Why are they so special?

[dkjretired]

But what was the point of mentioning it? How did this add to the conversation? Moreover, why does it matter what their race/ethnic background is?

 

The thread was entitled "Why are they so special." That's why I brought it up, bet there are a lot of people out there who won't have the guts to comment on it because of that.

 

It doesn't matter what race they are, I said that, again read and comprehend. Just pointing out the Ad companies demographics.

 

Actually, you and the others in posts 44, 45, and 47 exacerbated the conversations by either commenting on or agreeing to things that I never said.

 

"I read the thread from its inception, including those by you and the response of Bo. My own take was that it was the general grumble about "Suite Folks" versus Loyal Celebrity Cruisers. Nothing more. There was IMHO no elephant in the room. Only you can know what your intention may have been, but your responses left yourself open."

 

 

AS to your above quote, not one person mentioned a suite in any post prior to my original post so that negates your comments.

Edited June 26, 2018 by dkjretired

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Lol, those were my thoughts as well.

Guess they lost my email address... :p

Me too. I never even got the news letter.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Have been a Captain Club member since 2002, I used to get the letter in the mail, then it stopped and never restarted in e-mails. My husband and I are celebrating our 50th anniversary on our upcoming cruise and I can't wait to go with or without recognition, I know he is happy that we are still married. Think I'll go check out the CC newsletter, if I can find it.

Congrats to all who are celebrating special occasions.

 

Hubby and I celebrated our 50TH wedding anniversary last year on Celebrity. We didn't even tell anybody. Maybe it was because when we celebrated our thirtieth anniversary and told the server in the restaurant, she remarked, "Nobody stays married that long any more." :o

[Orator]

As a long time Cruise Critic poster I've always appreciated the insights and advice offered by dkjretired. Perhaps their comment concerning "the Elephant in the room" could have been put differently since the phase as used triggered all sorts of negative reactions. Most certainly the couple pictured was inter racial and some posters my have been careful about what they said, or just didn't comment because a fear that they might be labeled. Unfortunately some people still judge others based on their race, religion or national origin. I would hope that we would have been past that many years ago, but just listen to the news from around the world. So the comment made by dkjretired might be true in some cases and truth is always a good defense. I mentioned why I believe that this couple was "special" to Celebrity and part of that was, I believe, an attempt to reach out to inter racial couples. Celebrity recognized that there was a difference in the photo that made a difference, some positive, some negative to some potential customers.

[richsea]

Perhaps you should actually read my comments, I stated a fact and my opinion was just the opposite. Everyone before me was beating around the bush, I was honest and made no comments as a matter of fact congratulated the couple. Gee, I wish people would learn to read.

Where is the LIKE button?

 

So many people read what they want to see, not what is actually written.

[dkjretired]

As a long time Cruise Critic poster I've always appreciated the insights and advice offered by dkjretired. Perhaps their comment concerning "the Elephant in the room" could have been put differently since the phase as used triggered all sorts of negative reactions. Most certainly the couple pictured was inter racial and some posters my have been careful about what they said, or just didn't comment because a fear that they might be labeled. Unfortunately some people still judge others based on their race, religion or national origin. I would hope that we would have been past that many years ago, but just listen to the news from around the world. So the comment made by dkjretired might be true in some cases and truth is always a good defense. I mentioned why I believe that this couple was "special" to Celebrity and part of that was, I believe, an attempt to reach out to inter racial couples. Celebrity recognized that there was a difference in the photo that made a difference, some positive, some negative to some potential customers.

 

Thank you and I will admit that maybe the Elephant comment could have been phrased differently but I really felt the previous posters were avoiding it. I truly meant nothing more than people avoiding saying anything.

[keithm]

So in your world, in this day and age, a biracial couple in an advertisement is the elephant in the room? How unutterably sad. I'm glad I don't live in your world.

 

As for the gay wedding announcement, of course it was advertising. And I'm sure the LGBTQ community were happy to know that they would be welcomed aboard X's ships. Is this another elephant in your room. If so, it must be getting crowded in there.

