End of Elite cocktail party?

[sanjoseca]

 

Definitely agree!!!

 

 

Perhaps, but I think it's highly unlikely that reciprocal benefits for Diamonds and vise versa are going to be changing.

[BosoxI]

In my experience Celebrity has been pretty liberal about allowing credit. I have friends who got credit for Chandris [ie pre Celebrity] cruises. If you have any sort of documentation [eg even a photo of you and the ship] I would suggest you revisit this. YMMV

 

Thom

 

Ha! You don't know my wife who keeps all that documentation, right down to ship, destination, cabin number, dates, what we had for dinner on the third night out, etc. When she called Celebrity with it, she was told the cruises we took occured prior to the initiation of the point program and therefore wouldn't be counted. Maybe she should have kept on calling until she got the desired answer, but it makes no difference now, as we are Elite. Of course, if they ever have an Elite Plus, we'll be calling Celebrity again

[seasearider]

The bigger problem is how easy it is to become Elite on Celebrity as double points are given for CC cabins or above. For example, it is really simple to attain Elite status by taking 5 short cruises (4 or 5 days) in a CC or above cabin. Voila, you are Elite. There is also a faster route to Elite by staying in the aforementioned cabins on a longer itinerary.

 

On Royal Caribbean, the path wasn't as simple to reach Diamond status as you had stay in a Junior Suite or above to get double points. Typically these cabins are much more pricey than a CC or AQ cabin on Celebrity. (Of course, as we all know Royal has changed their program to reflect days sailed, not cruises taken.)

 

Having said all that, Celebrity has a huge problem because they have too many Elite members and no easy way to remedy the situation. Adding a new "Elite Plus" level will help alleviate the overcrowding problem at the "Happy Hour" but it is also going to annoy those who have not reached this status. Perhaps the drink coupon system for non-Elite Plus but Elites will soften the blow.

 

Only time will tell what the powers to be will do, but hopefully they will come up with a fair solution.

[excitedofharpenden]

It's been said many times that Celebrity have made a rod for their own back with their Captain's Club program and are now faced with everyone and subsequently no-one being rewarded for their loyalty. If I were Michael Bayley looking at this issue I would be brave about it and do something radical. That might mean removing free lounge/drink benefits from some cruisers below a certain number of points and recognition in other ways for those with more. If I happened to fall into the former category that would be fine and I'd look forward to moving up into the higher category. I know it would cause a rumpus and some would say "well I'm not cruising Celebrity again". Personally I don't think those people are demonstrating much "loyalty" to the brand. The Captain's Club benefits are a nice addition, but definitely not the main reason I cruise Celebrity.

 

Phil

[harz99]

The Captain's Club benefits are a nice addition, but definitely not the main reason I cruise Celebrity.

 

Phil

 

A few years back I would have said the same thing.

 

Now, with food quality in the MDR/buffet etc. declining, staffing levels being cut so that service is affected, the constant "nickel and diming" where even pretty essential things like port shuttles are charged for, and ever louder "muzak" everywhere, i'm not so sure.

 

The Captains Club Elite benefits do help to offset these other reductions in either quality, or to use an Americanism "bang for your buck"; without those benefits I suspect that many cruisers would be looking at other lines far more often.

[uktog]

If I were Michael Bayley looking at this issue I would be brave about it and do something radical. That might mean removing free lounge/drink benefits from some cruisers below a certain number of points and recognition in other ways for those with more. If I happened to fall into the former category that would be fine and I'd look forward to moving up into the higher category. I know it would cause a rumpus and some would say "well I'm not cruising Celebrity again". Personally I don't think those people are demonstrating much "loyalty" to the brand. The Captain's Club benefits are a nice addition, but definitely not the main reason I cruise Celebrity.

 

Phil

 

Could not agree more! It is the same as airlines have had to increase the points allowed to access Executive Lounges and life changes.

 

If the drinks perks was the only reason I was cruising Celebrity and somehow this was what I had to see as my compensation for some other lapses in service, sorry but I would already be looking for an alternative provider.

