AquaClass is $170 more than Concierge with All Included. Not so expensive

[Sigyn]

I keep hearing that AquaClass is much more expensive than Concierge but, at least on my cruise, it is not and that's one of the reasons I booked it. 

 

I'm on a July 7 cruise on the Millennium from Vancouver to Alaska. An AquaClass stateroom is $3,089 pp for a total of $6,634. That includes a classic drink package and Wi-Fi and gratuities and $250 OBC. And of course access to Persian Garden and Blu. A Concierge stateroom is $2,407 pp. Once you upgrade to All Included and add a classic drink package and Wi-Fi and tips it is $3,004 a person, for a total of $6,464.58 once discounts are taken. And you get a $250 OBC with that. 

 

So it's $170 more for AquaClass than Concierge. And that means we get access to Persian Garden all week, and dining at Blu. To me, $170 isn't terribly more expensive, yet everyone is always saying AquaClass is much more pricey. Is this the amount they're talking about, or is is just more affordable on the Millennium or this particular cruise? Or do most people not spring for the All Included? I would think the All Included is pretty much a given since it's a classic drink package and Wi-Fi and gratuities. But that's just me and I like a couple glasses of wine each day. 

 

[go.without.you]

I've looked at bookings where Aqua was same price as Concierge and others where it was $300 more. It breaks down to supply and demand for each sailing.

[Sigyn]

10 minutes ago, go.without.you said:

I've looked at bookings where Aqua was same price as Concierge and others where it was $300 more. It breaks down to supply and demand for each sailing.

That makes sense. I haven't seen anything in Concierge that would make me want to pay extra for it, but Blu alone makes me swoon for Aqua Class. And then the thermal loungers in the spa...I love those on any ship! We booked Aqua Class for our Alaska sailing in July. 

Edited January 27, 2023 by njsmom

[NorthStarStateCruiser]

Surely people who say that Aqua is way more expensive than Concierge doesn't understand how the pricing works with the compulsory AI for Aqua.

[RichYak]

29 minutes ago, njsmom said:

So it's $170 more for AquaClass than Concierge. And that means we get access to Persian Garden all week, and dining at Blu.

But at the same time, you lose access to everything that Concierge Class offers. This exercise would be better comparing Aqua Class to a regular balcony cabin to really see how much extra AQ is costing you.

[BeachTunes]

We booked a March sailing on the Millennium in Aqua Class in December. We wanted all-inclusive and it turned out that Aqua was less than all of the other balcony categories! Of course, without all-inc, the prices for the other categories was less but comparing apples to apples, so to speak, Aqua offered the best value for us. We like Blu and chose a cabin in a location we like so it was a no brainer! 

 

We compared pricing on the Apex for similar dates in March and noticed the same thing. Aqua was less than a regular verandah when factoring in all-inclusive. 

 

Supply and demand is real! LOL! 

[Jeremiah1212]

It's a pretty frequently anomaly in pricing when the sailing it close to being sold out like that one is. If a few more CC cabins sell the price of those may go higher than AQ for a short time. 

 

Math is also difficult for people. I would be interested in see actual numbers showing how many people book the Cruise Only rate then turn around and book a drink package and WiFi separately. I've made detailed side by side comparisons for people and they still don't get it. 

[Cruisegirl6]

44 minutes ago, njsmom said:

That makes sense. I haven't seen anything in Concierge that would make me want to pay extra for it, but Blu alone makes me swoon for Aqua Class. And then the thermal loungers in the spa...I love those on any ship! We booked Aqua Class for our Alaska sailing in July. 

What are the thermal lounges like?

[Bo1953]

59 minutes ago, njsmom said:

I keep hearing that AquaClass is much more expensive than Concierge but, at least on my cruise, it is not and that's one of the reasons I booked it. 

 

I'm on a July 7 cruise on the Millennium from Vancouver to Alaska. An AquaClass stateroom is $3,089 pp for a total of $6,634. That includes a classic drink package and Wi-Fi and gratuities and $250 OBC. And of course access to Persian Garden and Blu. A Concierge stateroom is $2,407 pp. Once you upgrade to All Included and add a classic drink package and Wi-Fi and tips it is $3,004 a person, for a total of $6,464.58 once discounts are taken. And you get a $250 OBC with that. 

 

So it's $170 more for AquaClass than Concierge. And that means we get access to Persian Garden all week, and dining at Blu. To me, $170 isn't terribly more expensive, yet everyone is always saying AquaClass is much more pricey. Is this the amount they're talking about, or is is just more affordable on the Millennium or this particular cruise? Or do most people not spring for the All Included? I would think the All Included is pretty much a given since it's a classic drink package and Wi-Fi and gratuities. But that's just me and I like a couple glasses of wine each day. 

