Oceangoer2

Let's stick to this subject....the butler who will (or has) probably lose his job is believable...the 5 kids, etc may not be. Most of us can read the tea leaves without a poster explaining how we're being 'taken in'. My birth certificate didn't note 'stupid' as my middle name.

Very much the case. We had a great cabin and location and a good price for a booking made when cost was reasonable. Now, to replace that cruise, it's almost a third more for a lower cabin category. Not happy right now.

I would take the word of a butler whose job/pay scale may be affected over the spin X can put on it.

Re Apex....our Nov. 21/24 cruise has been cancelled with full refund. Told it's 'safety'?? Part of our notification. So they're replacing with 7 night cruises? "At Celebrity Cruises, we are passionate about providing award-winning vacation experiences. With this goal in mind, and in accordance with global ship safety guidelines, Celebrity Cruises will be revising Celebrity Apex’s season schedule to include drydock for routine inspection in 2025, instead of 2024 as originally scheduled. As a result of this rescheduling, select Celebrity Apex sailings scheduled to embark November 9 & 21, 2024, and March 8, 2025 through April 26, 2025, will be cancelled."

We've booked this each time we sail from FLL over the years, pre reno and after. Have always recommended it, but we did have a high floor room with view of the harbour which is our preference to see the ships come in (early....5am ish) from our balcony. Haven't stayed in any other room so there may be different opinions. They have a good lobby, pool area, and patio restaurant. The traditional inside restaurant they used to have is gone and breakfast was offered in a meeting room...however, it was fine.

Could this be a pre-pandemic message? I understand there's no further renovations being planned for any ship.

Oddly enough, not sure, but did we talk about our 'locations' in past emails. Are you presently living in a small town south of London?

Thanks for the info...but not driving between US and Canada.

This is the topic of this thread ..... effective Aug. 14th butlers for SS will be replaced by a Retreat Team. If you go back to the first post and read through, you'll find a 'host' (sorry) of information.

Yes...we had the option to change flights. The connecting flight to our small home city that worked for us was cancelled; the next and only flight was 8 hrs layover so no choice off the top. Thinking about the options next day, we cancelled the connection and will drive to/from the originating airport. for a direct flight..2 hr drive but simple solution. No charge. Lost our great seats though....🥲..When we rebooked into the first leg flight we cancelled, someone was johnny on the spot waiting for 'good seats' to come open.

shshshsh! next step they'll cut the Sky Suites in half for double the $$s and call them luxury.

AB-SOL-UTE-LY!!! So many companies offer this now and it's a pleasure to do business with them. The calls almost always come back within the specified time frame.

My understanding of 'titles' is...a Host does just that....meets, greets, soothes, etc. The Butler would attend to certain needs, while being quietly unnoticeable . At least according to my grandmothers experience. Times change and a Host/Butler seems to be all things now but absolutely to be respected.

Thanks to all for your responses. Looked into all the helpful suggestions; finally we decided to stop trying to fill the time and found a way to work it out by eliminating the connection which was causing the problem (after the airline changed our original flights to one which left the big gap). We're going to drive home after our departure flight instead of waiting for the connector. So thanks again for all your suggestions...much appreciated. 👍

Luggage being an issue, I suppose the best option is the X Everglade excursion which will take our luggage on a bus and to the airport after the trip. Then perhaps the lounge idea mentioned by another poster.

Did you like the Everglades Tour? Says it's 4 hrs so 12:30 finish which leaves lots of time for airport arrival. Where did the tour drop you off. Thanks for responding.

I started there and posted here on X as well in case not many frequent that board.

Thanks for the link...will look into it. I was hoping for an excursion to pass the time but not many to be found unless I'm looking in all the wrong places...😕

Sounds good. Maybe do the hotel day pass.

I wish! There isn't one in FLL.

What do you do in FLL when cruise ends at 8:30am and plane departure is 4:30pm? I know X offers some but are there other choices? Thanks for your help.

What do you do in FLL when cruise ends at 8:30am and plane departure is 4:30pm? I know X offers some but are there other choices? Thanks for your help.

We only saw our butler everyday in the aisle saying good morning as we passed, so we did know who he was. I suppose if we wanted anything he wouldn't have been far away. He was, however, quite well tipped for ? on our last day. So a butler is wasted on us. The Retreat Team concept sounds about right. Two personable and helpful Retreat Concierge were very attentive, suggesting cruise info to help make our time more enjoyable.

Denying Luminae to SS class is all supposition...this thread is taking on a life of its own and away from original OP's topic. 😕 However, not unusual in CC land...😘

I expect the next change will be no dining privileges in Luminae for SS passengers.