Sky Lounge Hijacked

[goofysmom99]

52 minutes ago, markeb said:

It's really not a good conspiracy theory.

No conspiracy theory, rather an explanation why she's tone deaf.  In 30 years sailing X, I've never seen the Sky Lounge closed daily for this type of cruise.  Ever.  We aren't talking milk run Caribbean/Alaska cruises.  The complaints are for long, expensive northern cruises with numerous sea days and/or lots of scenery.  Unacceptable.  

[Honolulu Blue]

4 hours ago, WatchHill said:

We are booked on Iceland, Greenland, Canada Boston in August 2025 and not too happy when I learned that PW will be taking over the Sky Lounge!

I'm surprised they told you about PW's planned presence 10 months in advance.  Or am I misinterpreting things? 🤔

[WatchHill]

3 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

I'm surprised they told you about PW's planned presence 10 months in advance.  Or am I misinterpreting things? 🤔

Celebrity never inform anyone, doubt they ever would.  However, one person who is on the message board for this cruise, let all of us know he  was getting a comp hotel stay in Iceland among many other perks. Seems this particular cruise will involve lengthy Sky Lounge closures to accommodate PW - so much for scenic viewing of Prince Christian Sound! Personally, when PW takes over like this with comp'd cruises, etc., they should make it a charter. Had I known PW would impact  our trip like this, I would never have booked the cruise, air, hotel, and private tours.

 

Darcy

[hcat]

7 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

No conspiracy theory, rather an explanation why she's tone deaf.  In 30 years sailing X, I've never seen the Sky Lounge closed daily for this type of cruise.  Ever.  We aren't talking milk run Caribbean/Alaska cruises.  The complaints are for long, expensive northern cruises with numerous sea days and/or lots of scenery.  Unacceptable.  

Btw.. people pay alot for Carib and Alaska cruises too...and would like nice views and the big space !

 

.The  policy of renting out primo space for long blocks of prime time  without pre-disclosure is a sign of how poorly  mgmnt treats customers.  All about the dollars!

 

Someone said The Pres used to work for Park West??? If true, how cozy !

 

However, if people don't go to the auction events or stop buying the "art"..then bottom line would rule!  Sadly many cruise for PW events..not our cup of tea but someone's  

[RichYak]

8 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Plus, i think that passengers have a right to expect that the ship’s public areas will be open to all guests.

I disagree. There are no public areas on a Celebrity cruise ship. The entire ship is privately owned. Celebrity can do whatever they want with any venue at the risk of losing customers. It's all about risk/reward to them.

[Honolulu Blue]

51 minutes ago, WatchHill said:

Celebrity never inform anyone, doubt they ever would.  However, one person who is on the message board for this cruise, let all of us know he  was getting a comp hotel stay in Iceland among many other perks. Seems this particular cruise will involve lengthy Sky Lounge closures to accommodate PW - so much for scenic viewing of Prince Christian Sound! Personally, when PW takes over like this with comp'd cruises, etc., they should make it a charter. Had I known PW would impact  our trip like this, I would never have booked the cruise, air, hotel, and private tours.

Thanks for the clarification. Excellent detective work! (unless the poster happens to have a casino offer)

 

As for PW making this a full charter, I don't see the numbers working out for them. The cost of paying for 100 cabins, plus rent for the Sky Lounge, has to be much less than renting the entire ship for a week or whatever time they need. 

[Turtles06]

30 minutes ago, RichYak said:

I disagree. There are no public areas on a Celebrity cruise ship. The entire ship is privately owned.

 

C’mon Rich, not only are you smart enough to know what I meant here by the word “public,” but in fact Celebrity itself specifically calls the Sky Lounge a “public area.”  See, e.g., this part of the Deck Plan for the Eclipse, on Celebrity’s own website:

 

 

Edited Saturday at 01:24 PM by Turtles06

[RichYak]

2 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

C’mon Rich, not only are you smart enough to know what I meant here by the word “public,” but in fact Celebrity itself specifically calls the Sky Lounge a “public area”  See, e.g., this part of the Deck Plan for the Eclipse, on Celebrity’s own website:

And you're smart enough to know that my disagreement wasn't about semantics. You left out the remainder of my comment in what you quoted which was my main point. Passengers have no "right to expect" access to all venues on the ship. Celebrity can and will sell access to whatever they want.

[markeb]

8 hours ago, goofysmom99 said:

No conspiracy theory, rather an explanation why she's tone deaf.  In 30 years sailing X, I've never seen the Sky Lounge closed daily for this type of cruise.  Ever.  We aren't talking milk run Caribbean/Alaska cruises.  The complaints are for long, expensive northern cruises with numerous sea days and/or lots of scenery.  Unacceptable.  

 

Again, the PW contracts are clearly with Royal Caribbean Group. She's an executor of policy from the Board and RCG. RCG seems to believe it needs to generate income however it can. We'll see what their 10-Q says for the last quarter. Maybe they really do.

[Charles4515]

40 minutes ago, RichYak said:

And you're smart enough to know that my disagreement wasn't about semantics. You left out the remainder of my comment in what you quoted which was my main point. Passengers have no "right to expect" access to all venues on the ship. Celebrity can and will sell access to whatever they want.

They can do what they want but we have a choice of booking other cruise lines. Also there is no reason they have to use the Sky Lounge for  this particular private event. It is just plain wrong. It is bad customer relations. Another reason on a growing list of reasons for me to choose another cruise line over Celebrity. 

[RichYak]

4 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

They can do what they want but we have a choice of booking other cruise lines.

Agreed 100%

 

4 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

there is no reason they have to use the Sky Lounge for  this particular private event.