 

I am still in the situation where despite changes onboard, Celebrity still delivers what I am looking for from some of my cruises and I will continue to book with them. Where they do not, there is not a short term resolution for Celebrity as I am looking for ships that can access smaller ports and are quieter (for some not all itineraries) in which case I stay in the RCL stable with Azamara.

 

I leave it to the cruise line to decide whether reciprocity should remain across the stable

[Kathy & George]

Tonight is our last night on Eclipse. It is also the last time we will have to feel like we have been given coupons for the Blue Light Special at Kmart on the ship! Please Corporate hear us. We do not like how you are treating your most loyal passengers.

[york survey]

I'm on the reflection TA next week and assume that the voucher system will be in operation

I'll wait and see how it works for me and try to keep an open mine.

Thanks for all your comments and views

[excitedofharpenden]

Tonight is our last night on Eclipse. It is also the last time we will have to feel like we have been given coupons for the Blue Light Special at Kmart on the ship! Please Corporate hear us. We do not like how you are treating your most loyal passengers.

So how would you deal with the issue and reward the most loyal passengers if your were Celebrity and faced with a huge number of Elites onboard?

 

Phil

[rolloman]

Several great ideas have been mentioned. I think one way to lower the amount of current eligible people and turn it into a positive would be to stop allowing non elite passengers into the elite cocktail lounge for free yet do allow them with a discounted fee.

 

Celebrity is my favorite line, but removing this perk would make it easier for me to shop and subsequently sail alternative lines when planning future cruises.

[Dr. Cocktail]

I apologize if this has been dealt with earlier in the thread but I don't think that simply changing eligibility levels will deal with many of the inherent problems of the Captains Club program.

 

Hotel chains have always had their programs tied to the number of stays and the amount spent on each stay. Similarly, there is a huge disconnect in CC credits earned for the amount you spend. I paid about $2800 pp for my Equinox Med cruise in 2011 which "earned" me two credits. That same amount spent on 3 and four day cruises respectively could have earned me about a dozen credits. When I go on Xpedition next year, that will even yield a bigger disconnect in amount spent vs CC standing.

 

Similarly, onboard spending generates huge revenues for the cruise lines - with today's technology, it would not be difficult to award credits by combining length of cruise, amount spent on the cruise and amount spent on board.

 

I would expect the changes when they come (and they will come) to "level the playing field" and at least start awarding credits based on number of days sailed in combination with number of cruises taken.

 

This could dramatically increase the number of credits earned for some cruisers while severely diminishing the credits of others.

[kidsguy]

I just got off the phone with a Captain's Club rep at Celebrity. There is, unequivically, NO CHANGE in the cocktail party amenity for Elites. It happens that on one saiing on Eclipse there were so many Elites on board, there was simply nowhere the party could be held to sccomodate them all, or even close. So the voucher methood was used to do the next best thing. It may happen again if the same circumstances occur, but it will be rare. Celebrity knows that this perk is a great attraction to maintaining loyalty and getting the word out to others. So relax.

[ghstudio]

I just got off the phone with a Captain's Club rep at Celebrity. There is, unequivically, NO CHANGE in the cocktail party amenity for Elites. It happens that on one saiing on Eclipse there were so many Elites on board, there was simply nowhere the party could be held to sccomodate them all, or even close. So the voucher methood was used to do the next best thing. It may happen again if the same circumstances occur, but it will be rare. Celebrity knows that this perk is a great attraction to maintaining loyalty and getting the word out to others. So relax.

