How will Elite Plus benefits change?

[jj39]

2 hours ago, tserface said:

The last cruise we were on the waiters were selling tables in the lounge to the highest bidders and putting drinks on the tables to reserve them.  Some people didn't show up until 20 minutes later and just went right to their reserved tables while other people stood up.  I thought it was a pretty poor practice, but the concierge said it's how they make extra tips.  So, in a sense, they are starting to charge for use of the room anyway.

 

Tom

We're Elite+ and never seen anything like that. From some of the other replies here it appears it was a onetime event. 

I will say, IMHO that the CC HH was the PRIME reward for Elite or above status. We were cruising several years ago with another couple on their first cruise and we had a very bad service event in Blu. The cruise Director met with us and was most apologetic and asked me if there was anything he could due to make up for the event. I replied that was not necessary, but if he really wanted to  it would be nice if our non elite friends could join us each night at the CC HH. He arranged that for the rest of the cruise. They were so impressed that they have cruised exclusivity on CEL since, trying to reach Elite status ( I think they are now within about 15 points). I think CEL mgt under estimates the social value of the event. It's not the drinks or the appetizers it's the opportunity to meet other frequent CEL cruisers. 

[cantstopingcruising]

4 hours ago, tserface said:

 

Yeah, I don't know if this is common or not.  It happened every night on that cruise. When I asked about it they told me that they would reserve one for me as well and all you have to do is tip them for it.  

 

I didn't do it because I didn't like the idea at all.  It's kind of like the Elite version of pool chair hogging.

 

Tom

I thought you were joking

[GlobalMethod]

7 hours ago, phillygirl2400 said:

We were also on that cruise and didn’t see anything like that in the Sky Lounge. 

We always sit at the bar in the Sky Lounge for HH and haven't noticed anything like what has been described at the tables ... we did see two bar seats always having drinks ready for 2 guest at start of HH ... the guests would arrive about 20 minutes later ... we assumed they were on a back-to-back cruises and the bartenders knew them ...

[Auntiemomo]

37 minutes ago, GlobalMethod said:

We always sit at the bar in the Sky Lounge for HH and haven't noticed anything like what has been described at the tables ... we did see two bar seats always having drinks ready for 2 guest at start of HH ... the guests would arrive about 20 minutes later ... we assumed they were on a back-to-back cruises and the bartenders knew them ...

It happens all the time for HH in the Sky Lounge.  You grease the skids ahead of time, and your seats are saved with a drink in front of it.  The servers know the tippers from the non-tippers, and guess who gets served first.  It happens on Royal ships also.  

[SeaPete]

2 hours ago, GlobalMethod said:

We always sit at the bar in the Sky Lounge for HH and haven't noticed anything like what has been described at the tables ... we did see two bar seats always having drinks ready for 2 guest at start of HH ... the guests would arrive about 20 minutes later ... we assumed they were on a back-to-back cruises and the bartenders knew them ...

Well, this did happen to us on the Reflection Spring transatlantic in 2019.  We were one of the first ones in the sky lounge, took 2 seats at the bar and noticed drinks sitting in front of us.  Moved them aside and ordered our drinks.  Twenty minutes later a couple came in and told us to move, we were sitting in their seats.  We said we were there when the venue opened and did not move.  Then the couple went to get the captain club host, Fabio.  Fabio asked us to move, at this point there were no other seats.  We did not move.  Bartenders always get tipped when they serve us happy hour drinks, never heard of tipping for a seat.  As a matter of fact, the bartenders were all smiling when we stayed seated as they didn't care for the other couple evidently.  We got a call from the Hotel Director who offered an apology.  We had people surrounding us who said we should have moved and others were glad we held our ground.  I never heard of paying for a seat.  On this particular cruise the happy hour  started at 5 only on paper.  By 4:30 most of the bars were already serving drinks for happy hour and no seats were ever available at 5 or even 4:35

.  Sky lounge they opened the doors promptly at 5 and everyone rushes in.  Maybe buying a seat could be a revenue maker!

[TeeRick]

19 hours ago, crimsonbird said:

Now that we all must purchase a liquor package...what does Celebrity have in store to make Elite Plus special?  We are not big drinkers and looked forward to the cocktail hour.  Loved the lounge...oh well, things change.  But there has to be a loyalty incentive.  

