Celebrity Premier Pass

[chemmo]

I am sure there will be takers...

 

Lots of people choose cruises to celebrate birthdays, annniversaries....I can see people deciding to add this package to make a cruise ‘Something Special’ rather than perhaps pay significantly more to upgrade to a suite, a choice many of us make, to enhance our cruise experience.

 

 

Edited July 21, 2019 by chemmo

[yorky]

12 hours ago, mahdnc said:

I can't tell if this has already been discussed before although I did do a search:

 

I noticed that Premier Pass is now being offered for our Dec 23 2019 (12 night) sailing aboard Solstice.  For $649 per person you get:

 

• Priority embarkation and debarkation 
• Welcome bottle of champagne 
• Unlimited internet access (two devices) 
• Inside Access tour (two guests) 
• Lunch with an officer 
• Captain’s toast and photo 
• One exclusive food and wine pairing 
• Laundry service (one bag per stateroom)

 

Judging from the things you can purchase separately (or get from your Captains Club status), I am not sure that it represents a very good value.

 

Royal Caribbean has already rolled out something like this earlier (The Key Program)

Priority embarkation worth nothing, we can get a sparkling fizz free as part of the drinks package ( can’t taste the difference between cheap and expensive fizz) internet  package for one would do us, we would just share, inside tour/lunch with an office/captains toast and photo, zero value. Food and wine pairing and a bag of laundry we would use. So looking at that close to with it for us. I would also question if a couple could do that but only one pay.

Edited July 21, 2019 by yorky

[Mynki]

11 hours ago, hcat said:

 

 

Makes  Elite priority  embark and disembark  loyalty perks pretty much valueless..  . Even worse than they are now.

 

 

 

I'll tell you a secret. In Southampton and Fort Lauderdale the cruise terminals are staffed by semi retired part time workers as I'm sure you know. The different lines for zenith, elite.  aqua class, concierge class, cattle class  and those who got a priority boarding pass free with the purchase of a box of Kellogs Cornflakes are all pointless. 

Once you're through security and looking at the lines, no one ever checks if you switch line. The staff at the check in desk do not care who you are. We've gone through the suite line when in aqua and vice versa because the aqua line was shorter than the suite line at the time and no one cared. I've been with those who had no priority boarding through the elite line too with no issues.... 

The embarkation loyalty perk is really just an illusion created to make regular cruisers feel special. It's really just pointless. :) 

 

All that said we once boarded in San Juan where there was only ourselves and one other couple in the check in area! In June I set my stopwatch going outside the Southampton cruise terminal and was sipping bubbly onboard within seven and a half minutes later going through the elite line. I can live with that too. 

[hcat]

9 hours ago, wwcruisers said:

OK -- So I recently got to experience this as a D+ on R/C. Those of you who've spent years and years (not to mention thousands of dollars) to get to Elite/Elite +, can now look forward to taking a back seat to folks who were to cheap to pony up the $$ for a suite!😡

No joke -- on our Indy Cruise, the passengers were boarded in the following order:

Suite guests (that 's 'true suites' -- not Junior Suites); followed immediately by 'Key' guests. Oh, and yes -- at some point after that, the D+/Diamond members were allowed to board. 🙄

 

Exactly my point.

For EDGE in January,   the check- in with the mini scanners went quickly but  was disorderly., It was downhill from there,

 

They did not  have a sep Elite/ plus waiting area, same for AQ class.. Everyone who was not "special enough"  was herded into a cavernous  "bus terminal" style  waiting room with uncomfortable curved metal seating. They did call AQ Class first but everyone rushed the entry door....chaos. 

 

If  one is not in the suite ,  Zenith, and hi roller casino players waiting area that is how it works!  Hope it has improved,

 

Used to be quite orderly..but that takes organization and adequate staffing of which there was NONE!

     Suites and Zenith

     E plus and AQ Class

     Elite and Concierge

[hcat]

Afterthought?

Will the Key  people be admitted to the suite waiting area in the  Port Ev new terminal?  Maybe it is underutilized?

 

.Seems they spent so much to design that area yet not many need linger there for very long.  The rest of the design hardly improved  very much...esp if you need to drop off luggage way at the end and circle back to the garage.  We are flying in  early to avoid that routine!

[chemmo]

32 minutes ago, yorky said:

inside tour/lunch with an office/captains toast and photo, zero value. 

 

These are things that many people do value and can add to people’s overall cruise enjoyment. For many of us who cruise regularly galley tours, bridge tours...can become ‘been, seen and done it...’ but for other guests it can offer new experiences and doesn’t negatively impact on the cruise quality for others.

 

 

 

[yorky]

2 minutes ago, chemmo said:

 

These are things that many people do value and can add to people’s overall cruise enjoyment. For many of us who cruise regularly galley tours, bridge tours...can become ‘been, seen and done it...’ but for other guests it can offer new experiences and doesn’t negatively impact on the cruise quality for others.

 

 

 

Yep, these are very personal things that some value and some don’t. No real cost to Celebrity but more money through the tills.

[Cruise a holic]

It is crazy!  You should put the money towards an upgrade .  We are typically in a Suite and Elite plus and our perks are so much better!  

[ghstudio]

I am surprised that the packages don't include priority seating at the martini bar, priority service at guest services (another use for that cute red carpet they use at ports); priority seating at the art auctions, ...or how about a reserved chaise lounge by the pool, reserved priority only pool time..come on celebrity, get with it....put together some really useful packages.

 

I am a bit confused about "priority disembarkation"....does that mean you can get off the ship before those who walk off with their luggage? Priority embarkation only makes sense where you have to wait prior to getting on the ship....eg. the first cruise after a TA in Ft Lauderdale....and yes, it would give you a better chance to find a table in the buffet.   

 

For those trying to price out the value....the champagne that they give concierge/aqua passengers is worth $28 if you take it to the MDR and exchange it for something else...if you think it's going to be Dom Perignon class....you are dreaming.

 

I am always surprised that there is never a discount for those that already get some of the perks....if you are elite/elite plus, you should get a reduced price.  Similarly, if you have a drink package, you should get a reduced price on any wine/food pairing or wine inclusive dinner.  That might actually increase participation/revenue/profit...more buyers.  

[hcat]

47 minutes ago, chemmo said:

 

These are things that many people do value and can add to people’s overall cruise enjoyment. For many of us who cruise regularly galley tours, bridge tours...can become ‘been, seen and done it...’ but for other guests it can offer new experiences and doesn’t negatively impact on the cruise quality for others.

 

 

 

Don't care about the fluff stuff  ( we have purchased many of those extras ourselves over the years ), but anything that puts me further back in line to get on and especially off the ship DOES neg impact me... Took yrs and many cruise dollars to earn my way up the  points chain for these specific  perks.

 

We switched to carry off for awhile but with so many doing it,   it is a tough way to end the cruise.. So many  have priority disembark...they wait in seats, while  walk offs stand in line. Was odd to learn that  on EDGE Concierge had a priority waiting spot with chairs and  a Concierge escort,  but  our entire AQ deck (who paid more than Concierge guests by quite a bit ) were given one of the highest debark numbers...We all  turned them back for something better.

 

Last cruise we resigned ourselves..no flight to catch...so we picked a good spot in the theater  on the disembark deck... waited for our number and it  fortunately it worked okay..

 

Cap Club perks are being consistently weakened !

 

 

Edited July 21, 2019 by hcat

[Miaminice]

16 minutes ago, hcat said:

 Took yrs and many cruise dollars to earn my way up the  points chain for these specific  perks.

 

Funny, we spent the money because we love cruising and enjoy the destinations.

Never ever did we cruise for points. We are now E+ and couldn’t care less.

 

Embarkation never took us longer than 30 minutes at any port worldwide, regardless which level we had... record time was 8 minutes from entering the terminal to having the welcome drink. 

 

All this priority here, priority there talk and all this loyalty point stuff is nothing more but feeding people‘s egos and feelings of entitlement. So if anyone wants to spend money on that... why not, it’s their money. Cruise lines are no charities, their goal is to make profit. 

 

 

Edited July 21, 2019 by Miaminice

[Mynki]

2 minutes ago, Miaminice said:

 

Funny, we spent the money because we love cruising and enjoy the destinations.

Never ever did we cruise for points. We are now E+ and couldn’t care less.

 

Embarkation never took us longer than 30 minutes at any port worldwide... record time was 8 minutes from entering the terminal to having the welcome drink. 

 

All this priority here, priority there talk and all this loyalty point stuff is nothing more but feeding people‘s egos and feelings of entitlement. So if anyone wants to spend money on that... why not. Cruise lines are no charities, their goal is to make profit. 

 

 

 

Spot on. We saw though the whole loyalty thing very quickly. Use the 'perks' to your advantage but don't waste your life and money becoming overly invested in it. 

[yorky]

17 minutes ago, Miaminice said:

 

Funny, we spent the money because we love cruising and enjoy the destinations.

Never ever did we cruise for points. We are now E+ and couldn’t care less.

 

Embarkation never took us longer than 30 minutes at any port worldwide, regardless which level we had... record time was 8 minutes from entering the terminal to having the welcome drink. 

 

All this priority here, priority there talk and all this loyalty point stuff is nothing more but feeding people‘s egos and feelings of entitlement. So if anyone wants to spend money on that... why not, it’s their money. Cruise lines are no charities, their goal is to make profit. 

 

 

I always laugh at the long queues when boarding flights, people standing for 30 minutes so they can board first straight after the other passengers that have “priority” boarding. All you are doing is having to sit even longer on a plane that’s going no where until everyone else has boarded. As with yourself we could not care less what level we are at or what points we have, if we want something desperately enough we just pay for it.

[TeeRick]

Depending on your ship and current cabin, you could possibly upgrade to a Sky Suite (or bid up) for $650 pp extra.  Then you would get many of these benefits and more.

[Cruise a holic]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

Don't care about the fluff stuff  ( we have purchased many of those extras ourselves over the years ), but anything that puts me further back in line to get on and especially off the ship DOES neg impact me... Took yrs and many cruise dollars to earn my way up the  points chain for these specific  perks.

 

We switched to carry off for awhile but with so many doing it,   it is a tough way to end the cruise.. So many  have priority disembark...they wait in seats, while  walk offs stand in line. Was odd to learn that  on EDGE Concierge had a priority waiting spot with chairs and  a Concierge escort,  but  our entire AQ deck (who paid more than Concierge guests by quite a bit ) were given one of the highest debark numbers...We all  turned them back for something better.

 

Last cruise we resigned ourselves..no flight to catch...so we picked a good spot in the theater  on the disembark deck... waited for our number and it  fortunately it worked okay..

 

Cap Club perks are being consistently weakened !

We enjoy bring a choice of clothes with us when we travel.  The Luggage valet program is wonderful and worth the price.  I would not want to drag my luggage off myself as getting an elevator can be a real challenge.  Nice to get off the ship with just a light carry on then get a cab and leave the port to the airport.  Check in at airport also easier.  

1 hour ago, hcat said:

 

 

 

[Luvcrusn]

Thanks for the info, but we'll pass.

[Cruising89143]

Cruise lines have sat back and watched something similar that Carnival started a few years back called “Faster to the Fun”. They saw how popular it became. RCI and now X have decided to come up with their own version. 

 

https://help.carnival.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1374/~/faster-to-the-fun-(fttf)

[jelayne]

Priority embarkation- we have had that on abut 1 our cruises.  We don’t show up at the port until 12:30-1.  Short lines to check-in and walk on to the ship.  The 1 where we had to wait was in Buenos Aires, sheer chaos in the terminal.