As a gay couple, we don't see any real "welcoming" to gay couples. I'm NOT saying they are not gay friendly, but at least Princess/Cunard advertise daily a LGBT get together daily. Celebrity puts it on a small bulletin board next to guest services. Admittedly, Oceania(which we did this Jan.)Does absolutely nothing for it's LGBT cruisers. Again I'm NOT saying they aren't gay friendly. We're just not treated any differently. I have emphasize the "NOT" part as a lot of pax don't seem to be able read posts judging by dkjretired's obviously crystal clear posts!

[GenerationX]

Hello CC!

 

I am the lady in the couple featured in the article.

 

I must confess, I have been lurking on the Celebrity boards for a couple of years while planning our cruises, but never dreamed that I'd ever be the subject of a post and am so thankful it's not one regarding chair hogging or rude passenger behavior! Now I really feel like a celebrity!

 

First, I just wanted to reach out and thank all those who've offered us congratulations on our engagement.

 

Also, for those like OP who are curious, I also wanted to provide my perspective on the "why" and "how" of how we came to get "special treatment" on our cruise in February.

 

I believe the proposal happened on the 3rd night of our cruise but I'm not completely sure (oh how those amazing vacation days onboard run together :D).

 

As the article mentioned, my fiancé enlisted the ship's photographer to help with his proposal. However, this was the only crewmember that he involved and/or informed in advance of his plans.

 

Right after the proposal, we went to MC for a pre-dinner celebratory glass of bubbly with a couple in the suite down the hall from us who we'd made friends with over the last few days. We were sitting at the bar and it just so happened that Captain Peppas was sitting at one of the tables behind us chatting with a Zenith member. He overheard our friends raising a toast to our engagement and was so kind as to come over to greet us and offer his congratulations. At this point, Niko the MC concierge was listening in (as I would assume all crewmembers do when the captain is asking guests how they're enjoying their time onboard) and then came over and congratulated us as well. I can't say whether or to what extent the captain meeting us and hearing about our engagement played into us being selected for this amazing gift, but I wonder if he did have a hand in it.

 

The next day when we went to MC for tea, Niko came over to me and asked us not to make any dinner plans for the second evening chic night, as she had arranged "a little something special" for us. I just assumed we were getting a complimentary reservation in Murano or Tuscan or something, but told her that was very sweet and we'd be happy to attend.

 

On the night of the big surprise, we went to MC for our usual pre-dinner drink and then Niko (after much whispered conversation on her magic concierge cell phone) took us on an elevator up to the Lawn Club and were completely FLOORED by what the crew had done for us. The sunset private dinner in the Alcove, the entertainment, meeting the officers it all completely took our breath away! I felt like I was saying "thank you" 50 times a minute the whole way through and still wasn't showing enough gratitude!

 

I completely understand the OP's question of "why us?" because I was asking it myself the entire night. Compared to others we'd met in MC and elsewhere on the ship, we are certainly nothing special. We were just a couple of stressed out, overworked young professionals enjoying our 1 week per year where we can unplug for vacation, only a few prior Celebrity cruises on our loyalty status, not staying in one of the super fancy suites.

 

Do I think our demographics played into it? I would say probably, and if so, the plan worked! We have loved the 3 prior Celebrity cruises we've taken and our experience on this cruise cemented our loyalty to sailing with Celebrity. We also posted extensively on social media during our cruise and about our special engagement surprise and have raved about it to friends and family. As a result several of our friends (also in our demographic as far as age/income, all over the board on race) who have never cruised because they favor land-based all-inclusive resorts are now planning to give cruising, and Celebrity in particular, a try!

 

I will also mention, though again I can't say for certain if/how much it influenced decisions, that when the Guest Relations Manager and Hotel Director spoke to us at our dinner, they mentioned that several crew members had told them what fantastic passengers we were and how happy they were that the team was going to do something special for us. My fiancé and I both worked our way through high school and college in food service and retail jobs, so I think having spent so much time on the other side of customer service, we do make a special effort to always be patient, courteous and grateful to those who provide service to us. However, I would hope that we're no more kind and gracious than any other well-mannered passengers onboard. I do recall on the first day of our cruise we had a couple of hiccups with OBC that I went to Guest Relations to discuss and once they were resolved the next day, I stopped back by the desk (sipping a mojito to pass the time in the line...my Guest Relations line pro-tip! :D) just to let the rep who helped me know that all was in order and thank her for a quick resolution. She seemed very touched that someone would come wait in line just to say "thank you". There was also a time, I think on day 3, where my fiancé intervened on behalf of a clerk in one of the shops when we felt that a man was being verbally abusive to her for "not answering my question!!!!" when it was clear she was a non-native English speaker doing the best she could to follow his rapid shouting in a heavy accent (even I was having trouble understanding what he wanted for pete's sake).

