Concierge Class

[Iamcruzin]

We are sailing on the Reflection in Concierge class. It's been a while since our last Celebrity cruise and this is the first cruise we are sailing on since covid. I know things have changed in the cruise industry and I was wondering what to expect in Concierge Class. I read a thread where they don't even give lounge chairs in a suite anymore so I'm sure C class has changed as well. It was only $28 more per persons so I figured it was worth it just for a better location. 

 

Also is bottled water included in the basic drink/wifi package or do I have to upgrade to premium?

 

Thank you.

[PTC DAWG]

Bottled still water is included in the basic..

[the penguins]

57 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

We are sailing on the Reflection in Concierge class. It's been a while since our last Celebrity cruise and this is the first cruise we are sailing on since covid. I know things have changed in the cruise industry and I was wondering what to expect in Concierge Class. I read a thread where they don't even give lounge chairs in a suite anymore so I'm sure C class has changed as well. It was only $28 more per persons so I figured it was worth it just for a better location. 

 

Also is bottled water included in the basic drink/wifi package or do I have to upgrade to premium?

 

Thank you.

location is a personal choice and for us Concierge is no better than a regular balcony. The only reason to book Concierge is if you need the extra CC points and the price difference is tiny. We booked it once on a Transpacific when the extra cost was $25 for the two of us for the whole cruise 

[lorimay]

With concierge class on an S-class ship (like Reflection) the cabin is exactly the same as regular veranda stateroom. The location may be a little better. Really, it's a regular veranda with a few extra perks. 

 

There were never lounge chairs on those balconies anyway, so you haven't lost anything.

 

There is the lunch (limited times, very limited menu) on embarkation day. The menu is usually a choice of a salad and maybe one other starter, choice of three entrees (chicken, beef, vegetarian) and choice of two desserts. The only nice part is that you don't have to fight for a spot at the buffet.

 

You will get truly awful canapes every afternoon. See if you can get them to bring you a fruit and cheese plate instead. You might get a bottle of sparkling wine on embarkation day.

 

On some sailings, you will get an invitation to the helipad for a sail away. There's no way to predict what days or if it's going to happen. You may get an invitation to a backstage tour at the theater. Sometimes they have a special cocktail party for concierge guests.

 

This one is controversial, but in my experience we received priority seating for select dining (not fixed time). If you don't have a reservation, they may seat you in front of passengers in regular cabins. I've been told it doesn't happen - but it has happened to us on several sailings.

 

That's about it. If you didn't pay much for the upgrade, it may be worth it to you. If you're collecting points then it also might be worthwhile.

[Philly_Philly]

Just sailed on our first Celebrity in Concierge class.  We were not impressed.  You get a few perks.  The embarkation lunch was limited to a few items, but it was in the restaurant so you didn't have to fight the buffet.  We were able to get a fruit plate rather than the canapes -- seafood that's been sitting out for who knows how long did not appear to us.  A slot pull and helipad invitation were offered.  We never heard from our assigned concierge and a phone number was not provided.  You had to visit them on deck 7.  Neither convenient nor helpful.  I doubt I'll ever book Concierge.  Celebrity was also not a step above other lines.

[Miaminice]

If the $28 were for the whole cruise - sure, a no brainer.

If they were per day… no thanks. CC doesn’t offer anything special unless you are chasing the points. So don’t expect too much.

[Saturngrl]

We always sail Concierge.  I agree with the posts above and note one other perk:  Concierge-only waiting area with caffeine and pastries on Disembarkation day.  It's a nice way to wait for your group number to be called, instead of fighting to sit in a bar or common area that morning. 

[Milhouse]

We tried Concierge class for the first time on Solstice in late 2022. 

Similar to many of the previous posts, most of the associated perks didn't really wow us enough to want to specifically book Concierge class again in the future. 

 

However, the best perk we made use of was access to a Concierge. It was a two person team that supported Concierge guests and also Captain's Club members.  We had a couple of minor issues that we needed resolved.  And it was really nice to get to know the Concierge/Captain's Club duo and have them help us with the issues.  Whereas, I find guest services can be a bit hit or miss; you're not always dealing with the same person so you may need to repeat your story, etc, etc.

