We do to Celebrity what we complain Celebrity does to us

[CruiseRQA]

The main complaint this season seems to be the nickel and diming as it applies to the pricing of wine and cocktails.   And understandably so.  Pricing ordinary wine and spirits outside of a pricey "premium" drink package is annoying and seems petty.   Especially if you are paying big bucks for the suite life.

 

However, we the travelers are responsible for much of this.   Take airlines for example.   90%+ of people just shop for the lowest fare.   

As an airline how do you get to the lowest fare?   Remove stuff from the fare, advertise a low fare and then charge back stuff like seat location and luggage as an add on.     These boards are replete with stories of how to get the lowest fare or canceling a reservation to book a different one at a lower fare.    Cruise lines must advertise low fares to attract bookings and then have to find ways to make up for the lost revenue.  Like airlines they then charge you for stuff that used to be in the (higher) fare.    Then just like we complain about lousy airlines (but scoop up their low fares) we complain the same way about cruise lines.   Would we pay $1000 more for a Celebrity cruise that didn't charge for an additional lobster tail or 2 bucks extra for a glass of wine?   Or would we take the cheaper HAL or Princess cruise.

 

I think the market has spoken. 

[Winemaker_1]

You're describing only one segment of the market - bargain hunters.   I think the number of complaints on this board from many Retreat or Suite passengers indicates that some Celebrity cruisers are not just bargain hunters.  Some may not want to be bothered (while on vacation) for a Sea Pass every time they want a drink.  I'm among the latter.  My first cruise with Celebrity is coming up and if I am pestered for a Sea Pass for $2.40 up-charges, they will never see me again.  I'm paying for a suite in part not to be bothered.

 

I'll add that what sticks in my craw more than anything is how Celebrity has moved the goal posts on what I purchased 5 months ago.  And they continue to do so.  I already have a negative view of Celebrity and I haven't yet boarded a ship.  

 

I've never had an airline tell me after buying the ticket that they will only transport me 90% of the distance.

Edited December 25, 2023 by Winemaker_1

[Luvcrusn]

2 hours ago, CruiseRQA said:

The main complaint this season seems to be the nickel and diming as it applies to the pricing of wine and cocktails.   And understandably so.  Pricing ordinary wine and spirits outside of a pricey "premium" drink package is annoying and seems petty.   Especially if you are paying big bucks for the suite life.

 

However, we the travelers are responsible for much of this.   Take airlines for example.   90%+ of people just shop for the lowest fare.   

As an airline how do you get to the lowest fare?   Remove stuff from the fare, advertise a low fare and then charge back stuff like seat location and luggage as an add on.     These boards are replete with stories of how to get the lowest fare or canceling a reservation to book a different one at a lower fare.    Cruise lines must advertise low fares to attract bookings and then have to find ways to make up for the lost revenue.  Like airlines they then charge you for stuff that used to be in the (higher) fare.    Then just like we complain about lousy airlines (but scoop up their low fares) we complain the same way about cruise lines.   Would we pay $1000 more for a Celebrity cruise that didn't charge for an additional lobster tail or 2 bucks extra for a glass of wine?   Or would we take the cheaper HAL or Princess cruise.

 

I think the market has spoken. 

The problem with this thought process is that X is now charging higher fares than ever before and still "nickel and diming."

[CruiseRQA]

1 minute ago, Luvcrusn said:

The problem with this thought process is that X is now charging higher fares than ever before and still "nickel and diming."

Well everything is higher thanks to *****flation.   Bought a footlong sandwich at Subway this week and it was $15!

 

X is trying to get a certain amount of revenue per passenger.    Psychology is involved.   Last year my sky suite cabin on Beyond was $2000 more than my sky suite cabin this year on Apex.   Last year tips were "included" and I got $900 in OBC.   Last year I thought I splurged but got some nice perks, this year I think I got a bargain but will have a big bill at the end of the cruise.   Will be about the same for each cruise.

