NOW I have a problem with the new Suite policies

[pennys mum]

On 8/24/2023 at 11:12 PM, Dolebludger said:

Well now we know that presently, the mini friges are not open bar now, at least, though the past is murky, But do the CS and RS have open bar on the mini friges now— or not? And do even higher suites get open bar mini fridges? And what suites (if any0 get priority embarkation and debarkation now. We rate that highly on ships as large as Celebrity’s.. all confusing.

Currently in a CS the mini bar is not included

[mac_tlc]

39 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Looking at the Luminae menu for the current Apex cruise and they have a whole new Daniel Boulud menu. The Entree is a Duck Leg Confit "Var Siu"  no more Moroccan chicken. The new dinner menu looks very interesting, a lot of cheaper fish and sirloin, but on day 11 they have a cold water poached lobster. 

That was the Boulud menu on our Beyond cruises in January and April.

 

mac_tlc

[terrydtx]

35 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Are you sure it isn't CHAR SIU? That's Chinese style BBQ pork, which would make sense using the Chinese sweet/savory BBQ sauce for a duck confit dish. Googling Var Siu and nothing comes up.

You are right my typo. It sounds good and I will try it one night

 

[kwokpot]

3 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

You are right my typo. It sounds good and I will try it one night

 

The Char Siu sauce is yummy!

https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-bbq-pork-cha-siu/

[Maisie Dotes]

On 8/27/2023 at 3:06 AM, cublet said:

Hello,

 

I would generally agree with you when the kitchen and waiting staff parade through the MDR waving napkins to the tune of Funiculì, Funiculà.

 

However my one and only Cruise on Carnival had the Irish Maître d' - who always dressed in bow tie and tails -  singing with an excellent voice whilst the waiting staff 'danced' on the spot on their serving stations. It was a genuinely entertaining experience and would happily 'suffer' again.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

He’s an Irish lad named Kenny! 

[chrisn-au]

We are in board the Apex at the moment. For those that appreciated a semi dedicated Buttler then I get why you would be upset - that concept has gone away , however our state room attendant has been awesome and had done more for us than the butler we have had in the past, he actually executed on getting us a lounge for our deck (did say he needed to check for safety ) , decorated the room for our anniversary , great with laundry , emptied our fridge (did say no need to worry about beer and soft drinks) and has generally been great. I am very happy to leave him a generous tip (way more inclined than for our butler whose role I did not understand last year)

 

I get the frustration of some and don’t love the changing of the  conditions after purchase but for our needs on this cruise it has been great

 

off to Cafe el Bachio to pick up the morning coffees myself . (Too soon? ) 

[abbydancer2003]

2 hours ago, chrisn-au said:

We are in board the Apex at the moment. For those that appreciated a semi dedicated Buttler then I get why you would be upset - that concept has gone away , however our state room attendant has been awesome and had done more for us than the butler we have had in the past, he actually executed on getting us a lounge for our deck (did say he needed to check for safety ) , decorated the room for our anniversary , great with laundry , emptied our fridge (did say no need to worry about beer and soft drinks) and has generally been great. I am very happy to leave him a generous tip (way more inclined than for our butler whose role I did not understand last year)

 

I get the frustration of some and don’t love the changing of the  conditions after purchase but for our needs on this cruise it has been great

 

off to Cafe el Bachio to pick up the morning coffees myself . (Too soon? ) 

So you've had no contact from a "butler team"?  Did your room steward explain the new role?

And you had to go to Al Baccio yourself?  (Actually I don't think I've ever had a butler do that for me)

Thanks

[chrisn-au]

3 hours ago, abbydancer said:

So you've had no contact from a "butler team"?  Did your room steward explain the new role?

And you had to go to Al Baccio yourself?  (Actually I don't think I've ever had a butler do that for me)

I am sure the head butler tried to contact us however we were having a afternoon nap and I did not call back, steward did not explain role however has done everything we have asked 

 

and yes I got coffees myself - I actually enjoy the process - I am frustrated with celebrity - I had wanted to come away and say it is not worth the price however we are having a truly awesome time and I can see myself spending the money again - bugger 

[islabahia]

With all of these changes happening, we have decided to make a change ourselves.  We are moving on to Oceania and in fact our 10 day Concierge Veranda Suite is costing us less than our 8 day cruise in a Sunset Veranda Suite.  With so much uncertainty and confusing messaging (or lack thereof) we are trying other lines.  