They are converting the Sky Lounge on ships.  E-Class does not even have this lounge.  The Elite Happy Hour has not actually been removed from our benefits.  Free drinks from 5-7pm at any bar.  Even the Sky Lounge Bar if still there and open.  I understand that this is not valuable in the current AI marketing campaign inclusive of free drinks.  One thing Celebrity could do is to offer Elite/Elite+/Zenith members free premium drinks during the Happy Hour.  For those that sail suites this is not an incentive but that is their choice.  

[Orator]

11 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

They are converting the Sky Lounge on ships.  E-Class does not even have this lounge.  The Elite Happy Hour has not actually been removed from our benefits.  Free drinks from 5-7pm at any bar.  Even the Sky Lounge Bar if still there and open.  I understand that this is not valuable in the current AI marketing campaign inclusive of free drinks.  One thing Celebrity could do is to offer Elite/Elite+/Zenith members free premium drinks during the Happy Hour.  For those that sail suites this is not an incentive but that is their choice.  

Zeniths already have the premium package. The truth is that no one really knows what direction benefits will take once the Covid restrictions are over. I really don't think that Celebrity really knows if the AI will be successful and what changes they will make. They may have backup plans, but plans can and do change. We can only speculate! 

[bikerunner]

15 hours ago, tserface said:

The last cruise we were on the waiters were selling tables in the lounge to the highest bidders and putting drinks on the tables to reserve them.  Some people didn't show up until 20 minutes later and just went right to their reserved tables while other people stood up.  I thought it was a pretty poor practice, but the concierge said it's how they make extra tips.  So, in a sense, they are starting to charge for use of the room anyway.

 

Tom

Wow cruisers saving tables in the lounge who would have known that practice happens on cruise ships, next thing we know they will be putting a book on loungers by the pool and showing up in the afternoon.  Ive seen it in all different spaces, saw it on one of my past cruises think it was on the Eclipse, I usually dont go to the lounge except on the officers night etc.  just to crowded overall.  Ill go find a good glass of wine and sit on top deck somewhere.  

[Bruin Steve]

I have seen something like that...but only ONCE.  It was about ten years ago...and Celebrity was just starting to do regular Australia/New Zealand cruises...in the last days of the old Century...

 

A large percentage of the passengers were Australians and were fairly new to Celebrity.  There were only 24 passengers who were Elite or higher.  The HH was held, in those days, in Michaels Club--which had seating for far more than 24.  It was a two week cruise and every one of those 24 showed up every night and sat in the same three groups at the same three tables.  The waiters caught on quickly...and knew where each person sat, when they arrived and what they customarily ordered...and, by the third or fourth night, they started putting the drinks on the tables just ahead of when everyone arrived.  It was not because anyone tipped them ahead of time for this little touch...more likely just because it was something they COULD do.  We all thought it was wonderful.

 

Of course, on most cruises we've been on, we've never found that few Elite/Elite Plus/Zenith members...and it would be much harder for the wait crew to track everyone as carefully...So, we have never seen that again.  We have had the waiters spot us walking into the lounge and, having remembered what we habitually order, having our drinks prepared and meeting us with those drinks at the table as we've sat down...But, that is NOT reserving a table...that's just superior service...and one of the touches we've always loved at the Elite Happy Hour.

 

We've always gone to the Elite HH--even when we've had the drink package.  It's not for the "free drinks", but for the feeling of being a little bit special, getting that service that's just a touch better than the other bars and lounges.  It's being in a lounge where the wait staff gets to know you, attends to you promptly, anticipates your needs.  It is service way above what I've seen trying to be served in most other lounges--where it's hard to find a seat or table at peak hours, where it's hard to get a waiter's attention and where the drinks are slow to arrive.  I also appreciate getting to meet and know the other frequent cruisers onboard and to form those relationships.  For us, a cruise is a very social experience...and, somehow, the atmosphere in the Elite HH fosters that.  I will miss it.

 

Next two cruises, we're B2B on Apex...in a Sky Suite...so, we'll have the Retreat...Maybe that will serve the same purpose.  But, following that, we're back in a "standard" balcony on Solstice...so, we will see what that is like...

