Miserable Captains Club Perks

[uktog]

..... a smile, a hello, a welcome from someone you cruised with before. In many ways I would rather have all the crew trained to recognise from the Sea Pass card that you have been before (or even been lots of times before) than have a small gizmo given to me.

 

On my last cruise I did well from the coupons - saved at least $75 across 2 laundry coupns; $20 on wine I would have been having anyway $15 at the end of a meal on a lovely coffee (again would have been having) and $40 on 2 games of bingo I might or might not have played but they were fun. I know others feel they got no value from their books so it just shows we are all different

 

I fear if the perks get improved I will pay for this somewhere else and who knows if they will get improved as I would like

 

So I will just wait and see what happens but I do love it when I meet up with waiters and bar staff in particular and see the smiles on their faces as they often recognise us before we recognise them - that is a reward for my loyalty

[Sky Sweet]

Duplicate post due to computer glitch

[Sky Sweet]

In my opinion, there are two ways of looking at this issue.

 

By virtue of being an elite member of Celebrity's Captain club, we were given the equivalent status of diamond membership in RCCL's Crown and Anchor Club.

 

As a diamond member we got a $300 discount for our D-1 aft balcony cabin. However, RCCL charges a premium for its best itineraries on its best ships during prime season, while Celebrity charges less for a comparable cruise. So even with that $300 discount for being a diamond member, our cruise still cost more than a comparable cruise on Celebrity.

 

A D-1 cabin on Brilliance of the Seas is very comparable to a Concierge Class Cabin on Celebrity's M class ships, even though it is slightly larger at

208 Sf vs 191 Sf on Celebrity.

 

As a diamond member we had access to RCCL's concierge lounge, which is a great perk, and the concierge unexpectedly delivered hor d'oerves to our cabin a few times during the cruise, but we did not get the in cabin concierge services that we would have had on Celebrity.

 

However, I am glad that we made the decision to sail on Brilliance of the Seas because it is much prettier than any ship in Celebrity's current fleet, our D-1 cabin was larger than a concierge class cabin on a Celebrity M class ship, the ship was in better condition than most of Celebrity's ships, and the itinerary was the best we could find for a Mediterranean Cruise to the Greek Isles and Turkey.

[c-legs]

..... a smile, a hello, a welcome from someone you cruised with before. In many ways I would rather have all the crew trained to recognise from the Sea Pass card that you have been before (or even been lots of times before) than have a small gizmo given to me.

 

On my last cruise I did well from the coupons - saved at least $75 across 2 laundry coupns; $20 on wine I would have been having anyway $15 at the end of a meal on a lovely coffee (again would have been having) and $40 on 2 games of bingo I might or might not have played but they were fun. I know others feel they got no value from their books so it just shows we are all different

 

I fear if the perks get improved I will pay for this somewhere else and who knows if they will get improved as I would like

 

So I will just wait and see what happens but I do love it when I meet up with waiters and bar staff in particular and see the smiles on their faces as they often recognise us before we recognise them - that is a reward for my loyalty

 

Good morning,

VERY WELL SAID.:p :)

My views exactly, specially the on board recognition.

And yes, on our recent B2B, we did quite well on the coupons anyways....

Cheers;)

[CaroleLee]

Keeping it simple....that's what the vacation is all about.;)

 

I travel with a roll-on and a tote. No problem on Princess used self service. Here is my trick for simple laundry while traveling. Note by simple I mean underwear and polo type shirts.

 

Bring several large ( gallon or larger) zip lock baggies & packets of woolite. Put woolite and water in baggie place several pieces of laundry in baggie. Aggitate baggie. Rinse laundry in sink. Hang on inflatable hangers -I get mine @ Magellans. Polo's usually dry in about 5 hours.

Always bring a Tide to Go or similar for stains.

Buy Wrinkles Away- a spray that works as though the clothes were pressed- this has a slight learning curve you have to hold the hem firmly so the spray doesn't collect.This isn't classy but it works and no waiting for luggage, extra fees or lost luggage.

Carole

[Karynanne]

In my opinion, there are two ways of looking at this issue.

 

By virtue of being an elite member of Celebrity's Captain club, we were given the equivalent status of diamond membership in RCCL's Crown and Anchor Club.

 

As a diamond member we got a $300 discount for our D-1 aft balcony cabin. However, RCCL charges a premium for its best itineraries on its best ships during prime season, while Celebrity charges less for a comparable cruise. So even with that $300 discount for being a diamond member, our cruise still cost more than a comparable cruise on Celebrity.

 

A D-1 cabin on Brilliance of the Seas is very comparable to a Concierge Class Cabin on Celebrity's M class ships, even though it is slightly larger at

208 Sf vs 191 Sf on Celebrity.

 

As a diamond member we had access to RCCL's concierge lounge, which is a great perk, and the concierge unexpectedly delivered hor d'oerves to our cabin a few times during the cruise, but we did not get the in cabin concierge services that we would have had on Celebrity.

