Help making upgrade decision from veranda

[kasowell2]

1 hour ago, curtsfan said:

We sail Concierge or Aqua Class most of the time.  There are a few perks that we like with Concierge ( Embarkment lunch in the dining room, a bottle of wine delivered to the room

& the room location) for the $200 more I would upgrade if I were you.  We also like that you get more points per night ( 5 pts for Concierge & AquaClass) to get you yo the next Captain Club level.  

We got it for $90

[Ex-Airbalancer]

3 hours ago, cruisegirlppp said:

I just called to upgrade a room and the agent told me I would have to pay $200 change fee...did you have to pay a change fee with your upgrade? Thanks!

 

Who was charging it Celebrity or your TA ? 

[cruisegirlppp]

1 hour ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Who was charging it Celebrity or your TA ? 

Celebrity

[curtsfan]

1 hour ago, kasowell2 said:

We got it for $90

That’s great!

[Ex-Airbalancer]

2 hours ago, cruisegirlppp said:

Celebrity

That is crazy 😱

[wrk2cruise]

3 hours ago, cruisegirlppp said:

Celebrity

 

No if they were trying to charge you the change fee associated with a NRD you can point them to the T&C that state it's for a ship or sail date change only.   Escalate to a supervisor or resolutions department.

[cruisegirlppp]

10 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

That is crazy 😱

Paying them more money so I could pay them more money seemed crazy to me too. I will call back and hope for a different agent.

[cruisegirlppp]

8 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

No if they were trying to charge you the change fee associated with a NRD you can point them to the T&C that state it's for a ship or sail date change only.   Escalate to a supervisor or resolutions department.

Thank you, I did question her at the time but will call back armed with this information. 

[cruisegirlppp]

12 hours ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

That is crazy 😱

 

10 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

No if they were trying to charge you the change fee associated with a NRD you can point them to the T&C that state it's for a ship or sail date change only.   Escalate to a supervisor or resolutions department.

Happy to report that I called back and spoke to a lovely young lady who was happy to make the change for me- no mention of a $200 fee. 🙂

[drakes2]

31 minutes ago, cruisegirlppp said:

 

Happy to report that I called back and spoke to a lovely young lady who was happy to make the change for me- no mention of a $200 fee. 🙂

There you go. Some of these agents are new and untrained. I'm sure it's not an easy job and much to learn but really Celebrity, please don't have these agents answer guests queries until they are fully trained. 

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, cruisegirlppp said:

 

Happy to report that I called back and spoke to a lovely young lady who was happy to make the change for me- no mention of a $200 fee. 🙂

I’m glad to hear that.  I would ask for an updated booking confirmation PDF document from your TA or Celebrity so you have proof the change was made successfully without any extra charge.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

50 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I’m glad to hear that.  I would ask for an updated booking confirmation PDF document from your TA or Celebrity so you have proof the change was made successfully without any extra charge.

They were dealing with Celebrity, they always send out email if there are any changes 

[drakes2]

7 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

They were dealing with Celebrity, they always send out email if there are any changes 

Not always. I booked an 11 night Mediterranean next May following the transatlantic this past Wednesday as major price drop. My CVP said I get another $120 off both sailings as B2B but resolutions had to apply it and would send updated invoice.  Had to call next day as never got it. Probably forgot to press send button or whatever it is they do. 

[mahdnc]

2 hours ago, cruisegirlppp said:

 

Happy to report that I called back and spoke to a lovely young lady who was happy to make the change for me- no mention of a $200 fee. 🙂

Excellent!

[zitsky]

34 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

They were dealing with Celebrity, they always send out email if there are any changes 

I work with a TA.  The first time I asked for a booking confirmation you would think I was asking her to work for free.  Now she knows I expect it.

[publicpersona]

There are two pretty good videos on YT about the Concierge benefits with the conclusion they are not all that. My spousal unit likes the first day lunch, but that is noteworthy only because that's the only benefit worth mentioning. You can ask the stateroom attendant for a different pillow, but I've been able to do that in a plain old veranda too. We don't eat much of the little canapés delivered every day. You have to ask for the bottle of cheap wine now, and it is really, really not great. We are already Elite Plus and will never go beyond that, so the points are not that big an incentive.

 

On average (i.e., not every case), Concierge may be better locations than Veranda, although on S class there are some right under the Oceanview.

 

Sometimes you can find price anomalies where Concierge Gty is cheaper than Veranda Gty, or even ocean view gty. Then it is a no brainer.

