Is the current sale real? and shared dining

[latebuyer]

I’m not familiar with celebrity. I know royal caribbean has a string of sales that aren’t really sales. Is that the case with celebrity? I’ve noticed some offer obc, not sure if that is a good deal.

 

I’m also interested if shared dining is offered on celebrity. I’m a solo traveller.

Edited March 3 by latebuyer

[leaveitallbehind]

Most mass market cruise lines - Celebrity included - run frequent back to back sales that are genuine in how the pricing is calculated, but typically to a very similar fare structure sale to sale.  Most will include OBC or some other similar on board offer.  So are they a good deal?  That all depends, but likely about the same good deal each time. 

 

You just have to decide if what you see is in a budget you are comfortable with and go from there.  Keep in mind that once you lock into a fare, you are protected from any increases that will likely take place as sales continue approaching the sailing date.  But you also can benefit from any fare reductions that also can take place.  You just have to follow your sailing date's fares to make sure your booking was at the best rate available.

Edited March 3 by leaveitallbehind

[jelayne]

There is always a sale.  We book when we find a price we are comfortable with.  If a sale results in a lower price our TA adjusts our price.

 

If you are dining in the MDR with anytime dining you can ask to be seated at a shared table.

[latebuyer]

Thanks. Is there any difference between an inside room and prime inside room? The price seems pretty good on the pacific coastal i’m looking at, but no obc right now.

[prmssk]

6 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

Thanks. Is there any difference between an inside room and prime inside room? The price seems pretty good on the pacific coastal i’m looking at, but no obc right now.

Location, prime is in what the cruise line thinks is a better location - otherwise the cabins are the same.

[Liao]

7 minutes ago, latebuyer said:

Thanks. Is there any difference between an inside room and prime inside room? The price seems pretty good on the pacific coastal i’m looking at, but no obc right now.

My experience is they have not been offering any OBC with on-line bookings for a while now.  I was able to get OBC for a recent reservation I made but ONLY because I purchased a FCC during my last cruise in Dec.

[leaveitallbehind]

2 minutes ago, prmssk said:

Location, prime is in what the cruise line thinks is a better location - otherwise the cabins are the same.

But will also be priced accordingly - higher.

[leaveitallbehind]

1 minute ago, Liao said:

My experience is they have not been offering any OBC with on-line bookings for a while now.  I was able to get OBC for a recent reservation I made but ONLY because I purchased a FCC during my last cruise in Dec.

As a side note, usually  the incentive for additional OBC is for on board bookings (such as with your FCC).  They typically also require a reduced deposit.  But no reduction in published fares

 

In our experience many bookings include some amount of OBC - on line or through a TA.

[Liao]

1 minute ago, leaveitallbehind said:

As a side note, usually  the incentive for additional OBC is for on board bookings (such as with your FCC).  They typically also require a reduced deposit.  But no reduction in published fares

 

In our experience many bookings include some amount of OBC - on line or through a TA.

Exactly, the deposit was only the $100 that I paid for the FCC (I actually purchased two) back in Dec and this is for a 13 night cruise in a RS.  Interesting re OBC, I've not seen it on any of the mock bookings I was looking at before I settled on this specific cruise.  I have another FCC to use, so will definitely keep on the lookout for that.  THX!

[Milhouse]

At the start of the year, I tried to track the promotions listed on the home page: 

Semi-Annual Sale, 48 hour flash sale, etc and the discount levels: Take 75% off 2nd guest & save up to $200, Take 75% off 2nd guest, Take 75% off 2nd guest and up to $200 OBC, etc.

 

And I tried to track the promos against some of the sailings I was interested in.  What I saw was that the pricing did fluctuate nominally depending on the discount.  Eg. It was cheaper with the "Take 75% off 2nd guest and save up to $200" vs just "Take 75% off 2nd guest."  But there also seemed to be underlying price adjustments likely due to cruise timing/final payment and how full the sailing is.  

 

Anyways, I kind of gave up around the end of January 😄.  Maybe if there's any interest, we can do a bit of a group effort to track sales, somewhat conceptually similar to the MoveUp tracking.  

[Liao]

5 minutes ago, Milhouse said:

At the start of the year, I tried to track the promotions listed on the home page: 

Semi-Annual Sale, 48 hour flash sale, etc and the discount levels: Take 75% off 2nd guest & save up to $200, Take 75% off 2nd guest, Take 75% off 2nd guest and up to $200 OBC, etc.

