Is Celebrity getting a lot more expensive?

[D C]

46 minutes ago, prmssk said:

FYI - Just today Princess announced an increase in the prices of their bundled fares plus increases in gratuities, internet, and a few other things. So I’m not sure we can truly escape these increases no matter what line we cruise, unless we stop cruising. 

Well, Disney seemed hell-bent on pricing me out of going there with annual price increases that made college tuition increases look very reasonable.  Cruise lines may well follow suit. 

[grandgeezer]

We stopped seeing the value in cruising before the pandemic hit. We had cut back over 75% and the only cruising we did was when we found some real “suite” deals, one on RCL Allure, in a Grand Suite, and two on MSC Seaside, in a Yacht Club Deluxe Suite. We have seen nothing worthwhile since the startup. In fact the so called free cruises through the casino didn’t even make us blink.

The cruise lines have the right to charge whatever the market will bear, we evoke our right not to pay it.

[Jeremiah1212]

2 hours ago, D C said:

Cheapest balcony for a 7n Eastern Carib in Jan/Feb '24 is over $4k.  That's about a 33% increase from recent prices, and 50% over our Jan '22 price.  

 

Princess is going to be getting our business for at least the next couple of years with X prices being the way they are.

 

😬 Shop around. You can get AQ on Apex for the 2/10/24 sailing for less than $3,700 or an E3 for right under $3,000 All Included. The 2/17/24 Reflection 8 night has several AI categories under $3,800.

[Cruising89143]

Supply and demand……..People want to cruise.

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2022/12/celebrity-cruises-breaks-record-largest-booking-day-ever/

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2022/12/another-record-day-for-royal-caribbean-for-cruise-bookings/
 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2022/12/record-black-friday-cruise-bookings-for-holland-america-line/

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2022/11/carnival-cruise-line-posts-record-cyber-monday-booking-day/

[TeeRick]

On 11/30/2022 at 6:10 PM, slanik said:

We have several Celebrity cruises booked out to spring of 2024.  Every time I see a sale, I check the current prices for my current bookings.  They are always more expensive now.  Sometimes they are almost twice as much now.  When I look beyond spring of 2024, I see lots of cruises very high priced.  Has inflation got to the cruise industry too?  Will I still be able to afford Celebrity in the future?  I hope so.  Anyone else notice this?

Why would inflation not impact the cruise industry?  

[DirtyDawg]

The current higher prices are not the cruise lines' fault. Cruise line customers are increasing demand by flocking back to the sea in droves with all that cash they saved over Covid. If you are concerned about these higher prices, don't cruise! Or convince your cruising friends to cancel their cruises and go to Vegas, or Orlando, or Poughkeepsie, or ....

 

Oh, and I hear Superior Wisconsin is beautiful this time of year. 😉

 

Edited December 2, 2022 by DirtyDawg

[wrk2cruise]

3 hours ago, cruisingator2 said:

Supply and demand……..People want to cruise.

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2022/12/celebrity-cruises-breaks-record-largest-booking-day-ever/

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2022/12/another-record-day-for-royal-caribbean-for-cruise-bookings/
 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2022/12/record-black-friday-cruise-bookings-for-holland-america-line/

 

https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2022/11/carnival-cruise-line-posts-record-cyber-monday-booking-day/

 

Yea just like it was the biggest Black Friday Sale ever.  Oh and only xx hours left (until we extend it again!).

 

Marketing!

[DirtyDawg]

5 minutes ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

Yea just like it was the biggest Black Friday Sale ever.  Oh and only xx hours left (until we extend it again!).

 

Marketing!

I was just checking prices on their Thatch Thursday sale . Darn it, I missed their GREAT Teal Tuesday and Wheat Wednesday sales. 😉

[SusieAV8R]

22 hours ago, LuvCruzn4Evr said:

Prior to the cruising suspension due to covid, we could consistently find sky suites for $300/$325 per night each on a Solstice class ship and $250/$275 per night each on a Millenium class ship for Caribbean itineraries. These per night prices are nowhere to be found now. I am very curious to see how they compare for 2024/2025 when released on Dec. 12th. 

 

22 hours ago, LuvCruzn4Evr said:

Prior to the cruising suspension due to covid, we could consistently find sky suites for $300/$325 per night each on a Solstice class ship and $250/$275 per night each on a Millenium class ship for Caribbean itineraries. These per night prices are nowhere to be found now. I am very curious to see how they compare for 2024/2025 when released on Dec. 12th. 

Prices have definitely increased!!

[dreamer321]

20 hours ago, wineoclock said:

And at those prices some people may start looking at the more luxury lines to see how they compare. 

For solo sailors I've found Silver Sea to be cheaper than X because they have several itineraries available with only 25% singles supplement.  I was pricing out an Alaska cruise and a basic veranda cabin with All included on X was more than a veranda cabin on Silver Sea.

 

[CU64]

On 11/30/2022 at 3:39 PM, 4-2-N-8 said:

 

I just checked my two cruises on Celebrity for 2023 -

 

1) Beyond 7-night Caribbean in January. Paid in full for an EV at ~$26K. Now offered ~$1K less. My cost is just under ~$4K per night (but for two people)

 

2) Beyond 11-night Mediterranean in August. Booked an EV at ~$35K. It is now offered at ~$40K. My cost is just over $3K per night (but for two people)

 

Moral of story: Europe is a bargain. 😀

Doubt you care if the prices go up considering how you currently book.

