Class distinction on Celebrity

[Ma Bell]

This whole subject is a mystery to me. I must not do enough eavesdropping on conversations to hear all these kinds of things because I'm generally oblivious to this occurring. I don't ever notice what kinds of cards people have and seldom does the number of cruises someone has been on come up in conversation although it wouldn't be particularly surprising since we are on a cruise ship.

 

Whatever the level of your experience you will be treated wonderfully.

[SHill64]

This whole subject is a mystery to me. I must not do enough eavesdropping on conversations to hear all these kinds of things because I'm generally oblivious to this occurring. I don't ever notice what kinds of cards people have and seldom does the number of cruises someone has been on come up in conversation although it wouldn't be particularly surprising since we are on a cruise ship.

 

Whatever the level of your experience you will be treated wonderfully.

 

Exactly

[SMSACE6]

I think most of the cruise lines have some kind of "class distinction", or tiers of on board perks, according to your accommodations. The only one that I cant think of who doesn't is Carnival.

 

While I was planning a cruise on NCL, I was initially turned off by all the reviews of people who centered their reviews around their Haven Suites and butlers, but I finally did "get over it". Sadly I did not get to sail on my NCL cruise in my inside cabin, but surely would someday without any worries as to class distinction.

 

Now I am looking forward to a cruise on Celebrity in 2014 with my mother, and I have come to accept that most of the lines do have different tiers of accommodations and perks according.

 

OP, I would not worry about it. I know that Celebrity service is among the best at sea, no matter how many cruises you took with them, or what kind of stateroom you occupy.

 

Have a great cruise!:)

[tip]

Whatever the level of your experience you will be treated wonderfully.

 

Hold on to your hat, Ma Bell. I agree with you! The Celebrity experience is top shelf.

Edited December 23, 2013 by tip

[dalgirl]

Having booked our first Celebrity cruise for next year, I was interested in how frequent cruisers on Celebrity would answer the OP. Most seemed very thoughtful about their experiences. If you frequently cruise on any cruiseline you will eventually start getting little perks to make the experience more enjoyable. To see it as a status symbol is silly.

 

I think reward programs as just that - rewards for frequent purchases, booking early, spending more money. They are little perks, not some status symbol no matter how cruiselines like to market them with "elite" "gold" platinum" etc. Rewards programs just acknowledgement that you have cruised alot. And some people think I am weird because I have cruised so much:p

 

I like the perks: If you are on a long cruise, free laundry is a great. Free dinners and wine at speciality restaurants - a nice treat, free sparkling wine and chocolates a nice gesture. It is not some status conquest.

 

Shill64, you seem particulary snippy about NCL:

 

"I went to the NCL website and looked at the Latitudes loyalty section. I see why one might leave NCL. The Platinum benefits are very weak. "

 

Shill64, I don't know you, but that is the type of attitude that would make me run in the other direction. You had to go check out NCL so that you could sneer at it??? Are you seriously cruising on Celebrity for the rewards program??? I would think it would be the itinerary, food, entertainment, etc.

 

Choosing to sail on more than one line is not "leaving another." It is taking advantage of ship itineraries, OBCs, etc. to experience something new. Any benefits you get from frequent cruising is great - I don't think anyone would stay loyal to a cruiseline just for some loyalty program. You either like your experience or not.

 

I am platinum with NCL because I really like the freestyle concept and I have had a good experience on my cruises with them. And I really LOVE to cruise over any other vacation I have ever had. I am only gold with RCL - not because I didn't like my cruises with them, but because I don't like set dining times. When I found NCL I naturaly gravitated to their concept of freestyle, which is my style. My reason to take a few cruises on different lines now is for the itineraries and not because I gave up on another cruiseline. Short of the ship going down, any day on a cruise ship is better than work;)

 

There are lovely people on all cruiselines, you just have to find them. It would never occur to me that any of my cruises would have some elite bunch of snobs stealing the show talking about some status that is only in their heads- this is vacation people, not high school:p And talking about changes in a loyalty program is not elitest, it is what we come to CC for:D

[FolsomMike]

"I wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have me as a member." -Groucho Marx ;)

[petronella]

We will be taking our first Celebrity cruise in June and I do find that when I see discussions about 'elite' perks on any ship, I skip over those posts as I know I am unlikely to ever achieve that status on any line. I don't have a problem with that, am just realistic that time, money and work/family commitments mean that we can't cruise often enough to get there (unless we win the lottery, might be a different story then!)