[Luvcrusn]

It's not just inflation. X and other cruise lines are trying to re-coup their 2020-2021 losses from the pandemic shutdown. Some of their choices however seem, at least to me, penny-wise and pound foolish. I offer as an example the ill-advised charge for chocolate chip cookies. They did realize the foolishness of this fiasco and walked it back. There are numerous other examples that have been well documented on CC. 

[gcornell]

Just booked our first celebrity cruise so can’t comment on the experience yet but for a family of 4 it’s about 60% less than we

paid for our Silversea cruises so I would imagine the service, facilities and inclusions can’t be the same. 

[Cruise till you drop]

4 hours ago, CruiseRQA said:

The main complaint this season seems to be the nickel and diming as it applies to the pricing of wine and cocktails.   And understandably so.  Pricing ordinary wine and spirits outside of a pricey "premium" drink package is annoying and seems petty.   Especially if you are paying big bucks for the suite life.

 

However, we the travelers are responsible for much of this.   Take airlines for example.   90%+ of people just shop for the lowest fare.   

As an airline how do you get to the lowest fare?   Remove stuff from the fare, advertise a low fare and then charge back stuff like seat location and luggage as an add on.     These boards are replete with stories of how to get the lowest fare or canceling a reservation to book a different one at a lower fare.    Cruise lines must advertise low fares to attract bookings and then have to find ways to make up for the lost revenue.  Like airlines they then charge you for stuff that used to be in the (higher) fare.    Then just like we complain about lousy airlines (but scoop up their low fares) we complain the same way about cruise lines.   Would we pay $1000 more for a Celebrity cruise that didn't charge for an additional lobster tail or 2 bucks extra for a glass of wine?   Or would we take the cheaper HAL or Princess cruise.

 

I think the market has spoken. 

I think you may have something here.  I think most want more for less $.  It’s human nature 

[airhose]

I think that most of us just want what was advertised when we made the purchase.

[billc23]

34 minutes ago, gcornell said:

Just booked our first celebrity cruise so can’t comment on the experience yet but for a family of 4 it’s about 60% less than we

paid for our Silversea cruises so I would imagine the service, facilities and inclusions can’t be the same. 

No comparison. If you booked an upper suite Celebrity may be more costly!

[ExArkie]

3 hours ago, Winemaker_1 said:

I've never had an airline tell me after buying the ticket that they will only transport me 90% of the distance.

Actually, I have. Was connected in St Louis on Ozark Air heading home (at the time) to Little Rock when the airline went under and abruptly ceased all service. Fortunately, TWA honored the ticket and got me home. 

 

Sorry for the digression.

 

As to the topic at hand, I don't begrudge any business from trying to alleviate its debt burden, but if they are going to make changes such as increasing drink prices so they are no longer covered by your package, it should be done in an organized and controlled manner, e.g., everything updates together - particularly if an increase in the package limits is also coming - and only take effect at the beginning of the cruise. It would also be nice to publish actual prices, too. 

Edited December 25, 2023 by ExArkie
Typo

[Baynanno1]

1 hour ago, airhose said:

I think that most of us just want what was advertised when we made the purchase.

 

Absolutely agree!

It's the removal of things that were included at the time of the purchase that irks.

 

Perhaps people who don't understand this might do so if they thought about buying a new fridge and found the shelves missing at the time of delivery. (a bit extreme, but . .  . )

Edited December 25, 2023 by Baynanno1

[Dolebludger]

At least in the Retreat, Celebrity is not offering anything close to a bargain fare. In fact, in a recent comparison of lux cruises I found Regent to be less costly, and to offer more perks. One of these perks particularly important to me is the included use and restocking of the mini fridge. Also, the additional perks included shore excursions and specialty restaurants. Air and pre-cruise hotel and transfers were also included. But air is economy (we don’t do that), hotels haven’t been rated well recently, and transfers are a bus — so we took credits and booked our own. This made Regent’s fare even lower than similar in the Retreat. There are no bargains in the Retreat, period.

