Allowed to have guest suite?

[Cruisegirl6]

Hello,

 

If I put in an offer for move up to sky suite, dad is in regular infinate verandah cabin, is there a fee I can pay so he can use the facilities I have for suites, including lumina?  I was on hold twice yesterday for a very long time and couldn't get through to celebrity to ask this question, I stumbled on a post in google where somebody said they paid money to have their mother use the suite facilities, just curious if this is true and how it works, thank you.

[cruisestitch]

Suite passengers can bring guests to Luminae for meals for a fee.

[Cruisegirl6]

14 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Suite passengers can bring guests to Luminae for meals for a fee.

Any idea about how much and is dad allowed to sit with us during the day up there?  Appreciate the quick response!

[39august]

Luminae is $30 pp for dinner. I believe lunch is $20. He would not be allowed in the Retreat. 

[Cruisegirl6]

3 minutes ago, 39august said:

Luminae is $30 pp for dinner. I believe lunch is $20. He would not be allowed in the Retreat. 

Thank you for the quick response!

[wrk2cruise]

There was a program where you could purchase the suite amenities for something like $99 pp/pd but I believe it was limited to the upper suite categories.  I'm very sure that if you get a MoveUp to a Sky Suite you would not qualify for this offer.

 

@39august is correct he could join you in Luminae for dinner for $30 space available.

[1Virgo]

We overheard someone asking the Maitre d of Luminae if they could bring in a guest.  Answer was No.  Luminae For suite guests only.  

We then overheard a couple discussing this and their perspective was if non suite guests are allowed in for a fee, then Luminae and Blu become nothing more than a specialty restaurant anyone can use.   

 

 

[kenb]

Keep in mind he would not be allowed to use the retreat lounge or Michael's club based on the ship.

 

[DCPIV]

36 minutes ago, 1Virgo said:

We then overheard a couple discussing this and their perspective was if non suite guests are allowed in for a fee, then Luminae and Blu become nothing more than a specialty restaurant anyone can use.

 

But that isn't true and would not be.  Guests still must be invited, and those hosting still have to clear it with the Md' who is charged with making sure things run smoothly on the floor.  While that particular Md' may have had a personal policy not to allow any guests, his denial also have been due to the circumstances of that cruise.

 

I could be recalling incorrectly, but I believe Celebrity kicked around (or even implemented) a policy of allowing non-suite guests to dine in Luminae without invitation for a fee (on a limited basis, of course).  That either never happened or it was nixed pretty quickly.  It doesn't work, it won't work, and it ain't gonna happen.

[1Virgo]

46 minutes ago, DCPIV said:

 

But that isn't true and would not be.  Guests still must be invited, and those hosting still have to clear it with the Md' who is charged with making sure things run smoothly on the floor.  While that particular Md' may have had a personal policy not to allow any guests, his denial also have been due to the circumstances of that cruise.

 

I could be recalling incorrectly, but I believe Celebrity kicked around (or even implemented) a policy of allowing non-suite guests to dine in Luminae without invitation for a fee (on a limited basis, of course).  That either never happened or it was nixed pretty quickly.  It doesn't work, it won't work, and it ain't gonna happen.

hey. I m not lying here.  All I did was tell what my DH and I overheard!   And, reread. Someone was asking if they could bring in a guest.       

[Algebralovr]

As of our last cruise, Feb 3, on Constellation, we were allowed to bring in a guest to Luminae for dinner for $35/person, on a space available basis.  It was up to the retreat Mgr and the M’d at L.  
 

The other areas are off limits. 
 

In 2019-2020, they did experiment with inviting some suites, specifically those where a reservation had 2-3 rooms tied together in the system, and some in a suite while some not, where they would invite the suite guest to allow their other guests into the retreat areas.  On Equinox, it was limited to 10 (I’m not sure if that was 10 guests total or 10 staterooms) and the shoreside retreat concierge was supposed to make the offer ahead of time, starting with the PH and moving down from there, and ONLY with the reservations were linked in the system.  
 

We did not receive an offer for that in Nov 2021, on Reflection, when I was in a sky suite and my daughter and SIL were in a veranda, for a cruise where only 850 rooms were booked.  I inquired once on board, regarding bringing DD and SIL into dinner with us, and was given the per meal prices. We happened to luck out, there were 2 Hotel Directors aboard to reopen the ship, one of whom we knew well, and he asked his colleagues to simply upgrade my DD.  So DD and SIL ended up in the suite adjacent to us.  It will never happen again, and only happened because the so was so under-booked.  
 

We have taken 2 more cruises in suite class since that had other rooms tied to ours, and never had an offer to bring our friends into the retreat. I’m guessing the program ended, or is limited to RS, PS and above. 

[miched]

Is it $35 plus added on gratuity?

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[wrk2cruise]

7 hours ago, miched said:

Is it $35 plus added on gratuity?

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

When it was $30 there was no mention of gratuity.  When we have had guests we certainly factored that into our final gratuity at the end of the cruise.

[miched]

14 hours ago, wrk2cruise said:

 

When it was $30 there was no mention of gratuity.  When we have had guests we certainly factored that into our final gratuity at the end of the cruise.

