why does celebrity refuse to honor the elite 2 hour happy hour the first night of all sailings?

[NutsAboutGolf]

13 minutes ago, doghog said:

Good. Then Celebrity will be adding a Elite Lounge,  hosting HH (snacks and drinks) in the new EL,  diamond and above drinks (4,5,6) loaded on our Seapass cards to enjoy anytime, including embarkation day and in the new EL or at other bars. 😂 🍻

 

Unfortunately, I can't think of any passenger friendly gains since the start of the besides the e-muster (which most other lines do) and starlink which is just important to the crew who are usually far younger than the passengers (Capt Kate needs to post her TikToks).  They have no interest of changing from the Spiny lobster to the Maine lobster that even Carnival serves.  X turn-down service's days are number for non-suite guests

[doghog]

10 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Unfortunately, I can't think of any passenger friendly gains since the start of the besides the e-muster (which most other lines do) and starlink which is just important to the crew who are usually far younger than the passengers (Capt Kate needs to post her TikToks).  They have no interest of changing from the Spiny lobster to the Maine lobster that even Carnival serves.  X turn-down service's days are number for non-suite guests

Don't take my post seriously. That's why the laughing Emoji. When Celebrity or any other cruise line we cruise with is no longer a good value to us, we'll move on. So far we haven't reached that point. CC is the only social media I subscribe to. 

Edited August 2, 2023 by doghog

[Islander500]

On 8/2/2023 at 8:57 AM, jwlane said:

It was never held on turnaround day.  Has/had nothing to do with staffing.

Interesting. That seems to be what people attributed it to & it seemed to make some made sense.  What do you suppose was the rationale, then?  To save money on the first night of the cruise?  

[CruisinBanka]

8 hours ago, Islander500 said:

Interesting. That seems to be what people attributed it to & it seemed to make some made sense.  What do you suppose was the rationale, then?  To save money on the first night of the cruise?  

Absolutely. If it didn’t save them money they would do it. No other reason. 

[WestLakeGirl]

Perhaps there will be some insight if you look at it historically. The Captains Club happy hour was in the back long before there was such a thing as a beverage package, when all drinks were purchased one at a time.

 

In those days, the happy hour included passed hors d’oeuvres, that took time and effort by kitchen staff and waitstaff.

 

On turnaround day, there are almost always dozens of new staff members who join tge ship in the morning and have precious little time to settle in and jump on their new duties.  Some barely know their way around the ship.   Having a slightly lighter load for the first evening made perfect sense from a staffing point of view.

 

Also, since it was available to Captains Club elite and above only, it gave the Captains Club host a little time to determine who was eligible to attend. It became especially tricky in the years when paper coupons were in use.  These were put in your state room but in the case where a stateroom might have been missed, it gave the Captains Club host a day to fix the errors, and a happy hour started on day two.

 

Move forward to the introduction of beverage packages.  Everyone who wanted a beverage would be purchasing one, giving the opportunity for the bar staff to sell a beverage package.  
 

Today, for anyone who has a beverage package included in their booking, the happy hour is probably superfluous— Whether it is offered on embarkation day or not makes no difference to them.

 

And for those who do not have a beverage package they would be buying their drink that night s has always been the case.

 

So there really isn’t any incentive or advantage to Celebrity to change. It has always been thus, and probably always will be.

[Charles4515]

28 minutes ago, WestLakeGirl said:

 

So there really isn’t any incentive or advantage to Celebrity to change. It has always been thus, and probably always will be.

It definitely would be a low priority. It never has bothered me and I have never complained about it. The happy hour is something they don’t have to have at all. Some people feel entitled. 

[PTC DAWG]

Easy answer,,the first night for your free drinks is day 2.  

[Islander500]

33 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

It definitely would be a low priority. It never has bothered me and I have never complained about it. The happy hour is something they don’t have to have at all. Some people feel entitled. 

Gosh. Thanks for sharing the only opinion that should count.  

[RedIguana]

On 8/2/2023 at 8:12 AM, CruisinBanka said:

Unfortunately it is not in Celebrity’s DNA to add benefits especially lately. 😩

Aww, give em a chance. They will add the happy hour to night one, and reduce the hours from 5-7 to 5-6 for all nights.....

😜

All to better serve their guests....

 

 

[CruisinBanka]

17 minutes ago, RedIguana said:

Aww, give em a chance. They will add the happy hour to night one, and reduce the hours from 5-7 to 5-6 for all nights.....

😜

All to better serve their guests....

