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You will receive a "transit pass" that allows you to leave the ship. Show the pass to return to ship. You will skip the lines. You will receive the passes and full directions the last night or two before your departure from the ship. You can leave at anytime before you are required to meet with other B2B cruisers. Plan you tours and have fun!

Ask if you can keep the seapass card from the previous cruise. You will be issued a new card for each cruise and may (sometimes do and sometimes not) give you credit card number. The non refundable OBC each at the end of the cruise will expire, they unlike some other lines cannot accumulate. Each segment of a B2B is a new cruise.

1 minute ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

A big "thank you" to those who posted their letter regarding the reinstatement of Zeniths.  This Zenith hasn't received a copy -- and no -- it didn't appear in the junk folder.  Are we the only pair of Zeniths on this thread who didn't receive a copy?  Given our time zone difference with the rest of the US I'll be on the phone tomorrow asking why.

I haven't and so long as we're included I really don't care if I'm on the list of recipients.

 I feel that all of the cutbacks started with the elimination of Zeniths from MC/Retreat. It was the shift in emphasis from loyalty that was the problem. Perhaps the reevaluation of the core philosophy starts now. Some tried to warn of the changes in corporate philosophy, but were called "complainers" or "whiners" by other posters.

1 minute ago, C4HCG said:

Why is that a problem, surely that’s a positive?

Positive for the passenger, problem for Celebrity. I have booked at least 6 cruises with other lines, such as Crystal, Viking and Oceania that I would have booked with Celebrity.

6 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

 

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

I can only speak for myself but I nor any Zenith's I spoken to received a request for questions.

 

I'm happy that you are so satisfied with your cruises but many of us aren't  and after 23 years of exclusive traveling Celebrity I made my first non-Celebrity Cruise last week.    I have also booked a second non-celebrity cruise.

 

I only travel in suites so not concerned about potatoes

I also did not see a request for questions. I didn't receive the email to inform me of the change in MC/Retreat that some havef reported receiving. I have also booked cruises on other lines. Problem for me is that once you experience other lines you tend to be less Celebrity exclusive.

28 minutes ago, TommyD3 said:

We were on the very first sailing on the Century (early 2014) with the new Suite and Zenith Michael's Club. Had an amazing array of buffet offerings virtually all day. At the time Sky Suite guests were not allowed.

I was on that cruise as well. For the first part of the B2B I was in a Sky suite and was denied entry. I was in the less costly Century suite for the second cruise and was invited. I didn't reach Zenith until three or four cruises later. 

13 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

What? I think you are mistaken.  Zeniths were definitely allowed in the Retreat, but not on the Retreat Deck

That's what I was saying. They were allowed in Retreat/MC, but not on the Retreat deck to sit or get a drink.

32 minutes ago, swjumbo said:

If you’ve paid for First Class on a European or Middle Eastern airline and have frequent fliers trying to sit at the bar you’d be rightly hacked off.

 

Same with Celebrity. Why should they get this ‘right’?

 

With so many lovely bars throughout the ship why is there a need for access to The Retreat?

 

Do they want to laud it up over the rest of us? I’ve seen these people on so many cruises having this perceived right of passage over the ‘younger’ ones.
 

It’s a ‘suite’ area. IMHO it should remain so.

 

Zeniths have never had access to the Retreat bars only MC/ Retreat Lounge and I don't believe that they will have access to the Retreat deck or bars under the proposed policy. Celebrity is only restoring a policy that they had prior to Covid that they promised to restore once they gained control of Covid.

Zeniths have never been allowed in the Retreat and I would not expect that to be included. I only want Celebrity to restore the previous benefits that they said they would after Covid. I hope that benefits would be restored at all levels. 

Seems to be "on a space available" basis, which is more than fine with me. I, for one will now consider Celebrity.

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

How did you guess...   They look wonderful and the hours slipped away far too quickly.  

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

  

They are wonderful people. One of the best things about cruising is the people you meet along the way are the best! Many have become cherished friends.

2 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

Was just now checking Crystal and my goodness, they certainly have some interesting itineraries.  I haven't given up on Celebrity altogether but am limiting future cruises to Silhouette or Reflection, in that order, and opting for specialty dining.  Have you cruised Regent?

Haven't cruised Regent. The new Crystal is pricy, but reports say that it's worth it. I was on the last  two cruises of Symphony under the former owners and the staff was amazing! Crystal brought key people back under the new owners.

I have been Celebrity loyal with over 100 cruises since 1999. I did a TA on the Silhouette and the feel of the cruise was different than what I'd come to expect. I'm doing a short cruise on Equinox as a test to see if Celebrity is still among my choices. I've taken Crystal, Oceania and Oceania in the last year and I rate them, based on my preferences and experience Crystal, Viking, Celebrity and Oceania.

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

Disembarkation was a breeze and very relaxed.   We didn't disembark until 9:00.

 

They had our luggage at the front of the terminal.     We got an Uber and it arrived within 5 minutes.   Unlike the over the top prices of Ponant it cost us $9.00 US to the Luggage Drop Off  place.

 

We then walked to Toronto Subway Station and purchased 3 days worth of day passes.     Our place wasn't suppose to be ready until 1PM so we went to scope it out and just as we arrived the owner sent a message that we could check in at 11:00 AM.  
Since it was 10:45 at that time we waited until they dropped the key in the lockbox, checked it out and then returned to downtown to recover our luggage

 

We then did a quick grocery store run to pick up some breakfast items, milk and bread.   Next we found a Liquor Store and got some wine for Iain.

 

Some wonderful Celebrity Zenith friends have invited us for dinner for tonight.   So anxious to see them again.

If it's Sue and Rob say hello for us. Look forward to meeting them soon.

