VMI72

Yes, I got the same from our Celebrity Rep. He apologized and said that he had just gotten the above today by email from management. It was a longer email than above with some other stuff included. Here is what I got: Beginning August 14, 2023 Celebrity Cruises will transition from a dedicated butler concept to a Retreat Butler and Team approach. This is for all Sky Suites categories, including the Aqua Sky Suites and the Horizon Suites. This will allow for a more efficient approach, providing the same products and personalized services. Retreat Team in affected suites consists of a Retreat Butler and team , Retreat Hosts , Retreat concierges , Retreat Manager. Retreat Butler ownership of: In-Suite Dining: with Dedicated Retreat Room Service Attendants Mini Bar: with Private Bar Team Reservations/bookings/special events: with Retreat Butler / Retreat Concierge/Manager Suite orientation/ice/laundry/packing & unpacking: with The Retreat Host Why are we removing dedicated Butlers from Sky Suites? We are not removing your butler; we are providing our Sky Suite guests a dedicated team elevating the Retreat experience! Rest assured that every aspect of your service that you received before from your Butler will be available to you with our dedicated team. Why are Sky Suites being treated like a lower class of suite? To enhance The Retreat experience, Sky Suites will have a Dedicated Retreat Team with combined strengths who aim to deliver the same level of service that Sky Suites have always had. The teams combined efforts we allow us to service Sky Suite requests even faster than before. The Dedicated Retreat Team will do everything to ensure our guests never have to lift a finger on vacation. Can I have a refund for my future deposits since I will not be getting the same service of a dedicated butler I paid for? If you booked a refundable/flexible deposit, you can always change or upgrade your booking. If you booked non-refundable, rest assured all services and products will be provided, as expected by each guest. The Retreat team will continue to exceed expectations with an unforgettable experience. Will Celebrity Suites and above still have a dedicated Butler? Yes, Celebrity Suites and the above will continue to have access to a dedicated Butler along with all the Retreat amenities. If guests are currently booked in a Sky Suite, we can assist in looking for upgrades to a Celebrity Suite and above all if guests insist on a dedicated butler instead. I would rather have 1 dedicated person rather than a Team of people for a more personalized service and connection. The Retreat Concierge will personally be in touch with our guests for an introduction and make sure our guests have everything needed on their sailing. They will also have a button on speed dial from the phone in their Sky Suite. Our team members are dedicated to you and ensuring you have a wonderful vacation.

Venting and sharing of any new information. However, we are finding DCL has not cut much, and it is mostly because many items are a-la-carte by design, so the prices simply change (Palo, Remy, etc.). They also did not take on the same amount of debt as RCL et al. If you look at RCL, most things you pay for a-la-carte (a lobster, filet mignon, etc.) and not pre-paid are mostly fine in quality. The core issue is people feel many items which were pre-paid are no longer. RESPONSE TO ABOVE: We have cruised DCL many times in concierge (DCL equivalent of Retreat). One big difference is that they don't have any butlers. They have from 2-4 concierge hosts that mainly stay in the concierge lounge and the guests come to them or call them on the phone. On the Wish, the concierge lounge is much larger, better staffed and better laid out than the other 4 ships, but still no individual "butlers" for any size concierge suite - even the Walt and Roy suites. We have found the concierge staff to be very well trainned and very helpful, but no individual room "butlers" on DCL.

We are on Beyond on Aug 28th sailing to Greek Islands. This is the description of our SS now. No mention of a butler. Previously it did say "butler". They do mention personalized service, etc. I think the communication on this matter has not been handled well by Celebrity. With good, up front communication much of the angst could have been eliminated. For us it is not a big deal per se, but for many it is. For us, the issues is lack of notice, advertising a perk and then removing it abruptly, and not providing any type of consideration for the removal of the perk. Sky Suite The perfectly designed Sky Suite offers a blend of expansive views and intimate luxury. These large suites feature a king-sized bed from our signature Cashmere Mattress and a spacious, private veranda. The split bathroom features a large spa tub with shower. Stateroom amenities Premium Drinks Premium Wi-Fi Tips Onboard Credit Exclusive Access to Luminae Specialty Restaurant, Sundeck & Lounge VIP Lounge with Gourmet Bites & Bar Service Private Sundeck with Dedicated Attendants Twice Daily Housekeeping Complimentary 24-hour room service Expanded Room Service Breakfast Menu Priority Embarkation & Debarkation Premium Luxury Bathroom Amenities Every stateroom includes: Service Our signature friendly, personalized service with a guest to staff ratio of nearly 2:1 Twice daily housekeeping service (makeup and turndown) Complimentary beach towel service Laundry service* Dining Complimentary breakfast, lunch, and dinner available in a variety of restaurants 24 hour room service* Stateroom Features Private fridge and mini-bar* Interactive flat-screen television system to view and select shore excursions, order room service, and watch movies* Private safe Dual voltage 110/220 AC outlets

Yes, that page is totally different from my page.

I just checked my reservation on the August 28 Beyond cruise to the Greek Islands. We are in a SS. The description of the amenities with the suite has now eliminated any reference to a butler. Maybe that is just on my booking page, I don't know. I see where they talk about "personalized service with a crew to guest ratio of nearly 2:1", but no mention of a butler. So maybe they are changing the website to reflect the change that is coming on August 15.

