Upper Elite ?

[WELSH WIZARDS]

While sailing on the Eclipse transatlantic cruise just over a week ago, a fellow passenger informed me they had UPPER ELITE status.

I had seen nothing about this on CC , but they are utterly reliable.

After doing a quiz and passing Michael's club and wanting a soft drink I and my husband attempted to enter at just after 5 o clock for happy hour , something we very rarely do , and was told we could not enter as it it was for Upper Elite only, and to go to the other Elite gathering . ? :confused:

Does anyone have any info....?

I emailed the Captains club to find our how many trips/ credits you need to qualify, but have had no reply after a week, except an automatic acknowledgement.

Curiosity is killing this cat .:D

[Oxo]

While sailing on the Eclipse transatlantic cruise just over a week ago, a fellow passenger informed me they had UPPER ELITE status.

I had seen nothing about this on CC , but they are utterly reliable.

After doing a quiz and passing Michael's club and wanting a soft drink I and my husband attempted to enter at just after 5 o clock for happy hour , something we very rarely do , and was told we could not enter as it it was for Upper Elite only, and to go to the other Elite gathering . ? :confused:

Does anyone have any info....?

I emailed the Captains club to find our how many trips/ credits you need to qualify, but have had no reply after a week, except an automatic acknowledgement.

Curiosity is killing this cat .:D

 

I personally don't understand why and how X would do that to anyone without any information. Someone on that ship was really misinformed.

[cruising teacher]

While sailing on the Eclipse transatlantic cruise just over a week ago, a fellow passenger informed me they had UPPER ELITE status.

I had seen nothing about this on CC , but they are utterly reliable.

After doing a quiz and passing Michael's club and wanting a soft drink I and my husband attempted to enter at just after 5 o clock for happy hour , something we very rarely do , and was told we could not enter as it it was for Upper Elite only, and to go to the other Elite gathering . ? :confused:

Does anyone have any info....?

I emailed the Captains club to find our how many trips/ credits you need to qualify, but have had no reply after a week, except an automatic acknowledgement.

Curiosity is killing this cat .:D

On a Transatlantic there are 800 to a 1000 Elites. Passengers with more than 25 cruise credits are given access to Michael's Club because of the serious overcrowding in the Sky Lounge. We can only hope that this is the beginning of an Elite Plus Level:)

[Xport]

While sailing on the Eclipse transatlantic cruise just over a week ago, a fellow passenger informed me they had UPPER ELITE status.

I had seen nothing about this on CC , but they are utterly reliable.

After doing a quiz and passing Michael's club and wanting a soft drink I and my husband attempted to enter at just after 5 o clock for happy hour , something we very rarely do , and was told we could not enter as it it was for Upper Elite only, and to go to the other Elite gathering . ? :confused:

Does anyone have any info....?

I emailed the Captains club to find our how many trips/ credits you need to qualify, but have had no reply after a week, except an automatic acknowledgement.

Curiosity is killing this cat .:D

 

I was on the Eclipse Transatlantic too and it was merely a means of managing the cocktail hour with 850 Elite members aboard... Aside from being less crowded [though there was still insufficient seating when the event need to be moved to Molecular Bar after a clogged drain--from all the rain--caused a flood in Michael's Club], the event was otherwise no different--same drink selection/same nibbles--as the one staged in Sky...

 

Please see my related post #16--dated May 3--to the following thread...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1626734

 

On our cruise, the so-called Top Elite group was defined as those with 25+ cruise credits; my guess is that the threshold was set based upon space availability and the cruise credits of Elite members aboard... Aside from the venue for cocktails, all other benefits were identical...

[Dick in Falls Church]

There were about 800 Elites on the Eclipse. The cocktail hour lounge was jammed, at least until the 6 o'clock diners departed. Don't recall how many trips were required to "qualify" for Top Elite, but think there were about 40 or 50 guests . For the most part, we found that the crowding was just about the same intensity at either site. While they were drying out Michaels, the Echelon? bar was available--with seats for about 20. I think we went to Michaels twice, when we couldn't find seats upstairs.

 

I thought they did an excellent job of dealing with the number of Elites--

and Aurora coped extremely well, especially since it was her first time as Captains Club hostess.

[WELSH WIZARDS]

Thanks for all the info folks ....and letting me know the number needed is 25....

