Our voices have been heard

[Cruise Raider]

I commend Celebrity for actually listening to and acting on the complaints lodged by some of their customers, both on this board and through letters sent.

 

Recently, Celebrity has brought back the much loved Luggage Valet after being discontinued about a year ago. I had written a letter, in a very respectful manner, and received a call from a customer service agent explaining that they were working on a replacement program. Well, it actually happened and even though it may not include all the airports that it previously did (I don't know that for a fact), it was resurrected.

 

Also, there have been some recent complaints about the timing of which pax had to vacate their cabins in the morning on disembarkation day. It was recently changed from 8 AM to 7 AM causing quite the stir on other threads. Celebrity has now chimed in setting back to 8 AM.

 

Some are mad that both these changes were made in the first place. But, I choose to be happy the past way of doing business is back. Thanks for listening to your passenger's concerns, Celebrity!! It is most appreciated!!

[hcat]

Good news...hope they continue to listen!

[ISABELLA]

I commend Celebrity for actually listening to and acting on the complaints lodged by some of their customers, both on this board and through letters sent.

 

Recently, Celebrity has brought back the much loved Luggage Valet after being discontinued about a year ago. I had written a letter, in a very respectful manner, and received a call from a customer service agent explaining that they were working on a replacement program. Well, it actually happened and even though it may not include all the airports that it previously did (I don't know that for a fact), it was resurrected.

 

Also, there have been some recent complaints about the timing of which pax had to vacate their cabins in the morning on disembarkation day. It was recently changed from 8 AM to 7 AM causing quite the stir on other threads. Celebrity has now chimed in setting back to 8 AM.

 

Some are mad that both these changes were made in the first place. But, I choose to be happy the past way of doing business is back. Thanks for listening to your passenger's concerns, Celebrity!! It is most appreciated!!

 

May I ask where did you get your information? So far, it had been reported that Valet Service is only on Eclipse on the trial basis.

[HS2BS]

Now how about the food?

 

An elite member, elite + on our next cruise next month on Equinox. So I might have the experience to see the decline in food preparation, service and quality. We usually cruise 3 - 5 Cruises a year in Aqua, but - after next months b2b no more. Aqua used to mean water, towels were better, menu is stale and cabins are not in the best areas.

 

Hal

[bEwAbG]

My enthusiasm is tempered by all of the ill will generated by what were pretty stupid decisions from the outset.

 

Does it really take two weeks to make the ship staff not kick people out of their rooms at 7am? Why delete mentions of it from your Facebook page? And who is directing them to not address it publicly?

 

Their rationale for why they discontinued Luggage Valet does not make sense ("In 2016, due to the Living Wage Ordinance in Ft. Lauderdale and Seattle, we were forced to discontinue Luggage Valet onboard Celebrity Cruises."). So you were upset that a living wage had to be paid and took it out on your passengers by canceling the contract? If there is an alternate interpretation of that sentence, I'd like to know what it is.

 

While I am glad that old standards have been reestablished for future cruisers, it doesn't make it up to the thousands who were inconvenienced in the first place. And these are just two examples in recent times when they act irrationally and then either have to back-track or remain mum (which only makes them look worse). It is indicative of poor management at the corporate level.

Edited January 26, 2017 by bEwAbG

[chamima]

My enthusiasm is tempered by all of the ill will generated by what were pretty stupid decisions from the outset.

 

Does it really take two weeks to make the ship staff not kick people out of their rooms at 7am? Why delete mentions of it from your Facebook page? And who is directing them to not address it publicly?

 

Their rationale for why they discontinued Luggage Valet does not make sense ("In 2016, due to the Living Wage Ordinance in Ft. Lauderdale and Seattle, we were forced to discontinue Luggage Valet onboard Celebrity Cruises."). So you were upset that a living wage had to be paid and took it out on your passengers by canceling the contract? If there is an alternate interpretation of that sentence, I'd like to know what it is.

While I am glad that old standards have been reestablished for future cruisers, it doesn't make it up to the thousands who were inconvenienced in the first place. And these are just two examples in recent times when they act irrationally and then either have to back-track or remain mum (which only makes them look worse). It is indicative of poor management at the corporate level.

 

 

While I'm really grateful that these two (poor) decisions have been re-thought and cancelled , I'm afraid I have to agree about the lack of forethought when the decisions were originally made.

