Eliminating Butlers - Spoke to Celebrity. Here is conversation.

[zitsky]

11 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

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

I’m curious if they have a pre boarding embarkation line for the Retreat.  I didn’t see one recently.  Just for excursions.

[Texed]

52 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

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

The ordeal is easily survivable. On the ship now and next sailing. This is some of the best service we have had in a long time. 
 

We have received many treats, including shrimp plate, delivered to our room. 😊

[drakes2]

1 hour ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

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.

Grandkids help their grandparents on cruises mine gets my luggage helps me out when I need it etc and he's only 12. A great kid all around. 

[MMMCruiser]

17 hours ago, thebutlerdidit said:

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! 

While not admitting that there was a lesser experience, receiving a call from X telling me that they are putting the butlers back shows that they know, even if they won't admit it.  Leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, TBH, but I am hopeful that they really will be back to what was promised when we booked.  I would like to have drinks and snacks replenished daily without having to order from room service as that was part of the reason I booked this category.  I know that tired and hangry feeling well!

[tomcruiser1234]

We will be on the Apex in an SS next week for the first time since the Butler change took place. My better half really likes her breakfast and coffee around 10;00 am every morning. Should be interesting how that will work. I leave and head to Luminae before she’s up 

 

I will also report back also. 

[zitsky]

3 hours ago, MMMCruiser said:

While not admitting that there was a lesser experience, receiving a call from X telling me that they are putting the butlers back shows that they know, even if they won't admit it.  Leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, TBH, but I am hopeful that they really will be back to what was promised when we booked.  I would like to have drinks and snacks replenished daily without having to order from room service as that was part of the reason I booked this category.  I know that tired and hangry feeling well!

 

Sorry I'm missing something here.  Are you saying that YOU received a call from Celebrity about butler changes?  Because I don't see anyone saying that.  All I hear is speculation.  Unless perhaps the person(s) on Facebook are the ones who received the call?

 

Thanks.

[MMMCruiser]

18 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

Sorry I'm missing something here.  Are you saying that YOU received a call from Celebrity about butler changes?  Because I don't see anyone saying that.  All I hear is speculation.  Unless perhaps the person(s) on Facebook are the ones who received the call?

 

Thanks.

That's what I posted a couple of days ago.  I am definitely not the person who posted on FB.  I also saw a post on FB saying they were putting them back now (but I didn't believe it).  You can PM for more info because I understand not believing some random poster, but yes I also received a call.

 

[zitsky]

12 minutes ago, MMMCruiser said:

That's what I posted a couple of days ago.  I am definitely not the person who posted on FB.  I also saw a post on FB saying they were putting them back now (but I didn't believe it).  You can PM for more info because I understand not believing some random poster, but yes I also received a call.

 

Ok thank you for clarifying.  I’m sure it’s at the top of their to do list to call me!  😂

[MMMCruiser]

Honestly I never expected to hear from them. 

[C4HCG]

On 1/18/2024 at 12:52 PM, billc23 said: 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.

I am surprised that anyone ever spends good money on anything without checking what else is available. We’ve only sailed 5 times, each Celebrity, but we do check whether there are other cruises at the same time in the same location that we should consider. Never has been but as I say, surprised people have blindly cruised Celebrity for years, but commend you for your loyalty. And to contradict myself, we love Celebrity and despite looking, can see no other line that would tempt us away. But we do look.

[RichYak]

59 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

Sorry I'm missing something here.  Are you saying that YOU received a call from Celebrity about butler changes?  Because I don't see anyone saying that.  All I hear is speculation.  Unless perhaps the person(s) on Facebook are the ones who received the call?

 

Thanks.

TAs are reporting hearing this from their Celebrity account reps. I believe it more now than I did earlier in the week. 

[C4HCG]

On 1/18/2024 at 12:52 PM, billc23 said:

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.

 

2nd attempt 🙈 I am surprised that anyone ever spends good money on anything without checking what else is available. We’ve only sailed 5 times, each Celebrity, but we do check whether there are other cruises at the same time in the same location that we should consider. Never has been but as I say, surprised people have blindly cruised Celebrity for years, but commend you for your loyalty. And to contradict myself, we love Celebrity and despite looking, can see no other line that would tempt us away. But we do look.

[zitsky]

10 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

 

2nd attempt 🙈 I am surprised that anyone ever spends good money on anything without checking what else is available. We’ve only sailed 5 times, each Celebrity, but we do check whether there are other cruises at the same time in the same location that we should consider. Never has been but as I say, surprised people have blindly cruised Celebrity for years, but commend you for your loyalty. And to contradict myself, we love Celebrity and despite looking, can see no other line that would tempt us away. But we do look.