 

But it doesn't matter, because I am pretty sure that we will enjoy our maiden Celebrity voyage just as much as those who have sailed on Celebrity ships dozens of time (possibly even more so, as it will all be so wonderfully new to us!)

 

We are cruise novices compared to many posters on here (14 nights Royal Caribbean and 22 on P&O) and until I wandered onto CC, I had no idea there was even such a thing as an 'elite' passenger! And what do you know, seems that all lines have them and we've just never noticed :)

[fleckle]

......... I am only gold with RCL - not because I didn't like my cruises with them, but because I don't like set dining times. When I found NCL I naturaly gravitated to their concept of freestyle, which is my style.

RCL also offers freestyle dining, which they call My Time dining.

So does Celebrity, which calls its version Select dining.

You can either make a reservation, or just show up.

 

We also dislike having to eat at a set time every night, so we do My Time dining on RCL and Select dining on Celebrity.

 

We also like the flexibility of being able to request a table just for ourselves, or to join a larger table, as the mood strikes us.

 

[Denny01]

We will be taking our first Celebrity cruise in June and I do find that when I see discussions about 'elite' perks on any ship, I skip over those posts as I know I am unlikely to ever achieve that status on any line. I don't have a problem with that, am just realistic that time, money and work/family commitments mean that we can't cruise often enough to get there (unless we win the lottery, might be a different story then!)

 

But it doesn't matter, because I am pretty sure that we will enjoy our maiden Celebrity voyage just as much as those who have sailed on Celebrity ships dozens of time (possibly even more so, as it will all be so wonderfully new to us!)

 

We are cruise novices compared to many posters on here (14 nights Royal Caribbean and 22 on P&O) and until I wandered onto CC, I had no idea there was even such a thing as an 'elite' passenger! And what do you know, seems that all lines have them and we've just never noticed :)

I agree you may enjoy your maiden Celebrity cruise more than many of the 'Elites' because it's all new....our first cruse was on a Carnival and we fell in love with cruising, and some people tend to dump all over that Line. After our 1st Celebrity cruise, we were hooked and go with this Line whenever possible, but Love any cruise we are on.

 

I'll disagree on one point you made....there are no 'elite' passengers, there are passengers, and some who get benefits for cruising more on that particular Line. And I think you were agreeing with that - I just wanted to word-play with you. I may have some tier-title but most all of us fully understand what it means....and what it Doesn't mean.

 

Enjoy your cruise! We are all so lucky whether we cruise a lot or every few years.

 

Den

[fleckle]

We will be taking our first Celebrity cruise in June and I do find that when I see discussions about 'elite' perks on any ship, I skip over those posts as I know I am unlikely to ever achieve that status on any line. I don't have a problem with that, am just realistic that time, money and work/family commitments mean that we can't cruise often enough to get there (unless we win the lottery, might be a different story then!)

 

But it doesn't matter, because I am pretty sure that we will enjoy our maiden Celebrity voyage just as much as those who have sailed on Celebrity ships dozens of time (possibly even more so, as it will all be so wonderfully new to us!)

With that attitude, I agree that you most certainly will enjoy your maiden Celebrity voyage, as well as all your Celebrity cruises that follow after that one.

 

What got us hooked on Celebrity was the wonderful way we were treated by everyone we encountered on the ship right from our very first cruise when we had no loyalty club level or "status" at all.

[Kellie Poodle]

RCL also offers freestyle dining, which they call My Time dining.

So does Celebrity, which calls its version Select dining.

You can either make a reservation, or just show up.

 

We also dislike having to eat at a set time every night, so we do My Time dining on RCL and Select dining on Celebrity.

 

We also like the flexibility of being able to request a table just for ourselves, or to join a larger table, as the mood strikes us.

 

 

We do Select Dining and My Time Dining for the same reasons. We rarely make a reservation (which, are permitted for two persons, unlike NCL who will not take a reservation for a party of two). We have never had to wait upwards of 45 minutes for a table (2 or more - we didn't care) as we did on our first and LAST NCL Freestyle cruise.

 

I believe Princess also offers non-traditional dining as well.

[petronella]

With that attitude, I agree that you most certainly will enjoy your maiden Celebrity voyage, as well as all your Celebrity cruises that follow after that one.

 

What got us hooked on Celebrity was the wonderful way we were treated by everyone we encountered on the ship right from our very first cruise when we had no loyalty club level or "status" at all.

