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Suite and Loyalty Lounges on Celebrity.


JohnUK

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We will be sailing on Celebrity for the first time next year (Celebrity Summit on a Panama Canal crossing), so we do not know what to expect. In particular, it would be useful to know what drinks and facilities are available in the Retreat lounge and the Captain's Club lounge. Do they provide a comparable experience to the Suite, Concierge and Diamond lounges on RCCL? We do not usually purchase a drinks package as the "happy hour" on RCCL is quite sufficient for us. If the Celebrity lounges provide the same then we can adopt the same practice - and save some money.

Any other advice on similarities and differences between the RCCL and Celebrity facilities and experiences would be most welcome.

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We'll be on the Summit in October, so I can come back with more details then.  Will "only" be Aquaclass, so can't report in on the suite benefits but will be Elite so can report back on that.  We just get drinks loaded on our card to be used at bars during the happy hours.  I can tell you that there are no Elite freebies on night one.  They also don't offer them on certain nights when they have other Elite events. 

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6 minutes ago, KathyC said:

We'll be on the Summit in October, so I can come back with more details then.  Will "only" be Aquaclass, so can't report in on the suite benefits but will be Elite so can report back on that.  From what I have been reading, there is no more Captains Club Lounge - that has been taken away and the space re-assigned to you suite folks.  So we just get drinks loaded on our card to be used at bars during the happy hours.  I can tell you that there are no Elite freebies on night one.  They also don't offer them on certain nights when they have other Elite events.  I don't have too many details on morning coffees and such for Elite - since that lounge is gone I'm assuming it's gone too.  

Thank you. I would appreciate any feedback you can share when you get back in October. It is sad to hear that the Captain's Club lounge is no more - I thought the Retreat lounge was just an update to Michael's Club. It seems a shame that loyalty isn't worth so much these days.

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Just now, JohnUK said:

Thank you. I would appreciate any feedback you can share when you get back in October. It is sad to hear that the Captain's Club lounge is no more - I thought the Retreat lounge was just an update to Michael's Club. It seems a shame that loyalty isn't worth so much these days.

I actually edited my post to remove part of that - there is a small area that is Captains Club but it's not a real lounge, or so I'm told.  Breakfast is continental in Tuscan.

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3 minutes ago, KathyC said:

I actually edited my post to remove part of that - there is a small area that is Captains Club but it's not a real lounge, or so I'm told.  Breakfast is continental in Tuscan.

Thanks for the update - I suppose a small area is better than nothing. I hope Royal doesn't go the same way.

By the way, we were on Grandeur in February and had a great cruise. The ship may not be the biggest or best but all of the crew are first rate; it seem to be a genuinely happy ship. I wish you a fantastic vacation.

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On 4/7/2019 at 6:32 PM, JohnUK said:

Thanks for the update - I suppose a small area is better than nothing. I hope Royal doesn't go the same way.

By the way, we were on Grandeur in February and had a great cruise. The ship may not be the biggest or best but all of the crew are first rate; it seem to be a genuinely happy ship. I wish you a fantastic vacation.

Thanks!  It'll be our first Vision class, and after spending 16 nights on Radiance class recently it shouldn't be toooo much different.  

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14 hours ago, JohnUK said:

I thought the Retreat lounge was just an update to Michael's Club.

@JohnUK, the Retreat Lounge is the replacement for / update to Michael's Club. It's the indoor suites-only lounge that is complemented outside by the Retreat sun deck on 12 forward. My understanding from posts I've read in "the other place" is that the Retreat Lounge has full bar service and also serves small plates and other food items at specific times during the day and early evening.

It also seems that at least some of the butlers who serve the suite cabins on deck 6 are the ones staffing the Lounge during the hours when food is being served, which has led to some concern that the butlers may be getting overworked post-Revolution. Hopefully this is something the ships will be taking care of with new hires, as from my understanding the butlers are already putting in some pretty major hours taking care of their cabins and the other duties they already had assigned to them.