[Baynanno1]

 

[Dolebludger]

40 minutes ago, Baynanno1 said:

 

As Baynanno said of the Retreat “this model isn’t working”. As I’ve mentioned before, we were in a CS in 2018 and a RS in 2019. The experience we had on those cruises was about totally the same as we had experienced on lines like Regent and Silversea. And then, the prices on these X  Retreat cruises were much less than on those lux lines. Then, well - known circumstances kept us off cruises until this year. So when we decided to cruise again, I looked at X’s current prices for these suites, as well as SS. It was major sticker shock when I also researched prices in these lux lines! The lux lines were cheaper! Then I read some posts right here, and learned that services in the Retreat had declined. One service that is very important to me is included use of the in-suite mini bar. I don’t know if this was “officially” included in the X Retreat cruises we had a few years back, but it was “actually” included. And now it is not “actually” included — and it still is on the lux lines I mentioned.  And on the lux lines, in suite spirits are also included. The “dance” one has to do in the Retreat now is to have the mini-fridge emptied, then go to the Retreat lounge and carry water, soda, and beer back to the suite — and place these items in the mini-fridge. There is no economic reason why this procedure is needed. These items cost X the same, whether we get them from the mini-fridge or carry them from the lounge. This situation, and the lessening of services, shows that X’s management had no idea on how to provide a luxury experience — except to charge for it. Apparently, the X Retreat is understaffed. Our Regent cruise this last June certainly wasn’t — and it cost less than a cruise in X Retreat. 

[Lena11033]

I think what gets me is that MSC which is supposed to be 'lesser' right now has a better suite service from what I've read and it included the mini fridge. So how is this business model going to survive, sure short term it may look good because people can't cancel or don't know the reduction in service but long term, not so much

[abbydancer2003]

2 minutes ago, Lena11033 said:

I think what gets me is that MSC which is supposed to be 'lesser' right now has a better suite service from what I've read and it included the mini fridge. So how is this business model going to survive, sure short term it may look good because people can't cancel or don't know the reduction in service but long term, not so much

Yeah.  I guess, if over time the suites go unsold, they'll either reduce the price so much that people will book again, feeling that the price now matches the overall service, or they'll restore the service level and hope people come back.  Fortunately for them, most cabins aren't suites.

[Dolebludger]

2 minutes ago, Lena11033 said:

I think what gets me is that MSC which is supposed to be 'lesser' right now has a better suite service from what I've read and it included the mini fridge. So how is this business model going to survive, sure short term it may look good because people can't cancel or don't know the reduction in service but long term, not so much

 

Well, looking at X’s pricing in categories other than the Retreat, they don’t look that bad. They don’t qualify as lux, but they aren’t priced that way, if that is what is wanted. But X can’t compete with the lux lines (or with MSC Yacht Club) by offering less at a higher price.

[bnurick]

I just watched the Sky Suite video review. One Head Butler, in an office, handling 17 suites using the room attendant with a new title.  Glad I only have one SS booking left (3 CS and 2 CC) and this is a black eye for Laura’s claims regarding the change given in her webinar.

 

 

Edited October 1, 2023 by bnurick

[RichYak]

5 minutes ago, bnurick said:

One Head Butler, in an office, handling 17 suites

The Head Butler handles WAY more than 17 suites. He handles all the Sky Suites. It was the Stateroom Attendant that was responsible for 17 cabins--only one of which was a suite.

[Dolebludger]

Well, to be totally fair about comparison of the Retreat to lux lines, we are now cruising Regent in concierge class suites that do not include something called a “butler”. That is just a word. But the service part of the cruise is fully staffed, suites are fully serviced twice a day, and if we ask our “steward” for something, we get it. But “steward” is just a word too. All that matters is if things get done. And we have in-suite mini-fridge use plus spirits, and thus far we are paying less than in the Retreat — even for a SS. If I wanted to pay prices I have seen for any part of the Retreat, I could book on Regent for a higher level suite, and have something called a “butler”. I don’t because it isn’t needed. From all the posts, it is clear that X is understaffed. At lux cruise prices (and above) the Retreat is not competitive.

