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

[NMTraveller]

3 minutes ago, Octavias said:

If it was a great improvement, they would include this improvement to ALL suites and not just the lower ones.  What a load of bull. 

Well stated.

 

You look at the higher cost rooms and see what they provide.

 

This also applies to the IVs on E class.   If they were so great they would be in the suites.

[ChucktownSteve]

50 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

We have only sailed in suites twice.  The most recent time was in 2005 on board the old Horizon.  Not quite half way into our 10 night sailing, my wife seriously injured her leg in a ziplining accident during our stop at Puerto Limon.   I will just say that our butler was a godsend for the remainder of our cruise and he took good care of my wife.

True then. However Chandris still owned the cruise line. They also required Celebrity to maintain their protocols for five years after the transition.  At that five year point, LLP was transferred from RCL and the rest is history.

[zitsky]

22 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I think expecting us to swallow the koolaid is the most insulting part. I’d almost feel better if they said we think we can provide you just as good a service and save some $$ at the same time.  At least that’s closer to honesty. Still don’t believe it’s true though. Fewer people, but the same service. Hmm. I don’t need an MBA to know that doesn’t calculate.

Even with an MBA it’s not good customer service.

[mahdnc]

31 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

True then. However Chandris still owned the cruise line. They also required Celebrity to maintain their protocols for five years after the transition.  At that five year point, LLP was transferred from RCL and the rest is history.

 

My point was that a good butler can come in handy which I think is true before and after the sale.

[Veinless]

One fewer person to tip.

[Water babies]

Well, this is disheartening. Just when I thought we had found a good fit with Celebrity. We first sailed with Celebrity on the Reflection when it was their newest ship in a traditional balcony cabin. We paid for Concierge class, but honestly never used the concierge for anything. Not a great value for additional dollars paid.  Once we booked a Royal Suite on the Celebrity Summit, we were hooked, and that was before Luminae (just as it was being added across the fleet) and the Retreat. We sailed 3 more times in a Royal Suite (M-Class) because that suited our needs the best (our son used the pull out couch in the living room). Thoroughly enjoyed each of those cruises. Once the Edge Class and the Retreat came along, we were priced out of a Royal Suite. We did our last cruise in a Magic Carpet Sky Suite with adjoining inside cabin on the Apex in 2022 (postponed from 2020). I found Luminae over crowded compared the M-class. We ate there only once for dinner since it turned out there was an up-charge whenever our son wanted to join us (we were told it would be "no problem" when booking our cabins). The four main dining rooms were just fine. We paid for the specialty dining we wanted to try since we had onboard credit to use. Since it was not a warm weather itinerary, we never used the Retreat Sundeck and also found the Retreat lounge overcrowded on the few occasions we went there. I dealt with 2 of the 3 Retreat Concierges on board for what I thought was a very simple change in an excursion and got probably the worst service I have ever experienced on Celebrity. They worked separately rather than together and seemed to be competing with each other.  They were always so busy and had too many requests to keep track of. Our butler was also very busy, but he managed to do whatever we asked of him (morning coffee, laundry, getting our passports back after clearing some ports), unlike the Retreat Concierges. I made our reservations on the app much more easily than asking someone else to do it. I also went to the Future Cruise desk when it wasn't busy rather than drag them to the retreat for an appointment. So maybe I don't need a dedicated butler, but we paid for one. I have very little confidence that the pooled retreat hosts are the answer to fair distribution of workload over all the "lower" suite guests. Not to mention, some of the staff losing their job, or at least their status, within the organization. Are they now so flush with staff that they are firing the "excess" butlers? Or are they assigning them to other roles with less compensation? Lots of questions and absolutely NO transparency from Celebrity. We have an Aqua Sky Suite booked on the Beyond in 2024 for just my husband and I; our son is in college now and has outgrown traveling with us.  If we are not wowed, we will take our cruising dollars elsewhere in the future. This whittling away at the product while prices continue to increase has got to stop or they will ruin what was a very good thing. 

[cruisefam38]

On 7/28/2023 at 1:47 PM, terrydtx said:

I sincerely hope this is just a rumor and not reality.

terrydtx, this has been an interesting and informative thread. 

chemmo, orator, and hcat have all chimed in at some point, so that is a good indication of the relevance of the topic.

We will watch and wait, we have until December to decide.

In the meantime, I am searching for alternate cruises on other lines for next Spring, however current prices are not encouraging. 

We like to cruise, we have enjoyed Celebrity as recently as last year. 

We don't have to cruise though, we don't have to travel, we have a choice. 

 The cruise line has apparently decided they don't have to communicate with it's customers, however, once again, Cruise Critic and the-other-social-media-platform have empowered those same customers with a place to share information.  Thank you to all who have contributed information and opinions.  

Edited July 30, 2023 by cruisefam38

[mahdnc]

30 minutes ago, goofysmom99 said:

I unblocked and could find oh so many frequent mentions of Iconic and Edge Villa suites?

 

Poor Ruth. Butlers will not be the last cut back.  Basically Celebrity knows they need to save more.

