Galley and Bridge tours

[waggie]

Are these still offered to Captains Club members? I have just heard (and I hope the person got it wrong) that Celebrity are charging for such tours now. We did these onboard Infinity in October 2011, so any change is recent -can anyone re-assure me??:confused:

[C 2 C]

Are these still offered to Captains Club members? I have just heard (and I hope the person got it wrong) that Celebrity are charging for such tours now. We did these onboard Infinity in October 2011, so any change is recent -can anyone re-assure me??:confused:

 

Although some free tours were offered on Solstice last month, expect to pay for them from now on. Celebrity has even started to charge for standing on the Helipad when visiting significant destinations.

 

Check out the new Captain's Club Newsletter, Winter 2011:

 

[mcrcruiser]

We have been fortunate to see the engine control rooms, the bridges of several X ships & the galley tour at no cost;):D.

 

Why X would charge their core customers to view these locations is beyond us:eek:

[Sloop-JohnB]

Are these still offered to Captains Club members? I have just heard (and I hope the person got it wrong) that Celebrity are charging for such tours now. We did these onboard Infinity in October 2011, so any change is recent -can anyone re-assure me??:confused:

 

Hi Waggie,

 

I too have been reading up a lot lately for my first upcoming Celebrity Cruise... and like XELLENT have discovered that many great "experiences" on board now incur a charge.

 

My best recommendation...

 

If you are a Captain's Club Member... go to their events.

 

As a Member of CC... check in with your Roll Call here... and register and go to your Connections Meet & Mingle

 

From all accounts (like those who post REVIEWS here on the Celebrity Board) the best FREEBIES are going to those that Celebrity sees at these events.

 

Want the chance of getting an invite to something special / out of the ordinary / otherwise chargeable ... be seen.

 

Hope this is helpful,

 

Cheers!

[Northern Aurora]

Last month, on the Pacific Jewels cruise, we did see the Celebrity Inside Access tour offered for $150.00. There was a mention in the Celebrity Today, but also didn't hear of anyone taking the tour. While at least one other cruise line offers a similar "behind the scenes" tour, it was rather disappointing to see the ad.

 

A free galley tour was offered to the entire ship. Additionally, there was a separate galley tour for the elite tier of the Captain's Club. Korina Murphy, the Captain's Club hostess, also arranged bridge tours for the elite members. We have done engine control room tours in the past by simply asking for one at Guest Relations.

[waggie]

Thank you all - as usual CC posters come up trumps!!!

We have taken these tours, along with anything else offered for CC members and also enjoyed being part of roll-call activities.

So, he was right about the charge, but I for one will not be taking such a tour!

Thanks again, we sail on January 02 and will see what is offered then.

[Tinkerbellcgy]

Although some free tours were offered on Solstice last month, expect to pay for them from now on. Celebrity has even started to charge for standing on the Helipad when visiting significant destinations.

 

Check out the new Captain's Club Newsletter, Winter 2011:

 

Yikes! When can we expect to be charged for the pleasure of using the gangway and the elevators or having a chair in the eateries or for the linens on our bed or for the towels in our bathroom? How about paying a fee for the nightly entertainment or for sitting on a lounge chair on the pool deck?

 

Yanno, I took my first cruise in 1988 and all I can say is cruising sure has changed since that time. Cruising was a pleasurable almost all-inclusive (except for booze and gambling) experience. There were free little perqs in the cabins that made the experience a special one. Those days have all have long gone to be replaced with mega ships that remind me of high rise condos with people stacked upon one another that charge dearly for the privilege of sailing on their bigger and supposedly better [cough, cough] ships. Give me a smaller ship with a small sailing population any day over a behemoth of a ship that needs to over-charge their passengers in order to pay for the cruise lines' greed and excesses.

[bugsy43]

Not sure what Celebrity is including in their tour, but on another line, we did the "Behind the scenes tour" and it included much more than the standard free galley or bridge tour as it included many other areas as well as gifts along the way. We got nice terry bathrobes from housekeeping, photos from throughout the tour, and a few other trinkets. The entire experience and the gifts were well worth the $150.00 per person. However, if Celebrity is charging the same amount without the extras and gifts, it is not worth it!

