Eliminating Butlers - Spoke to Celebrity. Here is conversation.

[terrydtx]

7 minutes ago, hcat said:

just  curious

When will the SS  bookings with  BUTLER included in price but  no longer provided...peter out?   By then it will be a different world..maybe  SS prices will drop accordingly??? Or maybe they won't???

Probably another year, anyone who booked prior to last August booked thinking a butler was included.

[hcat]

21 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Probably another year, anyone who booked prior to last August booked thinking a butler was included.

so  many of them could possibly cancel or downgrade..without losing too much!  If no Butler is a deal breaker

[zitsky]

I wish I had saved something, webpage screen shot to show that we were supposed to have a butler in our Sky Suite when we booked about a year ago.  Does anyone have anything like that from before the change?

 

I'm not saying that a printout will magically change anything.  I'd just like to have something on my next SS cruise when I run into problems with service.

Edited December 17, 2023 by zitsky

[terrydtx]

1 minute ago, zitsky said:

I wish I had saved something, webpage screen shot to show that we were supposed to have a butler in our Sky Suite when we booked about a year ago.  Does anyone have anything like that from before the change?

 

I'm not saying that a printout will magically change anything.  I'd just like to have something on my next SS cruise when I run into problems with service.

Wouldn't do any good, Celebrity's mind set from the phone call I got was that the "Team" would provide better service with no loss of anything previously promised. The reality is Celebrity is full of BS.

[CruiseRQA]

Haven't read through the whole thread so forgive me if my comments are repetitive.

 

I think those of you who cruise many times a year are a bit spoiled.   We cruise once a year.   We live in the north and so have to fly to FL or CA, stay in a hotel for a night, get to the port and at the end fly back home.   I will admit to being a bit envious of those who simply pack up the night before and drive an hour to the port.

 

Anyway, we have been in suites our last two cruises in 2022 and 2023 and will be in one again next month.   We had a butler.   For the life of me, we couldn't think of anything for the poor guy to do.   If you told me last year that the butler would be gone next year, I almost would have been glad.   I will report back in a month to opine whether the elimination of the butler (CUTBACKS!) negatively affected our cruise. 

 

 

[alexandria]

38 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

After our cruises next month on the Edge is a SS we are done with Celebrity too.

 

...If we hadn't already paid for our airfare for Australia, we would have canceled and booked with another cruise line. Our air to Australia was over $9K so we have no choice but to go.

Have you looked into other cruises in Australia and New Zealand for January 13 and following?  You may have other options that will permit you to cancel your Celebrity cruise and use your booked airline tickets to sail another line.  For example, HAL has a Jan 13 leaving from Sydney for 14 nts and you may be able to combine that sailing with another following.  And having recently tried Celebrity for the first time, my impression is that HAL offers a far superior product and service.

 

Good luck!

[terrydtx]

10 minutes ago, alexandria said:

Have you looked into other cruises in Australia and New Zealand for January 13 and following?  You may have other options that will permit you to cancel your Celebrity cruise and use your booked airline tickets to sail another line.  For example, HAL has a Jan 13 leaving from Sydney for 14 nts and you may be able to combine that sailing with another following.  And having recently tried Celebrity for the first time, my impression is that HAL offers a far superior product and service.

 

Good luck!

We looked at other options and nothing worked right for us. We leave on Jan 8th and return from Melbourne on February 15th. We have a 10 day driving trip in there too. Our final payment was paid shortly after our Apex cruise in September. Fortunately, when we booked in January 2022 our SS cost was 40% less than what they are currently charging. It will be a fantastic trip but it will be our last with Celebrity. Even worse than taking away the butlers, Celebrity for cruises booked after October 3rd, no longer had pre paid gratuities and any OBC for suites, however they did still honor this for cruises booked prior to Oct 3rd. After removing the tips and OBC ($800 for each cruise) prices did not drop, so this was just another money grab to the bottom line for Celebrity.

Edited December 17, 2023 by terrydtx

[batsabode]

51 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

After our cruises next month on the Edge is a SS we are done with Celebrity too. I wrote emails to the CEO about the lack of butlers and how the Team is a joke. All we got was a phone call from an underling and NO OFFER of any compensation. Celebrity has cheapened their product while at the same time raised pricing as high as 40% more. My post cruise survey was all 1 and 2 ratings on butler service, room service and again no response. If we hadn't already paid for our airfare for Australia, we would have canceled and booked with another cruise line. Our air to Australia was over $9K so we have no choice but to go.