...so next time I want to buy a coke or a coffee in Michael's Club when the UPPER Elite is on....I can do so as we have 26 points. :D:rolleyes:

[curtdesilets]

And the cruise we are on in two weeks (Century to Alaska) has a private group of 800 people, so we feel that there will be very few Elites on this cruise.

 

My Question: What can I expect at the cocktail party? Can we order any drinks, or just a select few from a menu? And what about tipping?:confused:

[Xport]

Thanks for all the info folks ....and letting me know the number needed is 25....

...so next time I want to buy a coke or a coffee in Michael's Club when the UPPER Elite is on....I can do so as we have 26 points. :D:rolleyes:

 

I'm not sure that the magic number to be designated as Top Elite is always 25 when the the Elite group is really large... For instance, if the Elite group aboard has been particularly loyal to and had lots of sailings with Celebrity, I can see the threshold as being higher--let's say 30 cruise credits--to meet the capacity of the available secondary venue [such as Michael's Club]... On the other hand, I can see the number being lower--let's say 20--if the Elite group aboard has, on average, fewer cruise credits/sailings with Celebrity...

 

That is to say that I wasn't particularly surprised that the Captain's Club land-based operation didn't give you a definitive response to your inquiry as I don't think there is one magic number... Rather, I suspect that the threshold is based upon the cruise credit demographic profile of Elite guests on a specific sailing...

[Orator]

I think that I would prefer going to the regular Non Upper Elite Hour rather than the Upper Elite Hour. My guess is that I would already know many if not most of the upper group and will run into them many times. Probably a greater opportunity to meet new people and develop new friendships in the larger, non upper group. I have more than 50 cruise credits.

[Gonzo70]

And the cruise we are on in two weeks (Century to Alaska) has a private group of 800 people, so we feel that there will be very few Elites on this cruise.

 

My Question: What can I expect at the cocktail party? Can we order any drinks, or just a select few from a menu? And what about tipping?:confused:

 

There is a menu of drinks that may be ordered. Decent variety, but do not expect many fancy options. Some people tip per/drink at time service is rendered, some people tip upfront each day, some people wait until the end of the cruise to tip. You also will have a daily breakfast event (except for the first and last day of the cruise) and have Bloody Mary's, Mimosas, espresso based coffees and fresh squeezed juices available.

[Denny01]

I agree with Orator, I would probably hang out at the standard Elite spot...I enjoy the free drinks, and especially the free latte's in the AM, but mainly there to meet people. Would enjoy that in the 'Upper Elite', but more chance in the 'crowded' standard Elite area.

 

Also, we cruise many times with good friends, and they are now Elite and I know they wouldn't reach the Upper Elite status for a little while, so I think (strongly hope) if/when Celebrity initiates the Upper Elite/Elite+/Supremely Superior Elite/Monsterously More Important Than You Elite status, that status doesn't preclude us from going to standard Elite.

 

Funny storey about our friends. When they reailzed they got another Capt Club point by upgrading to Concierge, they jumped on it, and it got them Elite for the next cruise. Great marketing tool. Now they'll have to do the same thing to get moving up to the next tier....gee, I wonder if that is why Celebrity and the other Lines keep adding new tiers, and not just to accomodate the overabundance of Elites...do ya think?

 

Den

[Orator]

I agree with Orator, I would probably hang out at the standard Elite spot...I enjoy the free drinks, and especially the free latte's in the AM, but mainly there to meet people. Would enjoy that in the 'Upper Elite', but more chance in the 'crowded' standard Elite area.

 

Also, we cruise many times with good friends, and they are now Elite and I know they wouldn't reach the Upper Elite status for a little while, so I think (strongly hope) if/when Celebrity initiates the Upper Elite/Elite+/Supremely Superior Elite/Monsterously More Important Than You Elite status, that status doesn't preclude us from going to standard Elite.

 

Funny storey about our friends. When they reailzed they got another Capt Club point by upgrading to Concierge, they jumped on it, and it got them Elite for the next cruise. Great marketing tool. Now they'll have to do the same thing to get moving up to the next tier....gee, I wonder if that is why Celebrity and the other Lines keep adding new tiers, and not just to accomodate the overabundance of Elites...do ya think?

