Are you excited for Aqua class Cruise only changes?

[bikerunner]

Ill look to see the change in prices as AQ does give me blue and Persian/Thermal spa which I tend to use every day and even 2x a day.  The price point to me would be depending on how long the cruise is and I base off how much the thermal pass will cost plus about 10 per day pp for Blu access.  Tho will see what my TA gets for bundled packages as many times when he has them, they are cheaper than the room only for Concierge on celebrity site.  He has AQ rooms at times in group bookings.  But mostly off celebrity after the next 2 cruises as have Azamara, Oceana, Emerald and All Inclusive booked for 2024-2025 for multiple trip's.  

[neverlaysup]

13 minutes ago, hcat said:

we will need Classic alc.. but with All In we pay for internet we do NOT need

That’s not the point, price it both ways and you will typically see that it is STILL cheaper to book AI. I have booked about a dozen cruises in the last 18 months with AI and once I subtract the cost of Grats only, the cost for WIFI AND DRINKS, is usually less than $65 a day. Your logic is basically saying that you would rather pay more for one item versus getting two things for less. It’s simple math, just take the time to do the comparison before you make a poor decision. 

Edited September 13, 2023 by neverlaysup

[hcat]

8 minutes ago, neverlaysup said:

That’s not the point, price it both ways and you will typically see that it is STILL cheaper to book AI. I have booked about a dozen cruises in the last 18 months with AI and once I subtract the cost of Grats only, the cost for WIFI AND DRINKS, is usually less than $65 a day. Your logic is basically saying that you would rather pay more for one item versus getting two things for less. It’s simple math, just take the time to do the comparison before you make a poor decision. 

Got it!  Simple math works for me. Our present bookings are "all.in" so guess we'll do that again!

[zitsky]

I just like to have one price and have everything included.  Just show me the price and I’ll decide.  And yes I can use a calculator.

[bigbenboys]

I dont know if it is going to make much difference. I email our TA with what Aqua cabin I want. With All our TA had to call X to upgrade our Wifi and drink packages with our Elite+ discount. I prefer to have tips included. 

I hoping our TA will be able to book Premium drinks and wifi with our Elite+ discount in one step.

 

My concern is the IT department getting things right.

[Cap_D]

Just FYI. But I think if you go through a self-service portal on certain third party websites, you can find multiple price points for the same room with different combinations of inclusions. It would not surprise me if you could find the AQ rate already, although it would not be able to exclude Blu or the spa access.  

 

How much should access to the heated indoor lounger and the sauna be?  

[NutsAboutGolf]

We booked our most recent AQ sailing over a year ago and the rep found us the last AQ "bump out" cabin which was on Deck 9 on the Summit.  To our surprise, our room was 3 doors down from a placard/sign that said "concierge class".  We had no special shower and the balcony didn't have footstools.  I did confirm with the room attendant I was in an aquaclass room and to expect daily waters

[RTShaker]

2 hours ago, bigbenboys said:

...

My concern is the IT department getting things right.

🤣🤣🤣

[TommyD3]

Right now a 2024 Trans Atlantic cruise we are looking at Aqua is 3X the price of Concierge due to AI !!!!

We are Zenith and refuse to pay twice for beverages and WiFi !!!

[If only]

22 minutes ago, TommyD3 said:

Right now a 2024 Trans Atlantic cruise we are looking at Aqua is 3X the price of Concierge due to AI !!!!

We are Zenith and refuse to pay twice for beverages and WiFi !!!

Totally agree, I would love to have Aqua class on our upcoming cruises but I not want to pay for something that is already free,

Edited September 14, 2023 by If only

[manmachine]

No.

[NMTraveller]

I am not excited at all.  We would get the group packages and get drinks, Wi-Fi, and tips included all for the posted Celebrity web price.  This is a price escalation in my opinion.

[foodsvcmgr]

DW drinks no alcohol, I’ll have one cocktail before dinner.

She will use internet, I prefer not to while on a cruise.

Unbundled will be the way to go for me.

[Jeremiah1212]

20 hours ago, neverlaysup said:

That’s not the point, price it both ways and you will typically see that it is STILL cheaper to book AI. I have booked about a dozen cruises in the last 18 months with AI and once I subtract the cost of Grats only, the cost for WIFI AND DRINKS, is usually less than $65 a day. Your logic is basically saying that you would rather pay more for one item versus getting two things for less. It’s simple math, just take the time to do the comparison before you make a poor decision. 

 

I wish they would mention how many people book Cruise Only then turn around and buy drinks and WiFi. I suspect it's a decent amount. Sometimes you can explain the cost benefit until you are blue in the face. There are some 'math adverse' people out there who just can't make it click. 

Edited September 14, 2023 by Jeremiah1212

[hcat]

We are gojng Concierge fir bext booking..better value for us at this point!

[SbbquilterUT]

I loved my Aqua experience but do not need drink package or WiFi so have not booked it since that change.  Do enjoy the quieter dining experience in Blu but the price had gotten out of hand.

[IDL]

30 minutes ago, SbbquilterUT said:

I loved my Aqua experience but do not need drink package or WiFi so have not booked it since that change.  Do enjoy the quieter dining experience in Blu but the price had gotten out of hand.