 

It will definitely happen again because most transatlantics on solstice class ships have 600+ elites. We have done two without the vouchers on the eclipse and equinox...all had over 600 elites and while crowded, it worked. We have now just completed the eclipse TA where they tried the vouchers and it sort of worked...sort of. The reason it works without vouchers is that those who eat early come at 5 and stay to about 5:55; those who eat late of have select/blu dining can come at 6 and find space. That's exactly what happened with the vouchers as well, so Celebrity sort of solved a non problem other than those that want to drink for two hours. If you're ok with one hour, it really has never been a problem...it just seems like it could be. I don't know about you, but I have no problem consuming whatever amount of alcohol I choose in one hour :)

 

One thing that was lost was that there were no canapes or food available with the vouchers...not a critical item but included for completeness. More important, the elite meet the captain event where they normally have food stations was completely changed. First it was from 1-2PM so many like us assumed it would be the normal food stations. However, the decision was made by someone to only have crepes and fruit stations and there were a very few snacks passed around. Also a very limited drink menu. Frankly it was not well attended due to the time.....and those that attended left quite quickly since they hadn't eaten lunch. It was only a success to celebrity's bottom line since it was probably cheaper for them.

 

They did learn quickly on the eclipse. They started with two drink coupons per person and that was quickly changed to three coupons. Since they weren't going to reserve the sky lounge for the elite party, someone in celebrity decided it would be a great place for trivial pursuit and name that tune which is not exactly what you want to listen to while sitting enjoying the view of the sea from the only inside bar with a view of the sea. Yes, there are many bars, but when it's cold and damp outside, there aren't so many, and really only one with a view. Again, it took an extra day, but they changed the sky lounge activity to ballroom dancing with recorded music which worked much better.

 

I tried to find out who scheduled trivial pursuit/etc during the cocktail hour and they evaded the question saying that it was HQ...which is the usual "we either have no clue or we don't want to tell you" answer.

[Schplinky]

I would love the vouchers, since we're always bringing along friends on cruises who can't attend the Elite stuff. The result is we miss the cocktail hour since we're not willing to leave our friends behind for free mini-drinks.

[ghstudio]

I would love the vouchers, since we're always bringing along friends on cruises who can't attend the Elite stuff. The result is we miss the cocktail hour since we're not willing to leave our friends behind for free mini-drinks.

 

We also travel with friends quite often and we find that we and our friends enjoy some time meeting others....there's enough time to talk at dinner and throughout the day.

 

Of course if you want the vouchers so you can buy your friends free drinks.....(oh, but you would never do that...right? :) (BTW, this was openly happening on the eclipse).

[Schplinky]

We also travel with friends quite often and we find that we and our friends enjoy some time meeting others....there's enough time to talk at dinner and throughout the day.

 

Of course if you want the vouchers so you can buy your friends free drinks.....(oh, but you would never do that...right? :) (BTW, this was openly happening on the eclipse).

 

That's very tacky. We enjoy our friends and don't need a break from them during the cocktail hour. Your experience is different and that's fine. We find we're well fed enough on a cruise and wouldn't quibble over the food they offer at these receptions either. By the lines of people one sees to enter these receptions, you'd presume the boat had scooped up some refugees.

 

I dislike the reception when there are a lot Elites because even though it is a large lounge, the same "types" line up beforeit begins, park themselves for the duration and leave no room for others. I've heard people on this thread lamenting the lack of opportunity to mix with others but that's certainly not what we've noticed happening whenever we've attended.

[miched]

We recently sailed on Princess. Their program charges $3.99 for the daily cocktail being served nightly for Platinum and above from 5 to 7 in a reserved lounge. You can order other drinks but pay full price. It is amazing at the small amount of passengers that attended it out of the many Platinum and above guests. It was nice because it was a quite place to relax and get a discounted drink before dinner.

 

Princess also places your name and loyalty status on a card outside of your cabin door, don't see the purpose but it was amusing to see what cabins the elite were in and for the most part they were the inside cabins. Seeing that you know if the drinks were free the place would have been SRO with a waiting list. The past guest reception proves this as they had to have two separated times to accomodate everyone gold and above.

 

This also shows that loyal customers must be enticed by the perks to fill up cabins. If the cruise lines don't want passengers in cheaper inside cabins they wouldn't be offered.

 

I am a few points from being elite and I am looking forward to getting those perks on X. Hopefully they aren't change too much before I get a chance to enjoy them.

