Celebrity Cruises Under Fire: Premium Access or Premium Controversy?
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- Опубліковано 26 чер 2024
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A few weeks ago I reported that Celebrity Cruises will be introducing a new Xpass program to its entire fleet. Some of the guests who purchased the xpass for the upcoming sailings got an email from Celebrity Cruises. This communication stated that the Xpass is being renamed to Premium Access as of February 12, 2024. In this video we are going to dive into all of the details and benefits of the new Premium Access package.
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Hello Friend! My name is Tom Sunday. I live in New York and love finding the best of everything! This Channel is all about my adventures in life. I hope you subscribe and join me on this journey!
Video Chapters
00:00 - Intro
00:42 - Premium Access
01:10 - What does it include?
01:39 - Why are people upset?
#celebritycruises #cruise #cruiseship #cruiseblogger
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Tom .... I'm aggravated after seeing your video. We r going on the Beyond this April and booked the Sky suite and were really looking forward to this experience
and hope they don't cheapen this brand and emulate Carnival. We were on the Edge last year and loved the Retreat concept - we did have issues with service and quality of food in the Lumina, and decided to dine in other venues most times. The three hosts in the Retreat lounge were FANTASTIC, and overall we had a great time. We heard from a few different staff (not Retreat) that a lot of their best workers were relocated to the Beyond. I hope so!
In the past year, I have sailed Celebrity 4 times, three in the Retreat. My initial 2 Retreat cruises where pretty phenomenal. My third was way, way under expectations for one reason - the Retreat sundeck and the bar in the Lumina lounge. The food was still excellent, the staff was great. But on the Retreat sundeck, there was no attempt to make sure you got what you wanted to order. Instead, there were excuses as to why it wasn't stocked and no attempt to find it for you. Same in the Lumina lounge. Indeed, the other bars and venues on the Ascent where much, much higher quality service - especially the Craft Social lounge. As someone who booked Retreat mainly for the Sundeck, it really, really has made me rethink if I will ever bother with the Retreat again. And I think the new CEO is turning Celebrity into Royal Caribbean for adults. Just merge the two and be done with it. I know there is the loyal to royal crowd - I am now the Blah to Celebrity crowd.
Thanks for sharing your experience with the community. I am bummed to hear that your third time in the Retreat was not up to par. What ship was this on?
My past seven cruises have been on Celebrity, the most recent being on the Edge in the Med in August of 2023. I cannot say that I will ever go back. I find their recently adopted policies of constant money grabbing very distasteful. I want to pay for my cruise and get on with it. Going forward, I will be choosing a luxury, all included cruise experience. Even Celebrity has become like cruising in a shopping mall.
Well said, George. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I'll be sailing on the Apex in about a month. After that cruise, I'll be exploring other options as well.
The president of Celebrity is a liar...Celebrity is out of control...more then any other cruise line...
I have 0 booking with this cruise line..I refuse to be a sucker.
I am considering booking Virgin and Princess this year. I really want to compare them to Celebrity Cruises. Oceania is difficult for me in 2024. Hope you are doing well, Mark!
@@tomsundayPrincess rolls a lot of these benefits into either their Plus or Premier packages. Yes you can get a lot of the perks through loyalty or for bookings on Princess, but yeah, they sell these amenities as well. I know Holland America sells most of these perks as Club Orange which a per day charge as well.
Virgin is probably the only premium line that doesn't monetize everything. At least not yet...it seems like all these lines are coming to the center and becoming way too similar in how they approach monetization and cutbacks.
@@tomsundayHAL has some nice options. I've considered the Koningsdam, and would love to book Ireland. They are at a comparable price point to celebrity Tom, but I frankly prefer the classic design of their ships.
We love Princess but are going on our first Celebrity Cruise on 3/23/24. Princess appears to be doing similar restructuring with the pricing and what is/isn't "included". They have not only raised the prices of their add-on Plus and Premium packages a couple of times since 2022, but they have created new charges for base fare cruisers to give the illusion of "value" in the packages. What they are really doing is trying to make it "too" expensive to cruise without an add-on package and they want you to pay for it by final payment date so they can collect the $$$ for the wi-fi, drinks, gratuity, etc. months before the cruise. @@tomsunday
@@pullcarsmelly8051 Thank you for the tip. I am very inexperience with HAL but I will check them out. This could be a good way to compare all 4 of these cruise lines. This would make a fun series of videos. I will look into the pricing and 2024 schedule once I get out of work. I appreciate the tip!