[tserface]

17 hours ago, davekathy said:

We were on the 14 night Summit, NE/Canada cruise 8 September 2019 and that wasn't happening in the Sky Lounge for the CC HH on our cruise. The CC host was Anshika Boodhun. 

That may have been the same cruise.  We were there every night and tried to sit at one of the tables one of the  nights and we were warned away by one of the waiters saying it was "reserved".  I don't remember the CC host.  The tables that were reserved were closest to the window end furthest from the door.

To be fair I've only seen this happen on one other cruise and that was on RCCL in the Diamond Club, but they put a stop to it after a couple of days of the people not showing up and people asking why the tables were left empty when people were obviously looking for a place to sit.

Tom

[davekathy]

2 hours ago, tserface said:

That may have been the same cruise.  We were there every night and tried to sit at one of the tables one of the  nights and we were warned away by one of the waiters saying it was "reserved".  I don't remember the CC host.  The tables that were reserved were closest to the window end furthest from the door.

To be fair I've only seen this happen on one other cruise and that was on RCCL in the Diamond Club, but they put a stop to it after a couple of days of the people not showing up and people asking why the tables were left empty when people were obviously looking for a place to sit.

Tom

We always arrived by 5:00 enjoyed a couple of drinks and a nibble and gone by 5:50 to go eat. We either would sit at a table by the windows (always starboard side and usually halfway between the front of the ship and the entrance to the Sky Lounge) and or the tables right above the lower row closet to the dance floor. No issues, except the third night with a bawling toddler and it's deaf (not caring) parents. 🤬

[Tony UK]

Maybe issues like people feeling the need to reserve tables etc demonstrates the need to change to something new. We stopped going when we witnessed such excess, getting servers to deliver mulltiple rounds of drinks at once, tables full of glasses, people drinking to excess very quickly, people asking for whole trays of canapes for their group, and leaving most of them.

It spoiled what we had previously felt was a really nice friendly event.

Time for a change!

 

[Banjo]

3 hours ago, Tony UK said:

Maybe issues like people feeling the need to reserve tables etc demonstrates the need to change to something new. We stopped going when we witnessed such excess, getting servers to deliver mulltiple rounds of drinks at once, tables full of glasses, people drinking to excess very quickly, people asking for whole trays of canapes for their group, and leaving most of them.

It spoiled what we had previously felt was a really nice friendly event.

Time for a change!

 

On my last cruise, Solstice Honolulu-Sydney 20 day cruise, September, 2019, they already opened the HH to all the bars except the World Class Bar & maybe another one-don't recall. It pretty much killed attendance at the Sky Lounge. At least on that cruise. Recall Marie, our Captain Club Hostess, going from table to table during the Elite breakfast asking to give the Sky Lounge a try for the HH.

 

Since the sky was blue and the Pacific was calm on that cruise we always opt for the Sunset Bar or the Ensemble Lounge if we liked the entertainment that night. 

 

I do have to admit, on earlier cruises we enjoyed the Sky Lounge. Met and conversed with a lot great folks. Some we are friendly with today. Do miss that.

[GlobalMethod]

21 hours ago, SeaPete said:

By 4:30 most of the bars were already serving drinks for happy hour and no seats were ever available at 5 or even 4:35

Yes ... this was mostly true for us also ... on cruises with Celebrity we normally also had the drink package ...

 

what we enjoyed at the Sky Lounge  Bar was that the bartenders, after just 1 night of tutoring, would for the rest of the cruise pour my wife a Kir Royale that was a top tier version made with Chambord Liquor and a better Champagne, instead of the normal house recipe with casis ... 🙂 ...

 

wonderful service if you could get in early enough to get a seat!

[maggie.1008]

I have a upcoming cruise without the drink package. I am elite plus and traveling with a new cruiser in the same cabin. Will she get the three drinks per night on her sea card , or the free special coffees that I get . I think she can still go to the HH lounge with me . 
We have had the drink package our last several cruises so I am not sure about any changes.

[wrk2cruise]

I'd say no.  They are not going to have the HH lounge only the drinks loaded on your card.  In the past you were allowed to bring your cabin mate to to "events" which included the HH lounge but coupons and other things related to CC status are only applicable to the member with status.