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4 hours ago, JLMoran said:

@JohnUK, the Retreat Lounge is the replacement for / update to Michael's Club. It's the indoor suites-only lounge that is complemented outside by the Retreat sun deck on 12 forward. My understanding from posts I've read in "the other place" is that the Retreat Lounge has full bar service and also serves small plates and other food items at specific times during the day and early evening.

It also seems that at least some of the butlers who serve the suite cabins on deck 6 are the ones staffing the Lounge during the hours when food is being served, which has led to some concern that the butlers may be getting overworked post-Revolution. Hopefully this is something the ships will be taking care of with new hires, as from my understanding the butlers are already putting in some pretty major hours taking care of their cabins and the other duties they already had assigned to them.

Thank you for the information - that is very helpful. We will be in a Sky Suite (so bottom rung) which means, if I have got this right, that we will have access to the Retreat lounge but the premium drinks package is only included from the next level up.

I hope reason prevails and the workload for butlers is reduced. I have seen on RCCL that more work is being covered by fewer staff now compared to a few years ago. As a result, a lot of staff end up very tired. Despite this, they are always pleasant, helpful, and efficient, with only a very few exceptions that we have encountered.

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1 minute ago, JohnUK said:

We will be in a Sky Suite (so bottom rung) which means, if I have got this right, that we will have access to the Retreat lounge but the premium drinks package is only included from the next level up.

If you booked on the current promo that started last Thursday (April 4) -- which might be the new standard pricing model -- you got your choice of two perks, including choice of the Classic Drink Package. You also get the option to upgrade to all four perks, and as a suite guest that bumps the beverage package to Premium level.

If you booked prior to that package / pricing model being offered, then IIRC you're correct that there is no included drink package unless you are in a Royal Suite or Penthouse Suite.

 

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1 hour ago, JLMoran said:

If you booked prior to that package / pricing model being offered, then IIRC you're correct that there is no included drink package unless you are in a Royal Suite or Penthouse Suite.

Yes, I had to book very early for this cruise - Panama Canal crossing seems to be popular - so the current promotion wasn't available. Thank you.

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2 minutes ago, JohnUK said:

Yes, I had to book very early for this cruise - Panama Canal crossing seems to be popular - so the current promotion wasn't available. Thank you.

You're very welcome! And I hear about popularity of the itinerary. These rare / once a year sailings sell out scary fast; you should see the Iceland and Greenland sailing I'm booked on for August of next year. Announced in November last year, discovered it and booked in January; still not sailing for almost 16 months, and already the ship is almost sold out. Cabin prices for what little is left are through the roof!

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  • 3 months later...

Sailed Summit to Bermuda in May. Stayed in Celebrity Suite. Had all the perks. Rarely used drink package. Retreat door always open and drinks always available, not like RC lounge where drinks only for happy hour. The sun deck is great place for lunch. They have 5 or 6 dishes. Burgers to salads and wraps. Drinks are free. Service is impeccable. The staff in retreat are unbelievably attentive and your butler is dedicated to making everything right. I am definitely a fan. My cruise next week on Ovation May be last on royal. Celebrity from customer service on land to staff are crew onboard have me sold. 

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13 hours ago, Louvanh said:

Sailed Summit to Bermuda in May.

What sailing, we are on May 12th? Also Celebrity Suite, which I have to say did not care for, it was too claustrophic with all the furniture and the bedroom felt  seriously claustrophobic, curious what your thought were? Maybe it was just me! LOL. I actually prefer the Sky Suite! LOL.  We love Celebrity too, but also love Royal as well. Haven't sailed on any Oasis class which I'm very hesitant to do, like smaller like Summit and Grandeur..

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I think the Celebrity Suite is nice room. Liked the separate bedroom. The bathroom a little small. Have had some bathrooms in a Grand Suites on RC that have been huge. I feel the furniture in Celebrity suite to be uncomfortable strange design. But so was the Retreat chairs strange those tiny stools and long bench on the wall. Maybe modern look do not know. 

Other crazy thing  in the suite no way to control just some lights seems one switch everything was turned on. 

