Possible new dining option for suite guests

[dodger1964]

I do hope Celebrity will not go forth with this idea. The nice thing about the USA has been that we really haven't had class distinctions. Some may want a less expensive room so that they can do more excursions than they would if they had a more expensive room. There are enough people trying to divide our country now we don't need this kind of division. People are interesting from all walks of life, with their varying experiences. So I hope Celebrity puts this option in the back burner or simply bury it.

 

 

Afraid that ship has sailed. Literally and figuratively.

 

 

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[4cats4me]

Will suite and aqua class now have priority boarding for lifeboats? Are we going to now be segregated like in the days of the Titanic? I have a problem when some are treated better than others which is what appears to be happening. All of a sudden I don't feel like cruising anymore...

 

No, Aqua and suites don't and won't have priority for lifeboats:rolleyes:

[TADCruise]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5785

 

 

 

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[GCKAT]

Celebrity is my favourite cruise line - so this article saddens me. They already have butler service to suites and priority embarkation. Blu is the allocated restaurant for Aquaclass pax and that's about as much segregation as I can handle. I've read that some cruise ships in the Mediterranean, even have sections of the night club that are just for First Class pax. No, no, no. I would deliberately not sail on a ship, that had this level of class segregation. If Celebrity were to implement these changes, & I was travelling in a Suite, I would still have dinner in the main dining room.

 

** The article I'm referring to is http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=5785

Edited March 20, 2014 by GCKAT

[Project_gal]

I fail to understand all this talk about "class segregation" and it not being the American way. What Celebrity are doing is "price segregation" and this, to my outsiders view, is rife in the USA. There are plenty of venues there where you have to pay more to get, essentially, a better product. My understanding is that to avoid "price segregation" you need to live in a truely communist country. Not many of those have ever existed and it is certainly not what I consider the USA to be. Correct me if I am wrong but I thought that you prided yourselves on being THE country where you have the opportunity to be able to work hard to buy the things that you want whoever you are.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Project_gal

[ThursdaysChild]

So they are going to take away a restaurant (Bistro on five) that is available to everyone and give it to just suite guests? Somehow I think the non-suite guests aren't coming out ahead in that deal. I already feel cheated that us Untouchables cannot go to Blu.

 

You can go to Blu if you pay the premium charge for booking an AQ cabin. :rolleyes: In my experience, that generally works out to an extra $40-$50 per person per day. On two short cruises (a 7 day and a 6 day) where I didn't feel it worthwhile to pay the very high upcharge (about 80 p.p. per day) for an AQ cabin, I dined at a specialty restaurant all but one night. So that added (then) $40 + each night, which worked out to saving me a few hundred dollars.

[jules57]

I am lucky enough to have booked a CS for next year to celebrate our 40th WA. Last year I upgraded to a CS and X upgraded me again to a RS. I upgraded because my husband was ill and didn't have much of an appetite and we could dine in suite. It turns out he had had a heart attack due to kidney failure. I knew he couldn't cope with the MDR and that is still the case.

A smaller dining room will be a blessing for us. I know we could dine in the speciality restaurants.

I am looking forward to the suite perks. I am prepared to pay for them and frankly with the year we have had, we deserve the pampering. It will probably be our last cruise.

In the past I too would have been unhappy with class segregation but it's different if you are the one receiving the perks.

[Yorkshire-Pudding]

Celebrity is my favourite cruise line - so this article saddens me. They already have butler service to suites and priority embarkation. Blu is the allocated restaurant for Aquaclass pax and that's about as much segregation as I can handle. I've read that some cruise ships in the Mediterranean, even have sections of the night club that are just for First Class pax. No, no, no. I would deliberately not sail on a ship, that had this level of class segregation. If Celebrity were to implement these changes, & I was travelling in a Suite, I would still have dinner in the main dining room.

 

** The article I'm referring to is http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=5785

 

I am new to Celebrity but not cruising and have booked 2 suites for my family for summer 2015 from Southampton because of the introduction of Suite Class.

 

I have been reading these boards religiously especially the comments from those that travel in suites but felt something was missing from the suite experience. This new all inclusive offering from Celebrity provides the choice and flexibility we want from a holiday on a modern contemporary ship. If Celebrity delivers I would expect us to be repeat customers going forward.