This whole experience has left a really bad taste in my mouth, we are Elite Plus and really are amazed that Celebrity has started their spiral down to Carnival cruise line level. The new CEO has already made several major gaffscor mistakes, removing cookies, everyday options on the menu and had to eat crow and reverse them, but it does make me wonder what is going to be next.  I understand a lot of people dont care about a butler but they still pay for a SS and expect to be able to go to the retreat and eat in the luminae what will they do if that changes before they board and they are told oh you need to go to MDR 

[batsabode]

4 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We looked at other options and nothing worked right for us. We leave on Jan 8th and return from Melbourne on February 15th. We have a 10 day driving trip in there too. Our final payment was paid shortly after our Apex cruise in September. Fortunately, when we booked in January 2022 our SS cost was 40% less than what they are currently charging. We wanted to do New Zealand and then the Great Barrier reef on a cruise which we are getting.

You might look into bidding on an upgrade in order to get a butler but not an ideal solution TBH. 

 

[terrydtx]

2 minutes ago, batsabode said:

You might look into bidding on an upgrade in order to get a butler but not an ideal solution TBH. 

 

Not about to give Celebrity anymore money than we already have. 

[terrydtx]

7 minutes ago, batsabode said:

This whole experience has left a really bad taste in my mouth, we are Elite Plus and really are amazed that Celebrity has started their spiral down to Carnival cruise line level. The new CEO has already made several major gaffscor mistakes, removing cookies, everyday options on the menu and had to eat crow and reverse them, but it does make me wonder what is going to be next.  I understand a lot of people dont care about a butler but they still pay for a SS and expect to be able to go to the retreat and eat in the luminae what will they do if that changes before they board and they are told oh you need to go to MDR 

Celebrity is more like Royalizing themselves. Look at what they did by adding 4, 5 and 6 night Caribbean cruises from Tampa and Port Canaveral, doesn't this sound more like RCL? We are Elite and very close to Elite + with our next two cruises, but loyalty levels do not mean anything anymore to Celebrity.

Edited December 17, 2023 by terrydtx

[shirazcruiser]

We sailed on the Reflection on a B2B in Sept/Oct and were disappointed that we weren't going to have our dedicated butler; however, we were actually pleased that our team ended up being very responsive to everything. Every time we called room service asking that our breakfast be delivered earlier than previously requested, our Head Butler graciously responded quickly to have our breakfast delivered. The butler team was the least of our worries.  We were in SS 2161 (totaly mid ship) and it vibrated for 19 days straight and the officer who verified the vibrations made so many ridiculous excuses. Also, we and other guests found the new Luminae menu unappealing (Pigs Feet Carpacio for an app). After emailing the Executive Office, they informed me that after many complaints regarding the new menu, they would be going back to the "classic menu". Luminae had been one of the main reasons we sail on X, but we have cancelled all of our future cruises except for 1 and that's iffy. Removing the OBC and grats is a big cut.  

[batsabode]

2 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Celebrity is more like Royalizing themselves. Look at what they did by adding 4, 5 and 6 night Caribbean cruises from Tampa and Port Canaveral, doesn't this sound more like RCL?

Absolutely but it's a slippery slope to the bottom of the barrel. We haver already booked a Neptune suite on HAL for three weeks in November on Rotterdam which also has a dedicated orange dining room etc. But they also do not serve drinks to you in their version of the regret even if you have the top Bev package. So wondering what to do going forward do I go to luxury lines like Regent or silver seas, Oceania or Simi;lar. I do like medium size ship rather than the small one or mega large ones and also like to have a decent size casino.  Platinum on NCL, elite plus on celebrity, 4 stars on HAL and will never go on MSC again even thought high reciprocated level. Cancelled my last Princess cruise after my last experience of safety issues. World class problems lol 

[batsabode]

3 minutes ago, shirazcruiser said:

We sailed on the Reflection on a B2B in Sept/Oct and were disappointed that we weren't going to have our dedicated butler; however, we were actually pleased that our team ended up being very responsive to everything. Every time we called room service asking that our breakfast be delivered earlier than previously requested, our Head Butler graciously responded quickly to have our breakfast delivered. The butler team was the least of our worries.  We were in SS 2161 (totaly mid ship) and it vibrated for 19 days straight and the officer who verified the vibrations made so many ridiculous excuses. Also, we and other guests found the new Luminae menu unappealing (Pigs Feet Carpacio for an app). After emailing the Executive Office, they informed me that after many complaints regarding the new menu, they would be going back to the "classic menu". Luminae had been one of the main reasons we sail on X, but we have cancelled all of our future cruises except for 1 and that's iffy. Removing the OBC and grats is a big cut.  

