RCCL Diamond - First time on Celebrity

[sailingjudy]

37 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

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The Celebrity ships have no equivalent to the RCCL Diamond Lounge.  They instead have drinks available to you at any bar on the ship at the designated Happy Hour times.  Limited drink menu.

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So, would not be able to order wine with dinners and use the allotted free drinks.  Only at bars during happy hour times, not in restaurants.  Correct?
Also, thank you very much for all the info.  Helps a lot.

[TeeRick]

10 minutes ago, sailingjudy said:

So, would not be able to order wine with dinners and use the allotted free drinks.  Only at bars during happy hour times, not in restaurants.  Correct?
Also, thank you very much for all the info.  Helps a lot.

Yes you are correct.  But there is a loophole.  Order a glass of wine at a bar and take it into the dining room with you.

[sailingjudy]

57 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Yes you are correct.  But there is a loophole.  Order a glass of wine at a bar and take it into the dining room with you.

Thanks.  I don't see us doing that.  Discussing this with my husband and in his opinion to sail Celebrity would be a step down from what we are accustomed to with Royal.  Rooms appear to be about the same.  The only advantage is the itinerary.  Celebrity sails South America and Antarctica and Royal does not.  We are not big drinkers and 95% of the 'free' drinks we receive on Royal as D+ are consumed with dinners.  We would not carry glasses of wine into restaurant so likely would forfeit the 'free' drinks on Celebrity and instead pay for wine with dinners.  Certainly not a big deal but he considers this a negative.  

 

Thanks for all the info. Glad I did not click that confirm booking button earlier today.  I think I need to do a lot more research about Celebrity.

Edited June 2, 2022 by sailingjudy
more info

[FrannyK]

On 6/1/2022 at 12:37 PM, TeeRick said:

There are few options for smoking.  There are two designated smoking areas.  One on Deck 4 (port side) and one on Deck 11 near the Mast Bar.  Specialty dining is also limited.  We would probably chose the Tuscan Grille.  

Thanks for this, nice to know DH can have a cigar onboard. I took your advice and booked the Tuscan Grille.  What do you mean that specialty dining is limited? 

[capecodmercury]

On 5/25/2022 at 10:24 AM, FrannyK said:

Thanks Redtravel, I'll try to remember that when we open our cabin door to a crowd of people waiting for the elevator!  LOL  Always a surprise...

That shouldn't be an issue.  Celebrity has a bit of a buffer between elevator lobbies and the room hallways.  

[FrannyK]

On 6/1/2022 at 6:14 PM, Islandtime17 said:

I’m confused, we are booked on the summit in June, free drinks, Wi-Fi, and gratitudies, we are elite also, didn’t think a drink happy hour was necessary since it’s included. Don’t know how long this promotion is going on for but I still see it in new bookings.. just wondering.

We were told we had a choice of basic fare or "all included" fare when we booked.  We chose basic, but then changed it to all-included during the Memorial Day sale.  It does make the HH mute.  But worth it to us to have wifi, tips and drinks included for only $250 more total.  The tips alone were close to that.

[FrannyK]

5 minutes ago, capecodmercury said:

That shouldn't be an issue.  Celebrity has a bit of a buffer between elevator lobbies and the room hallways.  

I read that complaint about that particular cabin so we will soon find out...

[gold1953]

1 hour ago, FrannyK said:

Thanks for this, nice to know DH can have a cigar onboard. I took your advice and booked the Tuscan Grille.  What do you mean that specialty dining is limited? 

Only one of the smoking areas allows cigars

[FrannyK]

2 hours ago, gold1953 said:

Only one of the smoking areas allows cigars

I see. Thank you. 

[sgmn]

13 hours ago, bama4cruisin said:

 

pre-Covid, a listed amenity was priority check-in; however, this has not been resumed

 

i am sure there are a few extra which I haven’t listed.  Rooms are identical.

 

Edited June 3, 2022 by sgmn

[OysterD]

13 hours ago, sailingjudy said:

 We would not carry glasses of wine into restaurant so likely would forfeit the 'free' drinks on Celebrity and instead pay for wine with dinners.  Certainly not a big deal but he considers this a negative.  

 

Thanks for all the info. Glad I did not click that confirm booking button earlier today.  I think I need to do a lot more research about Celebrity.

Is the booking you were looking at making an "always included" fare, in which case the classic drinks package is included with that so it makes the whole "do we get 5 free drinks a day" question a bit moot. WiFi and tips are also included.

[TeeRick]

7 hours ago, FrannyK said:

I see. Thank you. 

Cigars.  Deck 4 area.  No problem.  A lot of cigar smokers go there.

[TeeRick]

10 hours ago, FrannyK said:

Thanks for this, nice to know DH can have a cigar onboard. I took your advice and booked the Tuscan Grille.  What do you mean that specialty dining is limited? 

I just meant that there are a lower number of Specialty Dining Restaurants on M-Class ships vs the other Celebrity ships. 