Hi Tom. Thanks for putting this out there once again. I have to say it has me pretty upset.. no, very upset and stressed, because I expected this Ascent cruise on the 25th in the Retreat to be something really special as we hadn’t cruised since 2001 (Celebrity) due to work and family. Now I am almost dreading it because of Celebrity’s complete lack of transparency and total failure and disrespect to their guests. As a career law enforcement officer, I worked hard to fight crime, fraud and abuse, only to feel angry at being played with an obvious bait and switch and blatant disregard by a huge corporation who NEVER made notification in any manner to the suite guests.
It will be a beautiful ship as we have seen from your videos, and the food and entertainment superior, but the reason I specifically booked the suite and paid almost $10K for will be lost. You can be sure that I will deal with Celebrity’s upper management and legal team upon my return, with personal experience and documentation under my belt. And with a message to others who feel powerless to get what they paid for.
You're most welcome, Mindy. I'm sorry to hear that you're feeling upset and stressed. I truly hope that your experience turns out to be a positive one. Keep in mind that Ascent is regarded as the pinnacle of Celebrity Cruises. During my recent voyage on the ship, I didn't hear many complaints from the Retreat guests in our community. However, your concerns are entirely valid, and I'm eager to hear about your cruise experience upon your return. Please do share your thoughts with all of us here. Also, I want to express my gratitude for your service to our country. Your presence in our community is greatly appreciated.
I think you're overreacting... just did a cruise on Ascent. Got the Premium Access package and it took NOTHING away from the Retreat Guests. Retreat guest had their reserved seating, their own restaurant, bar, areas, etc. Their own lines. Basically this package gave some fast included internet, also some reserved seating in the theatre, some free room service. Nothing even remotely close to the experience of a Retreat Guest. If you're mad because you think that people who purchased this took away things from Retreat - doesn't happen. If you're mad that people get some extra perks that they paid for - not sure what to tell you.
Thanks Tom! Seems like X keeps shooting themselves in the foot. This will piss off all suite/retreat guests having to deal with the extra crowding of their suite amenities. Can't wait to see a Penthouse guest told they have to wait for a Theatre seat because an inside cabiner beat them to their preferred place.
Hi, Jimmy! Thank you for your comment. You've raised a valid point. Many Retreat guests are already displeased with the removal of butlers, changes to tipping policies, and other alterations. This latest development is only going to add more fuel to the fire.
@@tomsunday Tom, can I have your thoughts on this please… I saw on the Celebrity Facebook group pages that some people remove tips from being included on their bill and prefer to pay (cash?) for services rendered by staff. It does make sense in some ways, and prevents Celebrity from holding up the staff’s gratuity money which they must pay taxes on. What say you??
Jimmy…It’s gonna get ugly
🙄😳🫣
It will be a SH&t Show.@@mindygross3379
Yes, it'll be a Shite Show.@@mindygross3379
The $3 cookies Lady no no bounds and has limited sense. That said she may have had a lot of help from on high with this decision. I am Elite Plus and between my last cruise with C. A premium beverage package with limited listed premium selections. No adjustments offered.
Thank you for tour warnings. I also sold my stock. Businesses that don't on making clients happy don't last. Making them happy is not figuring out new ways to take their money, or diluting service levels.
Well said. Thank you for sharing your opinion with all of us.
This is nothing more than the ever expanding "classism" that has been creeping into many experiences. Theme parks, you pay more, you wait less in line, every single form of transportation, even at conventions, they are starting to sell guaranteed seating for celebrity panels reducing the 1st come 1st seated availability. This pattern will continue to grow and expand into more and more industries. Don't be surprised next time you go to the emergency room and you're waiting for 5 hours, someone shows up, pays a $1,500 premium access fee and gets to see a doctor in 5 minutes while you continue to wait.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree, a lot of this has been creeping into all of my experiences and I really dislike it. Your emergency room example is both hilarious and terrifying at the same time. I really hope that doesnt happen.
I understand why people in the retreat may be concerned about this, but there are many more amenities for the retreat than are offered here. Ex. Retreat sun deck, Luminae dining, premium drinks, retreat lounge, etc... And we don't go to every show, but the ones we attend are practically empty in the reserved seating area. The welcome lunch is also offered to Concierge class guests, and is not in Luminae. Priority embarkation and debarkation are offered to elite status and above. In my opinion, there are still many amenities for retreat guests only.
