New to X

[bouhunter]

Hey everyone,

 

We have cruised RCCL the past 10 years and are thinking of trying Celebrity Reflection (balcony room) next March. I've searched the threads and learned a lot but would still like thoughts on the following:

 

Question #1: On Reflection, it looks like if we book far enough forward we would look "straight down" and not on to the life boats?

 

Question #2: We're thinking standard veranda class. Would have RCCL "diamond" benefits transferred. Would there be much benefit in moving up to a Conceirge Class on Reflection?

 

Thanks so much for your comments and any other thoughts for first time Celebrity cruisers!

[Orator]

Hey everyone,

 

We have cruised RCCL the past 10 years and are thinking of trying Celebrity Reflection (balcony room) next March. I've searched the threads and learned a lot but would still like thoughts on the following:

 

Question #1: On Reflection, it looks like if we book far enough forward we would look "straight down" and not on to the life boats?

 

Question #2: We're thinking standard veranda class. Would have RCCL "diamond" benefits transferred. Would there be much benefit in moving up to a Conceirge Class on Reflection?

 

Thanks so much for your comments and any other thoughts for first time Celebrity cruisers!

 

There is a Sticky at the top of the page where you might find descriptions of cabins that you're thinking about booking. Might want to check that.

 

You don't transfer diamond benefits. RCCL and Celebrity programs are independent of each other. However, if you are Diamond on RCCL you are Elite on Celebrity. The benefits offered to Elites are also different from Diamond benefits. You can check Captain's Club on the Celebrity site for description of the benefits.

 

The Concierge Cabins on Reflection are exactly the same size as a regular veranda, I see no advantage to booking one unless you need the points. You don't seem to need them since points earned on Celebrity are not transferrable to Royal. I would recommend that you look into Aqua Class. Blu restaurant alone is worth a few hundred more to me..

 

Hope this helps

[jelayne]

In order to get the Reciprocal benefits you need to contact Crown & Anchor and have them set up a Captains Club number for you before your cruise. If you book with a TA they can handle this for you, at least ours did.

[bouhunter]

There is a Sticky at the top of the page where you might find descriptions of cabins that you're thinking about booking. Might want to check that.

 

You don't transfer diamond benefits. RCCL and Celebrity programs are independent of each other. However, if you are Diamond on RCCL you are Elite on Celebrity. The benefits offered to Elites are also different from Diamond benefits. You can check Captain's Club on the Celebrity site for description of the benefits.

 

The Concierge Cabins on Reflection are exactly the same size as a regular veranda, I see no advantage to booking one unless you need the points. You don't seem to need them since points earned on Celebrity are not transferrable to Royal. I would recommend that you look into Aqua Class. Blu restaurant alone is worth a few hundred more to me..

 

Hope this helps

 

Thanks. I guess I wasn't clear, we did realize that the RCCL "diamond" benefits weren't the same but that we'd be "Elite" on X for what it's worth:) Yes we probably don't need X points, over the next few years we're likely to still cruise Royal for the most part. But we are excited to try something different. Right now we have RCCL booked for next March, but it's quite possible we will be calling tonight to cancel that and change to Celebrity:)

[bouhunter]

In order to get the Reciprocal benefits you need to contact Crown & Anchor and have them set up a Captains Club number for you before your cruise. If you book with a TA they can handle this for you, at least ours did.

 

Thanks!

[Sloop-JohnB]

Mr Sloop and I very much the extra perks that Concierge Class offers...

 

That said when it comes to the S-Class Ships the differences to Verandas regarding location is fairly insignificant (ie the bigger balconies found on the angles of "the hump" and "the bump" are also available in Veranda Class). So if the price difference is significant then we would be ok opting for a standard balcony cabin over Concierge Class (C2) with the bigger balcony midship

 

Our rule of thumb when it comes to costing differences here is say $ 50 to $ 100 per person for basic cruise fare. Because that is what we realistically feel the tangible Concierge Class perks are worth (Priority features - Cabin Extras - and higher Captain Clubs Points)

 

On the M-Class Ships... The situation is quite different. On M-Class the aft facing Sunset Balconies are all Suites, Aqua Class (A1) or Concierge Class (C1). There are no Standard Verandas back there !!

 

In this case we indeed are willing to pay more... For all the aforementioned perks as well as the prime location.

 

In all cases / cabin categories though we've found the secret is to watch availability as well as pricing. Prices can fluctuate a lot on Celebrity from Cruise Release thru Final Payment Date to Sailing. And prices are based on demand... If demand goes up or down in a category... Then so do the prices respectively. Not all that unusual for example to see a lower category outselling a higher category one... Which drives up cost... So a Veranda could actually be priced higher than Concierge... Yet in Concierge you get more (same thing with Aqua Class, can be priced lower than Concierge at times). Which is why it is a good idea to monitor pricing on a cruise even after you've booked it so as to take advantage of any price cuts (before Final payment) or possible category upgrades (after Final Payment)

 

Hope this helps,

 

Cheers!

[Cruise Raider]

I kind of like the Concierge Class perks. If you already enjoy the elite benefits due to the reciprocity between Celebrity and RCCL, the early boarding should already be yours....so that one won't matter.

I felt as though the dining reservations did matter, however.

The other things I like are, but would only pay a hundred more per person, though:

Expanded room service menu - very nice

Pillow menu -- this is my favorite

Nicer robes, towels and bedding -- kind of matters

Room locations -- I love deck 10 -- hump cabins are the best but their are few so might do as well on the standard level

Extra points towards the next level -- sounds like it wouldn't matter too much for you

 

Now, the Aqua Class.....so worth the extra charge if you can afford it. My limit on this is $200 pp. I know I cannot always fit it into my budget as it is usually more than $200 above the standard balcony cabin. Blu and entrance into both the Persian Gardens as well as the observation lounge are just the best that this cruise line has to offer. The bottled water in your room every day and night is also fabulous as is the fact that all the rooms on this deck / category are for 2 persons....so not a lot of children. While it is possible to book kids on this deck, it is rare...I will say no more. The great thing about the specialty restuarants, including Blu, is that no formal wear is ever required....smart casual every night.

 

If you book a cabin on deck 6, you may have an obstructed view but the price is usually right ....usually good enough that we still save money by booking a specialty dining package for the formal nights. There are several rooms without much of an obstruction. The Library Lady sticky will help you decide which one is worth it for you. If you move up a deck or two, they still have some hump cabin balconies where there is no obstruction for a little more but cheaper than the concierge rooms. Once, I got a nice concierge cabin just before final payment....a hump cabin at that. So, sometimes they do open up even later in the game. It was only about $60 more pp than my C3 category on the Equinox. Whoa...that was to date, the nicest cabin I have ever had in all of my cruises on any line. Loved, loved, loved it....