First time in a suite - dos and don'ts

[TeachAloha]

15 hours ago, RichYak said:

^^^ This. Also because they’re great people to get to know. 

3rd this! Our server noticed we were ordering the more "adventurous" entrees in Luminae (our sailing seemed to have everyone in Luminae ordering from the MDR menu like their lives depended on French onion soup) and I swooned over a Pancit. He started bringing us the most delicious Indian food to try with our dinner. It was literally the best aloo gobi I ever had. We didn't find out till the last night when the asst. waiter noticed and commented that he was so happy to see us enjoying us the family meal the Luminae staff eats and is usually favorite foods from home 🙂 It was such a sweet thing to do and loved that we could share in all the wonderful things that happen when staff from all over the work together and share their culture! 

[Jim_Iain]

My only recommendation is to treat your Butler with respect and he will try to make most if not all your requests happen.   I sometime read post of those (usually in the lowest level suites) act entitled and  by their list of DEMANDS can be very demeaning.

 

While they list items like packing and unpacking luggage and running a bath,  I would never request a butler to do these.

 

Recently all the Butlers went through training by the British Butler Institute and have a lapel pin to denote their extended training.   Part of this training included how to pack and unpack as well as how to make their guest feel comfortable and not be obtrusive.

 

We usually have our butler refresh our Ice 2X a day (don't need to ask as that is the norm).  Occasional breakfasts in our room on early Port Days  and Laundry.    They usually also ask us what we want stocked in our Refrigerator (but we usually travel in Upper Suites and that is part of the package).     They also assist with  reserved seating for you on Chic nights in the theater.    The Butlers also rotate at serving Tea in Retreat and will deliver to your room upon request.

 

While they always try to drop off goodies we request him not to as there is just too much food.

 

I also use the Butler to handle any maintenance issues in our room

[zitsky]

I forget what it was but I called someone directly and our butler Rudy said “no, call me”.

 

If they’ve received training in packing why not take advantage of it?  Or anything else?

Edited June 10, 2023 by zitsky

[ldubs]

6 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

My only recommendation is to treat your Butler with respect and he will try to make most if not all your requests happen.   I sometime read post of those (usually in the lowest level suites) act entitled and  by their list of DEMANDS can be very demeaning.

 

While they list items like packing and unpacking luggage and running a bath,  I would never request a butler to do these.

 

 

I would not want that either (packing/unpacking).   Is there in fact a list of services to be provided by an assigned butler?  If I were to ever have one I would have no idea what should be requested.  Seems that was also the OP's issue.   

[39august]

There willl be spa personnel to make spa appointments in the Retreat Lounge  on boarding day. Much quicker than going up to the spa.  Also if you wish to book another cruise while on board, or just want to ask questions of the Future Cruise staff, the Retreat concierge will make an appointment for you to meet with them in the lounge. No waiting at the Future Cruise desk.  We ask our butler to bring some sort of snack after dinner. Used to ask for fruit and cheese plate, now usually ask for shrimp cocktail. We have that with our last wine of the evening. 

Edited June 10, 2023 by 39august

[Jim_Iain]

Celebrity Website has a page on what Butlers can do for you.

https://www.celebritycruises.com/blog/cruise-butler

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, zitsky said:

I forget what it was but I called someone directly and our butler Rudy said “no, call me”.

 

If they’ve received training in packing why not take advantage of it?  Or anything else?

 

I personally feel more comfortable unpacking for myself and put things where I find more comfortable for me.   Of course when on a B2B I have no problem with them moving all of my hang up items.  

