scifimonkey

L' Emperador at the Marina is our favourite especially if it is warm enough to sit outside. It has had a few dodgy reviews on trip advisor however we have always had great food and great service. If you are in that area of town it's well worth a try.

hi, can anybody tell me if it is worth paying 28 pound each to eat in the epicurian on brittania. Thanks

yes:)

It's clear that the SS suite is now a very attractive proposition assuming of course that you do not have to settle for one of those 'under the overhang' on S Class. I think we will always choose SS in future.

Unfortunately for X we always used to choose CS.

Does anyone know the legal capacity of MC? A poster reported that there were less chairs than people now eligible for MC.

Based on Silhouette. There are about 40 seats depending on how many you assign to the bench seats under the windows. There are approx 150 pax entitled to use the space via suite entitlement (depending on how may have more than 2 passengers which may be quite a few if it is in the school holidays) plus Zenith members.

Lol - This thread reminds me of the loyalty status benefits / suite benefits on Royal Caribbean's page. There is a lot of speculation about service with no documented validation. Classism is alive and well..

 

Even funnier is someone willing to pay $2000 for 3 to 4 hours of "free drinks" each night. If you did not have Michael's access you would have to drink quite a few drinks everyday to run up a $2000 bar tab. You would even have multiple bars and all days to use trying to get there vs one bar.

 

Royal's Oasis and Quantum class ships have a dedicated Suite Lounge only for Suite guests and their highest loyalty members. Junior suites are excluded from access so you can still fell special. On some ships you can even get a room on the same floor as the lounge to feel even more exclusive.

Have said it before, but once more with feeling ..... The CS issue is not just about the drinks!

Its about not getting what you were offered when you contracted to pay for it.

I generally have a premium drinks package so the drinks aspect does not bother me much, though it may be important to others as a part of the CS package, the quality of Michaels as an experience does matter to me a lot.

As for the speculation, it seems that some people do need to be warned that if they run headlong into a wall it will hurt! I generally would not wait to video it and provide them with documented validation.

Since the fuss that has been made here and on facebook X have already reinstated the complimentary specialty restaurant visits for those who have already booked and they have cancelled events in Michaels which will help with heading off some of the overcrowding risk. Providing an assistant or second concierge and additional bar staff or extending the space will probably have to wait until the cruise reports start coming in but they could head off some of these issues in advance too if they wished.

Of course, there may be no problems...... we are just speculating!?!...... but looking ahead is what stops you walking into that wall!

One thing to be mindful of so far as the workload for the Concierge is concerned, is they have transitioned the pre-cruise email/notifications to dedicated shoreside staff now, so that's all those emails and replies and more emails they don't have to field any longer.

Based on a ten hour day they will have about 4 minutes per guest per day so they are certainly not going to be very chatty. Sounds to me like they will need 2 concierges on most ships and 3 on Reflection to get close to the previous service levels but time will tell. Will probably take a while from the point of inception for this to percolate through to head office but they will probably get there in the end : other wise not only will they have disgruntled suite guests but they will have their excellent set of MCC's quitting the company. There is nothing more demoralising than wanting to provide a first class service and being too overrun to do so.

It would be interesting to see a statistic which compares deaths by terrorism and gun crime in Europe and the US in the last 20 years. I suspect that comparison might just see an exodus from the US if that was your only criteria.

If you are worried about the current situation in Paris ( note that that is the only location where there actually is an issue at the moment beyond actual war zones in the Far East of the continent and no one would suggest going there) then obviously do not travel as you may not enjoy yourself. There are however no real grounds to feel fully safe in any urban setting anywhere in the world and the focus of fear will continue to move around the world with each terrorist or murderous act. Let's face it every time you set foot out of your door you roll the dice however the odds are massively stacked in your favour.

The "clarification" is more in line with what was offered on our last B2B on Silhouette. It is a shame they are eliminating the evening events, as we really enjoyed them. But with the addition of the Sky suites, there is no way they would be able to accommodate everyone.

Agreed and a sensible approach from X given the increase in entitlement. The events were good but quite crowded even with the lower numbers.

So what is not being offered is:

 

•Special events will take place including a nightly 5:30pm -8pm cocktail hour, live entertainment and opportunities to meet senior leadership.

 

Is that correct?

 

We really enjoyed the entertainment on Summit, especially the singer who had a dual roll as Concierge. She has a great voice. :D

 

Also enjoyed the opportunity to meet the Captain and other officers in a smaller setting.