[ianj]

Wonder when they'll put the gates between decks, to keep steerage passengers away from us.;)

[sperkins921]

I fail to understand all this talk about "class segregation" and it not being the American way. What Celebrity are doing is "price segregation" and this, to my outsiders view, is rife in the USA. There are plenty of venues there where you have to pay more to get, essentially, a better product. My understanding is that to avoid "price segregation" you need to live in a truely communist country. Not many of those have ever existed and it is certainly not what I consider the USA to be. Correct me if I am wrong but I thought that you prided yourselves on being THE country where you have the opportunity to be able to work hard to buy the things that you want whoever you are.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself. Unfortunately, there is a trend in the US now where many want everything instantly. We have become a society of instant gratification- and no one wants to work hard for anything. Alas, the other thing I see is scoffing at other classes (both sides of the fence) for what they have or don't. I don't understand how we became so concerned with the intimate details of others' lives and felt this overwhelming need to comment on them- but it's really sad.

[mellapl]

I fail to understand all this talk about "class segregation" and it not being the American way. What Celebrity are doing is "price segregation" and this, to my outsiders view, is rife in the USA. There are plenty of venues there where you have to pay more to get, essentially, a better product. My understanding is that to avoid "price segregation" you need to live in a truely communist country. Not many of those have ever existed and it is certainly not what I consider the USA to be. Correct me if I am wrong but I thought that you prided yourselves on being THE country where you have the opportunity to be able to work hard to buy the things that you want whoever you are.

 

Well said.

[chamima]

I fail to understand all this talk about "class segregation" and it not being the American way. What Celebrity are doing is "price segregation" and this, to my outsiders view, is rife in the USA. There are plenty of venues there where you have to pay more to get, essentially, a better product. My understanding is that to avoid "price segregation" you need to live in a truely communist country. Not many of those have ever existed and it is certainly not what I consider the USA to be. Correct me if I am wrong but I thought that you prided yourselves on being THE country where you have the opportunity to be able to work hard to buy the things that you want whoever you are.

 

I also totally agree with you.

We don't usually travel in suites but on Celebrity we DO travel in Aqua and it is totally for the quieter ambiance in Blu.

People in suites are paying a lot more. They aren't in a different class but do deserve to get extra amenities for what they're paying.

We all have beautiful, delicious, exclusive and expensive restaurants where we live. If it's a priority then we can all choose to spend discretionary income on that. (And let's not fool ourselves - if you're even on a cruise you have discretionary income. People who are struggling to put food on the table aren't cruising!)

So the people who can, or choose to, pay for suites should get something for that expenditure. It's no different than the $40 or $45 you pay for a Specialty Restaurant. Why isn't THAT "class" travel?

[sperkins921]

Wonder when they'll put the gates between decks, to keep steerage passengers away from us.;)

 

what I don't get is why is there this backlash all because they are carving out another chunk from the MDR for suite guests? They did the SAME THING to create Blu- and yet, people don't seem to have had an uproar about that?

 

Priority boarding, why the fall out on that? Every line has that for certain stateroom levels. On X, CC and above get priority boarding, and supposedly priority debarkation. This is not a new concept. Heck, even airlines give it. Do you get mad when the guy who paid a fortune for first class at the airport whizzes by you in security because there is a priority boarding line for them? And if so why? I know I don't. You and I could have the same thing if we ante up the cash.

 

It's not like they are saying that they are closing off the ship and keeping inside staterooms from mingling with the outside staterooms and keeping the outsides from the verandas, etc. It's a dining room and a few extra perks, not the end of the world.....

[sperkins921]

I also totally agree with you.

We don't usually travel in suites but on Celebrity we DO travel in Aqua and it is totally for the quieter ambiance in Blu.

People in suites are paying a lot more. They aren't in a different class but do deserve to get extra amenities for what they're paying.

We all have beautiful, delicious, exclusive and expensive restaurants where we live. If it's a priority then we can all choose to spend discretionary income on that. (And let's not fool ourselves - if you're even on a cruise you have discretionary income. People who are struggling to put food on the table aren't cruising!)

So the people who can, or choose to, pay for suites should get something for that expenditure. It's no different than the $40 or $45 you pay for a Specialty Restaurant. Why isn't THAT "class" travel?