 

 

 

 

[zitsky]

I did Sky Suite once on Eclipse and booked another on Millie.  Usually in Aqua.  When I see the current Aqua prices for the same Bali to Singapore cruise, I want to cry.  Sky Suite is more than double the price of Aqua.  Probably due to low demand I suppose.  
 

We like the Retreat perks but when you have Blu for breakfast and dinner the Retreat doesn’t seem worth it.  We prefer to spend more on airfare and less on the room.  All we do is sleep there and we are out most of the day.

Edited June 22 by zitsky

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, publicpersona said:

There are two pretty good videos on YT about the Concierge benefits with the conclusion they are not all that. My spousal unit likes the first day lunch, but that is noteworthy only because that's the only benefit worth mentioning. You can ask the stateroom attendant for a different pillow, but I've been able to do that in a plain old veranda too. We don't eat much of the little canapés delivered every day. You have to ask for the bottle of cheap wine now, and it is really, really not great. We are already Elite Plus and will never go beyond that, so the points are not that big an incentive.

 

On average (i.e., not every case), Concierge may be better locations than Veranda, although on S class there are some right under the Oceanview.

 

Sometimes you can find price anomalies where Concierge Gty is cheaper than Veranda Gty, or even ocean view gty. Then it is a no brainer.

 

 

 

 

The pillows on the Ascent are the worst I've experienced in my life even when  I've stayed in cheap motels. I'll be sure to ask for better ones next cruise.  I'm also Elite plus and doubt will make to Zenith and if I ever do probably won't even know it. 😆.  Previously used the sparkling wine to make mimosas in my cabin  but now just go to Elite breakfast to enjoy with a cheese and fruit plate. Sometimes have a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon; their smoked salmon  is to die for apparently it comes from 🇨🇦.  

[zitsky]

Just now, drakes2 said:

The pillows on the Ascent are the worst I've experienced in my life even when  I've stayed in cheap motels. I'll be sure to ask for better ones next cruise.  I'm also Elite plus and doubt will make to Zenith and if I ever do probably won't even know it. 😆.  Previously used the sparkling wine to make mimosas in my cabin  but now just go to Elite breakfast to enjoy with a cheese and fruit plate. Sometimes have a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon; their smoked salmon  is to die for apparently it comes from 🇨🇦.  

Can you ask for different pillows?  My husband and I are always picky about pillows when we travel.

[publicpersona]

3 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Can you ask for different pillows?  My husband and I are always picky about pillows when we travel.

 

You can always ask. If there are feather pillows on the bed, you can surely get foam instead. Or get extra pillows. You may not be able to get Swedish Isotonic or some such pillows.

[drakes2]

7 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Can you ask for different pillows?  My husband and I are always picky about pillows when we travel.

The ones on the Ascent are pretty awful very flat. I will ask when on next April doing a B2B and nothing worse than tossing and turning all night. 

[zitsky]

9 minutes ago, publicpersona said:

 

You can always ask. If there are feather pillows on the bed, you can surely get foam instead. Or get extra pillows. You may not be able to get Swedish Isotonic or some such pillows.

Can you request something different through the website or once you are on board?

[publicpersona]

4 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Can you request something different through the website or once you are on board?

 

I was talking about just asking the room steward when he or she came by the first afternoon. And again, to be clear, I'm talking about a minor change such as nonallergenic or an extra pillow.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

49 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I did Sky Suite once on Eclipse and booked another on Millie.  Usually in Aqua.  When I see the current Aqua prices for the same Bali to Singapore cruise, I want to cry.  Sky Suite is more than double the price of Aqua.  Probably due to low demand I suppose.  
 

We like the Retreat perks but when you have Blu for breakfast and dinner the Retreat doesn’t seem worth it.  We prefer to spend more on airfare and less on the room.  All we do is sleep there and we are out most of the day.

Maybe the big difference in price is because a Suite includes drinks and wifi 🤔

I don’t get spend more on airfare for “x” number of hour , compared to spending more on a cabin for days  😁

[zitsky]

12 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Maybe the big difference in price is because a Suite includes drinks and wifi 🤔

I don’t get spend more on airfare for “x” number of hour , compared to spending more on a cabin for days  😁

I prefer to arrive rested maybe a few days early rather than have a big room that I might not use.  A Sky Suite is nice enough but then you have all the people in Cruise Critic saying “well you didn’t book a REAL suite.”  
 

I think Aqua is good enough for the price you pay.