 

The 7am out of cabin time was destined for disaster not only because we complained but because, since people couldn't get off the ship any earlier than before, it would only lead to unsafe crowds of people milling about with their luggage. I figured that out right away - why couldn't the person who made that decision?

:confused: *** :( *** :confused:

Edited January 26, 2017 by chamima

[WestCoastFlyer]

I am also interested in where this information came from. I was just on the Eclipse and as of just a few days ago (1/22) departure from the cabins was still 7:00 AM and we were told the return of luggage valet was still a trial.

 

I'm hopeful that this is true.

[Jeremiah1212]

I am also interested in where this information came from. I was just on the Eclipse and as of just a few days ago (1/22) departure from the cabins was still 7:00 AM and we were told the return of luggage valet was still a trial.

 

I'm hopeful that this is true.

 

Celebrity responded to two threads yesterday with additional Luggage Valet information and departure time (which IMO was completely overblown. It was 1 hour. 60 minutes. Not a big deal!)

 

It was brought to our attention that guests were asked to leave their staterooms on disembarkation day at 7am earlier this month. The ships have been advised to move this time to 8am as per our standards.

 

 

 

Luggage Valet is a departure service option that streamlines the seaport-to-airport process. Luggage Valet is offered at a minimal fee, plus the airline luggage fees.

 

In 2016, due to the Living Wage Ordinance in Ft. Lauderdale and Seattle, we were forced to discontinue Luggage Valet onboard Celebrity Cruises. However, we are happy to announce that an agreement has been reached with the vendor which will allow us to re-launch the program across all vessels debarking in FLL, MIA and SEA.

 

Other criteria for eligibility:

• You must be flying on the entirety of the journey with the same air carrier.
  
• Your flight needs to be the same day of ship’s arrival.
  

 

The per person fee is waived for guests staying in Celebrity Suites and above (Sky Suites NOT included). Any applicable airline baggage fees will still be collected.

 

This service can only be purchased onboard the ship.

 

Guests who participate can check their luggage and receive their airline boarding passes and baggage claim checks before leaving the ship. When they arrive at the airport, they can avoid check-in lines at the airport and proceed directly to the security checkpoint. Luggage Valet is ideal for guests who wish to simplify their transition from one of our ships to the airport. It’s also an easy way for guests who have a late flight to spend the day enjoying a land-based tour or shopping, with only the luggage they plan to carry onto the plane later.

 

Note: Guests do not have to use our transfers in order to participate in the program, however, their flight must NOT be earlier than the earliest flight time listed for our transfers. For example, if our transfer specifies that the earliest flight time is 11:30 AM, then the guest's flight must be at 11:30 AM or later. It cannot be earlier due to the time needed for the luggage to be inspected by Customs and Border Protection, tagged and transported to the airport for check-in.

 

Cost: Luggage Valet fee is $25 per person.

 

Celebrity Cruises will re-launch the Luggage Valet program in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale on the following ships/saildates:

 

• Celebrity Eclipse 1/8/17
  
• Celebrity Equinox 1/20/17
  
• Celebrity Reflection 1/21/17 - soft launch, pending delivery of additional valet tag inventory
  
• Celebrity Silhouette 1/22/17
  

 

Airline baggage fees are applicable and will be collected onboard. These fees will be added on to the guests' SeaPass accounts.

 

The airlines have exemption rules for certain guests. This is different for each airline, and those guests that qualify will be exempt from the baggage fees. They will only pay the $25 p/p service fee for using the Luggage Valet program.

Edited January 26, 2017 by Jeremiah1212

[bEwAbG]

And their responses about the 8am departure were in the long thread about the change to 7am:

 

Guests may stay inside their stateroom until 8 AM on disembarkation day.

 

And then a bit later in response to a question:

 

It was brought to our attention that guests were asked to leave their staterooms on disembarkation day at 7am earlier this month. The ships have been advised to move this time to 8am as per our standards.

 

ETA: I was posting this info since it wasn't in the previous reply, which has since been edited to provide the info. However, I don't agree that it wasn't a big deal as evidenced by the 80% of people in that poll who said it was a big deal (for a host of reasons that the thread addresses).

Edited January 26, 2017 by bEwAbG

[Mosttoyswin]

Three cheers. So glad luggage valet will be available for our May cruise. It's really super for those of us with mobility issues.

[Oceangoer2]

No mention of which airlines?

[Jeremiah1212]

No mention of which airlines?

 

 

The form is posted in this thread with the airline information listed:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2443196&page=4

[The Fun Researcher]

New to Celebrity. Booked on the Equinox in August.

