A Few Thoughts on the Retreat Privilege Package (RPP)

[vacruisincouple]

I disembarked from the Summit last Saturday.  My husband and I were in a royal suite and my parents travelled with us in the adjoining C1 balcony cabin.  I purchased the Retreat Privilege Package (RPP) for my parents prior to sailing.  I know this program is somewhat controversial but don’t wish to discuss that here.  Rather, I would like to give my thoughts on how well the program did and did not work for us as well as some of the logistics of the program.

 

Pre Cruise:  As expected about 3 ½ - 4 weeks prior to the cruise, I received an email from the shoreside concierge with the usual list of questions on our preferences for the stateroom, specialty dining reservations, etc.  I responded with our needs as well as inquiring about having my parents join us in luminae as well as the retreat lounge and sundeck.  It was only after inquiring was I told I could purchase the RPP for them or pay per meal to have them join us in luminae.  Pricing was $99 per person per day for RPP or $30 per person for dinner or $20 per person for lunch.  We opted to purchase the RPP.  I called the shoreside concierge and the purchase was taken care of in about 10 minutes.

 

Cruise check in:  The morning of the cruise we took an uber to the port of Miami and were dropped off around 10:20 a.m.  The signage for the special delivery area was not very clear so we had the porter walk us over to the check in area that was curbside further ahead from where we were dropped off at.  Once there, they asked for our cabin numbers.  I provided them and they immediately tried to tell me that my parents needed to go through the regular check in.  I explained that they had the RPP which was met with blank stares.  I further explained they were to check in with us as apart of the program.  I’m not sure they believed me but I was rather insistent that they were coming with us.  We were taken to the retreat embarkation lounge which was already almost full where we met Connor and Connie the retreat concierges.  Beverages (coffee, juice, water, etc.) and light snacks were available.  After about 15 minutes the room was introduced to Daniel the retreat manager.  Connor then invited the 4 of us along with one other couple to follow him onto the ship.  Daniel and Connie also had a group with them so I assume that made up all of the upper tier suite passengers. We were the first to step foot on the ship.

 

Cruise:  We were escorted to the retreat lounge where we were welcomed once again and offered beverages from the bar as well as more snacks.  After finishing our beverages we went to our suite to drop off our carryon luggage and pick up our room keys.  All of our room keys including my parents were the grey suite keys.  We met our room steward Michael (who was absolutely fabulous the entire cruise) and dropped off our things. 

 

Luminae:  We headed down to luminae for lunch where we met Lobo who asked for our room numbers.  After providing them Lobo discretely tried to tell me there was a charge to have my parents dine with us.  I replied that they had the RPP.  He told me he would check on it.  We had a lovely lunch with Andy as our server.  Upon leaving, Lobo walked us out and I asked him if everything was set for my parents to enjoy luminae without us if they wanted to and he assured me everything was as it should be.

 

Retreat Sun Deck:  We went to the retreat sun deck for sail away.  If you do so, be aware that you are very close to the ship’s horn.  It is very loud and quite startling the first time it goes off.  We were also invited to the helipad for sail away but opted for the sundeck because 1) I didn’t want to change into closed toe shoes and 2) I wanted a place to sit.  I used my key card to get us into the retreat sun deck but my parents decided to leave before us and their key cards did not work in unlocking the gate.  They flagged down a crew member and were able to exit.  Later that evening we mentioned this to Connor in the retreat lounge and he took their keys and reprogrammed them so that they would work.  The keys worked perfectly the rest of the cruise.

 

Specialty dining and extras:  We dined at Tuscan grill on my dad’s birthday and I was expecting to have to pay the cover charge for both of my parents.  At the end of the meal however we were told everything was taken care of and did not have a bill to sign.  We left an extra tip in cash.   I don’t know if its supposed to be this way or not, but its as if my parents were given the same royal suite perks that we had.  This was the only specialty dining that we did with them so I don’t know if it was a one off or if it would have been the same at the other specialty dining venues.  Or perhaps it was because my parents literally only had a half portion of pasta each and they would’ve felt bad charging me $60 per person for them.  I kind of doubt that though.  Later in the cruise all 4 of us were delivered the monogrammed pajamas.  I also noticed that my parents beverage package had been upgraded from the classic package that came with their room (they were on an all included cruise fare) to the premium beverage.  Again, not sure if it is supposed to happen this way or not.

 

Conclusion:  All in all, I am very happy we booked the RPP for my parents.  All the crew members we encountered were incredible and made my parents (and us) feel very pampered.  It was a little annoying to have to assert that they had the package at check in and at luminae the first time along with the little hiccup with the key cards.  This is something that could have been better but rather minor considering the entire cruise experience.

