Concierge cabins issues

[goofysmom99]

I book C2s on the hump for location and points.  I like the longer balconies and being near the mid ship elevators.  Lots shorter distance to get to my morning double cappuccino fix (in my insulated tumbler) to go along with room service breakfast with the better OJ.  

 

I was on Summit in 2013 when cabin steward changed sign on our cabin to concierge.  It magically became "better" I guess.  Celebrity had trouble selling the cabins beneath the pool deck until they made them aqua class.  I was in marketing for years and respect a good campaign when I see one - creating Blu was brilliant.  Tremendous return for relatively modest investment.  They're doing precisely the same thing with suites and seems to be working amazingly well.  As a shareholder, I'm genuinely impressed.

Edited January 16, 2020 by goofysmom99

[reallyhooked]

We tried concierge twice. The afternoon treat was ok, but it didn’t come with utensils.

Didn’t get the fresh fruit. The flowers were a nice touch. If you get invited to the helipad, wear closed toe shoes, I had on aqua socks & got turned away.

next cruise we chose regular veranda. Even with the extra points, cc not worth it for us.

[luckyinpa]

im researching for a 10 day bermuda cruise and CC is 700 PP higher than veranda

 

i did note the benefits. id value priority checkin if it indeed was that. like NCLs haven. something tells me it isnt. debark is already quick for me as i do carry off. i would value chips and choc. strawberries in the room every day but not for 1400 bucks.  the 2nd seat on the sofa is nice as i think its silly veranda has just single seating.  but other than that i dont think theres a big cabin difference between the 2 but a bigger balcony. with aqua being only 200 more than this. blu could arguably be the benefit of that extra cost. 

 

• Personalized Concierge service
• Priority check-in
• Priority debarkation & tender service
• Welcome sparkling wine
• Pillow menu upon request
• Premium Bath Amenities Co Bigelow**
• Plush 100% cotton bathrobes, slippers and towels
• Celebrity tote bag & Celebrity embossed key holder
• Plush Bathrobes
• Complimentary use of umbrella and binoculars
• Veranda with lounge seating
• Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors
• Celebrity's eXhale™ bedding featuring a Cashmere Mattress
• HansGrohe massaging showerhead
• Sitting area with sofa
• Interactive Television system
• Hair dryer
• Exclusive Destination Seminar
• Daily delivery of delectable delights
• Complimentary beach towel service
• Complimentary shoeshine service
• Twice daily housekeeping service
• Our signature friendly, personalized service with a guest to staff ratio of nearly 2:1
• Complimentary breakfast, lunch, and dinner available in a variety of restaurants
• Exclusive Concierge Class Embarkation Lunch
• Expanded room service breakfast menu

[PBTravelBug]

We were just on Equinox Concierge cabin. For this particular cruise the deal was better for a CC class cabin vs. a regular veranda cabin.

The location of the cabin was great and we have found this to be true of the CC cabins.

We enjoy the lunch on the first day vs the busy buffet.

Have never liked the canapes but read on another thread - ask for cheese & crackers. I will try that next time.

We did not get a tote bag. Luckily we have two of the nice navy blue canvas type with the zipper top. Love those bags.

We did not have foot stools with the chairs on the veranda - missed those!

For Captain Club members you receive 5 points per night for a Concierge Class cabin vs. 3 points per night for a regular veranda cabin.

[Perky1]

One perk we have always gotten from it is a sail away from the helipad (weather permitting) with some of the officers onboard.  People we talked to in regular balconies said the didn’t get invites.  Seems to be an unwritten perk for CC on up.  Each day was a different group.  Drinking mimosas, people having the titanic moment at the bow of the ship.

[drakes2]

25 minutes ago, Perky1 said:

One perk we have always gotten from it is a sail away from the helipad (weather permitting) with some of the officers onboard.  People we talked to in regular balconies said the didn’t get invites.  Seems to be an unwritten perk for CC on up.  Each day was a different group.  Drinking mimosas, people having the titanic moment at the bow of the ship.

