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

[bnurick]

8 hours ago, clojacks said:

Is it at all possible that they honestly and truly believed that this might actually end up being an improvement AND a cost savings both at the same time?

If so they would have no problem reselling my 5 booked cruises, so why not let those skeptical to cancel without penalty? The answer is they used everyone’s deposits to reduce their debt problem, which what this is all about.

[Ex-Airbalancer]

1 hour ago, mayleeman said:

Why don't you list how Celebrity's experts have improved things,

Their stock is over $100 

without know the mandate of the Celebrity’s experts you can not possible know what they were suppose to accomplish 😁

[Mark_T]

8 hours ago, zitsky said:

I wonder if there is some way an employee can communicate with another department about a customer complaint?  Maybe she was out of typewriter ribbon?

The pigeon had probably been added to the MDR menu so normal lines of communication were down...

[mayleeman]

17 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

Their stock is over $100 

without know the mandate of the Celebrity’s experts you can not possible know what they were suppose to accomplish 😁

 

Cutting costs improves stock...no intent to improve the customer experience. Ask the Circuit City CEO who ruined shopping there by laying off the experienced staff. Stock price was the goal, please the investors. Until shoppers voted with their wallets.

[NMTraveller]

9 hours ago, clojacks said:

"There are a handful of you who's pessimism and negativity must be draining...to have that skeptical of an attitude about something that just might work"...

Refer to post #974.  While I think that he missed about half of the cuts that were ahem supposed to increase "customer satisfaction" @mayleeman nailed it!

 

I would neither classify myself as a pessimist or an optimist,  but rather a realist.  You can call me Captain Obvious if you want.  I don't find realism draining but refreshing.  It is best to go in with realistic expectations.

 

Now in the remote chance that they implement this so-called "upgrade" to the upper suites and the upper suites are happy I will gladly agree with your assessment.

 

 

Edited August 4, 2023 by NMTraveller

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, bnurick said:

If so they would have no problem reselling my 5 booked cruises, so why not let those skeptical to cancel without penalty? The answer is they used everyone’s deposits to reduce their debt problem, which what this is all about.

Debt problem?  Have you no sympathy for the Celebrity executives who are only making $5 million this year because they are not meeting their revenue targets?  Because all of you people are complaining about a really insignicant change that doesn’t impact anyone and adds to the bottom line profit???  😳

[NMTraveller]

8 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Debt problem?  Have you no sympathy for the Celebrity executives who are only making $5 million this year because they are not meeting their revenue targets?  Because all of you people are complaining about a really insignicant change that doesn’t impact anyone and adds to the bottom line profit???  😳

You forgot the stockholders who saw the stock price go from $60 to over $100.  All hail the stockholders...  No doubt that they are doing things right to increase profits and to increase their bonuses.

Edited August 4, 2023 by NMTraveller

[zitsky]

7 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

You forgot the stockholders who saw the stock price go from $60 to over $100.  All hail the stockholders...  No doubt that they are doing things right to increase profits and to increase their bonuses.

You forgot the pay raise for all employees to $30 an hour.  Someone has to pay for it.

[NMTraveller]

53 minutes ago, zitsky said:

You forgot the pay raise for all employees to $30 an hour.  Someone has to pay for it.

The stockholders paying for it would be fine with me.  But perhaps that is why this will not happen.

 

Stockholder profits vs cruising experience I will take cruising experience.

 

And PLEASE leave out the fallacy that RCL is going broke and filing for bankruptcy...  ( a popular excuse for many cheerleaders...)

Edited August 5, 2023 by NMTraveller

[zitsky]

18 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

The stockholders paying for it would be fine with me.  But perhaps that is why this will not happen.

 

Stockholder profits vs cruising experience I will take cruising experience.

 

And PLEASE leave out the fallacy that RCL is going broke and filing for bankruptcy...  ( a popular excuse for many cheerleaders...)

I just don’t want to live in a world where a company CANNOT take on billions of dollars of debt then pass the cost on to their customers.  😭😭😭

 

(It’s a classic way of stripping value out of a company.)

[bnurick]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

Debt problem?  Have you no sympathy for the Celebrity executives who are only making $5 million this year because they are not meeting their revenue targets?  Because all of you people are complaining about a really insignicant change that doesn’t impact anyone and adds to the bottom line profit???  😳

Negative.