 

Cheri

[TeeRick]

Thanks for reviewing your experience with the RPP.  We have generally very little info on it and it is good to know it worked for your situation (as it was designed for that).  Much appreciated!

[ev8876]

Thanks for the review.  I have never heard of that benefit!

[henry1005]

Thanks for the detailed review. Is the RPP available to all suite guests or only the upper suites? How do you arrange this prior to embarkation?

[mfs2k]

I suspect the RPP experience might have had even more value for $99 pp per day, on one of the newer ships with larger retreat areas.  We sailed on Beyond a few months ago in a suite and rarely left the retreat deck or lounge during the day because they met most of our needs.

[vacruisincouple]

3 minutes ago, henry1005 said:

Thanks for the detailed review. Is the RPP available to all suite guests or only the upper suites? How do you arrange this prior to embarkation?

Hi Henry.  Pretty sure it is only offered to the upper suites.  I think it might be capacity controlled.  It has to be arranged with the shoreside concierge before embarkation.

[DCPIV]

Thanks for the review! It's good to know this program still is around. It sounds like it's not very common.

 

I'm glad to got to meet Connor and Connie! They're terrific! 

[henry1005]

2 minutes ago, vacruisincouple said:

Hi Henry.  Pretty sure it is only offered to the upper suites.  I think it might be capacity controlled.  It has to be arranged with the shoreside concierge before embarkation.

Thanks for your quick reply. I'll keep this in mind if we travel with others that aren't in a suite. Always complicated if we're in a suite and our companions are not. 

[Cruisegirl6]

Thank you, my sister/brother in law is in retreat on our March 19th Beyond sailing, we have AC and daughter a regular verandah with a move up offer to AC bid still pending but unable to cancel or modify the bid.

Question, is it possible instead of paying for the weeks pass, that I can purchase a daily pass, as I probably just want to save money, but I am good paying for two days for the three of us.

[PTC DAWG]

My take, if you want Suite Amenities, book a Suite.  

[Jeremiah1212]

7 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Thank you, my sister/brother in law is in retreat on our March 19th Beyond sailing, we have AC and daughter a regular verandah with a move up offer to AC bid still pending but unable to cancel or modify the bid.

Question, is it possible instead of paying for the weeks pass, that I can purchase a daily pass, as I probably just want to save money, but I am good paying for two days for the three of us.

 

Your suite guests would have to have been allowed to make the purchase (like previously mentioned - it is  capacity limited and only offered to upper suites) but it is all or nothing. You have the purchase for the entire duration of the cruise. 

[vacruisincouple]

38 minutes ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Thank you, my sister/brother in law is in retreat on our March 19th Beyond sailing, we have AC and daughter a regular verandah with a move up offer to AC bid still pending but unable to cancel or modify the bid.

Question, is it possible instead of paying for the weeks pass, that I can purchase a daily pass, as I probably just want to save money, but I am good paying for two days for the three of us.

No I don't think so.  I believe it has to be booked for the entire cruise.  Otherwise you can pay the cover charge for non suite guests to dine in luminae with the suite guests.

[dcbiker97]

Thank you for providing a detailed explanation and  experience. It’s good to know it exists. When friends travel with us who are in a regular room, I usually just treat them to a couple nights in Luminae. But it’s good to know the option is there. 
 

One note about about the shoreside folks. That program is probably so rare that they won’t have heard of it since they are contractors, not Celebrity employees.  I’ve found them decent folks, but since they handle many other lines as well, don’t know all the ins and outs.  

[Jim_Iain]

Thanks for explaining your RPP experience.   We have used the program for our May cruise with my BIL an SIL.   They were in a AQ and we are in a Suite.   Will take all your experiences into consideration.   I will also be bidding on moving their room up to a SS and feel comfortable bidding up to the amount of the RPP.     I just called my TA to have the RPP added - it was painless but done about 9 months out.

 

One Question -  Will their key card be an AQ or a Suite Card?

 

[mahdnc]

Nice review on something that is rarely discussed.  I learned a lot.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Shore side staff are not employed by Celebrity and with this program that is probably very seldom used I can't fault them for questioning you. Embarking in Ft. Lauderdale in a RS we had a new staff member insisting we were in the wrong place and had to go up the escalator to the general check in line.  A supervisor quickly showed up and reminded her to check our boarding pass for the word "suite".

 

Did your parents have to pay the daily gratuities at the Retreat level and did they have butler and in room bar service?

[PTC DAWG]

25 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 I will also be bidding on moving their room up to a SS and feel comfortable bidding up to the amount of the RPP.  

 

 

 

Best comment I have seen yet. 

