C2 vs FV corner - HELP!

[wes3607]

Hi all,

 

There was recently a huge price drop on the corner FV cabins (Panorama and Sky decks) on my sailing which would allow me to move from my C2 to the FV for free, maybe even with an OBC I think.

 

My question is: Is it worth it to stay in C2 to get the concierge class benefits and the extra credit or should we take the enormous balcony?

 

Also I was wondering if there is any chance we could get bumped from the FV after we book it and "upgraded" into a C3 or something? The C2 we have booked now is 8045 which is one of the nice triangular balcony cabins. I would not want to give this up unless we were sure we could keep the FV we trade it for.

 

For some background: This is our honeymoon cruise, we are a younger couple, and it is our first time ever cruising. Please respond as soon as possible. Not sure how long the prices will hold out.

[Fblack]

I don't think 8045 comes close to what you get with a corner FV. I would take it in a second.

[wes3607]

1. How important is the priority embarkation and disembarkation and do they make a big difference?

 

2. I was wondering about what the differences are in what you can order from room service. Is it possible to still get the cheese trays delivered nightly with a regular cabin or is that a CC only thing? Will we still be able to get fruit baskets in our room by request?

 

3. How much better are the bathrobes in the CC cabins than in regular cabins?

 

I am leaning toward taking the FV corner, but I just want to make sure we are not making a mistake by losing out on the CC benefits. We were really looking forward to some of them.

[PelicanLvr]

Grab the corner FV now!!!

 

Some of the CC perks sound better than they are in person. Also the "priority embark/disembark" is sometimes no priority at all in that I have been on the CC check-in line and it was longer than the "regular" line to check in. Disembark for everyone is dictated by your flight times.

 

Have stayed in 8046 (same as 8045 just on other side). Triangle balcony is nothing compared to the FV. Have not stayed in the FV but have seen them..... go for the FV before someone else does!

 

I would much rather have full lounges on my balcony than a cheese plate. I'm sure room service (all cabins get that) will have something to keep you from going hungry.

 

go for the corner FV on decks 7 or 8..... they are more private than deck 9.

 

Sorry I have no knowledge about X's bumping policy from the FVs. Good concern to raise, so try to find that out.

[bob278]

Everything you ask about is subjective and opinions will vary. I have mine and I will try to temper it with some information.

 

Here are the CC perks from Celebrity's website (with my opinion on them)

 

An extra cruise credit. Unless you are close to a threshold of a tier in the Captain's club, this doesn't mean much at all and it doesn't apply to you

 

· Early embarkation & debarkation Nice only if you are in a hurry and usually not much help

· Priority check-in usually not much help

· Welcome sparkling wine, fresh fruit & flowers Wine is not the best and flowers are not refreshed much (if at all). Nice touch on a honeymoon, though

· Main and specialty restaurant seating preferences Unless the cruise is heavily booked, this should not be a problem needing any preferences

· Expanded room service breakfast menu One of the better CC perks, but room service breakfasts are OK without this

· Evening hors d'ouvres, daily A waste, as in my opinion, they are not very good

· Pillow menu, Plush Frette® bathrobes Choice of pillows might be nice, but we have never invoked it. Robes are a nice touch if you like to wear robes. Otherwise, they just take up a lot of closet space.

· Hansgrohe® massaging showerhead I can’t even remember the difference. We usually have CC or FV and never disliked the showerhead in the FV.

· Extra handheld hair dryer A convenience as the standard hair dryers are poor. But my wife always takes her own, anyway.

· Celebrity tote bag Can’t remember them so they are not that impressive

· 100 % Egyptian cotton oversized towels Nice, but the regular towels are not bad

· Complimentary shoeshine service Never used it

· use of golf umbrella & high-quality binoculars Convenience. The binocluars are small, but bett than nothing

 

For two people on a cruise of 14 days or less, the CC cabin is large enough so the FV is not “needed” for the space. The major advantage of the FV is the balcony. Not only is it huge, but it is much more private than many side balconies (and especially more so than 8045 which will be very visible from other cabins). If the cabins have opened up for two people and had a price drop, there is very little chance you would be bumped out of it. But nothing is impossible. You should ask.