 

Den

 

Den:

The 2, 4 and 5 day cruises are filled with people who are trying to accumulate cruise points for one reason or another. Some want to just get to Elite, some are fighting for a top spot. I agree that more levels would increase the demand for these short cruises and be a good marketing ploy. Should I plead "guilty"?

[Denny01]

I usually tip $1 or so for drinks that don't have a service charge (free drinks at the Elite lounges and so on). But I also tip the waitstaff that provided the extra service, or took special care, an additional tip at the end of the cruise.

 

As an extension of that tipping question, I know we've talked about if not tipping extra or if the auto-tipping could adversely impact service and so on. At the Elite Lounge, we had one waiter who we talked to some, who would then come over and make sure we were always taken care of. We didn't sit in one area so it wasn't 'his section', and he was always very accomodating. I didn't add my normal small tip per drink in this occasion because I'd planned on tipping at the end. He had no idea if I would do so, but he provided that extra care and service and a friendly question about the port each day. That is the extra service I experience on Celebrity in many venues, and done not due to a tip handed over then. Certainly could be in anticipation of a tip, but they do not know that. I found it consistently on this Line.

 

I know it was just one datapoint, but I think it indicates the service personnel are well trained and work at providing excellent service to us all. Which in many cases results in good tips, but isn't a result of prior tipping.

 

Den

[Denny01]

Den:

The 2, 4 and 5 day cruises are filled with people who are trying to accumulate cruise points for one reason or another. Some want to just get to Elite, some are fighting for a top spot. I agree that more levels would increase the demand for these short cruises and be a good marketing ploy. Should I plead "guilty"?

 

You are guilty by your own admission! By the way, there is one thread where the poster asked why there weren't shorter Asian cruises...you could fly over to Hong Kong and take a short 3-5 day cruise and get points that way.

 

That isn't a putdown of that Poster, since it made sense from the point of view of the Asian market, but just an idea of how you could build up more points, see different ports than Key West and Nassu, and spend $3000+ on airlilne tickets.

 

Den

[Ex-Airbalancer]

Den:

The 2, 4 and 5 day cruises are filled with people who are trying to accumulate cruise points for one reason or another. Some want to just get to Elite, some are fighting for a top spot. I agree that more levels would increase the demand for these short cruises and be a good marketing ploy. Should I plead "guilty"?

 

Maybe they should do what RCL does, a point a day, then they can add point for class

At least that way 10 day cruise is worth more then a 3 day

[Orator]

Maybe they should do what RCL does, a point a day, then they can add point for class

At least that way 10 day cruise is worth more then a 3 day

 

Review my past posts and you'll see that I've been advocating counting number of days rather than number of cruises for a long time.

[cruzsnooze]

I just booked a Celebrity cruise. I am Diamond Plus on RCL and have Celebrity 3 times. I show as an Elite on my Cekebrity booking. Which number will be used for my perks the 3 from Celebrity or the 40+ from RCL?

[CruisingChick]

Review my past posts and you'll see that I've been advocating counting number of days rather than number of cruises for a long time.

 

My DH and I agree with you on that.

 

Do you have a "magic number" in mind for how many days for Elite status?

[Orator]

I just booked a Celebrity cruise. I am Diamond Plus on RCL and have Celebrity 3 times. I show as an Elite on my Cekebrity booking. Which number will be used for my perks the 3 from Celebrity or the 40+ from RCL?

 

The number is not important. You are Elite on Celebrity as if you had the 10 Celebrity Cruise points. You will receive a point (or 2 depending on cabin) in your Celebrity record.

[CRUZBUDS]

I just booked a Celebrity cruise. I am Diamond Plus on RCL and have Celebrity 3 times. I show as an Elite on my Cekebrity booking. Which number will be used for my perks the 3 from Celebrity or the 40+ from RCL?

 

Your Diamond+ status is recognized as Elite since there is no higher tier yet on Celebrity.

 

Counting the days is the only way that makes sense. Our shortest Celebrity cruise was ten days.

 

It's funny that no one thought of that before the programs began. It is hard to change and it always causes people to be pissed off.

 

Holland goes one better - they count the days and also add credit for every $300 spent aboard. It rewards the people they make money on. That is not us, by I have no problem with those folks earning perks faster. Of course once you get to HAL's top tier -- there really are no meaningful perks to speak of.