 

I'm even more excited now!! :D And I have absolutely no doubt that we will be treated wonderfully, as we have been on our other cruises.

 

Den, I do completely agree with you about there not being 'elite' passengers and it was indeed the point I was trying to make.;)

[Kellie Poodle]

I'm even more excited now!! :D And I have absolutely no doubt that we will be treated wonderfully, as we have been on our other cruises.

 

Den, I do completely agree with you about there not being 'elite' passengers and it was indeed the point I was trying to make.;)

 

No passenger is above any other. 'Elite' is the unfortunate name Celebrity chose for a status of their loyalty program. Every guest is treated with the utmost courtesy and wonderful hospitality whether it's their first cruise or the 50th cruise or whether they are in an inside cabin on deck 2 or the grandest suite on the ship. The crew are fabulous.

 

Unfortunately there are very few people who need to make themselves feel important by throwing about their loyalty status. Most of the other guests politely ignore them.

 

When they revamped the point system for the loyalty program, I was hoping they'd change the name from "Elite" to something less controversial. :)

[Going Coastal]

Princess also uses the Elite moniker.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Kellie Poodle]

Princess also uses the Elite moniker.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Then X should really change the name so that it is distinctive to their line :D

[dalgirl]

RCL did not have my time dining when we cruised years ago. Set dining would not keep us from cruising, but we don't prefer it. And after 13 cruises with NCL we have never waited 45 minutes to be seated. It is all in the timing I think. I love cruising so much I would sail with any line anywhere to be sailing again. Never say never is my motto, I expect a wonderful adventure with X. And all the crews are so wonderful I am sure we will all feel special:)

 

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[X-elite]

Jocelysue, the OP, would most likely enjoy Celebrity overall and merely find the snobbiness of some passengers entertaining rather than offensive.

 

I am recalling one passenger wearing an approximately 4" x 6" plastic pouch with a strap around her neck for the purpose of prominently displaying her "GOLD" sea pass for other lesser life-forms to admire or envy. Objective posters here might admit they have witnessed similar flashing of "higher" color sea passes themselves.

 

One poster in this thread used words such as fabulous, wonderful and utmost in the same paragraph to describe Celebrity. Well, I'm a fan myself, but that rather overstates the case which doesn't help with the OP's question. What superlatives could remain to describe cruise lines that are actually better (and vastly more expensive)? Objectively, Celebrity is a mass-market line -- not a high-end line.

 

Some benefits that suite guests pay for (such as reserved show seating on formal nights) or loyalty rewards extended to frequent customers (such as priority tender boarding), do indeed show that not all guests are equal; however, those examples shouldn't put off the OP from sailing on Celebrity. Reasonable people don't think that someone who chose to pay for an inside cabin is really treated identically as someone who chose to pay for a penthouse suite.

 

One-upmanship can be heard onboard as well. "My list of cruises is longer than yours." Amusing, but hardly isolated to Celebrity. Cruisecritic is actually much worse for such one-upmanship than what the OP is likely to witness onboard Celebrity (e.g., large print editions of past cruises on here, maps of travel destinations [yes, a partial day in a country does mean you've been there], etc.).

 

Anyway, I do hope you enjoy your cruise Jocelysue!

[DesertPesce7751]

One poster in this thread used words such as fabulous, wonderful and utmost in the same paragraph to describe Celebrity. Well, I'm a fan myself, but that rather overstates the case which doesn't help with the OP's question. What superlatives could remain to describe cruise lines that are actually better (and vastly more expensive)? Objectively, Celebrity is a mass-market line -- not a high-end line.

 

Okay, I have to step in here. Our experience with Oceania, a line marketed as "high end luxury" was abysmal. The ship was in disrepair, the staff was rude, and the food wasn't anything special. I don't usually mention it much on CC unless the "line class distinction" thing comes up. I have it in my signature and that's about it. Our experience with Oceania was the only of many cruises that we didn't enjoy. Actually, it was so bad that it was the only time we've ever removed gratuities on a cruise. To provide context, we usually tip 20% when out to eat and leave a generous gratuity for the chambermaid at hotels. It was awful and they've likely turned us off to the concept of "luxury cruising" for the indefinite future.

 

We adore Celebrity and have enjoyed HAL and Princess. Oceania was like a floating "Emperor Wears No Clothes."

