SAILAWAY INVITE - NOT CONCIERGE CLASS

[Silkroad]

10 hours ago, elaineb said:

If you are in Concierge Class (and above?) you get an invitation to be on the helicopter deck for Sail Away.  There is champagne and it is just a very nice experience.  I am not sure if they do it from every port or just from one on your cruise.

Not necessarily. Depends on the ship, the ports, and the weather. Also, sometimes Concierge level passengers are invited for one sail away, Suites and Elites & above to another, weather permitting. They can have only so many people out there at one time. It wouldn’t hurt to politely ask the Concierge if you could be included in the Concierge sail away if there is space, but don’t be surprised if it doesn’t work out. Or, watch for price drops & upgrade to Concierge, but doing so won’t guarantee a sail away. I’ve had two sail aways cancelled due to bad weather. Good luck and congratulations on your 45th😊

Edited February 5, 2020 by Silkroad

[RickT]

To the OP.  It’s your 45th anniversary.... now is not the time to be shy.  When you see the CC host/hostess let them know how much it would mean to you to get an invite.  It’s as good a reason as I can think of! 
 

Congrats by the way! 🥂

[varoo]

11 hours ago, davekathy said:

We always enjoy the sail away from our balcony with a glass of wine. 🍷🍷 Less crowded and no issue with wind. 

 

..... and you have a comfortable seat with unobstructed view right by the railing for the sail away or sail in,

without needing to change shoes or climb up all those stairs,

and it is easy to grab a hat, or jacket, or sunglasses or sunblock or tissues or whatever as needed since you have everything (including the bathroom) close at hand.

 

We, and most cruise passengers we know, did go out to the helipad a few times when we first started cruising, but once the novelty wore off, we stopped going.

You can get essentially the same view from the front of the sky lounge, seated in a comfortable chair in temperature controlled comfort.

 

On some cruises they open the helipad to anyone who wants to go out there, so you don't need an invitation.

 

[emmas gran]

Many times I put trainers (tennis shoes) on as directed by the invite to get there and find ladies in all sorts of open toed footwear!!

[sandancer]

16 hours ago, elaineb said:

If you are in Concierge Class (and above?) you get an invitation to be on the helicopter deck for Sail Away.  There is champagne and it is just a very nice experience.  I am not sure if they do it from every port or just from one on your cruise.

The “above” didn’t apply on our last cruise. We were in Aqua and are Elite plus. We asked as we have done this on previous cruises and were refused as we were not in a CC cabin. 

Edited February 5, 2020 by sandancer

[sandancer]

Quote from Harris

First it depends on the port, and the sailing time.  Obviously for a sailing time after dark,  they're not going to do this.

 

One of our best helipad Sailaways  was at 10pm sailing out of Sydney. It was magical. That experience will never be beaten but totally agree that this is not the norm. 

[varoo]

30 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

Many times I put trainers (tennis shoes) on as directed by the invite to get there and find ladies in all sorts of open toed footwear!!

 

Just depends on who is working there that day and how strict they are about enforcing the rules, much like enforcement or lack of enforcement of dress code rules for the dining room.

But the major difference is that here it could be a safety issue.

 

      

[rotoal]

We were invited to the helipad on our first Celebrity cruise, but it was at the same time as a wine and cheese event on the lawn, so opted not to attend.   Since that first cruise we have been in CC once and had read that an invitation to the helipad was a perk, but we did not receive an invitation.  We've been in Aqua 3 times also no invitation.   

 

Not booked on another cruise until 2021 (hope to change that situation) will be traveling with some first-timers, it will be interesting to see if they receive invitations.

[hvbaskey]

20 hours ago, MamaFej said:

We were invited to the helipad sail-in to Akureyri, Iceland in a Concierge cabin and to Hilo, HI sail-away in Aqua. I guessed that those were due to cabins. We have enjoyed it every time, but Akureyri takes the cake. 

 

Fingers crossed for Akureyri!  we have a Concierge cabin for our May cruise and this would be awesome!  maybe I should cross my toes too!

[hrhdhd]

5 hours ago, emmas gran said:

Many times I put trainers (tennis shoes) on as directed by the invite to get there and find ladies in all sorts of open toed footwear!!

 

Yes, I didn't go to the first one we were invited to because I didn't have closed-toed shoes. My DH went and said a bunch of women (and a couple of men) had open toes. Annoying. 😒

[Oceangoer2]

2 hours ago, rotoal said:

We were invited to the helipad on our first Celebrity cruise, but it was at the same time as a wine and cheese event on the lawn, so opted not to attend.   Since that first cruise we have been in CC once and had read that an invitation to the helipad was a perk, but we did not receive an invitation.  We've been in Aqua 3 times also no invitation.   

 

Not booked on another cruise until 2021 (hope to change that situation) will be traveling with some first-timers, it will be interesting to see if they receive invitations.

Have attended sail away twice...concierge and suite....I can say that it would be very hard to accommodate ALL concierge passengers on the helipad at once but doable.  Last sailing it was very crowded and not as enjoyable as was the first out of Venice with fewer attending.  I've never heard it being a 'perk' for concierge class.