 

 

Sounds about how Celebrity thinks nowadays!  Lol

[jagoffee]

17 hours ago, Islander500 said:

Interesting. That seems to be what people attributed it to & it seemed to make some made sense.  What do you suppose was the rationale, then?  To save money on the first night of the cruise?  

When the HH first started were very few CC members eligible.  It was held in the Michael’s club and was fully staffed.   

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 hours ago, RedIguana said:

Aww, give em a chance. They will add the happy hour to night one, and reduce the hours from 5-7 to 5-6 for all nights.....

😜

All to better serve their guests....

 

 

 

My WAG (Wild A$$ Guess) is they'll mirror RCI with four daily drinks loaded your SeaPass yet they'll keep the same current drink menu.  Many RCI regulars have voiced their displeasure of how limited the CC Elite drink menu is

[publicpersona]

On 8/2/2023 at 7:24 AM, Islander500 said:

It was understandable when the first night Elite Happy Hour wasn’t held due to staffing concerns on turnaround day.  Now, it just makes no sense.

 

No. There is no Elite benefit of happy hour on the first night. Never has been. Nothing has changed. It makes perfect sense. Would I rather have some more free drinks? Sure. But they aren't there.

[Islander500]

1 hour ago, publicpersona said:

 

No. There is no Elite benefit of happy hour on the first night. Never has been. Nothing has changed. It makes perfect sense. Would I rather have some more free drinks? Sure. But they aren't there.

Much has changed. Just not this. 

[jelayne]

22 hours ago, Islander500 said:

Interesting. That seems to be what people attributed it to & it seemed to make some made sense.  What do you suppose was the rationale, then?  To save money on the first night of the cruise?  

It has been that way since we first cruised with X over 12 years ago, when there were far fewer elites and cost cutting wasn’t on the radar.  
 

It was about staffing and crew getting a break.  On a regular day many bars don’t open until 4 but on turnaround day most are open as embarkation starts.  So crew who worked late on the last night of a sailing are starting to work earlier on turn around days in order to have the bars restocked open at 11.  

[Islander500]

7 minutes ago, jelayne said:

It has been that way since we first cruised with X over 12 years ago, when there were far fewer elites and cost cutting wasn’t on the radar.  
 

It was about staffing and crew getting a break.  On a regular day many bars don’t open until 4 but on turnaround day most are open as embarkation starts.  So crew who worked late on the last night of a sailing are starting to work earlier on turn around days in order to have the bars restocked open at 11.  

Thank you. That’s what I had noted on an earlier post, but someone asserted it had nothing to do wlth that. 🤷‍♀️

Edited August 5, 2023 by Islander500

[jelayne]

4 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

My WAG (Wild A$$ Guess) is they'll mirror RCI with four daily drinks loaded your SeaPass yet they'll keep the same current drink menu.  Many RCI regulars have voiced their displeasure of how limited the CC Elite drink menu is

Then if that is an important factor in deciding on what line to book they should stick with what gives them what is important to them.  
 

We left Royal for a number of reasons and way down the list were the C & A benefits.  For what was important to us Royal wasn’t the answer and Celebrity was.  If getting free drinks on 7 out of 7 nights is a priority then X probably isn’t the answer.  

[NutsAboutGolf]

13 hours ago, jelayne said:

Then if that is an important factor in deciding on what line to book they should stick with what gives them what is important to them.  
 

We left Royal for a number of reasons and way down the list were the C & A benefits.  For what was important to us Royal wasn’t the answer and Celebrity was.  If getting free drinks on 7 out of 7 nights is a priority then X probably isn’t the answer.  

 

There's absolutely nothing wrong reaching out to X to voice your displeasure.  While I agree with everything you say, the reality is a RCI loyalist wanted to try an elevated cruising experience and elected to stay within the RCG family, they apparently wrongly assumed (yes, we all know the cliché) the X happy hour menu would mirror RCI's free drink menu.  There are things RCI does better than X, such as entertainment, free Maine lobster (X uses spiny lobster) and apparently free drink selection for those with loyalty status

[jelayne]

7 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

There's absolutely nothing wrong reaching out to X to voice your displeasure.  While I agree with everything you say, the reality is a RCI loyalist wanted to try an elevated cruising experience and elected to stay within the RCG family, they apparently wrongly assumed (yes, we all know the cliché) the X happy hour menu would mirror RCI's free drink menu.  There are things RCI does better than X, such as entertainment, free Maine lobster (X uses spiny lobster) and apparently free drink selection for those with loyalty status

I’m not displeased with the Captains Club benefits.  

The way I look at it is I purchase a cruise/hotel stay/airline ticket, groceries etc. and receive the product or service .  Deal done I’m owed nothing more nor is the company.  

