Yorkshire-Pudding

17 hours ago, micruiser2002 said:

I do not completely agree.  We had a Genie on RCL and it was no different than when I had a Royal Suite on Celebrity.  I was contacted multiple times in advance - all requests were done when we arrived in our cabin.  Our butler was just as available as the Genie on RCL. We actually had a same leak problem in our cabin and our Butler made sure it was taken care of correctly and even gave us vouchers which we didn't even ask for. To be honest the Genie on RCL was a little too intrusive, she would show up at every dinner location we were at to check on us.

It may be that I am viewing the experience and differences through a coloured lens. I am usually the planner for my family but unexpectedly was diagnosed with cancer in 2022. I was between surgery and radiotherapy when we sailed, so having a Genie that made thing happen and to 'take over organising duties' was a blessing. I had no guilt asking for things to be done, which I may not have expected a butler to do especially as our Genie was only looking after 2 cabins. The being escorted to everything and popping in to check, could seem overkill, but you do pay for it. 

22 hours ago, mac_tlc said:

We have had three different Royal Genie’s and have sailed X Sky Suites 7 times. Here is my comparison:

 

There is no comparison. The Royal Genie’s are exceptionally personalized. They typically only have 3 or 4 cabins, offer pre cruise communication seeking out your likes/dislikes, what beverages you want in your suite, any celebrations, etc. once onboard they are “all-in” if you want them to be. They check in a couple times a day, handle any specialty restaurant reservations, room service, etc. They often have “surprise” food/items delivered. We have done the genie with a party of 8 and everyone has access to the genie for anything they may want. They meet you at the shows and bring you to the reserved Star Class seats, which are typically in the first few rows, but they will put you anywhere you want to be. The last time we had one in 2022, we set up a group in WhatsApp and all communication was done that way, with almost instant response.

 

As with X, the price of Star Class has increased dramatically and is now out of our “value” zone. I’m 2022 on Harmony of the Seas, we had the 4-bedroom Villa Suite for the 8 of us, at less than $350pppd. Now it’s double. 

 

mac_tlc

 

Mac_tlc is right. You can't compare a Genie to a butler. We sailed in the Royal Loft on Anthem last year for 14 nights and the Genie contact started before you cruise. Genies make things happen beyond your cabin on the large RCL ships which makes a difference and are more akin to a personal assistant on your cruise. It does spoil you. Personally we found the Genie experience more relaxed than the formality associated with butlers on other cruise lines. Going to a show, the Genie has your seat reserved where you wanted not just the reserved section and preferred drinks waiting. What stops me booking again is the Royal Loft is the only Star class suite with a bath and it is pure luck if you can book the Royal Loft. It is a different experience from our prior Celebrity cruises, but no less enjoyable. 

As for Celebrity. I have read this thread over the last few days. Not sailed Celebrity since 2018 as our 2020 and 21 cruises cancelled with the pandemic and we couldn't enter the USA. Now our son is grown and doesn't holiday with us, we have dropped down from an RS to a Aqua SS on Beyond in a couple of weeks. From the comments I am glad we booked our two 2024 cruises in NCL Haven and 2025 on Viking river cruise. 

On 12/17/2022 at 4:37 AM, 4-2-N-8 said:

Understood, and I'm girding my loins going in with knowledge from CCers.

 

I figure the grandkids can run with the Genie to explore the ship while the adults will be together on one or the other of our balconies - very likely, the RLS with the hot tub with that great starboard view of the sea.

 

Will only do Coastal Kitchen for breakfast each day, while all dinners will be specialty restaurants only.

 

Will have three shore excursion days and these are all "kid" driven.

 

Other than that, I plan to avoid the madhouse on lower decks and remain on deck 17 in the suites area, the suite lounge, or suite sundeck/bar, save for dining and any shows where there may be seats set aside for my group.

 

Not sure how my expectations will match reality, but if it weren't for the young kids, I have zero interest in such large ships or anything catering to kids.

 

Good thing I've booked a follow on Mediterranean cruise in an Edge Villa on Beyond. 😄 

Hi,

I sailed in the RLS on Anthem for 14 nights earlier this year. Happy to assist if you have any questions about the Genie.

