the penguins

2 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

Indeed, but I'd consider this as a brief glimpse behind the curtain, rather than catching up...

 

Would be great if it lasted, but it will revert to the 'same day of booking price match' soon enough.

hopefully not - once the genie is out of the bottle it's hard to put it back. This benefit is one reason why a lot of UK passengers chose to book with a USA agent.

1 hour ago, Mark_T said:

Same experience here, no phone queue at all which was quite a surprise.

Cancelled and rebooked a couple of things to recycle the OBC into a credit card refund.

 

Very easy, but I guess we shouldn't get used to this as this sort of price protection isn't going to go on forever sadly.

it's been the norm in the USA (along with fully refundable deposits) for years - we are just catching up

4 hours ago, davekathy said:

Agree and know exactly what you mean. I can't speak for anyone else, but I've spent a lot of money to reach Elite. Well aware of everything you've posted. I don't agree with all. IMO, AI isn't going to be around long. Have you voiced your concerns/complaints with the CC? The only component of the AI I don't like is the Wi-Fi. I only use maybe 15 minutes of our CC internet minutes and that's on the last day to print off our airline boarding passes. Before AI we always took the CBP when it was one of the four choice bundled perks. I like the AI CBP and gratuities.  

I sent the CC a detailed breakdown of the rises /reduced benefits before our cruise on 6 August and the Captains Club host sent them another copy from the ship. Within 2 hours the host received a reply saying the CC would call me when I got home. The CC called me and we discussed every point I had raised for over an hour. The call was followed by a detailed response from the CC by email to which I have responded. The matter is now with senior managers/directors 

As goofysmom99 has pointed out today whilst she is happy to have 2 Internet packages I don't see how Celebrity can justify charging her for 2 drinks packages.

My solution/ suggestions are:

Always leave the tips in the basic price

Either

Continue with AI pricing but give everyone the right at the time of booking to have the drinks element changed to an OBC of the same value - this would help everyone who doesn't drink, and still give Celebrity the increased revenue

Or

Revert to the old system where you bought whatever package you want.

The debate will continue and in the meantime we will continue to cruise but, unless things change (one cancelled already) not with Celebrity.

58 minutes ago, davekathy said:

Two bags of laundry. Unless you meant 1 extra bag of laundry making two. 

Yes 1 extra. You can reach Elite without having spent $1 with Celebrity. To reach Elite + you have had to have done a lot of nights with the company. Before the implementation of the AI pricing that loyalty was rewarded with a number of very useful benefits over and above Elite level. Since AI that loyalty is rewarded with 1 extra bag of laundry. Zenith passenger's fare even worse as they have lost a completly free drinks package. Celebrity are increasingly aware of the problem ( I had an hours phone call from a CC representative in Wichita last week) but so far their attempts to remedy the situation - discount on dry cleaning, discount on various upgrades etc - have been nothing short of derisory. I have nothing against drink packages, Internet or any other packages. Like many other passengers we don't drink alcohol for medical reasons and the introduction of AI pricing has increased our costs by upto 80% for no benefit. Yes we could just stop cruising with Celebrity or we, and others like us , can continue a dialogue with the company in the belief that this pricing system will be reverersed. We do spend money in the Casino and in the shops and have introduced a number of our friends to the company. Celebrity has reversed course before most recently when they withdrew the in cabin movies/ sports only to reinstate them with an enhanced package due to the torrent of complaints. CC welcome everyone's views so for or against just make your views known to them.

2 hours ago, patty1955 said:

I let them know directly that I like the AI. I've always believed that basic drinks, wifi and gratuities should be included in our fare. 

With our Elite+ we enjoy the laundry, CC breakfast and debarkation lounge.

Breakfast, debarkation lounge and 1 bag of laundry are all Elite benefits. Your only extra benefit for Elite+ is now 1 bag of laundry. It was 240 minutes internet, free speciality teas/coffees and juices all of which you now pay for.

2 hours ago, upwarduk said:

I would added gratuities to their breakdown, as they are included in AI.

We used to think we did well if our fare worked out to £100 per day. On that premise, I think we did very well on our recent cruise 8 day cruise, but by booking 

 via Simply Sail, we could still get our drinks at Happy hour and have our 90 free minutes of internet. We would just then have to pay our gratuities at $15 per day.

I left the grats in the basic cruise price as you have to pay it. The allowance Celebrity is using  for tips when calculating the AI prices is £23.56 per cabin per day. The Simply Sail operation is now only available for Guarantee Cabins and on a very limited number of cruises. When you factor in the tips the reduction is as little as £10 per person per day a fraction of the £70 a day that they increased the price by.

3 minutes ago, verizon said:

This AI thing doesn't benefit to any member belongs to Captain Club.

Celebrity created the Captain club because they know it is important to their business to be loyal and keep coming back.

I really don't know what they are thinking to run a business without loyal customers.