 

Should they decide they want to give me a free checked bag, free drinks, points/coupons  toward their product that’s great but they don’t owe me that.  Too much looking a gift horse in the mouth.  

[Charles4515]

33 minutes ago, jelayne said:

I’m not displeased with the Captains Club benefits.  

The way I look at it is I purchase a cruise/hotel stay/airline ticket, groceries etc. and receive the product or service .  Deal done I’m owed nothing more nor is the company.  

 

Should they decide they want to give me a free checked bag, free drinks, points/coupons  toward their product that’s great but they don’t owe me that.  Too much looking a gift horse in the mouth.  

I feel the same way. Some seem to think they are being cheated by not getting the drink the first evening that was never a Captains Club benefit. They are not owed that drink. Celebrity can change the whole loyalty program tomorow either adding a first night drink or taking away the happy hour altogether. That won't change my booking decisions. Those free drinks are nothing to write home about. I prefer premium drinks. Single malt scotch for example. When I use the vouchers I use them on Heinekin. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

51 minutes ago, jelayne said:

I’m not displeased with the Captains Club benefits.  

The way I look at it is I purchase a cruise/hotel stay/airline ticket, groceries etc. and receive the product or service .  Deal done I’m owed nothing more nor is the company.  

 

Should they decide they want to give me a free checked bag, free drinks, points/coupons  toward their product that’s great but they don’t owe me that.  Too much looking a gift horse in the mouth.  

We’re not “owed” anything, we’re rewarded for our loyalty; nearly every travel company offers loyalty program.  The next step I expect cruise lines to take with loyalty is for new cruisers only, they’ll get rid of lifetime status (existing will be grandfathered) and require you to re-qualify every 1-3 years

[Charles4515]

7 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

We’re not “owed” anything, we’re rewarded for our loyalty; nearly every travel company offers loyalty program.  The next step I expect cruise lines to take with loyalty is for new cruisers only, they’ll get rid of lifetime status (existing will be grandfathered) and require you to re-qualify every 1-3 years

i have been surprised they have not done that yet. 

[Islander500]

Gosh again!  

Of course, most of us don't think anyone will choose or not choose Celebrity because of those free drinks. In my case, I was responding to the OP who initially posted, why doesn't Celebrity honor the happy hour on first night of the cruise?  Most of the explanations go back 100 years ago (when I and many others here first reached Elite status) and went to the Happy Hours in the set location before drink packages.  After that, I got totally spoiled by being able to order Rusty Nails (i.e., Glenfiddich and Drambuie on 2 rocks) before dinner and "better" wines at dinner (than the old wine packages we used to buy) without looking at drink prices or signing tickets. or having a balance owed at the end of the cruise.

For newer cruisers, who have reached Elite status more recently, they don't know that on the first night, there was no Happy Hour (for a variety of reasons explained in earlier posts.) So for them, it just doesn't make sense that the first night is excluded. That's all; it's that simple!

 

Celebrity is making lots of changes in the other direction, so why not this? It just seems logical if you don't know the history and for those newly eligible people, it's inexplicable.

 

Finally, I must admit I don't know why I keep responding here but I guess, for me, it's the comments about "entitled people" and "being cheated" and "being owed" which just seem over the top and unnecessary. Hopefully, I'm just wrongly interpreting them. We're just having a conversation.  I've learned so much, saved money, and enhanced my cruise experiences from all I've learned here and there are so many helpful people. So for that, I thank you! 

 

 

 

[cheeseheads4ever]

We are looking forward  to the Captains Club 5-7 Happy hour after moving up to Elite after our last cruise. I understand the first night is no Happy Hour but is it at all bars after that. Martini Bar?  Do you just go to a bar and show them your card or do you need to mention you are elite? Just curious. I’m sure this has been covered but would appreciate any help!

[doghog]

11 minutes ago, cheeseheads4ever said:

We are looking forward  to the Captains Club 5-7 Happy hour after moving up to Elite after our last cruise. I understand the first night is no Happy Hour but is it at all bars after that. Martini Bar?  Do you just go to a bar and show them your card or do you need to mention you are elite? Just curious. I’m sure this has been covered but would appreciate any help!

Just show the bar tenders or server your Seapass card. Doesn't hurt to mention you'll be ordering from the CC HH beverage menu.  You'll need to order your drinks from the CC beverage menu. Yes, including the Martini Bar. Not all bars. World Class Bar, Craft Social and dining venues are excluded from the CC HH drinks. You'll receive a Elite perks/benefits sheet in your stateroom.

Edited August 7, 2023 by doghog