Retail Shops on Celebrity

[shofer]

We recently completed a 15 day TA from England to Ft. Lauderdale.  Couldn't get over the high priced boutiques that were onboard.  Bulgari, Cartier & Faberge to name a few.  Really?   I don't know about the other average X passengers, but these are not places I frequently shop.   Are these high end names a way to place X a notch above?   Why not some brands that people would actually purchase?   I wonder if these companies make any money having retail space on cruise ships.

[HappyCamper49]

3 minutes ago, shofer said:

We recently completed a 15 day TA from England to Ft. Lauderdale.  Couldn't get over the high priced boutiques that were onboard.  Bulgari, Cartier & Faberge to name a few.  Really?   I don't know about the other average X passengers, but these are not places I frequently shop.   Are these high end names a way to place X a notch above?   Why not some brands that people would actually purchase?   I wonder if these companies make any money having retail space on cruise ships.

Hi, HappyCamper49 here.  I TOTALLY agree with you about all the high end shops onboard!  WHY?  Why not have a shop with toiletries forgotten at home; some over the counter drugs, etc...  these shops take up valuable space and I have never seen many passengers shopping in them.

[HappyCamper49]

Have a question for anyone who has cruised in Europe.  Have you purchased a European SIM card for your cell phone???  Will be cruising on the Celebrity Reflection out of Barcelona in September and was curious.

[shofer]

1 minute ago, HappyCamper49 said:

Have a question for anyone who has cruised in Europe.  Have you purchased a European SIM card for your cell phone???  Will be cruising on the Celebrity Reflection out of Barcelona in September and was curious.

We have AT&T as a carrier and just went to the local store and were able to make our phone international for one month for about $30.

[HappyCamper49]

14 hours ago, shofer said:

We have AT&T as a carrier and just went to the local store and were able to make our phone international for one month for about $30.

That is great!!!  Thank you,shofer!

[Orator]

Back to the subject of this thread; Tiffany was very busy on my last cruise. The shops lease the space from Celebrity and would do so to make a profit or gain exposure to target buyers. It doesn't take lots of people to buy, only some. They sell personal care products in the liquor shop, although you do much better if you shop in port for needed products.

[davekathy]

Those shops aren't exclusive to just Celebrity and always seem to draw a crowd. Spend use or lose OBC why not splurge. Every ship we've been on there is always a place to buy limited personal care items. 

Edited January 17, 2019 by davekathy

[FolsomMike]

I’ve seen very little mention of the store where they sell items made from the ship steel. Anyone have photos or info?

[Jim_Iain]

17 hours ago, HappyCamper49 said:

Have a question for anyone who has cruised in Europe.  Have you purchased a European SIM card for your cell phone???  Will be cruising on the Celebrity Reflection out of Barcelona in September and was curious.

Never seen them sold to passengers on Celebrity.   From what I understand they sell Sim Cards to crew.

 

I use T-Mobile and they offer free international roaming (slower speed than at home) and International Calling for 20 cents a minute. 

[Jim_Iain]

17 hours ago, HappyCamper49 said:

Hi, HappyCamper49 here.  I TOTALLY agree with you about all the high end shops onboard!  WHY?  Why not have a shop with toiletries forgotten at home; some over the counter drugs, etc...  these shops take up valuable space and I have never seen many passengers shopping in them.

Not sure which ship you are talking about but ALL M-Class and S-Class ships I have sailed on have a small area in the duty free liquor shop that sells toiletries and OTC meds that you might need.   I have on more than one occasion purchased nail clippers that I forgot to bring.    They also have Cold and Flu meds but sell out quickly if many start coming down with bugs. 

[shofer]

7 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

Not sure which ship you are talking about but ALL M-Class and S-Class ships I have sailed on have a small area in the duty free liquor shop that sells toiletries and OTC meds that you might need.   I have on more than one occasion purchased nail clippers that I forgot to bring.    They also have Cold and Flu meds but sell out quickly if many start coming down with bugs. 

Yes, they do sell these items but in small quantities and for very inflated prices.  Try buying hair spray and you have to go to the spa and buy their inferior product at highway robbery.  You are better off going in the port but if you are on a TA, too bad.

Edited January 17, 2019 by shofer

[shofer]

2 hours ago, davekathy said:

Those shops aren't exclusive to just Celebrity and always seem to draw a crowd. Spend use or lose OBC why not splurge. Every ship we've been on there is always a place to buy limited personal care items. 

Since we have never had OBC, using it has never been an issue.

[Jim_Iain]

5 minutes ago, shofer said:

Yes, they do sell these items but in small quantities and for very inflated prices.  Try buying hair spray and you have to go to the spa and buy their inferior product at highway robbery.  You are better off going in the port but if you are on a TA, too bad.

 

Agree prices are overpriced but again if you have no other choice like on a Transatlantic paying high prices may be the only option.

[Northern Aurora]

Orator's response to the OP's question is "spot-on."  The companies who lease that retail space have goals for sales figures,inventory turns, and exposure.  Clearly those shops meet those goals.  

 

And the sundry area in the liquor shop really is for those of us who forgot to pack something -- essentially an emergency purchase so I expect the product size to be small and limited in variety.

[Paulras]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Not sure which ship you are talking about but ALL M-Class and S-Class ships I have sailed on have a small area in the duty free liquor shop that sells toiletries and OTC meds that you might need.   I have on more than one occasion purchased nail clippers that I forgot to bring.    They also have Cold and Flu meds but sell out quickly if many start coming down with bugs. 

On Silhouette last month, they now have those items hidden away and you have to ask them. Not sure why but I walked those shops twice before asking. 

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, shofer said:

Since we have never had OBC, using it has never been an issue.

Bummer. 

[HappyCamper49]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Not sure which ship you are talking about but ALL M-Class and S-Class ships I have sailed on have a small area in the duty free liquor shop that sells toiletries and OTC meds that you might need.   I have on more than one occasion purchased nail clippers that I forgot to bring.    They also have Cold and Flu meds but sell out quickly if many start coming down with bugs. 

Perhaps I should not have spoken since we have never been in one of the duty free liquor shops.  I could have used it for tweezers and  also cold medicine on our transatlantic last April!!!  (It was $14 in the medical area).  HappyCamper49

[oskarNZ]

I agree with the OP.  The shops here on the Reflection have little appeal to me and are almost always empty.

 

Celebrity gave out some adult colouring books during one of the early days of the cruise. The book is quite good, so I went to the stores looking for colouring pencils so I could actually use it in my stateroom.  When I asked one of the sales assistant where I might find some, she looked at me like it was a strange request and said there was no such product on board.  

 

Surely a general store that sells things like stationery, puzzle books, novels, card games etc as well as some fun souvenirs would appeal to quite a few people.