 

Here’s that opinion thing – I would take the FV. The balcony on 8045 is not as much larger as you may think it is and it lacks the privacy you will probably value. The really good news is that it would be hard for you to lose no matter what. Even if they change you to a different cabin that doesn’t have the larger balcony, you will be on a cruise with your new wife. Life is good!

 

Here's a picture that shows what your current your current balcony looks like. This is on the starboard side, but your cabin is a mirror image. The bottom deck in the picture is deck 6 so your cabin would be the third one up. Note how open your balcony is to the cabin next door and the one above that one.

 

 

 

You should be able to order a cheese plate or snack from room service. Other than breakfast, the room service menu will be the same in the FV or CC.

 

I don't remember any robes in the FV we had (but we don't wear them so I wouldn't notice them).

 

And if there is some OBC, you can certainly get some nice wine for the cabin. Just order it in the dining room, tell them not to open it and take it to your cabin.

 

That's FV-3, C2-0.

[wes3607]

Just talked with someone from Celebrity, and they said that there is definitely a chance we would be bumped if a family requested the room. At this point, there are 8 FVs left open, and we sail on Nov 22 (in 3 weeks). Since all of the suites and CC cabins are booked as of right now, we would be bumped DOWN to an ocean view or inside and refunded the difference between the fares to our credit card she said.

 

Worth the risk?? I am really confused now because I was ready to book the FV right there.

[chessbriar]

Jump at it, don't let it get away you won't be sorry

 

At this late date, it's unlikely you'll be bumped, have your TA mark the booking for no upgrades.

[wes3607]

The way they made it sound on the phone, I have no ability to mark it like that to protect myself. I didn't use a TA and am booking direct with Celebrity. I would normally go for it - no brainer - but this is our first cruise and honeymoon, and it would be a disaster to end up in an oceanview! Really not sure what to do!

[biker1972]

With the available FVs, most likely more booked passengers will make the move instead of new bookings coming on board. Your mistake will be that your first cruise will be in such a great cabin that any future cruise will not measure up if you are in an inferior cabin. I got hooked on M class C1's when they were still 2Cs and have suffered ever since :D.

[Fblack]

Wes:

 

Are you aware that the FV has an extra sitting room separated from the main bedroom by a glass door? And a huge balcony with a 270 degree view? I have been in one.

[wes3607]

Wes:

 

Are you aware that the FV has an extra sitting room separated from the main bedroom by a glass door? And a huge balcony with a 270 degree view? I have been in one.

 

I am fully aware of what the cabin would look like in comparison to the C2. There are pictures of a FV cabin from an M class ship in another thread here.

 

If there was no chance of being bumped, I would have already moved. I am just scared to death of being moved to an ocean view or even an inside like they said I could be.

[bob278]

Those of us who have cruised more would be more comfortable with the risk, but you should probably keep what you have. It's a good cabin and one you know will satisfy you.

 

That's the thing about asking on a board like this. Opinions will differ but only you can decide what is most important and it seems clear that the small risk of losing a balcony is huge for you.

 

The risk of losing out on a balcony, while very low given so many FV's are suddenly available, is more stress than you need to deal with now.

 

One last question for you. Are ALL the balconies (not just CC) gone?

 

 

 

Enjoy your cruise and honeymoon.

[wes3607]

All of the balconies, all of the CC, and all of the suites are booked as of this moment. I am honestly leaning toward rolling the dice and booking the FV though. I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if we got an ocean view, and I guess there is even a chance we could be upgraded to a suite if one were to open up. It's a pretty tough choice.

[wes3607]

Just booked 9156 (Corner FV) on Millie! Really excited! Now just keeping fingers crossed that we don't get bumped.

 

The inside FVs (not corners) on deck 8 are still open. Which would you choose? I have heard that the noise from above deck 9 with chairs dragging and what not can be annoying. Would it be annoying enough to give up the corner and move down to deck 8?

[Conrycol]

Keep the corner, even on deck 9.

[FortyNinerLiz]

Keep the corner, even on deck 9.