 

However, I am glad that we made the decision to sail on Brilliance of the Seas because it is much prettier than any ship in Celebrity's current fleet, our D-1 cabin was larger than a concierge class cabin on a Celebrity M class ship, the ship was in better condition than most of Celebrity's ships, and the itinerary was the best we could find for a Mediterranean Cruise to the Greek Isles and Turkey.

 

It does sound as if the RCCL product is a better choice for you.

[FinelyCruising]

I travel with a roll-on and a tote. No problem on Princess used self service. Here is my trick for simple laundry while traveling. Note by simple I mean underwear and polo type shirts.

 

Bring several large ( gallon or larger) zip lock baggies & packets of woolite. Put woolite and water in baggie place several pieces of laundry in baggie. Aggitate baggie. Rinse laundry in sink. Hang on inflatable hangers -I get mine @ Magellans. Polo's usually dry in about 5 hours.

Always bring a Tide to Go or similar for stains.

Buy Wrinkles Away- a spray that works as though the clothes were pressed- this has a slight learning curve you have to hold the hem firmly so the spray doesn't collect.This isn't classy but it works and no waiting for luggage, extra fees or lost luggage.

Carole

 

I usually do my hand wash while I am in the shower to keep the rinse cycle simple (;) ), but your baggie idea for washing is new to me and I really like it!!!

[TomTN]

..... a smile, a hello, a welcome from someone you cruised with before. In many ways I would rather have all the crew trained to recognise from the Sea Pass card that you have been before (or even been lots of times before) than have a small gizmo given to me.

 

On my last cruise I did well from the coupons - saved at least $75 across 2 laundry coupns; $20 on wine I would have been having anyway $15 at the end of a meal on a lovely coffee (again would have been having) and $40 on 2 games of bingo I might or might not have played but they were fun. I know others feel they got no value from their books so it just shows we are all different

 

I fear if the perks get improved I will pay for this somewhere else and who knows if they will get improved as I would like

 

So I will just wait and see what happens but I do love it when I meet up with waiters and bar staff in particular and see the smiles on their faces as they often recognise us before we recognise them - that is a reward for my loyalty

 

Agree completly.

also the casino voucher requires that you put up $5 to go with your $5 voucher. Bet either the color or even/odd at roulet, and you are betting $5 to win $10 at only slightless than 50/50 odds. I bet once and leave the table, win or lose. I won 3 of 4 on our last cruise so I came out $15 ahead. Not my usual luck in the casino.

[elena7seas]

In my opinion, there are two ways of looking at this issue.

 

By virtue of being an elite member of Celebrity's Captain club, we were given the equivalent status of diamond membership in RCCL's Crown and Anchor Club.

 

As a diamond member we got a $300 discount for our D-1 aft balcony cabin. However, RCCL charges a premium for its best itineraries on its best ships during prime season, while Celebrity charges less for a comparable cruise. So even with that $300 discount for being a diamond member, our cruise still cost more than a comparable cruise on Celebrity.

 

A D-1 cabin on Brilliance of the Seas is very comparable to a Concierge Class Cabin on Celebrity's M class ships, even though it is slightly larger at

208 Sf vs 191 Sf on Celebrity.

 

As a diamond member we had access to RCCL's concierge lounge, which is a great perk, and the concierge unexpectedly delivered hor d'oerves to our cabin a few times during the cruise, but we did not get the in cabin concierge services that we would have had on Celebrity.

 

However, I am glad that we made the decision to sail on Brilliance of the Seas because it is much prettier than any ship in Celebrity's current fleet, our D-1 cabin was larger than a concierge class cabin on a Celebrity M class ship, the ship was in better condition than most of Celebrity's ships, and the itinerary was the best we could find for a Mediterranean Cruise to the Greek Isles and Turkey.

 

We have only sailed on the Serenade of the Seas, but we found it to be a very "pretty" ship as well. We like all the glass, the stone/marble work in the lobbies, and all the wood in Schooner's bar and the Colony Club. However, we probably wouldn't cruise with RCCL if they removed their perks.

 

The Concierge Lounge on RCCL specifically offsets, for us, the fact that we found the food less desirable, the service (while friendly), more hurried, and room service, which we have found to be excellent on Celebrity, was close to hopeless on the Serenade. Long wait times, cold food, etc. meant that we gave up on room service by day three. I actually prefer the layout of the M-class ships to the Radiance class as well. So all in all, the perks on RCCL make a difference to us when making choices.

