Eliminating Butlers - Spoke to Celebrity. Here is conversation.

[paulh84]

Celebrity cruisers torqued off over pricing go to Oceania. Formerly loyal Oceania cruisers torqued off over Oceania's pricing go [somewhere?]. Former Celebrity cruisers are the Oceania newbies while Celebrity also fills their spots with new guests. Odd how that works out......

[Covepointcruiser]

The Penthouse cabin on Oceania is not a suite but simply a cabin that is a little larger than a regular verandah.   You do get a shared butler if you want to call a shared butler a dedicated butler.

[billc23]

3 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

The Penthouse cabin on Oceania is not a suite but simply a cabin that is a little larger than a regular verandah.   You do get a shared butler if you want to call a shared butler a dedicated butler.

Which cruise line has a dedicated butler? 

[alexandria]

6 minutes ago, billc23 said:

Which cruise line has a dedicated butler? 

 

Exactly.  Anyone who thinks that on any cruise they sail they can expect to have their own dedicated personal butler who is devoted to serving only a single passenger or party and who is standing by to anticipate and meet their every whim and desire is simply delusional.  All of the angst over this issue is frankly pretty laughable and pitiful, all at the same time.  It makes many other first-world problems look like third-world problems by comparison.  O h, the humanity!  😧

 

 

Those who desire their own personal and dedicated butler can always bring their own staff.  I seem to remember one or more Love Boat episodes where a passenger did just that.  😃

[chisoxfan]

I know I am piling on but when we looked at Specialty Dining on our upcoming Ascent cruise I was frankly wowed by the general pricing X is seeking for all dining venues. I know X is tied into Daniel Boulud and we have eaten at his Miami prop often. The Chef's Table on this cruise was 169 pp. I was sent  the offer below for 5 course dinner WITH wine pairing (additional on  X) which IMHO offers much more value than the  Ascent onboard offering. My point is that what could have been an attractive/ exciting dining option on Celebrity comes off (to me) as a let's charge as much as we can offer. So we will save our $$$ to enjoy additional dining when we return and are confident that Luminae will provide acceptable fare. 

 

 

[billc23]

2 minutes ago, alexandria said:

 

Exactly.  Anyone who thinks that on any cruise they sail they can expect to have their own...

 

Those who desire their own personal and dedicated butler can always bring their own staff.  I seem to remember one or more Love Boat episodes where a passenger did just that.  😃

My neighbor has a personal assistant who comes to the house every morning and on/off during the day as he requests. Morning coffee, general housework, food shopping... I actually enjoy performing those routine tasks in retirement. We do have someone stay in our house when traveling - who we pay - and I never thought about bringing someone to help on a vacation. I have a niece who brings her nanny on vacation but that is to help with the 2 kids so I guess it is a thing.

[goofysmom99]

4 hours ago, paulh84 said:

Celebrity cruisers torqued off over pricing go to Oceania. Formerly loyal Oceania cruisers torqued off over Oceania's pricing go [somewhere?]. Former Celebrity cruisers are the Oceania newbies while Celebrity also fills their spots with new guests. Odd how that works out......

Oh, I'll be still cruising on X since I receive PBP (such as it now is), wifi, and Retreat access but I sure as heck won't be booking/wasting $$$$ on a suite.  I’ve booked SV/CC (w/specialties most nights), or AQ cabins and saved enough to pay for my Oceania and Regent cruises.  I'm not steamed over pricing, I'm steamed over value.  Regent and Oceania have raised prices, but they don't appear to have radically cheapened their product, unlike X.  That's the difference. 

Edited January 3 by goofysmom99

[Veinless]

19 hours ago, chisoxfan said:

The real chore is to maximize profits while retaining a loyal and enthusiastic cadre of loyal passengers. Unfortunately, just by sampling CC posts, they seem to be failing miserably at this more difficult task.  Maybe a more pressing algorithim for X to consider is what is the cost of lost passenger(s) and the future expense of trying to get them  back in the fold.  JMHO

That’s a problem for future management. 