Edited July 30, 2023 by mahdnc

[verizon]

2 hours ago, cruisefam38 said:

This seems like common sense, ChucktownSteve, yet the two most recent presidents of Celebrity have seemed determined to demonstrate that it is possible to grow a business while alienating loyal customers. 

Strong booking and higher stock price prove they are in the right direction.

[ncgolferette]

I have been in a SS on both the Edge and Beyond.  Never used the butler one time.  I’m sure there are other folks out there like me.  I have a SS booked on the Ascent for November 2024 and the thought of having a butler never has occurred to me.  There are other things that draw me to the ship. 

[SusieAV8R]

21 hours ago, jelayne said:

Hatred?  Maybe, more like a need to remind everyone how superior he thinks he is.

 

21 hours ago, jelayne said:

Hatred?  Maybe, more like a need to remind everyone how superior he thinks he is.

Jelayne, I think your word checker substituted "superior" for "inferior" LOL

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 hours ago, Kelownadon said:

Looks to me like they are just trying to get a more even distribution of the workload between butlers. Why should some butlers have to work their aces off while others have little to do. For what it’s worth, it makes total sense to me.  

 

Why only the butlers?  It's a total crapshoot in the service industry as some people are more "needy" than others.  Let's take stateroom attendants for example, some will have to clean a very tidied up stateroom and another may have to deal with extremely messy people.  If you're the kind of person who is willing to leave multiple buffet plates of half eaten food for your attendant to deal with, it wouldn't be a big surprise if they also left the bathroom a disaster

[paulh84]

2 minutes ago, ncgolferette said:

I have been in a SS on both the Edge and Beyond.  Never used the butler one time.  I’m sure there are other folks out there like me.  I have a SS booked on the Ascent for November 2024 and the thought of having a butler never has occurred to me.  There are other things that draw me to the ship. 

Most of the radicals here will strongly disagree but I think most rarely use the butler. The butler, steward and retreat concierge/host seem to have a lot of overlap in duties and abilities. Half the time you call “your” butler someone else answers. We tend to get to know and interact with the Luminae staff, sun deck and lounge staff far more than the butler. 
 

I think a vocal few here have convince themselves to expect a Silversea product with a Celebrity price (minus those 25% deposits, the 6 month final payment, the dress code and the significant price-point). 

[Georgia_Peaches]

56 minutes ago, Veinless said:

One fewer person to tip.

LOL...that's what I said..  But it doesn't mean that I'm happy about once again paying more for getting less.  Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the recent increase in gratuities...again.

[Georgia_Peaches]

7 minutes ago, paulh84 said:

Most of the radicals here will strongly disagree

Why call us radicals?  I am in the rarely use my butler camp but I don't consider myself a radical simply because I am vocal about the decrease in amenity without the decrease in price.  Am I a radical because I want what I've paid for?  Seems a little harsh and judgmental given the fact that according to Celebrity's own literature, a dedicated butler service is what I should expect upon booking a suite (of any kind) on a celebrity ship.  IDK...how much I use said butler plays little role in the current circumstance and hardly makes me a radical...IMO of course. 

[jelayne]

24 minutes ago, SusieAV8R said:

 

Jelayne, I think your word checker substituted "superior" for "inferior" LOL

Dang spellcheck, once again they knew what I was thinking😉

[karmamule]

We've never felt like we wanted to invest in one cruise line and have enjoyed sailing on several. They're all in cost-cutting mode these days, with some like Celebrity being more ham-fisted than others. While cruise lines have the "right" to change some features of an upcoming/paid-for cruise it doesn't sit well.

 

Having said that, our bottom line is how much fun each particular cruise turns out to be. We were going to be in one of the more unique deluxe grand yacht club suites on MSC and, after having fully paid, they moved us to another cabin that seemed much less desirable, and we were not happy and said we would be far less likely to cruise MSC in the future. However, as many here also found true, the YC is a great deal for the money and we still had a fantastic time. Since then we've been on Celebrity and Virgin for the first time each but did book another MSC cruise for next year. Yes they annoyed us greatly but the 'bang for the buck' is still compelling

 

Our cruise this fall will be the second on Celebrity, this time in an Aqua Sky Suite on the Summit, and similar to MSC I'm annoyed at the change but will take a 'wait and see' attitude on what the actual experience is like. If it does dilute the experience then we have lots of alternatives like MSC YC again, Virgin and its delicious food with no kids and no specialty restaurant fees or perhaps our first time on Princess on the Sun Princess next year will feel like a better deal.

 

There's lots of competition and anytime Celebrity pulls this sort of thing they risk falling behind other cruise lines in how enjoyable a cruise with them is, and whether or not the $$$ feel worth it.

Edited July 31, 2023 by karmamule

[dlh015]

32 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Why call us radicals?  I am in the rarely use my butler camp but I don't consider myself a radical simply because I am vocal about the decrease in amenity without the decrease in price.  Am I a radical because I want what I've paid for?  Seems a little harsh and judgmental given the fact that according to Celebrity's own literature, a dedicated butler service is what I should expect upon booking a suite (of any kind) on a celebrity ship.  IDK...how much I use said butler plays little role in the current circumstance and hardly makes me a radical...IMO of course. 