 I did another check after hearing once again “Celebrity is so expensive”.  I believe I checked Regent this time.  Well for a veranda cabin Regent was much more expensive.  I couldn’t see the discount people are talking about.  I do this every time someone says this.  
 

I would like for people to be more specific.

 

I would love to know specific dates, cabin category, Celebrity price, other company price.  What is or is not included.

Edited January 20 by zitsky

[C4HCG]

8 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 I did another check after hearing once again “Celebrity is so expensive”.  I believe I checked Regent this time.  Well for a veranda cabin Regent was much more expensive.  I couldn’t see the discount people are talking about.  I do this every time someone says this.  
 

I would like for people to be more specific.

 

I would love to know specific dates, cabin category, Celebrity price, other company price.  What is or is not included.

Keep me posted. I work on the basis that if the price quoted suits our budget we go for it. Caveated by we don’t sail suites though, would rather have more holidays than spend that much money on one. I think most complaints on here are from suite cruisers. We are simple folk and often put the “deep sleep” sign on the door as we are self sufficient and don’t need waiting on. A butler would hate us as he or she would be sat doing nothing. I digressed there 😁

Edited January 20 by C4HCG

[tfred]

3 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 I did another check after hearing once again “Celebrity is so expensive”.  I believe I checked Regent this time.  Well for a veranda cabin Regent was much more expensive.  I couldn’t see the discount people are talking about.  I do this every time someone says this.  
 

I would like for people to be more specific.

 

I would love to know specific dates, cabin category, Celebrity price, other company price.  What is or is not included.

Regent, Crystal (and to some extent Oceania) only make sense if you re booking a sky suite (or better) on X. The per diem costs between the two can be very competitive at that level.  What bumps up Regent is the inclusion of excursions.  Assuming that you are doing excursions on X then it is pretty close. 

 

the downside of non X cruise lines in the Caribbean is longer cruises that cause the total price to be higher than one would like. A fun one week cruise on X Sky at a "reasonable" price can be another story on Regent  - gets pricey

[Baynanno1]

12 minutes ago, C4HCG said:

 I think most complaints on here are from suite cruisers.

 

Well, the title of the thread is "Eliminating Butlers - Spoke to Celebrity. Here is Conversation."

When first posted, Butlers had just been removed from Sky Suites. Much of the chagrin was and is from those who had paid for Sky Suites with Butlers.

As has been said, who would be happy with a new fridge delivered minus the shelves? Or anything else for that matter delivered missing some part of what was included in the price at the time of purchase.

[MMMCruiser]

38 minutes ago, RichYak said:

TAs are reporting hearing this from their Celebrity account reps. I believe it more now than I did earlier in the week. 

Even with a call I'm still one of those who will believe it when we see it kind of people, but the more people who report this information the better I feel about it.  I wasn't really looking forward to our upcoming cruise and now I am. 

[Dolebludger]

1 hour ago, tfred said:

Regent, Crystal (and to some extent Oceania) only make sense if you re booking a sky suite (or better) on X. The per diem costs between the two can be very competitive at that level.  What bumps up Regent is the inclusion of excursions.  Assuming that you are doing excursions on X then it is pretty close. 

 

the downside of non X cruise lines in the Caribbean is longer cruises that cause the total price to be higher than one would like. A fun one week cruise on X Sky at a "reasonable" price can be another story on Regent  - gets pricey

We are booked on the Regent Splendor for a week in the E. Caribbean starting 03/24/2024 for a price less than a SS cruise at about the same time and comparable itinerary. I know. I checked before booking. And we have experience with both Celebrity Retreat and Regent — on Celebrity before the price increases, and cuts. When we booked those Retreat cruises, they were at much lower fare than Regent. That’s why we booked them. Were they as good as a Regent cruise? Not quite, but they were well worth what we paid then. Now that the Retreat is pricier, it’s a “no brainer” for us. Now, for those who are not paying for Retreat benefits and inclusions, a “main ship” cruise on Celebrity can be much less than a Regent cruise, and would be competitively priced with “main stream” alternatives. But  for those who want more than a “main stream” cruise but a lux one instead, Celebrity is priced out of the market.

[tfred]

17 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

We are booked on the Regent Splendor for a week in the E. Caribbean starting 03/24/2024 for a price less than a SS cruise at about the same time and comparable itinerary. I know. I checked before booking. And we have experience with both Celebrity Retreat and Regent — on Celebrity before the price increases, and cuts. When we booked those Retreat cruises, they were at much lower fare than Regent. That’s why we booked them. Were they as good as a Regent cruise? Not quite, but they were well worth what we paid then. Now that the Retreat is pricier, it’s a “no brainer” for us. Now, for those who are not paying for Retreat benefits and inclusions, a “main ship” cruise on Celebrity can be much less than a Regent cruise, and would be competitively priced with “main stream” alternatives. But  for those who want more than a “main stream” cruise but a lux one instead, Celebrity is priced out of the market.

