Cookies now cost $2 plus 20%

[NutsAboutGolf]

9 minutes ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Of course they do so they can sell that garbage as a "special" benefit for Elite/Elite Plus. Together with the laundry (aka paper shredder) benefit.

 

I noticed they often do popular flavors such as pistachio only as Gelato and not as ice cream to get people to pay.

 

The Paper Shredder 😅

[HMR74]

3 hours ago, terrydtx said:

Last year we were in the suite on the top floor and the view of the Caldera was spectacular. It is in the middle of Thera and there over 50 bars and restaurants within a 3 block walk. We got to see and laugh at all the cruise ship passengers fighting to get on the lift to the city and at night the city gets so much quieter with all the cruise ship passengers gone. There are a lot of full suites hotels at pricing up to $2K or more per night, my TA recommended the Asha Suites. 

and the point of staying there for a few days is exactly that. We had 3 great dinners there after the  ships left and a couple real good lunches.

One day we were walking in center town and could not belive thel ine at 2:30  to take the lift down. Had to be 90-120 minutes long winding down the  town to the south I think. At top of hill about 3 blocks north of the center town area was a place named Kokokoon.with a view looking SE toward the airport. Great upscale dinner..

Then we walked back down to to the 24/7 bakery to buy sweet rolls for the morning (Airbnb) . across the street and slights up thehill another great restaurant, forgot name but it has a wide staircase up and a sliding glass enclosed resturant, and that place had a platter to try most of their stuff which was great too.

[kwokpot]

16 minutes ago, HMR74 said:

Yep, thats the set up at both dealers.

Amazing, one businesses enticements have become a small profit center for Celebrity.

 a test ship, i repeat, should  not be where major takaways are tested and minor add ons, like warm choclate chip cookies are tested. Furthermore, on the takaways its just bad business to have contracts with custoemrs where the company can change and devalue the product.

I can buy a package of nestles choc chip cookies for about 5 bucks at home and while thery are good, if teh food on a ship is like it used to be with the  choiceswe had, then you don't need no stinkn extra desert. If X thinks thats an improvement then it needs to have read these pages.

 

Its not a major issue.

 

But if they tested a concept as follows, I bet its a winner, From 9-mindnight haave a set up in the OVC for something.

Go grab a cup of coffee and a piece of pie or cake, and sit and smooze at a tabe or the outside portion of the OVC. like Bakers Square used to be.

 

Its a place big enough and throw in some simple food like the pizza or chicken wings.

 

Throw in a pianist with piano and it turns into a sort of adult quiet night club. Build on the concept, Turn down the lights a bit, and people can sit and read, play a game, etc.

Sometiems the places on 3 are just too loud to talk /converse unless you are in each others faces.

As someone else mentioned on M & S Class ships I think the Gelato counter is underutilized. They would be much better served by moving the Gelato to the Oceanview Cafe Ice cream counter, just like on the E-Class ships, and using that counter for an expanded FOR PAY, snacks and light bites area. It could include the new hot cookies but also hot Panini sandwiches and other sweet and savory snacks. It would be similar to Royal's Promenade Cafe but I would be totally fine with them offering a higher level of snacks for a fee. 

Edited August 25, 2023 by kwokpot

[deliver42]

The Royal Prominade Cafe, other than the specialty coffees is free.

[SkystheLimit]

I've always felt a little sorry for the person working the gelato counter.  They seldom have any business and they mostly stand around wiping down the counter endlessly.  This charging for a cookie probably won't add to their excitement.

 

[kwokpot]

53 minutes ago, deliver42 said:

The Royal Prominade Cafe, other than the specialty coffees is free.

I realize that, but since Celebrity is obviously trying to bring in additional for-fee items that would generate revenue AND better monetize existing spaces I would be fine if they offered food items for a fee. I think the reluctance may stem from a similar idea on the Edge that never lasted beyond the first revenue cruise. It was something similar to my idea but located on deck three to the left of the Martini Bar. The original design concept of the Grand Plaza was to mimic places like Europe's most famous plazas and squares where there's food, drink, entertainment and people watching all rolled into one (The interior designers for NCL's Prima Class used the same inspiration for that ship class's Penrose Atrium). Unfortunately it most have been VERY apparent from the preview cruises and first 7 day revenue sailing back in 2018 that this space in practice didn't work and probably no one ever went to get any food there. I was on the second Revenue sailing of the Edge and that cafe counter already was shuttered down and never used again and on subsequent E-Class ships done away with.   

Edited August 25, 2023 by kwokpot

[Fly and Sail]

1 hour ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

The Paper Shredder 😅

 

Something like this. But if you ever have XXL clothes and really need M, just put it in the bag! 😄

[Mike07]

On 8/23/2023 at 4:20 PM, cruisestitch said:

This may be the straw that breaks this camel’s back, so to speak

 

 

It's getting ridiculous. And yes, $2 for a cookie is breaking absolutely zero cruisers budgets, but it's also a sign of where things are going.

