Hello!
We're only talking about 10% of the total number of cabins/suites that are losing individualized butler service. I always tell people who ask, if it's something you want, you need to be ready to pay for it (so if you need a dedicated Butler, ante up for Celebrity Suite and above).
Our last three Celebrity cruises have been in Sky Suites (Apex NOV-2021, Reflection NOV-2022, Edge JUL-2023). On Apex and Reflection, our Butlers were sooo disappointed with us, because we're the guys who do our own reservations/make changes/etc. Our Butler on Reflection went so far as to run to Baccio because he heard me say, "This view is so awesome, but we need some coffee" (He INSISTED that we stay on the Balcony while he went to get it for us.) So when we boarded Edge 29 days ago (ðŸ˜), I made sure that our butler had stuff he could do for us, like get our laundry, get my shoes shined, cancel one pre-booked tour). It makes them sooo happy to be able to provide service. That said, the laundry is something that our stateroom attendant has handled when we've been in pre-butler Sky Suite or Aqua Class, and another of our excursions got changed by the Edge Retreat Concierge. So, for us, losing the Butler does not affect us (because I have to think about/plan out stuff to have the butler take care of).
Now about the "Retreat Experience": I'd rather book Aqua on S-class ships, and save the Retreat for E-class ships. The Retreat Lounge is so much better than the repurposed Michael's Club, and the Retreat Sundeck on E-class cannot be duplicated on the S-class ships. We've had Luminae twice on Reflection, and both times were disappointing, so never again on S-Class. There's definitely a problem with the Reflection Luminae kitchen, because it takes waaaaayyyyy toooo looong. And before anyone says anything about how dining experiences should be savored, we spent four and a half hours in Le Jules Verne in Paris and never felt like we were waiting forever. We also spent a minimum of two hours at dinners when we were in Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona and Rome on this last trip.
I like the Celebrity product, and we're going to find out what non-Retreat is like when we go on Apex this fall (and not even Aqua, because we're bummed that the view there is of lifeboats).
Hello! We're only talking about 10% of the total number of cabins/suites that are losing individualized butler service. I always tell people who ask, if it's something you want, you need to be ready to pay for it (so if you need a dedicated Butler, ante up for Celebrity Suite and above). Our last three Celebrity cruises have been in Sky Suites (Apex NOV-2021, Reflection NOV-2022, Edge JUL-2023). On Apex and Reflection, our Butlers were sooo disappointed with us, because we're the guys who do our own reservations/make changes/etc. Our Butler on Reflection went so far as to run to Baccio because he heard me say, "This view is so awesome, but we need some coffee" (He INSISTED that we stay on the Balcony while he went to get it for us.) So when we boarded Edge 29 days ago (ðŸ˜), I made sure that our butler had stuff he could do for us, like get our laundry, get my shoes shined, cancel one pre-booked tour). It makes them sooo happy to be able to provide service. That said, the laundry is something that our stateroom attendant has handled when we've been in pre-butler Sky Suite or Aqua Class, and another of our excursions got changed by the Edge Retreat Concierge. So, for us, losing the Butler does not affect us (because I have to think about/plan out stuff to have the butler take care of). Now about the "Retreat Experience": I'd rather book Aqua on S-class ships, and save the Retreat for E-class ships. The Retreat Lounge is so much better than the repurposed Michael's Club, and the Retreat Sundeck on E-class cannot be duplicated on the S-class ships. We've had Luminae twice on Reflection, and both times were disappointing, so never again on S-Class. There's definitely a problem with the Reflection Luminae kitchen, because it takes waaaaayyyyy toooo looong. And before anyone says anything about how dining experiences should be savored, we spent four and a half hours in Le Jules Verne in Paris and never felt like we were waiting forever. We also spent a minimum of two hours at dinners when we were in Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona and Rome on this last trip. I like the Celebrity product, and we're going to find out what non-Retreat is like when we go on Apex this fall (and not even Aqua, because we're bummed that the view there is of lifeboats).