[George C]

We have always done suites on celebrity but first one was a free upgrade a long time ago before Luminae and suite lounge. Love the outdoor retreat area on Edge class with pool , bar and limited food . Bartenders in the outdoor and indoor retreat are great , if you like strong drinks ask for doubles. I prefer service in Luminae on the smaller M class , E class Luminae can be noisy. M class lounge is called the retreat if they were revolutionize such as the summit but they offer very little outside no pool or no bar. Agree try one or two of the specialty restaurants my favorite is Le Petit Chef , unique 4 course meal with animation, my sister is taking her whole family on apex later this month and all 11 will be eating a meal at Le Petit Chef . We did a upgrade from sky suite to penthouse on edge which was totally amazing it was my wife’s 60 birthday almost exactly 2 years ago in July, higher end suites get extra perks like liquor setup in suite and free specialty restaurants. As already said problem with suites is you never want to go back , make sure you tell butler or concierge if you have any problems.

[zitsky]

6 minutes ago, George C said:

We have always done suites on celebrity but first one was a free upgrade a long time ago before Luminae and suite lounge. Love the outdoor retreat area on Edge class with pool , bar and limited food . Bartenders in the outdoor and indoor retreat are great , if you like strong drinks ask for doubles. I prefer service in Luminae on the smaller M class , E class Luminae can be noisy. M class lounge is called the retreat if they were revolutionize such as the summit but they offer very little outside no pool or no bar. Agree try one or two of the specialty restaurants my favorite is Le Petit Chef , unique 4 course meal with animation, my sister is taking her whole family on apex later this month and all 11 will be eating a meal at Le Petit Chef . We did a upgrade from sky suite to penthouse on edge which was totally amazing it was my wife’s 60 birthday almost exactly 2 years ago in July, higher end suites get extra perks like liquor setup in suite and free specialty restaurants. As already said problem with suites is you never want to go back , make sure you tell butler or concierge if you have any problems.

Sigh.  I’m really ashamed to say this, but after our recent suite experience I may do another one.  
 

On the M class there is no bar outside the Sun deck?  Is there anyone walking around taking drink orders?

[George C]

1 minute ago, zitsky said:

Sigh.  I’m really ashamed to say this, but after our recent suite experience I may do another one.  
 

On the M class there is no bar outside the Sun deck?  Is there anyone walking around taking drink orders?

Yes there is a waiter , the one good thing was when you are in a port Luminae is closed but you can order a limited lunch with drink in there outdoor retreat , not all M classes have a outside retreat they have had to be revolutioned , we did summit last two years , there outdoor had a hot tub , no bar or pool . 

[zitsky]

2 minutes ago, George C said:

Yes there is a waiter , the one good thing was when you are in a port Luminae is closed but you can order a limited lunch with drink in there outdoor retreat , not all M classes have a outside retreat they have had to be revolutioned , we did summit last two years , there outdoor had a hot tub , no bar or pool . 

Saw that…. The outside dining area.  Went one day on the Beyond and saw the short menu.

[DaKahuna]

On 6/9/2023 at 9:24 AM, Sigyn said:

I'm interested in the advice you get - I'll have my first taste of the suite life in something like 26 or 27 days. On the Millennium, but still...

 

 Here is a link to the live review I did for our Panama Canal East to West cruise in a Sky Suite on Millennium.  A lot of picture of the suite and the food in Luminae. 

 

 

 

[DaKahuna]

51 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Sigh.  I’m really ashamed to say this, but after our recent suite experience I may do another one.  
 

On the M class there is no bar outside the Sun deck?  Is there anyone walking around taking drink orders?

 

There is not bar or pool.   There are servers coming around taking drink orders.  We enjoyed lunch while import one day on the Retreat Sundeck on Millennium.  Other than a lack of shade it was pleasant.  They do provide free sunscreen, up to SPF 50 on the Retreat Sundeck so take advantage of that if you are concerned about sunburn. 

 

[zitsky]

3 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

There is not bar or pool.   There are servers coming around taking drink orders.  We enjoyed lunch while import one day on the Retreat Sundeck on Millennium.  Other than a lack of shade it was pleasant.  They do provide free sunscreen, up to SPF 50 on the Retreat Sundeck so take advantage of that if you are concerned about sunburn. 

 

Thanks.  I am just reading your trip report.  
 

We have a South America trip in December with many sea days on Eclipse which be a great time for Luminae lunch EXCEPT that we expect rough seas and want to keep our midship Aqua cabin.  And we’re traveling with friends.  But I may still do a move up bid.