[desiro]

Thank you for the information. I just purchased this for my son for our cruise on the Equinox next month. We did have to purchase for the full week and I was told that there were only 10 passes allowed on that particular cruise. The onshore concierge did say that specialty restaurants were not included which I figured was the case. So, we will see how it goes. Just makes it easier for him to be able to join us in Luminae and the lounge etc. He only decided to join us on the trip much later and the re-pricing to have him with us in the RS was much more expensive than getting him his own cabin down the hall, which he is perfectly fine with doing. Sounds like you had a nice time and glad it worked out for your parents too.

[horseymike]

3 hours ago, vacruisincouple said:

I disembarked from the Summit last Saturday.  My husband and I were in a royal suite and my parents travelled with us in the adjoining C1 balcony cabin.  I purchased the Retreat Privilege Package (RPP) for my parents prior to sailing.  I know this program is somewhat controversial but don’t wish to discuss that here.  Rather, I would like to give my thoughts on how well the program did and did not work for us as well as some of the logistics of the program.

 

Pre Cruise:  As expected about 3 ½ - 4 weeks prior to the cruise, I received an email from the shoreside concierge with the usual list of questions on our preferences for the stateroom, specialty dining reservations, etc.  I responded with our needs as well as inquiring about having my parents join us in luminae as well as the retreat lounge and sundeck.  It was only after inquiring was I told I could purchase the RPP for them or pay per meal to have them join us in luminae.  Pricing was $99 per person per day for RPP or $30 per person for dinner or $20 per person for lunch.  We opted to purchase the RPP.  I called the shoreside concierge and the purchase was taken care of in about 10 minutes.

 

Cruise check in:  The morning of the cruise we took an uber to the port of Miami and were dropped off around 10:20 a.m.  The signage for the special delivery area was not very clear so we had the porter walk us over to the check in area that was curbside further ahead from where we were dropped off at.  Once there, they asked for our cabin numbers.  I provided them and they immediately tried to tell me that my parents needed to go through the regular check in.  I explained that they had the RPP which was met with blank stares.  I further explained they were to check in with us as apart of the program.  I’m not sure they believed me but I was rather insistent that they were coming with us.  We were taken to the retreat embarkation lounge which was already almost full where we met Connor and Connie the retreat concierges.  Beverages (coffee, juice, water, etc.) and light snacks were available.  After about 15 minutes the room was introduced to Daniel the retreat manager.  Connor then invited the 4 of us along with one other couple to follow him onto the ship.  Daniel and Connie also had a group with them so I assume that made up all of the upper tier suite passengers. We were the first to step foot on the ship.

 

Cruise:  We were escorted to the retreat lounge where we were welcomed once again and offered beverages from the bar as well as more snacks.  After finishing our beverages we went to our suite to drop off our carryon luggage and pick up our room keys.  All of our room keys including my parents were the grey suite keys.  We met our room steward Michael (who was absolutely fabulous the entire cruise) and dropped off our things. 

 

Luminae:  We headed down to luminae for lunch where we met Lobo who asked for our room numbers.  After providing them Lobo discretely tried to tell me there was a charge to have my parents dine with us.  I replied that they had the RPP.  He told me he would check on it.  We had a lovely lunch with Andy as our server.  Upon leaving, Lobo walked us out and I asked him if everything was set for my parents to enjoy luminae without us if they wanted to and he assured me everything was as it should be.

 

Retreat Sun Deck:  We went to the retreat sun deck for sail away.  If you do so, be aware that you are very close to the ship’s horn.  It is very loud and quite startling the first time it goes off.  We were also invited to the helipad for sail away but opted for the sundeck because 1) I didn’t want to change into closed toe shoes and 2) I wanted a place to sit.  I used my key card to get us into the retreat sun deck but my parents decided to leave before us and their key cards did not work in unlocking the gate.  They flagged down a crew member and were able to exit.  Later that evening we mentioned this to Connor in the retreat lounge and he took their keys and reprogrammed them so that they would work.  The keys worked perfectly the rest of the cruise.

 

Specialty dining and extras:  We dined at Tuscan grill on my dad’s birthday and I was expecting to have to pay the cover charge for both of my parents.  At the end of the meal however we were told everything was taken care of and did not have a bill to sign.  We left an extra tip in cash.   I don’t know if its supposed to be this way or not, but its as if my parents were given the same royal suite perks that we had.  This was the only specialty dining that we did with them so I don’t know if it was a one off or if it would have been the same at the other specialty dining venues.  Or perhaps it was because my parents literally only had a half portion of pasta each and they would’ve felt bad charging me $60 per person for them.  I kind of doubt that though.  Later in the cruise all 4 of us were delivered the monogrammed pajamas.  I also noticed that my parents beverage package had been upgraded from the classic package that came with their room (they were on an all included cruise fare) to the premium beverage.  Again, not sure if it is supposed to happen this way or not.