In this case you are quite correct IMO, yet each sailing cost differentials will be different.

 

You were quite fortunate to get this deal, for sure and it is a good one, too...

 

bon voyage

[Sigyn]

9 hours ago, RichYak said:

But at the same time, you lose access to everything that Concierge Class offers. This exercise would be better comparing Aqua Class to a regular balcony cabin to really see how much extra AQ is costing you.

I looked at everything concierge class offered and it didn't appeal to me. I read that you receive priority embarkation and debarkation as well as during excursion, lunch on embarkation day, concierge service for reservations and such, priority dining time, canapés and sparkling wine, a pillow menu, use of an umbrella and binoculars during the cruise (but the binoculars must remain on the ship at all times, they can’t be used for excursions), complimentary shoe-shining service, extra hairdryer in the stateroom (two, instead of the usual one), upgraded Hansgrohe rainfall showerhead, embossed keyholder and tote bag.

 

For Aqua Class, I get use of the Persian Garden, Blu, massaging water jets in the shower in the stateroom, an special air filtration system in the stateroom for cleaner air, an aromatherapy diffuser in the stateroom, priority embarkation and debarkation and for excursions, canapés and sparkling wine, a pillow menu, a menu of exercise equipment to have in the room (I already picked ours out) - it includes everything from yoga equipment to meditation gear, to a recovery kit (foam rollers, etc), to strength and conditioning tools, slippers to use in the room, use of an umbrella and binoculars during the cruise (but the binoculars must remain on the ship at all times, they can’t be used for excursions), complimentary shoe-shining service, extra hairdryer in the stateroom (two, instead of the usual one), upgraded Hansgrohe rainfall showerhead, embossed keyholder and tote bag.

 

I based this one what this article says: https://www.cruisemummy.co.uk/celebrity-cruises-aqua-class-benefits/

 

The items Concierge gets that AQ doesn't are these: 

• An exclusive welcome aboard lunch
• Concierge service for help booking dining reservations and entertainment
• Priority dining times

Edited January 28, 2023 by njsmom

[Sigyn]

9 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

What are the thermal lounges like?

the ones I've used are heated, and quite relaxing.  

[Sigyn]

9 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

It's a pretty frequently anomaly in pricing when the sailing it close to being sold out like that one is. If a few more CC cabins sell the price of those may go higher than AQ for a short time. 

 

Math is also difficult for people. I would be interested in see actual numbers showing how many people book the Cruise Only rate then turn around and book a drink package and WiFi separately. I've made detailed side by side comparisons for people and they still don't get it. 

I booked back in early October and the price was very similar then, too. I didn't pay the price it's showing now. Each one was about $500 less than they are now, both concierge and AQ. I was deciding between the two and they were so similar, and I wasn't impressed with the concierge amenities, so I went with AQ. 

Edited January 28, 2023 by njsmom

[Alsmez]

33 minutes ago, njsmom said:

 

• An exclusive welcome aboard lunch
• Concierge service for help booking dining reservations and entertainment
• Priority dining times

 

Actually, you can remove priority dining times from the list, because AQ doesn't need them - they get AQ. We have done this calculation over and over and just fail to see any value in Concierge over a regular balcony. We always compare the price of AQ vs a regular balcony and make our decision largely based on whether we can upgrade to specialty dining plus a Persian Gardens pass for the whole cruise for the same price or less.

[NantahalaCruiser]

Since to many of us, C class has very limited value, the better question would be:

 

How much more does AQ cost relative to a relatively comparable standard verandah cabin?

 

I tried to do this comparison for the OP's July 7 cruise; but unfortunately, currently there is only one available standard verandah cabin - and it is the lowest class verandah.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

This is for the Reflection April TA , with A1, $8000 USD,   Sunset concierge,$63000 USD  and a balcony , $5300 USD with always included 

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

This is for the Reflection April TA , with A1, $8000 USD,   Sunset concierge,$63000 USD  and a balcony , $5300 USD with always included 

Oof. People pay that much of a premium for AQ?

[harbourxie]

It depends on people's preference. For instance, my wife and I don't drink much, so the added free classic drink package ($1,100ish) does not as valuable for us. Therefore, we probably rather stay at Concierge and pay $200 more for my wife to get spa access. The basic wifi is not a necessity either. The Blu is good, but not something has to have. 

