Is concierge worth paying for?

[puente0629]

Hi everyone,

 

We are hoping to go on our first Celebrity cruise in April on the Eclipse and we are debating about getting a concierge stateroom? Are the perks really worth it?

[caripoo]

We have only had one CC and it was booked because our normal sky suites were unavailable. We are Elite, so were were not in it for the perks. Then I would have definetly said no. The rooms were smaller than the sky suites, the canapes are not good and so on. But we have booked one on the Infinity for Alaska in August because it was only 26 dollars pp more than the regular balcony and the room is bigger, so this time the mere size of the room makes it WAY worth it!!:D:D

[Dick in Falls Church]

Our family has a split opinion. I say it is not worth it. My wife says it is.

We usually book concierge.

[Tucker in Texas]

Our family has a split opinion. I say it is not worth it. My wife says it is.

We usually book concierge.

 

You sound like my husband! We upgraded to a concierge cabin because it was only $9 pp more than the balcony we had. I'm showing husband the long list of perks we get. I'm liking the upgraded sheets, towels, sparkling wine, canapes, fruit basket, flowers, etc. He looks it over and says "great, a free shoe shine!"

 

Tucker in Texas

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

I think it's worth it on the M class ships because you get a bigger cabin. Don't think it's worth it on S class because all the cabins are the same size.

The other thing to consider is that if you're interested in moving up to the Elite level in the Captain's Club, you'll get an extra point for each cruise in CC, so you'll get there faster.

[Kutty1101]

You sound like my husband! We upgraded to a concierge cabin because it was only $9 pp more than the balcony we had. I'm showing husband the long list of perks we get. I'm liking the upgraded sheets, towels, sparkling wine, canapes, fruit basket, flowers, etc. He looks it over and says "great, a free shoe shine!"

 

Tucker in Texas

 

Wasn't for us. Towels were plush and nice, but they would only give us 2 per stateroom and we had 4 people. When we asked for more, they brought the regular ones. Champagne was nice but sitting in a lukewarm chiller when we arrived at 2 pm. We filled out the card for canapes each day, but only got them 1/2 the time and never at the ordered time. There was no fruit basket, but we did get a banana, apple, and orange on a plate. The "flowers" are one rose in the bathroom and one small lily on the desk. Sure the shoe shine is free, but you tip and my husband says it's not really a complimetary service.

 

If we would have gotten CC for a lesser fee, maybe it'd be worth it....but we paid over $200 a person more x 4 for the upgrade.

[Ocean Dancer]

:pno

[Project_gal]

Our first ever cruise was in CC on a M-class ship. We were extremely disappointed with the "perks" and found the room far too small. As they are larger than a normal M-class balcony, we expected them to feel spacious. Ever since then, we have chosen suites. Perhaps we were unlucky with the "perks" but if we ever had to downsize, I doubt that we would bother with CC.

 

Sue

[astrocat]

Have cruised Celebrity twice .. both CC .. once on Summit and once on Equinox. First time with two people, second with three in the cabin. Loved it both times, great cabins, great service and we enjoyed the perks very much. Going CC again on Connie in September .... I am the DW but DH agrees with me that its well worth it ... dont you?? :D:D:D

[Elusive_Cruiser]

Depends on how much extra you pay. I've seen price differences of anywhere from $5 to $200. We paid $50/pp. The perks are a nice touch. Especially enjoyed the pillow menu and having fresh fruit at my fingertips. Also, the room service menu is much better, so if you are inclined to order breakfast in your cabin, that is a big plus.

 

For us, $50 extra per person was worth it, but I don't think we would have paid $200/pp.

[Suncoast Gal]

Just wanted to throw my 2cents in..DH and I love AQ b/c of Blu..but..our recent AQ on Solstice was very disappointing. 2nd time on Solstice in the Carib and not really liking the perks we never got and asked about. First time out on her it was new and she had quirks in MDR. Never had a problem in Europe. Excellent all the way around on Eclipse. Love the Solstice class ships though. Done CC and the $$ difference can be a lot or a little. Doing CC on Century in May so we'll see. I would do AQ before CC if the price is right but don't think it will be on Solstice again:eek:

[We're The Groupnors]

Concierge Class is worth it for us, mostly for the cabin locations (we choose the cabin first and go with whatever class it's in, which is usually CC), and the expanded breakfast room service menu. We also enjoy the flowers, canapes, fruit, and sparkling wine, but these are not deal breakers for us.

