Celebrity Bev. Pkg. Cost

[Oceangoer2]

I'm comparing US $ for the all inclusive bev. pkg which is approx. $1800, includes gratuities, for 10 days with Canadian cost of $2200.  Can't account for the difference in price.  I don't know what the other cruise lines charge but this difference seems out of order.  Perhaps some of you have an explanation?

[broberts]

Did you include GST in the CA$ total?

[Fouremco]

43 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

I'm comparing US $ for the all inclusive bev. pkg which is approx. $1800, includes gratuities, for 10 days with Canadian cost of $2200.  Can't account for the difference in price.  I don't know what the other cruise lines charge but this difference seems out of order.  Perhaps some of you have an explanation?

I don't recall the exact dollar figures, but for an RCI cruise earlier this year, the Canadian cost for a beverage package was also a lot higher. As RCI and Celebrity are both Royal Caribbean Group cruise lines, it may simply be an RCG business practise, using a conversion rate highly favourable to the cruise lines.

[Oceangoer2]

32 minutes ago, broberts said:

Did you include GST in the CA$ total?

 

Price is all in, grats included...no GST charged just a flat price on the website.

[Oceangoer2]

5 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

I don't recall the exact dollar figures, but for an RCI cruise earlier this year, the Canadian cost for a beverage package was also a lot higher. As RCI and Celebrity are both Royal Caribbean Group cruise lines, it may simply be an RCG business practise, using a conversion rate highly favourable to the cruise lines.

yes...the conversion rate I calculated was rounded at 1.42;  bank rate on that day was lower (I think about 1.38).  Pay or not pay is the lesson learned.  I think we'll try the 'pay as you go' route and see how it plays out.

[broberts]

3 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

I don't recall the exact dollar figures, but for an RCI cruise earlier this year, the Canadian cost for a beverage package was also a lot higher. As RCI and Celebrity are both Royal Caribbean Group cruise lines, it may simply be an RCG business practise, using a conversion rate highly favourable to the cruise lines.

 

US$1800 ~= CA$2440 at today's rate.

 

[Oceangoer2]

5 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

US$1800 ~= CA$2440 at today's rate.

 

Thanks...haven't checked, what is the rate today?  By my math $1488.00 US.  This is very close to the current bev. pkg. charge at $2200 Cdn.  They must be calculating the avg. persons intake close to mine using an inflated exchange rate.  We'll pay as we go using the US $ cash from bank account...already paid the exchange.

 

$12.40x120 Onboard US$	$1,488.00  ($12.40 drink price incl. grats)
Cdn. $  @1.42%	$2,112.96   (1.42 being Celebrity's rate of exchange)

[mom says]

The cruiselines dont all use dynamic currency conversion like the banks and credit card companies do. Some will use one conversion rate for a time, before changing. Sometimes this will favor the USD, sometimes it will favor the CDN. 

 

When I checked Google's current conversion rate, I got the same results as Broberts. So do your due diligence and base your decision on the package based on the current bank rate.

Edited March 28 by mom says

[Oceangoer2]

41 minutes ago, mom says said:

The cruiselines dont all use dynamic currency conversion like the banks and credit card companies do. Some will use one conversion rate for a time, before changing. Sometimes this will favor the USD, sometimes it will favor the CDN. 

 

When I checked Google's current conversion rate, I got the same results as Broberts. So do your due diligence and base your decision on the package based on the current bank rate.

Guess you didn't pick up on my intent and I should have made it clearer; however I was sure anyone with minimum financial intelligence would pick up on it. The current Cdn. bank conversion rate doesn't matter here...it's what X uses when they charge us either for an online bev. pkg. or onboard as we buy each bev.  They CURRENTLY are using a higher rate.  I didn't post for debate.   Being a finance person myself, I'm quite aware of rates set, when, and for how long, so a lecture isn't required.  "So do your due diligence and base your decision on the package based on the current bank rate."....this is an insulting comment.  End of this conversation at my end.

Edited March 28 by Oceangoer2

[lots-of-km2]

3 hours ago, broberts said:

US$1800 ~= CA$2440 at today's rate.

 

Yes -- which favours a purchase in CDN in this instance, if price is cited as $2200 CDN.

Edited March 28 by lots-of-km2

[broberts]

42 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Guess you didn't pick up on my intent and I should have made it clearer; however I was sure anyone with minimum financial intelligence would pick up on it. The current Cdn. bank conversion rate doesn't matter here...it's what X uses when they charge us either for an online bev. pkg. or onboard as we buy each bev.  They CURRENTLY are using a higher rate.  I didn't post for debate.   Being a finance person myself, I'm quite aware of rates set, when, and for how long, so a lecture isn't required.  "So do your due diligence and base your decision on the package based on the current bank rate."....this is an insulting comment.  End of this conversation at my end.

 

Since you provided no context in the OP is it any surprised that none of us understood your point ? 

 

Frankly it is insulting to be told that as a reader it's my fault for not understanding the intent behind the OP.

 

[Oceangoer2]

31 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

Since you provided no context in the OP is it any surprised that none of us understood your point ? 

 

Frankly it is insulting to be told that as a reader it's my fault for not understanding the intent behind the OP.

 

 My comment was not in reply to your post but to another's.  Sorry you took it that way....you only tried to help.  😇 This topic has become convoluted and beyond the original intent. The US$ 1800 I quoted was based on a US site poster who 'guessed' that is what they pay for 2 persons when paying as they go (not the package). I should have said that I wanted to find out what the US website actually posts as their cost so it could be compared to what we pay.  Not phrased correctly and definitely too much data to confuse.  Mea culpa.  Hope your day is going well...seems mine isn't....😉.

[mom says]

Fine. Pay as you go. Not  beverage package prices, which is what you mentioned in your original post. Since I'm not a mind reader, let me just state what I know about pay as you go beverages. You order a beverage. You are charged the price of the beverage plus gratuity (bar menus will list the price IN USD) and it goes on your onboard account IN USD. At the end of your cruise, your credit card is charged the amount outstanding on your account IN USD. This will appear as an amount owing on your Canadian credit card in an amount in CDN$. The credit card company, not the cruise line, will do the conversion based on that day's bank exchange rate. Or if you are using a USD account, then it will appear as USD 

Edited March 28 by mom says

[Oceangoer2]

54 minutes ago, mom says said:

Fine. Pay as you go. Not  beverage package prices, which is what you mentioned in your original post. Since I'm not a mind reader, let me just state what I know about pay as you go beverages. You order a beverage. You are charged the price of the beverage plus gratuity (bar menus will list the price IN USD) and it goes on your onboard account IN USD. At the end of your cruise, your credit card is charged the amount outstanding on your account IN USD. This will appear as an amount owing on your Canadian credit card in an amount in CDN$. The credit card company, not the cruise line, will do the conversion based on that day's bank exchange rate. Or if you are using a USD account, then it will appear as USD 

Thank you for the detailed advice.  We're familiar with all you say (Elite + and many cruises with X).  Very basic up to the point of the charges to my Visa card.  I intend to pay our balance in US$ cash before disembarking which is what we do every cruise, except there will be beverage charges which we don't normally have (we purchased the AI pkg in the past).  The KISS principle works for us.