"ALWAYS INCLUDED" PERHAPS CELEBRITY SHOULD RETHINK THIS ONE

[ChucktownSteve]

6 hours ago, DCPIV said:

 

Huh? 

AAA appears to be a metaphor by Zitsky for using a TA instead of calling Celebrity directly. He lets the TA spend the hours on the phone (changing the tire) with Celebrity.

[jg51]

11 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

Ok good points about Celebrity and their bad computer systems.

 

Don't equate suites with wealth.  Plenty of millionaires sail in veranda cabins.  Probably that guy next door is one of them.

.

Thanks, "zitsky."

 

However, we have to disagree with your imperative sentence ("Don't equate suites with wealth.")  Only the very wealthy can book suites -- except for the unusual case of a non-wealthy person "scrimping and saving" for several years [while not traveling at all], in order to experience a once-in-a-lifetime dream of booking a suite.

 

Regarding your next sentence ("Plenty of millionaires sail in veranda cabins") ... we never contradicted that, and we are sure that you are right ... but this fact does not invalidate anything that we said in our previous post.  [In other words, we didn't say that the very wealthy book only suites.]

 

Your last sentence really made us smile ("Probably that guy [in the veranda cabin] next door is one of them [millionaires]").  The reason for our smile is that we have never even had a veranda cabin (much less a suite)!  To be able to afford air-fares and cruise-fares (with some specialty dining) over the last thirteen years, we have booked only interior staterooms. 

 

PS:  In over ten years here at CruiseCritic, we have only very rarely seen folks talking about their interior cabins.  We suspect that the cause of this fact is the following: 

Many people who book interior cabins may be embarrassed to admit that fact here, since they come to this board and see post after post, thread after thread, being written by wealthy (and extremely wealthy) people that disdain interior rooms and are willing to book only veranda cabins and suites.  In other words, the folks who book interior cabins (as we do) are made to feel like "second-class" guests -- or even mere "steerage" riffraff!

[mfs2k]

17 minutes ago, jg51 said:

Only the very wealthy can book suites

Totally not true.  
Not sure your definition of wealthy but it’s certainly not me.  There are some sweet Suite deals out there with suites not much more than verandah cabins

 

Also nothing wrong with an inside cabin. You shouldnt be embarrassed. 

[4774Papa]

In 2015 on our Japan to Hong Kong cruise we were offered to upgrade to a Skysuite for a total of $800.   It seemed like a good deal.  

We enjoyed the extra space and bathroom with double sinks and a shower and separate tub.    Mainly, we enjoyed dining at Luminae.  Still, we had cruise friends that were not in suites and we could only dine with them at breakfast or lunch.

Our butler was great, be we don't need much hand holding, so we really never used him, except taking the tea he offered at 4pm.

 

Still, after that experience, we are very content to book a balcony cabin.  No way would we spend what it costs to go with a suite.  

[ChucktownSteve]

55 minutes ago, jg51 said:

.

Thanks, "zitsky."

 

However, we have to disagree with your imperative sentence ("Don't equate suites with wealth.")  Only the very wealthy can book suites -- except for the unusual case of a non-wealthy person "scrimping and saving" for several years [while not traveling at all], in order to experience a once-in-a-lifetime dream of booking a suite.

 

I don't buy the premise that only wealthy people can book suites.  I don't know how you define "wealthy",  however I don't believe you have to be wealthy to pay $3,500 to $4,000 pp for a seven night S3.  It's even cheaper if you take a guaranteed suite.

 

The bottom line is you can probably even find suite deals for less on other lines.  Unless you live pay check to pay check or get paid by the government not to work,  "poor" people prioritize how they want to spend their money.  Maybe some don't want to give up something else to "afford" a suite.

 

 

[Spif Barwunkel]

Okay folks, certainly did not mean for this thread to wander off into the financial status of Celebrity cruisers. That is totally irrelevant to the intended discussion and does not define a persons ability to enjoy vacation and recreation. 

 

AtlanticCruiser72 in post #100 got all over the topic of this thread and pointed out what could very well be a flawed marketing/booking process. Celebrity really does need to pay attention. Let's pick it up from there, shall we.

