@@MJTreks Of course. I am always interested how people experience Celebrity from the ‘outside’ . Being an ex crew member on Eclipse I have totally different view of the ships.
We have concierge booked for the inaugural on Ascent ( pretty much was all that left lol) . I didn’t really think of it,after watching this video I’m pretty excited. Thank you!
We loved our time on the Ascent's sister ship, the Beyond. We hope you have an amazing time. Find your way to Eden and book lunch or dinner there in advance if you can! Thanks for watching!
We had concierge C2 , had a wonderful time, we don’t remember getting a tote bag, this was several years ago before Covid. My question, are you limited to 1 bottle of wine for the entire cruise or can we get several during the cruise?
My wife and I have a concierge class Celebrity cruise coming up the end of March for our 50th wedding anniversary. Thank you for sharing all this valuable information, I especially like the 'premium economy' airline comparison. Good content and look forward to seeing what other videos you have shared via RU-vid.
Thanks for the thorough breakdown, @MJTreks ! If someone is a dedicated Celebrity customer, is it fair to say the bump in points is far and away the biggest benefit? You are basically 'buying' 66% more points per day than non-concierge (3 x 166% = 5). Seems like a bargain assuming your goal is to get to 150 as fast/cheap as possible...?
Great video guys! Lots of great content. I heard with concierge class now there is no priority embarkation is that true now what the heck? It’s now part of the X Pass???
“We are not bathrobe people” me neither, although that has more to do with them always being so dang small ! Thanks for an informative video, guys. Looking forward to more!
Thanks for the very good information. My partner and I cruised a great deal prior to COVID, mainly the Caribbean and Mex since we live in Texas. So convenient. We never sailed this line, but have friends who have and they liked it very much. I really have never thought about the value of certain higher price points and I think your process was legit, noting it is a personal preference. We have our first next year on Regent and I think everything is covered there. Thanks again
All included really makes the decisions easier! So many cruise lines are going the a la carte route like airlines and it really doesn’t seem like it’s very customer-centric nor easy to navigate. We hope you both have an amazing cruise on Regent!
Great video. I booked CC for our next cruise for the points. It was $100 more for CC. FYI, we got 2 tote bags on our 6/8/24 Alaska cruise on the Edge in an inside cabin.
I'm wondering if the bathrobe is a 1 size fits all? If you're a plus sized person would they have a plus sized robe? Most cruise lines have different pillow options available you just have to ask your room attendant. Again this will go smooth if you grease the wheels at the beginning of your cruise. If they had like a concierge class room like Disney offers where there's a bar and snacks, nice comfy furniture a great view and less people that would be a huge plus otherwise it just seems like a way for the cruise line to suck more money out of your pocket.
Seems we were wrong about the tote bags. They are in many rooms and not a perk for Concierge Class. Interesting about the binoculars and umbrella. Celebrity isn't the most consistent with the perks and if a room changes class then they may just keep the items in the room as a bonus!
We cruise a lot & had a short cruise with Celebrity in March from Sydney in Concierge class we are Elite & have cruised to Alaska & the South Pacific many times. Love the lunch on embarkation day we had wonderful service on the Eclipse a perfect getaway.
Thank you for the detailed review! It help on making a decision and the cost effectiveness of Concierge status. Look forward to more insightful travel videos.
I'm also a first timer, and a 16-voyage Elite level Celebrity cruiser. IMHO not worth it! The pillow menu yes, the concierge no. In fact, on our voyage, the concierge was a waste of our time, and the money that Celebrity paid her. Absolutely NO help at all! The delectable bites were something I wouldn't serve my dog. As an Elite member, I receive free laundry anyway, and a dedicated continental breakfast every AM in the Tuscan Restaurant. So, in short, I made a mistake paying extra for the "privilege." I did like the 5 point/NT aspect, brought me closer to Elite Plus. Only did it because the cruise was, thanks to covid, our first cruise in two and a half years. I do want to say that was perhaps the most comprehensive explanation of a cruise category I've seen. Keep up the good work. One last thought, a lot of money to pay for a fluffy robe!