1 hour ago, TrueCruiseaholic said:

Taking away benefits from guests. I'm sure there is some benefit you receive on Celebrity from loyalty or stateroom category. Would you like those benefits taken away?

 

Am I the only one who cares when guests are treated more poorly now than in the past?

 

I am probably going to stop posting in general because the CC community seems unfazed by the spector of loss of perks.

Sorry I  come across as unsympathetic to your cause. I guess the question is what the individuals motivation for cruising is?

Loyalty beanies have never factored into the decision I make for any holiday and I get to decide for my family. For us it's the destinations (we have a bucket list), the experiences the destinations offers, as every holiday must have something unique we can't do anywhere else, the mode of transport, the comfort level my family expects and who can best meet those needs. That can mean a land or sea holiday. What I receive from Celebrity is what I pay for. If they change their offering and I don't like their new offer, I just book with someone else. I wouldn't book Celebrity initially because their suite offering was lacking compared to NCL. They introduced Suite Class and we sailed with them. They then introduced the Retreat. Unfortunately our 2020 and 2021 were cancelled so didn't get to try post Revolution ship. Have Beyond booked for 2023. As long as their product is evolving, I will consider them, but it it fails to meet our expectations, we will just go with some else. Considering Regent and Silverseas for 2024 as they look interesting, sail to places Celebrity does not, DH retires 2023 and our DS won't be travelling with us. Loyalty is not part of that equation.

And they are bad policies because?

You could always sail on Celebrity. Just sail 25 nights in a Celebrity Suite or above and you make Elite in Captain's Club. This is status matched with RC Diamond, so you can get Diamond benefits on Royal even if you don't yet have the C&A points. If you are prepared to push the boat out and book a Penthouse Suite or above, you can do it 17 nights.

On 4/14/2022 at 5:23 PM, Jkaczanowski said:

I’ve been part of it for a couple months and my husband joined this month. I think it’s worth it to see possibilities and expectations and my husband enjoys reading it. 

Concur with Jkaczanowski. Don't usually use the other site for anything but I joined a few months ago and it has been invaluable. Members can ask Star Class questions and learn about other experiences without fear of judgement or criticism.

I am British but I would say Iceland. We sailed on the Iceland/Ireland on Celebrity Silhouette in 2018. Iceland is stunning experience. This a picture of the geyser. 

2 hours ago, CaroleSS said:

If by now you still are not sure how the system works in the US, then you haven't been reading the posts. Please go back and re-read the entire thread. I think it has been very clearly explained.

 

When I go on holiday in the UK, it is very confusing as you drive on the "wrong side of the road". "Here in the [US] it's different"....it is hard to understand and making turns and navigating roundabouts is haaaaard.......but guess what? Not my country. I abide by the rules and customs in the country I am visiting. It is what it is. Complaining about it here won't change anything. Accept it or don't go.

Whilst you may be right that visitors should abide by the country being visited, there is also the issue of instances when citizens feel that the cultural norms of other nations are being imposed onto them in their home country.

I am a UK national and have also cruised on sailing departing outside the UK. However my last pre-Covid 2019 sailing was on Independence out of Southampton. On that sailing, you could not get to Guest Services most days because of the long queues as many of the British passengers were removing the auto gratuities. It's not that British people won't tip, but a tip is seen as discretionary and the perception of British cruisers is that they are being forced to tip people regardless of the service they received on a holiday which is already perceived as 'expensive', so they remove them and will often tip in cash, those they have personal contact with.

From speaking to crew members, the recurrent comment was that many of their colleagues don't want to work on British sailings because of the British tipping culture. The result is two unhappy groups. British passengers who feel they are being 'stiffed' and crew who also feel they are being 'stiffed' into  lower earnings whilst expected to provide the same level of service as they would in the USA.

The UK cruise market is dynamic with lots of operators, many of which do not add daily auto gratuities. Perhaps Royal on non-US sailings should follow the model of sailings from Australian waters where tips are 'built in' the costs up front. I note that its sister brand Celebrity, has now moved to its Always Included model.

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

In three months, 300 CC tier level points? 

 

Disagree. But thanks for the laugh. 😂

It only takes 25 nights in a CS, RS or Signature Suite 18 in a  Penthouse to reach Elite.