 

I would love to here a more detailed report of someone's experience with this new program to determine if it is worthwhile.

[SusieV]

I must confess, the idea of seeing sailaway from the bridge appeals to me. $75 seems a bit outrageous for the pleasure though.

 

I would never pay $150 for a behind the scenes tour.

[Gonzo70]

Yanno, I took my first cruise in 1988 and all I can say is cruising sure has changed since that time. Cruising was a pleasurable almost all-inclusive (except for booze and gambling) experience. There were free little perqs in the cabins that made the experience a special one. Those days have all have long gone to be replaced with mega ships that remind me of high rise condos with people stacked upon one another that charge dearly for the privilege of sailing on their bigger and supposedly better [cough, cough] ships. Give me a smaller ship with a small sailing population any day over a behemoth of a ship that needs to over-charge their passengers in order to pay for the cruise lines' greed and excesses.

 

Most would say that cruising now is more affordable than decades ago! The cost of a cruise (especially for a stateroom with a balcony) is cheaper now than in the past (when controlling for inflation). You still have all the same "free" venues know as in yesteryear, but there are now all sorts of extras people can pick and choose from to personalize and enhance their cruise (based on one's interests and budget). While longing for a smaller cruise ship is fair, saying that the cruise ships are exhibiting greed is a bit over-the-top. They are a for profit company, so yes they are in the business to make money, but they can only make money if they offer a product that appeals to a massive number of people. While they cannot satisfy everybody, they seem to be succeeding in that they have managed to eek out profits during a down economy despite greatly increasing the number of berths. Not an easy feat.

[willie2845]

yikes! When can we expect to be charged for the pleasure of using the gangway and the elevators or having a chair in the eateries or for the linens on our bed or for the towels in our bathroom? How about paying a fee for the nightly entertainment or for sitting on a lounge chair on the pool deck?

 

Yanno, i took my first cruise in 1988 and all i can say is cruising sure has changed since that time. Cruising was a pleasurable almost all-inclusive (except for booze and gambling) experience. There were free little perqs in the cabins that made the experience a special one. Those days have all have long gone to be replaced with mega ships that remind me of high rise condos with people stacked upon one another that charge dearly for the privilege of sailing on their bigger and supposedly better [cough, cough] ships. Give me a smaller ship with a small sailing population any day over a behemoth of a ship that needs to over-charge their passengers in order to pay for the cruise lines' greed and excesses.

 

:(Sounds like the airlines to me!!!

[texkan]

We have been lucky to tour bridge, engine control room and galley on past cruises. We are not Elite CC yet. We just asked at the customer service desk about the tours. Not sure I would pay $75 for a tour.

[pal4404]

We did a behind the scenes tour with another line and to see the stainless steel galley and the medical facilities was well the money spent.

[Cruisingcouple79]

Must say that I was very much looking forward to a behind the scenes look a the solstice on my first cruise. However I seriously cannot believe that I am expected to pay $150 for the privilege. Especially when the wife would want too as well. Surely celebrity must realise couples will find better things to spend $300 on.

[techwatcher]

Although some free tours were offered on Solstice last month, expect to pay for them from now on. Celebrity has even started to charge for standing on the Helipad when visiting significant destinations.

 

Check out the new Captain's Club Newsletter, Winter 2011:

 

 

These seem to offer more than the normal tours a number of us have experienced. However the prices seem high. Whilst I am interested in how things work behind the scenes I don't think I would pay those prices to see it.

[dodger1964]

If I pay $75 for bridge sail away I better have a turn at the controls. :)

[wwcruisers]

Got the newsletter today too -- was sad to see that they are charging (yet again) for something the pax used to get for free. Guess I'll just have to file the special tours of the ship under "been there, done that". :rolleyes:

[techwatcher]

Got the newsletter today too -- was sad to see that they are charging (yet again) for something the pax used to get for free. Guess I'll just have to file the special tours of the ship under "been there, done that". :rolleyes:

 

Hmm...I'm not sure the experiences they are now charging for were something passengers used to get for free. We have been on a few (free) bridge tours but they were always on sea days when not much was happening on the bridge; being there when leaving port is a different proposition.