[Oceangoer2]

6 hours ago, varoo said:

On some cruises they open the helipad to anyone who wants to go out there, so you don't need an invitation.

 

Interesting you say they open the helipad without an invite.  I can absolutely see that happening.  Everyone congregates in the forward elevator area prior to and then follows each other through the hallway to the helipad.  There are so many and moving quickly, so I didn't see anyone checking invites.  We take ours with us in hand, so perhaps someone is looking for that along the way. 

Edited February 5, 2020 by oceangoer2

[miched]

 

 

view from the helipadview from the top deck at the same port.  🤗

 

 

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by miched

[luckyinpa]

4 minutes ago, miched said:

View on the Heli Pad

 

view from the helipadview from the top deck

 

 

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

gotta say i love that view. makes me wanna go

[Orator]

7 hours ago, varoo said:

 

 

On some cruises they open the helipad to anyone who wants to go out there, so you don't need an invitation.

They often do this on Panama Canal cruises.

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by Orator

[hvbaskey]

11 minutes ago, Orator said:

 

 

As well as Cape Horn, South America (weather dependent).   General announcement made to entire ship that the Helipad was open for viewing as the Captain parked the ship and did 360 turns for all to enjoy (even the staff!)

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by hvbaskey

[hiccups]

16 minutes ago, luckyinpa said:

 

gotta say i love that view. makes me wanna go

As you can see from the pictures, the helipad view isn't very good.  I went when we were invited just to experience it, but wouldn't go again.  Much better view from the top deck.

[hvbaskey]

4 minutes ago, hiccups said:

As you can see from the pictures, the helipad view isn't very good.  I went when we were invited just to experience it, but wouldn't go again.  Much better view from the top deck.

 

Top deck views can be amazing ... #CelebrityMillennium #Alaska 🐳

[luckyinpa]

5 minutes ago, hiccups said:

As you can see from the pictures, the helipad view isn't very good.  I went when we were invited just to experience it, but wouldn't go again.  Much better view from the top deck.

 

i meant the pic of vegas. i miss it.

 

re: the pad im always looking for new experiences so i hope this is one

[C-Dragons]

6 hours ago, sandancer said:

Quote from Harris

First it depends on the port, and the sailing time.  Obviously for a sailing time after dark,  they're not going to do this.

 

One of our best helipad Sailaways  was at 10pm sailing out of Sydney. It was magical. That experience will never be beaten but totally agree that this is not the norm. 

Likewise, one of our best helipad sailaways was departing from Venice after dark. It was also magical.

[hvbaskey]

Secret Tip:  if you are on a S-Class ship - go to the Spa Veranda for Sail Aways!   amazing view with no crowds!

You have to go through the gym and then outside ... location photo below:

 

 

[Life Buoy]

3 minutes ago, hvbaskey said:

Secret Tip:  if you are on a S-Class ship - go to the Spa Veranda for Sail Aways!   amazing view with no crowds!

You have to go through the gym and then outside ... location photo below:

 

 

Now there will be!

[Silkroad]

3 hours ago, oceangoer2 said:

Have attended sail away twice...concierge and suite....I can say that it would be very hard to accommodate ALL concierge passengers on the helipad at once but doable.  Last sailing it was very crowded and not as enjoyable as was the first out of Venice with fewer attending.  I've never heard it being a 'perk' for concierge class.

We had a similar situation on our Baltic cruise, so the Concierge arranged a sail in through the glorious Stockholm archipelago by dividing us into two groups. We were in the later group, so we watched from our veranda until we could go to the helipad.

 

I agree that it’s not a “perk” for CC or any other group. Rather, it’s something they (Captain’s Club & Michael’s Club/Retreat hosts, and the Concierge for CC class) arrange when possible. 

Edited February 5, 2020 by Silkroad

[Silkroad]

10 hours ago, varoo said:

You can get essentially the same view from the front of the sky lounge, seated in a comfortable chair in temperature controlled comfort.

Many people seem to prefer the Sky Lounge for sail away. I am not one of them. I prefer being on deck, preferably at the bow. I want to feel the breeze, hear the ship moving through the water, and see a natural vista instead of a view through blue tinted glass. As Celebrity moves toward eliminating most forward, outdoor deck areas (turned into areas for Suite passengers only) I intend to enjoy sail aways and sail ins at the bow (helipad deck or upper deck) as often as possible. 

Edited February 5, 2020 by Silkroad

[lorimay]

There's another thread talking asking about a sail away party for "regular people". I think there is a misconception that the helipad sail away is some kind of fancy party. We were concierge for our trip on Summit to Bermuda last summer and did get invited to the helipad when we left Bermuda. It was a great experience, but other than actually being on the helipad they only offered water bottles or champagne. There was no food or music. It was a fun experience but I wouldn't call it a "party". The scenery was great and we did talk to the same senior officers we had seen at all the other Captains Club events we had been to all week.