[jaybird from SC]

I know there are some snobbish people in the world who like to flaunt their wealth and/or brag about their life/cruise status but.....As a whole, Celebrity cruisers are there because they want to be. They are in the cabin they chose, be it the cheapest or the most expensive. Like I have said before, most people don't care if it's your first cruise or your 1,000th cruise. Your so called status means nothing to most people. If you see that I have a white seapass or a gold one, it will not be because I flashed it in front of you with a bragging spirit. We have met some lasting friends while cruising and that is the important thing for us. We don't care what "status" they hold or how many points they have or what "class" they booked. Elite is just a word. It gets you a few perks which we appreciate but we don't go around bragging about it to our fellow cruisers. Go enjoy your cruise and ignore those who look for the negative. I promise that you will have a great time on your Celebrity Cruise.

[kitty9]

Well, to be honest, I'm too busy trying to figure out how I'm going to do all the activities on board, how even my tan is, what book I'm going to read next, what time to take an afternoon nap and what I'm going to order for dinner, so all this worry about status doesn't affect me at all. Perhaps everyone needs to forget this silly stuff and start planning your next cruise.

[cruzinlisa]

Jocelysue, the OP, would most likely enjoy Celebrity overall and merely find the snobbiness of some passengers entertaining rather than offensive.

 

I am recalling one passenger wearing an approximately 4" x 6" plastic pouch with a strap around her neck for the purpose of prominently displaying her "GOLD" sea pass for other lesser life-forms to admire or envy. Objective posters here might admit they have witnessed similar flashing of "higher" color sea passes themselves.

 

 

It could also be that people wear their card around their neck because they don't have anywhere else to put it. I wore mine around my neck on my last cruise and used the same lanyard in vegas, mainly because I was wearing things with no pockets, or pockets that we not very deep and did not want to lose my card. And I will do it on my next cruise too. I will be lowest level because it is my first celebrity cruise. And I don't care. And if you or anyone else has their card on display, I won't be paying attention either. :D

[TomTN]

Jocelysue, the OP, would most likely enjoy Celebrity overall and merely find the snobbiness of some passengers entertaining rather than offensive.

 

I am recalling one passenger wearing an approximately 4" x 6" plastic pouch with a strap around her neck for the purpose of prominently displaying her "GOLD" sea pass for other lesser life-forms to admire or envy. Objective posters here might admit they have witnessed similar flashing of "higher" color sea passes themselves.

 

One poster in this thread used words such as fabulous, wonderful and utmost in the same paragraph to describe Celebrity. Well, I'm a fan myself, but that rather overstates the case which doesn't help with the OP's question. What superlatives could remain to describe cruise lines that are actually better (and vastly more expensive)? Objectively, Celebrity is a mass-market line -- not a high-end line.

 

Some benefits that suite guests pay for (such as reserved show seating on formal nights) or loyalty rewards extended to frequent customers (such as priority tender boarding), do indeed show that not all guests are equal; however, those examples shouldn't put off the OP from sailing on Celebrity. Reasonable people don't think that someone who chose to pay for an inside cabin is really treated identically as someone who chose to pay for a penthouse suite.

 

One-upmanship can be heard onboard as well. "My list of cruises is longer than yours." Amusing, but hardly isolated to Celebrity. Cruisecritic is actually much worse for such one-upmanship than what the OP is likely to witness onboard Celebrity (e.g., large print editions of past cruises on here, maps of travel destinations [yes, a partial day in a country does mean you've been there], etc.).

 

Anyway, I do hope you enjoy your cruise Jocelysue!

 

The little plastic thing is a way many people carry their cards these days. If you go through security areas and have to swipe a card it is convenient. you don't have to dig trough your pockets or purse or wallet. Where I live and work I see dozens of people with a lanyard around their neck every day. I suspect the person you saw would have used their "pouch" regardless of the type or color of card she had.

It is just a personal choice of how to carry that card. I carry mine in a pocket. I usually carry my wife's card in my pocket because she seems to always wear clothing without pockets. I will have to admit though, I have walked out of our cabin before, and had to get an employee to let me in to retrieve our cards. Maybe I should get one of those plastic pouches.

[MarkBearSF]

"Okay, I have to step in here. Our experience with Oceania, a line marketed as "high end luxury" was abysmal.

...It was awful and they've likely turned us off to the concept of "luxury cruising" for the indefinite future. We adore Celebrity..."

