End of Elite cocktail party?

[rervousneck]

Looks like just two ladies going from the post "Her Hawaii cruise with her sister", but is that really our business?

 

Oops, I thought spouses and sister were going. So if what you say is true then the sister can attend the elite events since they allow everyone in the cabin to attend(assuming they share a cabin).

I didn't think it was a prying question. the poster might have assumed anyone in his/her group could attend.

[UB & AS]

Oops, I thought spouses and sister were going. So if what you say is true then the sister can attend the elite events since they allow everyone in the cabin to attend(assuming they share a cabin).

I didn't think it was a prying question. the poster might have assumed anyone in his/her group could attend.

 

Probably is irrelevant but you have it right this time. It is a sisters' reunion and they are sharing a cabin while I stay home and feed the dog and drink at my club which is probably offensive to some as entry is limited to members and their guests. Guess we are behind in this day and age but such are the limitations of our provincial liquor laws. Non-members have to be signed in by a member.

 

Non-elite guest sharing a cabin with an elite can join the elite member at social functions like wine tasting, senior officers' party, elite lounge, etc. Only the elite person in the cabin receives the other elite perks such as laundry vouchers, Internet minutes, gambling credits, etc. Cheers

[little britain]

Hate this voucher system! Unless you can snag seats in Micheals Lounge the days activities interfere with your chance of conversation. We feel this is a slap in the face to the loyal passengers.

Do you lay your towels over the chairs to "snag the seats" so no one else can sit there?:rolleyes:

[uktog]

Do you lay your towels over the chairs to "snag the seats" so no one else can sit there?:rolleyes:

 

Only if not in "positions"

[Dizney]

Anyone think of Dr. Seuss and the star belly Sneetches?! :-b

 

 

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[bighairtexan]

I have Elite status on Celebrity but I've chosen NOT to go to Michael's Club for the Elite HH. (I also didn't go to the Diamond lounge on a recent RCI cruise). I prefer the Martini bar or the Molecular bar. So in a way, the voucher system vs happy hour has no impact on me, even if I have Elite status. I can't use it at my preferred bars, and I don't go to the event.

But the perk is one that has been available and enjoyed by MANY Celebrity Elite cruisers. So I totally understand the displeasure when something you look forward to is radically changed.

To say the Elite members are having "hissy fits" (as a poster mentioned earlier) etc is IMHO unfair. Whenever a much enjoyed perk/party/food/event is changed or cancelled, I understand and support those who voice their dissatisfaction. I hadn't noticed any WHINING, nor has anyone mentioned feeling better than anyone else because they have Elite status. Rather, an event that they enjoyed has been done away with on certain sailings. I get it. Maybe on my next Celebrity cruise I'll check out the Elite HH. Maybe not. But I hope they have it for those that do enjoy going.

[jerry kincanon]

We have made many friends in the regular bars, and have fun socializing with the same people each evening without being part of the happy hour. You don't need the Happy Hour to meet friends and socialize with them every night for the rest of the cruise. We just all meet at the same place, same time each night before dinner....Martini Bar...730pm..that is where you will find us every night! Whether we are Elite or not...! We love the Martini Bar, and plus we purchase the beverage package, so free drinks to us don't mean anything. The people we meet at the Martini bar is what we really like...! Happy Cruising...!:)

 

Thats allot of "Martini Bars" in one paragraph! You really really really like the Martini Bar.

[Christine Frances]

Thats allot of "Martini Bars" in one paragraph! You really really really like the Martini Bar.

 

Three times is just about right for the Martini Bar:D:D Love those flights!!

[harz99]

Here is what has happened on board as folks like us adapted. Michaels club seems to be the number one choice and every seat is filled every night. The large bar outside michaels has now effectively become the captain's club crowded venue. Few if any go to the sky lounge because on days 1/2 they scheduled trivial pursuit and name that tune during the 5-7 hours. Now they have ballroom dancing scheduled in that period. None of that is quiet and it's hard to talk over.

 

 

Effectively, I think they have just moved the crowd from the sky lounge to the bars on 5 so I'm not sure if there is really any gain with the vouchers other than not serving canapes. Perhaps there is more seating on 5, but I'm not sure....it's still hard to find a seat in either of the bars aft on 5. Once the weather warms, the vouchers will probably work better, but no one seems to enjoy drinking outdoors in 50 degree weather.

 

GH

 

Thanks for the report GH, are you/will you be able, to tell us what happened with the Cruise Critic and Senior Officer gatherings?

