Celebrity Error - Build a "Class System" into Your Ships

[DaKahuna]

51 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

The Celebrity SV included none of these perks.  That is why I am starting to browse MSC Yacht Club...

When I add the premium drink package on Celebrity,  Celebrity is more expensive.

 

I recently did two 7-day B2B cruises on MSC in the YC.  I paid a different price for each cruise and the cabins I had were next door to each other.  The second leg was more expensive and had more guest in the YC than the first leg.  

When we looked for these cruises, I priced compared with 7-day sailing on Celebrity out of Florida.  Even the more expensive MSC cruise was around $800 less expensive than the a 7-day in the Retreat on Celebrity for the same time frame.  

 

I wish I had kept the spreadsheet I put together but I deleted it once I had my TA book the cruise.    

 

To us the biggest difference is the Top Sail Lounge - if you are familiar with the S-Class ships just imagine the Michael's Club/Retreat Lounge and the Ensemble Lounge combined into a single space but with the view you get from the Sky Lounge.  That's what the TSL on Seascape was like.   We loved the fact that there was live entertainment in the evenings and other than the casino spent most of our time after dinner in the lounge listening to the music and enjoying a cocktail or hot tea.  

 

 

[DaKahuna]

 Duplicate --- got an error message and so thought the one above did not post. 

 

Edited October 13 by DaKahuna

[billc23]

3 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

To us the biggest difference is the Top Sail Lounge - if you are familiar with the S-Class ships just imagine the Michael's Club/Retreat Lounge and the Ensemble Lounge combined into a single space but with the view you get from the Sky Lounge.  That's what the TSL on Seascape was like.   

Wow! Great way to describe the TSL for those who know the S class ships. Another nice thing is the stairway up to the restaurant and the proximity of the cabins. 

[DaKahuna]

10 minutes ago, billc23 said:

Wow! Great way to describe the TSL for those who know the S class ships. Another nice thing is the stairway up to the restaurant and the proximity of the cabins. 

 

 And the fact that if you get a seat along "the rail" you can enjoy the live music while having dinner.    

[billc23]

1 hour ago, NMTraveller said:

The Celebrity SV included none of these perks.  That is why I am starting to browse MSC Yacht Club...

When I add the premium drink package on Celebrity,  Celebrity is more expensive.

Check out the MSC status match if you want to sail MSC. I think it is best to status match and receive a Voyager Club number first and then book the cruise using that number. Most matches give a 5% discount. If you enjoy MSC, booking your next cruise on board has great benefits including additional discounts and OBC. 

[cachouonacruise]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

If you are aware of your options then why the lamentation?  There are two other CLASSES of ships you can book on Celebrity or dozens of ships on other cruise lines to give you what you want.
 

Seriously some of you act like the police broke in and made you book a cruise you don’t like?!  And you act like you are forced into an inside cabin 24 hours a day and not allowed to see the ocean.  
 

 

 

I was not lamenting, but merely expressing a disappointment, an opinion.

 

I thought, Cruise Critics was a forum established for that purpose.

 

But again, I may have been mistaken. Indeed, some posters seem prompt to judgement when expressed opinions don't match with theirs, instead of trying to understand a different perspective.

 

 

 

 

[billc23]

12 minutes ago, cachouonacruise said:

I was not lamenting, but merely expressing a disappointment, an opinion.

 

I thought, Cruise Critics was a forum established for that purpose.

 

But again, I may have been mistaken. Indeed, some posters seem prompt to judgement when expressed opinions don't match with theirs, instead of trying to understand a different perspective.

 

 

 

 

Yes, I agree on the baiting by some posters. I do give my opinion and try to answer questions with information from my recent experiences. Earlier, I discussed the difference in port stops - the location and duration - that some may find useful in choosing their cruise. Also, access to regional food and local entertainment may be important to some and many may not care. These are factors that I rarely see discussed yet, for me, have a place in my overall enjoyment of the cruise. Hopefully some readers will find the information useful. 

 

I followed a recent Oceania cruise review by a frequent Celebrity cruiser and will look into a future Oceania sailing provided I like the itinerary. I do not feel that I can render an opinion on Oceania until I have first hand experience that will come after a few sailings with the brand.  I guess I'm not as insightful as some posters who have argumentative opinions on that which they never experienced...

