Is it time for Celebrity to rethink the Elite Cocktail Hour?

[Christine Frances]

No, leave it the way it is!

 

As for improving the appetizers, we already have a thread on how we should tell them how to make more money off of us,so don't dare ask for more!

 

I find it amusing that so many say that drinks are free with the beverage package. Nothing could be further from the truth. Just look at cruise fares.

 

You are also paying for the free drinks and appy's in the Elite Lounge! What's the difference:confused:

[richsea]

You are also paying for the free drinks and appy's in the Elite Lounge! What's the difference:confused:

 

The difference is that Elite & above cocktails, particularly on 7 & 10 days cruises, are offered to a much smaller percentage of the passengers. Granted, on TAs & long cruises, it is higher. But when they offer "free cocktails" to most, by offering beverage packages, then they must make up the cost of the "free" cocktails somehow, & they do it by raising fares,(& listening to those here actually TELL them what additional costs they are willing to to pay for.:eek:)

[peterm]

After using the coupons I would like to see Celebrity allowing us to use the coupons anytime during the evening. Not only from 5-7PM. They are allowing you 3 drinks per night, so allow 3 drinks per night anytime during the evening. You cannot use them in the MDR and some of the bars.

That is what I would like to see changed.

 

I agree - vouchers/coupons are the way to go and we should be allowed to use these e.g. from 5 - 9PM in all bars and the MDR.

[Oxo]

It's a repo cruise, so they usually go for a lower price point, but as of today the prevailing rate is $1629 CAD for same cabin. Booking early and booking on a group rate can yield some big savings.

 

I won't be doing any shopping. But they always get their pound of flesh from me in the Casino ;)

 

Booking early can sometimes save you money. However, there is no set rule when booking. We have booked a year in advance and the price came way down close to Final Payment. So, it is the luck of the draw. As for Group Rates-YES, they can really help, too.

 

Cruise rates are like airline rates. No one can figure it out. I priced an airfare to FLL 2 days ago and it was $279. Today it was 437. So, I do keep cheeking fares at least once a week.

 

Bottom line, you got a STEAL!! Glad you got it and hope more of us can do the same.

[YYC F/A]

Another thought - maybe Elite and higher folks with Classic Bev Pkg could get a voucher for free upgrade to Premium, while folks without a Bev Pkg could be given the drink chitties (as is current on Elite heavy sailings).

 

This would deal with concerns about poor wine/drink selections as currently offered, giving folks access (with wines in particular) to significantly more by the glass selections, while still providing "happy hour drink perks" to those without Bev Packages.

 

While the social aspect may be lost somewhat, there are of course still many exclusive gatherings such as CC Celebration event, CC Elite wine tasting, CC elegant tea etc etc.

[Oxo]

You are also paying for the free drinks and appy's in the Elite Lounge! What's the difference:confused:

 

BIG difference. There is no way that the 123GO Package cost Celebrity the same as the Elite Happy Hour (5-7PM) even with the appies that are ?????

 

Sure, the cost of the Elite HH is figured in some way, but not as much as 123GOPackage. JMHO!

[Oxo]

While the social aspect may be lost somewhat, there are of course still many exclusive gatherings such as CC Celebration event, CC Elite wine tasting, CC elegant tea etc etc.

 

How many of us do go to these events? We stopped years ago. Too many people trying to get a drink in a small area. In fact on the Eclipse last Dec, they had the Sr. Officer Party from 5:15-6PM (had you leave the Sky Lounge at 6:15 to clean up. Then 7:45 - 8:30. Many people were very displeased with being told to leave the Sky Lounge at 6:15 even though they knew that they had to buy their own drinks and no more drinks were free. However, they could not even use or had coupons for that evening. That was one of the two nights that drinks were not offered (Embarkation night and Sr. Officer Party night.)

[maggie.1008]

We never get the drink pkg. I would rather have OBC and keep Elite happy hour. Had the vouchers once and that work well. Nice if it was on our sea pass and could be used anytime.