[NMTraveller]

[MamaFej]

1 hour ago, SkystheLimit said:

I've always felt a little sorry for the person working the gelato counter.  They seldom have any business and they mostly stand around wiping down the counter endlessly.  This charging for a cookie probably won't add to their excitement.

 

Sadly, the excitement added to their shift will likely come from rude passengers berating them for a policy they had absolutely nothing to do with devising. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

10 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

Sadly, the excitement added to their shift will likely come from rude passengers berating them for a policy they had absolutely nothing to do with devising. 

 

I don't think it'll be too bad for them as they'd be used to those who wrongly assume the gelato is free and I don't recall any sign that lists the gelato price.  At least the price is listed for the cookie

[Covepointcruiser]

On 8/21/2023 at 6:25 PM, angela miller said:

Of course, celebrity doesn’t read this anymore… But fellow cruisers do.Get the word out that there are other options. 

 

9 hours ago, kirtihk said:

I booked a Silversea cruise with an exceptional itinerary recently for $330 per night.

Segments of World Cruises are always inexpensive.   

[MamaFej]

1 minute ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

I don't think it'll be too bad for them as they'd be used to those who wrongly assume the gelato is free and I don't recall any sign that lists the gelato price.  At least the price is listed for the cookie

I hope you are correct. 

Those poor folks have a fairly dull time until the last two days, when folks suddenly remember: Oh! I need to go get my "free" gelato!

 

[NutsAboutGolf]

23 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

 

 

It's getting ridiculous. And yes, $2 for a cookie is breaking absolutely zero cruisers budgets, but it's also a sign of where things are going.

 

They'll probably ultimately charge for all desserts at CaB and perhaps move them all over to Gelato station on the M/S class.  While that's disappointing, so are the desserts at CaB (so bland, not worth the calories) 😅  The cookies appear to be a better version of the cookies that are free, perhaps X will produce descent quality desserts if they charge.  However, that has its own set of problems because like all cruise lines, the price will continually increase and the product, in this case the dessert recipes, will be continually be cheapened

[SkystheLimit]

45 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

 

Segments of World Cruises are always inexpensive.   

That's what we like about world cruise segments.  They usually are not cookie cutter itineraries and often reasonably priced.

 

[OysterD]

It seems to have gotten lost in the 14 pages of, ahem, waffle, but a poster a couple of pages back had an email from X confirming that the free cookies at Al Bacio would be remaining. Only change is the option to purchase a larger and warm cookie if you like. 

[HMR74]

now just saw a doubletree suites commercial, proudly giving free warm chocolate chip cookies  to guests.

Its not a game changer for car dealers, hotels, or cruise lines, but its a di minimus thing,  petty cash,. for both the cruise lines and guests. 

If RCL/X cannot afford to give complementary warm cc cookies to guests, then there is somethig seriously wrong with their pricing and costs strategies.

 

Probably also true for most of the sector, perhaps except for Viking which is family owned and operated.

 

nuff said, I guess

 

 

 

[SeaDome]

If I have to pay them $2 for a cookie, then in protest I will go to the buffet and put a hamburger on my plate that I won’t eat and they will have to throw away. 

[hcat]

5 hours ago, kwokpot said:

As someone else mentioned on M & S Class ships I think the Gelato counter is underutilized. They would be much better served by moving the Gelato to the Oceanview Cafe Ice cream counter, just like on the E-Class ships, and using that counter for an expanded FOR PAY, snacks and light bites area. It could include the new hot cookies but also hot Panini sandwiches and other sweet and savory snacks. It would be similar to Royal's Promenade Cafe but I would be totally fine with them offering a higher level of snacks for a fee. 

if we wanted Royal we would not have stuck with X for so long.. But sadly,  eventually the two lines will be the same!

[2023]

Everyone take a deep breath…..

[helen haywood]

If that were true and everything else remained the same then why are we seeing pictures/reports of the cookie containers at Cafe al Bacio and by the ice cream counter at the Oceanview Cafe having been removed?

[hcat]

21 minutes ago, 2023 said:

Everyone take a deep breath…..

BS!

[mayleeman]

6 hours ago, HMR74 said:

she like other mothers did not understand the party aspect of college. I was there in the mid 60's. The drinking started the first day of registration , and back then we went to the sports complex basket ball  ball arena to get our punch cards for the classes that were required, at the times we wanted.

Pot parties started my Sr year when I had to be serious.

 

Sure, we told her we wanted to get back for the fun. But we all knew it was really because the food was far better. Now, if anyone likes fishsticks twice a week...my childhood would be ideal!

[NMTraveller]

22 minutes ago, mayleeman said:

 

Sure, we told her we wanted to get back for the fun. But we all knew it was really because the food was far better. Now, if anyone likes fishsticks twice a week...my childhood would be ideal!

I hear you can still get the tilapia fish sticks 🙂 

[bjahil47]

1 hour ago, 2023 said:

Everyone take a deep breath…..

My mother never charged me for cookies right out of the oven!  If she had she would have been a rich woman!