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

[cruisefam38]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

First they came for the butlers in the “junior” suites

Wonder if the current president's final responsibility will be to activate the computer program that replaces her?

 

In the movie "The Terminator", the defense had be become offensive.

[39august]

We always tell our butler to take away the sparkling wine upon arrival. We usually ask for Decoy cab instead and have always been accommodated. We will see in Sept. if we can still have this request fulfilled, or at least any cab or merlot available. 

[Silkroad]

3 hours ago, terrydtx said:

It sounds like the changes will not go into effect until mid-August so you should be just fine.

I’m not the person you were replying to, but this may happen during the second leg of our b2b to celebrate our retirement. Yes, we splashed out on Sky Suites for both legs, so we may have an interesting Retreat experience. Pretty frustrating to read about this after we’ve paid for the trip. We board tomorrow, so I’ll post if I learn anything substantive.

Edited July 30, 2023 by Silkroad

[ChucktownSteve]

3 hours ago, OysterD said:

But how I look at things, from an efficiency standpoint, a team should be able to provide a better service. 

 

I don't know how many suites shared the same butler, it's largely irrelevant but let's say there were 10 suites per butler. Butler A has suites 1-10 and Butler B is given suites 11-20. Passengers in Suites 1-5 are very demanding, 6-10 also make certain requests, but passengers in suites 11-20 never have any use for a butler. Having only butler A assigned to 1-10 means he is run ragged and passengers 1-10 receive slow or poor service whereas butler B is sat doing nothing. If you combine them into a team and share the load, but without a dedicated named butler to those suites, passengers 1-10 get what they request from either A or B. 

 

This sounds to me exactly like what Celebrity are proposing according to the post you were replying to, in other words what Celebrity have said they are doing. 

 

And if it is the case that that's what they're doing, it makes this whole premature outrage and 15 pages of moaning before any official announcements were made, completely redundant! 

That may sound a feasible theory to benefit Celebrity but that was not my previous experience with a butler.  When my butler was unavailable, they sent a substitute butler for that single need until my personal butler was again available.  Service never suffered.  However that wasn't on Celebrity. 

 

I see it as a way for Celebrity to reduce costs by having fewer team members who cover the whole of the SS needs.  The remaining too would be running their heads off so there would be no personalization, IMO.

[terrydtx]

2 hours ago, Gracie115 said:

 

And yet.... we were in a CS in April on the Apex and we were told we could have anything in the mini bar and not be charged. And we weren't.  As with so many things X, amazingly inconsistently consistent.

Same for us last month on the Equinox last month in a Sky Suite, our butler filled our fridge with anything we wanted at no charge, we even got flavored vitamin water for our Granddaughter included. We got beer, wine and champagne as well.

[zitsky]

If you have a bad butler who do you talk to?  I never thought to change the fridge but I would have liked to have it.  What if butler says NO!?

[terrydtx]

45 minutes ago, RichYak said:

The Team is designed to reduce Celebrity's expenses. It should be pretty clear which side of the ball they'll be playing on.

I have come to believe when Celebrity says you are getting more, you are really getting less for more cost. I also bet these "Teams" will be the newest and mostly undertrained of the new hired, all the best and seasoned butlers will be in the higher suites.

[terrydtx]

3 minutes ago, zitsky said:

If you have a bad butler who do you talk to?  I never thought to change the fridge but I would have liked to have it.  What if butler says NO!?

After 5 Retreat cruises in a SS, I have not once had any butler say NO to a reasonable request, so I can't answer your question. Wait, I do remember one butler saying no thanks, when I asked him if he needed anything from shore at a port stop. He also said no when we wanted to take him home with us, LOL

[zitsky]

1 minute ago, terrydtx said:

After 5 Retreat cruises in a SS, I have not once had any butler say NO to a reasonable request, so I can't answer your question. Wait, I do remember one butler saying no thanks, when I asked him if he needed anything from shore at a port stop. He also said no when we wanted to take him home with us, LOL

With a team if one says no I can talk to the next one.  Genius!!!

[terrydtx]

1 minute ago, zitsky said:

With a team if one says no I can talk to the next one.  Genius!!!

And then they will answer with " We are not programmed to do what you want"

[jelayne]

10 minutes ago, zitsky said:

If you have a bad butler who do you talk to?  I never thought to change the fridge but I would have liked to have it.  What if butler says NO!?

We always ask to have hhe mini fridge emptied and never had a Butler or cabin attendant say No.

Usually they store the contents in a cabinet in your cabin or under the bed.  Worst case you can move the contents to the cabinet yourself

[bigbenboys]

We book mostly sky suites. But will book Aqua and just started booking celebrity suites. Our cruise in Sept is in a CS. 