[zitsky]

30 minutes ago, cachouonacruise said:

I was not lamenting, but merely expressing a disappointment, an opinion.

 

I thought, Cruise Critics was a forum established for that purpose.

 

But again, I may have been mistaken. Indeed, some posters seem prompt to judgement when expressed opinions don't match with theirs, instead of trying to understand a different perspective.

 

Do you want every reply to be “You’re absolutely right.  I couldn’t agree more.”?

 

I didn’t call you names.  I told you I didn’t agree with your perspective and pointed out that you have many choices of cruise ship, and company to cruise on.  

 

 

[zitsky]

7 minutes ago, billc23 said:

Yes, I agree on the baiting by some posters. I do give my opinion and try to answer questions with information from my recent experiences. Earlier, I discussed the difference in port stops - the location and duration - that some may find useful in choosing their cruise. Also, access to regional food and local entertainment may be important to some and many may not care. These are factors that I rarely see discussed yet, for me, have a place in my overall enjoyment of the cruise. Hopefully some readers will find the information useful. 

 

I followed a recent Oceania cruise review by a frequent Celebrity cruiser and will look into a future Oceania sailing provided I like the itinerary. I do not feel that I can render an opinion on Oceania until I have first hand experience that will come after a few sailings with the brand.  I guess I'm not as insightful as some posters who have argumentative opinions on that which they never experienced...

I guess I’ll book a cruise on Oceania just to make you happy even when I know I don’t like small ships.  But since it’s so much cheaper than Celebrity maybe I’ll like it.  

[PTC DAWG]

I wonder if there are boards here for the “luxury cruises” to comment on..sure doesn’t seem like it reading this thread..they are all here telling how great they are and how Celebrity stinks..gets old quick. 

[billc23]

11 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I guess I’ll book a cruise on Oceania just to make you happy even when I know I don’t like small ships.  But since it’s so much cheaper than Celebrity maybe I’ll like it.  

I really do not understand your logic. A recent review by someone I know, and whose opinion I respect, has put Oceania on my radar when looking for a cruise. That is all. I'm not sure if I will ever book Oceania and if I do I will try to give helpful information to others. Just like many posters on CC do with their live reviews and helpful information. 

 

It is not about you making me or anyone else happy... 

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

I recently did two 7-day B2B cruises on MSC in the YC.  I paid a different price for each cruise and the cabins I had were next door to each other.  The second leg was more expensive and had more guest in the YC than the first leg.  

When we looked for these cruises, I priced compared with 7-day sailing on Celebrity out of Florida.  Even the more expensive MSC cruise was around $800 less expensive than the a 7-day in the Retreat on Celebrity for the same time frame.  

 

I wish I had kept the spreadsheet I put together but I deleted it once I had my TA book the cruise.    

 

To us the biggest difference is the Top Sail Lounge - if you are familiar with the S-Class ships just imagine the Michael's Club/Retreat Lounge and the Ensemble Lounge combined into a single space but with the view you get from the Sky Lounge.  That's what the TSL on Seascape was like.   We loved the fact that there was live entertainment in the evenings and other than the casino spent most of our time after dinner in the lounge listening to the music and enjoying a cocktail or hot tea.  

 

 

I am going to do a 7-day MSC Virtuoasa cruise in Yacht Club at $4845.

Back to back.

Then I sail on the Celebrity Apex SV for a 7-day cruise at $4797 with premium Wi-Fi.  The Celebrity cruise does not include alcohol or the amenities of Yacht Club.

 

The price is very similar, but I suppose that when is all said and done the Celebrity option will be more expensive.  It is a direct comparison with similar pricing of a Celebrity SV to MSC Yacht Club.  Perhaps apples and oranges, but I selected the options that would work best for myself.

 

I will try Yacht Club for the first time and then got on a Celebrity ship and try an SV for the first time.

 

So those that say Celebrity is less expensive, I beg to differ.  I have two booked cruises...

 

 

 

[zitsky]

43 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I am going to do a 7-day MSC Virtuoasa cruise in Yacht Club at $4845.

Back to back.

Then I sail on the Celebrity Apex SV for a 7-day cruise at $4797 with premium Wi-Fi.  The Celebrity cruise does not include alcohol or the amenities of Yacht Club.

