chemmo

I wonder if they will go along the more generic route? For example, they will deliver an afternoon snack but it will be the same for all, no option to ask for a cheese plate one day, shrimps the next…

My thoughts are with you…Moving to a new stage in life is never easy but, like you, I wish to follow my late husband’s wishes and continue to “Make every day count”. I am sure Steven would be thrilled you are doing your B2B2B with your friends as I am sure my Pete will be smiling on me and family as we board Infinity next year…. I think all of us are reflecting on future cruises. Value for money, changes and personal circumstances all come into play…

When I posted, way back on page 11 I indicated the three issues I saw of concern. The removal of an amenity paid for (butler) The lack of communication. A breach of trust… Several posts have indicated that it is the ‘trust’ element that is rattling many of us… I am frequently seen as a real Celebrity cheerleader and I unashamedly am!!! I love the product. The service level and ambiance on the ship suits me perfectly. I don’t want a smaller ship, I want a decent sized ship with lots of options of things to do but with the option of returning to the ‘club’ atmosphere of the Retreat areas… Quite simply future guests are becoming concerned that what they are booking, saving for, paying for and dreaming of may change and not for the better. This ‘rattling of confidence’, to my mind, started with none Retreat cabins loosing their included room service. Those guests booked with an expectation of being able to dine in suite as often as they liked at no additional cost. It isn’t the $ they now have to pay that upset many who posted it was the moving of the goal post… Likewise, with this change, Sky Suite guests will be in a position of having to get on with the change to a Retreat Team or cancel. For many guests the change may be minimal, for some it will be more significant but all will be aware they have paid for something and possibly looked forward to something that hasn’t materialised. I have been unaffected by both issues (First they came…) but still feel my confidence is rattled…Why? Because changes are happening which we are not expecting and which we perceive as significant even if the management team don’t… I cruise more infrequently than many but then I do splurge! For many reasons (regular followers of my posts will know) my next cruise will be significant and emotional. Planning and looking forward to it has helped me through some difficult days…Do I continue to plan with the facilities my room presently has or do I plan knowing that the goalposts may move? Celebrity, I really think you need to listen to your ‘regulars’….Can’t you see the irony of this thread? Most posters are saying, like me, you have a great product don’t spoil it! Many posters are saying we want to continue to cruise with you but be open with us! Why don’t you start a marketing scheme with a heading like “Moving into the future…”. Be open about changes that are going to happen in the next few years…This doesn’t all have to be negative. I’ll bet all of us who cruise regularly could identify ways Celebrity could up revenue without cutting our pleasure…. For example, why not open up part of the buffet each evening as a speciality pop up with themed menus? You have seen how well ‘A taste of India’ has gone down at Sushi. This would be really appreciated by guests who want a change from the MDR but don’t want a ‘formal’ specialty restaurant. M class would really benefit from this….I could reel off many more suggestions…Perhaps, a new thread…”Let’s give the Celebrity Management Team ideas to make revenue”. Anyone want to start? Those who are long term CC contributors may remember when Celebrity did respond on this board. Often they simply copied and pasted some factual information, on other occasions they may just acknowledge an opinion…I do wish they still did this…If we felt our opinions were valued it would go some way to rebuilding trust…

Sincere thanks for a lovely pictorial read…You have enlightened my morning coffee for days!

We said this as out son hit 18 (many years ago) but somehow he arranged to always managed to cruise with us as well as go on holiday with his friends….Then came the serious GF, now he wouldn’t want to cruise with us but yes he did along with his GF, now fiancée… Another family cruise booked for next year…Not complaining, just commenting that cruises seem to be the holidays that really do attract the full family regardless of age.

If they are booked then in most cases they are committed to the deposit cost at least. As many cruise guests book flights at about 8/9 months out and often attach a cruise to a land stay then they are further committed. Saying they can walk away next time doesn’t soften the blow this time… Most of us who have enjoyed butler service would be far too respectful to all staff to use the derogatory term ‘servant’. We see butlers as an integral part of the hospitality team whose role is to add to our holiday ease and pleasure. Whilst many suite guests will only use their service intermittently they will value it. For me, with mobility issues the value is frequently in bringing me things, for a hard working couple it may be a romantic meal on their own balcony, for others it may be knowing your requested full fruit plate magically refills daily…In many ways butlers over the years have greatly added to our holiday pleasure… Re the devastating impact on those loosing their jobs. I could not agree more. My heart goes out to them. My heart also goes out to the room attendants of Sky Suite guests who I cannot help but feel will end up picking up some of the work. As a regular CC contributor I don’t see this issue as ‘boring’ and I have no personal gripe, I have no Sky Suite bookings, but I do feel for those who do…

