Eliminating Butlers - Spoke to Celebrity. Here is conversation.

[Whinenowine]

3 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

If you want a smaller quieter ship, this would work..me, I would be bored stiff. 

Yes correct, you give up the large ship, which I'd gladly do.  Matter of preference, but a worthwhile trade off for me.

 

[RichYak]

26 minutes ago, Whinenowine said:

Yes correct, you give up the large ship, which I'd gladly do.  Matter of preference, but a worthwhile trade off for me.

 

I don't typically go to casinos or the productions shows on cruises. Given that, I can't think of anything I'd be missing on a "small" ship. FYI, I use quotes because 700 passengers to me is just not that small.

[Joker54]

7 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

A current Ascent cruiser in a SS is reporting he has seen his Butler everyday and is very pleased with the service..he is reporting it on the roll call of a B2B he is on. 

Was it really a butler or was it the room attendant with a retreat host name tag? 
 

Either way it is encouraging that they are getting better service. 

[Dolebludger]

10 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

 

Do they have butlers on Regent?  I don’t feel special unless someone brings room service who is not the same as the other person who brings room service.

As mentioned above, Regent has butlers only in Penthouse suites and above. However, of importance, the room stewards on Regent perform all functions butlers do on Celebrity. On Regent, the stewards are not just “room cleaners” like they are on Celebrity. The stewards have fewer assigned suites and more duties on Regent. Frequent Regent cruisers generally feel that the addition of a “butler” in the higher suites adds very little to the experience. 

[zitsky]

54 minutes ago, Joker54 said:

Was it really a butler or was it the room attendant with a retreat host name tag? 
 

Either way it is encouraging that they are getting better service. 

Room attendants don’t do foot massages…..

[Jim_Iain]

On 1/17/2024 at 6:03 AM, zitsky said:

I’ve never heard of an assistant room attendant in Aqua or Sky Suite.  Only been cruising with X a few times.

Really didn't miss much.  I would say this change took place 7-8 years ago.   Originally you had 2 attendants for your room.   One cleaned the bathrooms, hauled the towels and linens and the other one cleaned the room.  To be honest when it was change there was zero outcry and no difference in your room.   Often the Assistant was a starting role and it was used as a way to train them and for them to become more comfortable speaking English. 

[Jim_Iain]

On 1/18/2024 at 4:52 AM, billc23 said:

Does bringing something back after it was taken away for a period of time, which has adversely affected many passengers, help Celebrity regain their loyal passengers trust going forward? I don't think so. A problem with Celebrity losing loyal customers is that the younger generation they seem to be trying to attract tend not to place a high value on brand or job loyalty. 

 

Changing to a butler team has never affected me, yet it has (along with many other cutbacks)  tarnished my view of a company that has/had a reputation for treating their staff - demoting or firing the butlers who took such pride in their job - and customers - taking away services that were paid for with no recourse - well.

 

Loyalty and status are a double edge sword. Many people I chat with when traveling alway stay at a Marriott, Hilton, etc. because of their status and loyalty to the brand. Yet that precludes them from staying at many charming, boutique properties pre cruise or when visiting great cities.  I, like many other former Celebrity loyalists, will continue to book Celebrity, but with a much more discriminating eye for value and what the competition has to offer. The camel's nose is under the tent.

 

Personally I feel it is a sign of a bad Management Team.   Often in Politics we would call it flip-flopping.  When you implement changes and then reverse yourself one only sows mistrust.  

 

It seems like their attitude is to throw spaghetti on the wall and see what sticks. 

 

Many companies  takes a small subset of their highest level customers and forms an advisory board that they seek opinions when considering making changes.    e.g.  If you were to ask a board - how do you thing customers would respond to taking away dedicated butlers in Sky Suites....

[Jim_Iain]

I've been doing quite a bit of searching on Regent, Silver Seas ect.    Isn't a Penthouse equivalent to a Sky Suite?  If not what level category would you compare it to on Celebrity?  

 

 

 

[PTC DAWG]

16 hours ago, zitsky said:

Room attendants don’t do foot massages…..

Or deliver plates of shrimp as far as I know.  

[CHEZMARYLOU]

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

I've been doing quite a bit of searching on Regent, Silver Seas ect.    Isn't a Penthouse equivalent to a Sky Suite?  If not what level category would you compare it to on Celebrity?  

 

 

 

I've checked out other lines and it seems on a lot of the higher end lines the PH is the equivalent to a SS, one room and one bathroom.

[mahdnc]

On 1/17/2024 at 9:24 PM, CruiseRQA said:

Then what's the point? 

 

The last time we had a butler on a Celebrity cruise, I asked him why would a passenger ever ask for unpacking assistance.  He told me that he had suite passengers in the past who were very old and feeble that actually needed the help.

[hcat]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Really didn't miss much.  I would say this change took place 7-8 years ago.   Originally you had 2 attendants for your room.   One cleaned the bathrooms, hauled the towels and linens and the other one cleaned the room.  To be honest when it was change there was zero outcry and no difference in your room.   Often the Assistant was a starting role and it was used as a way to train them and for them to become more comfortable speaking English. 

The attendants did not complain either.. more work but more $ and grats.  They often team up!

[HopefulCruiser123]

We barely used our butler on our Honeymoon cruise 11 years ago.  However, there are some benefits to having a butler besides unpacking for you that are value added features that disappeared along with the butler.  

1.  Cleaning out the mini-fridge and stocking with drinks you prefer.

2.  Setting the table and serving breakfast or dinner out on the verandah.

3.  Setting up your suite with drinks and snacks for an in-suite cocktail party.

4.  Offering afternoon canapes and tea

5.  Making reservations for spa, salon, bridge tours, specialty dining, after dinner shows.  Some say your Retreat team will do this for you, but from all the comments on Cruise Critic about this topic, I don't think that can be relied upon.  

