Concierge Class Boarding Lunch

[teacher2cruiser]

We have two future cruises with Celebrity, and we've never sailed on this line.  We booked Concierge class  balcony staterooms, and I heard there was a perk that included lunch in the dining room on embarkation day.  I have no idea if this is true, but I was hoping someone with experience might comment.

Thanks so much!

[Orator]

Yes, there is a Concierge lunch in the MDR.

[Toftwood]

Yes, it is normally served from 11.30 with the latest entry into the MDR at 1.00pm.  

[Saturngrl]

The Concierge lunch in the MDR is a major perk for me!  I like being able to place my carry-on in a safe, designated spot while enjoying being served and avoiding the crowd at the buffet.  You get to meet some of your fellow passengers as well.

 

 

[m8zenblue]

As the previous poster stated there is a embarkation lunch for Concierge Class only. 

Not a huge menu, starter, 3 entrees and desert, very good !

Most important you have a place to hold your carry on bags and you don’t have to deal with the zoo in the buffet. 

[Orator]

19 minutes ago, m8zenblue said:

As the previous poster stated there is a embarkation lunch for Concierge Class only. 

Not a huge menu, starter, 3 entrees and desert, very good !

Most important you have a place to hold your carry on bags and you don’t have to deal with the zoo in the buffet. 

A slight correction: Zeniths are also invited and on some cruses, B2B cruisers. There may also be guests, like local Travel Agents who are invited to the Concierge lunch. You are correct about the menu. 

[teacher2cruiser]

Thanks for the replies!

Any other perks of Concierge Class?

😍Love Cruise Critic!

[m8zenblue]

Sorry, you are correct.

[Saturngrl]

Concierge gets its own check in line, boards after higher classes/suites, gets a welcome bottle of bubbly in cabin upon request, daily canapes in cabin (not great, but it's better than schlepping stuff from the buffet) and a designated disembarkation waiting location with continental breakfast/coffee/tea/juices/water.

 

In past cruises, Concierge guests have been invited to a sailaway on the helipad, or other unexpected perk.  It's also fun to have other passengers ask "why do you have a gold Sea Pass?"  LOL. 

[dkjretired]

IMost of the CC perks are really not a big deal, the line at embarkation is just that a line the other lines are often shorter. The lunch, extra points in CC are really the only perks that are good except on M class ships where they do have some larger cabins and verandas, no difference on S class ships. I wouldn’t pay more than$50 pp for a concierge cabin, most of the perks are fluff or available to everyone. The real benefit is moving up to Aqua

Edited January 23, 2019 by dkjretired

[mafig]

There's also the footstool  and  the sparkling stuff.

[teacher2cruiser]

1 hour ago, dkjretired said:

IMost of the CC perks are really not a big deal, the line at embarkation is just that a line the other lines are often shorter. The lunch, extra points in CC are really the only perks that are good except on M class ships where they do have some larger cabins and verandas, no difference on S class ships. I wouldn’t pay more than$50 pp for a concierge cabin, most of the perks are fluff or available to everyone. The real benefit is moving up to Aqua

Extra points in CC???  - What does that mean?

[dkjretired]

Daily points given in Captains Club towards the various level. Concierge gets five points per day while ocean view and inside get three

Edited January 23, 2019 by dkjretired

[GoodScout]

I've posted in other threads about Concierge Class before and why we like it.

 

We like the Concierge level, and if you can upgrade to it for a similar sized/located cabin for not much money, do it. Taken individually, the perks aren't worth it. But when you bundle them together, for us, the extra $100 or so we pay seems like a good value. Specifically:

• The embarkation lunch in the MDR. I hate battling the masses at the buffet, especially on day one when no one knows where they're going. Sitting with new faces at a civilized table for a civilized meal just starts me out on the right foot.
• Nicer seats and foot stools on the balcony. We spend a lot of time there, and love breakfasting there, so these get used. There are a few extra items on the Concierge room service menu that aren't on the regular one. Nothing major, but again, a nice little extra if you want it.
• Nicer bathrobes. Seems like a little thing, but when you're morning routine is breakfast in your bathrobe on the balcony, a comfortable terry robe is a nice thing.
• Nice shower head. Have no idea what to compare this to. A shower head is a shower head, right?
• More CC points. Can't complain about that. 
• Sparkling wine. We're not wine drinkers, so not a huge plus. Still, it's the thought.
• Afternoon fruit. Loved having fresh fruit waiting for us in the room when we returned from the pool in the afternoon. Later at tea time there were canipes. Again, alone not a big deal, but we started getting used to seeing them and marveling as we tried to guess what they were!
•  Events - When we traveled on Equinox, Concierge guests got invited to two exclusive events: A sail-away social on the ship's helipad up front, and a private tour of the kitchens. 
• Concierge - Ironically this is the benefit we used least. Whenever we needed a dinner reservation we just called the restaurant and had no problems (not sure if this was because Concierge level is supposed to have some special pull or not). We kept wishing we had some need that we could ask the concierge for help with, but alas, no. God help us if we were ever in a suite and had a butler - they'd die of boredom!

Again, it's a personal choice. We're not super spa people, so Aqua doesn't make much sense for us (although I'd love to see if Blu is all it's said to be). So if it's not too much more, then go for it!

Edited January 23, 2019 by GoodScout

[Northern Aurora]

When we are not booked into a suite we attend the Concierge Class embarkation day luncheon because we are Zenith level loyalty members.  While I wouldn't book Concierge Class because of the lunch, I have to admit that it is much nicer than the Ocean View buffet on embarkation day.  Several years ago someone posted a review and noted that they were traveling with her mother- and father-in-law, one who used a cane to help with mobility.  They had specifically booked Concierge Class due to the sit down embarkation lunch as they thought it would be easier for the in-laws.