[mfs2k]

22 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Okay folks, certainly did not mean for this thread to wander off into the financial status of Celebrity cruisers. That is totally irrelevant to the intended discussion and does not define a persons ability to enjoy vacation and recreation. 

 

AtlanticCruiser72 in post #100 got all over the topic of this thread and pointed out what could very well be a flawed marketing/booking process. Celebrity really does need to pay attention. Let's pick it up from there, shall we.

This is Cruisecritic. You’re not going to be able to control the direction of the comments. You can only hope the moderator turns off commenting altogether

[TeeRick]

2 hours ago, jg51 said:

 

PS:  In over ten years here at CruiseCritic, we have only very rarely seen folks talking about their interior cabins.  We suspect that the cause of this fact is the following: 

Many people who book interior cabins may be embarrassed to admit that fact here, since they come to this board and see post after post, thread after thread, being written by wealthy (and extremely wealthy) people that disdain interior rooms and are willing to book only veranda cabins and suites.  In other words, the folks who book interior cabins (as we do) are made to feel like "second-class" guests -- or even mere "steerage" riffraff!

How can you make the blanket judgment that people are embarrassed about their choices?  That is truly condescending.    Whenever a poster like you uses the words "steerage" or "second class" to describe their feelings about their cruise experience then maybe they should just try a different type of vacation.   Why do you pay so much for your interior cabin - far above what most in the world can afford by the way- only to think that others in more expensive cabins are wealthy or extremely wealthy? And not you? Everybody cruising is very fortunate.  How can you make judgments about anybody else and their wealth?  Or how they choose to spend their own money?  The days of ocean liners transporting passengers in specific classes does not in any way relate to today's cruise vacation market.  Totally different concepts.  I know you tend to come here to bait the board and I usually do not respond to your troll-comments but I am sucked in once and awhile.  You won.

[TeeRick]

25 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

Okay folks, certainly did not mean for this thread to wander off into the financial status of Celebrity cruisers. That is totally irrelevant to the intended discussion and does not define a persons ability to enjoy vacation and recreation. 

 

AtlanticCruiser72 in post #100 got all over the topic of this thread and pointed out what could very well be a flawed marketing/booking process. Celebrity really does need to pay attention. Let's pick it up from there, shall we.

Sorry Spif.  I agree that the current Celebrity marketing campaign called AI is very confusing and complicated for some of the customers.  But most wade through it with no problem and figure out what they are buying.  When Celebrity abandons AI for a similar marketing program with another catchy name then there will be more fodder for the CC threads here.  

[ChucktownSteve]

3 hours ago, jg51 said:

 

 

 

Edited October 30, 2021 by ChucktownSteve

[HMR74]

18 hours ago, Morecruises1 said:

After the final payment due time a few days ago and my cruise being paid in full, today I got a new invoice to pay for my tips on my cruise even though I had "Retreat NRD" added to my cruise at considerable expense.  So now I owe tips or I am in danger of them cancelling my cruise.  This is nuts!

This is what I was referring to below when i brought up the X systems. 
 

out of nowhere I started receiving e mails my spot on an excursion, actually 3, was cancelled for non payment. My wifes was still ok. And then while the orders page showed I got an obc refund of say 75, the actual credit was 4.50. 
 

i still had obc left after all of this so I was questioning why it was cancelled

after several calls that went nowhere i reached someone who understood and told me  x was migrating to a new system  for the shore excursions and other extras we book and was having issues.

 

time wise, I booked the excursions and specialty dining in May 2021, and got the e mails of cancellation in September and its 2 months later and I have Been told the problem has not been resolved.

 

the person I found has 20 years experience there and knew what was going on, but the others were new and not well trained. Prob due to Covid logistic issues.

 

now most of the excursions are showing 5% discounts which I got when I rebooked for my cancelled ones but I cannot just get the others adjusted down due to the system.

 

wait and see time.

