Woo Hoo... Pinnacle now equals Zenith on Celebrity

[cruise wizard]

1 hour ago, twangster said:

The last time I sailed Edge there was one Zenith on board.  I met him.  

 

I suspect he won't be so lonely any more.

 

You won't be meeting them in the Retreat Lounge (unless you are in a suite). I am on the Beyond and our cruise is one of the first to have P's as Junior Z's...........sorry no space in the RL - just suite guests and "real" Z's. I haven't asked the Retreat Concierges if there is a "magic number" that allows JZ's in.........maybe I can get an answer from the CC Loyalty person. Wish me good luck!!!!

[verizon]

6 minutes ago, cruise wizard said:

 

You won't be meeting them in the Retreat Lounge (unless you are in a suite). I am on the Beyond and our cruise is one of the first to have P's as Junior Z's...........sorry no space in the RL - just suite guests and "real" Z's. I haven't asked the Retreat Concierges if there is a "magic number" that allows JZ's in.........maybe I can get an answer from the CC Loyalty person. Wish me good luck!!!!

Do you know how many P onboard ?

There must be a lot if they won’t let P access to Retreat.

[verizon]

Just now, verizon said:

Do you know how many P onboard ?

There must be a lot if they won’t let P access to Retreat.

Beyond has a bigger lounge than Solstice class ship.

[Cruising89143]

3 hours ago, cruise wizard said:

Royal has made the conscious decision to build mega-ships (always the biggest), floating "Six Flags of the Seas", high technology and multi entertainment venues geared to the younger families and adventuresome clientele where the ship (and their private islands) are the destination..........not traditional "cruise ships" - a place to relax and get away from it all. They have found out that the mega ships are are now giant cash cows for the 3 & 4 night "weekends". Great for them but this product I'm not interested in (too old). May they make tons of $$$$ and be super profitable (I am a shareholder) - just keep Celebrity as a true cruising alternative!!

 

This. I agree 100%. Celebrity has tried to draw in a younger guest with the addition of the Edge class and while they have been “slightly” successful I think RCG has decided to continue to build the Oasis/Icon (very large ships) class for Royal and for Celebrity build what many consider a more traditional mid sized cruise ship. I think they will continue to  build in the range of the upsized  Edge (Beyond and later) class. Celebrity has tried to figure out where they belong in the industry and now I think Jason Liberty has decided to try and push the long time Royal cruiser that wants a smaller ship over to Celebrity while still trying to attract a younger clientele. Also, Celebrity really turned their attention to suite cruisers when you look at the number of suites on the Edge class versus the Solstice class.
 

We go back and forth but Royal fails in the suite area compared to Celebrity. We like both lines but for different reasons. I give RCG six months and I think there will be a fine tuning of perks for all three cruise lines and not necessarily for the better. That free Premium drink package that Z’s receive could become very costly. Time will tell. 

[twangster]

1 hour ago, cruise wizard said:

 

You won't be meeting them in the Retreat Lounge (unless you are in a suite). I am on the Beyond and our cruise is one of the first to have P's as Junior Z's...........sorry no space in the RL - just suite guests and "real" Z's. I haven't asked the Retreat Concierges if there is a "magic number" that allows JZ's in.........maybe I can get an answer from the CC Loyalty person. Wish me good luck!!!!

 

If I have a premium drink plan I have no use for the RL.  

 

I'd much rather sit at a real bar somewhere on the ship, just like when I'm on Royal.  

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, Cruising89143 said:

 

This. I agree 100%. Celebrity has tried to draw in a younger guest with the addition of the Edge class and while they have been “slightly” successful I think RCG has decided to continue to build the Oasis/Icon (very large ships) class for Royal and for Celebrity build what many consider a more traditional mid sized cruise ship. I think they will continue to  build in the range of the upsized  Edge (Beyond and later) class. Celebrity has tried to figure out where they belong in the industry and now I think Jason Liberty has decided to try and push the long time Royal cruiser that wants a smaller ship over to Celebrity while still trying to attract a younger clientele. Also, Celebrity really turned their attention to suite cruisers when you look at the number of suites on the Edge class versus the Solstice class.
 

We go back and forth but Royal fails in the suite area compared to Celebrity. We like both lines but for different reasons. I give RCG six months and I think there will be a fine tuning of perks for all three cruise lines and not necessarily for the better. That free Premium drink package that Z’s receive could become very costly. Time will tell. 

Great post, I agree with everything you said. There has been a lot of discussion on this board about Project Discovery. From a business perspective, it doesn’t make too much sense for RCI to introduce a new smaller class of ship when their bigger ships generate a significant profit. I am not currently an RCI shareholder, but if I was, I would want RCI to continue building bigger ships and not worry about building a new smaller class of ship. 

[cruise wizard]

2 hours ago, verizon said:

Do you know how many P onboard ?

There must be a lot if they won’t let P access to Retreat.