[jackdiamond]

Wed always booked CC-1 on the M class (i.e. when it became available), but now our preference is AQ on the Equinox. Of course, CC-1, produced the much larger balconies, as does AQ on the hump.

[phoenix_dream]

This topic has been debated time and again on these boards and the opinions are always mixed. Many folks say they have a price cut-off point at which they would choose CC. I agree. Our price cut-off is in the neighborhood of $100 per cabin. I just don't find the perks all that great, although it is nice to get a little bit more space on M class. My price cut-off is not exact as it also depends on the location of the other room(s) I am comparing. I would pay a bit more for a centrally located CC. I would NOT pay more just because a CC was on a higher floor. Never understood why higher floors =higher prices. As long as you are near an elevator I personally don't see the benefit (and in fact lower floors have less motion)

[gentlemancruiser]

I've heard much on these board about CC's not getting all of the CC perks. Do you really get priority embarkation/disembarkation or tenders???? How about the dining room reservations?

We are really hoping for a table for two at the late seating and priority disembarkation because of an early flight.

[Kellie Poodle]

I'm booked on the Hawaii cruise from San Diego on April 20, 2012.

 

On Century as an Elite member won't I get the little snacks and drinks in Michael's Club? Doesn't Elite come with priority boarding and disembarking?

 

The CC cabins on Century are not bigger. One level of CC is actually cheaper than I'm paying for a non-CC cabin but location is important to me.

 

I could upgrade to a CC in a similar location for not a lot of money, but I don't think I'm missing anything by not. Right now I have cabin 8129 which is close to the elevator, has only cabins above it and is just about dead mid-ship and not too high in case the Pacific gets rocky. It's on the port side as that's the side that will be facing the shore when we cruise around the islands.

 

Tell me if I'm wrong, please. It will be my first sailing on X. I got to Elite via RCI

[Lsimon]

We almost always book a CC room, but haven't sailed much on the S class ships. We've picked CC rooms on other ships mostly due to location and room size. The cc rooms on M class are larger and have a little more storage, not much larger but just enough to make a difference.

 

The amenities are all nice but not worth a lot. The canapes are just OK (other snacks are available to everyone from room service or at afternoon tea in the buffet), the sparking wine is a nice touch but available from room service for around $30, the binoculars are toy-like, most rooms come with umbrellas. Likewise you can get a much nicer flower bouquet on board for $30 to $60. We've gotten feather pillows in any cabin type on request. The breakfast menu has a couple unusual CC only sections including smoothies and the other CC specials included in the top two sections on the menu (click here for a photo of one) but all standard cold and hot breakfast items are available in any cabin and can be written in on the order card if not listed (the usual omelets, eggs, meats, potatoes, bagels, pastries, etc). The upgraded linens and towels are nice but not a big deal and the standard ones are fine. The priority tendering helps a little but we're usually either on a group tour or wait until the lines calm down anyways and few ports require tendering. The priority embarkation and debarkation only make a small difference (I think) and so on.

 

The bottom line is that, other than cabin size and location, there isn't a huge difference with the CC cabins.

 

Bottom line advice for all room upgrade decisions: If the difference in price won't make much of a dent in your cruise budget nor impact what you'll have available to spend on other cruise pleasures then take the upgraded room. But if taking the nicer cabin means that you'll have to cut back on spending for beverages, spa, gifts or excursions then take the lessor room and use your budget on those other things to make your cruise special.

[Lsimon]

On Century as an Elite member won't I get the little snacks and drinks in Michael's Club? Doesn't Elite come with priority boarding and disembarking?...

 

This is all true. The elite lounge is usually in Micheal's club from 4 to 6, but sometimes held in other locations, offers hors devours and complimentary drinks (limited menu) on most, but not all, days. At other times Micheal's club is used for other special events or as a lounge open to all cruisers.

 

It certainly isnt' hard to find a snack someplace on board. Room service, afternoon tea in the buffet, pizza, salad, burgers, cookies at the buffet or grill, pastries at the coffee bar, sushi an hour later in the buffet, the list goes on and on.