Very good point, Lori! Thank you for sharing this view with our community.
thanks for the cruise news update Tom!
You're very welcome, my friend. I have two more cruise news videos lined up for you this week. On Thursday, we'll discuss the latest updates from Princess Cruises, and on Saturday, we'll delve into the world of Royal Caribbean.
Hi Tom, Thanks again for another important update. Once I have completed all of my cruises with Celebrity, through Q1 25, I will be looking elsewhere. This is really a shame and a great disservice to those passengers who book suites. Keep up the good work!!
Hello, my friend! I'm happy to see you're enjoying the videos. Starting this week, I'm broadening my horizons and delving into other exciting news within the cruise industry. On Thursday, we'll talk about the latest updates from Princess, and on Saturday, I'll be bringing you news from Royal Caribbean. Your support means the world to me. Comments like yours truly inspire me to create more content. Thank you for your continued encouragement!
Since I can not possibly afford Retreat or suites and I am not Elite I think the option of having these rolled into one paid for item is great. I can see wanting it just for the WiFi. Seems smart to me.
That's a good way to look at it. Thank you for sharing your opinion.
It all reminds me of Carnival's Faster to the Fun pass. One of the main reasons I I stopped sailing with Royal Caribbean what is the nickel-and-diming for everything. I'm booked on the Beyond in September, we'll see how it goes. Thinking about trying Oceana next time.
I agree with you, Vicky! I also stopped sailing with RC for the same exact reasons. I don't like their airline cruising experience. I am sad Celebrity is following in their footsteps.
On the cruise critic website, Celebrity boards, it is noted that one person only has been able to purchase the pass. They have been told that both people in their cabin will get priority boarding etc. Celebrity website states that both have to buy it but they allow only one person to buy. If there is a limited number of passes for each sailing there could be way more people using the pass than they planned for.
Thats a good point. Thank you for sharing. I bet most people will just buy it for one person. You can get all of the perks with just one pass, including wifi for 2 devices.
I think they fixed that "bug" because when I looked at our cruise for later this year, it requires both passengers over age 6 to buy it.
Ten years ago there were no “packages”. I’d get a punch card for coffee drinks and that was it. I miss what cruising was.
I remember those days!
great offer , looking forward to using this access program
Thanks for posting your thoughts on this.
Hi Tom! Another great and thought-provoking video. We were happy to pay a premium for Celebrity and pre-pay for premium items such as Aquaclass, premium Wifi/Drinks, gratuities, Specialty Dining and even the occasional Chef's Table. We're Canadian so we have to pick and choose our cruises and pay a lot to fly so we only cruise on average under twice a year. We really value an all-in cost for an expected premium experience. We consider any move to "nickel and diming" to be a negative... Is our current track toward Elite Plus going to be worth it?
Thank you, Steven! I appreciate you thoughts on this. I am also working to get to Elite Plus. To be honest, I am not sure if it will be worth it. I am planning on trying the competition this year to see how it stacks up against Celebrity. I am considering Virgin, Princess and Holland America. Maybe even Oceania.
Not fair to suite guests at all. Suite guests pay a pretty penny for their amenities. NOT OK. We need to fire the new CEO!!!!!
Having paid for a Suite I do feel this a bad choice for Celebrity. Why should they get the same things for a much lower price than the suite guests paid? They are nickel & dimming everything! I have five cruises booked in the Retreat but don’t know after that. It was bad enough when they removed prepaid gratuities but this is going too far!
Hi Corinne, thank you for sharing your feedback. I am starting to get tired of this nickle and diming as well.
Hmm. I will see how this looks on my June cruise. If it is bad, I’ll cancel my cruise in November and go with Virgin.
I am also considering booking Virgin to see how they stack up against Celebrity.
No comparison. Virgin is WAY above Celebrity. Especially in the Rockstar suites. Mega RS is mind-blowing.
Thanks for the update Tom! There is absolutely no doubt that Laura is turning it into a glorified Royal Caribbean product with all these changes and the constant Nickel and Diming in every area. She has taken a superior premium product and turned it into a cash grab and it is so disappointing. They claim to be listening but they continue to make changes to benefit themselves at the expense of their once loyal guests. #lauraneedstogo
You are most welcome, Chad! I'm glad you enjoyed this video! I am thinking about booking Celebrity's competition this year to see how they stack up. I really do not like the nickle and diming.