 

I don't know the number Z's onboard but we attended their Captain's Club Celebration event - they reserve seats for Z's, we sat down in the front row on the side but was asked to move behind a row in that they were reserved for the "top cruisers". There were probably 24 front row seats and they recognize only the top cruisers (80 total cruises). I guess that the Z black card holders are the top cruisers and the blue card (PZ's) go back a row. There may have been 6 to 8 folks in the second row of reserved seats - lots of no-shows I guess.

 

I will try and find out tomorrow how many Z's and PZ's there are onboard now and next week when I visit the CC office after our B2B meeting.

[cruise wizard]

29 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Great post, I agree with everything you said. There has been a lot of discussion on this board about Project Discovery. From a business perspective, it doesn’t make too much sense for RCI to introduce a new smaller class of ship when their bigger ships generate a significant profit. I am not currently an RCI shareholder, but if I was, I would want RCI to continue building bigger ships and not worry about building a new smaller class of ship. 

 

True - why build another class of smaller ships for Royal when Celebrity already fills that void. The only feature that I personally don't like is the Infinite Veranda - the un-balcony balcony. We just love the true balcony - traditionalist I guess!!!

[Another_Critic]

25 minutes ago, cruise wizard said:

 

True - why build another class of smaller ships for Royal when Celebrity already fills that void. The only feature that I personally don't like is the Infinite Veranda - the un-balcony balcony. We just love the true balcony - traditionalist I guess!!!

If they (RCI) want to continue to sail from Tampa and Baltimore (and stop at smaller ports), they will need smaller ships.

[orville99]

9 minutes ago, Another_Critic said:

If they (RCI) want to continue to sail from Tampa and Baltimore (and stop at smaller ports), they will need smaller ships.

Or they will continue to sail Celebrity out of those ports.

[bonsai3s]

1 hour ago, cruise wizard said:

 

I don't know the number Z's onboard but we attended their Captain's Club Celebration event - they reserve seats for Z's, we sat down in the front row on the side but was asked to move behind a row in that they were reserved for the "top cruisers". There were probably 24 front row seats and they recognize only the top cruisers (80 total cruises). I guess that the Z black card holders are the top cruisers and the blue card (PZ's) go back a row. There may have been 6 to 8 folks in the second row of reserved seats - lots of no-shows I guess.

 

I will try and find out tomorrow how many Z's and PZ's there are onboard now and next week when I visit the CC office after our B2B meeting.

 

@cruise wizard Thank you for all the great info...much appreciated.

 

* So PZ's will be identified by having blue cards...does it say Zenith on the card?

 

* How's the Premium Drink Package?

 

* How's the wifi and unlimited laundry?

* Were you invited to the Z lunch? If so, how was the menu? 

Thanks again.

[Another_Critic]

1 hour ago, orville99 said:

Or they will continue to sail Celebrity out of those ports.

But they will still need to build small ships to replace M class.  I don't think M class will fit in Baltimore.  So, they (RCI or X) either build small ships or stop sailing to/from some ports. 

 

Or create a Silversea Lite line.  😄

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, Another_Critic said:

If they (RCI) want to continue to sail from Tampa and Baltimore (and stop at smaller ports), they will need smaller ships.

 
I think the question is does RCI need to continue sailing out of small ports in the future? They would likely generate far more profit in the future by continuing to build big ships and basing them in Florida and Texas, sailing shorter cruises to Coco Cay and their upcoming beach clubs in Nassau and Cozumel. They are already moving in this direction with both Utopia and Wonder doing 3/4 day cruises in the near future. 

[island lady]

6 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

The once a year cruisers spend way more than we do on a cruise.  But they don’t cruise 80-100 nights a years either.  Royal shouldn’t forget about the bread and butter as you stated so well.  We too appreciate the new perks on sister lines and are now more anxious to get to the big P so we can get better perks on Celebrity too.  And who knows?  Silverseas over Viking will be on our radar now.

 

Yup...RCI has now decided that we matter after all.  Amazing. 😉 

[island lady]

7 hours ago, verizon said:

I am just thinking if he or she(Zenith ) never show up during the Welcoming party.will the captain honor Pinnacle as top cruiser or the honor will goes to Top Elite+ ?

 

Don't care.  Won't go there.  😄 😄 

[cruise wizard]

2 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

 

@cruise wizard Thank you for all the great info...much appreciated.

 

* So PZ's will be identified by having blue cards...does it say Zenith on the card?

 

* How's the Premium Drink Package?

 

* How's the wifi and unlimited laundry?

* Were you invited to the Z lunch? If so, how was the menu? 

Thanks again.

 

Ahoy - here's some answers and more to come tomorrow:

 

1) The blue card does have Zenith printed in small letters and also has Premium Bev noted

2) We don't drink alcohol but all is working well for sodas, coffee's, water, smoothies etc.

3) Wi-Fi is working well - we don't stream, so no help there - laundry will go out tomorrow

4)We just did get an invite for the Zenith luncheon for tomorrow in Blu - comments tomorrow

 

I hope to get more insights from other true Zenith's, get the temperature of the group and find out more about potential entry into the Retreat Lounge (requirements for JZ's)

 

Stay tuned...........