I'm in your camp....and I feel so...so...radical!!  🙄

[djg30084]

Hello!

We're only talking about 10% of the total number of cabins/suites that are losing individualized butler service. I always tell people who ask, if it's something you want, you need to be ready to pay for it (so if you need a dedicated Butler, ante up for Celebrity Suite and above).

Our last three Celebrity cruises have been in Sky Suites (Apex NOV-2021, Reflection NOV-2022, Edge JUL-2023). On Apex and Reflection, our Butlers were sooo disappointed with us, because we're the guys who do our own reservations/make changes/etc. Our Butler on Reflection went so far as to run to Baccio because he heard me say, "This view is so awesome, but we need some coffee" (He INSISTED that we stay on the Balcony while he went to get it for us.) So when we boarded Edge 29 days ago (😭), I made sure that our butler had stuff he could do for us, like get our laundry, get my shoes shined, cancel one pre-booked tour). It makes them sooo happy to be able to provide service. That said, the laundry is something that our stateroom attendant has handled when we've been in pre-butler Sky Suite or Aqua Class, and another of our excursions got changed by the Edge Retreat Concierge. So, for us, losing the Butler does not affect us (because I have to think about/plan out stuff to have the butler take care of).

Now about the "Retreat Experience": I'd rather book Aqua on S-class ships, and save the Retreat for E-class ships. The Retreat Lounge is so much better than the repurposed Michael's Club, and the Retreat Sundeck on E-class cannot be duplicated on the S-class ships. We've had Luminae twice on Reflection, and both times were disappointing, so never again on S-Class. There's definitely a problem with the Reflection Luminae kitchen, because it takes waaaaayyyyy toooo looong. And before anyone says anything about how dining experiences should be savored, we spent four and a half hours in Le Jules Verne in Paris and never felt like we were waiting forever. We also spent a minimum of two hours at dinners when we were in Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona and Rome on this last trip.

I like the Celebrity product, and we're going to find out what non-Retreat is like when we go on Apex this fall (and not even Aqua, because we're bummed that the view there is of lifeboats). 

Edited July 31, 2023 by djg30084

[SusieAV8R]

9 hours ago, zitsky said:

First they came for the butlers in the “junior” suites but I did not speak up because I was not in a “junior suite”.

 

Then they came for my private hot tub, but there was no one left to speak for me.

Wow, things have not changed much since the 1930s...".and then they came for me".  Nice paraphrasing, zitsky.

[terrydtx]

2 hours ago, Veinless said:

One fewer person to tip.

Exactly no way I can or will tip a whole team of pseudo butlers.  More for my over worked cabin attendant who no longer has the butler to help out with his or her duties.

[Georgia_Peaches]

22 minutes ago, djg30084 said:

I always tell people who ask, if it's something you want, you need to be ready to pay for it (so if you need a dedicated Butler, ante up for Celebrity Suite and above).

But we HAVE paid for it. That’s the point. We booked a SS on Edge 6 months ago and another on Ascent 4 months ago. Both of our sailings fall outside the reported August change. In both cases we did ante up. It’s celebrity who has moved the cheese without any warning or compensation. I’m not sure why this point is so difficult for some to understand. 

Edited July 31, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[SusieAV8R]

3 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Well stated.

 

You look at the higher cost rooms and see what they provide.

 

This also applies to the IVs on E class.   If they were so great they would be in the suites.

I believe IVs are staterooms, not suites.

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Why call us radicals?  I am in the rarely use my butler camp but I don't consider myself a radical simply because I am vocal about the decrease in amenity without the decrease in price.  Am I a radical because I want what I've paid for?  Seems a little harsh and judgmental given the fact that according to Celebrity's own literature, a dedicated butler service is what I should expect upon booking a suite (of any kind) on a celebrity ship.  IDK...how much I use said butler plays little role in the current circumstance and hardly makes me a radical...IMO of course. 

Today its the Butlers, tomorrow it could be Luminae access, then the Retreat lounge, taking away amenities, one bite at a time hoping no one notices or cares. That is the Celebrity Kool-Aid.

Edited July 31, 2023 by terrydtx

[Cap_D]

27 minutes ago, djg30084 said:

We're only talking about 10% of the total number of cabins/suites that are losing individualized butler service. I always tell people who ask, if it's something you want, you need to be ready to pay for it (so if you need a dedicated Butler, ante up for Celebrity Suite and above).

It's about 80% of the Retreat rooms, known collectively as suites, on Beyond, which has 130 Sky Suites and 20 Aqua Sky Suites (added charge for spa pass). Probably about the same percentage of Retreat customers.  For room counts, see  https://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Celebrity/General_Info/CEL_04_06_SP_Beyond_One-Pager.pdf

 

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by Cap_D