chemmo

I can’t remember ever seeing but you only notice things like this if you are looking. I will keep my eyes open next cruise! Perhaps it could be a sit down meal but a brunch menu or perhaps it could start at 10.30am in a section of the buffet…

That would definitely go down well on sea days! Book me in! It could easily be done in one of the speciality restaurants or again in a section of the buffet….

I think some of the music charters are adults only? I could be mistaken…

But not everyone has access!

They are open daily and the evening menu is more popular. I think a burger venue on ships without Lawn Grill (all but two) could find this popular…

Keep thinking! Inspiration needed! Whilst we are all budget conscious I was hoping that, like me and a few others, we could identify a few things that when we cruise we could see missing gaps, the decent burger being an obvious… Another thing I have thought of is cooking lessons. I don’t mean the quick demo of how to cook a steak sometimes shown on sea days. I mean a quality training session for perhaps 20 people…

I could enjoy that! Perhaps just once or twice per cruise…It could even involve a pre buffet live music event… You could just pre book as you would for a speciality restaurant…Might be a good event/option on overnight stays…

Thank you for understanding the concept of the thread…

Yes! I think this would particularly go down well on sea days….

Yes, if they could create a bit of that casual but special ambiance it would be lovely!

I remember the previous Buffet dining too and the picnic boxes, obviously with more enjoyment…

Several recent threads have focused on Celebrity ‘downgrading’ the product in an attempt to save money…I thought it might be fun to start a thread about things they could do and charge for which could enhance our experience and make them extra $$$. So what would you be willing to pay a bit extra for? To start, my ideas… Do a pop up speciality in part of the buffet every night. Each night a different theme, a focus on relaxed dining but a change from the MDR or the speciality restaurants. Not a ridiculous price, perhaps $15? This would be especially nice if they could incorporate some fresh produce from ports of call…This would be really appreciated on the M class ships with limited dining options. Give those with drinks packages ‘deals’ on full bottles (yes, I know you can order) but make a real feature of it. ‘Tonight’s special wine options are’…Celebrity would up their income, those of us on wine packages would get a bigger/better choice. If the up charge was too much then guests would choose to simply look at the wine menu but I am sure they could find a sweet spot where they would feel they had made a $ or $$ and we would feel happy with the deal… How about, now they are charging for room service, some special lunch options on sea days. A picnic basket or an all day English breakfast special…Things that you could really enjoy on those days you don’t want to do anything other than enjoy your balcony… So what would you enjoy that you would be willing to pay a bit more for? I really don’t want this to turn into a negative thread so no comments on ‘room service used to be free’ or ‘there should be more choices in the wine package’ please! Just let your imagination run to things you would enjoy and be willing to pay an extra $ or £ (in our case) for?

Costa Lotta!

Surely that isn’t everything?

Just a quick thank you for a wonderful vicarious cruise! For a variety of reasons I am not at sea this year so I have enjoyed the detailed reviews of others all the more! I loved the balance of sightseeing, family life and factual information…There seems to be a lack of reviews from those in inside cabins but, as you say, if you are only using the cabin to shower, sleep and dress in then they really are an affordable option. I think there is also a lack of family reviews too, I hope your review inspires other families to try a cruise!

Mixed opinions. We usually cruise RS with the occasional PH so my opinion may not be general. Pre revolution, S class the RS soft furnishings were dated but were improved by the upgrade. The balcony furnishings were a downgrade in our opinion. The wooden table and cushioned chairs were replaced by metal ones (no cushions). The really comfortable sun bed was replaced with two recliner chairs with footstools. Again no cushions. The irony was the suite was full of cushions!!! Unfortunately none of them fitted comfortably on the outside chairs. Pre revolution, S class. Inside the PH looked classy with its piano which was useful for putting your room cards and a box of chocolates on if nothing else! Post revolution the table changed direction and there was an odd storage unit. A pity they didn’t add a couple of sea facing lounger chairs, plenty of space for them. Post revolution on the balcony there was the same table swap as for the RS and the addition of two very odd chairs it was impossible to sit comfortably on plus a couple of nice cushioned loungers. To be perfectly honest I don’t have a preference between pre and post revolution, the decadence of light and space in all the S PH suites make them a pleasure to be in. Other features. On Equinox there was a sun deck with comfortable seating and good service but very limited shade. On Silhouette the deck was over two floors with a jacuzzi, a bar and a bigger range of seating. Generally around the ship there were more changes than on Equinox too including more seating in the sunset bar area. Over all I would prefer the Silhouette over other S class ships for the sun deck and the extra dining options (nothing to do with the revolution). However, I would be happy cruising on any S class ship. M class I can’t compare as I have never done a revolutionised ship. However, I loved the pre revolutionised ones enough to have one booked for next year!

