Celebrity’s “All Included” Package Now Includes Less – Costing You More

In an FAQ sent out to its travel agents, Celebrity Cruise Line announced a change to their “All Included” package that is basically a price hike. While the Celebrity Cruises website has yet to be updated, we have the PDFs of the communication sent to their travel agents. See the change that it likely to upset many guests.  

Celebrity’s “All Included” Package Now Includes Less

For the past few years, Celebrity offered an “All Included” package when booking (previously called “Always included”). This package would bundle the price of wifi, a drink package, and the daily gratuities in the cost of the cruise. It would make it easy for guests to come close to an “all-inclusive” package they might see at resorts on land. Celebrity promoted this package as saving guests $200 – $800.

The big change is that starting October 4th, Celebrity will no longer include the daily tips in the package. Depending on the type of cabin booked, Celebrity Cruise Lines charges $18 – $23 per day per person as a daily gratuity. 

• $18.00 per person, per day for Inside, Ocean View, and Veranda staterooms 
• $18.50 per person, per day for Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms  
• $23.00 per person, per day for guests of The Retreat

With these tips no longer being included in the package, guests will now have to pay $252 – $322 more per cabin for a 7-day cruise.

Celebrity has increased these daily gratuities twice within the last year, the most recent being this July (see the story here). It wasn’t a big deal at the time because the tips were included in the “All Included” package, but that’s no longer the case.

Celebrity’s new “All Included” Package

Standard or AquaClass Room

• Classic Drinks Package
  • “Choose from a fantastic array of classic liquors, cocktails, beers, and wines listed on our onboard menu for under $10. Guests can also enjoy specialty coffee, juice, and basic bottled water with their meals or throughout the day”
• Unlimited Basic Wifi Package
  • “This value-priced option gives you access to basic web functions—text on messenger services, web browsing, and email. Only available with All Included.”

Guests in The Retreat

• Premium Drinks Package
  • “This drink package offers an added variety from our classic, as it includes premium liquors, cocktails, beers, and wines listed on our onboard menu for under $17. Guests can also enjoy smoothies, specialty coffee, juice, and premium bottled water like Evian or San Pellegrino with their meals or throughout the day”
• Unlimited Premium Wifi Package
  • This package allows you to message and video chat on messenger services; browse the web; send emails and post on social media; video chat live; and watch your favorite videos, movies, music and shows.

If you’ve already booked, you’re fine

These changes go into effect for new bookings made on or after October 4th, 2023. If you already booked a Celebrity cruise, it will remain the same. You can read all the details that were sent to travel agents below: 

Our take: an unfortunate change for a “premium” cruise line

Keeping the tips separate from the cost of the cruise is a trick cruise lines have been using for decades to hide the true cost of sailing. It’s similar to the resort fees that hotels in vacation destinations charge (which are currently being targeted by the Biden administration). The “trick” seems much more appropriate for a budget cruise line than a premium cruise line like Celebrity. 

It’s unfortunate that cruise lines choose to keep these separate as it implies they’re optional. The hard-working employees on the cruise ships make the experience what it is and deserve to be compensated properly. These tips should be built into the cost of the cruise, much like Virgin Voyages does. 

Also, Celebrity Cruise Lines, and its sister cruise line Royal Caribbean, have been in the news a lot this year for cutbacks in service and cost increases. We’ve seen Celebrity charging $2.50 plus 20% gratuities for a hot chocolate chip cookie, Thrill Island Water Park costing more than a ticket to Disney World, and Royal Caribbean testing if they can charge for pizza. Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International know they have strong bookings and high demand and can price however they want. The question is when will guests push back and say, “Enough.”