48 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

The main reason for Ponant is kinda simple.   My best friend from Australia is a big Ponant Cruiser and have tried for years to get us to join them on one of their expedition cruises.      We decided to pick a relatively short cruise (8 days) which is a short flight away to see if it is a match.  

 

Some of the comparisons are also things like - perks, communication, passenger mix, food, drink, entertainment etc.  

 

We are also researching Azamara, Seaborne, Oceania and Silver Seas.

Be sure to look at Crystal. Have a great cruise!

Go to the Retreat Host and they will take care of it. They will put a sticker or print a new card. Happened several time to me.

7 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

.

1 minute ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Seriously though, how much money do benefits actually cost X, average $100/person?  We personally never paid for laundry Cafe coffee but started using it once our status included it for free.  In that case, X isn't losing out on the retail price, it only costs them its actual cost which is probably a dollar per laundry bag and pennies for the cafe coffee

8 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

Jim and Iain stay in suites, usually above sky suite.  They're paying for their duplicate benefits of the suite.  Their Zenith benefits (wifi, bevs, and laundry) have no value and don't cost Celebrity anything.

They pay for a Classic Beverage package, but get the Premium Package as a benefit. They also pay for the standard internet package , but get the Premium. The laundry, pressing and dry cleaning also has a value. They receive invitations to any Zenith gatherings, such as a special luncheon. They might not get photos that first time cruisers tend to purchase. Benefits cost and much more than $100!

6 minutes ago, Poconolady said:

I just did it- booked an Oceana Marina Reykjavik to Southampton cruise for next Aug. This will be our fourth attempt at Iceland, hope this one actually happens!! We still have a Millennium, Japan,  for cherry blossoms that we booked in ‘21, we will still do that one since the price we booked is so low compared to now.  I have a feeling that we will meet a lot of former Celebrity passengers.

I found that when I took the Oceania. Even the Cruise Director was a long time Celebrity CD. It was very good seeing Paul again.

43 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Jim,

This should be a wake up call for Celebrity.  I hope they are reading this.  We are trying other lines although we have been loyal Retreat cruisers (and E+),  but you are Double Zenith so as loyal to them as it gets.  And you are trying another line for the first time.  That says something to a lot of us here.

45 minutes ago, Ipeeinthepools said:

 

As long as the ships are sailing full, I don't think Celebrity really cares if the person in the cabin is a first time cruiser or Double Zenith.  I'm not sure if most of the people currently sailing are paying current very high fares or they booked a long time ago.  It will be interesting to see if the demand continues at the current levels in about a year or so.

Benefits cost money! I think that Celebrity would do their "happy dance" if Jim and Iain would be replaced with a new cruiser who wouldn't require benefits. Celebrity never really understood how important the loyal cruisers is to them and didn't know how to use their loyalty to the brand. By the way Jim and Iain are great guys, the kind of people that Celebrity needs.

8 minutes ago, poeticlicensed said:

What is double Zenith? 

Zeniths created the phrase to indicate someone who reached the 6000 point level.

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Stay tuned we are taking our FIRST non-Celebrity cruise 12 days from today.  I will probably be a Live Post Comparison and will fire it up in about a week from now.

 

Like many of you, I guess I qualified as a "Loyal" Celebrity cruiser as we have not ever sailed another line in 23 years.   Like many when too many things change in a relationship it is time for either a separation or a divorce.  We will be hitting Double Zenith soon and to tell you the truth not excited about it (Except for the free Aqua Class Cruise). 

 

We have also been looking around and so far Seabourn, Azamara and Silverseas is popping to the top of our research list.

 

Enjoying everyone perspective as many of us have different priorities.   Our main priority are longer cruises (14+ days) and NON-Caribbean itineraries.  Bermuda an RCL/Celebrity Island are definitely not of interest. 

You might look at Crystal.

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

I agree, why continue with Celebrity and we will not. We are going to most likely book that Oceania cruise and Oceania has a 100% refundable deposit. Also the Oceania prices include all taxes, fee and port charges another plus for them.

Oceania most of the specialty restaurants are free.Celebrity charges for specialty restaurants.

At least three times I did the same. They provided transportation on one trip and many took advantage of it. Arranged at Guest Relations. A least twice the had no transportation available and I took a taxi. If you take a taxi wait to be one of the last to leave the ship since taxis don't want to leave their place in the line for a fare that would be minimum.

20 hours ago, mayleeman said:

News release from Celebrity: 

 

"We have noted the overwhelming response by our veteran passengers to a varriety of small fees and changes to certain amenities. This level of enthusiasm demonstrates our passengers' unqualified support for our revenue raising efforts designed to enhance our reknowned quality.

 

"To thank our passengers, we will soon (at an undisclosed time with no notice) begin adding a 10% surcharge to all payments made when passengers complete Final Payment.  We believe the anticipation of this surcharge, to be called "Special - Charge - Randomly -  Enhancing- Wonderfulness," will eliminate the boredom in waiting 90 more days with nothing to get excited about until embarking. To make it even more fun, the amounts to be charged, and the passengers paying it, will be completely random. (We do suggest pax using credit cards ensure a csafe cushion in their  credit lines.

 

"We are so excited about S-C-R-E-W!"

I have Type2 diabetes so I only eat no sugar added items. Will they charge for these or only the sugar added chocolate chip cookies? Will the no sugar added continue to be offered?

3 minutes ago, conquesodor said:

I was on Summit one month ago and Cafe al Baccio looked great.

 

What is happening on other ships is irrelevant! Equinox has become a test ship for new ideas such a vaping in the casino and charging for cookies at Al Bacio I feel so sorry for the staff who hear the complaints and perhaps suffer from the ratings.