Hi guys sounds great ❤❤ I was looking recently at the concierge class balcony cabin on the celebrity edge, compared to a normal state room and the concierge class was about $200pp cheaper than a normal cabin. I was really surprised to see this. ❤
We cruised concierge class balcony on the Silhouette to the Norwegian Fjords and we definitely felt that it wasn't value for money. The delicacies were totally uninspiring and we ate few of them. The time we asked the concierge assistant (not our amazing room steward) for help we were told to do it ourselves. The supposed concierge area was a shoe box sized room with a desk and a couple of chairs, which were being used by the concierge assistant when we visited. Definitely not what was advertised. We had our cabin moved due to excessive noise next door, but we were moved to an obstructed verandah, just behind the jutting out navigation area. It was the first time we'd cruised Celebrity and we were expecting good things from all we'd heard. It ended up being the worst cruise that we've been on for all sorts of reasons, but the disappointment in the concierge "benefits" was part of it. We won't be cruising Celebrity again.
Sorry to hear that your experience was like this. We have not experienced this to such an extent. It’s never good when your first experience on a cruise line is so poor. I have similar feelings on another line which others seem to love-but I am reluctant to try again. What we can say from recent cruises is that the level of customer service onboard the older ships, like the Silhouette, sadly does not stack up to that of the newer Edge Class ships. One reason that we have found through interactions with experienced crew is that they are being moved to contracts on the new ships, leaving less seasoned crew on the older ones.
Hi@@MJTreks Thanks for the reply. I think that you are probably right regarding the staff on the Silhouettte. Many of the other issues we had with the ship were due to bad handling of situations by the crew or no consideration of better ways to do things. In their follow up survey I made suggestions on how things could have been handled better but have heard nothing and I'm pretty sure nothing will change as there were no indications of wanting to improve in my interactions with the problem areas at the time. I do not, by any means have problems with all the staff as we had a top notch cabin steward and most of the food wait staff were great. The bar staff, passenger services staff and those who organised the seating in the dining room, etc were another thing altogether. Many thanks for your informative and useful videos. Keridale
At best it might be a lunch on embarkation, and the concierge requires using the room phone and then checking messages. Entire process is an efficient, and in some respects is probably an intentional way to limit the volume demands on certain aspects of the ship and crew, and cut back on the availability of services without someone noticing it. Celebrity is mostly smoking mirrors. A high commitment to customer service and satisfaction does not seem to be present with current management. Anyone googling celebrity and cutbacks will find plenty.
Note to anyone wanting the lunch, you have to be on board to eat it. And if you're not in line early enough, you might not even make it. But you will have paid for it.
Thanks for your perspective. It's definitely a lot about personal preferences. We found it much better to stop by the Concierge desk when a problem arises and speak to them in person. Much less hassle and wait than at Guest Relations. I think you'll find many major cruise lines are cutting back in ways both big and small. And yet, we cruise on!
You shouldn't have to pay extra for this convenience. The solution is they increase customer relations staff, and try better to avoid problems and meet needs through hospitality instead of hostility towards their customers. @@MJTreks
Thanks for the video and breakdown of concierge perks. I did aqua last year and am doing concierge next January, does aqua get all the concierge perks and more? BTW you are a cute couple.
We just did Aqua Class and they definitely aren't the same list of perks... No welcome lunch but you get Blu, Persion Gardens but no canapés. We didn't feel Aqua Class was worth the extra money
@@MJTreks I liked Blu but only got to go for breakfast and diner once. My friend agrees that Aqua wasn't worth it, I do like the Aqua deck but it is NOT mid-ship, looking forward to that in the concierge cabin for Jan 2025 cruise. We got cabin 1058 on Reflections so that is almost the same as yours in one of your videos (where you had to move).
We just booked concierge class on the Equinox in September, because it gave us a better cabin than the standard veranda so it does not have the lifeboats blocking part of the ocean view. We went from deck 6 to 9. This will be our first cruise with Celebrity. Thanks for the video.
We did Concierge class on our Alaska cruise in June. We did it only because few cabins were left and we could get a decent location. We would definitely NOT do it again because the perks are useless. The canapés were not that good and just cluttered up the room. The only thing I remember being used was the fake leather key card holder - that we had to ask for.
At least you received 5x points for Captains Club (if loyalty points matter for you). As we said, most perks require you to request them or seek them out and they really only matter based on personal preferences. Anecdotally it seems Concierge Class cabins are in better locations, but again, cabin location is very subjective. Hopefully you had a great cruise, nonetheless!
Hi MJTreks! We just discovered your channel. We love Celebrity Cruises. We found a huge value sweet-spot (for us) with Aquaclass over Concierge. Blu (and to a lesser extent Spa access) is a deal-breaker in a good way. We're working on Elite Plus, so Elite status gives us a few perks that overlap concierge benefits. We'd be interested in your view of the value of Aquaclass!