 

Anyways, so there you have it, far from solving a problem the voucher system is just moving it from one place to others, and incidentally probably inconveniencing non Elites by taking up all the space in the limited bars the coupons can be used in.

[Christine Frances]

Thanks for the report GH, are you/will you be able, to tell us what happened with the Cruise Critic and Senior Officer gatherings?

 

Anyways, so there you have it, far from solving a problem the voucher system is just moving it from one place to others, and incidentally probably inconveniencing non Elites by taking up all the space in the limited bars the coupons can be used in.

 

I guess it's going to be hard to please everyone as some"non-elites" were upset that the Elites took over the prime location in the sky lounge and they were unable to access it.

[Schplinky]

I actually would prefer a voucher system over being in the Sky Lounge. The free drinks are nice but being forced to go to the only bar on the ship that also features smoke was not a big attraction.

[FortyNinerLiz]

I actually would prefer a voucher system over being in the Sky Lounge. The free drinks are nice but being forced to go to the only bar on the ship that also features smoke was not a big attraction.

 

Personally we do not care if they convert to vouchers. We have always had excellent service in all of the bar venues and it might spread out the load on the crew and "space". It is a well thought out business decision. They also need to change the Elite program to more closely align with RCCL. All lines under the RCCL umbrella need to be aligned for Elite Customer expectations under all brands. One should be able to go across at a certain level from one line to another. RCCL is the least expensive, thus less credits. Celebrity is next level on cruise expense, thus more credit value. I am not sure on Azamara price structure, so cannot comment. RCCL should consider keeping all cruisers under their "umbrella" by frequent cruiser "perks" that are based on expenditures on RCCL ships. Just a thought.

[harz99]

Personally we do not care if they convert to vouchers. We have always had excellent service in all of the bar venues and it might spread out the load on the crew and "space". It is a well thought out business decision.

 

I guess you didn't read the second half of post 399, from a cruiser who is on Eclipse at this moment "enjoying" the voucher system!

[Xcruiser]

Ok, the facts as ghstudio has so generously taken time to report from aboard the Eclipse TA:

 

Three drink vouchers are being issued per person to Elite members on days the Elite Lounge would normally be open. The vouchers are good between the hours of 5-7pm for the same drink selection normally offered in the Elite Lounge at the following locations:

 

All outdoor bars, bars on deck 5 indoors which include Michaels Club and the Ensemble Lounge or you can go to the Sky Lounge as before and take part or oversee such scheduled events as Trivial Pursuit, Ballroom Dancing etc. with other guests.

 

As might be expected not to many Elites members are sticking it out in the Sky Lounge and that means the remaining share a combined area that is approximately 1/3rd the size of the Sky Lounge. They don't list seating capacity but my guess is less than 500 combined in the area on deck 5, which is shared with other guests. Typical weather for the a TA which ether starts out or ends on the cool side, sometimes rainy is not making the outdoor bars see much use.

 

Doesn’t look to me like a good plan to get around the crowding issue, just move it another local and make it harder for those that tried to avoid this crowd to do so.

 

Again, my problem with this is that it's not even close to the stated Elite benefit of a private lounge and there is no way a guest at the time of booking can know how many Elite members will end up onboard or when and if they will enact this program.

 

I'm sure that most returning Elite members onboard Eclipse will not be to happy with this. :rolleyes:

[JetCruister]

Thats allot of "Martini Bars" in one paragraph! You really really really like the Martini Bar.

 

We do...!! :):) Our upcoming cruise with be the first on the S class and we are looking forward to it! Looking forward to trying the Molecular Bar...! Maybe that will be another favorite that we will have to share with the Martini Bar...! Happy Cruising to all...!:):):)

[JetCruister]

Three times is just about right for the Martini Bar:D:D Love those flights!!

 

We love them too...!! Couple more weeks and we will be sailing along and enjoying those flights...! :)

[caliber35]

I actually would prefer a voucher system over being in the Sky Lounge. The free drinks are nice but being forced to go to the only bar on the ship that also features smoke was not a big attraction.

Effective the first of January 2012 all indoor smoking was eliminated on all Celebrity ships. I personally experienced this on the Constellation. Enforcement is another issue, but it was well enforced on my last sailing. I still think that the voucher system is a good solution, short term. A better long term solution would be to create a new Elite Plus tier to eliminate this crowding issue. Just don't take away this wonderful perk!

Andrew

[BosoxI]

From Xcruiser's description it sounds like we'll be in the Sky lounge watching the Parcheesi Tournament, as I can't stand crowded bars, searching for a seat and a waiter.