[TomCruises]

I always book CC1!I always receive more value than what was paid!;)

[Redtravel]

Check all types of cabins. Sometimes the Concierge class is less than the standard. It's nice if you will really use the perks. For me, I'd rather save the extra money.

[dkjretired]

Check all types of cabins. Sometimes the Concierge class is less than the standard. It's nice if you will really use the perks. For me, I'd rather save the extra money.

 

And specifically check the Aqua Class cabins for price, you get the same benefits as Concieerge but also get the AQ benefits which include your own dining room. Sometimes the prices are equal. I would not book CC on any ship unless I got one on a M class ship with a larger veranda. I find the benefits to be superficial and many of them are available in reality in the rest of the cabins.

[C-Dragons]

Concierge Class is worth it for us' date=' mostly for the cabin locations (we choose the cabin first and go with whatever class it's in, which is usually CC), and the expanded breakfast room service menu.[/color'] We also enjoy the flowers, canapes, fruit, and sparkling wine, but these are not deal breakers for us.

 

We agree. The cabin location is most important to us, and our favorite ones just happen to be C1's on the S-class. Any amenities that come with the cabins are icing on the cake. ;)

[phoenix_dream]

Wasn't for us. Towels were plush and nice, but they would only give us 2 per stateroom and we had 4 people. When we asked for more, they brought the regular ones. Champagne was nice but sitting in a lukewarm chiller when we arrived at 2 pm. We filled out the card for canapes each day, but only got them 1/2 the time and never at the ordered time. There was no fruit basket, but we did get a banana, apple, and orange on a plate. The "flowers" are one rose in the bathroom and one small lily on the desk. Sure the shoe shine is free, but you tip and my husband says it's not really a complimetary service.

 

If we would have gotten CC for a lesser fee, maybe it'd be worth it....but we paid over $200 a person more x 4 for the upgrade.

I am not a huge fan of paying much for CC, but I was surprised by your comments. On our CC on Eclipse, there were three of us and we always got three plush towels. The champagne was chilled and since we didn't drink it for several days, it was in fact chilled every day. There was no fruit 'basket' but there were certainly more than three pieces of fruit. We asked our room steward for cheese and crackers instead of canapes each day, and they arrived from room service every day promptly at the time we asked. They also added grapes and walnuts - a very nice offering. I am also surprised that your 3rd and 4th person rates were each $200 more. That is unusual. At least on our cruise, the 3rd person rate I believe was either the same or only slightly more than for a standard balcony or we never would have chosen CC. The flowers were similar to what you say. There was one rose in the bathroom and a container with several small lillies on the counter in the room. I can't speak for your experience, but for the record wanted to note that it was not the same as ours.

[nmuller328]

Just got off Eclipse on Saturday- we were in a CC cabin- just off the atrium elevators and that was the best perk- we weren't too far from any venue on the ship. Re the other perks- we didn't do the canapes after the first day because you need to be in the room when they are delivered, the champage- we're not real drinkers and it took us al week to figure out how to change it ( we asked our steward and the conceirge desk- no real answers just they neither of them could do it for us) - finally Friday night we just brought it to the table to share and was then told we could trade it in for $25 credit to another bottle- so it cost me 2 dollars & 15 % of the $27 - and we didn't finish the bottle- it would have been better just to have had him open the champagne. We were 3 adults and the towels were nice but as other side not many- just the 3 large ones - though seems we had many little hand towels. Didn't see the steward much but she did provide us with a 3rd lounge chair for our deck and extra hangers for the room. Flowers were frechias (sp) on the desk and a rose in the BR. The fruit basket was keep full - mom & sis did eat especially before bed- but it was removed without notice just after dinner the last night so they didn't get their fruit the last night. While there are 2 concierges available when we asked them questions we were directed elsewhere- this was not the case on HAL. We recieved better service from the customer service staff. So next time- if we could get a room in a similar location for non cc rate- we would go for it.

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I cruised on both the Celebrity Century (Nov. 18-22) and the Celebrity Summit (Nov. 27-Dec. 4) late last year. I had Concierge Class staterooms on both ships and really enjoyed it (a category C1--9100 on the Century and a category C3--8134 on the Summit). Because I am Elite, I automatically receive many of the benefits. However, I still like the little perks that are included for Concierge Class.

 

It did not cost much for me to upgrade for these particular cruises. I would not pay a lot extra for Concierge Class.

 

Chuck