 

As far has how we came to be featured in the newsletter, I think that's my doing. As mentioned earlier, engagement hoopla aside, we found this cruise to be our best yet in terms of food quality and service. By the end I wanted to tip every crewmember who'd taken care of us $1000, but our vacation budget doesn't stretch near that far! Instead, after giving additional tips within our means on the last day of the cruise, when we got home I wrote an email to LLP (found her email address on this board, thanks everyone!) telling her about our fantastic sailing on the Silhouette and mentioning by name every crewmember who gave us exceptional service, from the bartenders and concierge in MC, our butler and stateroom attendant to an unbelievably hardworking pool bartender and the server in our favorite lunch spot, the Porch. I ended the letter letting her know that our experience on the Silhouette has made us Celebrity customers for life.

 

I think the best part of this whole experience was, the day after I sent the email, a representative from LLP's office called me and told me that LLP personally read my email and forwarded it along to ship leadership with a congratulatory note and that each crewmember named in my email would get a note about it placed in their personnel file! The crew work so hard and it was so great to see that I was able to get some positive attention sent their way from the very top! Anyway, a few days later, Celebrity's director of loyalty emailed me and said that LLP had forwarded my email to her and asked if we would consider being featured in a newsletter article at some point. I was shocked that anyone would really be interested in our story, but we figured if it helps get the word out to other young professionals like us about what a wonderful vacation experience Celebrity provides and helps to keep them sailing with us, why not?

 

Sorry if I've rambled on, but just wanted to provide a first hand perspective. Now that I've created an account, I promise I'll actually post and contribute to conversations instead of just benefiting from all of your wonderful insights.

 

I'm also happy to answer any other questions that anyone has about our cruise!

[davekathy]

Hello CC!

 

I am the lady in the couple featured in the article.

 

I must confess, I have been lurking on the Celebrity boards for a couple of years while planning our cruises, but never dreamed that I'd ever be the subject of a post and am so thankful it's not one regarding chair hogging or rude passenger behavior! Now I really feel like a celebrity!

 

First, I just wanted to reach out and thank all those who've offered us congratulations on our engagement.

 

Also, for those like OP who are curious, I also wanted to provide my perspective on the "why" and "how" of how we came to get "special treatment" on our cruise in February.

 

I believe the proposal happened on the 3rd night of our cruise but I'm not completely sure (oh how those amazing vacation days onboard run together :D).

 

As the article mentioned, my fiancé enlisted the ship's photographer to help with his proposal. However, this was the only crewmember that he involved and/or informed in advance of his plans.

 

Right after the proposal, we went to MC for a pre-dinner celebratory glass of bubbly with a couple in the suite down the hall from us who we'd made friends with over the last few days. We were sitting at the bar and it just so happened that Captain Peppas was sitting at one of the tables behind us chatting with a Zenith member. He overheard our friends raising a toast to our engagement and was so kind as to come over to greet us and offer his congratulations. At this point, Niko the MC concierge was listening in (as I would assume all crewmembers do when the captain is asking guests how they're enjoying their time onboard) and then came over and congratulated us as well. I can't say whether or to what extent the captain meeting us and hearing about our engagement played into us being selected for this amazing gift, but I wonder if he did have a hand in it.

 

The next day when we went to MC for tea, Niko came over to me and asked us not to make any dinner plans for the second evening chic night, as she had arranged "a little something special" for us. I just assumed we were getting a complimentary reservation in Murano or Tuscan or something, but told her that was very sweet and we'd be happy to attend.

