I'm Stunned by the Price of an Upper Suite on a Three Night Cruise on Ascent...

[RichYak]

3 minutes ago, markeb said:

No. Charging market is the old and new normal. 

Celebrity isn’t charging market. They’re charging way above market and getting whatever they can via saps and move up bids while making it look like educated people are actually paying those prices. The rest of us are booking with competitors. 

[markeb]

4 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Celebrity isn’t charging market. They’re charging way above market and getting whatever they can via saps and move up bids while making it look like educated people are actually paying those prices. The rest of us are booking with competitors. 

We’re going to have to agree to disagree. If there’s one buyer, they’re at market. Period.

[RichYak]

10 minutes ago, markeb said:

We’re going to have to agree to disagree. If there’s one buyer, they’re at market. Period.

Yes we 100% disagree. I don’t live in a world where one buyer (“sap”) who will overpay for an odd lot of total inventory represents “the market”. Period. 

Edited October 24, 2023 by RichYak

[mac_tlc]

9 hours ago, markeb said:

 

What's not "normal" about it? I agree the prices are absurd, but it's a publicly traded company with shareholders who haven't seen an ROE in years. "Normal" is pricing where the market will support it. "Abnormal" would be not doing that. If they can get it, they should.

 

No, I'm not about to even dream of paying those prices for ANY cruise line. And yes, the true luxury/near luxury lines may be less expensive. But if there are people out there who'll pay those prices, are you saying they should be too proud to take their money?

As it was used in the post I quoted , “normal” referred to the a cruise, not a price. Since the initial discussion was about the maiden voyage of Ascent , my impression was “normal” was being used to refer a non-maiden voyage on a not-brand-new ship. 
 

I compared the Ascent pricing to a “normal” cruise on another line that, as almost all reviews indicate, provides better food and better service, and in a room that is over three times the size of an Edge Villa and is 2/3 the per person per day price. 
 

X can charge what they want. But to characterize is as the same as the pricing of a “normal” cruise is as absurd as the price itself. 
 

 

mac_tlc

[paulh84]

9 hours ago, RichYak said:

Celebrity isn’t charging market. They’re charging way above market and getting whatever they can via saps and move up bids while making it look like educated people are actually paying those prices. The rest of us are booking with competitors. 

What’s the explanation for cruises where suites are near sold out months ahead of Move Up bids being issued? 

[hcat]

There is always a market for cruisers and premium prices for preview or maiden voyages of new ships.

 

 Some folks want to be there first.  We prefer to wait for  initial kinks to be addressed. 

 

  We are looking forward to Ascent in Jan '24..The cruise before ours was priced lower, but we have  b day celebration  during our week!

[TeeRick]

On 10/22/2023 at 7:16 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

Just checked to see what suites are left on our upcoming 3 night Ascent pre-maiden voyage cruise in November.  We have a SS1 for this part of the b2b and a few weeks ago I put in a "fair" bid for both a Royal Suite and an Edge Villa Suite.  And because I don't really do the bidding process in favor of just booking what we want outright, I decided to see if any were left for a possible upgrade.  Behold, there is one RS left that can be had for $7300 and there is one Edge Villa that can be had for $9056....for three nights!  Umm, that's a hard no on both.  And I'm guessing my "fair" bid has a less than fair change of being accepted...lol.  

 

I know it's a new ship and there are bills to pay, but are people really paying these prices? 

 

Regardless, we are still very excited for this cruise!

Not sure why you would be stunned at this point.  Some people will pay.  That is what we (and Celebrity) have learned.

[RichYak]

33 minutes ago, paulh84 said:

What’s the explanation for cruises where suites are near sold out months ahead of Move Up bids being issued? 

FCCs, lower prices from before Celebrity lost their minds, final payments not due yet, and those who invested their stimulus money in cryptocurrencies.

[NMTraveller]

And yet there are bargain basement prices for the Ascent on the 90 day ticker for a Christmas cruise.  New ship and discounting cabins for a Christmas cruise ?

 

Perhaps their dynamic pricing model could use some work.

