Ascent Private Charter for Just 600 Passengers

[mahdnc]

Here is an article regarding an exclusive 600 person charter for Ascent: link

 

Sounds like the entertainment will be better.....

[Georgia_Peaches]

I think my invite got lost in the mail 😂!

 

On a serious note, would it sound like sour grapes if I said it seems an extravagant, and perhaps frivolous use of environmental resources for just 600 people?

[raudacruise]

No thanks, four-day cruises are too short. 😎

[Essiesmom]

How many days will it take to clean up the mess after the bash is over?  EM

[PaulS]

Would there be room for 600 people in the suites? I would hate to think one of these invited guests would have to slum it in a regular cabin.

[Mark_K]

14 minutes ago, PaulS said:

Would there be room for 600 people in the suites? I would hate to think one of these invited guests would have to slum it in a regular cabin.

Not at two people per suite.

[Lastdance]

So, what suite exactly was in the photo?  I did not recognize it, but it didn’t look very fabulous either, especially comparing it to just a Sky Suite!  Way more crew than needed, or much needed vacation time for some?  I may feel a little out of place with the group, but could make it work, I guess🤷‍♀️

Edited May 29 by Lastdance

[Liao]

It actually reads more like an advert for Celebrity than anything else.

[Stem to Stern]

This raises so many questions….

Now please correct me if I am wrong.  
Charters normally do not come with a drink package, right?
Imagine the revenue to be generated, although a bit of top-shelf reprovisioning may be needed prior to the following sailing.

Will pizza by the slice still be available in the OVC?

Are they drawing straws for the Edge Villas?

Or is there MoveUp for that?
Helipad landings are not a thing on Ascent, correct?

To be a fly on the wall when one of said VIPs discovers the horror of Miracle Whip on her Eden prime rib sandwich. 😱 

🚢😂🤣😂🤪 🥂 

[wrk2cruise]

I hope the crew makes a fortune in tips for this event.

[jelayne]

4 hours ago, Lastdance said:

So, what suite exactly was in the photo?  I did not recognize it, but it didn’t look very fabulous either, especially comparing it to just a Sky Suite!  Way more crew than needed, or much needed vacation time for some?  I may feel a little out of place with the group, but could make it work, I guess🤷‍♀️

The photo looks to be a stock photo of a Sky Suite on the Summit or Millennium.

[jelayne]

3 hours ago, Stem to Stern said:

This raises so many questions….

Now please correct me if I am wrong.  
Charters normally do not come with a drink package, right?
Imagine the revenue to be generated, although a bit of top-shelf reprovisioning may be needed prior to the following sailing.

Will pizza by the slice still be available in the OVC?

Are they drawing straws for the Edge Villas?

Or is there MoveUp for that?
Helipad landings are not a thing on Ascent, correct?

To be a fly on the wall when one of said VIPs discovers the horror of Miracle Whip on her Eden prime rib sandwich. 😱 

🚢😂🤣😂🤪 🥂 

The beverages, food, entertainment are determined by the chartering party.  Pretty sure wines and liquors will not be the one on the Classic or Premium package and none of us would recognize the menus at any venue.

[cruise47]

Wow! Bill and Melinda Gates were shown in this link. Are they back together?
 

[NanaPam00]

We just got off the Ascent and this was the talk of the cruise. Supposedly they brought aboard their own chefs and staff, in addition to the normal ship crew. There was lots of celebrity-peeping going on as we disembarked and they waited to embark in Barcelona , although I only saw what I assume to be very well-dressed family of the host. 

[jwlane]

2 hours ago, cruise47 said:

 Melinda Gates ... shown
 

That's not Melinda.

[Oceansaway17]

22 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I think my invite got lost in the mail 😂!

 

On a serious note, would it sound like sour grapes if I said it seems an extravagant, and perhaps frivolous use of environmental resources for just 600 people?

very well said.  I mean they must have thrown a lot of money at Celebrity.

It is like reserving a whole bus for two people.  More than money should be concerned like the environment.  I agree with you.

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, Oceansaway17 said:

very well said.  I mean they must have thrown a lot of money at Celebrity.