How did you even get hold of the head butler, we were told there was one but no card in room ,he never came near us and my only other interactions were with the concierge when getting a drink in the retreat or calling room service. 

[shirazcruiser]

1 minute ago, batsabode said:

How did you even get hold of the head butler, we were told there was one but no card in room ,he never came near us and my only other interactions were with the concierge when getting a drink in the retreat or calling room service. 

He introduced himself on day 1 and there was already a card with his direct number in the cabin.  When we dialed room service and asked for an earlier delivery, I would be advised that they would notify our HB, acutally transfer me to his line or he would answer the room service number himself ...I imagine after seeing a suite passenger was callling. 

[terrydtx]

3 minutes ago, shirazcruiser said:

We sailed on the Reflection on a B2B in Sept/Oct and were disappointed that we weren't going to have our dedicated butler; however, we were actually pleased that our team ended up being very responsive to everything. Every time we called room service asking that our breakfast be delivered earlier than previously requested, our Head Butler graciously responded quickly to have our breakfast delivered. The butler team was the least of our worries.  We were in SS 2161 (totaly mid ship) and it vibrated for 19 days straight and the officer who verified the vibrations made so many ridiculous excuses. Also, we and other guests found the new Luminae menu unappealing (Pigs Feet Carpacio for an app). After emailing the Executive Office, they informed me that after many complaints regarding the new menu, they would be going back to the "classic menu". Luminae had been one of the main reasons we sail on X, but we have cancelled all of our future cruises except for 1 and that's iffy. Removing the OBC and grats is a big cut.  

On the Apex in September the Butler "Team" would not order our room service, when we called we were told to call the room service number. No butler to deliver breakfast, done by room service people who wouldn't set up out table, they dropped off the tray and left. No Butler to bring us our specialty coffees with breakfast, we were told no longer available. Past Butlers would add shots of espresso to our morning pot of coffee, no longer can do that. No Butler to bring afternoon appetizers, were told to order from room service and it took up to an hour for delivery. No butler to bring bar drinks to our cabin prior to dinner, were told no longer available. No butler to leave premium bottled water in our cabin everyday, told we could get them from Retreat Lounge and bring back to our cabin.  These may seem trivial to some but these were all services we got from previous butlers all in Sky Suites.

[batsabode]

2 minutes ago, shirazcruiser said:

He introduced himself on day 1 and there was already a card with his direct number in the cabin.  When we dialed room service and asked for an earlier delivery, I would be advised that they would notify our HB, acutally transfer me to his line or he would answer the room service number himself ...I imagine after seeing a suite passenger was callling. 

Totally different from our experience, no card no introduction etc.  Hoping yours in the normal experience. 

[terrydtx]

5 minutes ago, shirazcruiser said:

He introduced himself on day 1 and there was already a card with his direct number in the cabin.  When we dialed room service and asked for an earlier delivery, I would be advised that they would notify our HB, acutally transfer me to his line or he would answer the room service number himself ...I imagine after seeing a suite passenger was callling. 

We met the head butler the first day and he left a card to call the Team in the Laminae Lounge, but it seemed like every time we called we were told to call someone else like room service. After the first couple of days we gave up calling.

Edited December 17, 2023 by terrydtx

[batsabode]

3 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

On the Apex in September the Butler "Team" would not order our room service, when we called we were told to call the room service number. No butler to deliver breakfast, done by room service people who wouldn't set up out table, they dropped off the tray and left. No Butler to bring us our specialty coffees with breakfast, we were told no longer available. Past Butlers would add shots of espresso to our morning pot of coffee, no longer can do that. No Butler to bring afternoon appetizers, were told to order from room service and it took up to an hour for delivery. No butler to bring bar drinks to our cabin prior to dinner, were told no longer available. No butler to leave premium bottled water in our cabin everyday, told we could get them from Retreat Lounge and bring back to our cabin.  These may seem trivial to some but these were all services we got from previous butlers all in Sky Suites.