 

Will the lack of these things ruin my cruise?  Certainly not.  But it is disingenuous to suggest that the perks of the very expensive Sky Suites were not watered down significantly with the removal of the butlers.  

[Whinenowine]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I've been doing quite a bit of searching on Regent, Silver Seas ect.    Isn't a Penthouse equivalent to a Sky Suite?  If not what level category would you compare it to on Celebrity?  

 

 

 

Jim--On Regent, a Penthouse is like a CS rattan an SS; in fact at 450sqft cabin + 110sqft balcony I think it's a bit larger than a CS on Celebrity.

Edited January 19 by Whinenowine

[Shiba_Lover]

I am hopeful the butler service will be restored.  I have had a conversation (outside of Cruise Critic or the other famous group that is often mentioned) with someone on Beyond that said they were told it was in the works and would take a few months.  We don't take much advantage of the butler but do like to arrange a time for regular coffee delivery and a few extra bottles of water.  That's about it.  I do have to say I am always surprised when I see the posts at people asking, "what all can I get the butler to do for me?"  I remember one old video on the Celebrity page where it mentioned drawing a bath.  I cannot even imagine calling someone and asking them to come draw a bath!  Wow.

[Dolebludger]

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I've been doing quite a bit of searching on Regent, Silver Seas ect.    Isn't a Penthouse equivalent to a Sky Suite?  If not what level category would you compare it to on Celebrity?  

 

 

 

On the newer Regent ships  a Concierge suite is equivalent to a SS. These ships include Explorer, Splendor, and Grandeur.  PH is larger and much better than a SS. The Concierge suites don’t have a butler by name, but the steward takes care of everything I’ve seen a butler do in CS and RS. I lack first hand info to comment on Regent’s older ships’ suites at Concierge and Penthouse levels, but expect much the same is true of them.

[MMMCruiser]

5 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

It seems like their attitude is to throw spaghetti on the wall and see what sticks. 

 

Thank you.  That's the metaphor I was looking for.  While I will be very relieved if they do return the butler service that was part of the package that I booked, it's still annoying that they are trying this and that hoping that people won't notice enough to sail another line. It would have been much better for them to not take them away in the first place.  Since I don't have a time machine, I guess this is the best outcome I can hope for.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

6 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

The last time we had a butler on a Celebrity cruise, I asked him why would a passenger ever ask for unpacking assistance.  He told me that he had suite passengers in the past who were very old and feeble that actually needed the help.

I don't consider myself either old or feeble, but I could have used the help on our last cruise.  Unbeknownst to me I was cruising with a broken bone in my foot. I never asked for help unpacking or packing but our butler was great about bringing me a bag of ice twice a day and a bottle of Veuve to aid in the packing.

[thebutlerdidit]

2 hours ago, MMMCruiser said:

Thank you.  That's the metaphor I was looking for.  While I will be very relieved if they do return the butler service that was part of the package that I booked, it's still annoying that they are trying this and that hoping that people won't notice enough to sail another line. It would have been much better for them to not take them away in the first place.  Since I don't have a time machine, I guess this is the best outcome I can hope for.

As far as I know, the higher-ups at Celebrity have never acknowledged that the current Sky Suite situation regarding the removal of butlers is any less of an experience than it once was. Clearly it has changed, and if they were utilizing the “butler team” approach they describe we would still be able to arrange afternoon snacks without having to phone room service. It was so nice coming back from an excursion and finding something to snack on! We had some that did not include lunch, and we’d arrive back at the ship hangry, tired, and needing a shower. We felt so spoiled by our butler! 

[mahdnc]

1 minute ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

I don't consider myself either old or feeble, but I could have used the help on our last cruise.  Unbeknownst to me I was cruising with a broken bone in my foot. I never asked for help unpacking or packing but our butler was great about bringing me a bag of ice twice a day and a bottle of Veuve to aid in the packing.

 

How did you figure out the broken bone in the end? 

 

My wife got into a pretty good accident while ziplining at our stop at Puerto Limon almost 20 years ago.  When she got back on the ship, she needed sutures for the skin and muscle of her shin and was pretty laid up for the rest of the cruise.  Our butler really took good care of her.  And follow up visits to see the doctor were pretty easy, too!

[CHEZMARYLOU]

13 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

How did you figure out the broken bone in the end? 

 

I saw my doctor 3 days before the cruise and she gave me pain meds for the cruise and recommended I get an x-ray. I waited until we had been home 3 weeks before I got it. Broken 3rd midtarsal that was just about healed. Never even used the pain med.  I had a choice of them or wine and opted for wine.

[mahdnc]

46 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

I saw my doctor 3 days before the cruise and she gave me pain meds for the cruise and recommended I get an x-ray. I waited until we had been home 3 weeks before I got it. Broken 3rd midtarsal that was just about healed. Never even used the pain med.  I had a choice of them or wine and opted for wine.

You have impressive pain tolerance. What did you do when giving birth—drink some whiskey and used a stick to bite on?

[CHEZMARYLOU]

10 minutes ago, mahdnc said:

You have impressive pain tolerance. What did you do when giving birth—drink some whiskey and used a stick to bite on?

I avoided that which is why we can sail in suites. The only downside is not having grand kids to help with chores like snow shoveling and moving furniture.

[PTC DAWG]

Sailing tomorrow in SS on Ascent..I hope I survive the ordeal. I will report back with any issues.

Edited January 20 by PTC DAWG

[RichYak]

7 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Sailing tomorrow in SS on Ascent..I hope I survive the ordeal. I will report back with any issues.

Thank you for your service 🤣