I have been fortunate to experience butlers at hotels, resorts and at sea and it is my understanding that the big difference between them is that the genie supervises guest requests. So when you order that speciality meal in your suite, the genie makes sure it happens but does not actually get the tray unlike a butler who gets their hands dirty and goes to the kitchens. So should you tip them the same?

According to the British Butler Institute which recruites and trains Royal Genies, the positions are 2 stripe (whatever that means) and the monthly salary is $2,150 per month and contracts are for at least 5 months.

18 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Why is there an arbitrary age included?

It is age based by law so for

Apprentice  - $5.96 (£4.30)

Under 18 - $6.41 (£4.62)

18 to 20 - $9.10 (£6.56)

21 to 22 - $11.59 (£8.36)

Employers can of course pay more but not less. So if a teenager has a job delivery newspapers, they must be paid at least $6.41 per hour. There are substantial fines should an employer fail to do so.

4 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I didn't mean to paint Brits in a mean picture. I thought I made a fairly accurate statement. 

 

As in your Starbucks example, bar drinks are a fairly low impact transaction. 

I was not suggesting you thought we were mean per sey, although I am from a part of England which is renown for not parting with their money. It's almost sport amongst Yorkshire folks about how tight fisted we can be. 

The problem as I see it is Royal operates globally but seems to struggle with differing customs and practice amongst its international guests and the losers are the dedicated crew who may not always appreciate that tipping means different things to different geographies. On my last ex UK cruise, some crew mentioned others did not want to be deployed on UK sailings because they would not make enough in tips.

46 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

Is that a livable wage?

It's the National Living Wage. It works in some parts of the country but those areas that are in commuting distance of London,  it is impossible because the cost of living is prohibitively high.

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

You mentioned FEDERAL min wage, not state.

In the UK  since April 2021, the minimum wage for everyone over 22 years is $12.37 (£8.91) based on today's exchange rate.

11 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Due to a lack of tipping culture, Royal adds gratuities to the base price in UK

With all due respect, I feel you are mischaracterising the Brits. We do tip here but not were we perceived someone is just doing the job they are paid to do and nothing extra.

For example, if I buy a coffee in Starbucks would I tip no. I just see that as a single interaction nothing special. If I go to a restaurant and have a meal requiring the server to make repeated trips to serve me over a 90 minute meal, of course we would tip. Also we tip typically about 10%.  

People in the UK service sector ❤  American tourists because they will receive tips for things which most other nations would not tip for. Just because we do not do things in the same way that Americans do, does not make us mean.

As for Royal adding tips into ex UK sailings. Well you have the clash of two cultures. Crew for whom, tips are an important part of their renumeration and British guests who have a very different cultural  approach. 

2 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

Size isn’t the only thing that matters😜. 
 

If you want to just go by size, then Celebrity’s advantage is even greater. The entire package of a Sky Suite on Celebrity is far superior to a Junior Suite which is Sea Class, and has very few perks other than the larger room. 
 

For us, the comparison usually comes down to a Royal GS vs a Celebrity SS. Still prefer Celebrity — the entire suite package (room size, lounge, perks, restaurant) is much better . Of course , IMHO. 
 

mac_tlc

😆 Let's not go there about size.

We started cruising in a Royal GS but moved up to RS on Celebrity when they introduced Suite Class. Loved that everything was included. Both our 2021 and 2022 on Celebrity were however cancelled.

Can appreciate your comparison of SS to GS. With introduction of Always Included (AI) by Celebrity, it does just comes down to cabin size as you said now, whereas before AI, I could make the excuse that there were different amenities not just space included do we had to move up (that's what I told he who pays anyway after I spend).

1 hour ago, mac_tlc said:

We just sailed Edge in a Sky Suite last month and the Allure two weeks ago in an Aquatheatre Suite.  I agree that Luminae is better than CK. The E-class retreat areas are much better than Celebrity’s M or S class. 
 

We felt that Celebrity in a Sky Suite was better than Royal in Sky class. The AQ suite was Star class and that s a more difficult comparison.

 

In response to our experience, we “traded” 4 future Sky class cruises on Royal for 3 Sky Suite cruise on Celebrity Edge/Apex. 
 

mac_tlc

With all due respects, IMHO, it is not a fair comparison to compare a Celebrity Sky Suite with Royal's Sky class.