 

On the night of the big surprise, we went to MC for our usual pre-dinner drink and then Niko (after much whispered conversation on her magic concierge cell phone) took us on an elevator up to the Lawn Club and were completely FLOORED by what the crew had done for us. The sunset private dinner in the Alcove, the entertainment, meeting the officers it all completely took our breath away! I felt like I was saying "thank you" 50 times a minute the whole way through and still wasn't showing enough gratitude!

 

I completely understand the OP's question of "why us?" because I was asking it myself the entire night. Compared to others we'd met in MC and elsewhere on the ship, we are certainly nothing special. We were just a couple of stressed out, overworked young professionals enjoying our 1 week per year where we can unplug for vacation, only a few prior Celebrity cruises on our loyalty status, not staying in one of the super fancy suites.

 

Do I think our demographics played into it? I would say probably, and if so, the plan worked! We have loved the 3 prior Celebrity cruises we've taken and our experience on this cruise cemented our loyalty to sailing with Celebrity. We also posted extensively on social media during our cruise and about our special engagement surprise and have raved about it to friends and family. As a result several of our friends (also in our demographic as far as age/income, all over the board on race) who have never cruised because they favor land-based all-inclusive resorts are now planning to give cruising, and Celebrity in particular, a try!

 

I will also mention, though again I can't say for certain if/how much it influenced decisions, that when the Guest Relations Manager and Hotel Director spoke to us at our dinner, they mentioned that several crew members had told them what fantastic passengers we were and how happy they were that the team was going to do something special for us. My fiancé and I both worked our way through high school and college in food service and retail jobs, so I think having spent so much time on the other side of customer service, we do make a special effort to always be patient, courteous and grateful to those who provide service to us. However, I would hope that we're no more kind and gracious than any other well-mannered passengers onboard. I do recall on the first day of our cruise we had a couple of hiccups with OBC that I went to Guest Relations to discuss and once they were resolved the next day, I stopped back by the desk (sipping a mojito to pass the time in the line...my Guest Relations line pro-tip! :D) just to let the rep who helped me know that all was in order and thank her for a quick resolution. She seemed very touched that someone would come wait in line just to say "thank you". There was also a time, I think on day 3, where my fiancé intervened on behalf of a clerk in one of the shops when we felt that a man was being verbally abusive to her for "not answering my question!!!!" when it was clear she was a non-native English speaker doing the best she could to follow his rapid shouting in a heavy accent (even I was having trouble understanding what he wanted for pete's sake).

 

As far has how we came to be featured in the newsletter, I think that's my doing. As mentioned earlier, engagement hoopla aside, we found this cruise to be our best yet in terms of food quality and service. By the end I wanted to tip every crewmember who'd taken care of us $1000, but our vacation budget doesn't stretch near that far! Instead, after giving additional tips within our means on the last day of the cruise, when we got home I wrote an email to LLP (found her email address on this board, thanks everyone!) telling her about our fantastic sailing on the Silhouette and mentioning by name every crewmember who gave us exceptional service, from the bartenders and concierge in MC, our butler and stateroom attendant to an unbelievably hardworking pool bartender and the server in our favorite lunch spot, the Porch. I ended the letter letting her know that our experience on the Silhouette has made us Celebrity customers for life.

 

I think the best part of this whole experience was, the day after I sent the email, a representative from LLP's office called me and told me that LLP personally read my email and forwarded it along to ship leadership with a congratulatory note and that each crewmember named in my email would get a note about it placed in their personnel file! The crew work so hard and it was so great to see that I was able to get some positive attention sent their way from the very top! Anyway, a few days later, Celebrity's director of loyalty emailed me and said that LLP had forwarded my email to her and asked if we would consider being featured in a newsletter article at some point. I was shocked that anyone would really be interested in our story, but we figured if it helps get the word out to other young professionals like us about what a wonderful vacation experience Celebrity provides and helps to keep them sailing with us, why not?

 

Sorry if I've rambled on, but just wanted to provide a first hand perspective. Now that I've created an account, I promise I'll actually post and contribute to conversations instead of just benefiting from all of your wonderful insights.

 

I'm also happy to answer any other questions that anyone has about our cruise!

Thanks for posting and welcome to CC.

[Bo1953]

Hello CC!

 

I am the lady in the couple featured in the article.