 

The price is very similar, but I suppose that when is all said and done the Celebrity option will be more expensive.  It is a direct comparison with similar pricing of a Celebrity SV to MSC Yacht Club.  Perhaps apples and oranges, but I selected the options that would work best for myself.

 

I will try Yacht Club for the first time and then got on a Celebrity ship and try an SV for the first time.

 

So those that say Celebrity is less expensive, I beg to differ.  I have two booked cruises...

 

 

 

I appreciate this post.  I’m trying to compare but as I said the schedule I want isn’t published yet.  I may look at other itineraries.

[Lena11033]

3 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

I am going to do a 7-day MSC Virtuoasa cruise in Yacht Club at $4845.

Back to back.

Then I sail on the Celebrity Apex SV for a 7-day cruise at $4797 with premium Wi-Fi.  The Celebrity cruise does not include alcohol or the amenities of Yacht Club.

 

The price is very similar, but I suppose that when is all said and done the Celebrity option will be more expensive.  It is a direct comparison with similar pricing of a Celebrity SV to MSC Yacht Club.  Perhaps apples and oranges, but I selected the options that would work best for myself.

 

I will try Yacht Club for the first time and then got on a Celebrity ship and try an SV for the first time.

 

So those that say Celebrity is less expensive, I beg to differ.  I have two booked cruises...

 

 

 

 

I was comparing Celebrity to when I've priced out Oceania, Regent, Viking and Silversea. MSC is mass market like Royal but Explora is more luxury.

 

Some MSC cruises are starting to get up there in pricing because a lot of people are changing lines.

 

For excursions I did a European excursion for Netherlands and Belgium and the guide was in English, my caribbean one is next year but expecting the same.

 

 

[DaKahuna]

3 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

So those that say Celebrity is less expensive, I beg to differ. 

 

I could not agree more.  As you are well aware, the YC includes two WiFi accounts for each guest vs the one with Celebrity.  However, the included WiFi on MSC is not the 'surf' but is the 'browse.' We got around this limitation by using a VPN which allowed us to stream YouTube on MSC's lower tier WiFi. 

 

 

[NMTraveller]

24 minutes ago, Lena11033 said:

 

I was comparing Celebrity to when I've priced out Oceania, Regent, Viking and Silversea. MSC is mass market like Royal but Explora is more luxury.

 

Some MSC cruises are starting to get up there in pricing because a lot of people are changing lines.

 

For excursions I did a European excursion for Netherlands and Belgium and the guide was in English, my caribbean one is next year but expecting the same.

 

 

I just priced out an Oceania cruise and compared it to my Apex cruise.  The Oceania cruise was $700 pp more.  But then it is missing quite a bit.  Add in specialty restaurants, Wi-Fi, and gratuities and they are about the same in price.

[NMTraveller]

25 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I just priced out an Oceania cruise and compared it to my Apex cruise.  The Oceania cruise was $700 pp more.  But then it is missing quite a bit.  Add in specialty restaurants, Wi-Fi, and gratuities and they are about the same in price.

I meant to say that the Celebrity cruise was missing items that Oceania had included.  When you add those into the Celebrity pricing they are about the same.

[Liao]

On 10/12/2024 at 4:24 PM, billc23 said:

I was responding to another poster... I felt I received more for my money on the luxury line and never really thought about why Celebrity cannot provide the same.

Yes you were, but in an open forum…

[retiredtraveler70]

On 10/12/2024 at 2:49 PM, Dolebludger said:

Regarding the reserved theater seating, if it were offered only to Retreat guests, it might be understandable. But to sell this perk to non-Retreat guests seems like more nickel and diming. 

 

Absolutely, it is the most in-your-face way to go about nickel and diming, as well. The way a Celebrity security guy (or Butler?) addressed us on a sold-out Beyond cruise (when every night was roped off, not just chic) was absurd -- unwarranted and lacking of class.   

[retiredtraveler70]

On 10/12/2024 at 3:01 PM, zitsky said:

So do you think a company should not be allowed to offer a perk for $75 a day if someone else pays $500 a day for their cabin and gets the same perk?  Or is your problem with giving customers a choice of what they can pay for?

