Captain's Club Cocktail Hour Changes

[SPacificbound]

We just completed 42 nights on Infinity, B2B2B.

 

The first cruise there were no coupons, but on cruises two and three there were.

 

I don't think it is an exact science yet. :D

[BosoxI]

When the vast majority of folks on board have 1-2-3, there is no reason to attend the happy hour....

 

The Elite lounge was also empty on the Silhouette two weeks ago. Made for a different experience than we were used to, but we still met some regulars to converse with. Service surely was better. We used our 123 several times in other venues but the number of people was a bit of a problem.

[jagoffee]

The Elite lounge was also empty on the Silhouette two weeks ago. Made for a different experience than we were used to, but we still met some regulars to converse with. Service surely was better. We used our 123 several times in other venues but the number of people was a bit of a problem.

 

When I have the drink package I head for a bar that does not take the coupons during that time frame.

I am a little surprised that Celebrity does not expedite the process to put the "coupons" on the cards because I think it would save Celebrity money by reducing transferring of coupons. You could still get a drink for another person and share, but it would be more difficult.

 

IMO it is a great benefit no matter how they implement the benefit.

 

Slightly off topic. I always find it humorous and sad that on some things Celebrity promotes saving paper, but gives out 100s of flyers on a 14 day cruise promoting extra charge promotions.

Edited March 30, 2015 by jagoffee

[Northern Aurora]

We just completed 42 nights on Infinity, B2B2B.

 

The first cruise there were no coupons, but on cruises two and three there were.

 

I don't think it is an exact science yet. :D

 

We were also on the same Infinity B2B2B and have completed enough Celebrity cruises so that we are Elite+ in the X loyalty program.

 

I asked CC hostess Alexandra how many Elite and higher levels she had on the Antarctic cruise, which was the first leg of this B2B2B sequence; while I don't remember the exact number there were so few that only a part of Infinity's Constellation Lounge was cordoned off as an Elite lounge. There were so many Elite and higher on the second two legs that an additional CC hostess was added; while coupons were issued for those second two legs the entire Constellation Lounge was also used as the venue. So there was no mystery as to why coupons were issued for legs 2 and 3 -- the number of passengers eligible to attend was sufficient to overwhelm the Constellation Lounge.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

I have seen Celebrity on TAs pull servers out of Sky Lounge and move them to sunset bar if it nice out

[swooldri]

When Celebrity implements the 3 drinks per night voucher system and the Sky Lounge is still open during "happy hour" are vouchers still required in the Sky Lounge or are drinks unlimited in the Sky Lounge during "happy hour"?

 

Thanks, in advance. :D

 

Steve

[ghstudio]

When Celebrity implements the 3 drinks per night voucher system and the Sky Lounge is still open during "happy hour" are vouchers still required in the Sky Lounge or are drinks unlimited in the Sky Lounge during "happy hour"?

 

Thanks, in advance. :D

 

Steve

 

If vouchers are used, they must be used to order drinks even in the sky lounge.

[jagoffee]

When Celebrity implements the 3 drinks per night voucher system and the Sky Lounge is still open during "happy hour" are vouchers still required in the Sky Lounge or are drinks unlimited in the Sky Lounge during "happy hour"?

 

Thanks, in advance. :D

 

Steve

 

I have always seen them collecting vouchers,during the "happy hours" when voucher are in use.

[dan722]

We were on the Eclipse the last part of March and they had vouchers and the nightly event in the Sky Lounge which meant you used your vouchers in the Sky Lounge or wherever you wanted, but in the Sky Lounge you also got the canapes. There were four of us who were Elite so every night we had enough for 12 drinks. As we are leaving the ocean view bar a wait person told us not to discard or throw away our remaining vouchers but to use them to buy something like soda in a can, or beer in a bottle and put it in our carry on to enjoy the next day. They suggested putting them in your minibar to keep them cold. So several days we would get 4 to 6 beers, bring them up to the mast grill and get a bucket of ice and have hamburgers and beer for lunch. I’m betting celebrity didn’t encourage this but the wait staff sure did!

[cle-guy]

We were on the Eclipse the last part of March and they had vouchers and the nightly event in the Sky Lounge which meant you used your vouchers in the Sky Lounge or wherever you wanted, but in the Sky Lounge you also got the canapes. There were four of us who were Elite so every night we had enough for 12 drinks. As we are leaving the ocean view bar a wait person told us not to discard or throw away our remaining vouchers but to use them to buy something like soda in a can, or beer in a bottle and put it in our carry on to enjoy the next day. They suggested putting them in your minibar to keep them cold. So several days we would get 4 to 6 beers, bring them up to the mast grill and get a bucket of ice and have hamburgers and beer for lunch. I’m betting celebrity didn’t encourage this but the wait staff sure did!

 

Wait staff get a tip for each coupon they collect (much like they get tipped for each swipe of a SeaPass card when handling those with beverage packages)....On my TA last year, I had a drink package so ordered as I wanted, but just gave my server all my unused coupons which made him happy.