[The_Big_M]

15 hours ago, chisoxfan said:

My point is that what could have been an attractive/ exciting dining option on Celebrity comes off (to me) as a let's charge as much as we can offer. So we will save our $$$ to enjoy additional dining when we return and are confident that Luminae will provide acceptable fare. 

 

 

 

Unfortunately that seems to be a common feeling in many ways booking Celebrity at the moment - also why I have no bookings or plans for bookings with them at present.

 

Also on my last cruise I found myself dining in Blu more than Luminae; just a better selection in Blu, both a larger menu to select from and even, oddly a greater range of breads and even butter/spreads every night. I found it strange that Luminae has more limited selection than Blu. Service was comparably good, as was quality imo.

[CruiseRQA]

15 hours ago, alexandria said:

 

  Anyone who thinks that on any cruise they sail they can expect to have their own dedicated personal butler who is devoted to serving only a single passenger or party and who is standing by to anticipate and meet their every whim and desire is simply delusional.  

 

I'll take the job.   Pay for my flight down (business class, please), a night or two in a pre-cruise hotel (4 *. at least) and then a cabin of your choice.   I will be at your beck and call except for my pool time from 1-5 each day.   Correction:  probably best that I have a suite so I can hang out in the Retreat while awaiting your call. 

[chisoxfan]

4 minutes ago, The_Big_M said:

 

Unfortunately that seems to be a common feeling in many ways booking Celebrity at the moment - also why I have no bookings or plans for bookings with them at present.

 

Also on my last cruise I found myself dining in Blu more than Luminae; just a better selection in Blu, both a larger menu to select from and even, oddly a greater range of breads and even butter/spreads every night. I found it strange that Luminae has more limited selection than Blu. Service was comparably good, as was quality imo.

We like Blu (usually have stayed in AQ before IV)....Not sure how much hassle this would be. Did you just show up at Blu or set up reservations in advance? Generally we prefer to eat on a 'whim' and would be good for us if we could just go 'unplanned'. Overall we were pleased with Luminae- especially service.

[JDPCruisers]

2 hours ago, chisoxfan said:

We like Blu (usually have stayed in AQ before IV)....Not sure how much hassle this would be. Did you just show up at Blu or set up reservations in advance? Generally we prefer to eat on a 'whim' and would be good for us if we could just go 'unplanned'. Overall we were pleased with Luminae- especially service.

While we have done Blu on a whim but that was pre-COVID because they had availability, though our ongoing preference is Luminae for selection and service.

[JDPCruisers]

19 hours ago, billc23 said:

Which cruise line has a dedicated butler? 

Silversea but not sure dedicated to one cabin, which I doubt but having not sailed Silversea, yet, not sure.

[LXA350]

The ones making the biggest fuss about this are probably the ones staying in Sky Suites which are Junior Suites and should be excluded from the Retreat and also with limited access to Luminae. A full dedicated personal buttler only makes sense from Edge Villa and above and even for Celebrity suites there should be a buttler service team and not a individual peron in charge. This would also require X to market the different suite products differently and not give people the feeling as soon as you are in the "Retreat" you are surrounded by buttlers that to everything for you, which we all know is not the case.

[PTC DAWG]

28 minutes ago, LXA350 said:

The ones making the biggest fuss about this are probably the ones staying in Sky Suites which are Junior Suites and should be excluded from the Retreat and also with limited access to Luminae. A full dedicated personal buttler only makes sense from Edge Villa and above and even for Celebrity suites there should be a buttler service team and not an individual peron in charge. This would also require X to market the different suite products differently and not give people the feeling as soon as you are in the "Retreat" you are surrounded by buttlers that to everything for you, which we all know is not the case.

The Retreat and Luminae would be vastly underused in your scenario..I sail in the SS for the bigger room and the Retreat Sundeck mainly..I’ve never seen it overly crowded, I don’t even think this Butler change will be noticed by my Wife and I. We may eat half our meals in Luminae, the other half in specialties more than likely. 
 

I agree on the dedicated butler on the very highest level suites..