[Orator]

5 hours ago, dkjretired said:

Daily points given in Captains Club towards the various level. Concierge gets five points per day while ocean view and inside get three

You must have made a typo. Inside and OV received 2 points per day. Balcony gets 3. AQ Class and Concierge get 5, double points if you paid full fare as a single.

Edited January 24, 2019 by Orator

[dkjretired]

1 hour ago, Orator said:

You must have made a typo. Inside and OV received 2 points per day. Balcony gets 3. AQ Class and Concierge get 5, double points if you paid full fare as a single.

 

Thank you, heading to the eye doctor next week, am badly in need of an exam.  Don't drive at night anymore.

[ipeeinthepool]

12 hours ago, GoodScout said:

I've posted in other threads about Concierge Class before and why we like it.

 

We like the Concierge level, and if you can upgrade to it for a similar sized/located cabin for not much money, do it. Taken individually, the perks aren't worth it. But when you bundle them together, for us, the extra $100 or so we pay seems like a good value. Specifically:

• The embarkation lunch in the MDR. I hate battling the masses at the buffet, especially on day one when no one knows where they're going. Sitting with new faces at a civilized table for a civilized meal just starts me out on the right foot.
• Nicer seats and foot stools on the balcony. We spend a lot of time there, and love breakfasting there, so these get used. There are a few extra items on the Concierge room service menu that aren't on the regular one. Nothing major, but again, a nice little extra if you want it.
• Nicer bathrobes. Seems like a little thing, but when you're morning routine is breakfast in your bathrobe on the balcony, a comfortable terry robe is a nice thing.
• Nice shower head. Have no idea what to compare this to. A shower head is a shower head, right?
• More CC points. Can't complain about that. 
• Sparkling wine. We're not wine drinkers, so not a huge plus. Still, it's the thought.
• Afternoon fruit. Loved having fresh fruit waiting for us in the room when we returned from the pool in the afternoon. Later at tea time there were canipes. Again, alone not a big deal, but we started getting used to seeing them and marveling as we tried to guess what they were!
•  Events - When we traveled on Equinox, Concierge guests got invited to two exclusive events: A sail-away social on the ship's helipad up front, and a private tour of the kitchens. 
• Concierge - Ironically this is the benefit we used least. Whenever we needed a dinner reservation we just called the restaurant and had no problems (not sure if this was because Concierge level is supposed to have some special pull or not). We kept wishing we had some need that we could ask the concierge for help with, but alas, no. God help us if we were ever in a suite and had a butler - they'd die of boredom!

Again, it's a personal choice. We're not super spa people, so Aqua doesn't make much sense for us (although I'd love to see if Blu is all it's said to be). So if it's not too much more, then go for it!

 

Nice list but I agree with some others I wouldn't pay $50 for these benefits.  Personally, the menu at the Embarkation lunch is too limited and I go the buffet.  Footstools on the balcony are if they are available and are missing from Concierge cabins on some ships.  Are they available on the Edge?  The afternoon canapes are a joke and are really more of an annoyance if you are taking an afternoon nap.  I'm not sure who they invite to the helipad for sail away.  We have been Concierge and not get invited and we have been in standard balcony cabins and been invited.  The sparkling wine was nice before the drink packages.  But I will agree the robes are nicer, but I wouldn't pay $50 for nicer robes.  I've also given up chasing points, every time I get close to a level, they re-configure the benefits. 

[mafig]

I'm also one who likes Conceirge class.  On our upcoming cruise we got one of those large slanted cabins.  The price for a C3 (upgraded to a C2) was less than a 1A.  We did Aqua only once, when we went on an Easter week cruise and wanted to avoid lots of children.  Turns out there were less than 30 onboard and dh did not like Blu at all.  

I like the lunch, also the footstools.  We always opt out of the afternoon canapes.

[jasm8449]

I believe there are a few more items on the breakfast and lunch room service menu?

[teacher2cruiser]

Thanks to you all!  We've already booked C class for two upcoming cruises, so the decision has already been made.  Just wondering what to expect, and you all helped a lot.

Now - to hijack my own thread - I have points with RCI and have called and they took my info.  How might that help me?  I previously have two 7 day and one 9 nine day cruises with them.

Edited January 24, 2019 by teacher2cruiser

[Orator]

They will match your status up to Diamond to Elite. Points from the two lines CANNOT be combined.

[wongri]

On ‎1‎/‎23‎/‎2019 at 10:37 AM, Saturngrl said:

The Concierge lunch in the MDR is a major perk for me!  I like being able to place my carry-on in a safe, designated spot while enjoying being served and avoiding the crowd at the buffet.  You get to meet some of your fellow passengers as well.

 

 

We shall look out for you at the concierge lunch,

There are 4 of us . . . mom, aunt and I have red hair.

See you on Monday,

[gerelmx]

On 1/23/2019 at 11:05 AM, m8zenblue said:

As the previous poster stated there is a embarkation lunch for Concierge Class only. 

Not a huge menu, starter, 3 entrees and desert, very good !

Most important you have a place to hold your carry on bags and you don’t have to deal with the zoo in the buffet. 

 

Also TAD for B2B's are invited to the Concierge Lunch

[awhfy]

We like the Concierge class & almost always book it. The lunch is a big draw for us as we don’t like the stampede at the buffet at embarkation (we always used to go to Bistro on 5, but neither of us care for Sushu on 5; the Concierge lunch came at the right time). We always ask for a cheese plate instead of the canapés & munch on our balcony while we’re getting ready for dinner. The sparkling wine makes a good mimosa. The footstools are my favorite with the reclining chair...I can get really comfy on the balcony. The 5 points per day have gotten us pretty darn close to Elite Plus