I looked at that cruise too and it is attractive, but it is really one of the few 7 day Caribbean that Regent runs   Most are 10-14 days with a bigger total.  Better value for sure but the total cost (and time away from a job - assuming that person is still working) is not the meat of the market. Regent has 1 or 2 seven day cruises in the spring Caribbean market  X has 5 a week in Edge class ships 

 

No one really knows the booking success of suites for X. We just got off Apex in a SS an everyone was talking about re-upping for another suite on X while we were in the lounge or at dinner. Time will tell

[zitsky]

12 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

We are booked on the Regent Splendor for a week in the E. Caribbean starting 03/24/2024 for a price less than a SS cruise at about the same time and comparable itinerary. I know. I checked before booking. And we have experience with both Celebrity Retreat and Regent — on Celebrity before the price increases, and cuts. When we booked those Retreat cruises, they were at much lower fare than Regent. That’s why we booked them. Were they as good as a Regent cruise? Not quite, but they were well worth what we paid then. Now that the Retreat is pricier, it’s a “no brainer” for us. Now, for those who are not paying for Retreat benefits and inclusions, a “main ship” cruise on Celebrity can be much less than a Regent cruise, and would be competitively priced with “main stream” alternatives. But  for those who want more than a “main stream” cruise but a lux one instead, Celebrity is priced out of the market.

When Regent advertises a veranda SUITE, is that really a suite?  Which ones are true suites?  How do they categorize cabins?

[thebutlerdidit]

27 minutes ago, zitsky said:

When Regent advertises a veranda SUITE, is that really a suite?  Which ones are true suites?  How do they categorize cabins?

You could do a lot of this research by using Google and watching video tours of the various cabin categories. It’s a lot to ask of someone on the Celebrity board to answer all of your queries. If you’re truly interested in Regent put some effort in. You could start reading the Regent posts here on CC and ask your question there, too. Just some suggestions to get you started.

[PSU]

15 hours ago, zitsky said:

 I did another check after hearing once again “Celebrity is so expensive”.  I believe I checked Regent this time.  Well for a veranda cabin Regent was much more expensive.  I couldn’t see the discount people are talking about.  I do this every time someone says this.  
 

I would like for people to be more specific.

 

I would love to know specific dates, cabin category, Celebrity price, other company price.  What is or is not included.

Regent includes everything, flights, excursions, specialty restaurants, internet, drink package. All one price. For non domestic flights, business class air fare as well.

[OceanCruise]

21 hours ago, MMMCruiser said:

While not admitting that there was a lesser experience, receiving a call from X telling me that they are putting the butlers back shows that they know, even if they won't admit it.  Leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, TBH, but I am hopeful that they really will be back to what was promised when we booked.  I would like to have drinks and snacks replenished daily without having to order from room service as that was part of the reason I booked this category.  I know that tired and hangry feeling well!

Given what Celebrity has been doing lately, maybe they are giving the Sky Suite room attendants new nametags that say Butler to replace the ones labeled Retreat Host🤪

[SerraG]

16 hours ago, zitsky said:

 I did another check after hearing once again “Celebrity is so expensive”.  I believe I checked Regent this time.  Well for a veranda cabin Regent was much more expensive.  I couldn’t see the discount people are talking about.  I do this every time someone says this.  
 

I would like for people to be more specific.

 

I would love to know specific dates, cabin category, Celebrity price, other company price.  What is or is not included.

Last fall we were looking for an Alaskan cruise to take in May 2024, and we found the price of a Regent ship veranda cabin to be almost equivalent to a Magic Carpet Suite on Edge.   
 

We booked the Edge because of logistics (debarking in Seward vs Seattle) and the timing of the cruise with our specific vacation days.  If we would have had a little more flexibility with dates, we definitely would have booked Regent instead.  
 

However, a couple weeks ago, we discovered a giant price drop had occurred for the suites on our Alaskan cruise and we rebooked at the lower price.  I’m not sure what happened.  There were a lot of empty cabins so maybe Celebrity actually noticed they weren’t selling at the price that was being offered.  

[billc23]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

When Regent advertises a veranda SUITE, is that really a suite?  Which ones are true suites?  How do they categorize cabins?

cruisedeckplans website has all the info you need and I suspect you already know the answer. I define a suite as a set of rooms so to me many cabins called suites are not what I would expect - including a Sky Suite and the above mentioned veranda suite. Some cruise lines call a room a suite and have a heavy curtain for separation - a little poetic freedom...