Hopefully you have told them that direct

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

I was referring to the affects of AI on the prices especially for Elite + and above who don't drink. Although I used the word complaint she used comment. She also said she knew more people were unhappy about the AI pricing but unless they told her specifically she couldn't report it. 

and finally since our return Celebrity has inadvertantly sent me a breakdown which shows cost of including the drinks and wifi under the AI system has added £140 per cabin per day to the average cost. Now for some passengers £70  a day for drinks and wifi will be a good deal. For Elite+ and above who don't drink alcohol and don't need unlimited wifi it is just an extra cost with no benefit. If you are in the former group fantastic. If you are in the latter then now is the time to inform Celebrity of your concerns.

4 hours ago, upwarduk said:

Really, I hope I wasn’t one of them, although I did mention to Ingrid that we thought it a shame that the camaraderie was missing from the Sky Lounge 5-7pm.

She did tell us that the Happy Hour menu does have some premium drinks included, which I didn’t know. She also mentioned that all bars have C.C menus behind the bar. Thanks to cublet for the attached menu, as it was taken away before I could take a photo. I didn’t see it on the app.

So glad that we didn’t upgrade to premium.

I was referring to the affects of AI on the prices especially for Elite + and above who don't drink. Although I used the word complaint she used comment. She also said she knew more people were unhappy about the AI pricing but unless they told her specifically she couldn't report it. 

8 hours ago, jg51 said:

.

You are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, "davekathy," but, unfortunately, it appears that no one understood or agreed with you.  That is why we are chiming in.

 

For at least a year (leading up to the virus crisis), Celebrity got rid of the three-ticket silliness and simply opened wide the Captain's Club Cocktail Hour [CCCH] to ALL bars.  By doing this, they allowed all the Elites/Elite-Pluses that loved to spend the CCCH in the Sky Lounge to keep up that old "tradition" -- BUT they allowed all other elites to obtain drinks elsewhere (e.g., by the casino, at the Ensemble/Passport Bars, etc.). 

 

It worked perfectly -- for at least a year -- but then it was utterly ruined by the advent of "Always Included," which "shredded" the E/E+ CCCH benefit.

.

You are correct about the benefits being "shredded" in reality the only real benefit of reaching  Elite+ is now 1 extra bag of laundry. Now the "hard sell" X are aware of the problems created by AI and the impact it is having on Elite and above and especially those who don't drink alcohol. The system is under review make your views known to the CC now. Also when you next cruise make your views known to the CC host on board - on our recent cruise the Host had so many complaints she was having to forward them to Miami every day rather than just at the end of the cruise.

11 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

It is that personal touch that makes all the difference. I love it when you head to a bar and they are already pouring your drink. I obviously have a lot in common with your wife...On a Caribbean cruise just before the world went mad we invariably headed for a drink in the sunset bar after dinner and after the first two nights were greeted by the bar man saying “Mr Heineken and Mrs I can’t make my mind up....”.

It's also what's impossible to explain to someone who has never cruised. We have a running joke/story that started in Sydney in 2013 with a girl who was then a member of the entertainment team. She then moved to onboard cruise sales and our paths last crossed in October 2019. On that day as the newest member of the team on Silhouette she had to introduce by telling a story about herself on a ship and she had just finished when we walked in. Sorry the story is too rude to post but on the 2019 sailing we did get around 20 different passengers to sing "we all live in a yellow submarine" as they entered the Future Cruises area. The staff there were in hysterics because whilst they knew the whole story most of the passengers singing didn't. Happy memories.

4 minutes ago, mrsgoggins said:

That’s interesting.  The figures were given to me by the table allocation person in the MDR who, on being given our room number replied ‘I think you were in the same room a few weeks ago.’  We were!  How do they do that? 😀

In March 2019 we cruised Celebrity around S America  on Eclipse. As we left we told Olesia in Al Bacio we would see her on Silhouette TA in October. We boarded in Southampton and went straight to Al Bacio. As we sat down Olesia brought me an extra hot skinny latte and apologised to Anita by saying " I couldn't bring yours because you change your drinks and I didn't know if you would want a latte, English breakfast tea or a weak chocolate". It completely freaked out my brother and sister in law who were on their first cruise.

1 minute ago, upwarduk said:

I was told on 06/08/21 sailing that there weren’t sufficient crew, for the number of passengers. Our waiters were run off their feet. 

We were on the same cruise and spoke to the supervisor of Any Time Dining who said the problem wasn't the numbers but the spacing of the tables. She drafted in a few "extras" from Sushi etc after which the speed improved. Regrettably not being able to share tables means you notice the delays more as normally the conversation around the table distracts you. Must be worse for Solo passengers. The 'non sharing" is rigidly enforced - you can only share with people on your own reservation or with whom your bookings were linked before boarding. No tables of 10 or more - larger groups are split but they can move between their allocated tables on different days.

1 hour ago, alpha whiskey said:

Does anyone know how much the 'reduced capacity' is for the rest of the seacations? Just back from a Princess seacation and it was around 40%, give or take.

Should be about the same because they can't increase the crew - around 1300 passengers.

1 hour ago, ORV said:

Exactly where were these Celebrity Club lounges located? I'm Elite, and have been for years, and have yet to see one. 

