Is Celebrity going to Eliminate Butlers on Sky and Celebrity Suites?

[terrydtx]

8 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Can someone remind me?  What is the email to contact the Retreat department for feedback?  I only have a phone number.

Here is the email for Celebrity Executive office, I sent them an email yesterday that I hope they respond to. ExecutiveOffice@celebrity.com

 

When the testing of allowing vaping in the casino leaked out I got a response from the above email the day after I sent it.

Edited July 30, 2023 by terrydtx

[Sam.Seattle]

1 minute ago, suzyluvs2cruise said:

JS guests on RCI have Coastal Kitchen access.....for dinner only....based on availability. 

Well, for me that is even worse having "maybe" access.  No thanks!

 

[paulh84]

6 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

I would be irate at Celebrity for not communicating this change.  But it follows the recent trend.

Like most topics on this board that get somewhat leaked less than 24hrs ago, on a weekend, the fanatics go absolutely ham, then the dust settles and it’s business as usual with the naysayers continuing on. Patience. 

[zitsky]

Just now, paulh84 said:

Like most topics on this board that get somewhat leaked less than 24hrs ago, on a weekend, the fanatics go absolutely ham, then the dust settles and it’s business as usual with the naysayers continuing on. Patience. 

Head in the sand.  Sometimes rumors are true.

[TeeRick]

1 minute ago, terrydtx said:

We have 3 cruises booked in the Retreat, the first in September on the Apex, I will then be able to decide if this team concept works for the better but my gut tells me it will not. The high prices now for Sky Suites already had us looking at other cruise lines, and this new change is the last straw.

Terry- that is very telling of the situation.  You have been a big supporter of The Retreat over the past few years.

 

If anything The Retreat product for Suites has been working, even with the much-elevated prices- it is usually sold out.  This new concept seems to be an unwise (bonehead) move by Celebrity changing something that is working for them.  There is minimal cost savings - they actually pay Butler's very little since they share the daily tips and most people give them an additional tip at the end of the cruise.  Will you now give an extra tip to some generic Retreat Team membership?  

[terrydtx]

2 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Head in the sand.  Sometimes rumors are true.

Like the recent rumors of allowing Vaping in the casino on Equinox that turned out true is a test by Celebrity, which I am sure will go fleetwide soon.

[TeeRick]

6 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I asked for an email address and this is what I get.  You just can’t get good help these days.

Okay sorry.   NOBUTLER@Celebrity dot com.  Better?

[cruisefam38]

2 minutes ago, paulh84 said:

Like most topics on this board that get somewhat leaked less than 24hrs ago,

As others have stated, the lack of communication is part of the problem, paulh84.

Modern business people who live with one hand glued to their cels and one eye glued to a screen, and who use the devices to communicate all day, couldn't be bothered to craft a statement that could have been released within an hour of notifying Celebrity staff.  In this day of near instant communication, the inability to anticipate a leak and/or the total lack of concern for the impact on booked guests, suggests a mindset at corporate headquarters that raises serious concerns.

[JackE]

5 hours ago, chemmo said:

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…

 

 

 

What a thoughtful and well written response. Thank you for summarizing!

[zitsky]

Just now, TeeRick said:

Okay sorry.   NOBUTLER@Celebrity dot com.  Better?

Much better.  Thanks!  Emailing now.  🥸

[cruisefam38]

Just now, TeeRick said:

 NOBUTLER@Celebrity dot com. 

I already sent a message and received a chatbot reply.  I think it was a chatbot, because the reply was silence.

[swjumbo]

9 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I asked for an email address and this is what I get.  You just can’t get good help these days.

You need to get yourself a butler! Lol

 

[terrydtx]

1 minute ago, TeeRick said:

Terry- that is very telling of the situation.  You have been a big supporter of The Retreat over the past few years.

 

If anything The Retreat product for Suites has been working, even with the much-elevated prices- it is usually sold out.  This new concept seems to be an unwise (bonehead) move by Celebrity changing something that is working for them.  There is minimal cost savings - they actually pay Butler's very little since they share the daily tips and most people give them an additional tip at the end of the cruise.  Will you now give an extra tip to some generic Retreat Team membership?  

I said in an earlier post that I most likely will not give an extra tip to a team. I usually tip my butler an extra $10-$15 a day. If anything, I will give a little more to my room attendant who will be working much harder now.

 

For those booking a SS in the future for the first time they will think the butler Team was great as they will not know anything better. 

[cruisefam38]

2 minutes ago, swjumbo said:

You need to get yourself a butler! Lol

I thought that was a good idea, swjumbo.  So I called the "Dedicated Retreat Team" number, and a message said I was 140th in line, and I would receive a call back within 24 hours.