[Northern Aurora]

While we stopped attending the CC Celebration, elegant tea and wine tasting events several years ago we do attend the evening cocktail gathering. Since 2012 we almost always meet someone on board who we had met on a prior Celebrity cruise, and we generally make those connections at the evening cocktail gathering.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

I can't drink alcohol and Hubby doesn't drink much, so the vouchers we get are more than enough. Most go unused. A beverage package would be a waste of money for us. The canapes served at the Elite events are no where nearly as good as food in the buffet. So we don't go the Elite cocktails events. Often the timing doesn't fit with what we are doing either.

 

It doesn't really matter to us what Celebrity does with their Elite event. I hope whatever it is, the majority of their passengers will be pleased. You can't please everyone, however. There will almost always be someone who feels slighted.

[bobsfamily]

Don't fool yourself into thinking the beverAGE package is free--the costs of cruises have increased dramatically since it was added. . .

Just prior to final payment for my upcoming Feb. cruise I inquired about the 123 all-inclusive since when I booked it was choose one. I have an AQ1 cabin, after all was said and done I "upgraded" to the 123 AI and my cost went down $100 PLUS I got $200 OBC.

[kelmac]

The Elite happy hour is fun and gives people a chance to socialize with individuals with a common passion. The free drinks are nice, and the appetizers are welcomed, but the social aspects are what makes the two hour period of time enjoyable.

The coupons are a bit cheesy, and it really distills down to what the whole purpose of the Elite Happy Hour was originally conceived to promote.

I still think it's a wonderful perk for multi-cruisers of Celebrity Cruise Lines.

 

PS -- does the OP even qualify for the Elite happy hour? Why would it matter to him?

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

Edited January 18, 2015 by kelmac

[awhfy]

We truly enjoy the social aspect of the Elite Cocktail Hour. We have traditional 6pm dining & our dining friends aren't Elite (yet). We don't spend a lot of time in the Elite lounge area, but have made lifelong friends there.

 

We took our first Royal cruise this fall & really enjoyed the dedicated Diamond Lounge open 24 hours a day & 3 pre-loaded drinks on our SeaPass card (those were the only things we enjoyed more than X). The drink coupons are a pain, I always lose them, so much easier to have the 3 drinks per day loaded on the card (I haven't lost that, yet). The canapés are not what they used to be, but we still enjoy them

 

 

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[Champagne Cruiser]

PLEASE! Do not eliminate the Elite Cocktail Hour(s). After getting pushed way back with the change in CC points we will finally be Elite after our February cruise. Yes, we have a Bev Pkg, but are really looking forward to connecting with other frequent cruisers. After our first cruise I wasn't a big fan of cruising, it was just ok. But after joining Cruise Critic and connecting with return cruisers at events on board we have become avid Celebrity cruisers. It's the connections you make, not the free drinks that make these gatherings so worthwhile.

[CrankySailor]

The difference is that Elite & above cocktails, particularly on 7 & 10 days cruises, are offered to a much smaller percentage of the passengers. Granted, on TAs & long cruises, it is higher. But when they offer "free cocktails" to most, by offering beverage packages, then they must make up the cost of the "free" cocktails somehow, & they do it by raising fares,(& listening to those here actually TELL them what additional costs they are willing to to pay for.:eek:)

 

Hi. Maybe I am misunderstanding...but not sure I would associate the beverage packages with higher fares. The cost of everything goes up over time...food, fuel, labor, etc. The beverage packages have huge margins for them. If anything, they should reduce the need to raise fares since the revenue they receive from the packages I s so large relative to the cost to provide the drinks (especially when you consider they charge the psgr for the gratuity with each drink).

 

...and if there wasn't a CC Msg Board discussing other paid amenities, I think celebrity/RCCL has a lot of other market research they conduct to inform their product development. :)

[Oxo]

Hi. Maybe I am misunderstanding...but not sure I would associate the beverage packages with higher fares. The cost of everything goes up over time...food, fuel, labor, etc. The beverage packages have huge margins for them. If anything, they should reduce the need to raise fares since the revenue they receive from the packages I s so large relative to the cost to provide the drinks (especially when you consider they charge the psgr for the gratuity with each drink).

 

...and if there wasn't a CC Msg Board discussing other paid amenities, I think celebrity/RCCL has a lot of other market research they conduct to inform their product development. :)

 

Do you honestly believe that Any Cruise Line would offer Any Cruise Passenger FREE Drinks without ensuring that the cost of those drinks are already paid for??????????