 

The one thing that is beginning to weigh against Celebrity in our deliberations is the condition of the M-class staterooms. On Serenade, we found our D-1 corner aft to be in excellent condition, however, on our last trip on the Millennium the state of the stateroom carpeting, upholstery and drapery was such that I can't really recommend M-class ships to anyone who isn't already a fan of X. For the moment, I am personally willing to overlooking the soft goods which are actually beginning to look seedy in some cases, because the food, service and on-board ambiance have been so great. But increasing the loyalty perks on Celebrity will not take the place of improving the condition of the staterooms.

 

(One tiny point...the D-1 staterooms are 204 sq. ft, not 208 square feet.)

 

Once we have selected an itinerary, our cruises are chosen based on value, not dollars spent. (Value, I recognize, is totally subjective). We always look at Celebrity, HAL, Princess, RCCL and Oceania, but Celebrity Concierge Class on M-ships usually win out in terms of comparative value, given our priorities. We are happiest on Celebrity M-class ships, but the perks on RCCL do make a difference, and we would certainly consider RCCL if the itinerary and price were competitive, and the RCCL ship in question had a Concierge Lounge :) .

[FinelyCruising]

Elena - All that may change once the Solstice Class ships come on line.:)

[happy cruzer]

Maybe the real issue is that cruise lines need to help folks adjust to the changing air line baggage regulations. Some cruiselines seem to be changing the dress code. Maybe all ships need self laundry facilities? For a 7 day or shorter cruise, I think it is fairly easy to pack lightly and still not do laundry. But if I am going for more days, I do like to do laundry once (and I hate doing laundry on vacation but just find it necessary on more than 7 days). Hand washing is out for me, it's not a vacation if I have to hand wash clothes and then put them out to dry in my cabin area. yuk.

[shipshape sam]

Does anyone think that Celebrity will ever wise up and equal Princess' perks for loyal cruisers. We have been on 28 cruises with Celebrity and have one more booked for April 2009 but that will probably be the last one. If we had done as many on Princess we would be getting free laundry and dry cleaning. We usually do the longer cruises and with the luggage charges on the airlines it would be nice not to take as many garments, both outer and under.

 

 

I hope they do provide some better perks, but that is what they are perks and I would not book Celebrity just because of the perks. I book Celebrity because I like the overall service, the ships, the passenger mix(demographic of the passengers) over other cruise lines.

 

Having said that, I have sailed HAL and Princess in the last year also and I would choose Celebrity over both of them with no perks. We are Elite on Celebrity and Diamond on RCL. What is interesting to me is that Diamond has better perks than Elite on Celebrity. I would think with any revamping that they might consider some parity between the two product offerings.

 

Like many of us, we each have our own preferences. To best fit any affinity program, I would suggest to Celebrity to consider a point system or something along that that line. A point system or tier system would allow me for example if I am Select to get an OBC of $X to spend anyway I want.

 

Currently some of the perks I never use and thus are worthless to me, but potentially to the passenger next to me of high value and used by that passenger. I am assuming that you do not use a number of the perks and thus the program is not of high value to you.

 

Also, I would suggest to Celebrity to provide a small list of choices for the gifts they offer. Again, hopefully to allow passengers to choose one that would be most appealing to them. We have recently just left gifts in the cabins at the end of the cruise as they are not something we want or would use, so I hate to waste them by taking them home and then storing them for a period of time and then dicarding them.

 

===========

 

What would you like to have as perks? :)

 

For me, I like the OBC concept or maybe a welcome aboard card providing me choices. That to me would be a nice perk for loyality or being a returning customer/passenger of Celebrity. I also do like the additional social gathering to acknowledge returning passengers like Select/Elite.

 

We like you, enjoy the longer cruises and laundry is an issue/concern especially now with airline charges for baggage/weight. As Happy Cruzer mentioned, I would like self laundry facilities. We used them on our Princess 12 day cruise and it was an excellant benefit to do some laundry ourselves.

[dkjretired]

We should all remember that whatever perks they offer, ultimately they are not free. I would like to see some better perks, I have often said the cruise lines could use some advice from the land based casino's who know how to treat their customers well. With this comes loyalty and good will but mostly loyalty.

[Karynanne]

Maybe the real issue is that cruise lines need to help folks adjust to the changing air line baggage regulations. Some cruiselines seem to be changing the dress code. Maybe all ships need self laundry facilities? For a 7 day or shorter cruise, I think it is fairly easy to pack lightly and still not do laundry. But if I am going for more days, I do like to do laundry once (and I hate doing laundry on vacation but just find it necessary on more than 7 days). Hand washing is out for me, it's not a vacation if I have to hand wash clothes and then put them out to dry in my cabin area. yuk.

 

Celebrity does provide very good laundry service. I've used it often, and my clothng has been returned the next day. There is also dry cleaning available.

[ginagirl]

Celebrity does provide very good laundry service. I've used it often, and my clothng has been returned the next day. There is also dry cleaning available.