 

I must confess, I have been lurking on the Celebrity boards for a couple of years while planning our cruises, but never dreamed that I'd ever be the subject of a post and am so thankful it's not one regarding chair hogging or rude passenger behavior! Now I really feel like a celebrity!

 

First, I just wanted to reach out and thank all those who've offered us congratulations on our engagement.

 

Also, for those like OP who are curious, I also wanted to provide my perspective on the "why" and "how" of how we came to get "special treatment" on our cruise in February.

 

-------------------------------

 

g - Thank you and your fiancee for your side of the events...

 

 

Thank you for your graciousness on-board and here, as well.

 

Congratulations and welcome to CC.

 

Many of us await our invites to the wedding aboard The Edge next year! :')

 

May you have many many happy years together and bon voyage

[Toofarfromthesea]

Hello CC!

 

I am the lady in the couple featured in the article.

 

 

What a great story and a great memory. Too bad that some folks' reaction is envy.

[GenerationX]

g - Thank you and your fiancee for your side of the events...

 

 

Thank you for your graciousness on-board and here, as well.

 

Congratulations and welcome to CC.

 

Many of us await our invites to the wedding aboard The Edge next year! :')

 

May you have many many happy years together and bon voyage

 

Thank you! Regretfully the Edge is priced well outside our budget for our honeymoon cruise, much less the wedding! I’m crossing my fingers that prices drop enough for it to be an affordable 5th anniversary option. :')

[Bo1953]

Thank you! Regretfully the Edge is priced well outside our budget for our honeymoon cruise, much less the wedding! I’m crossing my fingers that prices drop enough for it to be an affordable 5th anniversary option. :')

 

LOL - understood, then again with 50 invited guests, with an advance on wedding gifts of $100 per cabin, you will be on-board, not a suite, but on-board!

 

The Captain will officiate, Gratis of course and the reception can be in either Eden or OVC with the rest of the passengers, with no added charge... we can most certainly arrange for a small wedding cake too..

 

Wedding On, The Edge, Cost - Solved! :halo:

 

Thank you again and bon voyage

[dkjretired]

Thank you! Regretfully the Edge is priced well outside our budget for our honeymoon cruise, much less the wedding! I’m crossing my fingers that prices drop enough for it to be an affordable 5th anniversary option. :')

 

Again congratulations. When you do your fifth suggest you save up and try a suite. We just did ten days on Equinox and I surprised the wife with a suite for our 35th.. What a special occasion. Great story by the way.

[mom says]

Generation X, thank you for taking the time to tell your wonderful story. I've no doubt it will always remain a favorite memory. Congratulations on your engagement, and best wishes for a long and happy life together.

[warmwinds]

Again congratulations. When you do your fifth suggest you save up and try a suite. We just did ten days on Equinox and I surprised the wife with a suite for our 35th.. What a special occasion. Great story by the way.

 

I believe they were already in a suite? (Michael's Club references, also I thought the article mentioned this, I could be mistaken).

 

I'm the one who called you a "squeaky wheel", and I do want to apologize. We've been on many cruises where some make such a "look at me" stink that they get all sorts of stuff showered upon them. Clearly this was not the case.

 

I do wish you much happiness in your future.

[hubofhockey]

h - Okay, you are cheap and so am I or rather it is how we choose to sail, which far more important than cabin level or so I believe.

 

I Am always looking to trade dining rooms, from time to time with those in a suite... ;p

 

During our Alaska sailing last year, I did have friends who switched with us, with the blessing of the Maitre d' and it was great.. the sailing before we were able to do it in Blu... both delish, to say the least.. but not enough to ante up for them outright! LOL

 

bon voyage

 

There is a cheap spectrum. :cool: We do more destination cruising these days and allocate more resources to private excursions and things to do in different places (non-Caribbean). I'll spend on dining too (Blu or dining packages). In any case, it was a special cruise for this couple and I get the suite idea. I "get it" but wouldn't do it.

 

Since the bride to be is on this thread, please don't take my post as criticism. I think what you two did is pretty cool. You also let Celebrity steal a bit of the "Love Boat" theme from a line I have cruised on very often. You will always remember it. It must be great to have all of it put together so nicely with the help of Celebrity. We've cruised many lines and I truly believe that Celebrity tries hardest among the mass market lines when it comes to service. They always try to find ways to make your experience a little better (love the perks too).

