Elite Benefits/Recommendations

[flifish64]

Hi,

 

We are Paul and Carol and our 31 Oct Transatlantic will be our first cruise as Elite.

 

 

I understand there are only select drinks that are the elite benefit at happy hour. What are they and is there one that you would recommend?

 

Can you choose a glass of wine and then carry it to dinner in the main dining room?

 

Can you share your drink allotment with someone else?

 

What do you think is the best Elite benefit?

 

Thanks,

 

Carol

[cwtravel]

There is a good chance you will be assigned drink coupons, which for me works better. This is usually done when there are a high number of Elite, Elite+ & Zenith level guest on board, and TA's tend to attract a high number of repeat guests.

There will be specific drinks you can get with the coupons from specific bars.

 

Chris

[Wine-O]

Hi,

 

We are Paul and Carol and our 31 Oct Transatlantic will be our first cruise as Elite.

 

I understand there are only select drinks that are the elite benefit at happy hour. What are they and is there one that you would recommend?

 

Can you choose a glass of wine and then carry it to dinner in the main dining room?

 

Can you share your drink allotment with someone else?

 

What do you think is the best Elite benefit?

 

Thanks,

 

Carol

 

We're on that TA also. They will most likely give you 3 vouchers per person to be used at most of the bars on the ship with the exception of the Martini and Molecular Bars. They will give you house wine and pretty much most of the non-premium beverage selection. If you can't find something on their menu that you can drink, you can pass on your drink vouchers to me. :D Yes, you can take your glass of wine into the MDR, and share your allotment of vouchers with other elite members.

 

Many of us will be at the Sunset Bar, but a lot of folks go to the Sky Lounge where they will have hors d'oeuvres.

 

We love the Elite benefits -- especially the laundry and internet.

[keesar]

With so many people with drink packages, you may end up like us in the Sky Lounge. No vouchers given. You must show your card to get in and you are not allowed to bring in non-Elite guests. You also are not allowed to take drinks out of that area. You must consume them there.

 

I think the Internet is the best benefit.

[TN Vol Fan]

If you go to the Elite Cocktail Party, you may not carry the drinks to dinner. If you have vouchers good at most of the bars, then you could carry your wine to dinner. But there is no sharing of vouchers with others.

Also you may not have nonElite guests with you at the Cocktail Party. And they do check!

 

We think the best benefit of being Elite are the better coupons especially for laundry.

Enjoy your cruise.

[Redtravel]

Vouchers make it easier to get a quick drink before dinner. No need to walk all the way to the Sky Lounge forward and then way back to the MRD aft. I like to get a drink at the Ensemble Bar or other midship bars. I only go to the Sky lounge if there are no vouchers.

[wallie5446]

Hi,

 

We are Paul and Carol and our 31 Oct Transatlantic will be our first cruise as Elite.

 

Carol

 

Hi Carol! Congrats! Our Nov 20th sailing will be our 1st at the Elite level also! So we will look forward to reading what ya'll thought was the best perk when we get back on Dec 1st.

EW

[upwarduk]

We were recently on Eclipse and had the 3 drinks vouchers.

I cannot remember all the drinks on the 'menu', but I had a combination of mimosa, apple martini and white wine.

My husband had a screwdriver, Manhattan or a wine.

We never took our drinks out of the lounges this time, but we did when we were on Eclipse in 2013.

The 90 internet minutes got eaten up quickly, as it takes about 5 minutes to log on and off.

We used 2 laundry vouchers. Just make sure you fill the form in triplicate and keep the top white sheet ( send the pink and yellow) Our first lot of laundry wasn't returned, so after 3 days our steward went to the laundry to look for it. Because we only had a white form, it hadn't gone through the correct procedure in the laundry.

[Snit13]

If you go to the Elite Cocktail Party, you may not carry the drinks to dinner. If you have vouchers good at most of the bars, then you could carry your wine to dinner. But there is no sharing of vouchers with others.

Also you may not have nonElite guests with you at the Cocktail Party. And they do check!

 

We think the best benefit of being Elite are the better coupons especially for laundry.

Enjoy your cruise.