[Georgia_Peaches]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

We prefer to wait for  initial kinks to be addressed. 

We are fully prepared to be guinea pigs on this voyage.  I don't mind, I expect kinks and will be happy to get them ironed out for you 😄.

 

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

Not sure why you would be stunned at this point.  Some people will pay.  That is what we (and Celebrity) have learned.

You're right!  I guess I just thought that since it was more of a "practice" cruise for the crew that it wouldn't be as appealing to most and therefore the prices would reflect that.  Nope...wrong again.

 

3 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

Since the initial discussion was about the maiden voyage of Ascent , my impression w

I expect that prices will "normalize" after the maiden voyage and into next year.  I know there will be a lot of pomp and circumstance with the actual maiden voyage in December and maybe even some special gifts to mark the occasion, which would naturally increase the price.  I don't expect any of that on our pre-pre-maiden voyages, yet the prices are still astounding.  @Jeremiah1212 pointed out that $1500 pp/pd for upper suites is in line with what eClass fetches.  I didn't know that as have only done RS on S class and haven't paid more than $750 pp/pd.

 

All that to say, I am a capitalist and if Celebrity can get those prices for their product, more power to them!  I won't pay it...but that's just me.

 

 

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

FCCs, lower prices from before Celebrity lost their minds, final payments not due yet, and those who invested their stimulus money in cryptocurrencies.

You forgot day trading AMC 🤣🤣

 

I am still getting stimulus checks.  🤣

Edited October 24, 2023 by NMTraveller

[Jeremiah1212]

26 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

And yet there are bargain basement prices for the Ascent on the 90 day ticker for a Christmas cruise.  New ship and discounting cabins for a Christmas cruise ?

 

Perhaps their dynamic pricing model could use some work.

 

That site is more disingenuous than Celebrity's sales. When is the last time someone paid a brochure rate? The late 80's? I will say that sailings Xmas Eve departure and NYE arrival were a miss but with the holidays being on a Monday this year complicated scheduling. 

[zitsky]

4 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

And yet there are bargain basement prices for the Ascent on the 90 day ticker for a Christmas cruise.  New ship and discounting cabins for a Christmas cruise ?

 

Perhaps their dynamic pricing model could use some work.

Are we taking about Xmas 2023?  What’s a 90 day ticker?

[hcat]

4 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

And yet there are bargain basement prices for the Ascent on the 90 day ticker for a Christmas cruise.  New ship and discounting cabins for a Christmas cruise ?

 

Perhaps their dynamic pricing model could use some work.

that is surprising but maybe not appealing to families without a stop at Coco Cay!

[mcatmcat]

On 10/22/2023 at 10:36 PM, George C said:

All celebrity suites are ridiculously priced recently, I was able to get a grand suite on rccl along with UDP for a thousand less per person. I will continue booking rccl oasis class suites or MSc yacht club or sandals resorts .

I only look balcony or below and the reason I went to celebrity is because it is cheaper than RCl

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I agree, Celebrity suite prices are absurd.  I will certainly not pay 3X what I paid for a RS or the PH last year.  If there are those who are willing to pay those prices, God bless them.  I will not be among them.

[buncosquad]

On 10/23/2023 at 7:13 AM, RichYak said:

A Holiday Inn can build really nice suites with access to an exclusive lounge. Guests can and should pay somewhat of a premium for these suites, but at the end of the day, it's still a Holiday Inn.

And Cunard is still part of Carnival Corporation. 

 

And Holiday Inn is a brand under the same IHG umbrella as InterContinental and Six Senses (both superb, in general).

 

Everyone seeks differentiation. 

 

My point is simply a positive. Celebrity has done a great job with their ICs and EVs on their newest ships. They're attracting some new guests willing to try them. I am.

 

Their other classes of ships, not so much. They look so tired and dated. But, I can appreciate those who may prefer them. They certainly look to be much lower in cost, so there's a plus.

 

I'm not here to argue. I'm not down on their newest top end product. I love it.