😂

In my experience, which ships people like or dislike is mainly subjective. As example, many people have a fondness for the first ship on which they sailed (if it was a great experience), or their first cruise line and ship. It also has alot to do with their personal experiences while on board, when and where they sailed, their personal expectations and their experience as cruisers. We were on the Inaugural sailing of the Beyond and have been on her twice since. She is a beautiful ship, and in some of her design features superior to the Edge and Apex - such as the Sunset Bar, the multi-deck Retreat, the windows in The Club and the World Class Bar. On the other hand, we believe the Edge has a better designed Grand Plaza. The Edge chandelier is aesthetically more beautiful and blends into the scheme of the Grand Plaza more seamlessly. We like the martini bar on the Edge better because it is cozier and I think better designed for service (yes, it is smaller, but warmer). We like the little outdoor patio off of the Edge Retreat lounge better than the closed in viewing area in the Retreat on the Beyond. And, in our experience, the overall service has been a better on the Edge than the Beyond. It is not that we dislike the Beyond, we enjoy the ship and we have booked her for future cruises, we just miss some of the nice touches on the Edge. The Edge is a warmer ship overall in our opinion. I do believe the Apex did some minor improvements over the Edge. The Apex is a wonderful ship as well. Overall we enjoy the Edge class ships. For us, the cabins are a cut above the S-Class and M-Class ships. They are more tech savvy and up to date (we sail in Sky Suites which are a bit larger and better designed than the sky suites on the other class ships). Anyway, just personal opinion when it gets right down to it. 🙂 They are all great ships and are wonderful for adult cruisers.

The pandemic kinda threw a monkey wrench into the whole "Revolution" thing. All the refurbishments and "Edgeifying" were thrown off schedule and scaled back because of financial issues. Even the very largest cruise lines struggled with cash flow and capital resources. And of course several small cruise lines went belly up. So it was a very rough 2.5 years for the cruise industry. The big 3 cruise line groups are just now crawling out of the hole. Future bookings are strong, so by around 2025 they should be totally back on their feet absent some other world changing event. Anyway, we very much enjoy the E-Class ships, but Edge is our favorite - Beyond not as much despite the superior sunset bar. We are booked on the Apex, Edge and the Inaugural of the Ascent next Dec. We are going to try the Eclipse in 2024.

We just got back from a Thanksgiving cruise on Beyond. Luminae was open for lunch on embarkation day and on sea days. In fact, it was open for lunch every day of our cruise. 🙂

You are right, it is hard to tell about who really needs the animal and who doesn't. That does make it hard. But when people bring support squirrels, snakes, exotic birds on board, I think that goes too far. I totally get bringing on assistance animals to help with medical conditions, sight problems or issues like that, but these exotic creatures go too far, and I have seen these exotics on board on other cruises.

I agree with Miched. We are on a confined ship. Until this 9 day cruise, I had not seen an animal on board. This has to stop or we will see all kinds of animals on board and it will get out of control. The airlines cracked down and Celebrity needs to do the same. I love pets. I have had dogs and cats all my life, but a cruise ship is not a place for pets. I agree that if you are 100% blind and have a well trained seeing eye dog, that can be an exception, but this "emotional support" animal stuff has got to stop on cruise ships just as the airlines are cracking down on it.

I did not "expect" everyone to return healthy. Why would I? I was just curious as to whether anyone in this group has tested positive. No hidden agenda here, just wondered how this group was getting along. Lighten up.

My wife belongs to a Cape Liberty Beyond Facebook group. Several in the group are reporting that they have tested positive for COVID the day they got home or the day after. Any in this group testing positive? Just curious since I know of two passengers that were quarantined while we were on the cruise.

We noticed the older demographic as well. We have sailed the E-Class ships numerous times and we were on the first passenger sailing of the Beyond out of Southampton in April. We have never seen an older demographic and so many mobility challenged people on a cruise. I think maybe it had something to do with the 9 day voyage and the Cape Liberty port which generally sees a bit older demographic. Time of year probably had something to do with it also. I agree with most of what mfs2K wrote. We were also in a sky suite. We love the sky suites. There are just two of us so a sky suite fits the bill. I do believe the ship was understaffed for the number of passengers on board. Also, as noted, a great many of the staff were new in their positions. Therefore, service was inconsistent. For some, it was a great cruise, for others not so much. It all depended on how you spent your cruise and what type of accommodations you booked. The weather did not help the mood of many for the first 5 to 6 days of the cruise. And my wife and I were surprised that there was no bling or any acknowledgement of Beyond's first cruise from an American port. I know the "naming" was Nov. 4th, but there could have been something. The same thing happened in Southampton and disappointed many passengers. Even though it was billed as the Inaugural cruise and maiden passenger voyage there was no fanfare at all - nothing! So different from other cruise lines that give commemorative items and bling to the passengers on a maiden voyage. Anyway, we enjoyed the cruise, but it was not our favorite. We are older, in our '60's, but not THAT old. Like mfs2K we like a younger demo - it does make things more fun. 🙂