We're going to try for Aqua class on an upcoming cruise. I think we'll be much the same as you describe... All about Blu and not as excited about the spa. We'll report back. Thanks for watching!
Just got back from the Eclipse and had concierge class. Only real valuable perk was priority disembarkation from ship a couple of times, and the concierge desk help.
First time cruiser here. Have 3 cruises booked with Celebrity and 2 are in concierge class and the other is solo cabin on the new Ascent. Looking to find out if the concierge class is worth it. Thanks guys for laying out the perks in such detail.
Thanks for the feedback. We love to hear that this was helpful. Each ship will have a very distinct experience and Concierge Class is really about convenience and nice to have perks. Just make sure you ask for any perks that you’re not seeing. Go to the Concierge and skip Guest Relations should you need anything and go to the special events that you will have invites left for you as your cruise unfolds. We had a special bingo event and a helipad sail away from Grand Cayman on our recent cruise. Most of all, enjoy your experience. More videos from our Equinox cruise on the way soon!
I've never done Concierge Class because I don't get it. I've done Aqua several times and I've been in Sky Suites a couple of times. I love the perks of both of those. Concierge? I don't understand how the perks are worth the extra $$$.
The only reason we have booked, hardly anything more in cost than balcony. We liked the enhanced breakfast room service menu and the sail away party on the heli-pad. But now, there is a cost for room service, so scrap that, and the last sailaway on the heli-pad was poorly run, not like before the shut down. Appetizers in the room, were not special at all. Oh yes, we loved the pillow selection. But that alone would not be worth the money. Oh, and one last reason, sometimes you get balcony rooms in a location that you prefer.
Thanks for your comment and view. Good points! We have found that the value of the perks are dependent upon personal preferences and the quality of the perks is dependent on the crew and individual ships. On our most recent trip-the ship was riddled with problems overall, but the Concierge Class events were fab and well run.
We are loyal Celebrity Cruisers and usually we book Veranda cabins. However, we did cruise in Concierge class on our TA cruise on Reflection only because the price dropped below our original booking price. There were just too many hiccups which I will not get into, however , main concierge did apologize and sent us a bottle of wine and chocolate covered strawberries. The canapés were never fresh, they looked like they were sitting for hours before they brought them to our room. Getting extra Captains club points is the only thing I liked which got us to Elite faster 😊 Pillow menu ? Meh, we always ask for extra pillows and that has worked great. Welcome lunch at embarkation is good only if you get to ship really early. Also we get umbrellas in standard Veranda rooms and on some ships even binoculars. Would I book Concierge again? No, unless the difference in price is within $50.
If you have Concierge Class again, definitely ask for cookies or something different with your cabin steward. We love the extra Captains Club points on on our most recent cruise we loved the special port sailaway event on the heliport. Thanks for watching!
Comparing Veranda to Concierge, Ascent, next June 10 day Europe. $1,050 more for Concierge. That’s $2,100 per couple. Definitely not worth it in my opinion. Especially when you already have Elite status.
How's the location differential? At the price, if not much different then totally agree. If it's the difference of a prime deck midship versus far aft or forward or under a noisy location, might be a different calculus.
Hey, this was great! I have my first Celebrity Cruise booked for February out of Tampa. I am Platinum on Royal, so have Elite Status on Celebrity already. I am hoping for the upgrade availability as I get closer. This was great info!!
Platinum on Royal Caribbean only gets you Select level on Celebrity, not Elite. You have to be Diamond or above on Royal Caribbean to be Elite on Celebrity.
Yes to both. You'll generally get an earlier slot for embarkation, which is needed to make it to the Welcome Lunch. That concludes a few hours before sail away. It's not the most expansive menu, but it's a nice way to ease into your first few hours on the Ship!
All the cruises we’re looking at coming up only have Aqua Class available, so looks like we’ll get to compare that soon! And yes, Retreat is so dang expensive…
We aren't huge gamblers and don't spend more than maybe an hour in the Casino on any given cruise, so if you can work that, great. But definitely not a universal option.
@@MJTreks Sure, my boyfriend and I enjoy our time in the Casino. We win some times and lose some times. We have learnt ways to maximize our points and we’ve been on 3 cruises this year so far and we’re going to do 3 more before the year ends, all of them for free. We also get free play and get treated to dinning, drinks, spa, etc. To us, it’s worth it.