 

Either way I have learned not to chase after loyalty status as it always changes and even if they don't they are normally not worth anything. I usually take a cruise because it is what I want to do and base it on what type of cruise I want at the time.

.

[rubrrick]

Just disembarked the Infinity a few days ago, and all is well with the "Happy Hour" this time in the upper lounge, rather than in Michaels Club, as there were more than a hundred Elite members.

 

Nothing was mentioned that this will change in the future, by the Captains Club hostess.

 

Speaking of vodkas, we had an Absolute Elyx bottle in our cabin. That is better than my Ketel One, and I had never heard of it before. The Martini Bar has it. and I highly recommend it to anyone that is a lover of vodka martini's.;)

 

I do believe that if there are too many Elites on a cruise, that the voucher system is an alternative.

 

Also there is much talk about another level for X cruisers, and I, for one, think that it will make some angry, but needs to be done.

 

Rick

[jerry kincanon]

Funny! :D

I think you should wear Elite badges so us little people can shove you all out of the way, seeing as we are paying with real money ;)

 

And another thing..... no sharing coupons you lot! Unless you happen to be sat next to me, then you can :)

 

Way to funny you guys. Glad to see a sense of humor left in the world. Besides mine of course. LOL

[donmimi]

My husband and I were on the same TA on Eclipse these past two weeks, and we received THREE drink coupons each daily except embarcation day and the senior officer's party. Everyone we spoke to received the same, so I don't understand your comment about one coupon. And yes, there were way way too many elite passengers on board (800+) to settle down into one venue comfortably. I thought the Celebrity solution was fine. Most individuals in the 10+ bars that accepted the coupons between 5 and 7 were using their coupons and therefore, there was "an elite cocktail party" in each of those venues.

 

Now, if only they had come up with as good a solution for the internet . . .

[Jade13]

My husband and I were on the same TA on Eclipse these past two weeks, and we received THREE drink coupons each daily except embarcation day and the senior officer's party. Everyone we spoke to received the same, so I don't understand your comment about one coupon. And yes, there were way way too many elite passengers on board (800+) to settle down into one venue comfortably. I thought the Celebrity solution was fine. Most individuals in the 10+ bars that accepted the coupons between 5 and 7 were using their coupons and therefore, there was "an elite cocktail party" in each of those venues.

 

Now, if only they had come up with as good a solution for the internet . . .

 

 

What were the drink options, both alcoholic & non-alcoholic?

[donmimi]

I am pretty sure you could get anything you asked for - I know my husband specified Absolut in his martini while I was happy with house brand in my Manhattan. I saw others with beers and wine; cokes and other types of mixed drinks. Wine glasses seemed smaller than when you paid for a glass at other times/venues. You could order a "double" in a single glass (2 coupons!) and most folks got a glass of wine "to go" to carry in to dinner, since the dining room venue did not take the coupons. Also not the martini bar nor the specialty restaurants, but pretty much everywhere else. As I said, we were very happy with this arrangement, and a couple of times got our drinks "to go" to watch the evening news in our cabin .

[excitedofharpenden]

I am pretty sure you could get anything you asked for - I know my husband specified Absolut in his martini while I was happy with house brand in my Manhattan.

Interesting. That's a step up from the normal Elite Lounge which served Skyy vodka as a standard and is quite a bit cheaper.

 

Phil

[uktog]

What were the drink options, both alcoholic & non-alcoholic?

 

The official communication I saw said the drink options were limited to the menu used in the captains club lounge, maybe individual bar staff have been varying things a little.

Interesting about the different vodka being on offer - I would be interested in some "experts" views Phil!

[A Sixth?]

The official communication I saw said the drink options were limited to the menu used in the captains club lounge, maybe individual bar staff have been varying things a little.

Interesting about the different vodka being on offer - I would be interested in some "experts" views Phil!

 

On my last Elite lounge experience (and first actually) the bar staff accommodated any request we made... never really looked at the "menu" just asked and we received. :D

 

Mind you there were only 36 Elites aboard for our cruise