 

I’m just not interested in spending $20/30/50,000 on a luxury cruise so that I can sit in a small restaurant and compare who spends more on their vacation.

 

They should not sell seating that the regular folks get in the auditorium for $75 a day or $500 a day. It doesn't matter . . . all classes should get what they pay for. Cruising for decades, whether it's an inside room or a veranda, have had food provided and entertainment. Start selling our seats in the theater for Priority Access and its pure nickel and diming, making me feel that breakfast in the Oceanview will soon have ropes around seating areas.

[retiredtraveler70]

21 hours ago, zitsky said:

There are events on board reserved for Elites aka Zenith.  I’m excluded from certain areas at certain times.  I don’t think that’s fair.  Do you?

 

The last cruise had a couple of special Elite and Elite+ (Zenith as well) cocktail parties held in The Club. Like all events in that dismal location, there were about four or five couples scattered around and the one bartender looked very bored. Put that event in the old "Sky Lounge", and it would have been packed, with appetizers and zillions of loyalty passengers. The Club is a total waste of time.

[retiredtraveler70]

19 hours ago, cachouonacruise said:

My conclusion on this topic: 

 

On a vacation, I can choose a camping trip, a train trip, an organized tour etc.

 

If I choose a cruise, it's because I love the ocean. Being deprived of 25% of the ocean horizon, because I chose not to buy the retreat, is hurtful to me. 
 

Of note, I don't care about Luminae, Michael's, butlers, priority lines etc. All I care about is the ocean. This is why I cruise. Therefore, paying that much more money for a suite, for all these other unwanted perks feels like wasted money, to me.

 

I used to have free access to 360 degrees view on the ocean. I chose RCL for my first cruise, just because of their Viking Crown Lounge and their wrap around walking deck.

 

On Celebrity E Class, I was told too bad, so sad!!! 

 

P.s. I am fully aware of what my options are. I am just expressing, a heartfelt disappointment, which will likely turn me away from an experience I used to love.
 

I loved the ships with the forward views, or with the fully wrap around walking decks. The E-Class tries to have a walking deck but there are about half of the walkers you used to see on the full walk-decks or the HAL ships with complete walk-around wooden decks. Honestly, some of the design is so OFF for this class of Celebrity ship . . . i hope they have other plans for their next releases. 

 

[Dolebludger]

7 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

I wonder if there are boards here for the “luxury cruises” to comment on..sure doesn’t seem like it reading this thread..they are all here telling how great they are and how Celebrity stinks..gets old quick. 

Yes, there are sub forums here on CC for all the lux and near-lux lines. Take a look at them. You’ll see that all is not roses with them either. And in no way does Celebrity “stink”. For some levels of accommodations, it is “best in class”. But for Retreat and maybe Aqua it, at least for a time, was overpriced compared with the lux and near lux. But my info on this is a few months old, and there have been price increases and service cutbacks since I did a full comparison, so I don’t know about booking and price comparisons right now. What I do know is all lines are struggling under massive debt loads at very high interest, so I expect all of them are going to try new things (usually cutbacks) to deal with that situation.

[Cruising89143]

8 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

I wonder if there are boards here for the “luxury cruises” to comment on..sure doesn’t seem like it reading this thread..they are all here telling how great they are and how Celebrity stinks..gets old quick. 

There are cruise lines that I once cruised but no longer have interest. I also have no interest in those discussion boards. Same with cruise lines that I have zero interest in cruising. I have also cruised enough within the last thirty-eight years to know what I like and dislike about cruising. I don’t need someone to try and convince me otherwise.

 

I find it interesting that some take the time to post here about certain lines when they state that they no longer have an interest in Celebrity. One poster hasn’t cruised with Celebrity in five years according to that person but yet they feel the need to hang out and post here. I don’t get it. I guess things are slow at Petticoat Junction. 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, retiredtraveler70 said:

 

The last cruise had a couple of special Elite and Elite+ (Zenith as well) cocktail parties held in The Club. Like all events in that dismal location, there were about four or five couples scattered around and the one bartender looked very bored. Put that event in the old "Sky Lounge", and it would have been packed, with appetizers and zillions of loyalty passengers. The Club is a total waste of time.

Are you seriously telling me that you willingly participated in an event that was not open to all paying passengers?  That must be a typo.