I've not sailed on S-class. Is there another venue (probably requiring a bar) that can comfortably hold 100+ guests and all the art on display for multiple hours per day?

 

4 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

It is bad customer relations...

...but good for top line revenue. Same as raising prices. It's a balancing act. Businesses weigh these decisions all the time.

[Georgia_Peaches]

14 minutes ago, RichYak said:

I've not sailed on S-class. Is there another venue (probably requiring a bar) that can comfortably hold 100+ guests and all the art on display for multiple hours per day?

In the past they have done this in the area next to the World Class Bar.  It's kind of dead space that dead ends into a wall with elevators on the other side...and the entrance to the theater.  PW has displayed art along that particular corridor and on auction days, set up seating in the open space.  Seems like it would be large enough but not as private as anyone can stroll by on their way to that end of the ship.

[mnocket]

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

Passengers have no "right to expect" access to all venues on the ship

Isn't that a bit like saying, "guests at a tropical resort have right to expect access to the pool area"?

[markeb]

7 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

In the past they have done this in the area next to the World Class Bar.  It's kind of dead space that dead ends into a wall with elevators on the other side...and the entrance to the theater.  PW has displayed art along that particular corridor and on auction days, set up seating in the open space.  Seems like it would be large enough but not as private as anyone can stroll by on their way to that end of the ship.

 

That's the area they use for their normal display/sales/auctions. This is apparently something different for VIP guests of Park West. 

 

Last I looked there were similar threads on the Royal Caribbean board, and probably others. One of the Royal Caribbean threads referred to them as Park West VIP Cruises. Haven't seen that terminology on the Celebrity board. Not curious enough to check Princess, HAL, or NCL boards but I suspect we'll find the same thing there as well.

[hcat]

1 hour ago, RichYak said:

And you're smart enough to know that my disagreement wasn't about semantics. You left out the remainder of my comment in what you quoted which was my main point. Passengers have no "right to expect" access to all venues on the ship. Celebrity can and will sell access to whatever they want.

if a,hotel is undergoing renovations and certain areas are not open..like pool ,gym or restaurant.. they usually  let folks know,  and offer a discount for the inconvenience/ loss of amenities

[RichYak]

17 minutes ago, mnocket said:

Isn't that a bit like saying, "guests at a tropical resort have right to expect access to the pool area"?

If you're saying that it's like a resort that has 5 or 6 different pools closing one of them for a private event, then yes, it is the same concept. Guests will be annoyed, but they have alternative pools to swim in.

[mnocket]

1 minute ago, RichYak said:

If you're saying that it's like a resort that has 5 or 6 different pools closing one of them for a private event, then yes, it is the same concept. Guests will be annoyed, but they have alternative pools to swim in.

Oh, I wasn't aware that there are multiple forward-facing lounges on the Eclipse.  I stand corrected. 

[RichYak]

8 minutes ago, mnocket said:

Oh, I wasn't aware that there are multiple forward-facing lounges on the Eclipse.  I stand corrected. 

There are many alternative lounges on Eclipse. The fact that it's the forward-facing one makes it particularly annoying to people and deserving of complaints. I get that. But by no means have anyone's rights been infringed upon, which is what some are suggesting.

 

Celebrity can and often does close venues for private events. Sail on their ships or don't sail on their ships. It's entirely up to you. If enough people don't, and cite this as a reason, the behavior will change.

Edited Saturday at 03:29 PM by RichYak

[RichYak]

48 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

In the past they have done this in the area next to the World Class Bar.  It's kind of dead space that dead ends into a wall with elevators on the other side...and the entrance to the theater.  PW has displayed art along that particular corridor and on auction days, set up seating in the open space.  Seems like it would be large enough but not as private as anyone can stroll by on their way to that end of the ship.

Well that would be the dealbreaker as it's a private auction for Park West guests only.

[NMTraveller]

I find it amazing at what the cruise lines will do as justified by the cruise contract.  Apparently they don't have enough ships built to deal with demand (now) and are able to reduce the experience and still fill their ships.  

[PRH]

2 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

They can do what they want but we have a choice of booking other cruise lines. Also there is no reason they have to use the Sky Lounge for  this particular private event. It is just plain wrong. It is bad customer relations. Another reason on a growing list of reasons for me to choose another cruise line over Celebrity. 

Try Viking Ocean.  No art scams, no casino, no kids.  Many quiet spaces to find on sea days and lots of activities too.

[NMTraveller]

3 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

They can do what they want but we have a choice of booking other cruise lines. Also there is no reason they have to use the Sky Lounge for  this particular private event. It is just plain wrong. It is bad customer relations. Another reason on a growing list of reasons for me to choose another cruise line over Celebrity. 

The choices of other cruise lines has gotten smaller.  Celebrity appears to be one of a few mass market lines left that does not allow vaping in the staterooms.  I just cancelled a Princess cruise for that reason...

Edited Saturday at 05:28 PM by NMTraveller

[awhcruiser]

Is it just me or why is this such a big deal to some people?  

[goofysmom99]

8 minutes ago, awhcruiser said:

Is it just me or why is this such a big deal to some people?  

I definitely wouldn't care on a Caribbean cruise, but if it's a North Atlantic cruise that costs $8000 for an inside (for 2 w/AI), it IS a big deal.

Edited Saturday at 05:44 PM by goofysmom99

[rmalbers]

2 hours ago, PRH said:

Try Viking Ocean.  No art scams, no casino, no kids.  Many quiet spaces to find on sea days and lots of activities too.

I swear ever person I talked to about cruises on my Viking Ocean cruise last month used to sail on X.