 

While I'm glad that you found a line that you adore, and after 20+ years of participating in online forums such as this, I've learned that different people will often report vastly different experiences on the same cruise, I believe you were misled about Oceania.

 

Oceania has specifically positioned themselves as a boutiquey Premium Plus (or luxury less) line. Not unlike Azamara (with whom they share a number of identical hull designs). A bit above Celebrity & HAL (and Princess, although they seem less premium each year) and definitely below the true luxury lines like Silverseas, Regent and Crystal.

 

I'd never question your own experiences or at all argue as to which line is nicer or a better value, as all this is subjective and highly personal. However, If you want to experience a true luxury cruise, you should book with one of the actual luxury cruise lines. (Warning, a couple of years ago, we cruised on the Crystal Serenity - and like flying first class - once you've done it, you get spoiled)

 

...By the way, on about day 3 of the aforementioned Crystal Serenity cruise, a couple we met through CC was in a lounge with us, watching one of the huge Celebrity Solstice class ships pull away, and the woman made a disparaging comment on that "hideous, monstrous ship." I leapt to X's defense, claiming that I had heard that class ship was actually quite nice and in our experience on some of their other ships, Celebrity felt no more crowded than the Crystal ship we were on at the time. For some reason, they avoided us for the rest of the cruise. (Not that I minded.)

[NLH Arizona]

While I'm glad that you found a line that you adore, and after 20+ years of participating in online forums such as this, I've learned that different people will often report vastly different experiences on the same cruise, I believe you were misled about Oceania.

 

Oceania has specifically positioned themselves as a boutiquey Premium Plus (or luxury less) line. Not unlike Azamara (with whom they share a number of identical hull designs). A bit above Celebrity & HAL (and Princess, although they seem less premium each year) and definitely below the true luxury lines like Silverseas, Regent and Crystal.

 

I'd never question your own experiences or at all argue as to which line is nicer or a better value, as all this is subjective and highly personal. However, If you want to experience a true luxury cruise, you should book with one of the actual luxury cruise lines. (Warning, a couple of years ago, we cruised on the Crystal Serenity - and like flying first class - once you've done it, you get spoiled)

 

...By the way, on about day 3 of the aforementioned Crystal Serenity cruise, a couple we met through CC was in a lounge with us, watching one of the huge Celebrity Solstice class ships pull away, and the woman made a disparaging comment on that "hideous, monstrous ship." I leapt to X's defense, claiming that I had heard that class ship was actually quite nice and in our experience on some of their other ships, Celebrity felt no more crowded than the Crystal ship we were on at the time. For some reason, they avoided us for the rest of the cruise. (Not that I minded.)

I've got to agree with you on Crystal. I cruised on the Harmony (before she left), the Symphony and the Serenity and it is truly first class.

[GPS]

While I'm glad that you found a line that you adore, and after 20+ years of participating in online forums such as this, I've learned that different people will often report vastly different experiences on the same cruise, I believe you were misled about Oceania.

 

Oceania has specifically positioned themselves as a boutiquey Premium Plus (or luxury less) line. Not unlike Azamara (with whom they share a number of identical hull designs). A bit above Celebrity & HAL (and Princess, although they seem less premium each year) and definitely below the true luxury lines like Silverseas, Regent and Crystal.

 

I'd never question your own experiences or at all argue as to which line is nicer or a better value, as all this is subjective and highly personal. However, If you want to experience a true luxury cruise, you should book with one of the actual luxury cruise lines. (Warning, a couple of years ago, we cruised on the Crystal Serenity - and like flying first class - once you've done it, you get spoiled)

 

 

...By the way, on about day 3 of the aforementioned Crystal Serenity cruise, a couple we met through CC was in a lounge with us, watching one of the huge Celebrity Solstice class ships pull away, and the woman made a disparaging comment on that "hideous, monstrous ship." I leapt to X's defense, claiming that I had heard that class ship was actually quite nice and in our experience on some of their other ships, Celebrity felt no more crowded than the Crystal ship we were on at the time. For some reason, they avoided us for the rest of the cruise. (Not that I minded.)

 

It's funny how different opinions can be. Oceania to this day remains my favorite line and I just had my last cruise on Regent (never been on Crystal though). I would gladly cruise Oceania again over Regent even if they were the same price. The fact that I adore food and do not drink much alcohol probably plays into my preference, but I am surprised at such a negative experience on Oceania.