[miched]

The complaints are because we book a cruise and pay for what was being offered.   We are paying what they are asking.      When we get on the cruise the services have been cut and the products have been eliminated.    We aren’t getting what we paid for and agreed to.    
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[markeb]

33 minutes ago, miched said:

The complaints are because we book a cruise and pay for what was being offered.   We are paying what they are asking.      When we get on the cruise the services have been cut and the products have been eliminated.    We aren’t getting what we paid for and agreed to.    
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

So do you have an arbitration date yet? I mean somewhere around page 321(a) subparagraph 5.1.3(c) in your cruise ticket Celebrity spelled out the procedure for arbitration. Right after the paragraph that said you agreed to arbitration and right before the paragraph that said you had to file any legal challenges in Florida and close to the one that said you couldn't participate in a class action. It was easy to ready in Arial 6. So I'm assuming you've filed for arbitration for breach of contract?

 

Venting is fine. Maybe even cathartic. But if people really think they aren't getting what they paid for then there are remedies in the cruise contract. Cruise Critic isn't a remedy.

 

I'm sure you're not getting what you think you paid for. You're not getting what I want to believe I paid for. But I'm betting unless they have the worst corporate lawyers on earth, we're actually getting what we really paid for. And we accepted their ability to change pretty much everything even after we bought the cruise. And I'm also sure they'll gladly send you the link where you could have read all those terms before actually buying the cruise. And no, I didn't read them either. I just assume they're there and that they're designed to hose me over. Like Ticketmaster, the airlines, MLB, NBA, NFL, NCAA, most carmakers, etc. 

[Bullswood]

Whatever is in the small print isn't always enforceable if it can be construed as an unfair contract under the applicable law (which in Australia, for example may include post-contract changes to Ts & Cs). Interesting that in the ongoing White Island case RCL has unsuccessfully tried to prevent Aussie passengers suing in Florida because they fear higher penalties. 

 

Anyway, I think the issue is that particularly for premium passengers, there's now confusion about what exactly the Celebrity product is at the upper/top end. Causing brand confusion is simply bad corporate policy. The Retreat brand has been damaged not just by recent chiselling of product but by arguably dilutive changes such as putting far more suites on the new ships.  

Edited December 26, 2023 by Bullswood

[miched]

1 hour ago, markeb said:

 

So do you have an arbitration date yet? I mean somewhere around page 321(a) subparagraph 5.1.3(c) in your cruise ticket Celebrity spelled out the procedure for arbitration. Right after the paragraph that said you agreed to arbitration and right before the paragraph that said you had to file any legal challenges in Florida and close to the one that said you couldn't participate in a class action. It was easy to ready in Arial 6. So I'm assuming you've filed for arbitration for breach of contract?

 

Venting is fine. Maybe even cathartic. But if people really think they aren't getting what they paid for then there are remedies in the cruise contract. Cruise Critic isn't a remedy.

 

I'm sure you're not getting what you think you paid for. You're not getting what I want to believe I paid for. But I'm betting unless they have the worst corporate lawyers on earth, we're actually getting what we really paid for. And we accepted their ability to change pretty much everything even after we bought the cruise. And I'm also sure they'll gladly send you the link where you could have read all those terms before actually buying the cruise. And no, I didn't read them either. I just assume they're there and that they're designed to hose me over. Like Ticketmaster, the airlines, MLB, NBA, NFL, NCAA, most carmakers, etc. 

 

Merry Christmas 🎄

Edited December 26, 2023 by miched

[Jim_Iain]

12 hours ago, CruiseRQA said:

The main complaint this season seems to be the nickel and diming as it applies to the pricing of wine and cocktails.   And understandably so.  Pricing ordinary wine and spirits outside of a pricey "premium" drink package is annoying and seems petty.   Especially if you are paying big bucks for the suite life.