[terrydtx]

7 minutes ago, cruisefam38 said:

I already sent a message and received a chatbot reply.  I think it was a chatbot, because the reply was silence.

Careful or Celebrity will fire all customer service reps and go with AI chatbots. Wait that could result in better consistent service too. I can also see in the future calling your Butler team will get you an AI Chatbot on the ship.

Edited July 30, 2023 by terrydtx

[zitsky]

2 minutes ago, cruisefam38 said:

I thought that was a good idea, swjumbo.  So I called the "Dedicated Retreat Team" number, and a message said I was 140th in line, and I would receive a call back within 24 hours.

Is that why my room service breakfast shows up at 11:30?

[paulh84]

11 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Head in the sand.  Sometimes rumors are true.

 
Never implied they weren’t. But it’s usually more beneficial to wait for accurate info before going completely ballistic. From the responses here a few people needed to up their morning dose of blood pressure meds and xanax. 

[zitsky]

1 minute ago, paulh84 said:

 
Never implied they weren’t. But it’s usually more beneficial to wait for accurate info before going completely ballistic. From the responses here a few people needed to up their morning dose of blood pressure meds and xanax. 

Ok I’ll patiently wait by the phone for Celebrity to call me about this.  Will I be waiting long?

[Bo1953]

3 hours ago, zitsky said:

Yeah.  I feel so much rage that I….

 

 

posted on Cruise Critic.  🙄

z - I will fill in the blank...

 

... that I will book more sky suites!!!

 

LOL and bon voyage

[cruisefam38]

3 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I can also see in the future calling your Butler team will get you an AI Chatbot on the ship

You and others have provided good reason to believe that people are already being re-assigned or released from onboard service.  I can imagine those little robots rolling around with coffee perched on their little flat heads.

The doorbell rings, the passenger opens the door, the robot says, "Greetings Cabin 9017, here is your morning coffee, cream, no sugar.  Have a good day."

 

[terrydtx]

 A few years ago, my primary medical doctor's clinic went to a team of doctors' concept and every time I went to see them, I got a different doctor or PA who knew nothing about me or my medical history. I spent most of my visit going back over my medical history and got very little service. They used the same argument about how a 'Team" would provide better service, I soon changed primary doctors after that.

[cruisefam38]

1 minute ago, terrydtx said:

They used the same argument about how a 'Team" would provide better service,

So true, terrydtx.

[terrydtx]

6 minutes ago, cruisefam38 said:

You and others have provided good reason to believe that people are already being re-assigned or released from onboard service.  I can imagine those little robots rolling around with coffee perched on their little flat heads.

The doorbell rings, the passenger opens the door, the robot says, "Greetings Cabin 9017, here is your morning coffee, cream, no sugar.  Have a good day."

 

And when I ask the robot for a Gin and Tonic, I will get "sorry cabin 9017 that does not compute and is outside of my parameters"

Edited July 30, 2023 by terrydtx

[OysterD]

59 minutes ago, RichYak said:

I highly doubt that some invisible team can provide the same "personalized services" that have been provided in the past by a single identifiable butler.

But how I look at things, from an efficiency standpoint, a team should be able to provide a better service. 

 

I don't know how many suites shared the same butler, it's largely irrelevant but let's say there were 10 suites per butler. Butler A has suites 1-10 and Butler B is given suites 11-20. Passengers in Suites 1-5 are very demanding, 6-10 also make certain requests, but passengers in suites 11-20 never have any use for a butler. Having only butler A assigned to 1-10 means he is run ragged and passengers 1-10 receive slow or poor service whereas butler B is sat doing nothing. If you combine them into a team and share the load, but without a dedicated named butler to those suites, passengers 1-10 get what they request from either A or B. 

 

This sounds to me exactly like what Celebrity are proposing according to the post you were replying to, in other words what Celebrity have said they are doing. 

 

And if it is the case that that's what they're doing, it makes this whole premature outrage and 15 pages of moaning before any official announcements were made, completely redundant! 

[Bo1953]

My thoughts about the 'person/title' possibly going away, does that necessarily mean that desired 'services' are going away from those who actually and fully use the Butlers?

 

Sounds like a consolidation to serve more cabins at the lower levels with somewhat slower service pending on what passengers call to have done.

 

I dare say that were those of us upset by the person going away called 'the team' frequently enough for services the 'individual' performed, over and over and over on many of the ships, someone at corporate would raise the white flag and re-instate the person???

 

Just a thought from a passenger whose spouse would never permit me to book a suite unless I hid my credit card statement and X's invoice and said we were gifted a suite... LOL Even then suspicion and the sentencing would loom large...

 

bon voyage