One thing when it came to service, Celebrity wins hands down. 

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On 4/7/2019 at 3:17 PM, JohnUK said:

We will be sailing on Celebrity for the first time next year (Celebrity Summit on a Panama Canal crossing), so we do not know what to expect. In particular, it would be useful to know what drinks and facilities are available in the Retreat lounge and the Captain's Club lounge. Do they provide a comparable experience to the Suite, Concierge and Diamond lounges on RCCL? We do not usually purchase a drinks package as the "happy hour" on RCCL is quite sufficient for us. If the Celebrity lounges provide the same then we can adopt the same practice - and save some money.

Any other advice on similarities and differences between the RCCL and Celebrity facilities and experiences would be most welcome.

I know this is a late reply,  but I my husband and I just got off the solstice to alaska, and did not have the perks because the deal we got was quite a bit cheaper without them.  (Sometimes it is not like on my recent celebrity sailing on Sihlouette to Norway where we had all 4 perks.  We did fine with just the diamond drinks.  In fact, we sailed 4th of July week and there were only a hundred plus elite guests on that week.  We mostly had the elite lounge area and the tuscan grill to ourselves, and often got special treatment from the staff.  The continental breakfast is an amazing perk in the Tuscan grill.  On this cruise, i went there every morning to get specialty coffee, even if I had breakfast upstairs.   They serve you for the coffee ( you can also order mimosas and bloody mary's during the morning captain's club hours from 8-10.  The views at the tuscan grill are breathtaking, esp. if you are sailing into port.  We went there to get coffee after our morning at Endicott glacier and it was a perfect place to watch sailaway!   My husband and I actually prefer the cocktail hour in the sky lounge in comparison to the diamond lounge.  The lounges are always nice, and the servers serve you both hot and cold appetizers and drinks.  You can also get your 3 cocktails during the captain's club hours any where on the ship, except for 1 or 2 premium bars.  Keep in mind that they don't offer the cocktail hour on embarkation day, but I just drank some of my wine that night!  Because so many people have perks on celebrity, I always find the captain's club events to be less crowded with more personal service!  I would totally opt for this again if I found the right price vs. the perks! ? . P.S.  If you do get the perks,  the best bargain by far is the pay a little bit more and get all 4. 

IMG_0590.jpeg

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19 hours ago, iluvwineandtravel said:

I know this is a late reply,  but I my husband and I just got off the solstice to alaska, and did not have the perks because the deal we got was quite a bit cheaper without them.  (Sometimes it is not like on my recent celebrity sailing on Sihlouette to Norway where we had all 4 perks.  We did fine with just the diamond drinks.  In fact, we sailed 4th of July week and there were only a hundred plus elite guests on that week.  We mostly had the elite lounge area and the tuscan grill to ourselves, and often got special treatment from the staff.  The continental breakfast is an amazing perk in the Tuscan grill.  On this cruise, i went there every morning to get specialty coffee, even if I had breakfast upstairs.   They serve you for the coffee ( you can also order mimosas and bloody mary's during the morning captain's club hours from 8-10.  The views at the tuscan grill are breathtaking, esp. if you are sailing into port.  We went there to get coffee after our morning at Endicott glacier and it was a perfect place to watch sailaway!   My husband and I actually prefer the cocktail hour in the sky lounge in comparison to the diamond lounge.  The lounges are always nice, and the servers serve you both hot and cold appetizers and drinks.  You can also get your 3 cocktails during the captain's club hours any where on the ship, except for 1 or 2 premium bars.  Keep in mind that they don't offer the cocktail hour on embarkation day, but I just drank some of my wine that night!  Because so many people have perks on celebrity, I always find the captain's club events to be less crowded with more personal service!  I would totally opt for this again if I found the right price vs. the perks! ? . P.S.  If you do get the perks,  the best bargain by far is the pay a little bit more and get all 4. 

IMG_0590.jpeg

Thank you for the information. That is very useful - sounds like you had a great cruise.

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