 

I still wouldn't pay $75 for the privilege though.

[excitedofharpenden]

Must say that I was very much looking forward to a behind the scenes look a the solstice on my first cruise. However I seriously cannot believe that I am expected to pay $150 for the privilege. Especially when the wife would want too as well. Surely celebrity must realise couples will find better things to spend $300 on.

This is not a comment on your post in particular, but a general one. There have been a number of threads on Cruise Critic over recent months asking about invites to do tours without having the necessary status with Captain's Club and the general response (including from me) has been to ask at Guest Relations because it can't hurt. That is of course the rub. There are only limited amounts of people on a ship that can be invited to do tours and in an effort to satisfy the demands of more cruisers it has now been opened up more generally for a fee. It's obviously been seen as a good income stream too.

 

I had done quite a few Celebrity cruises before I got an invitation to the bridge and certainly it wasn't something I expected early on, but rather a perk that was nice to get as a loyal guest. On the invitations I have received in the past it specifically asked for us to keep the invite quiet as it was not offered to everyone. The word has got out and more and more people have asked to do them. Celebrity have responded to it with their business hat on. Not sure how successful it will be. Time will tell.

 

Phil

[1 HappyCruiser]

I'm surprised that bridge tours were free for as long as they have been. Other cruise lines have figured out that they can charge for them a long time ago. :D

[waggie]

Thank you all for your responses.

Phil - I have been fortunate enough to be invited on the bridge, galley and engine room tours during my third and fourth cruises, and as asked, kept quiet about it!

I am not surprised that Celebrity (and others) have had to look at new ways of offering specials to their clients - but our travel companions are new to Celebrity and have read about this 'offer' and commented to me that $150 including lunch (which he feels they have already paid for) was a bit steep - hence my question.

With all such offers - speciality restaurants, beverage packages, shore excursions, Spa treatments etc. I agree with Gonzo that it is for the customer to decide which, if any they will take to 'personalise and enhance their cruise'.

Let's just hope that these tours are in addition to the current 'free' benefits and don't replace them.

Finally, let's just be thankful that we are all able to enjoy such a wonderful holiday, and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year!!:)

[NJ Fred]

$150 per person to visit behind the scenes (to some extent) on the ship you've already spent a considerable amount on just to board?

 

Perhaps the "X" pennant should add the Jolly Roger logo. Seems there's a new brand of pirate afloat.

[CelebrityMan]

When several years ago we first were offered a Galley tour on M-class, it was a far more extensive tour than we've had the last couple of cruises.

 

In the original incarnation we visited every station, dined on samples in several of those stations, and were served libations a couple of times. It was a relaxed, unhurried, very pleasant tour and was conducted by one of the chefs. Recent tours have been much shorter, barely a pause in the specialty restaurant kitchen (certainly none of the earlier form promotion or longer discussion of how this area functioned separately from the main kitchen), one beverage, and maybe a cookie from the bakery (though one tour didn't even have that).

 

Mind you, I'm not complaining just reflecting on how things have changed — and not for the better.

 

However, even if the Galley tour were returned to the 'upscale' original format, and enhanced somewhat as their annoucement implies, I seriously doubt we could justify a $300 [per couple] cost for such a tour.

 

And I'm rather sorry to see the Bridge time at Sailaway being sold. The bean counters are looking for revenue in every nook & cranny. Call me a traditionalist, but it used to be that an invitation to join the Captain on the Bridge was something that could be extended to recognize loyal customers/frequent cruisers. Though it was never a written 'perk', we have dear friends to whom that privilege was offered several times. We vicariously shared in their good fortune and dreamed of the day we attained their point status and might also receive that welcome plaudit invitation. Now it's being sold to even first-time cruisers (no slam on newbies). :( C'est la vie.

 

 

CM

[wwcruisers]

At this rate, I'm wondering how long it will be until seats at the Captain's table go up on the auction block? I agree with the point made by CelebrityMan. If these "perks" can only be offered to a few passengers, why not make them a reward of the loyalty program -- instead of putting them up for sale?

[mcrcruiser]

In our opinion X has gone over the limit when it comes to these tours aboard the ship .Just far too commercialized :mad: