elite /elite plus lounge

[DCPIV]

Whenever I want to watch a mudfight, I look for one of these threads.

 

Never fails.

[Alabaster Cruiser]

10 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

 And access to the MC/RL for Blue Chip members and Zeniths has not been advertised for years.  

It actually is posted in the current Blue Chip chart of benefits. 

[fstuff1]

9 hours ago, Denny01 said:

And there are about 65 Suites on S-Class and 182 on E-Class. Zenith may book Suites at a higher rate than the Norm so may not increase those Class ships by a good deal, and even M-Class may not theoretically be impacted with non-Suite Zeniths that much, but…..

 

I know we like to assume Celebrity Loves to do such things for no common sense reason, but I think @RichYak is right in the overall packing the Retreat Lounges up.

 

Never gone Suite (Yet - going on my Oct ‘22 TA!!) but look forward to a place that has a higher number of experienced cruisers to talk and share with…..I miss the Elite Happy Hr that was run in the Sky Observation Lounge which was fun to talk up cruising! Yes, can do that anywhere, but the social events of more experienced cruisers is always nice……Love the Roll Call events that allow that too.

 

den

 

182 suites on E-class? wow!
before covid, i had retreat access on the Edge because I was high casino tier. (Zeniths were also allowed in.)
it was NEVER crowded except when there was a special event there. (usually music for a certain hr during a sea day)

Edited August 31, 2022 by fstuff1

[fstuff1]

5 hours ago, Alabaster Cruiser said:

It actually is posted in the current Blue Chip chart of benefits. 

 

i expect that to be removed for the next casino tier qualifying period, which starts Jan 1,2023.
so no more $100 obc per cruise for us high casino tiers

[TommyD3]

The simple solution to the lack of Zenith access to the Retreat lounge is the creation of a Zenith Plus level at 7500 points (same ratio as Elite to Elite Plus). Zenith Plus could then be allowed access to the Retreat lounge. We cruise very frequently and there are VERY few passengers with over 7500 points onboard. Or just create a Zenith lounge on EVERY ship like Royal Caribbean did (before they restored Pinnacle access to the suite lounges !!!

[tserface]

On 8/30/2022 at 2:06 PM, Jeremiah1212 said:

Even though RCL cruisers have a bizarre fascination with a loyalty lounge, there is nothing similar on Celebrity. 

There used to be fun Elite parties pre-COVID and we enjoyed them, but these days the free happy hour at any bar has kind of taken it's place.  With the advent of All Inclusive the happy hour is not really all that useful either.

 

We like the lounge on RCL cruise.  The coffee maker is nice, it's a nice quiet place to hang out and read or whatever, and the parties have way better appetizers (but, it's not like you can't find food on a cruise).  Mostly, I really enjoy being able to make my own specialty coffee rather than having to wait so long in the Tuscan. The coffee is also better.

I also like how RCL gives Diamond and above free drinks to use any time during the day instead of just during the happy hours.  We use it for bottled water, coffee drinks, etc. on RCL.

 

They keep saying they are going to update the benefits for Celebrity, but even with email today they are not that interesting considering that almost everything is included these days already.

[tserface]

On 8/30/2022 at 2:06 PM, Jeremiah1212 said:

Even though RCL cruisers have a bizarre fascination with a loyalty lounge, there is nothing similar on Celebrity. 

[deleted]

Edited September 1, 2022 by tserface

[swjumbo]

The few times I have been lucky enough to be in a suite the Retreat was too busy because all the suites were full. 
 

I mentioned this on another thread that some airlines have bars on board. I’d be pretty hacked off if I was in first class and a coach/economy frequent flyer assumed they had equal rights to sit at the bar, which they do not.

 

Therefore you pay for what you get. If you’re not happy then try another cruise line. Times, and customer loyalty packages change.

 

We’re off to try Cunard Queens Grill soon! No impressive loyalty package there. 

[LuAnn]

On 8/31/2022 at 6:41 AM, Denny01 said:

And there are about 65 Suites on S-Class and 182 on E-Class. Zenith may book Suites at a higher rate than the Norm so may not increase those Class ships by a good deal, and even M-Class may not theoretically be impacted with non-Suite Zeniths that much, but…..

 

I know we like to assume Celebrity Loves to do such things for no common sense reason, but I think @RichYak is right in the overall packing the Retreat Lounges up.

 

Never gone Suite (Yet - going on my Oct ‘22 TA!!) but look forward to a place that has a higher number of experienced cruisers to talk and share with…..I miss the Elite Happy Hr that was run in the Sky Observation Lounge which was fun to talk up cruising! Yes, can do that anywhere, but the social events of more experienced cruisers is always nice……Love the Roll Call events that allow that too.