[FrannyK]

22 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Cigars.  Deck 4 area.  No problem.  A lot of cigar smokers go there.

Wonderful. Thanks!

[FrannyK]

21 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

I just meant that there are a lower number of Specialty Dining Restaurants on M-Class ships vs the other Celebrity ships. 

I see. Yes, we haven’t been on a ship this small in years and I’m looking forward to it. 

[FrannyK]

Is there a free sauna for men on the Summit?  I’ve  read the space was used for more cabins during the upgrade?

[4774Papa]

18 hours ago, sailingjudy said:

Hello.  Totally new to Celebrity and more than a little confused. I am looking at booking Celebrity Eclipse for an Antarctica cruise.  I see from this thread that I must enroll with whatever is the loyalty program for Celebrity in order to obtain reciprocal Elite status for my Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor D+ status.  I had read elsewhere that Celebrity does not provide the 5 free drinks for Elite status that RC does for the D+ status.  Is this true?

As for the different categories of rooms, it appears that Veranda is like a regular balcony on RC ships.  And that Concierge is like a junior suite on RC.  Can anyone who has sailed both lines confirm this?

Also, how is internet handled on Celebrity ships?  Is it available 24/7 or do they sell only packages for limited minutes?

Thanks in advance for any answers.



 

Concierge is just a balcony with a different name.  We never book Concierge.

 

Celebrity's happy hour from 5-7  is not worth much when you are forced to book with drink packages that push up the cost of the cruise higher.   X has backed of a bit and does allow some bookings without the pricey perks like drink packages, but the cost of cruises is still up.

[sailingjudy]

3 hours ago, OysterD said:

Is the booking you were looking at making an "always included" fare, in which case the classic drinks package is included with that so it makes the whole "do we get 5 free drinks a day" question a bit moot. WiFi and tips are also included.

No, I would book the cruise fare only and then add items as desired.  We never buy a drinks package.  On Royal with the free 5 drinks we end up stopping by a bar after dinner and using all remaining vouchers for bottled water and Diet Cokes to take back to the room.  Not having this is a 'drop down' in my husband's opinion, even though not talking about any significant amount of cost. 

We do require WiFi for internet connection 24/7.  I planned to purchase that separately.  And we pay the standard daily gratuities on the onboard account.  I stopped pre-paying grats after all the cancellations due to Covid and dealing with all the refunds.

After reading the comments in this thread it appears that the reciprocity of the loyalty programs is meaningless and that sailing Celebrity must be approached as if sailing a completely new line and starting as a newbie.  I would have expected better from a brand under same corporate umbrella.  Thanks for all the info.

 

[sailingjudy]

14 hours ago, FrannyK said:

We were told we had a choice of basic fare or "all included" fare when we booked.  We chose basic, but then changed it to all-included during the Memorial Day sale.  It does make the HH mute.  But worth it to us to have wifi, tips and drinks included for only $250 more total.  The tips alone were close to that.

The "all included" fare is $648 pp more than the basic fare for the cruise I am considering.  The gratuities should be $217 pp, which means $431 pp for WiFi and drinks.   For a couple who drink only a glass or 2 of wine with dinner each night and 1 Diet Coke each afternoon, that is not attractive pricing, IMO.

We are going to think about this.  The current promo ends June 15.  It is the itinerary that is desired and we need to consider Celebrity a totally new line rather than any type of reciprocity with our usual cruise line.

 

[bama4cruisin]

19 minutes ago, sailingjudy said:

The "all included" fare is $648 pp more than the basic fare for the cruise I am considering.  The gratuities should be $217 pp, which means $431 pp for WiFi and drinks.   For a couple who drink only a glass or 2 of wine with dinner each night and 1 Diet Coke each afternoon, that is not attractive pricing, IMO.

We are going to think about this.  The current promo ends June 15.  It is the itinerary that is desired and we need to consider Celebrity a totally new line rather than any type of reciprocity with our usual cruise line.

 

While $431 is a significant difference, you did state in an earlier post that you DO need WiFi and would be purchasing a package.  The cost of a basic WiFi package is, I believe, $16.99 per day.  I’m not sure of the length of your cruise, but I see many Antarctica cruises are 14 nights . . . That would be $237.86 of the $431, leaving a less than $200 difference.  

[sailingjudy]

3 minutes ago, bama4cruisin said:

While $431 is a significant difference, you did state in an earlier post that you DO need WiFi and would be purchasing a package.  The cost of a basic WiFi package is, I believe, $16.99 per day.  I’m not sure of the length of your cruise, but I see many Antarctica cruises are 14 nights . . . That would be $237.86 of the $431, leaving a less than $200 difference.  

You are correct.  That breaks down to about the cost of a single drink per day.  Looking at this as a totally new cruise line and not getting any perks for loyalty status with the other brand, the cost of the "all included" does look like the best way to book with Celebrity.  Do you know if the WiFi provided with the "all included" package has 24/7 connection?  And if it works well enough for Zoom meetings?  I would expect some loss of signal when down in area of Antarctic.  I kind of doubt the satellites provide good coverage down in that area.