The first time I was invited to sailaway at helipad was nice second time was leaving St. Kitts but the novelty had worn off maybe because it was twice in months 

[MarkWiltonM]

I usually find that the location I want puts me into Concierge Class over the regular veranda.  The highest-priced regular verandas are usually not much less ($100 to $150 for a 10-to-12 day cruise) than the lowest-price Concierge Class, and the higher price is based on a better location (I like to be exactly two floors below the buffet, in the aft.)  And if you are a Captain's Club member and you book the lowest-price Concierge Class (C3) you get a free upgrade to C2.  If you book C2, you get a free upgrade to C1.  The additional room amenities are minimal. I'd never heard of the exclusive pre-departure lounge until now.  The extra points are welcome.  The Concierge Class priority boarding is hit and miss. We got in the CC priority boarding line once only to see the people in the regular line beside us get checked in faster than us. 

[hvbaskey]

On 1/15/2020 at 1:00 PM, Cruise Raider said:

I haven't sailed in a CC cabin in a couple of years but I liked the following:  

 

Footstools on the balconies (not sure if they exist anymore)

Pillow menu 

Extra points towards the next tier level 

Bottle of wine / sparkling wine in our room (not sure if that was a fluke or not)

Canapes in the afternoon

Expanded room service selection

Nicer towels / robes in the room 

Embarkation lunch (sit down vs buffet) 

Nice denim tote (think these are gone now) 

Priority seating in the MDR with select dining 

Priority tendering 

 

Not sure if all these amenities still exist.  Hmmmm?  

Those are the items I found of value.  

 

 

We just sailed Concierge last week (Summit) - here is my updates

 

Footstools on the balconies (not sure if they exist anymore) - GONE

Pillow menu - never saw one, but did order an extra firm pillow 

Extra points towards the next tier level - true

Bottle of wine / sparkling wine in our room - we were offered the sparkly stuff, we exchanged for a bottle of red

Canapes in the afternoon - delivered, but we canceled - too much food.

Expanded room service selection - YES

Nicer towels / robes in the room  - YES

Embarkation lunch (sit down vs buffet) - YES

Nice denim tote (think these are gone now) - GONE - thin grey one received

Priority seating in the MDR with select dining  - YES, we were directed to line with Reservations / Suite guests

Priority tendering - no tenders on our trip

+ Larger cabins (vs. Reg. Veranda) on M-Class Ships - TRUE

 

NEW - past two cruises we have been Concierge and we had Helipad Sailaways.   Cruise prior to that, we had a friend in a CC cabin and they also had their own sail away.   IF this is the trend (3 different ships all offering a sail away for CC pax); then this is a nice touch.

Edited January 17, 2020 by hvbaskey

[Cruise Raider]

6 minutes ago, hvbaskey said:

 

We just sailed Concierge last week (Summit) - here is my updates

 

Footstools on the balconies (not sure if they exist anymore) - GONE

Pillow menu - never saw one, but did order an extra firm pillow 

Extra points towards the next tier level - true

Bottle of wine / sparkling wine in our room - we were offered the sparkly stuff, we exchanged for a bottle of red

Canapes in the afternoon - delivered, but we canceled - too much food.

Expanded room service selection - YES

Nicer towels / robes in the room  - YES

Embarkation lunch (sit down vs buffet) - YES

Nice denim tote (think these are gone now) - GONE - thin grey one received

Priority seating in the MDR with select dining  - YES, we were directed to line with Reservations / Suite guests

Priority tendering - no tenders on our trip

+ Larger cabins (vs. Reg. Veranda) on M-Class Ships - TRUE

 

NEW - past two cruises we have been Concierge and we had Helipad Sailaways.   Cruise prior to that, we had a friend in a CC cabin and they also had their own sail away.   IF this is the trend (3 different ships all offering a sail away for CC pax); then this is a nice touch.

 

Good to know!  Thank you ....

Too bad about the footstools ... I really liked those.  They were great for naps out on the balcony or additional seating if friends came over to your cabin.  

The pillow menu isn't really a printed up list per se (as far as I have seen) but, then I've requested special pillows (feather, body, etc) and was able to get them with no questions asked.  I was in a regular balcony cabin one time and no way!!  I get it, though ... they are just doing as instructed.  

Our good fortune, we've been invited to a few helipad sail away parties ... just love that!!  

Thankfully, we've collected a few of the heavy denim totes.  Those are so useful ... I take them as an extra bag for a lot of my travels.  

 

[maryann2]

On 1/16/2020 at 5:43 PM, PBTravelBug said:

 

For Captain Club members you receive 5 points per night for a Concierge Class cabin vs. 3 points per night for a regular veranda cabin.

If solo do you get double points  - 10 points a night?

[m8zenblue]

We have been in Concierge Class our last two cruises.

Previous posters have covered all that you receive with CC.