 

The Luggage Valet sounds great! I can see why it was missed when it went away. Happy to see it return.

 

One question: I assume that I cannot do the luggage valet if our cruise returns to to the Miami Cruise Terminal, but we are flying out of Fort Lauderdale?

 

Kindly,

Dan

[Reba 954]

Now if they would just bring back Bistro on Five, I would be happy :D

[chamima]

New to Celebrity. Booked on the Equinox in August.

 

The Luggage Valet sounds great! I can see why it was missed when it went away. Happy to see it return.

 

One question: I assume that I cannot do the luggage valet if our cruise returns to to the Miami Cruise Terminal, but we are flying out of Fort Lauderdale?

 

Kindly,

Dan

 

You WILL be able to use it as long as your flight is after 2:00 pm on disembarkation day.

Click on the link to the actual form in post #12 above.

(The one immediately before yours)

Edited January 26, 2017 by chamima

[wallie5446]

The statement by Celebrity finall told us the it was a labor dispute that has been settled. Now I understand why no one could comment.

 

"In 2016, due to the Living Wage Ordinance in Ft. Lauderdale and Seattle, we were forced to discontinue Luggage Valet onboard Celebrity Cruises. However, we are happy to announce that an agreement has been reached with the vendor which will allow us to re-launch the program across all vessels debarking in FLL, MIA and SEA."

 

Bottom line, it had nuttin to do with listening to us.

Edited January 26, 2017 by wallie5446

[Braveheart11]

Now if they would just bring back Bistro on Five, I would be happy :D

 

You got that right Reba 954!

[The Fun Researcher]

You WILL be able to use it as long as your flight is after 2:00 pm on disembarkation day.

Click on the link to the actual form in post #12 above.

(The one immediately before yours)

 

Thank you for the info!

 

Dang it! We missed it by 20 minutes. Our flight leaves FLL at 1:40 pm

 

Dan

[richard1s]

While I'm really grateful that these two (poor) decisions have been re-thought and cancelled , I'm afraid I have to agree about the lack of forethought when the decisions were originally made.

 

The 7am out of cabin time was destined for disaster not only because we complained but because, since people couldn't get off the ship any earlier than before, it would only lead to unsafe crowds of people milling about with their luggage. I figured that out right away - why couldn't the person who made that decision?

:confused: *** :( *** :confused:

It must be exhausting. Complaining about changes and then complaining about reconsideration and changing those changes. I am envious that anyone has all that energy to devote to these issues.

[Stargirl4]

I didn't see Summit listed, is it included in the luggage valet?

[DrivesLikeMario]

...also, there have been some recent complaints about the timing of which pax had to vacate their cabins in the morning on disembarkation day. It was recently changed from 8 am to 7 am causing quite the stir on other threads. Celebrity has now chimed in setting back to 8 am.

some are mad that both these changes were made in the first place. But, i choose to be happy the past way of doing business is back. Thanks for listening to your passenger's concerns, celebrity!! It is most appreciated!!

 

awesome!!! :)

[Cruise Raider]

Celebrity responded to two threads yesterday with additional Luggage Valet information and departure time (which IMO was completely overblown. It was 1 hour. 60 minutes. Not a big deal!)

 

Thank you for posting. I was getting to it when I saw someone beat me to the punch. :)

[like2cruise]

Now if they would just bring back Bistro on Five, I would be happy :D

 

My hubby and I agree with you :D

[Champagne Cruiser]

I wish they would bring back daily water in Aqua class. Our April cruise was booked before they discontinued it, and it's an 18 night Sydney to Honolulu so no "free" beverage package. I also miss the sushi in Oceanview because it was perfect for "Happy Hour" and DH would get something else since he is not a sushi fan.

[caribill]

The statement by Celebrity finall told us the it was a labor dispute that has been settled. Now I understand why no one could comment.

 

"In 2016, due to the Living Wage Ordinance in Ft. Lauderdale and Seattle, we were forced to discontinue Luggage Valet onboard Celebrity Cruises. However, we are happy to announce that an agreement has been reached with the vendor which will allow us to re-launch the program across all vessels debarking in FLL, MIA and SEA."

 

Bottom line, it had nuttin to do with listening to us.

 

Princess which uses the same type service in Port Everglades did not have to discontinue it in 2016. They did, however, increase the cost from $20 to $25 although I do not know if that had anything to do with the Living Wage Ordinance.