I would suggest you contact special needs at Celebrity and ask them if it would be possible to ‘extra vac’ your room. I would not think drapes are regularly vacuumed….Perhaps adding you would be willing to accept late room access as you are aware it would be time consuming…Whilst this will not kill off the mites it should limit the surface dust and alert your room attendant to your health issues. Once on board a word with my room attendant and a decent tip for an extra special vacuum daily and daily bedding change would be my option. It will not kill off the little pests but should reduce their effects… Agree! Also I suggest a chat with your Doctor to see if they can recommend nose/eye drops and tablets specifically for times when you are not in your home environment. Some meds are not good for long term use so would not be regularly prescribed but could significantly make a difference for a two week holiday. Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

Thoroughly enjoying your review….Beautiful sites but you are making beautiful future family memories too…

Having part read this post before bedtime and read the rest this morning I think there are three significant points…I do hope someone from Celebrity is reading this thread…. Sky Suite guests have paid for a product that has changed. One of their perks (a butler) has disappeared. Whilst for some guests this may not be important for others it was a significant factor in their room choice. I totally understand this. As a guest with limited mobility I do want to be able to ask my butler to bring me coffee and (for the first time) I may actually request help with unpacking. There has been no communication. This is simply inexcusable in this day and age. When the company can spend time and effort highlighting a return to the RC private island why haven’t they communicate this significant change? Ironically with a good sales team they could have tried to sell it as ‘Improving our service for Sky Suites, now you will be looked after by a dedicated team…’. Much as I am sure we would have seen through the smoke it would have been a much better way to introduce the changes to guests who have booked a Sky Suite. Also if the ‘Retreat Team’ is a dedicated group of former butlers who will provide a butler type service then a lot of concerns could have been addressed. The third issue is one of trust…When booking any expensive item significantly ahead of time you do so with the belief that you have a legal and moral contract with the company. Quite simply you will get what you have paid for. Both this change and the lack of communication of its implementation shakes the trust of all. Most cruisers (including suite guests) are not rich. They simply organise their income to include their ‘treat’ of a cruise…They are booking with expectations and dreams…There is a moral responsibility of all in the hospitality industry to make those dreams come true…

So does this imply…. Higher suites will still have a ‘named’ butler. Sky suites will have a generic phone number to ring and a member of the ‘Retreat Team’ will respond and bring their coffee, make their reservations…

We have been cruising suites on Celebrity since before there were any perks. It has evolved over time and I am sure will continue to do so. I remember a PH with the only perks being the butler, two bottles of spirits and I think just one (or two?) speciality dining included. No lounge, no concierge, no drinks package, no Luminae… Then came the Revolution. At first Sky Suites were not allowed in Michael’s Club, they only had access to Luminae and many grumbled because as they were given Luminae they lost their free speciality dining….Drinks packages were not included for any suite so top suites did frequently enjoy Michael’s Club pre and post dinner. Then Sky Suites were allowed access to Michael’s and many top suites grumbled that service levels would fall, there would not be enough seating… This is obviously not a full review of the changes made over the years but it does indicate that the suite experience is not static. Changes positive and negative can come from financial pressure, a need to keep up with the offerings of competitors and a desire to respond to the feedback of guests… Finance, I am sure is definitely behind this move…

We generally request ahead of time and off the list but usually within the premium drinks list. I agree that they will usually try their best to source your preferences or offer alternatives.

I have never known any PH coming with an included cabana…

Absolutely! Guests often used to head straight for the buffet, grab a table, load their hand luggage on spare chairs and stay there until they knew their room would be ready! Without the baggage many guests will now enjoy a leisurely drink first before heading to the buffet or call at the buffet for a quick snack then head off to explore the ship. Definitely a big improvement!

I do think contacting guests too early is not the best policy. They send out the generic email which we respond to then wonder why we are not getting a response. Quite simply I think they are sitting on the responses until about three weeks pre cruise which was the usual approximate contact time until a few years ago… Hope you hear soon. Our experiences in recent years with shoreside concierges has been better but we have had a few glitches over the years where either we have had to chase contact or our requests have not reached the ship. I must confess this is why I always take a copy of our email listing our room set up requests and dining requests on board with us to give to the butler just in case…