[Karynanne]

After reading all the previous posts, it appears as if everyone is in agreement that a new system for frequent cruiser achievement is needed.

 

My personal input is this: Any cruiser with 50+ credits should have the opportunity to be given an OBC AFTER final payment, if there is a fare reduction on their particular cabin. Their loyalty to the company should be appreciated.

 

I hope Celebrity is reading all the suggestions. Lots of good information!

 

By the way...we have 50+ credits...

[Orator]

My DH and I agree with you on that.

 

Do you have a "magic number" in mind for how many days for Elite status?

 

We could argue numbers, but I would suggest following the Royal Carribean program since there is receprocity. That would mean 80 days for Elite and 175 for a new Elite+ level. Could also have a new level to match "Pinnacle" at 700 days. I would grandfather in all current Selects and Elites. Of course this is all speculative and we could debate the pros and cons as well as number of days, but something should be done.

[Bruin Steve]

Any system for counting "points" is completely arbitrary...

 

Sure, maybe a 10 might cruise should count for more than a 3-nighter...

But, by the same logic, shouldn't a 7-nighter $2000 balcony cabin during high season on a new in-demand ship count more than a 7-nighter in a $599 inside guarantee "off-season" on a special sale? One guy's spending four times as much with X...So, what does the number of days have to do with it?

 

Since, it's all completely arbitrary and has no real direct correlation to what anyone is PRECISELY bringing to Celebrity, what does it matter?

 

The real issue Celebrity...and Royal Caribbean...have is that it is extremely quick and easy to get to Elite level...I did it in a record number of cruises by doing long cruises and booking Suites and Concierge class...Then, they more than doubled the Elite pool by granting "reciprocity" with RCCL--a line with over twice a many ships each with a larger number of passengers...

 

When the programs were initially established, you wanted reachable goals for higher levels...You want people to always feel they are just a cruise or two away from the next level...that encourages people to keep booking...

 

Of course, the original program was based on a straight number of cruises, regardless of length or category...and yes, some people got by cheap--by doing 10 3-nighters...Really easy for people living in Florida, for example...But, rather than discounting the points on the short cruises, they merely increased the points for the longer ones--resulting in a sort of point inflation...and then the reciprocity...

 

At some point, almost everyone on the ship will be "Elite"...and the answer will likely have to be discontinuing or decreasing the benefits...or adding tiers and shifting the benefits down so that only a 25+ level...or higher...gets the best perks...

 

One of my pet peeves now is the reciprocity thing...

 

I am independently Diamond on C&A and Elite on Captains Club...

Diamonds on RCCL, come to Celebrity and automatically get the highest level of benefits...BUT, when we go on RCCL--on most of their ships, we are only "Diamond" either way...so, for a drinking hour, we only get cheap wine--and a small discount on mixed drinks...even though, combined on the two lines, our total points translate to 37 credits (based on the X method and old RCCL method)...Someone with 10 short cruises on RCCL cruises Celebrity and gets those great Elite perks...but, we go on RCCL and, with how they've adjusted the benefits for Diamond Plus versus Diamond, we get far less...

 

My hope is that they will figure out, at least, that Celebrity cruisers with 25+ credits on Celebrity should be afforded reciprocol "Diamond Plus" status on RCCL...

[Andy]

After reading all the previous posts, it appears as if everyone is in agreement that a new system for frequent cruiser achievement is needed.

 

My personal input is this: Any cruiser with 50+ credits should have the opportunity to be given an OBC AFTER final payment, if there is a fare reduction on their particular cabin. Their loyalty to the company should be appreciated.

 

I hope Celebrity is reading all the suggestions. Lots of good information!

 

By the way...we have 50+ credits...

 

Hi Karynanne,

 

I couldnt agree more. I've been saying this on the boards, from the moment the policy changed. I'm in favor of a new benefit for Elite Plus (if & when it happens), where you would receive either an OBC on your current sailing, OR - a credit towards a future Celebrity Cruise. I think the latter makes better business sense for Celebrity, as it's a huge incentive for you to book another Cruise, while retaining your loyalty.

[Jade13]

This sounds like HAL who apparently has a "5 Star" Mariner program that is not advertised. Someone posted the criteria is 1,400 DAYS. The official 4 Star Mariner status requires 200 DAYs and will get free unimited laundry and priority tender and boarding. No internet and no happy hour.