 

I'm simply replying to the thread topic from another angle.

Edited October 24, 2023 by buncosquad

[George C]

27 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

I agree, Celebrity suite prices are absurd.  I will certainly not pay 3X what I paid for a RS or the PH last year.  If there are those who are willing to pay those prices, God bless them.  I will not be among them.

I do a RS every year on a music charter so far prices are the same they even give us a discount for repeating on music charter and a discount for being a veteran, hopefully prices will somewhat stay the same . This is currently on summit.

[buncosquad]

17 hours ago, markeb said:

We’re going to have to agree to disagree. If there’s one buyer, they’re at market. Period.

Agreed and spot on. They are at market.

[deliver42]

You're talking about a brand new ship that hasn't even had it's inaugural yet. Since people are willing to pay these prices, that sets the market.

[Jeremiah1212]

48 minutes ago, buncosquad said:

Agreed and spot on. They are at market.

 

Right..in addition to Norwegian being priced very similarly to Celebrity suites. While they don't have direct competition at the Penthouse/Edge Villa/Iconic Suite level, NCLH has a fraction of the outstanding FCC that Celebrity does, mostly refundable deposits and are less generous with their bidding upgrades on NCL. I understand being frustrated about being priced out, but to say there is no market or it is a fluke is just not accurate. Will it last? Who knows. But right now people are willing to pay. 

[Texed]

OFF TOPIC!

 

Jeremiah,

I have to admit, every time I see your screen name, I start humming a Three Dog Night tune.

 

BTW, you don't have anything to do with Bullfrogs, do you?  😂

[binro01]

I know quite a few people who literally can not spend their money fast enough to make it go in the negative direction and they are right in the 55-65 age group that Celebrity has been targeting heavily for their edge class ships.

They are not "suckers" or "saps" they just have literally a boatload of money (pun intended) and they will spend. the difference between 7k and 12k to them is insignificant to them. If they want it and they feel it's worth the 12k they will buy it, even if it was 7k before. They will say "back then it was a bargain."

Heck they might even feel that 12k is a bargain right now and that is what is causing the price increases by Celebrity. They are figuring out what that top number is by ticking up the cost till these folks don't feel it's a worth the price of admission anymore.

Because believe it or not, there is a decent amount of these people out there. I'm not one of them, but it is what it is.

[Dolebludger]

Well, the problem I see with all of Celebrity’s suite prices on all of their ships is that they cost more than suites on traditional lux lines (Silversea, Regent, Seabourn, etc.). The original marketing concept for the Retreat (and the Yacht Club and the Haven) was to offer accommodations and inclusions in a separate area on a large ship (mass market or slightly premium) that would be much the same as on a lux line at a price less than a lux line. And that was a very good concept. But to price these “separate area” suites higher than those on lux lines they nearly duplicate is not a sustainable concept, IMHO. Several other threads on this sub-forum are full of posts from people who liked the original Retreat concept, but due to the recent higher prices are moving toward (or returning to) the lux lines. People who cruise in the Retreat or on lux lines did not get that way by paying more for anything than was needed to buy it. 

[paulh84]

34 minutes ago, binro01 said:

I know quite a few people who literally can not spend their money fast enough to make it go in the negative direction and they are right in the 55-65 age group that Celebrity has been targeting heavily for their edge class ships.

They are not "suckers" or "saps" they just have literally a boatload of money (pun intended) and they will spend. the difference between 7k and 12k to them is insignificant to them. If they want it and they feel it's worth the 12k they will buy it, even if it was 7k before. They will say "back then it was a bargain."

Heck they might even feel that 12k is a bargain right now and that is what is causing the price increases by Celebrity. They are figuring out what that top number is by ticking up the cost till these folks don't feel it's a worth the price of admission anymore.

Because believe it or not, there is a decent amount of these people out there. I'm not one of them, but it is what it is.

There is also a huge effort in nearly every industry out there, especially travel, to better understand the major shift we see in people buying experiences versus goods. Millennials tend to be the focus of that conversation but the shift is not at all exclusive to that age group.