 

I like how Eclipse does it (this was exactly how they handled my TA last year) giving vouchers but still setting up the sky lounge and passing canapés there. It lets there be an "atmosphere" for those who want to gather, but still allows others to imbibe at other venues, thus relieving the stress on the lounge on elite-heavy cruises.

[ECCruise]

Was on the Reflection 2 weeks ago and they did not use vouchers. As a matter of fact it was the attended happy hour we ever experience. There couldn't have been more than 25 elites in the lounge. As a matter of fact the captais club hostess rarely was there. This was never experienced before.

 

How many on your cruise had the booze package? We've experienced the same but that was because 2250 of 2800 had the package. The Elite lounge was delightfully uncrowded but enough people to meet and chat.

[NLH Arizona]

Wait staff get a tip for each coupon they collect (much like they get tipped for each swipe of a SeaPass card when handling those with beverage packages)....On my TA last year, I had a drink package so ordered as I wanted, but just gave my server all my unused coupons which made him happy.

 

Thanks for the tip. I wouldn't have three drinks in that short of time, but I will make sure I give the server the coupons I don't use.

[miched]

Wait staff get a tip for each coupon they collect (much like they get tipped for each swipe of a SeaPass card when handling those with beverage packages)....On my TA last year, I had a drink package so ordered as I wanted, but just gave my server all my unused coupons which made him happy.

 

I like how Eclipse does it (this was exactly how they handled my TA last year) giving vouchers but still setting up the sky lounge and passing canapés there. It lets there be an "atmosphere" for those who want to gather, but still allows others to imbibe at other venues, thus relieving the stress on the lounge on elite-heavy cruises.

 

I have read last year that the crew got tipped by the vouchers they collected. I had the drink pack and offered all of my vouchers to many of the servers and BTs and they didn't want them as they all claimed it didn't do anything.

 

happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌞

[steamboats]

On Eclipse 11/2014 they allowed you to get only the same drinks as those that were on the Sky Lounge Elite Menu. However, you could not use coupons in the MDR, BLU and a couple of the bars.

 

Personally, I could not understand why you could not use the 3 coupons at anytime during the evening and any day since they restricted you to 3 drinks (only) per night. If it was Sr. Officer Cocktail night and Boarding Night you could not get or use 3 coupons.

 

Same for us on the Eclipse Jan 4th, 2015. We had more than 700 Elites and above.

 

steamboats

[fideauxdon]

I still don't know if Celebrity is going to implement a standard for the nightly Elite / Elite Plus Happy Hour. We were on the Equinox last year and there were no vouchers. We were told that the deinks would be loaded on the Sea Pass. We did a transatlantic cruise on the Reflection in April and the vouchers were back.

[Wine-O]

I still don't know if Celebrity is going to implement a standard for the nightly Elite / Elite Plus Happy Hour. We were on the Equinox last year and there were no vouchers. We were told that the deinks would be loaded on the Sea Pass. We did a transatlantic cruise on the Reflection in April and the vouchers were back.

From what I have been reading, drinks are not being loaded on the seapass. You either have the 2-hour Sky Lounge happy hour or if there are too many Elites, they will issue paper vouchers to be used at selected bars on board the ship.

[helen haywood]

I still don't know if Celebrity is going to implement a standard for the nightly Elite / Elite Plus Happy Hour.

 

 

There isn't a "standard" because it depends on how many Elites are on any given cruise as to whether there will be vouchers or the lounge.

 

 

 

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[shipshape sam]

On a number of cruises on several ships since January 1st and have not seen vouchers being used. It would really add to the cost of the program if they used vouchers and did not limit beverage choices as they did on a TA.On that cruise we could get any drink upto $8 per glass.

I understand that their goal is to eliminate coupons entirely and place all benefits on an embedded chip in the Seapass card.

 

Already working on Royal Caribbean ships we have been on last 2 years. It was very nice to present the card and get a drink at any lounge bar during the Crown and Anchor lounge hours. It would be a nice feature for Celebrity too.

[4774Papa]

Already working on Royal Caribbean ships we have been on last 2 years. It was very nice to present the card and get a drink at any lounge bar during the Crown and Anchor lounge hours. It would be a nice feature for Celebrity too.

I sometimes drink four glasses of wine at the happy hour, so if X goes to the coupons, that limits me.

 

We have two cruises on RCI next year, so looking forward to the Diamond Lounge.

[woody14h]

I sometimes drink four glasses of wine at the happy hour, so if X goes to the coupons, that limits me.

 

We have two cruises on RCI next year, so looking forward to the Diamond Lounge.

 

X has always used coupons to specific lounges for Elite happy hour on all the 6 TAs we have been on incl. the Apr. 2017 TA FLL to AMS.

[shipshape sam]

I sometimes drink four glasses of wine at the happy hour, so if X goes to the coupons, that limits me.

 

We have two cruises on RCI next year, so looking forward to the Diamond Lounge.

 

Well maybe. We went to lounge first once when it just opened and then went to the ships bars. I would guess we technically could have had 4, but I like the flexibility. We tend to travel with others who we have promoted Celebrity or Royal and going to the lounge excludes them

 

Guess you can't satisfy everyone. I would hope that 3 drinks would not be too much a burden since it is free and Royal did NOT eliminate the lounge. You had the choice, on Royal, to still go to the Crown and Anchor lounge and have your 4 drinks I would assume. We did not present our card there to get a drink.