IMO the best part of CC is the lunch in the MDR on embarkation, you don't have to deal with the buffet stampede and the Continental breakfast in the MDR upon debarkation.

The daily canopies are horrible, we made this known to our cabin attendant on day 1 and he brought us a nice small plate of fruit for the remainder of the cruise.

CC would be really cool if they added the Classic beverage package, it will never happen but just a thought, lol.

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, maryann2 said:

If solo do you get double points  - 10 points a night?

Yes if you paid double occupancy then double cc points. 

[maryann2]

41 minutes ago, drakes2 said:

Yes if you paid double occupancy then double cc points. 

Thank you.

[mafig]

The last time we were in Concierge  we only made prior  reservations for My Time Dining the first night.

The number to make reservations was in the Daily, however, we also received a notice for a special concierge number to call which was different.  We always got whatever time we requested for dinner.  After the cruise was over we read several complaints from those who could not get their desired reservation time.  

Don't know if our success was due to our Concierge status.

Our last concierge cabin was oversized on the hump on a cruise going up the Mississippi.  We would not hesitate to book that cabin again.

[goofysmom99]

4 hours ago, maryann2 said:

Thank you.

You'll also receive double points for a last minute cruise that has a 150% supplement vs the usual 200%.  The 150% supplement doesn't happen very often, though.  If they do show up, it's usually a repositioning cruise at the 60 day point which then puts you at the mercy of flights to get there.

[Mytravellove]

On 1/23/2020 at 1:29 PM, maryann2 said:

If solo do you get double points  - 10 points a night?

Yes you do...10 points/night...I made it to Elite in 4 cruises (booked each within 60 days of cruise date when prices were cheaper and same as regular balcony). Now heading to Elite Plus in about 5 cruises from getting Elite (that's going from 300 points to 750 points) because of either Concierge/Aqua. Apart from this, for a concierge class cabin, I love the embarkation day lunch, flowers and couple of fruit in my cabin, bottle of wine, the afternoon canapés (I let my steward know I want cheese, crackers and fruit slices), the extended menu for room service breakfast (the smoothies, fresh orange juice, etc), the inside information I get from the Concierge, the invite to the champagne sail off parties on the helipad, priority embarkation and tender, the pillow choice and better bath robes, towels and toiletries, and the canvas tote bag (which I received as recently on my Constellation cruise in November) with key/credit card holder (the one that you can stick on the back of your cell phone)

So if either Concierge/Aqua prices are close to the regular balcony price, I take it. I also travel solo most of the time. When my husband cruises with me, he gets to enjoy the status perks as well.

[maryann2]

On 1/23/2020 at 5:07 PM, goofysmom99 said:

You'll also receive double points for a last minute cruise that has a 150% supplement vs the usual 200%.  The 150% supplement doesn't happen very often, though.  If they do show up, it's usually a repositioning cruise at the 60 day point which then puts you at the mercy of flights to get there.

 

Just now, Mytravellove said:

Yes you do...10 points/night...I made it to Elite in 4 cruises (booked each within 60 days of cruise date when prices were cheaper and same as regular balcony). Now heading to Elite Plus in about 5 cruises from getting Elite (that's going from 300 points to 750 points) because of either Concierge/Aqua. Apart from this, for a concierge class cabin, I love the embarkation day lunch, flowers and couple of fruit in my cabin, bottle of wine, the afternoon canapés (I let my steward know I want cheese, crackers and fruit slices), the extended menu for room service breakfast (the smoothies, fresh orange juice, etc), the inside information I get from the Concierge, the invite to the champagne sail off parties on the helipad, priority embarkation and tender, the pillow choice and better bath robes, towels and toiletries, and the canvas tote bag (which I received as recently on my Constellation cruise in November) with key/credit card holder (the one that you can stick on the back of your cell phone)

So if either Concierge/Aqua prices are close to the regular balcony price, I take it. I also travel solo most of the time. When my husband cruises with me, he gets to enjoy the status perks as well.

Thank you for the great information.

Looking forward to the embarkation day lunch.

[JOVERNITE]

As others have mentioned, the better location on the ship is why we book CC. We always get a C2 (at Elite C3 price) on the hump. Central location and often only a few more dollars than a regular balcony. The angle of the hump provides a slightly larger balcony with plenty of room for 2 chaise, a table, 2 chairs and footstools.  It's been reported that the footstools are gone and a much smaller table on ships that have been "revolutionized".