[FrannyK]

25 minutes ago, sailingjudy said:

The "all included" fare is $648 pp more than the basic fare for the cruise I am considering.  The gratuities should be $217 pp, which means $431 pp for WiFi and drinks.   For a couple who drink only a glass or 2 of wine with dinner each night and 1 Diet Coke each afternoon, that is not attractive pricing, IMO.

We are going to think about this.  The current promo ends June 15.  It is the itinerary that is desired and we need to consider Celebrity a totally new line rather than any type of reciprocity with our usual cruise line.

 

When we first booked, the "all included" fare was $760 more for two (not pp).  Being Elite and being able to bring wine on board, we felt we did not need the drink package, the tips were not a problem, but because of our work and family situation, we definitely need 24/7 wifi, and in fact, might need to upgrade that to streaming.  So when I saw the wifi package for the week was $700 (horrifying) just for basic I immediately thought maybe the $760 for all inclusive was well worth it.  It just happened to be the Memorial Day weekend sale so our TA was able to upgrade us to all inclusive for $500 total (not pp) plus a $250 cabin credit.  I figure with the credit one of us could upgrade to streaming when we need it.  I feel we got a great deal.

[bama4cruisin]

1 minute ago, sailingjudy said:

You are correct.  That breaks down to about the cost of a single drink per day.  Looking at this as a totally new cruise line and not getting any perks for loyalty status with the other brand, the cost of the "all included" does look like the best way to book with Celebrity.  Do you know if the WiFi provided with the "all included" package has 24/7 connection?  And if it works well enough for Zoom meetings?  I would expect some loss of signal when down in area of Antarctic.  I kind of doubt the satellites provide good coverage down in that area.

Yes, you would have 24/7 WiFi. . . at least as available by location.  However, I feel you would have to upgrade to Premium WiFi in order to attend a Zoom meeting.  On our last cruise (TA on Apex last October), I know I wouldn’t have been able to zoom.  The price for premium is currently sale for $29.99 per day , but if you have AI you would only pay for the upgrade.  I believe, but not 100% certain, there is a small Elite discount for the upgrade.  Good luck!  We have sailed both RC and Celebrity (more Celebrity), and I believe you will enjoy the experience.

[TeeRick]

18 hours ago, sailingjudy said:

Thanks.  I don't see us doing that.  Discussing this with my husband and in his opinion to sail Celebrity would be a step down from what we are accustomed to with Royal.  Rooms appear to be about the same.  The only advantage is the itinerary.  Celebrity sails South America and Antarctica and Royal does not.  We are not big drinkers and 95% of the 'free' drinks we receive on Royal as D+ are consumed with dinners.  We would not carry glasses of wine into restaurant so likely would forfeit the 'free' drinks on Celebrity and instead pay for wine with dinners.  Certainly not a big deal but he considers this a negative.  

 

Thanks for all the info. Glad I did not click that confirm booking button earlier today.  I think I need to do a lot more research about Celebrity.

If your cabin is booked using the "Always Included (AI)" package you will get the "free" drinks (including wine) even in the dining room.  If you want a premium drink or wine above the package it might be just a few $more as you pay the difference.  If you are sailing as Elite but without this package then you will just have the option of the complimentary wine and drinks at bars during the nightly HH.  Most Celebrity cruise passengers these days get the AI package.  It includes WiFi, gratuities, drink package.  Also you can look up the other benefits included with Celebrity Elite membership level.

 

One thing about the Celebrity ships - they are much more adult-oriented.  Far fewer kids.  Much quieter.  Not an amusement park atmosphere like on the mega RCCL ships.  The older M-Class ships in the fleet are about the size of the RCCL Radiance class.  The majority of RCCL ships are much larger and much higher passenger capacity than most Celebrity ships even the newer ones like EDGE and APEX and BEYOND.  

[sailingjudy]

12 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

...

One thing about the Celebrity ships - they are much more adult-oriented.  Far fewer kids.  Much quieter.  Not an amusement park atmosphere like on the mega RCCL ships.  The older M-Class ships in the fleet are about the size of the RCCL Radiance class.  The majority of RCCL ships are much larger and much higher passenger capacity than most Celebrity ships even the newer ones like EDGE and APEX and BEYOND.  

This is something about Celebrity that appeals to us.  We typically sail longer cruises with RCCL and Radiance class is our preferred size of cruise ship. Typically, the longer sailings have few kids, if any.  We tend to avoid the larger ships with all the bells & whistles which attract a younger crowd and lots of kids, although do have current bookings on both Allure and Harmony which will sail during normal school months.  Both the smaller ships and the itineraries offered by Celebrity are appealing.  We are getting a tad tired of sailing the same routes and are looking for somewhere different.  Celebrity appears to fit that niche.