Would you pay $585 extra for concierge?

[CruisingChick]

Thxs for response

So then, there is only one night without complimentary drinks. Can live with that !.

 

Your are welcome. If you are Elite, yes only one night without complimentary drinks.

[dkjretired]

I paid about $20 per person (for three of us) on Reflection from least expensive unobstructed balcony to the least expensive concierge.

 

The extra cruise point will take me to Select, so I was all for it. I am cruising with two of my sisters (whom have never cruised before), and when they read the perks, they were all for it. To get even more value, I'm thinking about bringing my penny loafers for the free shoe shine!

 

You realize of course that if the extra point takes you to Select, it does not go into effect until your next cruise after the one that gets you there.

 

Also, I don't know which perks you are talking about but many of them are just marketing hype.

[dkjretired]

Your are welcome. If you are Elite, yes only one night without complimentary drinks.

 

Actually there are two, embarkation day and the night of the Officers party.

[CruisingChick]

Actually there are two, embarkation day and the night of the Officers party.

 

But at the officer's party you get free drinks....so there's really only one night you don't get free drinks if you are elite and that's embarkation day.

[Gonzo70]

I believe you are on the low side at $300 value for a two week cruise. Just two free drinks each for two at the nightly Elite Event would save more than that. Also the free 90 minutes internet saves $50 each.

 

 

Just because the internet coupons are worth $50 each does not mean it saves you $50. That would only be true if each person was going to spend $50 on internet even if they did not have the coupon. Personally I would not use the ship's internet if it were not for the coupon, so while the perk is nice - it does not save me a dime. Likewise the free drinks only save money if they cause you to spend less on drinks than you would otherwise. If you have a beverage package (which many do these days because of pick-your-perk promos) then the drinks do not save one anything. IMHO the Elite perks are nice (and a big step up from a few years ago), but do not actually save most people a large amount of money.

[phoenix_dream]

For a combination of M class and getting to Elite, I probably would do it for a 15 nighter, presuming the room location was good - that would be the deal breaker for me. On S class, I probably would not. As to the point value, depending how much you would use the Elite social hour, internet, and laundry on your next cruise I suspect at best it would be a break-even and probably not even that. IMHO the other perks are very minor (although if you have a cruise with a lot of tendering ports like we did on our last cruise it was invaluable!).

[robtulipe]

OK Gonzo, lets play with words.

I guess I said it correctly when I said Elite Benefits on a two week cruise had a greater value than $300. You are correct it doesn't save you anything if you don't or wouldn't use it or you wouldn't buy the product or service if you had to pay for it. You may do without when it costs but many other don't since they like to have that product or service.

Even the poster I responded to stated

"that we spent while elite $200 less than normal on alcohol, $50 less on laundry, $50 less on internet"

It wasn't didn't spend but spent less.

My experience has been that most members at the nightly Elite event certainly get their value worth of that benefit. The same at the Elite breakfast lounge with the morning premium drinks and specialty coffees.

Concerning the beverage package from the pick-your-perk promos, IMO a large part of the cost is built into the cruise price and many don't get the the value X indicates it is worth especially on a port intensive cruise.

Also I believe this promo wasn't combinable with other promo. Here's the fine print from the latest promo, OBC for National Cruise Vacation Week.

 

Offer cannot be combined with any other offer, promotion, or price program, including, but not limited to, Exciting Deals, Category specials, Category guarantee rates, CHX, reduced air, Interline, Senior, Travelzoo, resident, travel agent, and employee rates, or discounted rates.

I'll take the lower cost the other offers give since being Elite provides most of our onboard beverage wants.;)

I know we wouldn't spend for beverages on a cruise any where close to what we would lose by not getting our Open Passage $300 OBC on our next cruise. :D

[robtulipe]

I also forgot that we got senior and guarantee special for our next cruise which saved us $1200 of what the regular price would have been for our C1 cabin. Total saving with Open Passage OBC $1500 likely not available with pick-your-perk promos.

Compare that savings to the value of the classic alcohol beverage package! :D

Offer cannot be combined with any other offer, promotion, or price program, including, but not limited to, Exciting Deals, Category specials, Category guarantee rates, CHX, reduced air, Interline, Senior, Travelzoo, resident, travel agent, and employee rates, or discounted rates.

[jhans24]

It would not be worth it to us.

[Feelin' Nauti']

No! Not worth that much :cool:

[Oville]

OP, other than being Elite on whatever your next cruise is, I can't see a big upside to spending the extra money to upgrade to Concierge. You won't be invited to the Elite events, no Elite laundry coupons or Internet time until your following cruise and you'll be in the same size cabin as a regular veranda. Now if it were to upgrade to an AQ cabin for 15 days I'd jump on it in a heartbeat as I am a big fan of Blu.