[jelayne]

Priority embarkation- we have had that on abut 1 our cruises.  We don’t show up at the port until 12:30-1.  Short lines to check-in and walk on to the ship.  The 1 where we had to wait was in Buenos Aires, sheer chaos in the terminal.  Certainly not sometime that we would pay for.

[jelayne]

Priority embarkation- we have had that on all but 1 of our cruises.  We don’t show up at the port until 12:30-1.  Short lines to check-in and walk on to the ship.  The 1 where we had to wait was in Buenos Aires, sheer chaos in the terminal.  Priority embarkation or debarkation Is certainly not sometime that we would pay for.

[jelayne]

Sorry, the above posts just kept saving.

[DYKWIA]

5 hours ago, ghstudio said:

I am surprised that the packages don't include priority seating at the martini bar, priority service at guest services (another use for that cute red carpet they use at ports); priority seating at the art auctions, ...or how about a reserved chaise lounge by the pool, reserved priority only pool time..come on celebrity, get with it....put together some really useful packages.

....

 

I can see priority dining on the horizon - several other cruiselines do it - pay a saver fare and get no choice on what time you dine unless you pay full or close to full fare, or pay a premium for club any-time dining.  

 

Priority specialist dining - pay the premium and specialist dining opens x days before normal

 

Priority cabin access - pay the premium and get in your cabins 1-2 hours early

 

I can also see priority theatre admission - allowing premium passengers access 5 mins before riff raff (us) are allowed in

 

They will probably bundle these priority things inconveniently across several different bundles forcing you to buy more than one bundle to get the useful ones... like car upgrades.

 

Edited July 21, 2019 by DYKWIA

[Formerly known as Seabee]

The same good folks who pay outrageous prices for Pre and Post Hotel packages through the cruise line will pay for the “Premier Pass”. $198 for inside access tour...really, what do you see that could justify that?

[cruisestitch]

Are you asking what would justify paying premium prices for pre-and post hotels? Lots of things come to mind. Being in a culture where you don’t speak the language, there’s a comfort factor to having your hotel booked through the cruise line, with its accompanying transportation.  

[grandgeezer]

13 hours ago, ghstudio said:

I am surprised that the packages don't include priority seating at the martini bar, priority service at guest services (another use for that cute red carpet they use at ports); priority seating at the art auctions, ...or how about a reserved chaise lounge by the pool, reserved priority only pool time..come on celebrity, get with it....put together some really useful packages.

 

I am a bit confused about "priority disembarkation"....does that mean you can get off the ship before those who walk off with their luggage? Priority embarkation only makes sense where you have to wait prior to getting on the ship....eg. the first cruise after a TA in Ft Lauderdale....and yes, it would give you a better chance to find a table in the buffet.   

 

For those trying to price out the value....the champagne that they give concierge/aqua passengers is worth $28 if you take it to the MDR and exchange it for something else...if you think it's going to be Dom Perignon class....you are dreaming.

 

I am always surprised that there is never a discount for those that already get some of the perks....if you are elite/elite plus, you should get a reduced price.  Similarly, if you have a drink package, you should get a reduced price on any wine/food pairing or wine inclusive dinner.  That might actually increase participation/revenue/profit...more buyers.  

Check the perks chart on Celebrity's perk chart. Elites and Elite plus get a discount on bottles of wine. Elite Plus gets a discount on drink packages. Just about everybody can get a discount on the internet.

If the perks are being devalued, that's because people are buying services that eliminate the use of them. primarily the drink packages. I survive very nicely on the two hours up in the Sky Lounge almost every night, the mimosas at the Elite breakfast and the free cappuccinos and other specialty coffees being Elite Plus. Total cost for drinks for the cruise $0. As far as the internet, we each get 240 free minutes and have never used them all.