Woo Hoo... Pinnacle now equals Zenith on Celebrity

[Cruising89143]

32 minutes ago, cruiselvr04 said:

This makes me ready to get to Pinnacle on Royal.  At least now with Elite plus I’ll get some free laundry. It makes me more likely to book Celebrity. I signed up for Silver Seas.  I’m interested in them for some unique itineraries.
 

Unless they cut perks I see this as a good thing. 

Jason Liberty stated that this recent move was step one and more changes might be coming. I am willing to bet changes to perks are coming. No way will RCG give both free internet and the Premium Drink package to all of the new Pins moving to Celebrity. Many are ecstatic now but I give it six months and reality of combining loyalty programs will hit. 

[little britain]

19 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Is AI a U.K requirement? In the U.S. we have the choice of cruise only or AI. If I can drop the AI internet and drinks add-ons and revert to cruise only on our Ascent cruise it will save us almost $1,500.😇

No it’s not a requirement - it’s a choice. 
 

2 of my cruises are sold out so I don’t have an option to reprice to cruise only; but I am just checking out the 3rd… 

[Another_Critic]

55 minutes ago, cruiselvr04 said:

At least now with Elite plus I’ll get some free laundry. It makes me more likely to book Celebrity.

Elite gets one free bag of laundry on Celebrity.  Elite Plus gets two free bags.

[cublet]

1 hour ago, little britain said:

Sudden panic attack…. It doesn’t mean that this only applies to cruises booked after June 5th does it? Cruise booked prior to this date are grandfathered in 🤞? 

Hello,

 

For RCI & X it's for cruises embarking after 5th June. But given they have only allowed  themselves a week to sort it out, I'm not holding my breath. Corporal Jones ...."Don't Panic"!

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, Cruising89143 said:

Jason Liberty stated that this recent move was step one and more changes might be coming. I am willing to bet changes to perks are coming. No way will RCG give both free internet and the Premium Drink package to all of the new Pins moving to Celebrity. Many are ecstatic now but I give it six months and reality of combining loyalty programs will hit. 

No one has said anything about the loyalty programs being combined. 

[Missusdubbya]

5 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

The extra E+ benefits that I like are 2 bags laundry (1 w/ E) and 240 internet minutes (90 w/ E).

same, plus specialty coffees - this is excellent

[Cruising89143]

7 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

No one has said anything about the loyalty programs being combined. 

Did not say that they would be combined. I stated exactly what Jason Liberty stated. This change is step one. I also stated that IMHO no way will RCG allow those that are Pinnacle to move to X to receive the current perks including the Premium drink package. That could be a huge cost to the company. There was no mention of combining programs. I simply stated that changes will happen to the current perks. That’s NOT combining them. 🙄

[TheMiz]

1 hour ago, Another_Critic said:

Elite gets one free bag of laundry on Celebrity.  Elite Plus gets two free bags.

 

I am a D+ so is my wife we each get ONE free bag of wash and fold. that works out to 2  per cruise,  Now would it be 2 each under the new Elite Plus ?

[Another_Critic]

1 minute ago, TheMiz said:

 

I am a D+ so is my wife we each get ONE free bag of wash and fold. that works out to 2  per cruise,  Now would it be 2 each under the new Elite Plus ?

Yes.

[RFerrington]

...Zenith laundry is unlimited ?

[crzndeb]

5 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

If only Celebrity would do drink vouchers starting at Elite, like Royal does with Diamond and above.  That would make Celebrity MUCH more enticing for us versus the way it is now.

 

Diamond on Royal blows Elite out of the water IMO.

I just went on my first Celebrity cruise on May 11. Was still Elite as D+ on Royal. The 2 hour Happy Hour was OK, but I prefer the vouchers. I usually will have a couple of martinis, but during their HH they serve them in smaller glasses. I also missed the free picture, since I usually get the boarding days as a memento reminder of where I went. They have no photographer’s taking any pics around the ship that I saw.

I don’t have any other Celebrity cruises booked at this point. 

[orville99]

1 hour ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

No one has said anything about the loyalty programs being combined. 

I don't view this as a combination, just a leveling up of programs based on the intensity of cruising activity.

 

[PhillyFan33579]

53 minutes ago, crzndeb said:

I just went on my first Celebrity cruise on May 11. Was still Elite as D+ on Royal. The 2 hour Happy Hour was OK, but I prefer the vouchers. I usually will have a couple of martinis, but during their HH they serve them in smaller glasses. I also missed the free picture, since I usually get the boarding days as a memento reminder of where I went. They have no photographer’s taking any pics around the ship that I saw.