 

However, we the travelers are responsible for much of this.   Take airlines for example.   90%+ of people just shop for the lowest fare.   

As an airline how do you get to the lowest fare?   Remove stuff from the fare, advertise a low fare and then charge back stuff like seat location and luggage as an add on.     These boards are replete with stories of how to get the lowest fare or canceling a reservation to book a different one at a lower fare.    Cruise lines must advertise low fares to attract bookings and then have to find ways to make up for the lost revenue.  Like airlines they then charge you for stuff that used to be in the (higher) fare.    Then just like we complain about lousy airlines (but scoop up their low fares) we complain the same way about cruise lines.   Would we pay $1000 more for a Celebrity cruise that didn't charge for an additional lobster tail or 2 bucks extra for a glass of wine?   Or would we take the cheaper HAL or Princess cruise.

 

I think the market has spoken. 

In general I would have to both agree and disagree.

 

Airline fares are very elastic.   we don't shop for the "lowest prices with the least perks" in flying as we only fly Business class and First.     I do shop the airlines as well as keep track of prices which much more volatile that some believe. 

 

Example is a graph of the one way business class fare from SFO to SYD for April 4th 2024.  I saw a big drop yesterday and booked at the dip.    The fare over the last month has had a $900 swing over the last 3 months.    I will still get every amenity regardless of the price I chose but they got my booking as oppose to a competitor.  

 

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, miched said:

 

Merry Christmas 🎄

 

And spend the rest just reading the arguments of total strangers.   That's what we do in Retirement.  

[swigso]

5 hours ago, miched said:

 

Merry Christmas 🎄

I am very sorry but I do not agree with this 😂😂😂😂😎

Merry Christmas ☃️☃️

[Linda W.]

12 hours ago, miched said:

The complaints are because we book a cruise and pay for what was being offered.   We are paying what they are asking.      When we get on the cruise the services have been cut and the products have been eliminated.    We aren’t getting what we paid for and agreed to.    
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

Yes!  Celebrity marketing sells us a cruise which entitles us to certain things THEN either removes them or makes you pay more for what you already paid for when you booked!   Not sure of the legal term but for some of us that is just downright dirty.  I understand cruise lines needing to adjust prices to meet their financial needs but don’t sell us something and then not give us what we PAID for!  That is why after this next cruise we have in Feb. may be our last on Celebrity.  All I want is to get what we were marketed for when we booked.  

[bikerunner]

What I find strange, and I was guilty of it also is many, not all are complaining and have not been on the cruise with the changes they are complaining about.  They read it on other people's reviews etc.  I was all set to have a bad time and was worried about the nickel and diming, bad food etc on my b2b I had over Thanksgiving.  Guess what I was completely wrong.  Food was a major concern, and it was very good to great in MDR.  Saw no decrease in service, being able to get drinks or problems with wines and their availability. The cruise was probably in my top 3....been on about 24 Cruises mostly Celebrity, finally did a count on my cruises.  With that I know my next cruise with Celebrity will be my last for a while.  Decided to go to smaller ships, Azamara, Oceana and also River cruises.  Booked with 5 different thru 2025 at this point, work gets in the way with booking more.  

[PTC DAWG]

17 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

At least in the Retreat, Celebrity is not offering anything close to a bargain fare. In fact, in a recent comparison of lux cruises I found Regent to be less costly, and to offer more perks. One of these perks particularly important to me is the included use and restocking of the mini fridge. Also, the additional perks included shore excursions and specialty restaurants. Air and pre-cruise hotel and transfers were also included. But air is economy (we don’t do that), hotels haven’t been rated well recently, and transfers are a bus — so we took credits and booked our own. This made Regent’s fare even lower than similar in the Retreat. There are no bargains in the Retreat, period.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/428-regent-seven-seas-roll-calls/

[HopefulCruiser123]

