chemmo

We always have flown in at least two days early into Europe (we are from the UK) and at least three days early to the US. If we are doing a US tour followed by a cruise we always do that first…Easier to adjust a tour than try to catch up with an already sailed ship! Over the years we have had several mishaps….Once heading for Venice via Frankfurt Italy declared a lightning air traffic and rail strike. Soooo frustrating just sitting in an airport with no information. We had our usual two day pre stay planned so were not unduly concerned about our cruise but a group of 6 Brits we were chatting to were flying to Rome that day to catch a reposition cruise first stop Alexandria. After watching ‘delayed’ flashing on the board for nearly five hours our flight finally had a departure time again but the Rome flight was cancelled. No flight there until the next day. We found out later that RC had delayed sailing until 11pm but that over 30 guests had needed to be flown on to Alexandria. Worst ever for us was when we were flying in three days early for our Reflection cruise. Early March snow storm hit the East Coast. Our wonderful well timed flights Manchester via Philadelphia to Fort Lauderdale were cancelled. Fortunately, in addition to following weather news we followed cruise critic and had a heads up from fabulous Philly residents that our flight would be cancelled before it actually was putting us in the queue for a bizarre rescheduling that involved Manchester, Heathrow, Fort Worth and Miami…Our luggage didn’t all arrive with us, that’s another story, anyone remember my ‘Posh Frock’? To be perfectly honest this year we have chickened out of flying….UK airports have queues to even get in the terminal. We are driving down to Southampton. Next March we have a villa in Orlando booked for 8 days and an overnight in Miami planned pre our Silhouette cruise…surely that is a big enough cushion?

To give Mr Knowitall and Mrs Drinkitall their credit they have given us hours of smiles….When we experienced with our then young adult son in tow we got two copies so I would think one per couple is standard. Hate to confess it but they went with numerous other unloved/unused cookbooks to the charity shop post covid….On a different but culinary note we asked about the recipe for the Cannellini Fagioli in Tuscan when we’re on Equinox and within minutes our waiter had it for us….It did, however, need a few divisions before it was of the quantity we wanted!

Your coffee will be delivered to your room. If you pre set a time with your PRH it will arrive at that time. Alternatively you can phone as you wake up and expect about a 10/15 minute delay. Could be less could be slightly more, remember they are juggling your coffee delivery with full in suite breakfast orders. Unless you are in a RS or above your butler will not provide spirits in your room by the bottle. Even in higher suites guests do not usually phone their butlers to request in suite drinks delivery. We frequently cruise higher suites and if we fancy a pre dinner balcony drink we haven’t got in our room we go and get it. Your butler may be able to arrange a water bottle each evening on your nightstand, ask and see. If not just pick one up during the day or if your preferred water bottle is not available in some bars just ask in the Retreat Lounge… One of the reasons we book RS or above is we do like the in suite bar set up…If that is important for you then consider either ordering one or upgrading. Following your reasoning if all suite guests, or indeed all guests with a premium package, requested an in suite bar set up prices would be rising… RS and above are more expensive because of the extras they provide…We have cruised in suites that have not provided a bar set up and simply paid for one as (like you) we knew we would get pleasure from simply having it in our suite… I do see your logic but I also understand the rules as to what is/is not included in the premium beverage package…

I think this is relevant. Higher suites do have more in suite perks…

Thanks for that! My sister enjoyed a five day land trip there pre covid and were also shocked at the prices and as they had visited at the height of midge season it did put a bit of a damper on an otherwise great trip! Another possible alternative is the little ship (can’t remember it’s name) that seasonally cruises around Iceland…I think it doubles as the postal ship. Certainly not Celebrity standards but we liked the quirkiness of it when we saw it on a documentary…. As and when we visit we will definitely do our homework on tours…. Re the rough seas…We have been through a few storms over the years and I tend to retreat to my bed well dosed up whilst my husband and son will enjoy natures spectacle! I think the trip overall would be worth the stormy day or two… Sincere thanks for taking time out from your cruise to answer…

Definitely a British thing…We invariably ask for our tea tray set up through the shoreside concierge…I remember boarding one cruise in Sydney when our butler had set up our tea tray but then kept saying “I can bring it, no need to do yourselves”… Same cruise we had booked a suite overlooking the harbour with self catering facilities pre cruise and post cruise. When we boarded we had a range of snacks including Pringles, nuts, biscuits etc. Our selection even included a couple of pot noodles. It had seemed silly to bin them when we were returning to the same set up…I just put them at the back of the wet bar out of the way. Butler comes with our afternoon snack and is most perturbed….”I can bring you snacks, all restaurants for you free of charge, we have cookies, we have cakes, just tell me what you want….”. He obviously thought we had boarded expecting to need to supplement our calorific intake…

