Opinions about New Suite Benefits

[iSailor]

I think most people have no problem with the concept of 'pay more; get more'. I think what gets people's back up is when the 'get more' is taking away something that used to be available to the entire passenger contingent. To me, that is the main issue. Feel free to give people who pay a ton of money a lot of nice benefits to go with it - no problem. But when it means I lose something, then I do care, and I think I have a right to not like it. It will be interesting to see how this plays out, and whether it creates more crowds or poorer service for the masses

 

Celebrity is not a Charity organization. If in some sections like Bistro in Five doesn't generate any gain in revenue they have to close them down and think of ways to improve their business.

[Chunky2219]

This is pretty much just a duplication of the Cunard Grills system, with the exception of the lounge not being immediately adjacent to the restaurant and the addition of (the already existing) reserved theatre seats.

 

I have to say that having paid top dollar for an RS twice, it griped me to then have to pay silly prices for cans of soda in cabin and have to fork out for speciality dining when MDR doesn't cut the mustard. Having to book speciality in advance to be sure of days and times and then finding we couldn't book any extra on board because they were already full made me hanker for the simplicity of Cunard.

 

It's the final piece of the jigsaw that makes the suite experience as good as anywhere else. Like for like, I would have always chosen a Cunard voyage. Now (if the food is good enough) I would put Celebrity on equal par.

 

 

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[dkjretired]

It may have an effect. It depends on if they go with 2 seatings or open seating. If they go with open seating, then each suite guest takes up 2 "old" slots.

 

I haven't read anything to indicate it would be open seating, but on Cunard the Grills are open seating, and Blu is Open Seating also. Seem logical to make the special dining area for Suite guests to be Open Seating too.

 

It might also be effected by how many of the suite passengers who might normally eat in Blu will not do so and switch over to the new dining arrangements. Lots of questions coming up on this board in the future, someone mentioned being in a suite and traveling with non suite relatives or where do your kids eat if you are in a suite and they are across the hall. Will suite passengers still be able to eat in Blu. Going to be interesting.

 

I do agree with the concept that if you can pay for it you are entitled to it as long as they don't take things away from the other passengers.

[phoenix_dream]

Celebrity is not a Charity organization. If in some sections like Bistro in Five doesn't generate any gain in revenue they have to close them down and think of ways to improve their business.

 

Don't think anything I said implies a charity organization. And according to Celebrity Bistro on Five is not being done away with so that is a mute point by now. I guess one thought I have is that if in fact Celebrity currently has no problems booking suites (and they always seem to be filled on my sailings) then why would they be adding other perks which cost them money and possibly annoy the mainstream passengers? That goes exactly contrary to the idea of them being in the business to make money.

 

These perks do take away some real estate currently open to all, make it more difficult to get good dining times in the specialty restaurants for all, and perhaps (unknown at this time) may adversely impact service or quality for the mainstream to some extent (by virtue of the best servers, best chef's, etc., going to the suite sections). It also to some extent (particularly for long time X cruisers) creates some (probably temporary) feeling of exclusionism to the 95% of the cruisers who cannot partake of these categories.

[phoenix_dream]

I am going to throw out one more thought that no doubt will get me flamed for feeling 'entitled' or 'not satisfied with anything' and on and on. For the record, none of this is true, but here goes.

 

I think one thing that has bugged me a bit about this announcement is the timing of it. What I mean is - it comes very soon after the announcement of the new Captains Club changes. IMHO and that of many others at my level(yes, I am Elite+, but I think I would feel this way anyway) the 'perks' added to the new Elite+ level are worth next to nothing for most people. I avoid internet on my travels (and it costs the cruise line next to nothing), one can only do so much laundry, the specialty restaurants usually offer discounts anyway, and with 1-2-3 and similar many already get free drinks so that discount is worthless. The perks being added to the suite guests, on the other hand, are significant. That says to me that Celebrity really doesn't care that much about loyalty per se. Instead of focusing on their bread and butter contingent, they are focusing on the upper, upper level. They have a lot of cabins to fill on all their new big ships, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

And for the record, I absolutely do appreciate what I get as Elite+, and certainly do not sail X specifically for those benefits. But many of us long time, very loyal X cruisers who earned their points the long, old-fashioned way of 25+ cruises really thought a new level would have some real benefits attached. It did not. Timing is everything.