[Carolwesterly]

A customer service rep called me today and said that this is a trial on some sailings and they welcome feedback from Elites about their ideas and concerns on this matter. Email your feedback, ELITES!!!!

 

We have been on several TA's and last December's trip had 800 elites. So the large forward lounge was closed to regular passengers for two hours every morning (the Elite breakfast was served there also) and two hours 5-7 each evening. If I were a non-Elite passenger, I would be pretty unhappy with the fact that the comfortable forward lounge with all the huge windows was closed to me 4 hours of every day! The actual cocktail hour was incredibly crowded, and since we didn't usually arrive until after six, we often had to wait for a seat. It was challenging to find a waiter to take your drink order,and forget about trying to get a second drink. We were on Equinox and the lounge simply wasn't big enough or staffed sufficiently to accomodate this large a crowd. That being said, I think a large percentage of attendees were actually RCL Diamond members, so I agree with many of the other posters that Celebrity's program should be limited to Celebrity Elites only. We even asked the CC hostess if Celebrity was considering changing the guidelines to require more points, or create another level, and she said they were not. Clearly, 800+ Elites is too many to be effectively handled. We totally skipped most of the other events because of the crowds, but definitely did appreciate the laundry and internet perks - those perks are especially welcome on a long cruise with many sea days. Oddly, we took our family on a 5-day Caribbean cruise in May, and got exactly the same amount of perks as on a 28-day B2B - same internet time, same laundry benefits - doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I have mixed feelings about the vouchers - we have a 27-day B2B coming up next May on

Constellation that begins as a TA......so we'll have to see what happens.:confused:

[compman9]

When I look for a cruise option I search RCI and Celebrity, simply because my RCI benefits swap over to Celebrity.

 

If the lounge is out, so will I be. It is for the perks, nothing more, that I have not tried other cruise lines.

 

I will look forward to spreading my wings and trying Princess, Disney, Crystal and HAL. They may be better, they may be worse, but if my lines of choice downgrade my experience it certainly won't encourage me to maintain my loyalty.

[cruising teacher]

When I look for a cruise option I search RCI and Celebrity, simply because my RCI benefits swap over to Celebrity.

 

If the lounge is out, so will I be. It is for the perks, nothing more, that I have not tried other cruise lines.

 

I will look forward to spreading my wings and trying Princess, Disney, Crystal and HAL. They may be better, they may be worse, but if my lines of choice downgrade my experience it certainly won't encourage me to maintain my loyalty.

 

When Celebrity rolled out these benefits, we were Elite on Celebrity and 40 days from Four Star Mariner on Holland. We thought that they very similar experiences. We appreciated the benefits on Celebrity so much that I began shopping only Celebrity cruises and now have over 90 cruise credits. If these benefits start to be watered down I may start opening those HA brochures that I still receive. I hope that our loyalty over the past years will be rewarded with an Elite Plus Level:)

[spearmint]

When Celebrity rolled out these benefits, we were Elite on Celebrity and 40 days from Four Star Mariner on Holland. We thought that they very similar experiences. We appreciated the benefits on Celebrity so much that I began shopping only Celebrity cruises and now have over 90 cruise credits. If these benefits start to be watered down I may start opening those HA brochures that I still receive. I hope that our loyalty over the past years will be rewarded with an Elite Plus Level:)

 

Hi. We have been Elite for years, and once there, I paid no attention to "credits". Can you tell me how you found out how many you have, and of what use (if any) that they are after attaining Elite?

Thanks

Bill

[cruising teacher]

Hi

Go to My Celebrity on their website. Look under Sailing History under Captains Club. You can also call the Captains Club and they can help you. Lots of credits may get you to the Captains Table or flowers, wine, and a photo at the Captains Club party:)

[UB & AS]

Oddly, we took our family on a 5-day Caribbean cruise in May, and got exactly the same amount of perks as on a 28-day B2B - same internet time, same laundry benefits - doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I have mixed feelings about the vouchers - we have a 27-day B2B coming up next May on

Constellation that begins as a TA......so we'll have to see what happens.:confused:

Our experience on B2Bs is that each leg is a new cruise and comes with a new package of benefits: Internet, laundry, casino vouchers, etc. If you are not treated this way, have a chat with the CC Host/Hostess to make it right. Bill

[Redtravel]

Enjoyed the elite breakfast and cocktail time. There was no mention of any changes. There were a lot of elites on this cruise.