We have never stayed in that hotel, we may look at it for the future if you recommend. Hopefully other cruisers will offer some advice re nearby dining etc. We also always arrive in at least two days pre cruise…we need to as we are pond hoppers. We never run out of things to enjoy in Fort Lauderdale. I love simply getting the boat taxi first day (jet lagged) and feel myself float back into holiday relaxation mode… Re the Chef’s Table, if you haven’t done one before well worth experiencing. We have done two. The first was a lovely group of people the second included Mr Knowitall and his wife Mrs Drinkitall. Much as we didn’t find the second experience at the time as good we have laughed about it many times since! Can I suggest you start drafting an email for the shoreside concierge? Much easier to have a draft ready than be surprised and needing to think off the top of your head when you get a phone call. We tend to start with… Bar set up (spirits, beers, soda, water). They may mail you a list. You can choose alternatives. For example, there is no cognac on the list and that is what we usually ask for.Basically choose anything from the premium list. Pillow choice. Any in suite set up requests (fruit bowl, kettle and tea tray…). Speciality dining list. We tend to base ours on the itinerary. Days we are leaving port at 5/6pm we will book Tuscan (fairly early) to enjoy the view. Murano we will book on sea days when we have had a nice relaxing day and can enjoy a more prolonged evening service. Keep us in touch with how your planning is going!

OP sincere thanks for your wonderful review and fantastic pictures. We have had Iceland on our bucket list for some time although I think we may land tour rather than cruise…Certainly seems to be plenty to do… A couple of questions… How strenuous are the tours? How much walking over rough ground? How rough was the crossing to Iceland? So nice to enjoy your reports with morning coffee.

Your butler will bring freshly made tea and speciality coffee to your room any time of day….The reason for the above comment was, I think, because some guests like to make their own in suite.

There seems to be a lot of differences at the moment. I do wonder if staffing levels/new staff is having an impact? If staffing is down perhaps the suite managers are instructing PRH to only complete standard tasks…This could be in total contrast to a few months ago when ships were sailing with few guests and staff would have ample time to really look after each guest. As Happy Cruiser says situations like this are best investigated on board. One of two possibilities spring to mind, a less than satisfactory PRH or a management directive based on the present situation on some ships…

So pleased you were so well looked after but for the benefit of…. This is not standard…Wine, Pringles and Kind bars are not usually stocked free of charge in Sky Suites. They are not usually provided free of charge in higher suites. WrittenOnYourHeart, if you are contacted by the shoreside concierge pre cruise you can make your request then. However, shoreside concierge service for Sky Suites seems a bit hit and miss. If you do not hear anything pre cruise simply ask your butler on boarding. Hopefully he will be able to sort it for you. If not simply ask him to empty the fridge, if it is not already empty, and each time you leave your room for the first day or so pick up a couple of sodas or waters. Simply ask for them not to be opened.

So thrilled for you…The PH is a perfect way to celebrate better health. We booked our first S class PH on Eclipse some years ago following health issues. We decided there and then to never to put off a good experience until tomorrow when you could be enjoying it today… We have cruised on Equinox three times (RS). We had the best speciality dining experience ever in both Murano and Tuscan. Quite simply when they realised we were dining there frequently they were willing to pull out the stops to make our experience extra special. I will add more information if you need it. I know from previous posts you have contributed to that you understand the importance of talking to your butler. If you are having an odd ‘weary’ day let your butler know and sort your day for you so it is still full of pleasure….The PH is a lovely environment to relax and wine and dine in. One of the best features in our opinion of the S PH is the decadence of space and light…We also love that on the balcony there is a mix of shade and sunshine. Whilst we are not normally big users of balcony jacuzzis we do tend to use it when in the PH sipping champagne! Re your ports of call. A fantastic itinerary. We have never done Martinique or St Kitts but our best views of St Lucia (Petons) was from the sea so I would recommend a boat trip. Having holidayed on Antigua the first time we cruised there we decided to just take a walk. From the port we headed up hill to the Cathedral Church of St. John’s. The first time we visited it was in a dilapidated state…next time improving and last time they were about to hold their first Easter Service…Definitely a nice walk, visit and return to ship self excursion….Time it right and head for Sushi for a late lunch. They had a wonderful mango cocktail, cannot remember the name, probably because it was soooo good. Looking forward to following your post…In our experience the planning of a cruise is nearly as enjoyable as the cruise itself so make the most of it! Re Fort Lauderdale, I don’t know how well you know it? We have tried several hotels/condos but invariably find the Embassy Suites suits us best. We pay an up charge to book a high floor overlooking the port and always set our alarm (at silly O’clock) to see our ship coming in on Marine Traffic and then look out for her from the window. The magic never lessens…. Enjoy….

So pleased you are enjoying your cruise! Thanks for sharing your experience. I am sure your butler appreciated the note, so much easier for him than trying to remember a stream of verbal messages.