I don’t have any other Celebrity cruises booked at this point. 

I agree RCI’s perks are significantly better. I always buy the premium drink package on Celebrity, which I rarely do on RCI these days. I like both cruise lines, but the older I get, the more I like the atmosphere on Celebrity ships. 

[critterchick]

6 hours ago, little britain said:

Off to cancel the Premium drinks package upgrade and the wifi upgrade! Save a few $$

 

I have 3 X cruises booked so very happy with this news!

 

The cruises usually come with basic drinks package and wifi when we book them.

 

I just refared a sailing that I booked two weeks ago, dumped the AI and got back $801. Even if they change the Zenith benefit to 6 vouchers, we'll come out ahead (I'm gambling that the premium WiFi will remain intact because it's currently a benefit for both). X let you have well drinks in the (nonsmoking) casino when you're gambling and DH drinks what he wants for free with his tier level.

 

6 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

The extra E+ benefits that I like are 2 bags laundry (1 w/ E) and 240 internet minutes (90 w/ E).

I love the laundry and REALLY love the free specialty coffee and tea at Cafe Al Bacio.

6 hours ago, molly361 said:

Does anyone know if the 25% off Specialty Dining perk can be used thru the Cruise Planner or if it only applies if you book onboard?

 

At the suggestion of some Celebrity faithful, last year I called Captain's Club to make reservations in order to lock them in. I had to pay the full price and was advised to let the restaurants know when I boarded and they would adjust the price. Since we'd booked a suite I enlisted the aid of the concierge who messed it up completely (Royal Caribbean concierges blow their Celebrity counterparts out of the water). Next time I'll just wait until we're onboard to book.  There's a risk that a restaurant (Murano on Solstice class) will book out, but I'd rather chance that than go through the hassle I had again.

 

1 hour ago, RFerrington said:

...Zenith laundry is unlimited ?

 It is at the moment.....

[Rackham]

3 hours ago, Cruising89143 said:

Jason Liberty stated that this recent move was step one and more changes might be coming. I am willing to bet changes to perks are coming. No way will RCG give both free internet and the Premium Drink package to all of the new Pins moving to Celebrity. Many are ecstatic now but I give it six months and reality of combining loyalty programs will hit. 

 

I fully expect if there's one loyalty rewards chart, and RCG decides on including drink vouchers, they'll increase the voucher value to cover premium drinks on Celebrity while decreasing the voucher count given at each loyalty level compared to the C&A program. It sounds generous, but the company would save money on the raw value at every tier, excluding the top, even with one less voucher issued per level.

[Tlbecker1]

6 hours ago, Starry Eyes said:

Autocorrect seems to think you’d rather  have swimwear with breakfast rather than a Bellini😂

The Bikinis might be a better choice.😀

[TourDeCruise]

10 hours ago, molly361 said:

Does anyone know if the 25% off Specialty Dining perk can be used thru the Cruise Planner or if it only applies if you book onboard?

 

We are Zenith on Celebrity, since early 2020. We have had to book specialty dining once onboard to get the 25% off; however, on one of our cruises, the 25% discount showed up pre-cruise so we were able to book specialty dining that way pre-cruise. We haven't been successful getting the shoreside concierge to help with dining reservations guaranteeing the 25% off, but it is certainly worth asking pre-cruise to see if they will help you.

 

10 hours ago, molly361 said:

5 hours ago, TheMiz said:

 

I am a D+ so is my wife we each get ONE free bag of wash and fold. that works out to 2  per cruise,  Now would it be 2 each under the new Elite Plus ?

Yes, each Diamond Plus member gets 2 bags of laundry.

5 hours ago, RFerrington said:

...Zenith laundry is unlimited ?

Yes, Zenith laundry is unlimited.

 

We are Zenith on Celebrity and were Diamond Plus now Pinnacle on Royal. What does the Diamond Plus exclusion for Diamond Plus and Zenith amenities mean? Is that the amenity that you choose pre-cruise to enjoy during the cruise, such as bottled water, beer, or wine? I think as Diamond Plus, we got to choose two. Will we still get to choose two amenities as Pinnacle but with a Pinnacle exclusion for more than that?

[ReneeFLL]

12 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

and is it really free afterall in the end.