 

Good luck with your decision and if it is really important to you to be Elite on your next cruise (or if you're afraid the rumored new program will leave you behind;):)) go for it. But as I'm sure you know, it will not benefit you on your 15 day repo.

[robtulipe]

because we like aft its a c1 but a sv is the difference in price

We are just back from the equinox in a sv and found it adequate so really just boils down to the extra point for elite

 

 

No! Not worth that much :cool:

 

Especially when the difference is from an aft SV balcony. Way too much!:eek:

[gordylad]

made the decision to downgrade and save the dollars

[rua642]

I would not pay extra for a CC cabin. Definitely not worth it.

[shipshape sam]

On a 15 night cruise to get an extra CC point?

 

 

I would not, but I am not driven to get credits. I would rather apply the $$$ to a "next" cruise. I think a second cruise is better than the Elite perks.

 

Having said the above, I have upgraded to CC when the cost was less than $10/day/person on a 14/15 day cruise and we liked the cabin location. :) We value some of the perks and in our view, they are worth the $10/day/person extra including the extra cruise credit.

[Feelin' Nauti']

made the decision to downgrade and save the dollars

You made the right decision.

Enjoy your cruise.

[richstowe]

. We just listed for a cruise we really don't need to take (been there too many times already) because the XC cost is lower than the verandas. Couldn't resist that. Does that put us in the category of "I really didn't need a new dress, dear, but it was on sale and I saved us money." :)

When my mom would share her great deals with my dad, he would respond(with love)

"Keep saving us money like that and we will be broke in no time".:D I still say this to DW and myself.

I love the idea of a cruise you don't need to take as opposed to the ones you need to take.;)

made the decision to downgrade and save the dollars

Either way you will be on a great cruise. You can't lose.:)

[Kathie44]

I would say, "No", after getting a totally unexpected FREE CC upgrade (from OV) on Summit to the Med. in '09--after the price had fallen again to $1410 for a 12-nighter. The price we booked it for, 15 mos ahead of time, was $2299. If they want to GIVE it to me again, I'll take it.

Paying extra for anything I consider unnecessary goes against the grain. The one exception recently has been an occasional spa massage.

[BosoxI]

I love the idea of a cruise you don't need to take as opposed to the ones you need to take.;)

 

Agree wholeheartedly. There is something very relaxing about visiting a port and NOT having to awaken at the break of dawn to sightsee. Staying onboard makes it a vacation, not a chore. Who hasn't been on a vacation and come back exhausted from all the running around?

 

Plus, not having to take the cruise allows us to wait for the best deals, knowing we're not missing out on something we really wanted to see. If they don't occur, so what? Of course, it costs quite a bit to reach this point, doesn't it?:D

[Sinppu]

Nope.

Have never ever seen a Concierge on a cruise before and can not imagine that ever will pay that much more (even after I've seen one...)

 

Yup. Scrooge here.

[ariawoman]

Reflection

 

The extra point would take us to elite

 

To get to elite, I would, but that's just me. I just made select! Though 585 if it's per person is steep. If in total, I would probably do it. We are concierge the in may for the extra credit and because our preferred 1as were already booked lol

[shipshape sam]

To get to elite, I would, but that's just me. I just made select! Though 585 if it's per person is steep. If in total, I would probably do it. We are concierge the in may for the extra credit and because our preferred 1as were already booked lol

 

 

It is always a 'value' judgement and the value is different for each of us.

 

I see it as getting to Elite ONE cruise earlier, in theory, and thus have to say to myself, is that for that ONE earlier cruise, do I think the value of Elite perks is worth approx. $300 for that cruise. At least that is how I look at it. You can also argue that I do get the CC benefits on the current cruise so that helps with the value proposition.

[lexmiller]

We absolutely feel that Aqua Class is worth the money - for Aqua, we would, and have, paid a range of premiums from not too high, to significant - but as to your question, for Concierge Class, never ever ever. No remarkable benefits with Concierge. Not worth the money for an extra Captain's Club point. With Aqua, you get Blu which we value highly. For us, we cruise either Aqua so we can get Blu, or Veranda, and then we book Select Dining.

[mrsdoc3]

You realize of course that if the extra point takes you to Select, it does not go into effect until your next cruise after the one that gets you there.

 

Also, I don't know which perks you are talking about but many of them are just marketing hype.

 

Yes, I know that Select won't kick in until the next cruise. And, as I said, my sisters have never cruised before, so they don't really know that the "perks" aren't really all that great. For me, however, getting the extra cruise credit for $20 was worth it.