of 2021.  So, this one may not sail.  

 

However, Princess offers an FCC for double the deposit for cruises they cancel.  So, I'm holding the cabin and waiting to see.

 

Ruby Princess - 15 nights -  San Francisco roundtrip Hawaii

They are also offering their Princess Plus package with this sailing: drink package for two, gratuities for two, and free wifi.  (Our Big Box travel agency is also giving us a $310 store cash card).

 

If you ever book obstructed ocean view cabins like us, and you aren't familiar with this web site that shows pictures of all the OV cabins on Princess ships, this might come in handy:  https://sites.google.com/site/cabinviewbyrenmar/golden-grand-star-princess/cabins-401--425

 

You said you compared it to Celebrity. Do they now offer a RT Hawaii cruise? If so we'd love to take it.

[pcur]

12 minutes ago, drrich2 said:

 

I wonder if that works in reverse. This reminds me of computer system price comparisons between Macs and PCs; if you take a package system in one, then to go the other and try to find or customize something to match it was exactly as possible, the 'other' may look worse. But you started out by finding a system you wanted, for the purpose you desired it, then tried to make another system match it.

 

What I'm asking is, if you start out with a Celebrity cruise package that appeals strongly to you, chosen without any reference to Princess, then you go Princess and try to find or make a package that's as similar as possible...does Princess tend to run substantially cheaper? 

 

Yes, it does for my cruise.  The "double" price for Celebrity is a pro-rated daily cost, because their cruise is 11 days, while Princess' is 15 days.  So, that's a dealmaker  right there.  Both have the same perks, same cabin type was priced, etc.  If I took out the drink package since we get a free happy hour on Celebrity, they are still more expensive.  Plus, with Princess we get the free soda and drinks all day rather than just in the evening.  So, I added the drink package in with Celebrity to have an apple-to-apple comparison, and it was double the price of Princess.

Edited May 30, 2020 by pcur

[pcur]

5 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

You said you compared it to Celebrity. Do they now offer a RT Hawaii cruise? If so we'd love to take it.

No, it's a one way from HNL, so yes, there is air to consider.  I left that out of my comparison, since we have enough Sapphire points to fly to/from for about $22 in fees.

[drrich2]

That's quite a difference. You're using pro-rated pricing since the cruises differ by days. With some things, they get cheaper when you buy more. I wouldn't think 11 vs. 15 days would make a huge difference, but it's worth noting. 

 

Part of why I ask is that while I've read (IIRC) Celebrity may average a bit more expensive than Royal, it's not double (Disney cruises are the ones I see compared to Royal but said to be much more expensive). 

 

Are Celebrity cruises considered much more expensive than Princess cruises as a broad generalization over time? 

[pcur]

5 minutes ago, drrich2 said:

That's quite a difference. You're using pro-rated pricing since the cruises differ by days. With some things, they get cheaper when you buy more. I wouldn't think 11 vs. 15 days would make a huge difference, but it's worth noting. 

 

Part of why I ask is that while I've read (IIRC) Celebrity may average a bit more expensive than Royal, it's not double (Disney cruises are the ones I see compared to Royal but said to be much more expensive). 

 

Are Celebrity cruises considered much more expensive than Princess cruises as a broad generalization over time? 

I believe they are.  Being West Coast residents, there is always the added bonus of SF or LA departure ports, but that's more aesthetic for us.

 

It's not always like this, but like I said above, I've recently priced equivalents for the cruises we had to cancel, and I found Celebrity more expensive for every date I looked at.  But, this Hawaii cruise was an eye-popper.  

 

Don't misunderstand:  we love Celebrity, but spending $8,900 versus $4,500 is  literally the cost of another cruise for us.

 

The other thing that was a sweetener for me, is Princess found the cruise I had cancelled two days before that hadn't been refunded, and just moved the deposit money over to the Hawaii cruise.  I liked that, too.

Edited May 30, 2020 by pcur

[2chiefs]

17 hours ago, pcur said:

 

Yes, it does for my cruise.  The "double" price for Celebrity is a pro-rated daily cost, because their cruise is 11 days, while Princess' is 15 days.  So, that's a dealmaker  right there.  Both have the same perks, same cabin type was priced, etc.  If I took out the drink package since we get a free happy hour on Celebrity, they are still more expensive.  Plus, with Princess we get the free soda and drinks all day rather than just in the evening.  So, I added the drink package in with Celebrity to have an apple-to-apple comparison, and it was double the price of Princess.

In general, it's been my experience that you can find deals on all cruise lines. But in general, when I look at similar cruise from the "big box" cruise lines such as NCL, Princess, Royal, Celebrity, etc., there isn't much difference - in general.

I find huge differences from seemingly similar cruises. You really need to watch the logarithms built into the programming. Huge swings from day-to-day etc. If I'm interested in a cruise, I'll watch the pricing and log them in my spreadsheet with date and cabin number. On Celebrity for instance, their logarithm sometimes prices an Aqua class lower than a Veranda but can change an hour later due to bookings. The only way to compare cruises is to ensure everything is equal and then price on a per day cost to compare cruises of different lengths. Here's a screen shot of a cruise on Edge that I'm monitoring for December 2021:

 

[suzyluvs2cruise]

19 hours ago, pcur said:

 

Yes, it does for my cruise.  The "double" price for Celebrity is a pro-rated daily cost, because their cruise is 11 days, while Princess' is 15 days.  So, that's a dealmaker  right there.  Both have the same perks, same cabin type was priced, etc.  If I took out the drink package since we get a free happy hour on Celebrity, they are still more expensive.  Plus, with Princess we get the free soda and drinks all day rather than just in the evening.  So, I added the drink package in with Celebrity to have an apple-to-apple comparison, and it was double the price of Princess.

 

While you say you've pro-rated daily cost the cruises are very different. Initially I thought you were comparing the same itineraries. I got excited thinking Celebrity had RT Hawaii cruises like Princess. 

[pcur]

40 minutes ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

 

While you say you've pro-rated daily cost the cruises are very different. Initially I thought you were comparing the same itineraries. I got excited thinking Celebrity had RT Hawaii cruises like Princess. 

I was attempting to compare as close as I could get between Princess and Celebrity.  Using the term "same cruise" was misleading.  I was thinking more in terms of cost per day, included perks, and not itinerary.  It was primarily a cost comparison.

 

All said, I still think the Princess roundtrip cruise is a great alternative to Celebrity.  It doesn't have the hassle of airfare to one airport, and home from another.  It's also longer, if you like sea days. 

 

I'm hoping RCCL puts a ship back on the West Coast and does Mexico/Hawaii itineraries.  We did this on HAL last year and loved it.  It was a 24 night roundtrip from San Diego, going to Mexico, and then to Hawaii.  Great cruise!