 

The morning breakfast you should be able to bring your cabin mate.

[jelayne]

We only went  the CC HH on a couple of our early cruises & found the similar “ those are our seats”   Would you move, “we have been on 87 cruises, oh this is only your 7th on X, “we are always invited to the Captains Table, we know them all” atmosphere..  After a few of those evenings we never went back.  
We always had a beverage package so didn’t need the drinks and found the Sunset & Martini bars to be more welcoming  and a hell of a lot more fun.

[Germancruiser]

I always and every evening attend the Captains Club drinks in the Sky Lounge ( well no longer, when cruising Edge Class ships though) Sometimes by myself and my book- when traveling with friends we have always a nice time. Never ever did I have to move seats- or where even asked to so. I really don´t know what I would do...! Very possibly I would indicate to them another free table ..!

I am very curious how it works in different lounges.

[GlobalMethod]

On 5/29/2021 at 12:32 AM, maggie.1008 said:

I have a upcoming cruise without the drink package. I am elite plus and traveling with a new cruiser in the same cabin. Will she get the three drinks per night on her sea card , or the free special coffees that I get . I think she can still go to the HH lounge with me . 
We have had the drink package our last several cruises so I am not sure about any changes.

As an Elite Plus I would say ... yes ... that your partner possibly could go with you to the HH lounge ... after the 2nd night it was clear to us that no one really gave a flip ... just wave and act like you own the place ... 🙂 ...

[bigbeergut]

On 5/25/2021 at 6:16 PM, tserface said:

The last cruise we were on the waiters were selling tables in the lounge to the highest bidders and putting drinks on the tables to reserve them.  Some people didn't show up until 20 minutes later and just went right to their reserved tables while other people stood up.  I thought it was a pretty poor practice, but the concierge said it's how they make extra tips.  So, in a sense, they are starting to charge for use of the room anyway.

 

Tom

I’m sorry, I think I have to call BS on this one.  Never seen or heard of anything like this.

[shipshape sam]

On 5/25/2021 at 1:43 PM, crimsonbird said:

Now that we all must purchase a liquor package...what does Celebrity have in store to make Elite Plus special?  We are not big drinkers and looked forward to the cocktail hour.  Loved the lounge...oh well, things change.  But there has to be a loyalty incentive.  

Hopefully not for the worst as they already have gutted a number of the better perks with AI.

[jagoffee]

19 hours ago, GlobalMethod said:

As an Elite Plus I would say ... yes ... that your partner possibly could go with you to the HH lounge ... after the 2nd night it was clear to us that no one really gave a flip ... just wave and act like you own the place ... 🙂 ...

It does not really matter as the drinks are available in many bars and they scan your card.  Your partner will pay for their drinks and yours will be free. It is also now unlimited during the HH time.

[highway180]

On 5/28/2021 at 9:19 PM, jelayne said:

We only went  the CC HH on a couple of our early cruises & found the similar “ those are our seats”   Would you move, “we have been on 87 cruises, oh this is only your 7th on X, “we are always invited to the Captains Table, we know them all” atmosphere..  After a few of those evenings we never went back.  
We always had a beverage package so didn’t need the drinks and found the Sunset & Martini bars to be more welcoming  and a hell of a lot more fun.

i couldn't agree more!!

Haven't been in years

For us it has turned into a trip to the "Buffet", fighting for their share of free "cheap" booze.

Enjoy the Sunset bar with a nice glass of wine from Cellar Masters,thats were we can be found.

 

Always got a kick outa watching people head to the dining room, cocktail in each hand as they leave the CC HH!!!!

 

Now with AI, are we going to see this happening all over the ship?

 

LOL

[wrk2cruise]

1 hour ago, highway180 said:

Now with AI, are we going to see this happening all over the ship?

 

Yes, even with the drink packages it was rare that you would be in an elevator without someone half in the bag with a red wine in hand.

[davekathy]

11 hours ago, jagoffee said:

It does not really matter as the drinks are available in many bars and they scan your card.  Your partner will pay for their drinks and yours will be free. It is also now unlimited during the HH time.

Agree. But the CC HH drinks have always been and still are unlimited from 5:PM to 7:PM.