Edited June 10, 2023 by zitsky

[DaKahuna]

Just now, zitsky said:

Thanks.  I am just reading your trip report.  
 

We have a South America trip with many sea days on Eclipse which be a great time for Luminae lunch EXCEPT that we expect rough seas and want to keep our midship Aqua cabin.  And we’re traveling with friends.  But I may still do a move up bid.

 

Our Sky Suite, #6100 was midship on deck 6.  We had some exceptionally good weather except for one day on our cruise.  

 

[Sigyn]

7 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

There is not bar or pool.   There are servers coming around taking drink orders.  We enjoyed lunch while import one day on the Retreat Sundeck on Millennium.  Other than a lack of shade it was pleasant.  They do provide free sunscreen, up to SPF 50 on the Retreat Sundeck so take advantage of that if you are concerned about sunburn. 

 

Thanks, I love your trip report. It's wonderful. We'll be on an Alaskan cruise in a few weeks on the Millennium, so our risk of sunburn, while not impossible, is less than during your cruise. 

[Octavias]

We will be sailing with the retreat package for our first sailing and have one extended excursion planned.  The excursion provides snacks but I have no way of knowing what the provided snacks are and I have several severe food allergies.  Would it be acceptable to ask our butler to pack some safe snacks for me to take along?  I get low blood sugar if I go too long without food. 

[DaKahuna]

4 minutes ago, Octavias said:

We will be sailing with the retreat package for our first sailing and have one extended excursion planned.  The excursion provides snacks but I have no way of knowing what the provided snacks are and I have several severe food allergies.  Would it be acceptable to ask our butler to pack some safe snacks for me to take along?  I get low blood sugar if I go too long without food. 

 

Depending on the port of call, food may not be permitted to be taken off the ship.  There were fruit sniffing dogs on a couple of our stops, Panama, being one that I remember.  Mexico was another.  I would recommend you speak with the Retreat Concierge about which port the excursion is on to see if there are any restrictions on taking food ashore and make the request of your butler accordingly.  I know your butler would be more than willing to put something together for you, it is just more of a question of whether it is permitted to take it off the ship or not. 

 

[LMHSRN]

56 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Thanks.  I am just reading your trip report.  
 

We have a South America trip in December with many sea days on Eclipse which be a great time for Luminae lunch EXCEPT that we expect rough seas and want to keep our midship Aqua cabin.  And we’re traveling with friends.  But I may still do a move up bid.

No Luminae in a Aqua Cabin

[DebInAntigua]

One of our favorite parts of the Retreat experience was the Retreat Concierges available in the lounge. They were happy to assist with almost anything we needed - dining, excursions, scheduling a private time to meet with the Future Cruise agent in the lounge, issues with our account, etc. 

 

Two issues handled by the concierges stand out in particular:

 

1) Our Apex TA was a rebook of a rebook of a rebook from what was originally a Panama Canal cruise with very high port fees and taxes. Through all of the covid-related moves of our reservation from one ship to the next, Celebrity never adjusted our port fees downward to match the port fees of the Apex TA itinerary. We spoke to one of the concierge staff in the Retreat lounge the day after boarding, and asked if anything could be done. She escalated it to the landside offices at 3 different levels and got us $300 OBC added to our account to offset the higher fees our reservation carried over from the Panama itinerary. I cannot imagine that happening at Guest services if we had not been in a suite! 

2) As many people know, the Retreat concierges can arrange for the excursion desk or FC desk agents to come to you at your convenience in the Retreat lounge, saving you lots of time and providing a more comfortable experience. We had tried a few times to get some assistance in the iLounge to purchase an Apple Watch (hey, I had extra OBC now! ), but the iLounge staff were always busy with lots of people in line. We asked the Retreat concierge if she could arrange a personal appointment for the iLounge like the excursion or FC desk, and they did even better. She got the iLounge manager on the phone, gave the phone to me so I could explain what I wanted to purchase, and the entire transaction was handled right then and there. Within 20 minutes an employee from the store personally delivered my new watch to me in the Retreat Lounge as I sipped on my martini. Amazing!!!