I have stayed in the retreat once, and am staying in a retreat room in May. If I notice a significant difference with these new changes, I will take my business elsewhere. Thank you for the information.
MAJOR nickel and diming all passengers who partake of this. So now, if you do not join, you are basically being down graded to THIRD CLASS, with second class being those who pay, and first class being the suite passengers.
I hate I started cruising after 2020. I wish it was one price and that’s it like all inclusive resorts are. My first 2 cruises were with royal and the food wasn’t as good. We found ourselves going to the upcharged restaurants which isn’t fair to limit to main dinning room and buffet. They should have more free options or a lower price on rooms. I booked a cruise with celebrity in July for my birthday. I hope it’s a great experience. Kinda nervous about it.
What Celebrity cruise ship are you sailing on?
@@tomsunday Celebrity Beyond
@theknite2211 I think you will enjoy the Beyond. The main dining room concept is split into 4 separate restaurants. It gives more choices. However, there are many paid options as well. I suggest checking out my Ascent Dining Guide. It mirrors exactly what you will get on the Beyond. It may be a good video to set your expectations. I hope you enjoy your birthday cruise!
@@tomsunday thank you I was about to ask about the payed options whether to get it or not. I’ll check it out.
Celebrity is not so special anymore. The bean counters at Royal are at it again. We no longer consider them our go to cruise line( after sailing them regularly for 35 years)
No one is forcing anyone to pay for that extra cost.
Agreed they are not forcing you to pay extra. However they keep removing ammeneties that used to be included and trying to sell them back to you for a fee. That is what peoplea re upset about.
I’m not sure why retreat guest would care if someone pays to get a few extra perks to increase their cruise experience. That’s exactly what retreat guests are doing. Paying more to increase their experience. Secondly, these few perks cannot even begin to compare to the suite guest perks. A welcome lunch is not the same as dining in Luminae every day. They are not given Premium drinks. No butler or butler team, no separate exclusive lounge area with bar service and food…just to name a few. Thirdly, not everyone has the money to pay for the retreat experience so why not have a package that can allow all passengers to experience a little upper scale experience. Are we really that selfish? Fourthly, many cannot sail that often to reach these tier statuses that include some of these perks. Again, why not offer some packages that will allow non status cruisers or even first time cruisers to experience perks that will greatly enhance their vacation. Lastly, these perks should never only be offered to the affluent society of cruisers but to anyone who would like to have a piece of the American pie.
$150 per cruise per person or $150 per person per day?
It's about 33 dollars per day. So 150ish for a 7 day cruise per person.
I don't mind it when people are allowed to pay more to get more on the condition that others don't get less as a result. Like how paying to go to the front of the line forces others to wait longer. Or how people in the retreat get more space to spread out in while non retreat guests are forced into smaller and smaller spaces. It is vital that some of the revenue from people paying more to get more is used to subsidize others in some meaningful way. Those facing less space, longer lines and fewer services for example, are compensated by lower prices or better inclusions.
Very good point, Mr. Kiltridge! Thanks for sharing this with our community. I would like to underline the part about others not getting less as a result. Well said.
@@tomsunday Whatever happened to ‘You get what you pay for? ‘🤷🏼♀️
A rip off!
Seriously? Worthless garbage except for better WiFi which can be purchased separately if needed.
I strongly disagree with the policy regarding theater seating. It unfairly penalizes guests who make the effort to arrive early. In my opinion, whoever arrives first should have the freedom to choose any seat they prefer. This practice, reminiscent of airline seating, is quite disappointing. Royal Caribbean introduced it, and it was actually one of the reasons I decided to stop sailing with them. I hoped to escape such experiences by switching to Celebrity Cruises, but it appears I may need to reconsider my options further.
I just cancelled my Celebrity cruise. They are downgrading perks of Sky Suites. I paid extra to have all the amenities. After purchase we were informed that no longer will we have a butler. I know concierges in the retreat are not the same. Now I feel like a second class suite citizen. So they can take my priority boarding, preferred seating in theatre, wifi, etc. why am I paying for a tiny suite. I could pay the 32 a day and eat in specialty dining for much less. Not only that, but they won’t refund my deposit of 900 dollars. No more celebrity.
First!
Thank you for being awesome! #NotificationSquad