 

very well said. Agree completely. We're all on vacation, all choosing how we best see fit to spend that discretionary cash. For some people, it's an inside cabin but excursions and spa time daily. For others, it's a veranda and nightly specialty dining. And for some, it's all of the above. Instead of having a row over class-ism (whether real perceived or otherwise) let's all be thankful we are on (or can go on) vacation!

[Vivere LaDolceVita]

Anyhow, I think its great that Celebrity is reaching out to guests/past guests and trying to play catch-up. If they can. I guess they now know that people seek service levels and amentities that loyalty and points don't provide to suite guests on Celebrity ships at this time.

 

It's clear to me that they know they have lost focus on this segment of guests and for those here who have so clearly pointed out to illustrate, that the suite guests, have been marginalized in so much favor of the AQ concept dining.

 

I don't get that statement. I sailed in AC last year and will probably do so again this year. Yes, originally, when AC was introduced, suite guests were not permitted use of Blu, but that changed fairly quickly. And as has been stated previously on these boards, suite guests get a lot of perks AC guests do not, such as butler service, LOTS more room, etc.

 

These new changes, to me, are an incremental step in the direction of further segmentation of PAX. I do not oppose it outright but I am getting concerned that soon, everything will be so stratified that figuring out where you can go on the ship, where you can eat and what you can do based on your "class" will descend into chaos and lead to resentment. =X= needs to tread very carefully.

[Orator]

Suite passengers can now use Blu on a space available basis for a $5 pp charge. Should Zenith level passengers be able to use the new Suite restaurant on the same basis?

[sperkins921]

I don't see why not...I think it would be a fair 'perk' to having sailed soo many times. It ain't easy attaining that level of status I don't think....

[Project_gal]

Suite passengers can now use Blu on a space available basis for a $5 pp charge. Should Zenith level passengers be able to use the new Suite restaurant on the same basis?

 

What everyone seems to have missed in the article is that it said that the "new suite dining rooms wil have capacity for about 50 to 60 people and be open to Celebrity Suite passengers and above". Do not know if this was a typo or change of policy. If this was correct, I guess that the restaurant will be open to Zenith level passengers as well as those in suites.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Project_gal

[Yorkshire-Pudding]

Isn't this news a departure from the initial announcement that the new suite dining facilities would include Sky Suites?

[sperkins921]

I missed that too. Wonder if that's a change or just an oversight/error with the author of the article??

[CHEZMARYLOU]

I noticed that too. The web site still lists the suite only restaurant as being available to Sky Suites.

 

Mary Lou

[I&J Cruisers]

This is all about change. Those of us that have been cruising for 30 years have been pushed kicking and screaming into the cruise product as it now is. We've adjusted to anytime dining, a diminished MDR experience, much more expensive cocktails and embraced alternative dining venues, more comfortable cabins, more elaborate entertainment. Now those that have been hooked on cruising in the last 10 years or so are being confronted with the first major change in their cruise experience. We all have to remember that this is a business. Businesses exist to make money. Someone once said that the only thing you can be sure of is that nothing remains the same, things change. Happy cruising everyone.

 

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[Bababooey Land]

What everyone seems to have missed in the article is that it said that the "new suite dining rooms wil have capacity for about 50 to 60 people and be open to Celebrity Suite passengers and above". Do not know if this was a typo or change of policy. If this was correct, I guess that the restaurant will be open to Zenith level passengers as well as those in suites.

 

I noticed that as well. Im sure that was a typo. Celebrity was clear in their press release that Sky Suites WILL be included.

 

I think the author was saying Celebrity Suites as a general term, not to signify the actual cabin.

[Project_gal]

I noticed that as well. Im sure that was a typo. Celebrity was clear in their press release that Sky Suites WILL be included.

 

I think the author was saying Celebrity Suites as a general term, not to signify the actual cabin.

 

I am inclined to agree with you but 50 to 60 does not seem much for all suite guests especially if they are still trying to decide if they will be allowed to bring non-suite guests. There could be problems if there is a cruise with maximum occupancy in a high percentage of suites.

[chief190]

For all those who think that it is the class system. They should redo all ships so all rooms are the same size except if you have large family you get bigger cabin the more children the bigger the cabin. The price of the cabin you get is dependent on your taxable income and your net worth. The more you have the more you pay. If you cant afford they pay you to cruise. Sounds like the american way to me.

 

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