Being in a suite is an experience that goes far beyond Luminae, a larger stateroom, less crowds and a butler. It gives you more time to enjoy your vacation in as stress-free and relaxing a way possible. I am not sure we can afford to sail in the Retreat every year, but I have to admit we're willing to pay quite a bit more for the luxury of time added to our vacation days!

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

1 hour ago, Octavias said:

We will be sailing with the retreat package for our first sailing and have one extended excursion planned.  The excursion provides snacks but I have no way of knowing what the provided snacks are and I have several severe food allergies.  Would it be acceptable to ask our butler to pack some safe snacks for me to take along?  I get low blood sugar if I go too long without food. 

Are there pre-packaged snacks that you can have? If so, I'd plan on bringing a box of those along with you. *Most* ports, pre-packaged things are ok to take off (again, check with the Retreat Concierge), and it's not like your butler can just pop out to the local grocery store if it's not something they normally carry on board. I'd be very surprised if any port allowed unpackaged (as in factory packaged) food to be taken off the ship which would severely limit what your butler could give you.

[zitsky]

Well I already have an Apple Watch.   I like how I can get walking directions on the watch.  🙂

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

6 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

My only recommendation is to treat your Butler with respect and he will try to make most if not all your requests happen.   I sometime read post of those (usually in the lowest level suites) act entitled and  by their list of DEMANDS can be very demeaning.

 

While they list items like packing and unpacking luggage and running a bath,  I would never request a butler to do these.

 

Recently all the Butlers went through training by the British Butler Institute and have a lapel pin to denote their extended training.   Part of this training included how to pack and unpack as well as how to make their guest feel comfortable and not be obtrusive.

 

We usually have our butler refresh our Ice 2X a day (don't need to ask as that is the norm).  Occasional breakfasts in our room on early Port Days  and Laundry.    They usually also ask us what we want stocked in our Refrigerator (but we usually travel in Upper Suites and that is part of the package).     They also assist with  reserved seating for you on Chic nights in the theater.    The Butlers also rotate at serving Tea in Retreat and will deliver to your room upon request.

 

While they always try to drop off goodies we request him not to as there is just too much food.

 

I also use the Butler to handle any maintenance issues in our room

"I sometime read post of those (usually in the lowest level suites) act entitled and by their list of DEMANDS can be very demeaning."

 

Truer words never spoken. I can understand why those staff who (must) serve the entitled are exhausted and/or perplexed.

 

No matter what type of stateroom elected, inside to Iconic, just be respectful and nice to staff and crew.

 

It's better for everyone, which includes you (the plural "you," as in all of us).

 

*just an observation about life and the inquiries put forth in this and other threads and in no way a derision, invective, or aspersion toward anyone.

 

Peace to all...

[zitsky]

2 minutes ago, 4-2-N-8 said:

"I sometime read post of those (usually in the lowest level suites) act entitled and by their list of DEMANDS can be very demeaning."

 

Truer words never spoken. I can understand why those staff who (must) serve the entitled are exhausted and/or perplexed.

 

No matter what type of stateroom elected, inside to Iconic, just be respectful and nice to staff and crew.

 

It's better for everyone, which includes you (the plural "you," as in all of us).

 

*just an observation about life and the inquiries put forth in this and other threads and in no way a derision, invective, or aspersion toward anyone.

 

Peace to all...

Jesus.  All I did was ask for more toilet paper.  😭

[Guest 4-2-N-8]

1 minute ago, zitsky said:

Jesus.  All I did was ask for more toilet paper.  😭

This is a critic site.

 

I'm required to adhere to the spirit of the site. Critiquing (but as politely, and as qualified, as possible).

 

*this in no way is a critique of any one person, persons, group (or non-group), real (or perceived real) event, comment, idea, misconception, turtle, or thought.

 

Peace to all, especially to those who serve.