I think that this is perhaps a recognition that if an event is organised in Michaels it might attract the majority of those entitled. It certainly did on our last cruise. the difference now is that rather than making Michaels a bit crowded it would now potentially not be able to cope leaving a number of unhappy guests unable to get in.

Whilst it is regrettable that the events, which we also enjoyed, may not now happen this is a sensible move given the additional pax able to use Michaels and it is great to know that the complementary drinks will not be subject to more limited hours than before which may also have served to concentrate the periods of usage leading to overcrowding.

It might be that when things settle down and occupancies can be better predicted, some meet and greet or even musical events might be able to be scheduled in the daytime on sea days when it has always been a bit quieter.

If premium drink packages come with suites, will all this make a big difference?

Only provided for top two suite grades.

Thank you - found it.

also found it, screen shot printed it and will take it on my cruise!!!!!

Many thanks CHEZMARYLOU

Overview

• Private relaxation and service lounge for selected guests
  
• Has a dedicated Michaels Club Concierge who is instrumental in creating a positive guest experience and executing service that is exceptional.
  
• Provides direct, personalized service (to include specialty dining reservations, booking shore excursions, handling inquiries about car rentals or restaurants in ports of call)
  
• Michaels Club will be available to guests 24/7, but Concierge Service hours will vary by itinerary.
  
• Food & Beverage options are available to guests
  
• Special events will take place including a nightly 5:30pm -8pm cocktail hour, live entertainment and opportunities to meet senior leadership
  

 

This private relaxation area features:

• a wide-screen TV
  
• reading areas stocked with magazines, newspapers and books
  
• Premium continental breakfast, light lunch and self service snacks will be available throughout the day
  
• Pre dinner drinks will be provided complimentary between 5:30pm - 8pm
  

Thankyou for confirming that the complementary drinks have now been restricted to the pre dinner period. A further nail in the Celebrity Suite coffin. Will be Sky suites for us in future, or a different line if Micheals also ends up being overcrowded as a pre dinner venue and when events are taking place. They are not of any benefit if you cannot physically get in to experience them.

Loved the Celebrity suite product on our last cruise but I fear you have shot a hole in it unless you can expand the Micheals Club space and at least double the staffing levels.:(

 

Those who have problems accepting the changes will surely be resourceful enough find cruise lines that suit them better. After all, many of us moved on to Celebrity from other lines and will probably be moving on in the future.

That's very true,if there are not good reports on service quality and there are overcrowding problems in Michaels in the spring we can and will move our business elsewhere.

As those in RS and higher have the premium beverage package, only those in CS, Zeniths and VIP may not have had any beverage package. Michael's Club is not used because of free drinks but because the ambiance and company were good.

Unfortunately RS and above is only 10 suites on an S class which would not make a lot of difference in the big scheme of things.

If they extended the premium drinks package to CS it might help a bit (and perhaps head off some of the sense of being hard done to that many CS passengers, particularly those that booked with non returnable deposits, are feeling) but as many people have said its not all about the drinks but more the opportunity to meet and converse with a smaller group of people in a quality private club setting. And is the X approach really going to be to provide the highest suites the opportunity to NOT use Michaels??? That would seem slightly bizarre.

If I could venture my suggestion to Celebrity, assuming that things do not work out as well as they and some others have hoped.

There is, on all the S class ships, the potential to fairly easily extend Michaels by reducing the size of, or relocating, the celebrity destinations desk area. This would enable Michaels to be sized appropriately for its purpose in the same way that the suites restaurant was built to deal with the full suite capacity.

Everyone can then experience Michaels as it was conceived and whilst there may still be a reduction in those wanting CS rather than SS, they could easily up the perks a bit on CS's to balance out the demand. Bit of building work/redecorating but not really a huge expense.

Job done???::)

Seriously? To compare the underground (Subway) to Michael's Club? :rolleyes:There are people richer than you sailing in cabins "beneath you" (quotes mine). It will still be an intimate venue, where people are approachable, and I am happy to meet all kinds of people, well, some people

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

Lets see, I think Michaels will be over crowded pre dinner, you do not. One of us will be right and I hope its not me.

I take it from your comment that you do not wish to meet people who travel on the subway and apparently judge peoples wealth by the fact that they do so I guess if we manage to meet in Michaels we may not get on.

No matter, there will be plenty of others to talk to and plenty of opportunities for introductions. "oops sorry, was that your toe", "oh I am sorry could not help catching your drink", " any chance you could pass a message to the chap at the front"..........'

Did you ever live and work in a big city??? You might be surprised who travels by tube from time to time. Its often much quicker than using the chauffeur:).

Happy sailing.