[Cruising89143]

Since this does not start until April of next year one has to assume that the timing of the announcement is due to the release of the new booking dates for 2015 which start on Monday. One has to assume that the price of suites will rise to pay for these new perks.

[Chunky2219]

I am going to throw out one more thought that no doubt will get me flamed for feeling 'entitled' or 'not satisfied with anything' and on and on. For the record, none of this is true, but here goes.

 

I think one thing that has bugged me a bit about this announcement is the timing of it. What I mean is - it comes very soon after the announcement of the new Captains Club changes. IMHO and that of many others at my level(yes, I am Elite+, but I think I would feel this way anyway) the 'perks' added to the new Elite+ level are worth next to nothing for most people. I avoid internet on my travels (and it costs the cruise line next to nothing), one can only do so much laundry, the specialty restaurants usually offer discounts anyway, and with 1-2-3 and similar many already get free drinks so that discount is worthless. The perks being added to the suite guests, on the other hand, are significant. That says to me that Celebrity really doesn't care that much about loyalty per se. Instead of focusing on their bread and butter contingent, they are focusing on the upper, upper level. They have a lot of cabins to fill on all their new big ships, so it will be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

And for the record, I absolutely do appreciate what I get as Elite+, and certainly do not sail X specifically for those benefits. But many of us long time, very loyal X cruisers who earned their points the long, old-fashioned way of 25+ cruises really thought a new level would have some real benefits attached. It did not. Timing is everything.

I certainly won't flame you for having an opinion, but here's the maths......... until the recent changes someone could get to Elite status by spending as little money over a dozen voyages as an RS or PS suite guest would pay for a single voyage. The frequent cruiser would be eating significantly more food in total and, I'll wager in many cases, drinking a lot less in the bars and dropping less cash in the casino than a single PS occupant.

 

I've been sitting at the bar when people came and ordered the world cruise cocktail and I've heard plenty of folk eschew the ship's tours in favour of doing something in port by taxi. Fact is, the line is just about covering the costs of feeding people and ferrying them from port to port if they buy an inexpensive cabin and don't splash the cash.

 

Long time loyalty does indeed mean something to X. You get to meet with other people like yourself and enjoy a glass of fizz, some canapes and a short speech from the captain. You get a few free drinks and your own separate line on embarkation day. That's how much your loyalty is worth - something cheap to provide but which makes people feel a bit more loved, a bit more special.

 

In the commercial world, money, margin, profit matter. That's all. No-one is taking anything away from Elite+, other than the false impression that you are more valuable than the people paying large for real estate and good food.

 

 

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[RosieRoo]

I don't see how Celebrity had a choice but to make some changes to compete with other lines. People have mentioned NCL's Haven, but anyone sailing in a suite on NCL has access to Cagney's for breakfast and lunch free of charge. On Holland America suite guests are allowed to have breakfast in the specialty restaurant for free. It seems most now have an alternative restaurant for suite guests whether it be for one meal or all three.

 

Celebrity has to change things to compete with all the other companies out there, just like they did with the recent Captains Club changes. I guess time will tell how this change will affect everyone. There are so many great lines out there, Celebrity being one, and I just feel blessed to be able to get on a ship and travel several times a year whether it be in a suite or a balcony. If they want to add nice perks like free drinks or internet or priority boarding, etc that's just a bonus.

Edited February 14, 2014 by RosieRoo

[Dunelm]

Sounds like the free enterprise system to me. I don't spend one minute worrying about what others may have as long as I have the "opportunity" to have it as well. I don't expect to be given the same things as others who have paid for them. It's not a private club...anyone can join.

 

Actually, not everyone can join. As someone who often travels in suites, I have to remind myself that there would not be the experience of being on a large ship if it was not for the great majority of passengers who are not in suites. Obviously, most passengers do not expect to have the same perks as those who pay a lot more. I do think the majority have a right, though, to feel as valued.

[Ma Bell]

Actually, not everyone can join. As someone who often travels in suites, I have to remind myself that there would not be the experience of being on a large ship if it was not for the great majority of passengers who are not in suites. Obviously, most passengers do not expect to have the same perks as those who pay a lot more. I do think the majority have a right, though, to feel as valued.

 

Having sailed in many different kinds of cabins I think all the passengers are treated well. I think if someone is the kind of person who worries about what other people are getting they will never feel valued and that has to do with one's own attitude. Unless I personally know someone, I couldn't tell you what kind of cabin they're in because it doesn't matter.

