End of Elite cocktail party?

[Orator]

Just give me a place to meet fine people and have stimulating conversations and I'm happy. My drink of choice is Ginger Ale and usually I have only one.

[Jane2357]

Just give me a place to meet fine people and have stimulating conversations and I'm happy. My drink of choice is Ginger Ale and usually I have only one.

 

I love this! You are a wise person and I wish to someday be on the same ship so that we might meet!!!!

[sunflower46]

If they have to make a change what they should do is cut out the reciprocity between lines. I am not particularly interested in sailing Royal Caribbean and the Diamond status is no incentive for me to book. I have, however, have met quite a few Royal cruisers whose Royal status gives them Elite on X on their first X cruise. Keep the Elite for those who have spent their money on X and I will happily give up my "Diamond after only one cruise" status.

 

In addition it is not only about a couple of free cocktails it is about meeting a congenial group of people and spreading whatever perk across several bars eliminates the best part of the Elite cocktail hour.

 

:( I totally agree! On the past few cruises we were swamped with Royal Caribbean folks at the Elite gatherings. Nice for them as they did not have to earn it the way X passengers do. Our Elite program is so much nicer than Diamond. So, Jane, when we go to the cocktail hour it is for the opportunity to meet other folks who love cruising as we do. My husband drinks club soda and I sometimes wine. We don't go there because of the "free" booze. You are not Elite yet, so you don't understand why it is so important to those who do attend. Please try to understand that for most of us it is the ambiance, not the alcohol.

[Texed]

I very rarely get into these discussions, I had rather talk about waffles. ;) But, I saw this coming a few years ago. We were on Constellation when they were in a trial run for the "Elite " cocktail hour. I told the Captain's Club Host that the happy hour was wonderful, but they should rethink the qualifications and up the requirements. Otherwise, they would have the same problem RCI had, and they made a lot of folks mad when they revamped the program. That is exactly what has happened. They could have avoided all of this by making the requirements for the program higher to begin with. I knew it was inevitable. :eek:

[harz99]

Sometimes changes need to be made, but if the problem is too many Elites getting drinks on TAs, then the change could be made effective Jan 1, 2013 (for the spring TAs), not when boarding the ship! As Maggie pointed out, once past final payment, the product promised should be the product delivered.

This is completely unacceptable. I've been on many RC TAs with large numbers of Diamonds where the drink situation was handled very well by using various lounges. The D+s gravitate to the CL, and the Ds are accommodated using portable bars in lounges. It was X that decided to stick with no Elite plus tier, it should be up to them to solve the problem without completely alienating those most loyal to X!

 

I couldn't agree more. Leaving aside the considerable social factor of these gatherings, to offer only one or even two vouchers is plainly no compensation for complimentary drinks being available over a two hour period. Maybe there is a problem on certain sailings, particularly TAs, but this risory offer is not the answer - it is simply penny pinching, and after the cruise line has taken final payment and thus completed a contract to provide the service paid for.

[bigbenboys]

a freebie, a bonus - given to entice customer loyalty. It can be given, changed or taken away based on the best business plan, i.e. making money, this isn't a charity people. I'm only Classic on Celebrity and won't make Select till after our 14 nighter in 2/8/14 so I'm a nobody on Celebrity but are you Elites REALLY going to claim that your loyalty to Celebrity was based on a few perks, free cocktails parties included? REALLY? I'm betting that you all enjoy the more refined clientele, the service, the ships, the ports. I'm of a status on an airline and I often get upgraded to 1st class - but I don't buy my ticket expecting it. For crying out loud it is some free cocktails people! :eek:

 

We stopped sailing with Holland American because the perks are so much better with Celebrity. I also dont think of the drinks as free. Our last cruise was about $5000 for the room. My next cruise in Jan is $5500 for the room. Somewhere in the cost of the rooms we are paying for the drinks. Richard

[maggie.1008]

Jane, Maybe when you have sailed over 200 nts on Celebrity you will feel different. I have not sailed on RCl and don`t care to. If they had given some warning saying this benefit would no longer be there that would be o.k. but not after final payment. On the X site it still states Happy hour available.

[mferranti]

I am on the Eclipse transatlantic that began yesterday. On boarding, celebrity informed all Elite there would be no Elite *cocktail party. A voucher for one drink per day at limited bars,limited times and limited types of drinks *and good only for the *day handed out was the substitution for the party. *I believe that in the long run Celebrity can do anything it wants . But in the short run after paying my money and flying 5000 miles I expect them to do what they promised. *Their problems with logistics in providing the party is not a valid excuse. *Everyone that enjoys the Elite cocktail party needs to let Celebrity know immediately that canceling the party after the final payment date is unacceptable. RCL gave their passengers several months notice of changes in their program. Celebrity should do likewise.*

Sounds great to me! We gave up on the parties after a few cruises.

[PinotBlanc]

I couldn't agree more. Leaving aside the considerable social factor of these gatherings, to offer only one or even two vouchers is plainly no compensation for complimentary drinks being available over a two hour period. Maybe there is a problem on certain sailings, particularly TAs, but this risory offer is not the answer - it is simply penny pinching, and after the cruise line has taken final payment and thus completed a contract to provide the service paid for.