 

And I tried to track the promos against some of the sailings I was interested in.  What I saw was that the pricing did fluctuate nominally depending on the discount.  Eg. It was cheaper with the "Take 75% off 2nd guest and save up to $200" vs just "Take 75% off 2nd guest."  But there also seemed to be underlying price adjustments likely due to cruise timing/final payment and how full the sailing is.  

 

Anyways, I kind of gave up around the end of January 😄.  Maybe if there's any interest, we can do a bit of a group effort to track sales, somewhat conceptually similar to the MoveUp tracking.  

Exactly and I gave up chasing the different options all the time and just decided when/if I saw a cruise that I liked and the price was comfortable, I was just going to book it.  So I got this one that you referenced:

 

Eg. It was cheaper with the "Take 75% off 2nd guest and save up to $200"  vs just "Take 75% off 2nd guest." 

[Mr305]

Thinking of booking a Celebrity cruise.  How bad of an idea is going with the base cruise fare?

[leaveitallbehind]

17 minutes ago, Mr305 said:

Thinking of booking a Celebrity cruise.  How bad of an idea is going with the base cruise fare?

If by base cruise fare you mean standard v 'always", which includes the classic beverage and standard wifi packages, then I think that is a decision based on how many daily beverages you would consume and your budget.  Typically you would need to consume about 6+ beverages daily to break even on including that in your fare.  As mentioned, wifi is also part of that fare.

 

Otherwise, I am not sure I understand what you mean by base cruise fare.

[Arizona Wildcat]

3 hours ago, Liao said:

My experience is they have not been offering any OBC with on-line bookings for a while now.  I was able to get OBC for a recent reservation I made but ONLY because I purchased a FCC during my last cruise in Dec.

My TA usually has a group block of cabins - veranda and some Aqua- with OBC, refundable deposit and a bit lower fare.

PS I do not use the big box store travel department. 

[kaysha2004]

4 hours ago, latebuyer said:

I’m not familiar with celebrity. I know royal caribbean has a string of sales that aren’t really sales. Is that the case with celebrity? I’ve noticed some offer obc, not sure if that is a good deal.

 

I’m also interested if shared dining is offered on celebrity. I’m a solo traveller.

As a solo traveler, the Edge series of ships are the only ones in Celebrity's fleet that have a solo balcony room.  There's no other category for solos with solo pricing.  Though appreciated for the miniscule effort, they put the solo cabins in the worst place on the ship, deck 6, with nearly all cabins having obstructions and only mid-ship (not so bad) and forward (sucks). 

 

The sales are perpetual and always ongoing and it's a typical bait and switch.  They increase the fares, only to put them on sale.  So that 75% off the second person is really not 75% off after they've initially jacked up the price.  Celebrity is not a solo traveler-friendly cruise line.  I've sailed with Virgin Voyages and they have solo inside and solo ocean view cabins but not solo balconies.  In the end, it's what your budget allows and what you're willing to pay.  As a solo traveler myself, $4000-$5000 for a 7-night cruise is not an option, which is why I'm leaving Celebrity in the dust after my upcoming April cruise.  

 

Shared dining is available for a solo with Celebrity.  You can choose a dining time with maximum X number of people at the table or anytime dining, which is a free style, eat when you want kind of thing.

[kaysha2004]

3 hours ago, latebuyer said:

Thanks. Is there any difference between an inside room and prime inside room? The price seems pretty good on the pacific coastal i’m looking at, but no obc right now.

If square footage matters to you, the prime inside room has more, but this could vary among the three classes of ships in Celebrity, Millennium (oldest), Solstice, and Edge (newest).

[latebuyer]

15 hours ago, kaysha2004 said:

As a solo traveler, the Edge series of ships are the only ones in Celebrity's fleet that have a solo balcony room.  There's no other category for solos with solo pricing.  Though appreciated for the miniscule effort, they put the solo cabins in the worst place on the ship, deck 6, with nearly all cabins having obstructions and only mid-ship (not so bad) and forward (sucks).  

 

Shared dining is available for a solo with Celebrity.  You can choose a dining time with maximum X number of people at the table or anytime dining, which is a free style, eat when you want kind of thing.

Thanks. I am aware whats happening with solo travellers on celebrity. I just feel i have to be somewhat agnostic with cruises and go for the lower price. The sept 24 pacific coastal is priced quite cheaply for some reason, even comparing other lines.

[Oceangoer2]

17 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

Typically you would need to consume about 6+ beverages daily to break even on including that in your fare. 

We did the calculations and at first decided we didn't need the package.  Then included bottled water and juices, special teas and coffees and knew we'd meet the 6 bev. per day each.  Also, it was cheaper by a few hundred (Cdn $) to purchase the classic bev. pkg. than paying for each as we go considering the avg. charge per drink. 