Here is the thing that no one is bring up. Maybe they expeirence will be BETTER with more people. Sure, sometimes it is busier, but often it is dead and we just walk away. They are putting all of the Michael's Club concierges through a new international training program. Maybe that training program believes there the ratio of staff to concierge is not enough to make it an effective program.

 

I am sure there will be some challenges to start, but I am not overly worried our experience will be downgraded.

 

Without removing the sting some feel, there are two sides to everything and you can look at the brighter side. You'll have the opportunity to meet many more people in Michael's Club than you did before.

 

Happy sailing,

Jenna

Yes of course, in the same way I have the chance to meet and connect with people on the london underground during rush hour................ we shall see once it is up and running and I truly hope my cynicism is unfounded. Otherwise something of real quality will have been lost.

Love whiskey but would prefer to drink it at any of the existing bars as my DW would not generally wish to join me in a whiskey only establishment which seems even more niche than the wine martini or cocktail venues. It would be better to repace the glass show with the proven success that is the lawn club grille. Favourite specialist restaurant on Silhouette!

S class, the bigger ships have an L shaped layout meaning a corridor effect on entrance. The M class is more square. I am unsure on square footage which is bigger but the M class Michael's seemed bigger to me.

 

The Furnishings in the S class are also heavy, chunky and include sizeable sofas. They are hard to move.

 

We have done suite class on the Allure and despite the lovely conceirge room it did not have the 'club' ambience we have so enjoyed in Michael's.

 

So glad now I am not cruising until Spring, hopefully any problems will be sorted by then. Like others I am hoping there will be no issues.

 

Hopefully they do not need CC to tell them to considered the furnishings and look at the staffing for peak times (both bar and conceirge).

Please report on your experience in the spring I have until May before final payment and your report might well be the clincher as to whether I go ahead with my 2x CS suites or look for a late deal elsewhere and ditch my deposits.

With the caveat that you understand that things may change due to numbers............

When we last used it they organised a number of evenings where musicians from the ship came to play specifically for the Micheals Club users. They also arranged a captains cocktail party specifically for suite guests which meant that you actually had the time and the opportunity to speak with him. there were some day time events arranged including afternoon tea although we did not attend any of them so cannot really comment.

As for the concierge she acted rather like a mother hen and accompanied guests to tenders to allow them to jump the queue and did the same on disembarkation. We were on a holy land cruise which required passport inspections and she took us through the lines and registration took 5 mins rather than 30-45mins. When there was an evening event in the spa pool area she arranged an impromptue VIP area for Michaels guests.There is overlap with the butler on booking restaurants spa treatments tours etc but we had at least one occasion where the butler said 'computer says no' and yet the concierge was able to make our restaurant request happen. To be honest, anything you want to arrange or any query or problem you have they make it their business to solve. They are essentially your interface with everything going on on the ship.

Our concierge got quite upset when I took it upon myself to resolve an issue we had with our drinks package. They also take the trouble to get to know you and your interests, for example, following just a passing remark in conversation about my interest in the art auction she took the trouble to remind me of the time and location one morning when i was picking up a mid morning mineral water. I had completely missed the reference in the daily paper and would have probably missed the auction had I not gone to Michaels for the bottle of water.

She also took the trouble to introduce various couples to each other and break the ice and generally tried to create an interactive group out of her little brood without being at all pushy or obvious. Great people skills.........

but with 150 guests........ sorry but had to say it.

Agreed! Unfortunately, we cruise in January [never thought I would utter that phrase!] and I am afraid that they will not have ironed everything out by then. I will be happy if I am proved wrong and will not be too proud to say so on Cruise Critic. We'll see ...

Me either, I am desperately hoping that I am wrong too, just keep visualising the space and then trying to fit even a proportion of the people in and failing to see how it can possibly work....................:rolleyes:

Well said, we are in exactly your situation. I have read your previous posts on this and said yes, yes, yes.

 

Bottom line I am not impressed at all,but I may have a get out. I've just discovered our cruise is closed to further bookings sold out a year ahead.....maybe I might have a solution, it might be a charter......

 

And Cle Guy, we ,now you are a paid advocate anyway, we Brits don't need a remark that infers it's our problem our Ts and CS and we should have booked through a US agent. Why should we, if this is a genuine international line, they should be fair to all.

 

However, whilst I rolled with the punches on the dumbing down of Luminae, when I add in paying a premium for access to Michaels, a premium I now did not need to pay.......I may just check the legality under UK consumer legislation in due course.

We are in the same boat too and just as livid.

