dleahy4444

Thank you. Very insightful. I have been on the Beyond and the Edge in regular verandas and it was fine overall. On an earlier trip I was on the Edge in the Retreat area and loved it. But part of that may have been that it was just after Covid reopening and the ship was pretty empty which was nice and we met a fun group of people who also had suites. Had a sky suite on the Millennium but only used the sun deck once because of weather. But I am a sun lover and would use the sun deck weather permitting. I’m sure whatever we do I’ll have a great time

I have had the same experience! I’ve been getting comped veranda for years based on my play. Earlier this year I started receiving offers with offer codes either via email or regular mail. They suddenly stopped with no explanation. No one at Blue Chip could explain why. Without an offer code they would only offer me a 10% discount despite my being Amethyst

We would bid near minimum but it’s still pretty pricey especially since it is a new ship. We probably won’t win anyway, but then again you never know. We have to make sure that even at minimum bid, the additional cost is worth it for us. I’m leaning towards it, the husband is not. We cruise and travel quite a bit so we need to consider our travel budget as a whole. It’s a tough decision since money is a consideration. Are the upgrades worth funds we can put towards another trip? Personal decision, I know, so I’m looking for advice here. Is it a can’t miss or just ok?

Thanks for your reply. I do like the fact that we currently have the regular balcony, but the SS room is bigger and nicer. I’m on the fence. Money is certainly a consideration for us, so the upgrade would need to be worth it to stretch our budget.

Thank you for your informative and upbeat review. We will be on the Ascent in January. Right now we are in a sunset veranda stateroom. We have been debating trying to Move Up to a SS, but after reading your review I’m not sure the Retreat is worth it.

Have you done the Retreat on the Ascent? We are booked in a sunset veranda stateroom so we already have a nice balcony. We don’t have the drink package and will rely on our Elite happy hour and comped casino drinks. We have the opportunity to bid on a Move Up to a sky suite. My understanding is that if we win the bid we will not get the drink or internet package but have access to the retreat lounge, sun deck and restaurant. What has been your experience on the Ascent? Was the Retreat worth it?

Thank you for your responses

nice!!!!

I do sail on Royal a lot more and utilize the Diamond Plus perks. I’ve been Elite on Celebrity for a while but never really looked into the perks before. In the past we have had the drink package, but probably not doing it this sailing.

Thank you. I will try to verify directly with Move Up but whenever I call any department at Celebrity I get different answers, that’s if I manage to get through at all. Has anyone reading this have personal experience actually Moved Up to a suite without having the drink package and was able get free drinks in the Retreat?

I’m sorry if this has been answered before. I looked on the website but I’m still confused. Is there a separate lounge on the E class ships for Elite tier? I understand that there is a “happy hour” where you get certain drinks off a special menu for free at most bars, but is there also a separate lounge to get a coffee in the morning or to have happy hour? Thanks

Even if you don’t have the drink package as part of your booking in a regular veranda prior to a Move Up upgrade to the Retreat?

The drink package is on sale right now but we aren’t sure if it makes sense for us. Should we book it and then cancel it later if we decide against it? How close to sailing can we cancel?

I’m not sure that is the case if you get your suite through a Move Up bid. Or maybe it is?.

Thank you all for your responses. The Move Up minimums are pretty pricey. Apparently some folk received an email last week with a 15% discount on the bidding ranges fr the same chip and sailing but I did not. I also did not receive an email that the bidding on Move Up had opened. I found it when I went to manage my reservation .I have called and written to Celebrity a dozen times to try to correct an apparent proble with my email, but you know how that goes….

We are considering bidding on a Move Up from a veranda to a sky suite. We are not buying the drink package. Since the upgrade would be a Move Up, I don’t think we get the included drink package perk. Since we are Elite tier, I believe we can get selected drinks at most bars for free from 5-7. Does that include the bar on the Retreat sun deck and the Retreat resturant?

I was wondering what type of comp you used that you were able to get YC? Was it fully comped or did you get a discount to upgrade? I usually get offers for balconies on Royal and Celebrity. If I called the MSC casino directly would they offer me a comp even though I never cruised with them before or do I need to go through an independent casino host or through URcomped? If you know. Thanks

Thank you.

I have an independent land based casino host who has gotten me comped balconies on Celebrity. I reached out to him to see if he could help me get a comped cruise on MSC but I have not heard back from him. In the meantime I heard about UR Comped. Anyone with experience with them for MSC sailings? If I upload my info online with them directly will that preclude my independent host from trying to get me an offer? Anyone know? I joined the RCCL casino program before I met my independent host and since I was already a ranked player with RCCL casino club, he cant help me with that line and I have to go directly through the cruise line casino program. In light of that, I’m concerned that if I upload my info to UR Comped, ill be precluded from then having my host try to get a better offer. another question: Does anyone have an independent host that you can recommend? I like my host but communication and response time is an issue. Thanks!!

I didn’t meet the other genies but my genie was Derick M. He was incredible!!

I just wanted to get back to both of you because you were so kind in your responses to my original post. We had an amazing time!!! It was, for us, the trip of a lifetime since we don’t anticipate getting that room again. The genie was wonderful! It turned out that we never had dining on the balcony, as most in our group preferred to eat at the specialty restaurants themselves and had reservations, but the genie did arrange for us and the guests with the dining package to sit together at the restaurant a few times. We didn’t ask for anything in the room other than refills on water. But it was all he did, than we hadn’t asked for that made the experience special such as making sure that we had breakfast if we forgot to order, or arranging great seats for the hubby and I at the shows. We made sure to tip him above and beyond, for his kind attention. Now I just have to hit lotto to do it again! Happy cruising everyone!

Thanks, I will. The genie has already emailed me. I’ve asked him some questions and he responded immediately. I don’t think I will have the full genie experience because we will be going to shows and most dinners at complimentary venues with our group, so we will be sitting with them. It’s sort of a shame to waste having the genie at our disposal, but the reason we upgraded to the 2 bedroom aqua suite even though it is just the two of us, was for a cabin big enough so that other members ( some that are inside) can spread out and enjoy the balcony. Even so, it will be an amazing experience and I’ll be sure to report back😊

Thank you. I’m still pinching myself!

Thank you!!!

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this! We are very low key and undemanding people. We are very appreciative of anyone that is providing us with service and anticipate not asking for much at all. We are just excited to sit on that balcony!!