New to celebrity

[igmurray]

I am diamond plus with RCI but decided to give celebrity a try for our anniversary any tips ,I understand I will get elite status with captains club do I have to inform them in advance my c&a no. What benefits is available where is the nightly cocktail hour and exclusive breakfast,  we opted for concierge class  was that good choice any help appreciated 

[rebeccac]

You should be able to log on to the Celebrity website and see your status via RCI.  I have sailed both, but am higher up the ladder on Celebrity and when I log on to RCI, the status I see is the one through Celebrity and not based on my actual RCI points.  I can't really speak to elite status as we are just below that at the moment, but we have stayed in a concierge cabin.  The biggest benefit to that is the additional points which don't really matter to you since you are already elite through RCI.  There are a few other small perks like afternoon canapes and a dedicated concierge to help you with reservations/shore excursions etc.  While concierge is not a bad choice, unless I am trying to get more points, I generally just stick with a veranda.  Celebrity's point system is based on the type of cabin and not just on the number of days sailed.  For example, a veranda gets you 3 points per day and a concierge gets you 5.  

[the penguins]

1 hour ago, igmurray said:

I am diamond plus with RCI but decided to give celebrity a try for our anniversary any tips ,I understand I will get elite status with captains club do I have to inform them in advance my c&a no. What benefits is available where is the nightly cocktail hour and exclusive breakfast,  we opted for concierge class  was that good choice any help appreciated 

You get reciprocal benefits but only up to Elite level. Any points earned on your Celebrity cruise stay with Celebrity so you start from Zero to get to Elite+.

My personal opinion is that unless Concierge is very cheap it's a total waste of money stick to a regular balcony.

The Cocktail Hour is 2 hours, there is no limit on the number of drinks which can be ordered in any bar (not the dining room). The list of available drinks is limited and if you have booked with AI there is really not much benefit. There is no Elite lounge.

The Elite breakfast is held in the Tuscan Grill and is our favourite way to start the day. Basically continental breakfast, fruit plates, coissents, pastries, smoked salmon etc. - all pre plated but they will make up plates to your specific requirements. Also smoothies, fruit juice, speciality coffees, sparkling wines etc. 

Other benefits: 90 minutes each premium internet, 1 bag each wash and fold laundry. For a full list visit Celebrity Captains Club.

 

[marys350]

Captain's Club benefits list from Celebrity website including happy hour drink menu:

https://secure.viewer.zmags.com/publication/ccf9deeb#/ccf9deeb/1

Edited October 5, 2022 by marys350
add info

[jelayne]

You can contact either Crown & Anchor or the Captains Club to get a Captains Club number.  
 

The cocktail hour is 5-7 and is not available on embarkation day.  There is a drink menu for the event and you can get the drinks as most bars.  The cocktail hour does not include the dining rooms so if you want a glass of wine at dinner get it from a bar and take it with you.

 

As to the Concierge cabin,  on the S Class & E class ships the cabin layout and furnishing of a Concierge cabin are identical to a standard veranda.  On the M class ships the Concierge cabins are about 20 ft larger.  

[sjb317]

We are D+ on Royal and started sailing on Celebrity a few years ago.  We really liked it and now go back and forth between the two cruise lines.   I do think Royal has better perks, ie drink vouchers to be used anytime at any bar, a free picture each,  D lounge for continental breakfast, etc. but Celebrity is just a more elegant experience.  It is very nice not to have to check out and return pool towels and I like  having the wine stewards in the MDR.  I also think you get more choices in the MDR  and buffet.
 

We called Celebrity prior to our first cruise, they linked our Royal status to Captain’s Club Elite status and gave us our CC  numbers.  Very easy.

 

Sherri🙂

[igmurray]

Thanks for all above replies,  very helpful logged on and saw my elite status 

[Tulsacoker]

Wife and I are taking our first Celebrity cruise also. We just turned diamond on RCI and look forward to change of pace with Celebrity over RCI (especially Oasis class)  

[C4HCG]

4 hours ago, igmurray said:

I am diamond plus with RCI but decided to give celebrity a try for our anniversary any tips ,I understand I will get elite status with captains club do I have to inform them in advance my c&a no. What benefits is available where is the nightly cocktail hour and exclusive breakfast,  we opted for concierge class  was that good choice any help appreciated 

My advice would be don’t take the many negatives comments on many threads here too seriously 😂. Had I looked here before we took our first cruise in 2019, we’d have cancelled and considered ourselves as having had a lucky escape! Luckily we went and have now done 4 cruises and all on the Celebrity Equinox.  We book concierge rooms each time and will continue to but you will get numerous responses here saying it’s a waste of money, but it’s our money to waste and we strongly feel we get good value for it. All about opinions 👍

[Maria63]

2 hours ago, sjb317 said:

We are D+ on Royal and started sailing on Celebrity a few years ago.  We really liked it and now go back and forth between the two cruise lines.   I do think Royal has better perks, ie drink vouchers to be used anytime at any bar, a free picture each,  D lounge for continental breakfast, etc. but Celebrity is just a more elegant experience.  It is very nice not to have to check out and return pool towels and I like  having the wine stewards in the MDR.  I also think you get more choices in the MDR  and buffet.
 