Equinox only completed a part revolution. No where near as nice as Silhouette. There are three different classes of ships with Celebrity. M class, the oldest. As mentioned two of their ships have been revolutionised. S class are the next. Mainly similar layout but the Reflection is slightly bigger and has more suites. Silhouette has been revolutionised, Equinox has been partially revolutionised. E class are the newest. You can find all the ships listed with their categories on the website. Be aware as you research different people have different views. For example, some love the E class, others (me included) find S class our sweet spot. Others love the size and layout of the M class despite their age… Also be aware that it can depend on what room category you are looking at as to what suits you best. For example, if you are looking at a suite only E class and the revolutionised ships have a suite deck. Then within the suite decks there are real differences… I strongly suggest you do some ship tours first of all ship types, then look at itineraries. After that consider the rooms you are considering and which ships can offer you the best overall experience…

I personally don’t mind being called a cheerleader. I wouldn’t be booking my holidays or posting on this site unless I thought they had a really good product. I, like many others, have concerns about recent changes and lack of communication about the changes but it because I genuinely care about the product and want it to continue to offer what I want out of a cruise vacation… However, I have been wrong about changes before! I thought changing the dress code would be an issue….Nooooo, I much prefer evening chic! I was concerned about ‘having to have’ a drinks package but actually I enjoy it…

I guess the next real episode in this saga will follow in a couple of weeks when we see how it does work out… I genuinely hope for all of you travelling in Sky Suites as the changes happen do find that your Retreat experience is as good as before if not better. Perhaps for some it could be significantly better…Those, for example, who have never asked for their minibars to be restocked…It could be a nice bonus perk… My glass is always half full…hopefully the butler team will keep it topped up!

We only ever send in anything we would put in a mixed load at home… For mixed weather/colder cruises most people pack layers. If you pack plenty of T shirts and only a couple of sweaters/sweatshirts your sweaters/sweatshirts will stay fresh if you always wear a T shirt underneath. You won’t want to wear your sweaters on board either so literally one or two will do. We tend to take pleasant but not over expensive T shirts we are happy to stick in the laundry…Worse case scenario they look a bit tight and faded by the end of the holiday!

This is the where the “trust” bit comes in…Those of us booked in higher suites don’t know if our next experience will change… Without saying a word they could still give us a butler but with a worse staff:suites ratio. They could remove some of those unwritten perks like in suite (Luminae/speciality) dining by arrangement. Someone else has already said in a higher suite they were told to go to the Retreat for afternoon tea. A generic afternoon snack being the only ‘choice’. There have always been anomalies in butler service. I remember on Equinox a few years ago in a RS asking our butler in the morning if he could bring us a bottle of wine (within premium package) as we were going to order room service for lunch. He said he couldn’t bring us a bottle but he could bring us a glass each…We told him not to worry about it and as we ordered room service my DH headed to the nearest bar for two glasses…As he returned the butler arrived with two glasses and half an hour later with two more…Work that one out! We later found out that the Retreat Manager had told the butlers that they were not allowed to take bottles of wine to suites as they were not part of the suite package. I can only assume they had experienced some guests abusing the request. Perhaps asking for bottles of wine and then sharing them with guests without a drinks package? I know numerous Sky Suite guests have had no issue getting bottles of wine delivered to their suites. Que sera, sera, whatever will be will be…The future isn’t ours to see but Celebrity could tell all guests in all categories of room about changes to come…A bit of transparency would be much appreciated.

From your posts I guess you will go with the flow… It wouldn’t surprise me if you boarded and everything was as it should be and when you ask about the changes the staff haven’t got a clue what you are talking about! I do wonder if the changes are going to be more focused on the E class ships where there are significantly more Sky Suites (just my thought, no evidence)… Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise!

Forgetting the shortcomings of Celebrity I simply want to wish you sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise… The beautiful thing about knowing your cruising days are limited (I speak from experience) is that it does make you savour every last sight, sound, smell and taste…There is no taking for granted the excitement of boarding the ship, a sunrise or sunset…Your senses return to almost those of a child experiencing the world for the first time… With or without butler I know you will have a wonderful time. Thoughts and prayers for your wife’s health to improve…

Well said. Many who have posted on this thread (me included) are not directly affected by the change but don’t like the way the change was made. Many of us (me included) also posted with concern when Zeniths were not allowed to return to the Retreat Lounge post covid although again I wasn’t directly affected. I think all of us know that the hospitality industry needs to evolve over time. It needs to respond to trends, competition and the economic climate…What most of us are saying is there are better ways to do it. Don’t market a product as including something (room service, butler) then pull the plug as if doesn’t matter, as if it isn’t diminishing the product/experience. Communicate clearly changes made to guests rather than them finding out on social media. The position of Zeniths is exactly the type of change most of us on this thread are complaining about…

You will have a small card in your room (easy to miss) that has a phone number on it that you are told you can ring to get a member of the retreat team…When you ring you will get the message “All of our operatives are busy at the moment, please try later…”