[NMTraveller]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

Debt problem?  Have you no sympathy for the Celebrity executives who are only making $5 million this year because they are not meeting their revenue targets?  Because all of you people are complaining about a really insignicant change that doesn’t impact anyone and adds to the bottom line profit???  😳

Perhaps the cheerleaders could send Celebrity a monthly check to keep them in business...

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 

[bnurick]

16 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Perhaps the cheerleaders could send Celebrity a monthly check to keep them in business...

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 

Just offer to double their non-refundable deposit(s).

[Kelownadon]

22 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Perhaps the cheerleaders could send Celebrity a monthly check to keep them in business...

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 

 

Don’t have to as long as you people keep staying in suites. All good!

[MamaFej]

5 hours ago, mayleeman said:

Why don't you list how Celebrity's experts have improved things, showing their careful attention to passenger convenience and comfort? I mean, it's not as if they overbook thousands of pax and have to cancel them with no compensation or explana -- ooops, forget that example. And we know they would never advertise huge sales that are discounted from prices that were simultaneously raised -- uh, forget that one. At least Celebrity's famous quality foods ... darn.

 

Well at least they keep some of their uniqueness intact, like free room service  -- oh, shoot, never mind. Do you suppose charging for room service with a drastically reduced menu reflects that extensive research you are extolling? And maybe your idea of perfect management is to decide customers happy with decades of smoke'free interiors enjoy vaping being sprung on them once they board.

 

I should be more open-minded on that last one...no doubt Celebrity has secret information that their passengers would enjoy vaping if they could just be more exposed to it. With an enhanced casino experience, too!

 

Face it...Celebrity is making these changes with their only concern being how many or how drastic they can get away with before bookings drop. 

I haven't had nearly enough to drink to have the chutzpah to write a post like this, and probably never have (but I kinda wish I had). Well done, Jayhawk. 

 

That's coming from someone who is willing to have a wait and see attitude about the team of butlers concept. As I've previously said (paraphrashing), perhaps this would allow folks who share a butler with demanding passengers to have a better level of service. I'm a baseball fan. In my mind, I see a line-up with team butlers on deck, waiting for the next request. 

 

Then again, waiting and seeing will probably not be a first-hand experience for me. I'm one of those folks with very limited Suite/Retreat experience, and have only had that due to the Move-Up program as well as an onboard inexpensive upgrade because a Retreat Concierge liked us on cruise one (a Move-Up)  of B2B, and got us in on a great onboard upgrade deal on cruise two due to a no-show. 

 

PRO TIP: don't fly in the day of your cruise: you might have a flight delay and some middle class fool (🙋🏽‍♀️) might end up in your CS. 

 

I'll keep on monitorng Cruise Critic and see what happens. In the meantime, I'm mostly looking at small ship cruising for the future, beyond what I already have booked. All 6 of my booked Celebrity cruises are in verandahs (some obstructed). For the price of Aqua on X, we can get better itineraries and inclusions on smaller ships. 

 

 

 

It has been A DAY!!! Maybe I will have another drink.

 

 

[jelayne]

10 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

I haven't had nearly enough to drink to have the chutzpah to write a post like this, and probably never have (but I kinda wish I had). Well done, Jayhawk. 

 

That's coming from someone who is willing to have a wait and see attitude about the team of butlers concept. As I've previously said (paraphrashing), perhaps this would allow folks who share a butler with demanding passengers to have a better level of service. I'm a baseball fan. In my mind, I see a line-up with team butlers on deck, waiting for the next request. 

 

Then again, waiting and seeing will probably not be a first-hand experience for me. I'm one of those folks with very limited Suite/Retreat experience, and have only had that due to the Move-Up program as well as an onboard inexpensive upgrade because a Retreat Concierge liked us on cruise one (a Move-Up)  of B2B, and got us in on a great onboard upgrade deal on cruise two due to a no-show. 

 

PRO TIP: don't fly in the day of your cruise: you might have a flight delay and some middle class fool (🙋🏽‍♀️) might end up in your CS. 

 

I'll keep on monitorng Cruise Critic and see what happens. In the meantime, I'm mostly looking at small ship cruising for the future, beyond what I already have booked. All 6 of my booked Celebrity cruises are in verandahs (some obstructed). For the price of Aqua on X, we can get better itineraries and inclusions on smaller ships. 

 

 

 

It has been A DAY!!! Maybe I will have another drink.