 

[PTC DAWG]

2 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

In 2015 on our Japan to Hong Kong cruise we were offered to upgrade to a Skysuite for a total of $800.   It seemed like a good deal.  

We enjoyed the extra space and bathroom with double sinks and a shower and separate tub.    Mainly, we enjoyed dining at Luminae.  Still, we had cruise friends that were not in suites and we could only dine with them at breakfast or lunch.

Our butler was great, be we don't need much hand holding, so we really never used him, except taking the tea he offered at 4pm.

 

Still, after that experience, we are very content to book a balcony cabin.  No way would we spend what it costs to go with a suite.  

You could have easily dined with friends at dinner, you chose not to. 

[HMR74]

Pricing anomalies:

 

when X went to higher cruise prices then the 20% discounts there were pricing bargains, eg, moving to Aqua from balcony was only 500 per cabin for a 14 day cruise. More than a few took that deal. 
 

3 years ago we went from balcony forward to Aqua mid ship on a 14 day TA for 300 total. How can you not take advantage of that.

 

as a consumer you try to get as much value as possible at every price point. But you cannot just book something and forget about it. Its part of the game, and few talk about it on board unless you make new friends. 
 

we just get to a happy point and thats it.

 

[4774Papa]

30 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

You could have easily dined with friends at dinner, you chose not to. 

Yes, but we had to choose better Luminae and them. They already had secured specific assigned 6PM seating instead of Select.  Not sure, how we would have accomplished that.

[zitsky]

57 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

How can you make the blanket judgment that people are embarrassed about their choices?  That is truly condescending.    Whenever a poster like you uses the words "steerage" or "second class" to describe their feelings about their cruise experience then maybe they should just try a different type of vacation.   Why do you pay so much for your interior cabin - far above what most in the world can afford by the way- only to think that others in more expensive cabins are wealthy or extremely wealthy? And not you? Everybody cruising is very fortunate.  How can you make judgments about anybody else and their wealth?  Or how they choose to spend their own money?  The days of ocean liners transporting passengers in specific classes does not in any way relate to today's cruise vacation market.  Totally different concepts.  I know you tend to come here to bait the board and I usually do not respond to your troll-comments but I am sucked in once and awhile.  You won.

 

Anyone remember the movie Titanic?  The locked metal gates separating third class from first?  I'm going to suggest that Celebrity do something similar.  🤣🙂🤣

[Spif Barwunkel]

57 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Sorry Spif.  I agree that the current Celebrity marketing campaign called AI is very confusing and complicated for some of the customers.  But most wade through it with no problem and figure out what they are buying.  When Celebrity abandons AI for a similar marketing program with another catchy name then there will be more fodder for the CC threads here.  

TR, I don't enjoy wading through anything whether I understand it or not. I want a navigable 50 yard freestyle in record time. Not always possible, I know. However, when you are trying to woo customers back from cruising hibernation doesn't it make more sense if it takes less effort? The easy way is out there, TR, we all know that. Celebrity just needs to show the way. And, the only excuse X needs is satisfaction for all it's customers. I hope this is not all roses and lollipops.

Edited October 30, 2021 by Spif Barwunkel

[mfs2k]

1 minute ago, zitsky said:

 

Anyone remember the movie Titanic?  The locked metal gates separating third class from first?  I'm going to suggest that Celebrity do something similar.  🤣🙂🤣

They already have. It’s called “The Retreat” on E-Class ships. Key entry required. 

[Pinboy]

48 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

I know you tend to come here to bait the board and I usually do not respond to your troll-comments but I am sucked in once and awhile.  You won.

Thanks--- You have a partner in me !!!

My " guess " is that very few people on CC actually know each other , but, do get a " feel " based on their posts. 

I wanted to reply to that " piece of crap " rant, but thought better of it for fear of being sent to the wood shack --- " again ".

How did a topic on AI turn into someone's  " assumed " wealth ?  Nonsense !!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Orator]

You just can’t infer wealth from the cabin choice. I know many people who are wealthy and choose to book only inside cabins for a variety of reasons. Some in suites have saved for years for their dream vacation.