March 2019 we sailed on Edge in a sky suite. I did like that we could not order off the MDR menu in Luminae. Retreat Lounge and Luminae had lost its intimate feeling. The Retreat sundeck lacked shade. So I dont like booking E Class. Back in Jan after the news of the changes to the OV and prime rib. I canceled 3 sailings in sky suites. 

For us the lost of a dedicated Butler is not a big deal. Our Butler brings us breakfast at 7am. We get the same thing each morning so it is nice to only have to fill out the form once. 

I have now decided to cancel an Alaska sailing in a CS for fall 2024. I have been looking at Royal's GS. This morning I looked at Oceania and Regent. Oceania doesnt seem to visit an glacier. So I'm leaning towards Regent. Still have to do more research on dining. I'll just have to put up with the dresscode.

Celebrity, I will now only book close to sailings for suites only.

 

Celebrity has lost my trust. 

[W283386]

Celebrity is removing dedicated butlers from Sky Suites.  You will now have to call a retreat hotline on board for any service needs.  Many Butlers have already been let go from the cruise line this weekend.  No extra comp or notices will be released as to this situation.http://<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/spi7RxhK1gI" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

Edited July 30, 2023 by W283386
update

[doghog]

3 minutes ago, W283386 said:

Celebrity is removing dedicated butlers from Sky Suites.  You will now have to call a retreat hotline on board for any service needs.  Many Butlers have already been let go from the cruise line this weekend.

Let the following know what you think...

 

lhodges@rccl.com

 

executiveoffice@celebrity.com

[PSU]

10 minutes ago, bigbenboys said:

We book mostly sky suites. But will book Aqua and just started booking celebrity suites. Our cruise in Sept is in a CS. 

March 2019 we sailed on Edge in a sky suite. I did like that we could not order off the MDR menu in Luminae. Retreat Lounge and Luminae had lost its intimate feeling. The Retreat sundeck lacked shade. So I dont like booking E Class. Back in Jan after the news of the changes to the OV and prime rib. I canceled 3 sailings in sky suites. 

For us the lost of a dedicated Butler is not a big deal. Our Butler brings us breakfast at 7am. We get the same thing each morning so it is nice to only have to fill out the form once. 

I have now decided to cancel an Alaska sailing in a CS for fall 2024. I have been looking at Royal's GS. This morning I looked at Oceania and Regent. Oceania doesnt seem to visit an glacier. So I'm leaning towards Regent. Still have to do more research on dining. I'll just have to put up with the dresscode.

Celebrity, I will now only book close to sailings for suites only.

 

Celebrity has lost my trust. 

We have sailed on Regent and the only dress code is no jeans after 6 p.m. Long pants for men and usually button shirts. 
Regent is wonderful.

[W283386]

Here is a link to the story.

 

https://youtu.be/spi7RxhK1gI

[C4HCG]

3 minutes ago, PSU said:

We have sailed on Regent and the only dress code is no jeans after 6 p.m. Long pants for men and usually button shirts. 
Regent is wonderful.

So shorts are allowed after 6pm?

[d9704011]

2 hours ago, zitsky said:

First they came for the butlers in the “junior” suites but I did not speak up because I was not in a “junior suite”.

 

Then they came for my private hot tub, but there was no one left to speak for me.

Rats... now I have Leonard Cohen's 'First We Take Manhattan' running through my head!

[Georgia_Peaches]

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

Entry level suite is what I am implying.

Why not just call it an entry level suite and cut out the condescension?  Rhetorical question...

Edited July 30, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[PSU]

1 minute ago, C4HCG said:

So shorts are allowed after 6pm?

No. Long pants for men.

[Spif Barwunkel]

32 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I have come to believe when Celebrity says you are getting more, you are really getting less for more cost. I also bet these "Teams" will be the newest and mostly undertrained of the new hired, all the best and seasoned butlers will be in the higher suites.

Again, I am not affected by this suite service modification. Not being emotionally invested perhaps I can make this statement with a clearer head. Forget Celebrity's non-caring disrespect. Perhaps the fortitude, the desire and the dedication of the staff and crew involved in this change will prove it a worthwhile endeavor with a seamless transition. Could be the workers that guests are concerned about losing their jobs, will actually be instrumental in creating a system that makes everyone happy. Until proven otherwise, why not give the benefit of the doubt?

Edited July 30, 2023 by Spif Barwunkel

[ChucktownSteve]

22 minutes ago, bigbenboys said:

This morning I looked at Oceania and Regent. Oceania doesnt seem to visit an glacier. So I'm leaning towards Regent. Still have to do more research on dining. I'll just have to put up with the dresscode.

Celebrity, I will now only book close to sailings for suites only.

