DancerOT

I posted Carnival as an example of how to do it. There are people who have cruises booked and paid for that would have advanced them to the coveted Elite group, and now they are farther from it.

 

There was no grace period like Carnival gave. Both programs ran simultaneously for almost a year and a half. Plenty of Carnival cruises squeezed in cruises to make Platinum.

 

We were fine with it, after our Celebrity cruise next spring we'll reach Elite+, which is what I had figured we'd if the old program had used 25 points as the number. Elite+ is pretty much a joke. The Elite benefits are great - Elite+ is just slightly better.

 

The grace period Carnival gave seemed very fair to me, and it pissed off less people than Celebrity's instant cutoff of the old program. :)

Excellent point! I think the thing that most people are upset about is that the cruises they have already booked and paid for are not being "counted" in the old way.

I didn't realize that Carnival had given some leeway time for the switch over as there was a huge gap in my time cruising Carnival so it was all fairly irrelevant to me.

Thank you to all! I think I probably need to call Carnival as my boarding docs say red....in all truthfulness, it doesn't really matter, it is just more a matter of curiosity.

Happy Cruising to all who are leaving soon!

I was looking for some clarification on when the change in your VFIP level occurs. Does it occur at the end of the cruise in which you qualify or during the cruise in which you qualify?

I am currently at 24 points (nothing like being on the cusp!) and was just curious whether I would be considered red or gold on my upcoming cruise.

Thank you!

As someone who often cruises Celebrity (but as you can tell, I hop around), I am a little bit frustrated. I mostly cruise in outside cabins which means that I will need 3 more cruises to reach Elite status, whereas under the old system I only needed two. Is it a big deal in the larger aspects of life? Nope, but it is a little annoying. I am, however, very happy that I didn't book those two cruises I was thinking of booking in February that I was thinking of booking just to make Elite as they aren't until February.

Needless to say, I don't stick with one cruise line to earn loyalty credit guide and my next cruise is in less than one month on Carnival (which I am beyond excited for). I will continue to cruise both lines based upon itineraries and cost. The way I look at it is that each offers a different product which, as long as you recognize that, you will enjoy your vacation.

I have never been to the other specialty restaurants, but I thoroughly enjoyed Qsine when I went this past summer on Summit. I truly appreciated the whimsical nature of the restaurant including the decorations, food presentations, and food concepts. I felt like I was in the middle of the Mad Hatter's tea party in Alice in Wonderland!

It was great when they did it by the pool on our sailing to Bermuda. So many more people participated because they were able to stay outside. Lots of fun to participate in and to watch.

Absolutely. The price limits (I think $8 for the Classic package) still apply. Enjoy your cruise!

On my last cruise on the Summit we were invited to sit at the Captain's Table. It truly was a lovely experience and one I would like to see my father and grandmother enjoy as well. I can honestly tell you that I have never been so grateful for my parents and grandmother drilling proper manners into my head.

What I can tell you about getting chosen is that you do not need to be a male/female duo to be invited as I was cruising with my mom. We were also sailing in an inside cabin that we booked about two months before the cruise. My mom is elite, while I am select so I don't know what difference that may or may not have made. I agree with the many posters that it comes down to personality and being nice. While I love my mother and she loves me, we both know that if we don't talk to others we will kill each other. So we took the time to get to know different people on board, both passengers and crew. It made for a wonderful cruise experience on so many levels. So my advice if you would like to sit at the Captain's Table is to be nice to everyone. In truth it is a great theory for life as you never know where it can take you.

Happy Sailing!

They are back on the Summit. I had them several times during my June 23rd cruise to Bermuda and they were delicious!

Thanks for reassuring me! We get on the Legend on the 15th - the day Polly gets off so I was a little worried. When I was on Freedom in Europe a few years ago, the piano bar was one of my favorite places to go with my parents - it is actually one of my favorite things about Carnival.

When I get back, I will definitely report on who her replacement is.

So after reading JH's blog today, I thought I would have the answer of who will be in the paino bar on Legend after the current person leaves. She leaves in 9 days, but we still don't have an answer. Are they thinking of no longer putting someone in there? I am confused!!!

We went on a cruise last year for my Grandma's 80th birthday. One night while we had my grandmother distracted, my dad went to our room (I shared with her) and wrapped it with flat pack wrapping paper, a big bow, and Happy Birthday signs. She was so excited by it that she cried when she saw it.

We booked with them for the Waverunner excursion including Stingray City and Rum Point Beach on Grand Cayman and the excursion was excellent. There were 10 of us (all family and friends who I booked the excursion for) wtih two guides. The site says the tour is about 2 hours long. We did begin about 30 minutes late bc the guides kept the previous group out late - but we were out for almost 3 hours, so who can really complain?? Excellent excursion and well worth it.