Edited January 3 by PTC DAWG

[Joker54]

32 minutes ago, LXA350 said:

The ones making the biggest fuss about this are probably the ones staying in Sky Suites which are Junior Suites and should be excluded from the Retreat and also with limited access to Luminae. A full dedicated personal buttler only makes sense from Edge Villa and above and even for Celebrity suites there should be a buttler service team and not a individual peron in charge. This would also require X to market the different suite products differently and not give people the feeling as soon as you are in the "Retreat" you are surrounded by buttlers that to everything for you, which we all know is not the case.

So your thoughts are that penthouses and royal suites are not worthy of dedicated butler service?

 

not sure what marketing info you have been reading but in the 7 years I’ve been sailing in suites on celebrity I never felt the there would be ‘Buttlers” to do everything for me……

[Oceangoer2]

38 minutes ago, LXA350 said:

Junior Suites and should be excluded from the Retreat and also with limited access to Luminae.

Limited access to Luminae....does that mean breakfast only?  😉

[abbydancer2003]

10 minutes ago, Oceangoer2 said:

Limited access to Luminae....does that mean breakfast only?  😉

If they're suggestiong the Royal Caribbean model, dinner if space.

[C-Dragons]

21 minutes ago, LXA350 said:

The ones making the biggest fuss about this are probably the ones staying in Sky Suites which are Junior Suites and should be excluded from the Retreat and also with limited access to Luminae. A full dedicated personal buttler only makes sense from Edge Villa and above and even for Celebrity suites there should be a buttler service team and not a individual peron in charge. This would also require X to market the different suite products differently and not give people the feeling as soon as you are in the "Retreat" you are surrounded by buttlers that to everything for you, which we all know is not the case.

Wow…
For the past 20 years all of our cruises with X have been in suites, Sky and above, except for 3.

Quite frankly we wouldn’t miss not  having a Butler because we rarely ever used their services.
And as for being excluded from the Retreat and Luminae, considering the price we pay for those “junior"Sky suites, we have paid for the privilege.

[Lena11033]

If they were to take away retreat and luminae access they seriously need to adjust their prices because the room is not worth those prices. But they are seeing a fall out from it as it seems they are really filling sky suites by move up not people purchasing them all - to me that sounds like they have over priced them because yes move up you have to pay but no one is bidding the full price for the product

[terrydtx]

2 hours ago, LXA350 said:

The ones making the biggest fuss about this are probably the ones staying in Sky Suites which are Junior Suites and should be excluded from the Retreat and also with limited access to Luminae. A full dedicated personal buttler only makes sense from Edge Villa and above and even for Celebrity suites there should be a buttler service team and not a individual peron in charge. This would also require X to market the different suite products differently and not give people the feeling as soon as you are in the "Retreat" you are surrounded by buttlers that to everything for you, which we all know is not the case.

Good thing you aren't running Celebriity what you are suggesting would run off even more loyal customers. 

[jelayne]

3 hours ago, abbydancer said:

If they're suggestiong the Royal Caribbean model, dinner if space.

That wouldn’t be a problem as Luminae was cust out ofvtgevMDR in M & S class and designed on E class to accommodate all suite guests. 

[Nachosdelux]

8 hours ago, JDPCruisers said:

Silversea but not sure dedicated to one cabin, which I doubt but having not sailed Silversea, yet, not sure.

 

I can assure you that no suites on Silversea have a butler that serves only one cabin.

[CruiseRQA]

5 hours ago, LXA350 said:

The ones making the biggest fuss about this are probably the ones staying in Sky Suites which are Junior Suites and should be excluded from the Retreat and also with limited access to Luminae. 

A ridiculous idea.

 

The Celebrity suite experience is built around access to The Retreat, Retreat lounge and Luminae.  Nothing particularly special about the sky suite cabins. 

 

Why would Celebrity turn a high revenue cabin into a lower revenue cabin?   People are not going to pay suite prices for a nonsuite experience. 

[billc23]

On 1/3/2024 at 11:42 AM, JDPCruisers said:

Silversea but not sure dedicated to one cabin, which I doubt but having not sailed Silversea, yet, not sure.

The butlers on Silversea are not dedicated to one cabin.