[Iamcruzin]

5 hours ago, the penguins said:

location is a personal choice and for us Concierge is no better than a regular balcony. The only reason to book Concierge is if you need the extra CC points and the price difference is tiny. We booked it once on a Transpacific when the extra cost was $25 for the two of us for the whole cruise 

it was only $28pp more and it was in a better location than the veranda choices which is the main reason I booked it. Aqua Class was only a few more dollars than Concierge but the locations were terrible. We like to be sandwiched between two decks that have rooms and not public areas.  We don't even concern ourselves with being loyal so even the extra CC points aren't a draw to book the higher class. I just look for the best price on the 3 lines we like. On this cruise the drink package and wifi were only $50 more a day when added to the booking. That will be no problem breaking even given the prices at the bar.

[Iamcruzin]

25 minutes ago, Milhouse said:

We tried Concierge class for the first time on Solstice in late 2022. 

Similar to many of the previous posts, most of the associated perks didn't really wow us enough to want to specifically book Concierge class again in the future. 

 

However, the best perk we made use of was access to a Concierge. It was a two person team that supported Concierge guests and also Captain's Club members.  We had a couple of minor issues that we needed resolved.  And it was really nice to get to know the Concierge/Captain's Club duo and have them help us with the issues.  Whereas, I find guest services can be a bit hit or miss; you're not always dealing with the same person so you may need to repeat your story, etc, etc.

Thank you. I was wondering what you use a concierge for.

[the penguins]

10 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

it was only $28pp more and it was in a better location than the veranda choices which is the main reason I booked it. Aqua Class was only a few more dollars than Concierge but the locations were terrible. We like to be sandwiched between two decks that have rooms and not public areas.  We don't even concern ourselves with being loyal so even the extra CC points aren't a draw to book the higher class. I just look for the best price on the 3 lines we like. On this cruise the drink package and wifi were only $50 more a day when added to the booking. That will be no problem breaking even given the prices at the bar.

Entirely agree about having cabins above and below which is why we choose deck 7 - nothing higher and fairly central.

Even at $50 per person per day the drink/wifi package is a total waste of money for us. We don't drink alcohol and as Elite + get all the free lattes/teas/chocolate we need plus free juices/water/sodas during the Elite Happy Hour.

We have no need of unlimited wifi (one of the joys of cruising is to escape from the digital world)  our 240 minutes are more than enough on even a 14 night cruise.

Aqua is a total non starter - For us one of the joys of cruising is to share tables with different people every night at dinner which is not an option in Blu. 

Not right or wrong just the way we choose to cruise.

[Water_Baby_]

We used to sail in Concierge Class before Aqua Class came about but are switching back to CC for our next cruise   We just couldn’t justify the price differential. 
 

Agree that the best reason to book is the price and location. We never used the Concierge in the past, but we did enjoy the embarkation lunch, and always switch out the canapés for cheese & crackers. I’m allergic to shellfish so there is never an argument. 
 

We always request our sparkling wine for one of the sea days. Ask your room attendant. 

[mafig]

21 hours ago, lorimay said:

 

 

 

 

This one is controversial, but in my experience we received priority seating for select dining (not fixed time). If you don't have a reservation, they may seat you in front of passengers in regular cabins. I've been told it doesn't happen - but it has happened to us on several sailings.

 

 

We've found this to be true also.

 

 

[blue_water]

21 hours ago, lorimay said:

With concierge class on an S-class ship (like Reflection) the cabin is exactly the same as regular veranda stateroom. The location may be a little better. Really, it's a regular veranda with a few extra perks. 

 

There were never lounge chairs on those balconies anyway, so you haven't lost anything.

 

There is the lunch (limited times, very limited menu) on embarkation day. The menu is usually a choice of a salad and maybe one other starter, choice of three entrees (chicken, beef, vegetarian) and choice of two desserts. The only nice part is that you don't have to fight for a spot at the buffet.

 

You will get truly awful canapes every afternoon. See if you can get them to bring you a fruit and cheese plate instead. You might get a bottle of sparkling wine on embarkation day.

 

On some sailings, you will get an invitation to the helipad for a sail away. There's no way to predict what days or if it's going to happen. You may get an invitation to a backstage tour at the theater. Sometimes they have a special cocktail party for concierge guests.

 

This one is controversial, but in my experience we received priority seating for select dining (not fixed time). If you don't have a reservation, they may seat you in front of passengers in regular cabins. I've been told it doesn't happen - but it has happened to us on several sailings.