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

12 minutes ago, CU64 said:

Doubt you care if the prices go up considering how you currently book.

Even if my budget may be different, I still do my research. I look for what I feel are appropriate prices for what I buy. 🤓

[smtcan]

Prices do seem to have risen considerably, but each person has their own idea of what represents value.
 We have two categories of cruise.  The first is a Transatlantic to see our family.  We would be going there anyway and going over or back on a ship adds to the experience and maximizes the value of air fare.

The second is itinerary driven.  We want to see new places around the world.  Luckily we have been to many parts of Asia, because the prices now seem astronomical.  Australia and NZ are similarly high, so I doubt if we will go back there.  These are the kind of cruises we will cut back on, since last minute deals do not combine well with long distance flights.  Before COVID we took four or more cruises a year, often B2B, but I fear those days are past.  We could afford to cruise, but the value isn’t there for us.

[wrk2cruise]

12 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

Yea just like it was the biggest Black Friday Sale ever.  Oh and only xx hours left (until we extend it again!).

 

Marketing!

 

Will it ever end?   Cyber Monday is long gone.

 

[jagoffee]

13 hours ago, dreamer321 said:

For solo sailors I've found Silver Sea to be cheaper than X because they have several itineraries available with only 25% singles supplement.  I was pricing out an Alaska cruise and a basic veranda cabin with All included on X was more than a veranda cabin on Silver Sea.

 

I do not travel solo, but did’t Celebrity recently offer a long list of cruises with no solo supplement?

[dreamer321]

13 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

I do not travel solo, but did’t Celebrity recently offer a long list of cruises with no solo supplement?

Yes they did and I took advantage of that to book a cruise on Beyond in January but that promo is long gone and we don't know if it will be back. If X offers it again I will jump on it but if I were booking today for a cruise to Alaska or Europe this summer there would be better value out there than X.

[ECCruise]

After 30+ sailings on =X= we stopped booking them when they started heavily pushing the "All Included" ploy.  With our Elite+ benefits, a lot of the value of the inclusions just wasn't there.  In addition, we have no desire to sail E class, so that further limited our choices.   Instead, we started sailing much more with Azamara because of itinerary, the onboard feel and prices not that far above =X= with a much higher perceived value.

 

On a lark yesterday, looked at Millennium in Asia early in 2025 and the prices were for us,  reasonable so we booked 24 days, B2B Singapore to Mumbai.  Caveat is that we booked at our TA's prices which were $1100-1300 less for each sailing than exactly the same inclusions direct with the cruise line. 

 

The morale is that IF you book early and have a TA with good pricing, you can find your way around the higher pricing. 

[D C]

5 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

Will it ever end?   Cyber Monday is long gone.

 

Give 'em time.  The committee probably hasn't met to decide on the next name for the same sale.

[JeanieC,Aston]

6 minutes ago, D C said:

Give 'em time.  The committee probably hasn't met to decide on the next name for the same sale.

A bit like a furniture store in the UK called DFS,,,,,they have had a ‘closing down’ sale now for 10 years.

[TeeRick]

On 12/2/2022 at 2:29 PM, D C said:

Give 'em time.  The committee probably hasn't met to decide on the next name for the same sale.

It is not a sale when they raise the prices then "discount" them with a "sale" to back where they were (or higher).  But you can get some decent OBC with these promotions.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

On 12/2/2022 at 12:35 PM, dreamer321 said:

I were booking today for a cruise to Alaska or Europe this summer there would be better value out there than X.

 

Not if you're chill with the solo IV on Edge-class.

[dreamer321]

4 hours ago, WrittenOnYourHeart said:

 

Not if you're chill with the solo IV on Edge-class.

I ended up booking an inside cabin on HAL in May to Alaska. Much cheaper than the Edge (or Solstice or Millennium) with a much better itinerary.  I'm sailing on Beyond in January (booked it when they had the no solo supplement promo last summer) so it will be a good opportunity to compare the two lines.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

57 minutes ago, dreamer321 said:

I ended up booking an inside cabin on HAL in May to Alaska. Much cheaper than the Edge (or Solstice or Millennium) with a much better itinerary.  I'm sailing on Beyond in January (booked it when they had the no solo supplement promo last summer) so it will be a good opportunity to compare the two lines.

I'd rather pay more than ever sail HAL again. I did it once and it's not for me. Too stuffy and formal - even in Alaska, which is where I sailed on them.

Edited December 5, 2022 by WrittenOnYourHeart

[drakes2]

On 12/1/2022 at 8:18 PM, wrk2cruise said:

Yea just like it was the biggest Black Friday Sale ever.  Oh and only xx hours left (until we extend it again!).

 

Marketing!

That was the biggest farce I've seen in years and it's probably going to extend into the New Year.  Too bad for you Celebrity.  I just booked a Princess cruise during your BF (and I don't mean best friend) sale.  I got a similar cruise on a brand new ship at half Celebrity's price. 

[George C]

It depends I think we got a good deal on beyond cruise last week compared to a royal grand suite , celebrity included premium drink, tips, WiFi and 800 on board credit. For next November we got a better deal on royal grand suite over sky suite.