[prmssk]

This is all about supply and demand.  For some reason, every cruise we look at the difference is much greater and so we have never booked Aqua.  For our January 2025 Ascent cruise (7 day), the difference is $1,400.  The difference is even greater when you consider the fact that we don't make enough use of the AI to justify the cost of it.  Taking away AI from the Concierge Class fare (but adding in gratuities), the difference is $2,270.  

[cruisegirlppp]

For me, the welcome lunch is the best part of Concierge. I like starting the cruise with a sit down meal rather than trying to fend for myself in the hustle and bustle of the OV on day one (i'm old and short and feel that I get lost in a sea of elbows).  If it was possible to  book a specialty lunch for Day 1, as we have done on RC, that would probably be a good revenue item for Celebrity.

[Sigyn]

12 hours ago, NantahalaCruiser said:

Since to many of us, C class has very limited value, the better question would be:

 

How much more does AQ cost relative to a relatively comparable standard verandah cabin?

 

I tried to do this comparison for the OP's July 7 cruise; but unfortunately, currently there is only one available standard verandah cabin - and it is the lowest class verandah.

Here are my notes from early October when I was comparing cabins on the July 7 Millennium cruise. I didn't price AQ at that moment, apparently, but in the end, it was very close, to Concierge. I ended up booking the Prime AQ class, so it was very comparable to the Prime Concierge class. I paid right at $6,000. I didn't realize it was so close, since now there is a $170 difference. Still not a precise comparison because the regular veranda wasn't available, only the larger balconies, but at least something to compare it to and the guaranteed veranda price is in my notes. 

 

Deluxe Veranda Stateroom (larger veranda, regular ones not available)

All included - drinks, wi-fi, tips

$5,540 on deck 6 ( can do guaranteed regular veranda for $4919 all included)

Or Prime Concierge Class deck 8 midship regular veranda for $5964 all included)

$10,773 for the Retreat on deck 6

Edited January 28, 2023 by njsmom

[Sigyn]

For the record, no priority embarkation and debarkation now for Concierge and AQ. Apparently the website I pulled that from wasn't updated. Those perks are no longer offered to either category.

[Sigyn]

9 hours ago, prmssk said:

This is all about supply and demand.  For some reason, every cruise we look at the difference is much greater and so we have never booked Aqua.  For our January 2025 Ascent cruise (7 day), the difference is $1,400.  The difference is even greater when you consider the fact that we don't make enough use of the AI to justify the cost of it.  Taking away AI from the Concierge Class fare (but adding in gratuities), the difference is $2,270.  

That makes sense. I wouldn't have paid a significant amount more for it, either. But looking at my old notes, it was only $600 more to do Prime AQ or Prime Concierge than a large balcony Veranda, which was all that was available at the time I booked, so it wasn't a big deal to choose AQ or Concierge over that category either. 

We just got off a holiday NCL cruise last month where we paid $339 each for the two of us for a thermal spa pass for the week and we really enjoyed it, but felt like that was a lot of $$ for what we received. With this, we'll get the spa experience plus Blu, so it will be a better way to spend that extra $600 it cost us. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

10 hours ago, RichYak said:

Oof. People pay that much of a premium for AQ?

Is a sunset cabin worth $500 per person ? 
lately we always have a number of friends on the cruise , so we wouldnt even send that much time on a Sunset balcony as we would be at the sunset bar 😁🍻

[jean87510]

We had a similar situation based on the Beyond December 22, 2023 sailing and my upcoming Equinox 2/18 sailing.  It was cheaper to get the AquaClass then Concierge.  Mine included the tips, basic drink package (we like soda and hard seltzer plus beer), OBC and wifi basic.  We also liked the Spa stuff.  Blu is not a game changer with us but nice to have a separate restaurant if needed.  Comparing both types of cabins, AquaClass was $200 cheaper for Equinox and $500 for Beyond.  Now these were both booked in July 2022 so prices have skyrocketed since.  At the time, it worked for us.  We did price the regular veranda adding all the extras we may want and it was still close at the time to AquaClass.

[Sigyn]

12 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

This is for the Reflection April TA , with A1, $8000 USD,   Sunset concierge,$63000 USD  and a balcony , $5300 USD with always included 

wow. that IS a huge difference. I guess since it's a 13 day cruise that's part of the reason for the price increase, given that access to the thermal spa and Blu are part of it and that's more expensive each day. But still, not worth it. Clearly a supply and demand thing. 

Edited January 28, 2023 by njsmom