 

We are Elite+ and no one has ever stopped us from carrying our drinks with us to BLU to dinner. Wonder why? We do it every time we cruise. Order a drink just before we go to 5 for dinner, pick it up and walk out the door to the elevator.

[If only]

We are Elite+ and no one has ever stopped us from carrying our drinks with us to BLU to dinner. Wonder why? We do it every time we cruise. Order a drink just before we go to 5 for dinner, pick it up and walk out the door to the elevator.

 

Any cruise we have been on they have always stopped anyone from taking a drink out from the Elite Lounge & we are also Elite +, I guess you have just been lucky.

[keesar]

Any cruise we have been on they have always stopped anyone from taking a drink out from the Elite Lounge & we are also Elite +, I guess you have just been lucky.

 

They must place the drinks in their pockets. ;)

 

We have always been stopped at the door on the way out! Every time.

[flifish64]

Thanks for all the responses. I had no idea that the Sky Lounge Elite event had appetizers. Are they like the ones they put in your room if you are in a CC room or something else? I have seen dishes with nuts in the Ensemble lounge.

 

When they do the coupons is there still an evening gathering in the Sky Lounge?

 

Wine-O

See you at the sunset bar!

I will be sure to share. Paul says I am a lightweight drinker. lol

 

Carol

[Wine-O]

Thanks for all the responses. I had no idea that the Sky Lounge Elite event had appetizers. Are they like the ones they put in your room if you are in a CC room or something else? I have seen dishes with nuts in the Ensemble lounge.

 

When they do the coupons is there still an evening gathering in the Sky Lounge?

 

Wine-O

See you at the sunset bar!

I will be sure to share. Paul says I am a lightweight drinker. lol

 

Carol

 

Hi Carol, looking forward to meeting you, and will see you at the Sunset Bar on Sail Away.

 

If they have vouches, which is probably the case, they do have someone at the door of the Sky Lounge checking seapass cards. Usually around 7pm that person disappears, so you can take your drink with you to dinner. Best thing to do would leave 15 minutes early and head to one of the bars near the dining rooms to get your wine for the dining room.

 

The hors d'oeuvres will be hit or miss, but we've had some nice ones last year, both hot and cold. Nothing like the canapés you get in your stateroom.

[ClaudiaB]

The last three cruises they have also taken vouchers in the Sky Lounge.

 

The appetizers are pretty good. They're completely different from the things you get in the cabin.

You might have bacon-wrapped chicken pieces, meatballs, mini quiches, shrimp, little sandwiches of different kinds, bbq chicken wings, and a lot of other things I can't remember.

 

The head of the beverage service was up there the entire on one cruise and he was making drinks personally. I told him I wished a bellini was on the captain's club menu since they will give you orange juice or sparkling wine. Just combine the two. He agreed and made me many of them himself. That particular cruise they didn't take vouchers up there and people could drink as much as they wanted.

 

We haven't been on a package yet so we would use our leftover vouchers (we just aren't huge drinkers) and get unopened Diet Coke or bottles of water. They get that request a lot.

 

We've also walked out with a drink, but only about 7:00 when they're about to close.

[gold1953]

We were recently on Eclipse and had the 3 drinks vouchers.

I cannot remember all the drinks on the 'menu', but I had a combination of mimosa, apple martini and white wine.

My husband had a screwdriver, Manhattan or a wine.

We never took our drinks out of the lounges this time, but we did when we were on Eclipse in 2013.

The 90 internet minutes got eaten up quickly, as it takes about 5 minutes to log on and off.

We used 2 laundry vouchers. Just make sure you fill the form in triplicate and keep the top white sheet ( send the pink and yellow) Our first lot of laundry wasn't returned, so after 3 days our steward went to the laundry to look for it. Because we only had a white form, it hadn't gone through the correct procedure in the laundry.

 

I see you are coming to our home town next Sept.!!! I assume your Canada fall tour stops in Halifax

 

Pat and Bill

[flifish64]

Thanks Claudia B for the suggestion.

 

We are not on a drink package and I do like a coke 1st thing in the morning. (Not a coffee drinker). I will use one of my coupons for an unopened coke and put it in my bag to take back to the room.

 

We are early dining so we just have from 5-6 for Happy Hour.

