Celebrity ‘Suite Class’ – What’s the problem?

Celebrity Cruises have recently announced they will be introducing the new ‘Suite Class’ experience across the majority of their fleet from April 2015.  The idea is to ‘provide discerning guests who desire the very best in modern luxury to be able to fully indulge themselves in Celebrity Cruises’ new ‘Suite Class’ experience’.

From the one-of-a-kind Reflection Suite, with its jaw-dropping ocean views and unique cantilevered shower, to the stylish Sky Suites, the new Suite Class experience is designed to set the standard in worldwide modern luxury holidays.

The new Suite Class will include:

Private dining – A dedicated private restaurant reserved exclusively for all Suite Class guests will be available morning, noon and night. Each meal will feature unique menus that offer sumptuous dishes not available anywhere else on board.

Premium ‘all in’ benefits – Premium drinks, dining across all specialty restaurants, unlimited internet access and a private bar with water, soft drinks and beers will all be complimentary for guests staying in Royal, Penthouse and Reflection suites.

VIP lounge – A private VIP lounge, Michael’s Club, will be available to guests staying in Celebrity, Signature, Royal, Penthouse and Reflection suites. A dedicated Concierge service and unique food and beverage experiences by Celebrity’s James Beard-featured chef will be provided to guests.

Suite guests will also continue to enjoy a large number of benefits including The Celebrity ‘Suite Class’ welcome where guests will receive priority check-in and embarkation, the Legendary butler service where  the Suite Class butler will be on hand 24 hours a day to ensure seamless, dedicated and personalised service from unpacking guests’ luggage to booking the best destination experiences on land.

The Suite Class experience will also include a daily high-end afternoon tea service served in the guest’s spacious and beautifully designed suite.  A host of other extras will also be provided during the guest’s stay including reserved theatre seating.

Sounds great doesn’t it?

Then why has this announcement caused such a stir? Why are people yelling about the re-introduction of the 1900’s class segregation system of the Titanic years? This has really polarized opinion with some people saying it’s elitist and further emphasises the gulf between the ‘have’s‘ and the ‘have-nots‘.

Apparently this sort of ‘choice‘ drags us back to the dark days of class cruising where the affluent travel in complete luxury while the rest have to simply make do with what they can afford.

Well….welcome to the world. This has always been the case in life, not just in cruising, and frankly isn’t ever going to change. Personally I don’t see the problem, you treat yourself to what you can afford in almost facet of life. I’ve never heard anyone screaming about the fact that Ocean View cabins are slightly more expensive than Inside cabins or the affluent elite who can afford fresh air by booking a balcony.

What some of these people forget is that these ‘exclusive’ benefits do not come cheap, it’s not like they have been  deemed worthy of such luxuries – they’ve paid top whack for them!

The fact is there will always be something more expensive and more luxurious that some will be unable to afford, that’s just the way it is. I wonder if those complaining about the more luxurious options available to those with the means to enjoy them are not just suffering from a bad case of sour grapes.

What do you think, is it outrageous to have a restaurant only available to those that have paid a higher price than the rest? Is paying a higher premium for priority check-in and embarkation somehow a bad thing?

I’d love to know what you think.