 

Hope your next cruise is great!:)

[davekathy]

I sometimes drink four glasses of wine at the happy hour, so if X goes to the coupons, that limits me.

 

We have two cruises on RCI next year, so looking forward to the Diamond Lounge.

 

We always stop in the DL prior gong to diner. Have two or three drinks there. On the way to the MDR we stop at one of the bars a grab a couple glasses of wine and a couple bottles of water using what is loaded on our Seapass cards (three drinks are loaded for each evening of the cruise) to have while eating. Sometimes if we have a drink left on the Seapass card I'll leave the MDR and get another drink at least for me.

[Hlitner]

So what is happening? Once upon a time most of the Elites (including moi) would go to the Happy Hour parties on a daily basis. After all, it was free drinks, some snacks, and good socialization. But now, a large majority of the Elites have drink packages provided as one of their booking amenities. When one has the drink package (be it Classic or Premium) there is little reason to trek up to the Elite Party. We are Elite Plus...and have not gone to those parties on our last 3 cruises because we have the Premium Package. We prefer to go to the Martini Bar where there are lots of people and the crowd is friendly (and lively). The drinks we get at the Martini Bar are not even available at the Elite Party...and the bar tenders at the Martini Bar are often a lot of fun (as are many of the passengers).

 

We will give the Celebrity management a lot of credit. Those Elite parties had become a real problem for management because more and more passengers were becoming Elite (or higher). The ship was giving away lots of free drinks which not only cost real money....but meant that all those Elites were not buying drinks. But now with the drink packages, the Elites are actually paying for their drinks (the drink packages are not really free) and most folks are happy. This is a real win for Celebrity....who has managed to minimize what used to be a major perk...and do it in a way where nobody thinks they have lost a perk.

 

Hank

[4774Papa]

So what is happening? Once upon a time most of the Elites (including moi) would go to the Happy Hour parties on a daily basis. After all, it was free drinks, some snacks, and good socialization. But now, a large majority of the Elites have drink packages provided as one of their booking amenities. When one has the drink package (be it Classic or Premium) there is little reason to trek up to the Elite Party. We are Elite Plus...and have not gone to those parties on our last 3 cruises because we have the Premium Package. We prefer to go to the Martini Bar where there are lots of people and the crowd is friendly (and lively). The drinks we get at the Martini Bar are not even available at the Elite Party...and the bar tenders at the Martini Bar are often a lot of fun (as are many of the passengers).

 

We will give the Celebrity management a lot of credit. Those Elite parties had become a real problem for management because more and more passengers were becoming Elite (or higher). The ship was giving away lots of free drinks which not only cost real money....but meant that all those Elites were not buying drinks. But now with the drink packages, the Elites are actually paying for their drinks (the drink packages are not really free) and most folks are happy. This is a real win for Celebrity....who has managed to minimize what used to be a major perk...and do it in a way where nobody thinks they have lost a perk.

 

Hank

Hank,

Well said. I haven't been very happy with the Celebrity pricing that for most cruises bundles the drink packages or other bennies with the bottom line price. We are elite and enjoy the happy hour socialization. Also, we are mostly wine drinkers and don't drink more than four glasses a day. We still won't buy a drink package at half price. This has been a common subject on cc and some posters have indicated they love the packages due to their quite unbelieveable consumption. Some have indicated they start drinking at breakfast and continue all day. One gentleman indicated that he drank a case of beer a day. I had a heavy drinking friend that recently died of liver failure at 65.

 

Back to your post and the business decision made by Celebrity. Yes, it appears to work. I can't help but believe that a fair number of people that buy the drink packages result in more $$$ for Celebrity than they would spend without the drink packages.

[shipshape sam]

So what is happening? Once upon a time most of the Elites (including moi) would go to the Happy Hour parties on a daily basis. After all, it was free drinks, some snacks, and good socialization. But now, a large majority of the Elites have drink packages provided as one of their booking amenities. When one has the drink package (be it Classic or Premium) there is little reason to trek up to the Elite Party. We are Elite Plus...and have not gone to those parties on our last 3 cruises because we have the Premium Package. We prefer to go to the Martini Bar where there are lots of people and the crowd is friendly (and lively). The drinks we get at the Martini Bar are not even available at the Elite Party...and the bar tenders at the Martini Bar are often a lot of fun (as are many of the passengers).

 

We will give the Celebrity management a lot of credit. Those Elite parties had become a real problem for management because more and more passengers were becoming Elite (or higher). The ship was giving away lots of free drinks which not only cost real money....but meant that all those Elites were not buying drinks. But now with the drink packages, the Elites are actually paying for their drinks (the drink packages are not really free) and most folks are happy. This is a real win for Celebrity....who has managed to minimize what used to be a major perk...and do it in a way where nobody thinks they have lost a perk.

 

Hank

 

You are so right on the windfall for Celebrity if Elites and above purchase the drink package.

 

We do not see ourselves spending much if any time in the Captain's lounge as we will try the drink package on our next cruise.