I believe a Sky Suite on Celebrity is equivalent to a Junior Suite on Royal. They are about the same size but offer different amenities.

Based on size,

A Celebrity Suite is equivalent with a Grand Suite.

A Royal Suite with an Owner's Suite.

A Penthouse with the Royal Suite.

When I first sailed Celebrity in 2015, the Sky Suites did not have access Michael's, the then Suite Lounge or any full suite amenities. This changed several years later.

We had the Ulimited Dining Package on 14 night sailing on Independence, June 2019 so we worked through the menu. Tried most things except shrimp and Caeser salad. The nacho and chicken wings were a particular favourite amongest the 4 of us, as the really spicy ones were really spicy. Sometimes we ate there for casual dining or takeaway on sea days. The burger was nicer than the sliders in our opinion.

37 minutes ago, hawkesbaynz said:

The cruise sounds great and a bargain price. If you cannot travel to the States apply for a voucher from BA for the cost of the flights. Then only rebook the flights for a later trip during the BA Sale. There is one currenty but the January one is best. 

 

We have yet to sail with Oceania. The folk on the CC Oceania Forum really rave about the product. Our Caribbean cruise is not much more expensive than the Sihouette one in a Verandah. Luxury friendly small boats with fabulous food (included speciality restaurants) but limited night life sounds like a good description. We will be Elite on Celebrity after our cruise in September but we intend to cruise multiple lines dependant on the itenerary and price. DW refuses to sail on Marella again though.

 

I think I must agree with your husband about the World Cruise. You could have great enjoyment planning a World Cruise by plane. The WCs seem to have a larger number of sea days and fewer ports on a distance in comparison with 2 -3 weeks cruises. 

 

Thanks for January sale tip. We normally only fly because DH and I used to fly with them for work.

3 minutes ago, pixiedust777 said:

Canadian’s have been able to fly to the U.S throughout the pandemic even though the land borders have been closed.

You do not have to be vaccinated to enter the U.S.

The issue is what the CDC is accepting as being fully vaccinated in order to cruise from U.S ports. 
2 shots of Pfizer, 2 shots Moderna, 2 shots AZ is accepted as fully vaxxed.

AZ mixed with any other vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna) is NOT classified as being fully vaccinated.

We had to cancel our August cruise because we have AZ/M combo.

We ended up going to Paris instead where are vaccinated status is accepted and had an amazing time.

Thanks for the explanation. 

Little Britain 

Guilty as charged. It was a welcome break from all  the decorating.

17 hours ago, hawkesbaynz said:

The Global Entry System sounds great if you travel to the US frequently. However we may go maximum twice and not sure it would be worthwhile. We have the Silhouette and an Oceania cruise from Florida in 2022 and doubt we will do the Caribbean again for many years

https://www.gov.uk/global-entry-usa

 

I had a 45 day Oceania cruise from LA to HK booked next year for my retirement. Cancelled and changed it to a 10 day Caribbean cruise as my mother will be ninety and becoming needy. We could not leave her that long although she is otherwise independent and has a group of supportive friends. Regent would be nice, Remember to get the friends recommendation for OBC via CC

 

I regularly ski with Yorkshiremen. We always seem to book thr cheapest accomodation although they do not stint on the booze bill. They are forever being accosted by locals shouting 'how much!' at them. 

 

How do you rate Oceania?

DH retires 2023 and hopefully our DS will leave home when he graduates 2022 or at least not holiday with us anymore. As Celebrity's prices have continued to increase, we are looking at other lines for example  Regent or Silverseas. We are seriously considering a British Airways around the world ticket, and combined it with cruises on various lines inbetween as DH does not want to do a round the world cruise, stuck with the same ship.

16 hours ago, emmas gran said:

 

 

“I regularly ski with Yorkshiremen. We always seem to book thr cheapest accomodation although they do not stint on the booze bill. They are forever being accosted by locals shouting 'how much!' at them. “

Do they slap their foreheads and hold their ears as they say it? My other half says Yorkshire folk are Scottish with the generous trait removed. Seriously they are very generous underneath the brash front. 
The Oceania cruise sounds good, we have cruised LA - Sydney twice with Princess years ago and Solstice Hawaii - Sydney 5 years ago love the longer trips

😆 🤣 😂