Class based on cabin

[Orator]

4 minutes ago, 5waldos said:

Silversea Excursions and Crystal River, mostly. Of course, sadly, Crystal is no more. 

I've cruised with Crystal on both Symphony and Serenity and they both have extra perks as you go up in cabin category. Fortunately there are new owners for Crystal and they will restart cruising in 2023 after they update the ships.

[zitsky]

OK OP, except for suites you probably won't see a difference.  As was already said, the suites have their own restaurant and so does Aqua.

 

But I *totally* understand where you are coming from.  Why, I used to cruise on Viking, which is a super elite, high end cruise line that not many people can afford.  Now I'm on Celebrity.  I can't push people out of the way fast enough (to get to my Aqua class cabin).  😁

[Baron Barracuda]

Been sailing with X for 30 years and never understood why suite passengers are willing to pay 3x - 5x the price of my verandah for basically the same cruise experience.  Remember that suites only make up about 15% of cabins so non-suite passengers have  a lot of company.

[5waldos]

29 minutes ago, Orator said:

I've cruised with Crystal on both Symphony and Serenity and they both have extra perks as you go up in cabin category. Fortunately there are new owners for Crystal and they will restart cruising in 2023 after they update the ships.

I had given up following Crystal- this is good news- thanks!

[Orator]

2 minutes ago, 5waldos said:

I had given up following Crystal- this is good news- thanks!

Go to the Crystal board to learn about the new owners and plans. They bought Symphony, Serenity and the brand name and web site. 

[5waldos]

Just now, Orator said:

Go to the Crystal board to learn about the new owners and plans. They bought Symphony, Serenity and the brand name and web site. 

Just did- had been avoiding it for quite some time as it began to feel like a wake.  

[Mark_T]

1 hour ago, cangelmd said:

I don’t know exactly what Mark_T is exactly talking about, the only time I got escorted anywhere in a suite was embark and disembark.

Unless something has changed post-Covid, as a Retreat guest, you do not need to go to the Theatre to collect excursion tickets, you just go to the Retreat.

 

The Host will collect your tickets for you and then at the right moment, escort you, and others waiting in the lounge down to the security point, past any lines that may be waiting so you can immediately disembark.

 

Felt a little awkward at times, but certainly made it a much easier process.  

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 hour ago, 5waldos said:

"That said you seem to be very concerned about all sorts of things so who knows."

 

Not really- to some degree I was trolling. And a bit set off by a couple of posts I read elsewhere which did strike me as being rather snarky- all but saying of course plebians shouldn't expect. etc etc. 

 

I get it. Heck, I've even seen some that make it seem like I'll be second class by being in a Sky Suite. I'm just going to have fun and live my best life in that Sky Suite in February!

[canderson]

47 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

Been sailing with X for 30 years and never understood why suite passengers are willing to pay 3x - 5x the price of my verandah for basically the same cruise experience.  Remember that suites only make up about 15% of cabins so non-suite passengers have  a lot of company.

I'd agree that the overall experience is similar in many ways, but you need to keep several things in mind. 

 

First, depending upon the class of suite you book, the differences become more pronounced.  No point in expounding on those yet again and generating yet more noise, but upper suites are generally provided a different experience, even to those booking Sky Suites.  Our first experience with that was a bit surreal, but we've grown accustomed to it now.  If you walk into the MDR for the first time on an at-sea day in the middle of a 15 night cruise for a bite of lunch, and the Maitre d' addresses you by name, it's a big freaky, and you begin to suspect that there's more going on behind the scenes than you might have first thought.  Some, but not all, X ships seem to be very much on top of the service effort for their suite guests.

 

Cabin experience vs. value is also impacted for many by the length and type of cruise.  I will say that I would consider the value of an upper suite for a short, port-intensive cruise to be less than for a longer trans-Atlantic with a lot of at-sea days.

 

As a second answer to your question, I would point out that some people will fly first class when they could buy 10 coach tickets.  Here, like on a cruise, the scenery is pretty much the same from 38,000 feet.  The differences are in the accommodations during the voyage, in particular, the seats (which have become truly extraordinary over the years) and meals (which generally have not!)

 

The understanding comes when it comes down to any individuals willingness and ability to pay for a particular service.  Both an upper suite and a 1st class airline seat DO have benefits vs. an ocean view cabin or a coach seat.  I would certainly agree that the cost of either airline cabin class or shipboard cabin class is definitely not proportional to the services offered, but would insist that some are in a position to ignore that in favor of whatever creature comforts are within their means.  No, not everyone is in a position to think that way, but some can -- and do.