Absolutely!!! Corner FVs are terrific no matter what deck. We have had them several times and they are worth it!!!! BTW, a nice pre-tip gets you the CC treatment in FVs. This is well known........$20 and you are on your way.

[wes3607]

Thanks everyone! I will definitely be pre-tipping and hoping for the best on the bumping!

[Fblack]

So what do people think you get by pre-tipping?

[wes3607]

So what do people think you get by pre-tipping?

 

Some of the CC benefits such as the extended menu apparently. Would like to hear more about others' experiences with this. I have read in other threads as well that some people have had success in getting their cabin steward to give them some of the benefits by generously tipping since the FVs are right near the CCs anyway.

[sasset]

We have had corner FV's four times. Just two of us. Never been bumped. This close to your sail date, with other FV's still available, I think you are safe.

[benatty]

We just got off the Solstice 10/17 cruise, and my sister had the FV cabin (8108). In short, I would not recommend this cabin for 2 people. A lot of the perks of the cabin would be wasted on you. You don't need the extra bunk bed bedroom. The living area is almost bizarre. There is a pull out couch and coffee table and a TV and a bunch of extra unused space. It was so bizarre that we were talking with someone at Guest Relations (not complaining, just chatting about the weird design) and he agreed that the living room was poorly designed. What is silly is that they could put a dining room table in the empty space, or other cool features. It really is just a big waste of space.

 

I don't know if this will matter for you, but the master bedroom doesn't have a TV, as it is in the big living room.

 

Finally, it is at the very front of the ship, so the movement can be a litte more pronounced than a mid ship cabin.

 

It worked for my sister (2 kids and my mother traveling in the cabin, but to give you an idea, she booked connecting Concierge Class on the back of the ship for our next cruise, instead of rebooking the FV cabin.

 

So, while it looks good on paper, I would recommend a CC cabin for the two of you, as we were in 1042 (C-3) on the same cruise and it is more than enough room for the two of you. We had our 5 year old in the cabin and did fine. Others may not love the CC benefits, but we enjoyed the robes, the huge towels, the canapes were hit or miss, but still a nice touch. The sparking wine was not worth drinking. With price drops we did not pay any more for C-3 than a balcony, so perhaps we liked it because of that, but we booked a C-2 (1075 with big balcony) for our next cruise, even though it was an extra $100 for the two of us.

 

Enjoy the cruise.

[benatty]

Sorry, just saw that you are on the Millenium not Solstice Class ship, so the FV may be much better on that ship. Never mind. :)

[wes3607]

Because we initially booked before May 17, we actually got an onboard credit for $200 to make the switch from C2 to FV corner. That $200 will more than make up for the CC benefits I think, and we got a lot more space. I think the only real negative is that we will be spoiled for future cruises with so much space and such a nice balcony!

[sasset]

I surprised my wife with a switch to a corner FV on a transatlantic several years ago. Every cruise since (3) has been a corner. She says she won't go unless we can get a corner.

 

It does help save some money, since now we don't cruise as often.

[gisnered]

Just booked 9156 (Corner FV) on Millie! Really excited! Now just keeping fingers crossed that we don't get bumped.

 

Some of the CC benefits such as the extended menu apparently. Would like to hear more about others' experiences with this. I have read in other threads as well that some people have had success in getting their cabin steward to give them some of the benefits by generously tipping since the FVs are right near the CCs anyway.

 

Congratulations! We were originally booked in 9160 - a standard C1 cabin - on Millie last February. Swapped it for 9197 (opposite corner FOV to yours) for, I believe, $100.00 per person additional. Worth every penny.

 

The only Concierge Class "perk" we expected to miss was the freshly squeezed orange juice in the mornings. So we asked our steward, Manuel, if he could please manage to get us some (no tip involved at that point). He said he'd have to talk to his supervisor. Lo and behold, when we came back to the cabin to change for dinner, there was a stack of Concierge Class menus waiting for us (tip involved at this point).

 

The flowers, robes, shower heads, pillows are all nice, but we rarely take advantage of any of it. We did take advantage of the enormous balcony on our sea days, and at sail-away every port. My Pictures don't do it justice.