[phoenix_dream]

I certainly won't flame you for having an opinion, but here's the maths......... until the recent changes someone could get to Elite status by spending as little money over a dozen voyages as an RS or PS suite guest would pay for a single voyage. The frequent cruiser would be eating significantly more food in total and, I'll wager in many cases, drinking a lot less in the bars and dropping less cash in the casino than a single PS occupant.

 

I've been sitting at the bar when people came and ordered the world cruise cocktail and I've heard plenty of folk eschew the ship's tours in favour of doing something in port by taxi. Fact is, the line is just about covering the costs of feeding people and ferrying them from port to port if they buy an inexpensive cabin and don't splash the cash.

 

Long time loyalty does indeed mean something to X. You get to meet with other people like yourself and enjoy a glass of fizz, some canapes and a short speech from the captain. You get a few free drinks and your own separate line on embarkation day. That's how much your loyalty is worth - something cheap to provide but which makes people feel a bit more loved, a bit more special.

 

In the commercial world, money, margin, profit matter. That's all. No-one is taking anything away from Elite+, other than the false impression that you are more valuable than the people paying large for real estate and good food.

 

 

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Not sure where you are getting your assumptions from. I never said anything was being taken away from Elite+ specifically (although I think these suite perks may, in fact, adversely impact everyone in general - but that was on another post of mine). I also never said Elite+ people felt they were more valuable than the people paying large for real estate and good food as you put it. Other than that, I don't disagree with some of your points, but I think you totally misinterpreted where I was going with my post and what my main point was.

 

If you did not intend to flame, you might want to go back and re-read your third paragraph. Perhaps you did not mean it to sound as condescending as it did? The last sentence in particular could be interpreted as quite insulting. Hopefully it was not meant that way - that is the problem with the written word sometimes. Context is hard to determine.

[lovemylab]

Hopefully they take the premium spirits available at Michaels Club and make them available elsewhere on the ship.

[Karynanne]

Whatever happened to the love of just being on a ship...cruising? I ask you...do you only cruise for the benefits, or does the lure of visiting distant ports "float your boat".

 

If all the benefits were to stop, would you still continue to cruise with Celebrity? The same service would be available, the same beautiful ships, the excitement of waking up in the morning and being in another country would still be there...just no benefits.

 

Something to think about...

[Terpnut]

I have a different perspective on these changes. I think X is enhancing suite amenities and perks as a defensive measure solely to better sell suites at current pre-final payment price levels. So it won't result in higher prices for suites down the road. Recent soft sales and low fares are resulting in many people getting upgrades to or guarantee on suites for incrementally not much more than regular fare verandahs so enhancing the suite experience will help them sell more non-Sky suites in advance of final payment. We all know that on many sailings after final payment, many stateroom categories, including suites, are easy to upgrade to for a song or sold as cheap guarantees.

Edited February 14, 2014 by Terpnut

[phoenix_dream]

I have a little bit different perspective on these changes. I think X is enhancing suite amenities and perks as a defensive measure to better sell suites at current prices. So it won't result in higher prices for suites down the road. Recent soft sales and low fares are resulting in many people getting upgrades to or guarantee on suites for incrementally not much more than regular fare verandahs so enhancing the suite experience will help them sell more non-Sky suites in advance of final payment. We all know that on many sailings after final payment, many stateroom categories, including suites, are easy to upgrade to for a song or sold as cheap guarantees.

 

I would like to agree with you, but on our many cruises we have only seen suite GTY offers 'cheap' on one of our cruises - which we in fact did take advantage of and lucked into a corner S1 - heaven! Perhaps we are just not picking the right cruises:)

[Terpnut]

I would like to agree with you, but on our many cruises we have only seen suite GTY offers 'cheap' on one of our cruises - which we in fact did take advantage of and lucked into a corner S1 - heaven! Perhaps we are just not picking the right cruises:)

I have been following dozens of cruises over the past 16 months (and actually booked and sailed on three) and can say that, in general, for most sailings, staterooms (and suites in particular) are not selling well so prices drop like a rock after final payment.

 

IMHO, X is NOT selling enough suites at "full retail" so I think they are "beefing up" the amenities to try to rationalize their suite's premium pricing and to sell more of them up front. On too many sailings, if you wait until 3-6 weeks prior to sailing to book (i.e. well after final payment), you can usually score a suite for less than what most early bookers pay 4-18 months in advance. This has been the case on my last three X cruises!