We have only been on one Celebrity cruise (Silhouette) and it was fantastic.  That was nearly 11 years ago.  We booked the same cabin number (a Sky Suite) on her sister ship, Equinox for Spring 2025 Transatlantic.  The price for this cruise is about 2 and a half times the first cruise.  We already know that we won't have a butler this time, and that is fine as we don't really need one.  We got the suite for the room size and there was nothing larger that is handicap accessible.  We have prepaid tips (with full faith that the service will be very good), and will tip additional if service is exceptional.  Last time we purchased the premium drink package, this time it is included.  Last cruise was 7 days, this one will be 16 days.  I am okay with being charged an additional $2 plus gratuity for an occasional glass of wine and who knows, maybe even on the cocktails we order.  I figure it can't add up to more than a few hundred dollars even if we do nothing but drink all day and that every drink we had exceeded the $17 limit.  I do draw the line at paying extra for a cookie!🙀 and would probably just decline.  I agree that the nickel and diming is really annoying and doesn't lend itself to the pampered feeling that cruising typically provides.  But I am not going to let it ruin my vacation.  I have already decided that I am not cruising on a budget and I am just going to go with the flow.  Maybe if Celebrity offered a package that was named "All Inclusive" and made it truly "All Inclusive", it would be worth it to some people to purchase it up front and not be disappointed by incurring ANY additional charges.  

 

Our return trip is on the QM2.  We are booked in a preferred balcony room, 7 nights, complementary gratuities, no drink package yet. The price is just a little under half the price of the Celebrity Cruise.  Just for comparisons sake. 

[Oceansaway17]

On 12/25/2023 at 10:00 AM, CruiseRQA said:

The main complaint this season seems to be the nickel and diming as it applies to the pricing of wine and cocktails.   And understandably so.  Pricing ordinary wine and spirits outside of a pricey "premium" drink package is annoying and seems petty.   Especially if you are paying big bucks for the suite life.

 

However, we the travelers are responsible for much of this.   Take airlines for example.   90%+ of people just shop for the lowest fare.   

As an airline how do you get to the lowest fare?   Remove stuff from the fare, advertise a low fare and then charge back stuff like seat location and luggage as an add on.     These boards are replete with stories of how to get the lowest fare or canceling a reservation to book a different one at a lower fare.    Cruise lines must advertise low fares to attract bookings and then have to find ways to make up for the lost revenue.  Like airlines they then charge you for stuff that used to be in the (higher) fare.    Then just like we complain about lousy airlines (but scoop up their low fares) we complain the same way about cruise lines.   Would we pay $1000 more for a Celebrity cruise that didn't charge for an additional lobster tail or 2 bucks extra for a glass of wine?   Or would we take the cheaper HAL or Princess cruise.

 

I think the market has spoken. 

agree everywhere there is tiered pricing.

I for one don't want the all-inclusive since I don't drink or gamble or even use internet except for app.

 

Pay as you go is the best way in the end.  But I do not like them cutting down on basic quality of say desserts or food in MDR or buffet.   So at some point it can be too much cutting down.

[QuestionEverything]

17 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

agree everywhere there is tiered pricing.

I for one don't want the all-inclusive since I don't drink or gamble or even use internet except for app.

 

Pay as you go is the best way in the end.  But I do not like them cutting down on basic quality of say desserts or food in MDR or buffet.   So at some point it can be too much cutting down.

Oceansaway17, I agree 100%.

For me $ is not a limitation, thankfully.

However, I do not purchase items I do not need nor want, not from a cruise line or anyone else.

I have been cruising with Oceania - they recently changed to an inclusive model Simply More stated as "Free" in their advertising, which is a bold faced lie.

So Oceania has been cancelled. Two groups of cruising friends have also cancelled Oceania.

I live in amazement how some cruisers accept the downgrading, the mandatory inclusive and shrug it off. 

We have booked two land vacations with Globus instead of cruises.

Time to change it up.

Happy New Year!