 

 

Your post on Xellent's Reflection thread and here seem like you are loyal to Celebrity for the social factor and free drinks.

[PinotBlanc]

Jane, Maybe when you have sailed over 200 nts on Celebrity you will feel different. I have not sailed on RCl and don`t care to. If they had given some warning saying this benefit would no longer be there that would be o.k. but not after final payment. On the X site it still states Happy hour available.

 

 

Remember "X Rules".

[PinotBlanc]

Just give me a place to meet fine people and have stimulating conversations and I'm happy. My drink of choice is Ginger Ale and usually I have only one.

 

 

Order a ginger ale, note the number of fine people standing next to you.

[teajak]

Perhaps by taking your coupon and getting out there you might mix, mingle and gasp - meet some congenial people who are not Elite. I find this to be hysterical. Does anyone else not get how whiney and trival this all sounds?

Since you are not elite you have no way of knowing about the happy hour and why we all enjoy it,the many friends we have made, the fun of socializing with the same people each evening.Very few of us do it just to get a free drink and a voucher does not take the place of this.:(

[Hapytocruise]

We have primarily sailed X and Princess. Once we reached Elite on X the cocktail hour was a bonus that for us generally tipped the scale to X when we are deciding between cruises where we liked both itinaries. I guess Princess is back in the running for our business.

[Orator]

Order a ginger ale, note the number of fine people standing next to you.

 

Standing in line is a good way to meet people.

[harz99]

Your post on Xellent's Reflection thread and here seem like you are loyal to Celebrity for the social factor and free drinks.

 

And your point is?

[Christine Frances]

I couldn't agree more. Leaving aside the considerable social factor of these gatherings, to offer only one or even two vouchers is plainly no compensation for complimentary drinks being available over a two hour period. Maybe there is a problem on certain sailings, particularly TAs, but this risory offer is not the answer - it is simply penny pinching, and after the cruise line has taken final payment and thus completed a contract to provide the service paid for.

 

It's not a "service" it's a perk!! Let's all breathe a bit til this sorts out - this could be a "one off" because of an overload of Elites on this particular TA. This is only one of many perks that I thank X for providing, but I do think we should all be prepared for upcoming changes in the program.

[maggie.1008]

I still believe we should have some warning. I am on Equinox TA next month. I singed up and paid in full thinking I would enjoy happy hour with new friends. This should have been started with the TA`s next year

[drb]

Standing in line is a good way to meet people.

 

And drinking ginger ale is a good way to be able to remember meeting them.

[drb]

I am tempted to ask if you all would like some cheese with that whine.

[mrpacker03]

The main arguement is that, if this is true, they didn't give a warning or say a word. They could have very easily said "any cruises booked on or after a certain date will not have the Elite partys. It would have been common courtesy and the right thing to do. As originally stated, if I would have known of this elimination, I'd be going on a similar cruise, on a different line for several hundred dollars less money. Believe it or not, most of the major cruiselines are very similar and people make their choices based on freebies, no matter how trivial they are, and I'm one of them. If I could, I'd cancel these cruises and book with the other line. Bottom line is I'm not getting what I thought I should for the price I paid. How fair is that? I don't want to hear that it is their ball and they can play anyway they want.

I still expect to have a wonderful, maybe farewell cruise on X. The other lines will have to pick up the slack of the 30-50 days we spend at sea a year.

[didicruiser]

[/b]

 

It's not a "service" it's a perk!! Let's all breathe a bit til this sorts out - this could be a "one off" because of an overload of Elites on this particular TA. This is only one of many perks that I thank X for providing, but I do think we should all be prepared for upcoming changes in the program.

 

I agree. We need to hear from someone on a cruise now, not the TA :)

[DrKoob]

Wow, I am very surprised! Did you have too many Elites on board? Last year when we sailed Silouhette, there were 1600 plus and we had the cocktail party.

 

I am thinking it is a numbers situation. FloatSomeMore can you tell me which lounge can hold 1600 people? The only rooms on any ship I can think of that can hold 1600 pax are the MDR and the theater. TAs are famous for having huge numbers of Elites.

[PSCruiser]

I agree. We need to hear from someone on a cruise now, not the TA :)

 

?????? The TA just started. Don't get your point?

[d4m]

I agree. We need to hear from someone on a cruise now, not the TA :)

 

They apparently are on a cruise - Transatlantic, not Travel Agent:D

[Orator]

The main arguement is that, if this is true, they didn't give a warning or say a word. They could have very easily said "any cruises booked on or after a certain date will not have the Elite partys. It would have been common courtesy and the right thing to do. As originally stated, if I would have known of this elimination, I'd be going on a similar cruise, on a different line for several hundred dollars less money. Believe it or not, most of the major cruiselines are very similar and people make their choices based on freebies, no matter how trivial they are, and I'm one of them. If I could, I'd cancel these cruises and book with the other line. Bottom line is I'm not getting what I thought I should for the price I paid. How fair is that? I don't want to hear that it is their ball and they can play anyway they want.

I still expect to have a wonderful, maybe farewell cruise on X. The other lines will have to pick up the slack of the 30-50 days we spend at sea a year.

 

How many free drinks do you need per day to feel that you are getting your money's worth?