 

 

wish I could join you 🍷 

[MamaFej]

13 minutes ago, jelayne said:

wish I could join you 🍷 

TBH, my limit is pretty darn low (any incoherence is more due to sheer exhaustion than the beer)  and I wont actually have a second...

But that doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy one. 

 

I owe you an email, but know that PapaFej and I are in our RV in Three Forks, Montana at the moment, so (some) things have largely improved over the last report. 

[MamaFej]

35 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

I'm a baseball fan. In my mind, I see a line-up with team butlers on deck, waiting for the next request. 

 

Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned being a baseball fan. The Dodgers were winning 1-0 when I posted thie above. They are now losing to the Padres 1-2. 

 

It's only the bottom of the 5th. There's still hope. 

 

Keep it on topic, MamaFej... something, something, butlers, suites, cruising, cutbacks, double play.

 

Oooooo, so close!

 

 

[C4HCG]

5 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Perhaps the cheerleaders could send Celebrity a monthly check to keep them in business...

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 

Why do you feel the need to continue to call those of us who still value what Celebrity has to offer, at least until our next cruises, cheerleaders? You call yourself a realist, I am too. I judge things on my real experiences not on what people post here. People can disagree without name calling.

 

 

 

Edited August 5, 2023 by C4HCG

[chemmo]

2 hours ago, C4HCG said:

Why do you feel the need to continue to call those of us who still value what Celebrity has to offer, at least until our next cruises, cheerleaders? You call yourself a realist, I am too. I judge things on my real experiences not on what people post here. People can disagree without name calling.

 

 

 

I personally don’t mind being called a cheerleader. I wouldn’t be booking my holidays or posting on this site unless I thought they had a really good product.

 

I, like many others, have concerns about recent changes and lack of communication about the changes but it because I genuinely care about the product and want it to continue to offer what I want out of a cruise vacation…

 

However, I have been wrong about changes before! I thought changing the dress code would be an issue….Nooooo, I much prefer evening chic! I was concerned about ‘having to have’ a drinks package but actually I enjoy it…

[chrisn-au]

7 minutes ago, chemmo said:

 

I, like many others, have concerns about recent changes and lack of communication about the changes but it because I genuinely care about the product and want it to continue to offer what I want out of a cruise vacation…

 Well said - that certainly sums up my position nicely -

[hcat]

When does the Butler Brigade start? 

 

It will be interesting to see how folks react. Seems many rely heavily on their Butler..We would have preferred less attention on our BEYOND  cruise so probably would like the new system if we ever book a suite again...( maybe on Constellation,,)

[C4HCG]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

I personally don’t mind being called a cheerleader. I wouldn’t be booking my holidays or posting on this site unless I thought they had a really good product.

 

I, like many others, have concerns about recent changes and lack of communication about the changes but it because I genuinely care about the product and want it to continue to offer what I want out of a cruise vacation…

 

However, I have been wrong about changes before! I thought changing the dress code would be an issue….Nooooo, I much prefer evening chic! I was concerned about ‘having to have’ a drinks package but actually I enjoy it…

I agree, my post confirms us as cheerleaders but that doesn’t mean we are idiots which is what certain posters infer.

 

Edited August 5, 2023 by C4HCG

[terrydtx]

5 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

I agree, my post confirms us as cheerleaders but that doesn’t mean we are idiots which is what certain posters infer.

 

I was Celebrity Loyalist (I hate the word Cheerleader) because of the great Retreat product which kept us from looking at other cruise lines. Then Celebrity started fiddling with the product, and I saw that Celebrity had no loyalty to its customer base. Loyalty is a two way street.

Edited August 5, 2023 by terrydtx

[weregoingcruising]

21 hours ago, clojacks said:

Is it at all possible that they honestly and truly believed that this might actually end up being an improvement AND a cost savings both at the same time? Is it possible that they have observed that while some butlers are constantly attending to someone who wants help finding a sock, and others don't get a request to do anything for hours? There are a handful of you who's pessimism and negativity must be draining...to have that skeptical of an attitude about something that just might work. And, it just might not, but are you all geniuses in human capital utilization? Big deal, so you've sailed in suites and now you think you could be the Hotel Director on board. I'm going to suggest that as negatively as you view Celebrity (which, BTW, boggles my mind that you hang out here to just bash and bash and bash for 40 pages) that just maybe they do have experts who have researched and collected data that supports what they are trying. I doubt they used a dart board for for the "change of the week " as some appear to view this.

Thank You