Edited February 14, 2014 by Terpnut

[NLH Arizona]

Don't think anything I said implies a charity organization. And according to Celebrity Bistro on Five is not being done away with so that is a mute point by now. I guess one thought I have is that if in fact Celebrity currently has no problems booking suites (and they always seem to be filled on my sailings) then why would they be adding other perks which cost them money and possibly annoy the mainstream passengers? That goes exactly contrary to the idea of them being in the business to make money.

 

These perks do take away some real estate currently open to all, make it more difficult to get good dining times in the specialty restaurants for all, and perhaps (unknown at this time) may adversely impact service or quality for the mainstream to some extent (by virtue of the best servers, best chef's, etc., going to the suite sections). It also to some extent (particularly for long time X cruisers) creates some (probably temporary) feeling of exclusionism to the 95% of the cruisers who cannot partake of these categories.

My guess is that they will charge more for the suites to make up for the cost of the new perks.

 

No one knows, until this is implemented, if it will be more difficult to get good dining times in the specialty restaurants. I would guess that many in the suite categories are already dining in the specialty restaurants.

[NLH Arizona]

Having sailed in many different kinds of cabins I think all the passengers are treated well. I think if someone is the kind of person who worries about what other people are getting they will never feel valued and that has to do with one's own attitude. Unless I personally know someone, I couldn't tell you what kind of cabin they're in because it doesn't matter.

Very well said.

[gofish]

Just off Millennium in December. Was on it a few years back.

Their modifications have disrupted the flow of the ship.

The theater is gone. BLU takes a part of the MDR away and makes for a single file passage to the tables in the back.

The lounge forward on deck 11 lost its 180 degree view to some new suites.

The extra rooms they added make the buffet and mdr and evening shows more crowded.

Our Suite and Elite status got us great perks without affecting others except the show seating on formal nights.

If they remove some rooms to build a new suite dinning room I am all for it.

But if their new perks steal public space from everybody’s use I am against it.

Penthouse and Royals already have their own dining tables.

Don’t change it.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I don't think anyone has mentioned it specifically, but my fear about this new policy is that it further denigrates the main dining room. Every time Celebrity adds a new "special" dining venue, that takes pressure off to maintain or restore the quality levels in the MDR. There are many threads here on CC about declining quality of food in the MDR, so this is a real issue. I think Celebrity is subtly saying: if you care about food, you must either pay for a specialty restaurant, pay for AQ to get Blu, or pay for a suite to get the new suites restaurant. Sorry, but that doesn't fit my definition of "Modern Luxury," which requires luxury dining in ALL venues.

[Ma Bell]

I don't think anyone has mentioned it specifically, but my fear about this new policy is that it further denigrates the main dining room. Every time Celebrity adds a new "special" dining venue, that takes pressure off to maintain or restore the quality levels in the MDR. There are many threads here on CC about declining quality of food in the MDR, so this is a real issue. I think Celebrity is subtly saying: if you care about food, you must either pay for a specialty restaurant, pay for AQ to get Blu, or pay for a suite to get the new suites restaurant. Sorry, but that doesn't fit my definition of "Modern Luxury," which requires luxury dining in ALL venues.

 

The quality of food in the MDR has improved considerably over the last 18 months or so. There was a period where it was a problem, but not recently.

[The_Big_M]

The quality of food in the MDR has improved considerably over the last 18 months or so. There was a period where it was a problem, but not recently.

 

I don't agree that that's the case. There still have been many complaints about food the past year, and my sailing mid last year had the most disappointing MDR food I've had on Celebrity.

[Project_gal]

Lots of questions coming up on this board in the future, someone mentioned being in a suite and traveling with non suite relatives or where do your kids eat if you are in a suite and they are across the hall. Going to be interesting.

 

On NCL, we were allowed to invite other members of our party [in balcony staterooms] to the suite only venues but I am not saying that this is what Celebrity will do. It will be interesting to see how this is handled.

[Karynanne]

I don't agree that that's the case. There still have been many complaints about food the past year, and my sailing mid last year had the most disappointing MDR food I've had on Celebrity.

 

Which ship did you sail on? We have been on Equinox and Reflection within the past 10 months, and both cruises had very good food in MDR.

[The_Big_M]

Which ship did you sail on? We have been on Equinox and Reflection within the past 10 months, and both cruises had very good food in MDR.

 

This was on Constellation.