It is like reserving a whole bus for two people.  More than money should be concerned like the environment.  I agree with you.

 Yup!  It's possible to do a partial charter, we were unknowingly on one this past September.  The only difference we noticed was occasionally a venue's entrance was roped off with a sign saying "private event"

[FreestyleNovice]

On 5/29/2024 at 10:07 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

I think my invite got lost in the mail 😂!

 

On a serious note, would it sound like sour grapes if I said it seems an extravagant, and perhaps frivolous use of environmental resources for just 600 people?

 

I am not sure. The ship would sail anyway? I don't truly know if a full ship is more polluting (generating sewage, trash, food waste, etc) than a less full ship in terms of efficiency. It also are a few thousand pax less driving/flying to and from the port.

 

It's not that extravagant if you think of widebody airplanes build as private jets for a handful of pax versus the hundreds the airlines squeeze in, yachts the size of smaller cruise ships with "just 20 staterooms" and a support yacht following the first yacht and constantly staffed. The factor is less with the charter from OP I think.

 

Post Covid ships started up with those pax numbers or just a bit above, one more or less? 

 

Not wanting to turn this into an environmental thing.. 600 hopefully well behaved pax: where do I sign? 

 

And as for the tipping, I don't think the guests will be tipping but I hope the main guest will hand the captain a big tip envelope at disembarkation.. 

 

 

[Stem to Stern]

I do not even know 600 people.🙄🤣😂😏

Edited May 30 by Stem to Stern

[Jeremiah1212]

3 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

very well said.  I mean they must have thrown a lot of money at Celebrity.

It is like reserving a whole bus for two people.  More than money should be concerned like the environment.  I agree with you.

The groom’s father owns -a home that is something like 65,000sq/ft and costs $2+ billion to build. They give jets and yachts as gifts. Environmental issues are someone else’s concern. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, FreestyleNovice said:

 

I am not sure. The ship would sail anyway? I don't truly know if a full ship is more polluting (generating sewage, trash, food waste, etc) than a less full ship in terms of efficiency. It also are a few thousand pax less driving/flying to and from the port.

 

It's not that extravagant if you think of widebody airplanes build as private jets for a handful of pax versus the hundreds the airlines squeeze in, yachts the size of smaller cruise ships with "just 20 staterooms" and a support yacht following the first yacht and constantly staffed. The factor is less with the charter from OP I think.

 

Post Covid ships started up with those pax numbers or just a bit above, one more or less? 

 

Not wanting to turn this into an environmental thing.. 600 hopefully well behaved pax: where do I sign? 

 

And as for the tipping, I don't think the guests will be tipping but I hope the main guest will hand the captain a big tip envelope at disembarkation.. 

 

 

 

While most will continue to eat and generate sewage even if not on a cruise ship, all that is a drop in the bucket as the ship will burn Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO).  Remember, on the aft of the E-Class, if the wind blows a certain way, your balcony furniture receives a nice layer of soot.  If one gets into a cruise ship environmental debate, it's best just own that it is indeed dirty mainly due to that soot-producing HFO regardless of the current "Go Green" program

[mahdnc]

20 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

The groom’s father owns -a home that is something like 65,000sq/ft and costs $2+ billion to build. They give jets and yachts as gifts. Environmental issues are someone else’s concern. 

 

He probably bought offsets to clear his conscience!

[jwlane]

On 5/29/2024 at 3:07 PM, Georgia_Peaches said:

would it sound like sour grapes if I said it seems an extravagant

Yes.

[rotoal]

I hope I didn't miss the answer to this question - but I think that a 12 night cruise was cancelled (after some people had purchased plane tickets and had made other arrangements), what happens to the ship the rest of the time?   Does it take that long for the crew to clean up after 600 very privileged guests?

[Stem to Stern]

11 minutes ago, rotoal said:

I hope I didn't miss the answer to this question - but I think that a 12 night cruise was cancelled (after some people had purchased plane tickets and had made other arrangements), what happens to the ship the rest of the time?   Does it take that long for the crew to clean up after 600 very privileged guests?

This whole thing keeps getting more and more astonishing to me.