 

Celebrity has lost my trust. 

We did a Regent AK cruise to Hubbard. We were within 75 yards of the glacier.  In the main dining room, Compass Rose, from the every night menu I could order Maine lobster, jumbo shrimp, king sea scallops, Norwegian Salmon filet or whole Dover sole. For meats: Black Angus filet Mignon, rib eye or strip steaks.   In any combination desired!  Then there were also the different entrees specially prepared and changed nightly. 

 

Plus there are the included specialty restaurants. The number varies by ship but everyone gets a reservation in each at least once per 7 nights.  We got three extra reservations based upon availability or by joining a sharing table.  I didn't seek out more because Compass Rose was so good!

One night in Compass Rose we shared the table and the other guy wished he could get peach pie instead of the apple that was offered.  When our waiter came back I asked if it were possible to get a peach pie.  After going to the kitchen, he came back and said tomorrow night come back.  We'll have it for you.  It was the BEST peach pie we've ever eaten.  Solid and firm and not too sweet, made from scratch.  We didn't have to ask again, later in the cruise they surprised us with another peach pie.

 

The only dress code is country club casual. While many men wear sport coats, no are ever required. No formal nights. Very relaxed and unpretentious.

 

It didn't matter which suite you were in.  There are only suites on Regent.

 

If you've never sailed Regent, I can refer you. You receive an additional couple hundred $OBC from the referral.  I receive it as well on my next cruise.

Edited July 30, 2023 by ChucktownSteve

[TexasRon]

If Celebrity thought their valued customer was going to get enhanced service with this change they would tell the world.  When a company does stuff in the dark, the intent is obvious…keep it quiet and hope less people notice.

 

It is a rare instance where a “team” provides better service than a dedicated person.  It is the way things are going as businesses cut costs but it doesn’t make it good.  Think about the places who have gone to service by chat or email only…

 

I am in a service industry.  We provide a service to our customers.  While it is not the same as being a butler, it is a job where we are there to keep people happy.  I don’t look down on anyone; a butler is just doing a job.  I appreciate them when we have one, don’t ask for anything too ridiculous, and tip them well beyond what most do from what people report (our experiences are at Sandals).  The same goes for the Concierge when we have the Royal Suite on a smaller Royal ship.

 

Celebrity is on our future but not sure at what level of service.  

[C4HCG]

5 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

We did a Regent AK cruise to Hubbard. We were within 75 yards of the glacier.  In the main dining room, Compass Rose, from the every night menu I could order Maine lobster, jumbo shrimp, king sea scallops, Norwegian Salmon filet or whole Dover sole. For meats: Black Angus filet Mignon, rib eye or strip steaks.   In any combination desired!  Then there were also the different entrees specially prepared and changed nightly. 

 

Plus there are the included specialty restaurants. The number varies by ship but everyone gets a reservation in each at least once per 7 nights.  We got three extra reservations based upon availability or by joining a sharing table.  I didn't seek out more because Compass Rose was so good!

One night in Compass Rose we shared the table and the other guy wished he could get peach pie instead of the apple that was offered.  When our waiter came back I asked if it were possible to get a peach pie.  After going to the kitchen, he came back and said tomorrow night come back.  We'll have it for you.  It was the BEST peach pie we've ever eaten.  Solid and firm and not too sweet, made from scratch.  We didn't have to ask again, later in the cruise they surprised us with another peach pie.

 

The only dress code is country club casual. While many men wear sport coats, no are ever required. No formal nights. Very relaxed and unpretentious.

 

It didn't matter which suite you were in.  There are only suites on Regent.

 

If you've never sailed Regent, I can refer you. You receive an additional couple hundred $OBC from the referral.  I receive it as well on my next cruise.

What else does Regent offer that Celebrity doesn’t? 

[C4HCG]

3 minutes ago, TexasRon said:

If Celebrity thought their valued customer was going to get enhanced service with this change they would tell the world.  When a company does stuff in the dark, the intent is obvious…keep it quiet and hope less people notice.

 

It is a rare instance where a “team” provides better service than a dedicated person.  It is the way things are going as businesses cut costs but it doesn’t make it good.  Think about the places who have gone to service by chat or email only…

 

I am in a service industry.  We provide a service to our customers.  While it is not the same as being a butler, it is a job where we are there to keep people happy.  I don’t look down on anyone; a butler is just doing a job.  I appreciate them when we have one, don’t ask for anything too ridiculous, and tip them well beyond what most do from what people report (our experiences are at Sandals).  The same goes for the Concierge when we have the Royal Suite on a smaller Royal ship.

 

Celebrity is on our future but not sure at what level of service.  

Get your point but in todays world, can anything be kept quiet?