 

Conclusion:  All in all, I am very happy we booked the RPP for my parents.  All the crew members we encountered were incredible and made my parents (and us) feel very pampered.  It was a little annoying to have to assert that they had the package at check in and at luminae the first time along with the little hiccup with the key cards.  This is something that could have been better but rather minor considering the entire cruise experience.

 

Cheri

Glad you and your parents enjoyed your cruise 🚢.

Thanks for the great review.

[vacruisincouple]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks for explaining your RPP experience.   We have used the program for our May cruise with my BIL an SIL.   They were in a AQ and we are in a Suite.   Will take all your experiences into consideration.   I will also be bidding on moving their room up to a SS and feel comfortable bidding up to the amount of the RPP.     I just called my TA to have the RPP added - it was painless but done about 9 months out.

 

One Question -  Will their key card be an AQ or a Suite Card?

 

With the RPP, it should look just like a suite card.

[vacruisincouple]

3 hours ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

Shore side staff are not employed by Celebrity and with this program that is probably very seldom used I can't fault them for questioning you. Embarking in Ft. Lauderdale in a RS we had a new staff member insisting we were in the wrong place and had to go up the escalator to the general check in line.  A supervisor quickly showed up and reminded her to check our boarding pass for the word "suite".

 

Did your parents have to pay the daily gratuities at the Retreat level and did they have butler and in room bar service?

There was no additional charge or change in what they paid for gratuities.  They did not have a bar set up but as their room connected to our living room they could take whatever they wanted from our mini fridge.  To be honest, we hardly touched the bar setup.  I think we drank a total of 3-4 sodas and a couple of juices.  We're not heavy drinkers and we had ample opportunity to access alcohol elsewhere.  They were not assigned a butler per se but our butler AJ made it clear on the first day if there was anything my parents needed they could contact him and he would take care of it.  They never needed to but it was nice to know they could.  

[vacruisincouple]

2 hours ago, desiro said:

Thank you for the information. I just purchased this for my son for our cruise on the Equinox next month. We did have to purchase for the full week and I was told that there were only 10 passes allowed on that particular cruise. The onshore concierge did say that specialty restaurants were not included which I figured was the case. So, we will see how it goes. Just makes it easier for him to be able to join us in Luminae and the lounge etc. He only decided to join us on the trip much later and the re-pricing to have him with us in the RS was much more expensive than getting him his own cabin down the hall, which he is perfectly fine with doing. Sounds like you had a nice time and glad it worked out for your parents too.

Thank you it really worked out best for us.  I'm sure your son will appreciate having his own space as well as a proper bed instead of a pull out couch.  We technically could have had my parents on the pull out couch in living room and the total price would have been cheaper than having them in their own cabin.  Then in addition we had to pay for the RPP.  It wasn't a matter of cost for us.  We wanted proper beds for everyone as well as two bathrooms.  As nice as the bathroom is in the royal suite, it just isn't enough for 4 people IMO.  Having the RPP made it all work out and made it feel like we had a 2 bedroom suite instead of separate cabins.

[Jim_Iain]

8 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Thank you, my sister/brother in law is in retreat on our March 19th Beyond sailing, we have AC and daughter a regular verandah with a move up offer to AC bid still pending but unable to cancel or modify the bid.

Question, is it possible instead of paying for the weeks pass, that I can purchase a daily pass, as I probably just want to save money, but I am good paying for two days for the three of us.

 

I was told that it was available only for the full cruise.  

 

Incidentally I contacted the Zenith to ask if they were upgraded to a SS on a bid could I cancel the RPP for a full refund.   The reply was yes  up until 48 hours of the cruise and no changes once on-board the cruise.

[OysterD]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

As long as there is a restriction on numbers I can see the benefit for many families.
 

Other than the E PH there are no other two bedroomed suites on other ships. As a family we have cruised as 4 in the S class PH which worked for us but it does require everyone to respect each others privacy. I totally understand why the OP went for the solution they did, great of them to report their experience for others considering this option.

I agree. I've actually often wondered why there aren't more 2 bedroom options not just on Celebrity but other cruise lines too, and not just at suite level.

 

The size of two standard veranda cabins could easily be reconfigured at the design/construction phase into having one door, one bathroom (poss even two) and two separate bedrooms, there's plenty of room. 

[LMHSRN]

22 hours ago, Cruisegirl6 said:

Thank you, my sister/brother in law is in retreat on our March 19th Beyond sailing, we have AC and daughter a regular verandah with a move up offer to AC bid still pending but unable to cancel or modify the bid.

Question, is it possible instead of paying for the weeks pass, that I can purchase a daily pass, as I probably just want to save money, but I am good paying for two days for the three of us.

How many times can one ask the same questions?