I ask because the specialty restaurants now add it on top of the price that has also increased.  
 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[mayleeman]

On 2/15/2023 at 11:27 AM, 1Virgo said:

hey. I m not lying here.  All I did was tell what my DH and I overheard!   And, reread. Someone was asking if they could bring in a guest.       

 

They didn't accuse you of lying about what you heard the couple say. They were saying that couple is wrong. 

[Fly and Sail]

On 2/15/2023 at 10:38 PM, DCPIV said:

 

But that isn't true and would not be.  Guests still must be invited, and those hosting still have to clear it with the Md' who is charged with making sure things run smoothly on the floor.  While that particular Md' may have had a personal policy not to allow any guests, his denial also have been due to the circumstances of that cruise.

 

Since when can some random employee implement a "personal policy? That's not his call. It's definitely possible to invite a guest for a fee to dine at Luminae, and if the restaurant gives you trouble then escalate it to the F&B Director.

[goofysmom99]

As of current cruise on Summit, price for guest's dinner in Luminae is $30 + $5 gratuity, paid for by the person in the suite (they present a check to sign, like in a specialty restaurant). It's maitre d's decision regarding space availability.

[DogLover]

On our Millennium August 2021 sailing (Alaska,) our son & DIL were in a regular veranda, and we were in a Celebrity Suite. We coordinated with the Maitre D in Luminae to have them join us a couple nights for dinner. They were also very graciously invited to join us on the Helipad for glacier viewing by the Retreat Concierge. Other than that, no access to the Retreat or suite perks. We did tip accordingly for the extras offered to them.

[Mark_T]

9 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Since when can some random employee implement a "personal policy? That's not his call. It's definitely possible to invite a guest for a fee to dine at Luminae, and if the restaurant gives you trouble then escalate it to the F&B Director.

It is always on a 'space available' basis, so it is entirely within the policy for the Maître d' to politely decline a request at the door, but if one was wise they would approach the Maître d' earlier in the day to see when it might be possible and I am sure in most cases that would work.

[CruisersTimesThree]

14 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Since when can some random employee implement a "personal policy? That's not his call. It's definitely possible to invite a guest for a fee to dine at Luminae, and if the restaurant gives you trouble then escalate it to the F&B Director.

Not sure how often you’ve been a guest in Luminae but the policy has always been that having a guest is completely up to the discretion of the Maitre D’. He runs the show there, it’s his job and if he is expecting a full dining room at a particular time that you are asking to bring a guest(s), it’s his right to decline the request and try to work something else out for you. 

[DCPIV]

6 hours ago, Mark_T said:

It is always on a 'space available' basis, so it is entirely within the policy for the Maître d' to politely decline a request at the door, but if one was wise they would approach the Maître d' earlier in the day to see when it might be possible and I am sure in most cases that would work.

 

We've only hosted guests in Luminae once. We let them know that we would have to check whether it was okay with the Maitre d'. It turned out that it was, but we gave him a day's notice (maybe even two). If i recall correctly, we asked him as we were going into dinner one night, and he gave us his answer before we left. It was not an instant reply. He did ask about an approximate time that we would show up. 

 

It was a nice dinner! 

[bigbenboys]

On 2/15/2023 at 6:50 AM, 1Virgo said:

We overheard someone asking the Maitre d of Luminae if they could bring in a guest.  Answer was No.  Luminae For suite guests only.  

We then overheard a couple discussing this and their perspective was if non suite guests are allowed in for a fee, then Luminae and Blu become nothing more than a specialty restaurant anyone can use.   

 

 

While we have not invited non suite guest to Luminae, our nephew was invited. When it comes to Blu. I have not heard of guests to being invited by a Aqua Class guest. Suite guest my use Blu on space available really comes down to the Maitre d. This is one of Celebrity's problem. Celebrity is consistent with being inconsistent. Another issue has been unable to order off the MDR menu in Blu or Luminae on the M and S Class ship. Just because the Maitre d said no.

[DCPIV]

16 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Since when can some random employee implement a "personal policy? That's not his call. It's definitely possible to invite a guest for a fee to dine at Luminae, and if the restaurant gives you trouble then escalate it to the F&B Director.

 

I haven't the slightest idea why anyone would want to argue such a point. I suppose I do not understand the mindset of someone who would even consider forcing a Maitre d' to accept a guest in Luminae (or who considers a Maitre d' a "random employee").

[jelayne]

It really comes down to space.  Suites are sailing full.  Since passengers pay a premium, (a high premium for suites) they are entitled to a pleasant and timely dinner experience.  
If suite guests could just bring a guest or 2 without the MDs approval there would be nights with lines waiting to be seated.  Heck, you could pay $30 pp to bring your friends to Luminae, much cheaper than paying to join them in a specialty restaurant.

[FreestyleNovice]

With those connecting insides and sky suites on the E class ships you would think this matter would be a set policy by now. 

Thanks (and cheers) to those who've succeeded (one way or another  heh), a set policy would motivate us to book the non suite/suite combo for family but the inconsistency and uncertainty makes it a bit of a gamble. On the other hand it fits five star luxury hospitality, anything is possible and achievable without set rules.