We called Celebrity prior to our first cruise, they linked our Royal status to Captain’s Club Elite status and gave us our CC  numbers.  Very easy.

 

Sherri🙂

Completely agree with this assessment, DH & I tend to feel & do the same. I also strongly recommend that you contact Celebrity before your cruise. On a Celebrity-cruise pre-covid we met a fellow RCI-Diamond couple who hadn't done it beforehand, and were very disappointed that they didn't get the Elite-benefits but were only recognized as Select.

[the penguins]

41 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

My advice would be don’t take the many negatives comments on many threads here too seriously 😂. Had I looked here before we took our first cruise in 2019, we’d have cancelled and considered ourselves as having had a lucky escape! Luckily we went and have now done 4 cruises and all on the Celebrity Equinox.  We book concierge rooms each time and will continue to but you will get numerous responses here saying it’s a waste of money, but it’s our money to waste and we strongly feel we get good value for it. All about opinions 👍

Just curious, apart from the extra points what are the benefits you find do attractive in Concierge?

We have done it once when the upgrade was 💲25 for the whole cruise as it got us to Elite+ a cruise earlier. On S line ships the cabins are the same size. We don't have shoes that need polishing, nor do we use umbrellas. We would use the foot stools but our cabin steward always brings us 2 in exchange for 💲20. What are we missing out on?

[2chiefs]

Comment on Concierge value: I think the price difference is a major factor to consider. While it may not seem like you get a lot more in Concierge, the pricing can be very close depending on the cruise. We only cruised concierge once, but it was because (probably due to the automated algorithm of the website) the Concierge was less expensive than a Veranda. It always pays to check the price of Concierge even when looking at Verandas. We see them close to the same price many times when doing mock bookings.

Edited October 5, 2022 by 2chiefs

[elmaexec]

I don’t have the extensive cruising experience that many on these boards do, but I’ve taken 4 Celebrity cruises over the past 5 years or so, and one on Royal Caribbean. I realize it may be unfair to judge RC on a single trip, but I definitely preferred my Celebrity experiences.  We took a 3 week cruise, Seattle to Sydney, on Explorer of the Seas in 2019. My comparisons:

 

1. The MDR food on RC was not good. Meat was tough, meals dull and uninspired. It was plain this was a common issue as the main dining room was almost empty on most nights while the buffet was packed ( the buffet was much better!). I wrote up a poor review of the MDR food and was subsequently invited to a tour of the kitchen along with others who had written poor assessments. All they did was tell us how much work and money they spend on the meals. No attempt to actually listen. When I compared the food to what I’d been served on Celebrity, I was told Celebrity has a larger food budget and you can’t compare the two ( as the cruises are priced pretty comparatively, that surprised me).

 

2. I LOVE the Sunset Bar on Celebrity immediately behind the buffet. I’m an early riser and get up every morning to watch the sunrise there with a cup of coffee. It’s my favorite experience on the ship, especially since we’re cheap and rarely have a balcony.  It’s nearly empty in the early morning. Our RC ship had nothing like it. The buffet was closed in back and the outdoor spaces were either on the bow where it’s quite windy or the side decks with limited views or near the top decks with limited seating, not so great view, and not easily accessible to the coffee. 
 

3. We had a sick boat. For 3 weeks everyone in my party (5 of us) and everyone everywhere you went on the boat were coughing, sneezing, and blowing. It never went away until we disembarked. 
 

4. personally, I’m in my 60’s and don’t really care about a lot of the activities like the wave rider or youth clubs. I can see where this is attractive for many cruisers and would be a plus to them, but the fewer young ones on the boat, the better for me.  I just prefer a mellow, peaceful cruise. 
 

Anyhow, my 2 cents. I hope you have a good experience with Celebrity!

 

Edited October 5, 2022 by elmaexec
Missed something

[C4HCG]

17 minutes ago, the penguins said:

Just curious, apart from the extra points what are the benefits you find do attractive in Concierge?

We have done it once when the upgrade was 💲25 for the whole cruise as it got us to Elite+ a cruise earlier. On S line ships the cabins are the same size. We don't have shoes that need polishing, nor do we use umbrellas. We would use the foot stools but our cabin steward always brings us 2 in exchange for 💲20. What are we missing out on?