Sky Lounge  most afternoons from 5.0

P to 7.0 pm

On 8/20/2021 at 5:08 PM, Jim_Iain said:

 

It would be helpful if Celebrity was consistent.    The confusion is caused by Celebrity not being consistent in their messaging.    Even though they updated their FAQ to say 3 days instead of 72 hours I received this yesterday  ---   You will notice they still say 72 hours from embarkation ..... 

 

The major change is that children over 2 must be tested prior to arrival.

 

ll guests over the age of two, regardless of vaccination status, will now be required to present a negative COVID-19 test result at the time of embarkation. This test may be taken as either a PCR test or an Antigen test, conducted within 72 hours of embarkation. Each guest is responsible for making their own arrangements with an accredited testing provider as well as all associated costs.

In the UK  after the same confusion Celebrity clarified this some weeks ago and  put simply they are working in days. For example if a cruise leaves on a Saturday you need to take the test  any time on the Wednesday or Thursday of the same week. Most passengers opt for the earlier date just to be safe.

54 minutes ago, rachiem said:

Great, thank you. Someone mentioned that the restrictions were with the site capacity but it looks well spread out 🙂

 

Timed tickets for all visitors. We had a private guide and she prebooked for 12.30 we left the ship at 10.00. Cafe not open inside but the ladies were serving teas,lattes etc outside from a mobile kitchen. A couple of tables but it was very windy so we sheltered against the wall behind the toilet block - was better than it sounds

59 minutes ago, scottie920 said:

For those using EUROFINS for their pre cruise PCR test. How quickly did you get the results and how easy was it to access them. Thank you in anticipation. 

Very easy and the results go direct to Celebrity as well. We had the test Tuesday at Stanstead,  were quoted 48 hours but had them late Wednesday. If the results don't arrive just go to Southampton at your check-in time - if Celebrity don't have them they have facilities for a rapid test (30 minutes). 

6 hours ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

I don’t know about US cruises but on Med cruises most staff get off if opportunity allows.

You see staff heading for the shops,,,,follow them then know the cheapest ones,,even the officers.

I never carry $ but do carry Euros and £ and tip with those.

The staff use them to buy packs of bottled water,,toiletries and even packets of buscuits.

 

At the end of the day staff will accept any currency.

Ps,,I found all shops in Dubrovnik accept Euros,,the buses only take Local currency.

Taxi drivers would rather take £,$,€ than their own currency.

In the US a lot of supermarkets (Walmart for example) provide free shuttles for the crew to and from the store.

On 8/21/2021 at 3:33 PM, cangelmd said:

Don’t feel lectured at! Yours was a good question, just said to DH, hey, just read a great question a d answers on CC - not what do I eat in Luminae or when do I go to the pier - please don’t get offended.

The different answers, long and short, give different perspectives to those reading them. It’s a good thread!

In addition if we have odd money in a currency we are unlikely to use again we also give that as a "bonus" to our cabin Steward or coffee girl in Al bacio. The ship will convert anything for the crew.

On 8/20/2021 at 3:21 PM, Gatordad1967 said:

forgot to mention, it is the $300 pp for booking the Edge next month.  I guess we could bet $300 on red and $300 on black, and hope that green doesn't hit.  With my luck it would.

 

Sorry you can't bet promotional chips on the outside I.e. red/black, odds/evens etc. 

22 hours ago, laslomas said:

Chic nights are usually on sea days. They always have been on my cruises. I was pleased to see a good few dressing up on my 3rd July cruise. Definitely not as dressy as in the past, which I really miss - but still being followed by many.

Usually but it doesn't work on the 8 and 9 night ones around the UK as 2 of the sea days are the first and last nights.

23 hours ago, DazandHen said:

 

We will be dressing up! New dresses all packed ready 🙂

Hi Hen, Of course you will and Daz will put our non dressing husband's to shame in his very smart uniform. The boss (Anita). PS we have booked again for 18 September.

17 hours ago, baggal said:

We are looking to book Hawaii to Vancouver on the Eclipse in May 2023.  We are considering  a verandah cabin. Besides cost,  is there any advantage and/or disadvantage to taking one of the cabins with an "angled" verandah?

 

Thanks.

For us no contest. Deck 7 (7161) agled balcony, rear facing, bed next to the window I.e. furthest from the wardrobes. Close to forward elevator. Easy to get out of the wind. We sit on ours an average of 3 to 4 hours a day even on transatlantics when most passengers can't go out. Aqua is a non starter for us, much to high and too near the front - also we like to share at dinner so always go Select Dining. 

8 hours ago, Rob1966 said:

Can someone who has recently cruised on the 7 night staycation form Southampton to Liverpool/Belfast, let me know which nights the Chic nights were please?

 

thanks

 

Rob

 

Celebrity doesn't work to a set pattern, just not the first and last. As fewer and fewer passengers really dress up it has become more and more of a non event. On 6 August sailing very few long dresses , even fewer DJ's. Some men in suits and jackets most just shirts.