Sorry, can't agree with that.

[CrankySailor]

Do you honestly believe that Any Cruise Line would offer Any Cruise Passenger FREE Drinks without ensuring that the cost of those drinks are already paid for??????????

Sorry, can't agree with that.

 

The drink packages are not free. The post I quoted was referring to cruise fares rising with the introduction of beverage packages....unless, as I said, I misunderstood.

 

That said....the cost to provide free drinks to the Elites is likely pretty minimal in the grand scheme of things. Think about the quantity of liquor being bought by the line and the enormous discount they receive.

[ConnMom]

My husband and I enjoy the Elite happy hour; we have met many interesting people at this gathering, and look forward to the hour or so that we set aside to attend the event every evening. We prefer this to the beverage packages, and I hope that Celebrity does not conclude that the happy hour perk is not valued by its Elite guests because some do not care to participate. There are some Elite benefits that we do not take advantage of, but I am sure that there are many people who would miss them if they were to disappear. I think Celebrity's recognition program is generous and well designed; it is one of the factors that give Celebrity the edge whenever I consider our next cruise.

[bigbenboys]

I enjoy the Elite Cocktail Hour. We go up with friends and drink, eat and talk about our day, travels and life. Our next cruise in March we have 123go! All Inclusive. The cost of the cruise was much more. So we cut it to a 7 day cruise and then going to Orlando. Our June cruise we checked the cost difference to change from promo get 2 to getting all 3. Just was not worth the money to added the drink package. As we all know the drink package is not really free.

[RickT]

 

PS -- does the OP even qualify for the Elite happy hour? Why would it matter to him?

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

 

Yes, I really asked the question because I'm completely bitter that I'm not Elite and have never been allowed near the Cocktail Hour... LOL

 

Talk about an off topic comment.

 

And for the record, I never said the PROMO was free, but if you choose the classic drink package the drinks are then free. As a Captains Club member I had a choice of the 1,2,3 Go or a reduced price. To me, the price reduction was nice but it was peanuts compared to the benefit of the drink package. If you compare X pricing to that of other lines you'll generally see prices very similar but X includes the promo. The point of this whole poll was to see if people saw reduced value in the cocktail hour when you had a drink package. I know I do. Cocktail hour is great when you pay for every drink you buy, less so if they include the drinks within a promo.

Edited January 18, 2015 by RickT

[huskerc]

A better question than "do you want it to change" is "does the current perk make you feel like a valued customer who will keep spending money with X?"

 

I think for most people that answer is no. Between people who already have a beverage package and those who do not drink, there aren't many benefitting from the no-charge cocktails.

[RickT]

A better question than "do you want it to change" is "does the current perk make you feel like a valued customer who will keep spending money with X?"

 

I think for most people that answer is no. Between people who already have a beverage package and those who do not drink, there aren't many benefitting from the no-charge cocktails.

 

Very good point.

[Oxo]

If you compare X pricing to that of other lines you'll generally see prices very similar but X includes the promo.

 

NOT TRUE! Give me some examples and I will give you some. Been there and done that. The only reason I have not given examples on this specific item is that others would say

'No comparison, if so cruise that line instead of the other.'

Your call.

[RickT]

NOT TRUE! Give me some examples and I will give you some. Been there and done that. The only reason I have not given examples on this specific item is that others would say

'No comparison, if so cruise that line instead of the other.'

Your call.

 

Here are a couple, and I'm sure you can come back with some that are different.. Comparing verandah to verandah. I can look at Hal also and see many cruises that are very similar in price. But don't waste your time, you have your opinion and I have mine and this thread is not about pricing of Celebrity, it's about whether or not you believe the current Elite Cocktail hour works when many have the classic beverage package.

 

03/05/15 Reflection - $1,149 cdn vs 03/06/15 Regal Princess - $1,318 Eastern Caribbean

07/10/14 Solstic $2,079 cdn vs 7/11/14 Crown Princess - $2,308 Alaska Inside

Edited January 18, 2015 by RickT

[cruisemuse27]

love the vouchers..wish you had included that in your poll...