 

That's about it. If you didn't pay much for the upgrade, it may be worth it to you. If you're collecting points then it also might be worthwhile.

Great feedback, thanks!

[blue_water]

19 hours ago, Saturngrl said:

We always sail Concierge.  I agree with the posts above and note one other perk:  Concierge-only waiting area with caffeine and pastries on Disembarkation day.  It's a nice way to wait for your group number to be called, instead of fighting to sit in a bar or common area that morning. 

Good point. As first time Celebrity cruisers, I gather there is an alternative option of walking off early with your luggage?

[mrgabriel]

21 minutes ago, blue_water said:

Good point. As first time Celebrity cruisers, I gather there is an alternative option of walking off early with your luggage?

 

Yes. You'll get specifics (time, where to line up) during the cruise. On disembarkation morning, there will usually be a loooonnnnngggg line of people waiting to walk off. It goes fairly quickly, depending on the number of people, and the percentage that are attempting to haul off 2 full sized suitcases, a roll aboard, and five bags of stuff 😁

[blue_water]

Just now, mrgabriel said:

 

Yes. You'll get specifics (time, where to line up) during the cruise. On disembarkation morning, there will usually be a loooonnnnngggg line of people waiting to walk off. It goes fairly quickly, depending on the number of people, and the percentage that are attempting to haul off 2 full sized suitcases, a roll aboard, and five bags of stuff 😁

Yes that doesn’t sound like us! 
we’re in Concierge Class so we’ll likely take advantage of one of the few perks by hanging in the waiting area until called…

thanks!

[Saturngrl]

I did the self-disembarkation on a Celebrity cruise once.  I arrived to stand in line at 6:15 a.m. and waited about an hour, while standing there with all of my luggage, waiting to disembark.  

 

I would much rather enjoy an early breakfast in Oceanview cafe, then proceed with my carry-on to the Concierge waiting area.  Now that we are Elite, we enjoy our waiting area in Tuscan!   We are Florida residents, so we usually have to wait until a later group number is called, but it's okay with us.  

 

I am just a bit sad that the new Premium Pass doesn't have a special MDR disembarkation breakfast and escort from the ship at a time of our choice, like RC's The Key.  

 

[ScottC4746]

We have done two CS cruises Solstice and Edge and will continue booking CS.

 

Lunch on Solstice was meh so Edge we did the buffet and glad we did.  They had fried chicken that was huge and very good.  Never saw it again the rest of the cruise.

 

Canapes from Solstice were awful so we told our CS to please skip them.  We did get one delivered that was pretty nice.  It was some cheese and crackers.

 

No priority boarding at port or ports of calls nor priority disembarkation at ports of calls.

 

We had several invitations through the week and not sure what was concierge related and what was Captains Club related.

 

Disembarkation day they had coffee and pastries set up for us to wait in the Normandy Restaurant, however they really were not refreshing when the ran out. 

[Sail Girl]

On 6/11/2024 at 5:26 PM, Iamcruzin said:

it was only $28pp more and it was in a better location than the veranda choices which is the main reason I booked it. Aqua Class was only a few more dollars than Concierge but the locations were terrible. We like to be sandwiched between two decks that have rooms and not public areas.  We don't even concern ourselves with being loyal so even the extra CC points aren't a draw to book the higher class. I just look for the best price on the 3 lines we like. On this cruise the drink package and wifi were only $50 more a day when added to the booking. That will be no problem breaking even given the prices at the bar.

We always book Aqua class. Not because of location but because we love eating in Blu. Will have a Concierge stateroom in February as we will be traveling with a group. Then we can decide for ourselves.

[Iamcruzin]

10 hours ago, blue_water said:

Yes that doesn’t sound like us! 
we’re in Concierge Class so we’ll likely take advantage of one of the few perks by hanging in the waiting area until called…

thanks!

Now that we can drive to port, we may take advantage of this too. In the past we were rushing to get to the airport. 

[blue_water]

6 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

Now that we can drive to port, we may take advantage of this too. In the past we were rushing to get to the airport. 

Yes flying in and out on the departure and return dates can be stressful. We no longer do that, we’ve been delayed too many times. Our “best” delay was in port Miami when Customs seized the ship when dogs found pot in a passenger’s bag. We had a late afternoon flight, but the ship was held for hours. We missed our flight but got to spend the night in South Beach after hustling to find a hotel in March.