 

 

Edited June 13 by cruise wizard

[cruise wizard]

3 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

If they (RCI) want to continue to sail from Tampa and Baltimore (and stop at smaller ports), they will need smaller ships.

 

The older Royal Vision Class ships will be the next to go...........then Royal will have the Radiance Class - after that ZERO available for small ports. Celebrity has the 4 Millennium Class ships that appear to be in very good condition and may be the only other ones to handle Baltimore and Tampa. Time will tell.

[HBE4]

4 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

If they (RCI) want to continue to sail from Tampa and Baltimore (and stop at smaller ports), they will need smaller ships.

 

4 hours ago, orville99 said:

Or they will continue to sail Celebrity out of those ports.

 

Except that Royal appeals to a different demographic & price point. If Royal concedes a future generation of cruisers - the most profitable kind - from those ports to Carnival & NCL, that will come back to haunt both Royal & Celebrity down the road.

 

[Cruising89143]

3 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

But they will still need to build small ships to replace M class.  I don't think M class will fit in Baltimore.  So, they (RCI or X) either build small ships or stop sailing to/from some ports. 

 

Or create a Silversea Lite line.  😄

RCI doesn’t have to do a thing. It’s up to ports like Tampa and Baltimore to have access to the larger ships just like the Caribbean ports. I don’t see RCG crying over the loss of these ports if it comes down to it. Carnival and NCL both have an aging fleet. NCL has already announced new ships over 200,000 tons. Carnival has yet to announce smaller ships. Ports have to adapt.

[PhillyFan33579]

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

 

 

Except that Royal appeals to a different demographic & price point. If Royal concedes a future generation of cruisers - the most profitable kind - from those ports to Carnival & NCL, that will come back to haunt both Royal & Celebrity down the road.

 

If RCI removes older ships from ports like Tampa and Baltimore, and replaces them with new larger ships sailing from Florida and Texas to RCI’s private locations, they are not going to be haunted. The newer, younger more profitable passengers are not sailing on the smaller ships. Every time I cruise out of Tampa (I live in the Tampa area) on an RCI ship the passenger demographic is significantly older than when I cruise on RCI ships out of Port Canaveral, Port Everglades and Port Miami. The majority of people who want a new smaller ship, such as the long rumored/discussed Project Discovery, are older, experienced cruisers who do not spend the amount of money that younger couples and younger families spend on a cruise. 

[lovesthebeach2]

18 hours ago, cruise wizard said:

Royal has made the conscious decision to build mega-ships (always the biggest), floating "Six Flags of the Seas", high technology and multi entertainment venues geared to the younger families and adventuresome clientele where the ship (and their private islands) are the destination..........not traditional "cruise ships" - a place to relax and get away from it all. They have found out that the mega ships are are now giant cash cows for the 3 & 4 night "weekends". Great for them but this product I'm not interested in (too old). May they make tons of $$$$ and be super profitable (I am a shareholder) - just keep Celebrity as a true cruising alternative!!

I have said almost the exact same words as you so I agree 100%

[TeeRick]

8 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

If RCI removes older ships from ports like Tampa and Baltimore, and replaces them with new larger ships sailing from Florida and Texas to RCI’s private locations, they are not going to be haunted. The newer, younger more profitable passengers are not sailing on the smaller ships. Every time I cruise out of Tampa (I live in the Tampa area) on an RCI ship the passenger demographic is significantly older than when I cruise on RCI ships out of Port Canaveral, Port Everglades and Port Miami. The majority of people who want a new smaller ship, such as the long rumored/discussed Project Discovery, are older, experienced cruisers who do not spend the amount of money that younger couples and younger families spend on a cruise. 

So old ships for old people🙂.

[TeeRick]

18 hours ago, orville99 said:

They did however go through what they called ”The Celebrity Revolution” to update their non-edge ships to give them similar venues and ambiance. To me, that’s good “amping”😇

Yes.  Unfortunately it was never finished due to lack of cash during the pandemic.  Someday maybe they will complete it.  They put limited cash reserves into new E-Class builds.

[jamon]

 If I have the blue card with Zenith printed on it can I use this to get into other areas like the the retreat pool etc.?? I understand you may not have access to the retreat lounge itself....

[little britain]

18 hours ago, cruise wizard said:

 

You won't be meeting them in the Retreat Lounge (unless you are in a suite). I am on the Beyond and our cruise is one of the first to have P's as Junior Z's...........sorry no space in the RL - just suite guests and "real" Z's. I haven't asked the Retreat Concierges if there is a "magic number" that allows JZ's in.........maybe I can get an answer from the CC Loyalty person. Wish me good luck!!!!

Interesting.. it specifically says the PZs/ Zinacles/Piniths/ (!) may be allowed in… I find it hard to believe there are that many Zs on board ?  Perhaps they’d been told never to allow the interlopers in!? 
 

Edited June 13 by little britain