I will get the FREE premium wifi and premium drink package since it’s not costing me anything extra. It only cost me the price of the cruises to get to Pinnacle which I would have sailed those cruises anyway and had fun doing it, so yes it’s free.

[ReneeFLL]

Checked my account on their website and I’m now Zenith. Never thought that would happen.  💃🏼🍸🍹🥂🍻🍷🍾💃🏼

[xpcdoojk]

13 hours ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

My celebrity status is showing Elite+ now too!  So who has a list of what the benefits are?  We’re on Adventure now on a sea day and internet isn’t that great to try to find it. 

Mine is not, just checked, although it shows me with an inexplicable number of Captain’s Clubs points. It shows I have 153 points.  I did 2 X cruises last one was in 2000.  My memory was that the conversion was 30 points per cruise ie I should have 60 points.  I just applied for the Silverseas (doubt I will sail with them but who knows) and got this reply.  

 

Loyalty Status Match Enrollment Form

We received your request and are verifying your loyalty information. You will receive an email within 7 days once your Loyalty Status Match is complete and in effect. Thank you for taking advantage of the loyalty status match program across Royal Caribbean^®, Celebrity Cruises^®, and Silversea^®.

 

When I clicked the email link it showed my RCI and X linked already. I do have an X cruise booked in 2025 from Sydney to Hawaii, and since I am a lowly D+ I am still stuck with the basic drink package.  I am assuming I can get that any time of the day, along with free elite plus drinks 5-7?  The X world is mass confusing to me, since I am so aware of RCI habits.

 

jc

 

[little britain]

4 hours ago, TourDeCruise said:

 

We are Zenith on Celebrity, since early 2020. We have had to book specialty dining once onboard to get the 25% off; however, on one of our cruises, the 25% discount showed up pre-cruise so we were able to book specialty dining that way pre-cruise. We haven't been successful getting the shoreside concierge to help with dining reservations guaranteeing the 25% off, but it is certainly worth asking pre-cruise to see if they will help you.

 

But booking on board they add 18% service so when you take your 25% off it’s really only a 7% saving 🤷‍♀️.

 

So isn’t it better to book via the Planner when they are having a true 20% off sale as tips are included in the Planner? 
 

I haven’t sailed on X for years so not sure how it works. 

[xpcdoojk]

Hi LB

 

I just downloaded the X app and it now shows me Elite plus on the app and elite on the X website.  Typical RCI IT department

 

 

[livingonthebeach]

Yaaay! Free specialty coffee and 2 bags of laundry for me - a welcome change! Also Celebrity lets you earn points online by filling out surveys and online stuff at home which get converted to Captain's Club points - this is new as well:

 

How It Works

 

Here’s how it works. We’ll email you an activity to participate in and you’ll earn a set number of Power Up Points when you complete it. Those points will convert into Club Points and automatically be added to your Captain’s Club Points bank. For every 10 Power Up Points earned, you’ll get 1 Club Point. For example, if you participate in a survey worth 20 Power Up Points, you’ll get 2 Club Points added to your Club Point bank.* The more you participate, the more you’ll earn.

 

^{* All Power Up Points earned in a calendar month will be converted to Club Points and added to a participating member’s Club Point balance within 14 days of month’s end. View Full Terms and Conditions here.}

 

 

[not-enough-cruising]

2 hours ago, livingonthebeach said:

Yaaay! Free specialty coffee and 2 bags of laundry for me - a welcome change! Also Celebrity lets you earn points online by filling out surveys and online stuff at home which get converted to Captain's Club points - this is new as well:

 

How It Works

 

Here’s how it works. We’ll email you an activity to participate in and you’ll earn a set number of Power Up Points when you complete it. Those points will convert into Club Points and automatically be added to your Captain’s Club Points bank. For every 10 Power Up Points earned, you’ll get 1 Club Point. For example, if you participate in a survey worth 20 Power Up Points, you’ll get 2 Club Points added to your Club Point bank.* The more you participate, the more you’ll earn.

 

^{* All Power Up Points earned in a calendar month will be converted to Club Points and added to a participating member’s Club Point balance within 14 days of month’s end. View Full Terms and Conditions here.}

 

 

it's an interesting program, but not new.  Power Up Points have been around for several years

[little britain]

2 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

it's an interesting program, but not new.  Power Up Points have been around for several years

Power Up Points was introduced during Covid to keep up interest in cruises whilst no one could sail.
My friend got so many PUPs she actually moved up a tier without setting foot on a ship!