[GenerationX]

What a great story and a great memory. Too bad that some folks' reaction is envy.

 

Thank you! I can’t really judge people too much for envy. I am very envious of those who live driving distance to cruise ports and can hop on a cruise when a last minute deal pops up, and also of all the lucky retired folks who don’t have to spend 7 months trying to clear a docket so they can relax in the carribean for a few days! Every time I make a contribution to my 401(k) I close my eyes and dream of my (distant) future life of cruising leisure.

[GenerationX]

There is a cheap spectrum. :cool: We do more destination cruising these days and allocate more resources to private excursions and things to do in different places (non-Caribbean). I'll spend on dining too (Blu or dining packages). In any case, it was a special cruise for this couple and I get the suite idea. I "get it" but wouldn't do it.

 

Since the bride to be is on this thread, please don't take my post as criticism. I think what you two did is pretty cool. You also let Celebrity steal a bit of the "Love Boat" theme from a line I have cruised on very often. You will always remember it. It must be great to have all of it put together so nicely with the help of Celebrity. We've cruised many lines and I truly believe that Celebrity tries hardest among the mass market lines when it comes to service. They always try to find ways to make your experience a little better (love the perks too).

 

No criticism taken at all. Everyone has different priorities when it comes to how to spend their vacation budget and should spend their hard earned money in the way they’ll enjoy it the most. We got lucky during a promo for our last cruise and the one we’re taking in December and when taking into account the OBC from our travel agent and additional Celebrity promo perks that came with the Sky Suite which we would have purchased anyway, the price for a sky suite was only a few hundred dollars more than the concierge class room we booked on our prior cruises. We’ve pretty much made up for the extra spend by taking red eye flights in and staying in less fancy hotels the night before the cruise. I’m very sensitive to confined space due to childhood trauma (could never handle an inside cabin!) so I think I probably feel/appreciate the increase in square footage from concierge to sky suite more than most would. We’ve also mostly sailed S class and the suite perks of priority boarding, tendering and disembarkation were very nice when things were crowded on our sold out sailing. Our December cruise will be on Infinity so will be interesting to see if we feel the value as much on a ship with less passengers.

[warmwinds]

So did you notice a difference from CC to SS? To me the cabin doesn't look all that much bigger (and I keep telling my husband to get the word "suite" out of his head lest he be disappointed - he doesn't want to look at any pictures of videos). We're trying our first SS after years on Celebrity first CC then AQ, mostly for Luminae, Michael's Club and all the other goodies.

[hvbaskey]

Hello CC!

 

I am the lady in the couple featured in the article.

 

I must confess, I have been lurking on the Celebrity boards for a couple of years while planning our cruises, but never dreamed that I'd ever be the subject of a post and am so thankful it's not one regarding chair hogging or rude passenger behavior! Now I really feel like a celebrity!

 

First, I just wanted to reach out and thank all those who've offered us congratulations on our engagement.

 

Also, for those like OP who are curious, I also wanted to provide my perspective on the "why" and "how" of how we came to get "special treatment" on our cruise in February.

 

I believe the proposal happened on the 3rd night of our cruise but I'm not completely sure (oh how those amazing vacation days onboard run together :D).

 

As the article mentioned, my fiancé enlisted the ship's photographer to help with his proposal. However, this was the only crewmember that he involved and/or informed in advance of his plans.

 

Right after the proposal, we went to MC for a pre-dinner celebratory glass of bubbly with a couple in the suite down the hall from us who we'd made friends with over the last few days. We were sitting at the bar and it just so happened that Captain Peppas was sitting at one of the tables behind us chatting with a Zenith member. He overheard our friends raising a toast to our engagement and was so kind as to come over to greet us and offer his congratulations. At this point, Niko the MC concierge was listening in (as I would assume all crewmembers do when the captain is asking guests how they're enjoying their time onboard) and then came over and congratulated us as well. I can't say whether or to what extent the captain meeting us and hearing about our engagement played into us being selected for this amazing gift, but I wonder if he did have a hand in it.