[Oxo]

22 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

We did the calculations and at first decided we didn't need the package.  Then included bottled water and juices, special teas and coffees and knew we'd meet the 6 bev. per day each.  Also, it was cheaper by a few hundred (Cdn $) to purchase the classic bev. pkg. than paying for each as we go considering the avg. charge per drink. 

Celebrity drinks are some of the highest on any Cruise Line. So is their packages. Don't forget the Specialty Restaurants are, too! 

[prmssk]

17 hours ago, kaysha2004 said:

If square footage matters to you, the prime inside room has more, but this could vary among the three classes of ships in Celebrity, Millennium (oldest), Solstice, and Edge (newest).

I think you are thinking of the “deluxe” inside staterooms available on Edge class which are a little larger. 

 

I’m pretty sure “prime” just refers to location with no difference in size to a standard inside stateroom. And I believe Prime Inside staterooms only exist on M and S class ships. 

[ncgolferette]

Solo cruiser leaving Celebrity after my cruise on the Equinox later this month.  Apart from the solo surcharge for a regular cabin, the solo cabins are a joke for a 12 night voyage to the Arctic.

Edited March 4 by ncgolferette

[Oceangoer2]

1 hour ago, Oxo said:

Celebrity drinks are some of the highest on any Cruise Line. So is their packages. Don't forget the Specialty Restaurants are, too! 

Agree....the spec. restaurants have increased so much over the past year (Cdn. funds) and that isn't all in the exchange.  *Can't remember, but I may have been lucky in a sale price.

 

Nov. '22    Murano        $151.92

Nov. '23     Murano       $147.26*

Mar. '24     Murano       $176.48

 

Nov. '22     Tuscan       $136.72

Nov. '23     Tuscan       $140.31*

Mar. '24     Tuscan       $166.56

Edited March 4 by Oceangoer2

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Regarding seating in the MDR... If you WANT to be seated with others for sure, I'd go with one of the fixed dining times. Most people select Select Dining because those default to individual party tables and you'd be dependent on someone wanting to share.

[cruisetonowhere10]

20 hours ago, Mr305 said:

Thinking of booking a Celebrity cruise.  How bad of an idea is going with the base cruise fare?

I am going to try it on a 4 night cruise that’s cheap in a prime veranda (3 ppl for $1300 including gratuities.)  I’ve always done everything included/premium drink package,  but I want to see.  I’ll buy a two day WiFi plan when I see a good deal and pay for drinks as we go.  I figure the “risk” is lower on a short cruise with only one sea day to rack up much.  I’m usually in the camp of people liking that you don’t have to worry if it’s all paid for already but the prices are somewhat mind boggling…

[Jeremiah1212]

22 hours ago, Milhouse said:

At the start of the year, I tried to track the promotions listed on the home page: 

Semi-Annual Sale, 48 hour flash sale, etc and the discount levels: Take 75% off 2nd guest & save up to $200, Take 75% off 2nd guest, Take 75% off 2nd guest and up to $200 OBC, etc.

 

And I tried to track the promos against some of the sailings I was interested in.  What I saw was that the pricing did fluctuate nominally depending on the discount.  Eg. It was cheaper with the "Take 75% off 2nd guest and save up to $200" vs just "Take 75% off 2nd guest."  But there also seemed to be underlying price adjustments likely due to cruise timing/final payment and how full the sailing is.  

 

Anyways, I kind of gave up around the end of January 😄.  Maybe if there's any interest, we can do a bit of a group effort to track sales, somewhat conceptually similar to the MoveUp tracking.  

 

The additional amount off is usually cycled between the discount and additional OBC. The savings is a true deduction from the rate. The cycle is actually pretty straightforward. 

 

From 12/6/23 through 4/7/24 the sales will look like this: 

 

75% off the 2nd Guest – Non-Refundable Deposit Rates

50% off the 2nd Guest – Refundable Deposit Rates

 

Additional Bonus Savings:

 

Friday/Saturday/Sunday/Monday

$100 Per Inside or Ocean View Stateroom
$200 Per Veranda Stateroom and above (CC, AQ, Retreat)

 

Tuesday/Wednesday

$75 Per Inside or Ocean View Stateroom
$150 Per Veranda Stateroom and above (CC, AQ, Retreat)

 

Thursday

No Additional savings 

 

FREE 3RD/4TH/5TH GUEST CRUISE FARE

Booking Window: 2/20/24 – 4/7/24

Applicable Sailings: Select Sailings 2/20/24 through 5/7/26

Free 3rd/4th/5th Offer is not combinable with All Included Pricing or Retreat Staterooms