Those who have not experienced the current Micheals provision are probably underestimating how different it actually was and therefore what it was worth to experience a luxury yacht ambiance service and shared experience with a small group of people and yet have a huge ship of facilities to call on when required on the same cruise. Thats what made it worth a lot of money to book a CS rather than a sky. Unfortunately now it is not necessary to have paid that much and those that are locked in by deposits and are unable to respond by switching are quite rightly hacked off.

For those rubbing their hands with glee at their good fortune, sorry to say that on a full cruise you will have gained nothing but another bar to drink in where the drinks will be free but it will almost certainly be rammed and unpleasant in the pre dinner period because of it. If they choose to hold an event I predict that there will be queues outside the door and many angry entitlement discussions.

I feel very sorry for the michaels club hosts who almost without exception have recieved huge praise for their quality of service and their personal approach accross the fleet. They will now probably spend most of their time dealing with complaints and have little time to get to know the guests and anticipate their needs which is what the ones we have had did so well.

A few general thoughts:

 

Personally this news is fantastic and I'm selfishly excited. We're booked in an aft corner Sky Suite on the Equinox TA in April for our honeymoon. I'm personally excited about the activities - even more than the free alcohol. Someone mentioned high tea, which I love. I see us stopping by for the free drinks and light bites when we have a few minutes. Or going to a scheduled activity and enjoying a drink or 2. We'll still buy drinks at other bars (my fiance loves his craft beer and will frequent gastropub and I love my fancy cocktails), but we can mix it up with Michaels Club to both offer variety and keep the costs down a little bit. (Weddings are expensive and every little bit of savings is nice...)

Your fiance would not have had to go to the Gastropub under the current situation. He need only have told the barman his preference in beer and they would have not only put the beers behind the bar but recognised him as he came in, greeted him by name and had his favourite beer in front of him within a minute of him getting comfortable. It is exactly that level of service that people were loving and rebooking for, but sadly will no longer be possible with so many additional people. With the numbers now proposed (unless its an off peak half empty cruise) it will be impossible to provide waiter service at peak times or even see a guest arrive as people will be three deep at the bar. Even 50% of the potential pax would overwhelm the less than 40 seats (most of which weigh a ton by the way and are really difficult to move) that exist in an S class Michaels.

The proof of the pudding will of course be in the eating and thankfully it will be in operation for a few months before we have to pay our balance so we will be able to judge if Micheals Club still worth anything as a part of the Suites experience and whether it is worth completing our booking.

We have 2 CS 's booked for 2016 but are now considering cancelling both. We will not rebook Sky's because the only ones available are the rubbish ones under the overhang so we will probably take the loss of the deposit on the chin and switch to another line outside of the RCCl chain. Really feel ripped off on this one.:mad::mad::mad:

 

There's time for most people affected by the change to cancel and rebook a sky suite if they choose, only folks on sailings from February forward (roughly) have this issue. And the issue seems to be more "hey why can't I have that they have"

 

That may be so in the US but in the UK we have to blow the deposit as well as perks if we rebook.

I would think the majority of suite cruisers aren't all about the freebies and having to go all the way to Michaels to get a free beer or cocktail every time they want a drink. Sure some may, but the majority would enjoy the convenience of getting their drinks wherever they may be, and even pay for them as they go when they may not have a drink s package rather than run down to Michael's.

 

I think the majority pop in to socialize, and if they want to leave with drink in hand they don, but not a lot are really going in there to raid the free drinks in the refrigerators.

Wish this were the case, on our last cruise there were 4x apparently very well healed couples who always came into Michaels club for pre dinner drinks and always left with very large wine glasses to take to dinner. I think that unlike us( who had premium packages anyway) many had already realised that with Michaels a drinks package was not necessary. I think that X have just made Micheals club and the concierge item a 'Non perk' and I shall certainly price up my suite options without factoring it in in future as I am pretty sure that most of its qualities will have been lost. I do not begrudge the sky suite passengers access to the benefit we enjoyed so much in the past however they will not actually get that. What the perk will be now, will be access to a private pre dinner crush bar where you will need 30 minutes to get served and an alternative reception desk for concierge services. It will also be too full and too understaffed to provide priority disembarkation services so that will also have to be ditched as well. if they are to make this change they need to turn a larger space into the suite lounge with more concierges and more bar staff.

Really thought that Celebrity had really got themselves some clear blue water between themselves and their main competitors with their suite class offer. They have just lost it again. Havent yet decided whether to cancel my 2x July16 CS bookings but at the price we paid back last January they are now looking pretty expensive against S1 And 2s if Micheals services are effectively removed from the equation.