[Pinboy]

5 hours ago, jg51 said:

In other words, the folks who book interior cabins (as we do) are made to feel like "second-class" guests -- or even mere "steerage" riffraff!

By who ???  YOU ????

So, when you meet someone on a ship , do you ask them what cabin they are staying in , or, ask for their financial statement before " deciding " ( ?? ) whether they are " worthy " ( ?? ) of your presence ??

GEEZ !!!

 

[zitsky]

47 minutes ago, Pinboy said:

By who ???  YOU ????

So, when you meet someone on a ship , do you ask them what cabin they are staying in , or, ask for their financial statement before " deciding " ( ?? ) whether they are " worthy " ( ?? ) of your presence ??

GEEZ !!!

 

 

When someone asks to have dinner with me, I ask them to write a check.  I thought everyone did this?  How do you think I afford these cruises?

[Sabbycat]

7 hours ago, jg51 said:

.

Thanks, "zitsky."

 

However, we have to disagree with your imperative sentence ("Don't equate suites with wealth.")  Only the very wealthy can book suites -- except for the unusual case of a non-wealthy person "scrimping and saving" for several years [while not traveling at all], in order to experience a once-in-a-lifetime dream of booking a suite.

 

Regarding your next sentence ("Plenty of millionaires sail in veranda cabins") ... we never contradicted that, and we are sure that you are right ... but this fact does not invalidate anything that we said in our previous post.  [In other words, we didn't say that the very wealthy book only suites.]

 

Your last sentence really made us smile ("Probably that guy [in the veranda cabin] next door is one of them [millionaires]").  The reason for our smile is that we have never even had a veranda cabin (much less a suite)!  To be able to afford air-fares and cruise-fares (with some specialty dining) over the last thirteen years, we have booked only interior staterooms. 

 

PS:  In over ten years here at CruiseCritic, we have only very rarely seen folks talking about their interior cabins.  We suspect that the cause of this fact is the following: 

Many people who book interior cabins may be embarrassed to admit that fact here, since they come to this board and see post after post, thread after thread, being written by wealthy (and extremely wealthy) people that disdain interior rooms and are willing to book only veranda cabins and suites.  In other words, the folks who book interior cabins (as we do) are made to feel like "second-class" guests -- or even mere "steerage" riffraff!

 

Totally not true. My dh and I are not wealthy, and enjoy booking suites on all cruiselines we sail, (X, AZ, Oceania). We love the extra room and perks that come with the class of the stateroom. We also fly business. We also drive Mercedes. But we don't have an expensive home, not do we have a house full of beautiful items. We spend where we want to, and save we we do not find it necessary.  We pay cash for everything. But, we do not have children, which makes a huge difference. 

 

But there were years of veranda staterooms and economy because that is what we could afford at the time. We choose to spend on experiences. Because you can't take your money to the grave.

Edited October 30, 2021 by Sabbycat

[LGW59]

4 minutes ago, Sabbycat said:

 

Totally not true. My dh and I are not wealthy, and enjoy booking suites on all cruiselines we sail, (X, AZ, Oceania). We love the extra room and perks that come with the class of the stateroom. We also fly business. We also drive Mercedes. But we don't have an expensive home, not do we have a house full of beautiful items. We spend where we want to, and save we we do not find it necessary.  We pay cash for everything. But, we do not have children, which makes a huge difference. 

 

Good for you, enjoy the fruits of your labor!  Me thinks “someone “ is a tad jealous.

[davekathy]

Does anyone else believe AI is short lived? We've adjust to it. We won't use the Wi-Fi component of AI. But like the CBP and gratuities component. We use to always pick the OBCs, gratuities and CBPs when it was a bundled option. 

Edited October 30, 2021 by davekathy

[HMR74]

On all of the money talk:

We have  friends who we think has done quite well but he has a saying on his vacations thats funny.

 

He said "we always go first class-we cannot stay as long as we would want but we go first class".

 

Everybody does it their own way and thankfully it can and does happen that way.

and for cruises and life in general, I do not feel short changed if I spend a bit more if I walk away from a vacation or an event with good memories.