 

The next day when we went to MC for tea, Niko came over to me and asked us not to make any dinner plans for the second evening chic night, as she had arranged "a little something special" for us. I just assumed we were getting a complimentary reservation in Murano or Tuscan or something, but told her that was very sweet and we'd be happy to attend.

 

On the night of the big surprise, we went to MC for our usual pre-dinner drink and then Niko (after much whispered conversation on her magic concierge cell phone) took us on an elevator up to the Lawn Club and were completely FLOORED by what the crew had done for us. The sunset private dinner in the Alcove, the entertainment, meeting the officers it all completely took our breath away! I felt like I was saying "thank you" 50 times a minute the whole way through and still wasn't showing enough gratitude!

 

I completely understand the OP's question of "why us?" because I was asking it myself the entire night. Compared to others we'd met in MC and elsewhere on the ship, we are certainly nothing special. We were just a couple of stressed out, overworked young professionals enjoying our 1 week per year where we can unplug for vacation, only a few prior Celebrity cruises on our loyalty status, not staying in one of the super fancy suites.

 

Do I think our demographics played into it? I would say probably, and if so, the plan worked! We have loved the 3 prior Celebrity cruises we've taken and our experience on this cruise cemented our loyalty to sailing with Celebrity. We also posted extensively on social media during our cruise and about our special engagement surprise and have raved about it to friends and family. As a result several of our friends (also in our demographic as far as age/income, all over the board on race) who have never cruised because they favor land-based all-inclusive resorts are now planning to give cruising, and Celebrity in particular, a try!

 

I will also mention, though again I can't say for certain if/how much it influenced decisions, that when the Guest Relations Manager and Hotel Director spoke to us at our dinner, they mentioned that several crew members had told them what fantastic passengers we were and how happy they were that the team was going to do something special for us. My fiancé and I both worked our way through high school and college in food service and retail jobs, so I think having spent so much time on the other side of customer service, we do make a special effort to always be patient, courteous and grateful to those who provide service to us. However, I would hope that we're no more kind and gracious than any other well-mannered passengers onboard. I do recall on the first day of our cruise we had a couple of hiccups with OBC that I went to Guest Relations to discuss and once they were resolved the next day, I stopped back by the desk (sipping a mojito to pass the time in the line...my Guest Relations line pro-tip! :D) just to let the rep who helped me know that all was in order and thank her for a quick resolution. She seemed very touched that someone would come wait in line just to say "thank you". There was also a time, I think on day 3, where my fiancé intervened on behalf of a clerk in one of the shops when we felt that a man was being verbally abusive to her for "not answering my question!!!!" when it was clear she was a non-native English speaker doing the best she could to follow his rapid shouting in a heavy accent (even I was having trouble understanding what he wanted for pete's sake).

 

As far has how we came to be featured in the newsletter, I think that's my doing. As mentioned earlier, engagement hoopla aside, we found this cruise to be our best yet in terms of food quality and service. By the end I wanted to tip every crewmember who'd taken care of us $1000, but our vacation budget doesn't stretch near that far! Instead, after giving additional tips within our means on the last day of the cruise, when we got home I wrote an email to LLP (found her email address on this board, thanks everyone!) telling her about our fantastic sailing on the Silhouette and mentioning by name every crewmember who gave us exceptional service, from the bartenders and concierge in MC, our butler and stateroom attendant to an unbelievably hardworking pool bartender and the server in our favorite lunch spot, the Porch. I ended the letter letting her know that our experience on the Silhouette has made us Celebrity customers for life.

 

I think the best part of this whole experience was, the day after I sent the email, a representative from LLP's office called me and told me that LLP personally read my email and forwarded it along to ship leadership with a congratulatory note and that each crewmember named in my email would get a note about it placed in their personnel file! The crew work so hard and it was so great to see that I was able to get some positive attention sent their way from the very top! Anyway, a few days later, Celebrity's director of loyalty emailed me and said that LLP had forwarded my email to her and asked if we would consider being featured in a newsletter article at some point. I was shocked that anyone would really be interested in our story, but we figured if it helps get the word out to other young professionals like us about what a wonderful vacation experience Celebrity provides and helps to keep them sailing with us, why not?