Generally your butler is your first point of call for making simple reservations. However, if he tries to make a reservation for you and can’t then it can be worth asking the concierge who may be able to ‘persuade’ the restaurant to find a gap for you…. I also think it is worth chatting to the M’D. In our experience they usually greet us by name on arrival or come over to our table soon after we are seated (first visit) and greet us and tell us if we want anything just to ask. They usually return over coffee to check everything has been OK. We do have preferred seating spots and invariably they are ready for us. It is nice when they remember us from previous cruises and greet us at the door with “We have your favourite table ready for you…” Also agree that saying thank you for good service is important too. We also try to be reasonable in any requests. Usually we pre book in advance and avoid last minute requests for a table. If do want to change a booking we politely ask if it possible rather than expect or demand…We often do this personally and will say something like “So sorry to mess you about but would it be possible to change our 8pm booking to something earlier, about 6.30ish if possible”…Unfortunately there are a few demanding suite guests who can expect the world to revolve around them…

Now guests can drop their hand luggage off on boarding rather than having to lug them around waiting for an announcement I don’t think the buffet is as busy as it used to be. Sushi is a nice boarding option…

The small sized pj’s I got would have been ideal for a baby orangutan, the sleeves were soooo long! I wouldn’t loose sleep over getting them.

Thank you peanuthead! Just offering payback for all the advice we have received over the years… What ship were you on? On S class it is unusual to struggle for bookings other than for Murano…Obviously there are significantly more suites on E class entitled to included speciality dining than on S class, I wonder if that makes a difference? Surprised about the costing for a cabin crawl…In our experience cold snacks are usually provided free of charge but there is a cost if you request hot. Certainly we have hosted a few guests and a cost has never entered the discussion. Again I wonder if this is a ship thing or perhaps Suite Managers are being encouraged to limit free extras…

So pleased to see you in your special place!

I am a cruiser with mobility issues who can no longer enjoy port excursions as they did…Also as travel to and from ports can be challenging my frequency of cruising has diminished too. Hence when I do cruise I do book suites! I make no excuse for enjoying the perks I have chosen to pay for. A bigger room with a nice balcony A butler and a concierge to help with some mundane tasks A nice lounge with great service, lots of comfortable chairs and not too busy A smaller restaurant A sun deck on some ships which will be quieter. In addition I have a lovely big ship with lots of restaurant and entertainment options. I am not stuck in the suite area. There is no ‘class’ on Celebrity there are spending options….I pay to be in a suite for the facilities I want. Exactly as someone in an inside cabin has saved their $$$ on room choice to spend on cruising more, excursions or a new car back home! I wish you every happiness on your future cruises and if you have found a cruise line that suits you I am really pleased for you but don’t expect us all to want the same…

The TP cruise was our best cruise ever…We spent time in Hawaii first and time in Sydney after…We have friends we made in Michael’s Club we still keep in touch with. With so much down time you do have time to get to know people. Remember the shoreside concierge can arrange things to amuse you on sea days too like behind the scenes tours of the galley, theatre or bridge. If you do make friends on board your butler can arrange sail away parties or cocktail parties in your suite. When we have wanted to do this we have kept to our ‘give the butler 24 hours notice’ rule! Sincere best wishes for a wonderful cruise!

You will enjoy! The PH is a real decadence of light and space… You can just phone or turn up at the speciality restaurants and they will do their best to seat you although they may request you return later if they are busy…With 24 hours notice they will almost always fit you in. Murano is the restaurant in our experience that can genuinely be fully booked especially later in the cruise. We know the speciality restaurants really do appreciate you pre booking so we usually tend to ‘draft’ our bookings pre cruise. We have a general idea of where we want to dine and at what time dependent on the itinerary….For example…. Murano is quite a formal, longer meal. Ideal for a sea day when you are more rested not ideal if you are shattered after a busy excursion. Tuscan has great wake views. Really nice to dine there as the ship leaves a port so nice on days with 6pm ish sailings. Sushi, very informal, great for laid back evenings. Also as there are lots of small plates great if you are not that hungry, perhaps you have had an excursion including lunch. LPC has set times and alternating menus so best to book. Fun rather than fine dining. If you haven’t done it before it is entertaining but once is enough for most people. Obviously you are also going to want to try Luminae a few nights too. No booking necessary. I suggest you book in at least a few nights early in the cruise through the shoreside concierge and see how you enjoy them. We have never had an issue getting the restaurant and time we want when we have booked through the shoreside concierge. No need to book on line. You can then ask your butler to book more a day or two into the cruise… Room service for upper suites is officially as the app. However, in our experience if you chat to your butler alternatives can be arranged. If we have wanted a special in suite meal we have always given the butler 24 hours notice and they will usually manage to provide alternatives. We also avoid doing this on formal nights as butler’s have additional duties on those evenings.

Yes and Cappuccino and others…

In our experience if you look for a cruise 8+ nights child numbers drop even during school holiday periods.