You summed it up perfectly as I will not book Aqua class again until it is unbundled.

[hcat]

21 hours ago, hcat said:

Got it!  Simple math works for me. Our present bookings are "all.in" so guess we'll do that again!

We did follow advice on this thread.

We booked a short "fill in" cruise on Silhouette for Dec 2024.  to Carib/ Bahamas.

 

We took the "all in".came out cheaper than " al la carte". Includes grats, Classic alc and the not needed internet mins.  Got 75% off 2nd guest( I think)  plus $200 OBC.. not bad for a short cruise.  We will do spec dining ! And will get my cookie at Lawn Club!

 

Thanks for guidance.

[zitsky]

2 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

I wish they would mention how many people book Cruise Only then turn around and buy drinks and WiFi. I suspect it's a decent amount. Sometimes you can explain the cost benefit until you are blue in the face. There are some 'math adverse' people out there who just can't make it click. 

On the other side, I’ll choose a fare with all included.  I like the convenience.  The truth is, I went to business school but never took second year finance where they explain basic math.  😭

[hubofhockey]

I like the changes.  We don't drink that much and were happy bringing our wine from ports into Blu.  As for WIFI, the basic WIFI they give you is horrible.  Anyone on a Japan itinerary can get pocket wifi cheaper than basic and be better off.  The tips is just cash.  I just assume tips be included in my fare.  

 

They won't let me change on my cruise for next May to a fare that is not inclusive.  I can live with it because I got a great price from an online TA.  If I didn't like the deal, I wouldn't have booked it.

Edited September 14, 2023 by hubofhockey

[hubofhockey]

If you are on an M Class ship and you have a good number of sea days, Aqua, to me is a must.  The Persian Garden is great on days at sea and Blu is needed unless you like the MDR because of the lack of specialty restuarants.  (Tuscan Grill is okay for one night, one's a gimmick, and the other is fine for lunch).The other choice is spending so much more for Retreat.

[hcat]

 

 

Agree with Zitsky...convenience.

And agree with  others....the math such that I can follow it,  worked for us!

 

The Silho cruise we booked is an extra pre holiday short cruise. It has LCG (with the Cookie!) ,  Porch..Seafood Tower,  Murano( a bit too long a meal)   Tuscan, etc..More than we will need..

 

nice bars and lounges

 

two ports KW  (great wifi) and Nassau ( Atlantis) , one sea day..for the Spa.. so perfect!

 

Next we will look for Bermuda on Eclipse..keeping life simple!

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by hcat

[markeb]

I guess the one thing I'm pretty confident of is they didn't make this change to save passengers money...

 

As @neverlaysup said earlier in the thread, when you do the actual math AI has almost always been a better deal for most cruisers. In fact, their math says they were practically giving away the drink package and Wi-Fi once you subtracted the cost of gratuities. If you're not going to drink any extra cost beverages that would have been in the package and not going to buy any Wi-Fi, maybe not (but honestly from the businesses' point of view you're not a great customer...).

 

I've said on one of the other threads that I don't see fares staying the same or increasing with tips coming out of AI on October 4; that would just be too stupid an insulting. And not good business. On the other hand, the ship is cashless. They know EVERYTHING about your spending habits. The AI fare, for most passengers, is a daily cap. I suspect the way they discount the drink packages into the AI fare many if not most passengers never look at anything that costs more than their per drink limit. And the servers, sommeliers, and bartenders largely reenforce that (again, great customer service, not so great business). If you don't have a package, are you more likely to buy that $11 Blue Moon or $13 glass of Louis Jadot Chardonnay that was over your package limit?

 

And most people (not anyone on this thread, of course 🤨...) will look at the cruise only fare, not account for the gratuities or the price of a beer, and end up with a bill at the end of the cruise that's bigger than the difference between the AI and Cruise Only fares.

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by markeb

[bigbenboys]

On 9/13/2023 at 12:43 PM, Cap_D said:

Just FYI. But I think if you go through a self-service portal on certain third party websites, you can find multiple price points for the same room with different combinations of inclusions. It would not surprise me if you could find the AQ rate already, although it would not be able to exclude Blu or the spa access.  

 

How much should access to the heated indoor lounger and the sauna be?  

Zero. I dont use them. I only book Aqua for Blu and the shower wall. Seems like the shower wall is on the way out. Our Aqua cabin on Solstice last Nov did not have the shower wall.

[numnums]

When I tried Al before, it felt pretty bad since I barely to drink to nothing all, plus I had to upgrade my wifi. I can imagine AL being better for longer sailings, but I haven’t done the math to see if I only want the n/a package plus premium wifi, and I never buy that without a good flash sale since I always book far out in advance. If I book without a TA I don’t buy internet at all.

 

If only celebrity update their website to add add-ons during booking along with the AL included package so you could see the totals without using manage reservation. The only add on you can choose is Gratuities so far.

 

And if they cared about their functionality and wanted to bring it to the next level, have those add ones be manageable in the cruise planner that you bought during the booking to be removable without having to call. Such as when you were buying it from there itself and refund it whenever you see a good flash deal.

 

But that’s just a magical dreamland, imagine any company trying to make profit make things accessible and transparent to your customers/consumers.