 

Sorry if I've rambled on, but just wanted to provide a first hand perspective. Now that I've created an account, I promise I'll actually post and contribute to conversations instead of just benefiting from all of your wonderful insights.

 

I'm also happy to answer any other questions that anyone has about our cruise!

 

A beautiful and touching story - thank you so much for sharing with us even more details of such a special, memorable event in your life. GOOSE PIMPLES all the way!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic! and I sincerely hope our paths cross one day, sailing the high seas!

 

With warm regards,

 

Heather

Ontario, Canada

[hvbaskey]

So did you notice a difference from CC to SS? To me the cabin doesn't look all that much bigger (and I keep telling my husband to get the word "suite" out of his head lest he be disappointed - he doesn't want to look at any pictures of videos). We're trying our first SS after years on Celebrity first CC then AQ, mostly for Luminae, Michael's Club and all the other goodies.

 

For us, there is a significant difference between the AQ/CC cabins and a Sky Suite. Where others may find it is only “X” number of feet larger, for us it is “XXX” number of feet more spacious! We also enjoy Michael’s Club, Luminae, and just overall the extra special feeling, while on board.

 

IF/when we can, we would always choose at minimum, a Sky Suite.

 

With kind regards,

Heather

[Luvcrusn]

To GenerationX I wish a hearty congratulations and warm wishes for a long and happy future together. Your post certainly explained why you are so special. It's nice to read about folks who appreciate their good fortune, see the sunny side of situations, share their good fortune and remember to thank everyone along the way. I hope you two have as much love as DH and I have shared.

 

As a small footnote, I'd add that Don and Bo are two of the most reasoned, levelheaded, and fair minded posters on the Celebrity forum that I've come across.

[GenerationX]

So did you notice a difference from CC to SS? To me the cabin doesn't look all that much bigger (and I keep telling my husband to get the word "suite" out of his head lest he be disappointed - he doesn't want to look at any pictures of videos). We're trying our first SS after years on Celebrity first CC then AQ, mostly for Luminae, Michael's Club and all the other goodies.

 

I definitely noticed the room size change. The living area was actually large enough for me to move the coffee table and do my yoga comfortably in the room each morning instead of having to go to the gym and we found the two of us were able to be moving around the the room at the same time without constantly saying “let me squeeze passed you please honey”. :)

 

I also enjoyed having a bathtub. On mornings where I did a full gym workout would usually stop by OVC afterwards to grab a coffee and a mimosa and enjoy them soaking in the tub until breakfast arrived. It was heaven on earth!

 

We also loved having Michael’s Club and Luminae as more intimate spaces where we could spend time with a smaller group of people. I didn’t think I would use the perk too much, but having a butler was also great! We like to have room service breakfast and it was so nice to have Glenn come in each morning and set the table on our veranda with our breakfast order nicely laid out (if I recall, in CC the person delivering your order just sits the tray of stacked covered plates on your coffee table and off they go). And I desperately miss having him show up on our veranda every afternoon with our standing order of shrimp cocktail and a bottle of bubbly (room service wine isn’t included with the SS but we had a ton of OBC to spend so splurged on it.)

[warmwinds]

I definitely noticed the room size change. The living area was actually large enough for me to move the coffee table and do my yoga comfortably in the room each morning instead of having to go to the gym and we found the two of us were able to be moving around the the room at the same time without constantly saying “let me squeeze passed you please honey”. :)

 

I also enjoyed having a bathtub. On mornings where I did a full gym workout would usually stop by OVC afterwards to grab a coffee and a mimosa and enjoy them soaking in the tub until breakfast arrived. It was heaven on earth!

 

We also loved having Michael’s Club and Luminae as more intimate spaces where we could spend time with a smaller group of people. I didn’t think I would use the perk too much, but having a butler was also great! We like to have room service breakfast and it was so nice to have Glenn come in each morning and set the table on our veranda with our breakfast order nicely laid out (if I recall, in CC the person delivering your order just sits the tray of stacked covered plates on your coffee table and off they go). And I desperately miss having him show up on our veranda every afternoon with our standing order of shrimp cocktail and a bottle of bubbly (room service wine isn’t included with the SS but we had a ton of OBC to spend so splurged on it.)

 

Sounds great!