 

den

I agree Den. I'll really miss meeting people there...we've made some good friends there over the years! 

[Definitas]

On 9/1/2022 at 11:31 AM, swjumbo said:

The few times I have been lucky enough to be in a suite the Retreat was too busy because all the suites were full. 
 

I mentioned this on another thread that some airlines have bars on board. I’d be pretty hacked off if I was in first class and a coach/economy frequent flyer assumed they had equal rights to sit at the bar, which they do not.

 

Therefore you pay for what you get. If you’re not happy then try another cruise line. Times, and customer loyalty packages change.

 

We’re off to try Cunard Queens Grill soon! No impressive loyalty package there. 

We haven’t cruised with Cunard for almost 20 years but are thinking of giving them another try because of the constant erosion of the Celebrity product. We have only had a suite on Solstice class (Silhouette) and were very underwhelmed by the whole experience, especially how oacked the retreat lounge and the dining room were.  Current suite pricing on Edge class makes me think it is way too expensive.

[Denny01]

And back to the OP’s subject……

 

I did enjoy the Diamond Club on RCL. Was on the Oasis of the Seas along with 5-Thousand others and the Only way I survived was the Club. Nice place to meet, play cards and actually one place outside our SR you could actually relax.

 

If I want to go to Central Park, I’ll visit NYC (doing that soon!) instead of whatever that was on the Oasis. Crowded and noisy…accept that in a Big City, not a cruise ship. Loved the full Broadway play, but got tired of the requirement to book anything Well in advance….not my style on a cruise ship. 

 

Had a nice Balcony SR; had friends who booked a ‘balcony’ and were Soooo proud they got it so cheap….until they got to it and realized their ‘balcony’ overlooked the ship interior and they could never enjoy it because of the neverending noise rafting up from ‘central park’ and of course what was that point! 

 

I did enjoy watching those that stood in line for an hr or so for the zip line that took them 20sec to go across the open deck….weird. 

 

Enough. Obviously not a fan of the Monster Ships. Enjoyed the older smaller RCL’s, but again, the Diamond Club Saved my sanity. 

 

Den

[Smmessineo]

17 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

And back to the OP’s subject……

 

I did enjoy the Diamond Club on RCL. Was on the Oasis of the Seas along with 5-Thousand others and the Only way I survived was the Club. Nice place to meet, play cards and actually one place outside our SR you could actually relax.

 

If I want to go to Central Park, I’ll visit NYC (doing that soon!) instead of whatever that was on the Oasis. Crowded and noisy…accept that in a Big City, not a cruise ship. Loved the full Broadway play, but got tired of the requirement to book anything Well in advance….not my style on a cruise ship. 

 

Had a nice Balcony SR; had friends who booked a ‘balcony’ and were Soooo proud they got it so cheap….until they got to it and realized their ‘balcony’ overlooked the ship interior and they could never enjoy it because of the neverending noise rafting up from ‘central park’ and of course what was that point! 

 

I did enjoy watching those that stood in line for an hr or so for the zip line that took them 20sec to go across the open deck….weird. 

 

Enough. Obviously not a fan of the Monster Ships. Enjoyed the older smaller RCL’s, but again, the Diamond Club Saved my sanity. 

 

Den

Thanks for that look at RCL!  Celebrity is an excellent fit for us, but I keep wondering if we should at least try RCL. Everything I've read over the years leads us to "nope"  and your description leads me to a  definitive "no way, no how, never 😀".  

[davekathy]

25 minutes ago, Denny01 said:

Obviously not a fan of the Monster Ships. Enjoyed the older smaller RCL’s, but again, the Diamond Club Saved my sanity. 

I (we) agree. We've only cruised on the Radiance class, Voyager class and Freedom class RC ships. The DL is a nice getaway anytime of day but especially in the evening for a pre diner snack and drinks. We are there at 5 and gone by 5:45 PM. 

Edited September 2, 2022 by davekathy

[southernbreezes]

On 8/31/2022 at 7:10 PM, fstuff1 said:

 

182 suites on E-class? wow!
before covid, i had retreat access on the Edge because I was high casino tier. (Zeniths were also allowed in.)
it was NEVER crowded except when there was a special event there. (usually music for a certain hr during a sea day)

Good luck getting a suite I was wait listed for months on my last 3 cruises before one came open. The retreat lounge was standing room only on my April TA trip between the hours of 5:00-7:30 every night. We had 24 Zeniths on board let them pay like I did.  We like the extra perks with a suite but I take one more for the larger cabin and storage space then anything else.

Edited September 9, 2022 by southernbreezes