Change is afoot at Celestyal; on the back of a new homeport agreement with Qatar and CCO Lee Haslett teasing a new trade portal at WTM 2024, the cruise line has announced a consolidation of inclusive fare options and the removal of food and beverage packages in favour of a pre-payable digital wallet commissionable for agents
Celestyal One is set to replace the existing Experience and Experience Plus fare options across all bookings from December 11th, 2024 for cruises departing from March 21st, 2025 onwards.
The consolidated fare will cover the cruise fare, essential Wi-Fi (covering web browsing, emails and select messaging apps); filter coffee, tea, water, and juice between 6am and 10pm daily; unlimited free soft drinks in main restaurants with meals; port fees; taxes; and crew gratuities.
All beverage packages will be consolidated into a prepaid food & beverage wallet called CelestyalPay. Covering any non-complimentary food and drink purchases, guests can preload the wallet prior to sailing to earn a tiered bonus depending on top-up value. Bonuses range from €15 on a €100 tab to €250 on a €1000 tab. CelestyalPay is fully commissionable and payable upon full balance payment.
CelestyalPay hopes to level the playing field on a per-person, per-cruise basis, rather than committing all group members to the same food and beverage package, and remove awkward staff interactions should drink orders not be included in passengers' choice of package. Pre-loaded wallets are not transferrable from cruise to cruise.
Lee Haslett, CCO, said the changes are being introduced "as a direct response to feedback from our guests and travel agent partners," saying they represent "out-of-this-world value."