When you get back items from the laundry service, such as cotton shirts, blouses, shorts, are they wrinkled or do they come back looking decent enough to wear without ironing? Also, does X have an ironing room? In the past, I have never needed to ask this question since I always brought enough clothes to change rather than launder. Thanx for the feedback.

[CaroleLee]

Maybe the real issue is that cruise lines need to help folks adjust to the changing air line baggage regulations. Some cruiselines seem to be changing the dress code. Maybe all ships need self laundry facilities? For a 7 day or shorter cruise, I think it is fairly easy to pack lightly and still not do laundry. But if I am going for more days, I do like to do laundry once (and I hate doing laundry on vacation but just find it necessary on more than 7 days). Hand washing is out for me, it's not a vacation if I have to hand wash clothes and then put them out to dry in my cabin area. yuk.

 

 

I agree. The reason I travel with only a roll on & tote is that for many years I was a solo traveler (and I'm very petite). My rule was if I can't lift it ,it doesn't get packed. Cruiseline should enter into partnerships with Fed Ex etc to allow for luggage delivery to the ship- Princess has "Luggage Valet" for US based departures-or make arrangements to receive luggage ( yes, it would probably be a nightmare). As for laundry- self svc laundry rooms are a plus,

Carole

[Lois R]

When you get back items from the laundry service, such as cotton shirts, blouses, shorts, are they wrinkled or do they come back looking decent enough to wear without ironing? Also, does X have an ironing room? In the past, I have never needed to ask this question since I always brought enough clothes to change rather than launder. Thanx for the feedback.

 

Hi Gina,:) no ironing room. Whenever I have used the laundry

service and needed items pressed, I checked them on the list

and they came back perfectly pressed.

[Karynanne]

When you get back items from the laundry service, such as cotton shirts, blouses, shorts, are they wrinkled or do they come back looking decent enough to wear without ironing? Also, does X have an ironing room? In the past, I have never needed to ask this question since I always brought enough clothes to change rather than launder. Thanx for the feedback.

 

Gina, there is Laundry and there is Dry Cleaning.

 

Items that you're not concerned with being wrinkled are Laundry.

 

Dry Cleaning items come back on hangers, and done quite well.

 

But in the past we've have "Laundry" items put on ironed and put on hangers. It hasn't been consistant, so I know not to put anything into the "Laundry" bag, that I really want ironed.

 

Hope this helps!

[Deeliteful]

All of my laundry has always come back pressed - have I just been lucky?

 

I love the cleaning and laundry service - I think it's great value and a top notch service.

 

My luggage allowance is under 40 lbs for my TA next week - I'll need

to use it!

[hermang]

Agree completly.

also the casino voucher requires that you put up $5 to go with your $5 voucher. Bet either the color or even/odd at roulet, and you are betting $5 to win $10 at only slightless than 50/50 odds. I bet once and leave the table, win or lose. I won 3 of 4 on our last cruise so I came out $15 ahead. Not my usual luck in the casino.

 

My friend Marshall who is a PHD Radar Engineer taught me that trick as it is the best odds in the house. When ever we go to Foxwoods he places one bet for $50 bucks and walks away winner or loser.

 

First time we tried that was at the Grand Casino in Monte carlo - I stil have the chip I won. Did it several times on the Millenium and Radiance - won 99% of the time

[BrendaJ]

Even better than that, we take our two coupons - he bets red and I bet black - we're nearly guaranteed to come out $5 ahead. And then we leave.

 

Yup, high rollers we are. ;)

[ginagirl]

All of my laundry has always come back pressed - have I just been lucky?

 

I love the cleaning and laundry service - I think it's great value and a top notch service.

 

My luggage allowance is under 40 lbs for my TA next week - I'll need

to use it!

Deelliteful---This is the exact reason I asked my question. On one of our recent cruises, we were talking to a couple who said they sent in a bag of laundry on the ship; and they were amazed at how the clothing came back. Everything was on hangars and looked like they had been pressed.

However, to hear that it is not a consistent practice on ships sheds a different light on the issue. Oh, I just wish for the good ole days when I could bring as much luggage as my heart desired:D without thinking about the airline's rules!!!:eek:

[rcacace]

Some cruiselines seem to be changing the dress code.

 

The only cruise line I've seen lately changing the dress code is Carnival & for us It's not our type of cruise line. I'd love to see a relaxation of the code.

[dkjretired]

The only cruise line I've seen lately changing the dress code is Carnival & for us It's not our type of cruise line. I'd love to see a relaxation of the code.

 

Rich:

 

Celebrity just made major changes to their dress code effective Aug. 1.

[CaroleLee]

Rich:

 

Celebrity just made major changes to their dress code effective Aug. 1.

 

Link please

Carole