Don’t think you’re missing out on anything to be honest. We just like the location and have always had excellent concierges.  And they’ve always cost within budget. Never priced up the standard balcony rooms so maybe we have been paying too much for what we get but we’re fine doing that and will continue to, creatures of habit.

[TeaBag]

in Concierge class you are invited to eat in the dining room on embarkation day.  I believe you get a bottle of sparkling wine in your cabin and you also get crudites each day.  Hope you enjoy Celebrity.

[davekathy]

8 hours ago, igmurray said:

I am diamond plus with RCI but decided to give celebrity a try for our anniversary any tips ,I understand I will get elite status with captains club do I have to inform them in advance my c&a no. What benefits is available where is the nightly cocktail hour and exclusive breakfast,  we opted for concierge class  was that good choice any help appreciated 

You will receive a detailed list in your stateroom explaining all elite perks/benefits. 

[Angua]

We have been on 2 Celebrity cruises, one in a standard veranda and one in a concierge veranda because it was about the same price as a regular veranda.  

 

The concierge was helpful in getting our specialty dining reservations booked, left daily voicemails on interesting things around the shop or ports, and other nice touches.

 

The best thing for me though was being invited to the helipad to watch sail away from one of the ports.  That was awesome but I don't know if they do it on all cruises or if that was unique to that ship/sailing.

[2chiefs]

28 minutes ago, Angua said:

We have been on 2 Celebrity cruises, one in a standard veranda and one in a concierge veranda because it was about the same price as a regular veranda.  

 

The concierge was helpful in getting our specialty dining reservations booked, left daily voicemails on interesting things around the shop or ports, and other nice touches.

 

The best thing for me though was being invited to the helipad to watch sail away from one of the ports.  That was awesome but I don't know if they do it on all cruises or if that was unique to that ship/sailing.

The other nice perk for concierge is the embarkation day lunch in the MDR. Very relaxing away from the crowds.

[the penguins]

4 hours ago, C4HCG said:

Don’t think you’re missing out on anything to be honest. We just like the location and have always had excellent concierges.  And they’ve always cost within budget. Never priced up the standard balcony rooms so maybe we have been paying too much for what we get but we’re fine doing that and will continue to, creatures of habit.

Thanks. Location is indeed important or at least it is for us. Deck 7 centralish is our preferred choice.

[RedIguana]

On 10/5/2022 at 6:19 AM, igmurray said:

I am diamond plus with RCI but decided to give celebrity a try for our anniversary any tips ,I understand I will get elite status with captains club do I have to inform them in advance my c&a no. What benefits is available where is the nightly cocktail hour and exclusive breakfast,  we opted for concierge class  was that good choice any help appreciated 

Sign up for captains Club now, your Elite status should show up. Also, try and do one of the power up points e-mails, so you at least have a point show up. Like you, I am D on royal, but had signed up for CC before the Big C and before D on Royal as I was intending on giving celebrity a try.  My status on Celebrity updated as my status on Royal did., and was showing Elite before I ever cruised (finally first Celeb cruise last month). I did find the MDR food a step up. If you need a link to get a few powerup points, their is a powerup thread on here that has the latest link.

             Concierge class lunch was nice. On my cruise Concierge class was cheaper than regular Veranda (and the room larger). On some of the future cruises I am looking at Concierge is cheaper than most balcony classes. Go figure.

             We did have 1 helipad sail away. Not sure if due to Elite or Concierge. The free drinks they served were pretty good. 

             Never actually saw or used the Concierge. Granted I never had a reason to seek them out, or felt I required their services.

             We were given departure luggage tags as the last number. My wife likes to leave as late as possible. Apparently this number was really a priority number, and we could depart at any time once they called the first numbers. Since we were worried about possible flooding from Ian, we ended up disembarking about halfway through. I found this out when we were in the Concierge (Elite also?) departure lounge. I had asked someone about when they expected us to be able to depart, and she  said if you were in this room you had priority and could go any time. 

              Ship was Infinity. From what I recall passenger count was only 1080, with about 1000 staff. So roughly 50% capacity, in case capacity or availability affects the experience I had.

              House was fine, no flooding. 

[GORDONCHICK]

Concierge is $400 more than a regular veranda on the cruise we are looking at.  For that price, it's definitely not worth it to us.  If it were negligible, that would be different.

[2chiefs]

On 10/7/2022 at 11:42 AM, GORDONCHICK said:

Concierge is $400 more than a regular veranda on the cruise we are looking at.  For that price, it's definitely not worth it to us.  If it were negligible, that would be different.

I agree. Sometimes pricing is close and even inverted at times.

[davekathy]

On 10/5/2022 at 2:04 PM, 2chiefs said:

The other nice perk for concierge is the embarkation day lunch in the MDR. Very relaxing away from the crowds.

Us B2Bers like to crash the lunch (party) in the MDR. 😉