And you are not shared with other cabins either!

We were on in September last year and it didn’t bother us at all….Perhaps we shut the door?

We cruised last year on Silhouette when masks were mandatory and had no issues doing so. Picking up our masks as we left the suite was simply a habit. We do not board Silhouette now until October this year but we will be wearing masks inside in lifts and moving between venues…Regardless of what is advised. Not only do we hope it will keep us well if it saves us from inadvertently infecting someone else that is also a plus…

You sound so like us! If we want an afternoon drink or a late night drink we will simply bring it back ourselves…It would never occur to us to call the butler and expect him to bring us drinks.

Totally agree! I think especially in these times of staff shortages, staff being quarantined, guests being quarantined and the pressure this puts on room service we should all be tolerant. Like you, seeing staff not being treated with respect is heartbreaking. ‘Not treating with respect’ includes, in our personal opinion, not being happy with service on board but then giving poor reviews or ‘venting’ on CC rather than following the channels on board available. We have had very little to complain about in our many years of Celebrity Cruising but if we have had an issue we have always discussed and given Celebrity the chance to ‘put things right’. On a previous post I also mentioned about the degree of flexibility Butlers may have in providing extra services, like filling up the fridges in Sky Suites. If I was the Suite Manager at present I would be asking my hard pressed Butlers to focus on the core role and add the extras if and when they can…

Totally agree!

Thank you…I just hope others add from their experience.

Always fascinates us how staff can remember us from cruise to cruise too. The M’D in Murano remembered preparing us a Steak Dianne two years previously and offered us the treat again!

Hope you are continuing to enjoy your cruise and that the North Sea was not unkind to you…Having seen… I hope all on board are continuing to be fit and well.

I think what is confusing is the difference between standard service and those butlers who add a bit more. Added confusion comes from upper suites who have more perks to start with… I will try to list what I think is standard sky suite service and hopefully others will add or correct me as necessary. In a Sky Suite your butler will bring you speciality coffee any time of day. He will bring and serve you breakfast from the suite menu. He will serve any room service order any time of day and set it up on the balcony or in suite. He will serve you dinner from the MDR menu. He will fill up your ice twice daily on request. If you request he will deliver you an afternoon snack daily. If you want to book a restaurant or another service or change a booking he will do it. If you have any laundry he will take and return (not free). If you have any issues (wet shoes after excursions) he will sort it. If you are arranging a sail away with friends he will arrange cold snacks. In addition to the above some guests have report additional services. Note, the addition of these services could be directed by the suite manager and the butler may not be at liberty to do them. He will if you have a drinks package stock your fridge with soda and water. He will on a special occasion arrange room service from Luminae (pre arranged). Decorate your room for a special occasion. Provide a bottle of wine. Finally I will list some of the things a few guests have reported getting which we we don’t request when we are in a top suite. Quite simply, if all guests requested these additions the service would be overwhelmed. Bring alcoholic drinks to your room. Bring Luminae food to your room on demand. Provide in suite additional champagne or wine. Higher suites have the following extra amenities in suite. A bar set up including soda, water, 2 x 2 litre spirits. Free laundry. Free access to speciality restaurants. Hope I have not confused you more! I think the key message from most of this post has been to talk to your butler…Expect that if you have requested ice and a snack daily to query if it doesn’t come, communication breakdowns can occur, remember English is most probably your butler’s second language. Ask if your butler can provide water and soda in suite and if he says no simply ask him to empty it then stock it yourself by simply bringing a few unopened cans back as you return to your room the first few days. If you were planning a special occasion in suite meal chat to your butler at least 24 hours before. Ask if it is possible to order from Luminae but be prepared that (by directive) he may say no. If, for example, lots of guests are requesting this the M’D of Luminae may feel it could interfere with standard restaurant service and issue a standard firm ‘no’ to this request for all guests. Remember, you have been given the phone number so you can call anytime with a query or concern. If your butler is off duty your call will be directed to another who can follow exactly the same requests.

I honestly think one of the mistakes Celebrity made when they got rid of the afternoon tea cart was not to realise that it was a hotspot for communication. The butler would naturally ask as he poured your tea how your day had been, your plans for the next day….It was a natural ‘touch base’ time. Now those of us with experience communicate as much as we can pre cruise and on boarding then use the phone as necessary. Those who do not follow CC do sometimes seem to be waiting, as you say, for someone to knock at the door…

No, we have had to pay when booking direct. Not our first choice, agree the business seat lay out is odd. We also once landed in Miami minus our luggage too. Thank goodness we always plan to arrive two days pre cruise. We managed to get it at midnight the day before we cruised…. For anyone flying into Heathrow in the next few days they are having issues with luggage waits…some people reporting waits of three hours before their luggage was unloaded and made available for collection.