1 drink

1 wine to take to dinner

1 can of coke to take to the room.

 

no left over vouchers. :)

 

Carol

[upwarduk]

I see you are coming to our home town next Sept.!!! I assume your Canada fall tour stops in Halifax

 

Pat and Bill

 

Hi Pat & Bill,

Sadly no stop in Halifax:

 

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/en-gb/voyage/1473393600/15-night-london-paris-canada-voyage

Edited September 6, 2015 by upwarduk

[Gracie115]

I like Pinot Grigio and was disappointed that it was NOT available during the Elite cocktail hour.....

[4774Papa]

On some cruises, we have found that the no carrying drinks out the door rule is not strictly enforced. It depends on the crew in charge.

[Snit13]

They must place the drinks in their pockets. ;)

 

We have always been stopped at the door on the way out! Every time.

 

Sorry, no pockets. We normally stay from 5 to 7 and there is no one at the door when we leave to go to BLU. Or maybe we are just lucky as someone said.

[gold1953]

Hi Pat & Bill,

Sadly no stop in Halifax:

 

https://www.azamaraclubcruises.com/en-gb/voyage/1473393600/15-night-london-paris-canada-voyage

 

Looks like we won't be picking you up at the ship!!

 

Great intinerary

[mkazmer]

Our last cruise on the Constellation was our first Elite cruise. We enjoyed the cocktail hour in the Sky Lounge every evening and took our drinks to dinner each evening. We are not big drinkers so the selection was quite nice for us. There were lovely appetizers each evening and some of the Captains staff came most evenings and the whole staff another evening.

 

We enjoyed the leisurely breakfast in the Ocean Liners Dining Room each morning. It is continental style with a nice selection - not for big eaters, but you could have seconds and special coffees and Mimosas and fresh squeezed OJ. We don't enjoy the buffet at all and this was a nice change from the Main Dining Room.

 

Looking forward to our next cruise with Celebrity on the Infinity in October.

[TN Vol Fan]

Even if you get vouchers, there will be a Cocktail Party with unlimited # of drinks. If you save your vouchers, they still have to be used in the Party hours 5-7. You might find a bar that will let you use them later, but it all depends on the bartender.

We've always had early seating and have never been able to take drinks out that early. Someone was always at the door!

I agree about the Elite breakfast. We do love it as it is in on of the specialty restaurants and a very nice way to have a serviced breakfast to start the day. You just need to keep in mind nothing is hot on it. The almond croissants are wonderful!

[CathyCruises]

We've been stopped every single time from taking drinks out of the sky lounge.

 

We have normally enjoyed happy hour at the Sunset Bar. I typically have two drinks over the two hours (Apple martini or Manhattan) and then use my last coupon for a glass of wine to take to dinner. DH, who does not drink alcohol, uses leftover vouchers for bottles of water, and some bars (the one inside the OCEANVIEW cafe for example) will give you one of the large bottles.

 

We are going to take our first non-TA in years, it'll be interesting to see if there are vouchers or if we'll be relegated back to the Sky Lounge. . .

 

I think the happy hour is the best perk, since we never buy the beverage package, and three drinks a day is MORE than enough for me. We also use the Internet and laundry coupons. The Elite breakfast has been a disappointment, the cappuccini (!) are essentially undrinkable every time I've ordered one and the food selection is very basic. Some fruit, some pastries, not a true breakfast.

 

Personally I am very grateful for the elite perks, they definitely keep me coming back to X. On our last 14 night TA, our total bill was $62 and that included two speciality dinners each, an occasional piña colada by the pool, and a bit of shopping. We did have some OBC that helped a lot too, but that's cheaper than staying home! Not using gas, buying food, going to movies, using electricity, etc!!

[smtcan]

We have not used the Elite breakfast very often since they went to plated offerings. We seemed to waste too much food when trying to get our choices. We don't take a drink package, so enjoy the happy hour, with or without vouchers. Our experience has varied when trying to take a glass of wine to dinner. I think it depends on the individual staff members. Obviously if vouchers are used there is no need to take wine from the lounge, we just use our last voucher in a bar near the MDR, but on cruises where most people have drink packages, they seem to be more lenient.

 

Sheila