mayleeman

Why don't you list how Celebrity's experts have improved things, showing their careful attention to passenger convenience and comfort? I mean, it's not as if they overbook thousands of pax and have to cancel them with no compensation or explana -- ooops, forget that example. And we know they would never advertise huge sales that are discounted from prices that were simultaneously raised -- uh, forget that one. At least Celebrity's famous quality foods ... darn. Well at least they keep some of their uniqueness intact, like free room service -- oh, shoot, never mind. Do you suppose charging for room service with a drastically reduced menu reflects that extensive research you are extolling? And maybe your idea of perfect management is to decide customers happy with decades of smoke'free interiors enjoy vaping being sprung on them once they board. I should be more open-minded on that last one...no doubt Celebrity has secret information that their passengers would enjoy vaping if they could just be more exposed to it. With an enhanced casino experience, too! Face it...Celebrity is making these changes with their only concern being how many or how drastic they can get away with before bookings drop.

Gotta pay down that debt!

The Celebrity explanation that service will be enhanced by this change simply begs to be compared to the old phrase about someone telling you it is raining on your leg.

It is apparently a new definition for "enhanced."

@shirazcruiser @terrydtx Maybe the positive feedback is from vapers who think the casino is not enough, and figure fewer butler visits to their SS will lower the discovery risk. Vapers get listened to, we know!

@OysterD Please remember, as has benn pointed out many times, E-class MDRs have laregely not been complained about. No S class or M class MDR has an array of choices like that because they don't have 4 venues.

How many customers would you have had long-term if you started changing what they were getting, if you unilaterally changed refundable deposits to non-refundable, and if your idea of customer service was to require any inquiries to be made on a system that regularly required 1 to 2 hr wait times? Or if you eliminated discounts for repeat customers to enter new contracts, then raised prices, and then kept telling them what a great new deal they were getting? How about if you did all this with nary a peep to your most loyal customers? I don't disageee that Celebrity has the right under the contract to do many many things. But when they exercise that right in a fashion that inconveniences or disappoints people who have cruised with them as many as 50 to 100 times before, they can expect blowback. As many have explained, it is no individual thing--it is the number of changes without any notice to or accommodation to cruisers affected who have already paid for stuff that used to be available, and was proudly advertised, and then reduced or eliminated. I suspect you paid a heckuva lot more attention to your loyal customers than Celebrity is doing.

What type of cabin are you booked in? Was the reassurance based on that, or was she saying the rumors of changes are untrue?

From the Optimist viewpoint: I suspect this huge shift may ensure all the remaining butlers, and perhaps anyone with customer-facing responsibilities, will be pretty attentive to detail. At least for awhile. Nothing focuses workers as much as seeing people in the better jobs get cashiered, too.

I remember during our last cruises (2019) observing some people and wondering if they perhaps were poster @so-and-so. Fortunately never found out! Back to the topic: Does Celebrity have a history of laying off people (not for cause) before their contracts expire? Is it possible the ex-butlers will just be doing cabin attendant, or other fill-in work until their contracts expire?

First time I have ever done that, so I didn't notice they were all gone. The mods act in mysterious ways!

She (He?) didn't rebuke you, she just offered her experience, and saying she can speak for herself was only acknowledging that she was aware she was answering a question posed to someone else. It has been pointed out very often that some perks offered by Celebrity for reaching the hghest CC level are getting undermined by fares for Aqua on up that make AI mandatory. You can consider this a rebuke if you are looking to be offended.

I would never spend the money The Retreat costs now, but other than the biggger cabin I think we would not benefit much. I drink very little, my wife can't; we both enjoy doing our own event rezes; we like stopping by to get our own snacks; we are very private so someone unpacking our stuff would feel like an unwanted intrusion; etc etc etc. (I am uncomfortable hiring someone to clean our house, so there is that!) That said, I have a lot of sympathy for suite users disappointed by, or anxious about, changes to the butler service. When you pay for something you should be able to get it. But it seems a few here (reverse snobs?) are almost like French revolutionaries giddy at the notion of the aristocrats marching to the guillotine. I would like to think most cruisers are above that type of thing, but we know there are always a few.... Anyway, I hope the changes turn out to be relatively non-impactful (had to use that word after reading it in a story about an NFL injury). Maybe having a team will result in quicker service. Maybe it will reduce unreasonable requests. And maybe the inexperienced butlers will learn more rapidly. One last thing. A lot of people decry complaining while people continue to cruise. Many, if not most, cruising reservationns probably get made more than 6 months in addvance. Many of us who have been unhappy about reported changes to OVC or MDR, or vaping, or elimination of FCC for part of NRDs, haven't even cruised yet. Our next Celebrity cruise (Feb) will, however, be our last. We have few cruises compared to most, so we look forward to it, but our money for travel can be used for better, less stressful, trips. I doubt we are alone -- the "vote with your wallet" impact will be felt over the next year. I hope Celebrity pays attention to it, and brings back the cruising standards you veterans have previously enjoyed.

Do you have to link your CT booking if you have a group from more than 1 cabin?

Let's go whole hog...slots and vape cartridge vending machines in every floor lobby, and add Keno runners in the OVC.

The next logical step toward enhancing revenue making gambling better for vapers is to make vaping better for gamblers. Really, Celebrity is missing half the equation! Sign to be placed in the casino in the future: "PLAYERS! Free vaping lessons here!"

@maiaaya Thanks for the menu pic. If you know, how do you sign up for the Taste? Ahead of time in the Cruise Planner? Or only after you come aboard? Also, is it offered more than once, or several times? Thx!

You left out "unless in the designated outdoor areas." Seems a bit . . . misquoted.

Layaway for a cruise should be called Floataway.

Which addresses the possibility that some vapers might be able to use certain ingredients that the sensors do not detect. That is likely not the average vaper. Sensors also do not likely always detect lingering perfumes or flavoring chemicals. I had a friend who thought she was so clever because she said she could always tell if a man was wearing a toupee. I asked how she would know if she didn't detect one. My point is we wouldn't know if we didn't detect a vaper, only if we do.

Some might be undetectable, but it is obviously impossible to know when it isn't detected unless vapers suddenly start announcing that they did it.

Reminds me of how Binions in LV had their glass display of $1,000,000 in cash. Up until they declared bankruptcy, IIRC....

Well, you can say THAT again! 🙃

🎶 $100,000 bottle of wine on the wall, $100,000 bottle of wine! 🍷 🎵Take it down and pass it around... Hey, WAIT!!!

Check out what I wrote about defeating noise in post #9 on this recent thread, plus something someone else wrote later about doing it on iPhones if you have one: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2949863-reflection-6128/#comment-65708317