 

 

 

[TMLAalum]

Never felt like a less than worthy cruiser for not booking a suite on any of the 14  Celebrity cruises we’ve not sailed in one!

[goofysmom99]

Heck, I'm eligible to board with suites, sit in the reserved seating at the shows, and do receive lots of swell extra perks.  Do I use them?  Mostly no.  The flowers are nice.  I choose standard balcony cabins or above based on location, size of balcony, and always price.  Never book suites anymore due to bathtub issues.  And most crewmembers address me by name (they have pictures of us - think WW2 plane spotters).  When I was booking suites after the restart, I went to the Retreat maybe twice in seven cruises (Summit).  Didn't make me feel extra special.  I just love cruising in any cabin = having someone cook and bring me food, wash the dishes, and clean my room!  It makes me happy just thinking of that, especially right this minute since I need to go find something to nuke for supper.  Sigh.

[Dolebludger]

There are reasons why we like suites in the Retreat. We like the express line treatment — we hate lines, We enjoy the Luminae, and never met a MDR we liked. We like Michaels Club/Retreat lounge for a nice, quiet place on a crowded ship. Most of all, we like included drinks.But wait — now I can have those in a veranda room. So when the mess with unreliable air and under-staffed ships is over, I may “do the math” again.

[5waldos]

  “I just love cruising in any cabin = having someone cook and bring me food, wash the dishes, and clean my room!  It makes me happy just thinking of that, especially right this minute since I need to go find something to nuke for supper.  Sigh.“

 

😉

[Guppy99]

Unless someone tells you the class cabin they are in, you will likely never even know. 

[Jeremiah1212]

You won't notice a difference until you jump from non-suite to suite and start missing the little things. But those are things you may miss, not anyone else. No one in Luminae will laugh at you for entering the MDR (or maybe they will?)

 

4 hours ago, zitsky said:

Why, I used to cruise on Viking, which is a super elite, high end cruise line that not many people can afford.  

 

Careful. You may start a fight calling Viking high end. 

[GottaKnowWhen]

Book an interior cabin, you have a limited view. Pay more, get an Oceanview. Pay more, get a veranda. Pay more, get a veranda in a “better” location. Pay more, you get Concierge cabin on a higher deck, a bottle of champagne, and an extended room service menu. All of these mentioned eat in the main dining room, can choose a set time or Anytime. Pay more, get Aqua class, higher deck, up under the pool deck overhang. Your own better (?) restaurant, access to some sort of spa if you are into that sort of thing. Pay more, you get increasingly  “better” larger suites with more room and another “better” restaurant to dine in. Within each category, there are 2 or 3 prices depending on location.
The room key cards are color coded. Some wear theirs on lanyards so people can admire their status, but that is rare.

In short, you pays your money and you takes your choices. In the end, really these are minor differences in experience and amenities, just enough to allow Celebrity to charge on a scale from “low” to “high”.

Stan

[the_dylaness]

We have a decent # of Celebrity cruises under our belt, and only twice have we been in a suite. Never overall felt that being in a "regular" balcony (which should be the same as OV or interior) presented any downgrades other than really the access to Luminae, Michael's Club etc. We just disembarked Reflection on June 13th in a balcony cabin and had a perfectly lovely time, I hope you will too.

[DCPIV]

4 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

Heck, I'm eligible to board with suites, sit in the reserved seating at the shows, and do receive lots of swell extra perks.  Do I use them?  Mostly no.  The flowers are nice.  I choose standard balcony cabins or above based on location, size of balcony, and always price.  Never book suites anymore due to bathtub issues.  And most crewmembers address me by name (they have pictures of us - think WW2 plane spotters).  When I was booking suites after the restart, I went to the Retreat maybe twice in seven cruises (Summit).  Didn't make me feel extra special.  I just love cruising in any cabin = having someone cook and bring me food, wash the dishes, and clean my room!  It makes me happy just thinking of that, especially right this minute since I need to go find something to nuke for supper.  Sigh.

 

I'm very glad you booked one of those Summit suites. We may not have met otherwise! 

Edited June 30, 2022 by DCPIV

[jagoffee]

8 hours ago, 5waldos said:

Silversea Excursions and Crystal River, mostly. Of course, sadly, Crystal is no more. 

I have not been on either line, so I cannot compare if passengers with a lot of cruises or in a higher category of cabin are treated differently.  You will be treated very well.