Totally agree that we had the same from our female butler and now we get none of the above.  

 

[alexandria]

16 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Celebrity is more like Royalizing themselves. Look at what they did by adding 4, 5 and 6 night Caribbean cruises from Tampa and Port Canaveral, doesn't this sound more like RCL? We are Elite and very close to Elite + with our next two cruises, but loyalty levels do not mean anything anymore to Celebrity.

 

As I mentioned in my recent review of our first (and likely our last) Celebrity cruise, I found their product to be very much on par with RCL.  I really couldn't tell a difference.  Celebrity paled in comparison to HAL.  Our next cruise is on Seabourn.

 

I was curious what the more premium suites on Celebrity run and....wow!  For the pricing I am seeing, you can very likely book a similar itinerary on Seabourn, Silversea or RSSC for more personal service and nearly everything included.  Viking and Oceania also have more favorable pricing than Celebrity.  And the size of the standard veranda suites on the three luxury lines is comparable to the Sky Suites on Celebrity. 

 

For those who place a higher value on service and quality over shipboard entertainment and resort-style amenities, it would seem there are better options than Celebrity. 

[zitsky]

49 minutes ago, CruiseRQA said:

Haven't read through the whole thread so forgive me if my comments are repetitive.

 

I think those of you who cruise many times a year are a bit spoiled.   We cruise once a year.   We live in the north and so have to fly to FL or CA, stay in a hotel for a night, get to the port and at the end fly back home.   I will admit to being a bit envious of those who simply pack up the night before and drive an hour to the port.

 

Anyway, we have been in suites our last two cruises in 2022 and 2023 and will be in one again next month.   We had a butler.   For the life of me, we couldn't think of anything for the poor guy to do.   If you told me last year that the butler would be gone next year, I almost would have been glad.   I will report back in a month to opine whether the elimination of the butler (CUTBACKS!) negatively affected our cruise. 

 

 

It’s great that you don’t care about a butler.  I don’t use the buffet.  I guess Celebrity should remove that too?

[shirazcruiser]

4 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

On the Apex in September the Butler "Team" would not order our room service

No butler delivered our breakfast...only handled the order with room service just dropping off the tray.  We've never asked for a set up.  We have about the same loyalty level on X, RCCL and Princess. We have always enjoyed the Princess Penthouse suites and when we sailed on the Sky Princess last May, we were pleasantly happy with the meals in their "Reserve Class Dining".  Their new ships (Sun, Star) will have a dedicated "Reserve" concept like the "Retreat" which we're looking forward to as we do like a dedicated suite restaurant.  

[jelayne]

I believe the service, or lack of, by the Head Butler is due to the difference in the number of Sky Suites.

 

E class ships 146-162 Sky Suites with 1 head Butler

S Class have 44-84 Sky Suites with 1 Head Butler

M class have 32 Sky Suutes with 1 Head Butler.

 

There is no way 1 HB on a E class ship can provide the same service as a HB on a S or M class. 

[abbydancer2003]

We boarded the Apex yesterday, and so far, it's good.

 

The head butler came in and introduced himself as we were dropping our bags off.  I mentioned that I wanted the minibar emptied, because I wanted to put bottled water (not Evian, I don't like it, coke and ginger ale in it.  He said he'd have the room guy make sure we had water, and a couple hours later, he delivered two cans of coke and two of ginger ale.

 

Turns out all that was in the refrig was a can of coke, but that was gone and there were 3 bottles of water in the room.  Two more bottles were added this morning.

 

Today, we had some issues attaching our Roku ie we couldn't get our remote to work, so I called him.  While I was still trying to explain it, he was at the door and told us how to use the supplied remote.

 

I have not yet tried any food delivery.

 

And a friend had the pigs feet thing and thought it was delicious.  I think I'm going to get a little tired of onion soup and NY steak by the end.  I'm thinking maybe for future cruises we'll sometimes go to dinner elsewhere, and use Luminae for breakfast and lunch.

 

 

[batsabode]

12 minutes ago, zitsky said:

It’s great that you don’t care about a butler.  I don’t use the buffet.  I guess Celebrity should remove that too?

Totally agree cant stand the buffet on any ship.  when will people realize they can go back multiple times and not have to pile everything on one plate.