Edited June 30, 2022 by jagoffee

[Lbicklel]

I just sailed on Celebrity for the first time on the equinox in May.  I did not notice this at all. One thing I actually appreciated about the ship was that you even didn’t really see any of the limited areas.  It felt like you had to go looking for them so it’s not like those areas were in your face all the time. And I did not come across a single other passenger that I would’ve had any clue what class state room they were in.

[mfs2k]

In a class society a second class citizen can’t pay to be first class. They are what they are. 
On a cruise ship anybody  can buy the perks which come with a suite. The perks are the value-added benefits which the cruise line includes so people like you and me will be induced into spending 2-3 times what others are paying for to get a few extra square feet in your cabin. 

The beauty of the program is if you want a bigger cabin and more perks and access to special spaces, you can pay for it. You don’t have to be jealous others are getting something you are not. You can have it too if you want it. 

[emmas gran]

Our first cruise 1991 we were inside mid ship probably below the waterline , as we got older we upped to outside then balconies it is only the last 8/10 years we have been in suites.

If travelling with friends we cruise in the type they want!

[chemmo]

21 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

Celebrity is merely trying to provide guests with options. You can book Celebrity for little more than booking Carnival and have a much better cruise on a budget. Or you can book a Retreat suite and get an experience equal to the lux lines for less money — and everything in between. Some cruise lines are one size fits all, but Celebrity isn’t.

I think this is a great explanation of what Celebrity and many other lines try to offer.
 

For many guests their room is a place to sleep, their cruise is about itinerary and enjoying the full ship. They will book the cheapest room possible and enjoy because their room is not important to them. 
 

At the other end of the scale are those who want to cruise in a bigger room and are willing to pay more for an upgraded service. They will enjoy their cruise because they appreciate the bigger room and the upgraded service.

 

In between are the many who don’t feel the need for the suite perks but want to enjoy a bit more luxury like a balcony instead of an inside cabin…

 

I can’t see anything ‘classist’ it is just about being able to choose what is important to you.

21 hours ago, 5waldos said:

Have not sailed on Celebrity before and looking forward to our Alaska cruise in late July. But am a bit concerned about seems like quite a focus on what cabin class one has booked. Special places onboard, special treats, special this and that and the other thing. I do understand that there is a rather huge difference in the price paid for different levels of cabins but I am not entirely comfortable with what seems like a real classist experience. Is this something that we will experience onboard? In line waiting for something will "upper suite" passengers be pushed to the head of the line, for example? My recent sailing history has been on the luxury lines where cabin choice didn't really make much of an impact on the onboard experience- and I worry that it might on Celebrity. 

 

Am I going to feel like a second class passenger? Or am I just reading too many posts which highlight these 

 

If you board focusing on the experience you have booked (a quality line with an excellent reputation) you will have a great time. If you board constantly comparing your cruise to that previously experienced on a luxury line you may find certain aspects are different and may indeed fall short of your luxury line past cruises. However, you may find those shortcomings are more than compensated for by the other strengths of the ship…More choices of bars, restaurants and entertainment for a start…

 

If you board thinking ‘suite guests get more than we do’ you will be correct. They do, they have chosen to  pay a premium for a few extras…

 

Will you feel like a second class citizen? Why should you? You will get excellent service and access to a wonderful ship. The only things you will not access are those you have not opted into by not booking a suite. 
 

We do generally book suites because we do like a bigger room and we do enjoy spending time in it. However, we spend only limited time in the ‘suite’ areas….We love the variety a bigger ship has to offer, the variety of bars, restaurants and entertainment but we do have the choice to retire to the more club like ambiance the suite areas offer if we want. There have been many posts where comments have been made that for the price of a higher suite on Celebrity you could cruise on a ‘real luxury line’…Many Celebrity suite cruisers don’t want that…They want a lovely ship to explore with that Celebrity ambiance of not too lively but not too quiet  but with a few extra perks that they enjoy and are willing to pay a bit more for…

Edited June 30, 2022 by chemmo

[Orator]

The “ship within a ship “ is alive and well on Celebrity. It’s also alive and well on their competitors. The industry is copycat. One line starts and most copy if it working. 

[sunlover33]

We book aft cabins. I don’t care what level of aft it is as long as it’s aft. On our cruise in 2 weeks we have an aft sky suite. Our next cruise we have an aft balcony cabin. We have had great aft concierge cabins and had an aft aqua cancelled. Whatever level you decide Celebrity is a great cruise line and I’m sure  you will enjoy it. There sometimes appears to be a snobbish element on here, but remember anyone can post they have cruised only Penthouse suites when they really cruise in inside cabins. Really no one cares. Buy the perks that appeal to you and don’t worry what everyone else is doing. Enjoy x