Edited October 1, 2023 by Dolebludger

[jean87510]

47 minutes ago, Dolebludger said:

As Baynanno said of the Retreat “this model isn’t working”. As I’ve mentioned before, we were in a CS in 2018 and a RS in 2019. The experience we had on those cruises was about totally the same as we had experienced on lines like Regent and Silversea. And then, the prices on these X  Retreat cruises were much less than on those lux lines. Then, well - known circumstances kept us off cruises until this year. So when we decided to cruise again, I looked at X’s current prices for these suites, as well as SS. It was major sticker shock when I also researched prices in these lux lines! The lux lines were cheaper! Then I read some posts right here, and learned that services in the Retreat had declined. One service that is very important to me is included use of the in-suite mini bar. I don’t know if this was “officially” included in the X Retreat cruises we had a few years back, but it was “actually” included. And now it is not “actually” included — and it still is on the lux lines I mentioned.  And on the lux lines, in suite spirits are also included. The “dance” one has to do in the Retreat now is to have the mini-fridge emptied, then go to the Retreat lounge and carry water, soda, and beer back to the suite — and place these items in the mini-fridge. There is no economic reason why this procedure is needed. These items cost X the same, whether we get them from the mini-fridge or carry them from the lounge. This situation, and the lessening of services, shows that X’s management had no idea on how to provide a luxury experience — except to charge for it. Apparently, the X Retreat is understaffed. Our Regent cruise this last June certainly wasn’t — and it cost less than a cruise in X Retreat. 

This exactly.  Why on earth are people emptying their mini refrigerator to put other similar items in?  Why when the price is 7-$10000, are customers expected to empty their own refrigerator THEN restock it themselves in a suite area?  It's one of the reasons I was like why on earth would anyone do this for a $9000 trip?  When I go on land vacations to Punta Cana or Cozumel, and pay 1/4 the price of this, I get better service AND they take the mini frig stuff out when we ask!  

 

I'm a big fan of Celebrity but not really of the retreat based on the reports. 

[Dolebludger]

As I posted, Jean, the “deal” X offers in categories onboard that are MUCH less expensive than the Retreat do not seem to be bad deals, when compared to the competition. But I just don’t think current X management knows how to compete in the lux cruising market. We used to cruise in “cheap accommodations” and in that market, X seems to be competitive. But now we are able to much upgrade our travel, and chose to do so. Back in 2018 and 2019, X was the competition winner for a lux cruise with the Retreat.  Now in the Retreat (attempting to be in the lux cruise market), X is a competitive looser. 

[bnurick]

43 minutes ago, RichYak said:

The Head Butler handles WAY more than 17 suites. He handles all the Sky Suites. It was the Stateroom Attendant that was responsible for 17 cabins--only one of which was a suite.

Just quoting what the reviewer in the video said in his review.

[Dolebludger]

Right. I don’t know the chain of command for service personnel in the Retreat. But it is very apparent, that it is under staffed, whatever it is.

[bnurick]

1 minute ago, Dolebludger said:

Right. I don’t know the chain of command for service personnel in the Retreat. But it is very apparent, that it is under staffed, whatever it is.

But not under-priced…

[RichYak]

12 minutes ago, bnurick said:

Just quoting what the reviewer in the video said in his review.

So am I. Go to 19:30 of the video. His Stateroom Attendant (who calls himself a Retreat Host only when servicing suites) services 17 cabins, only one of which is in the Retreat.

Edited October 2, 2023 by RichYak

[bnurick]

1 minute ago, RichYak said:

So am I. Go to 19:38 of the video. His Stateroom Attendant (who calls himself a Retreat Host only when servicing suites) services 17 cabins, only one of which is in the Retreat.

I don’t have a timestamp, but my recollection was it was the Head Butler saying he wouldn’t be seen because he had 17 suites. Maybe I misheard, but will go back and check. We’re on the same team here.

[RichYak]

4 minutes ago, bnurick said:

I don’t have a timestamp, but my recollection was it was the Head Butler saying he wouldn’t be seen because he had 17 suites. Maybe I misheard, but will go back and check. We’re on the same team here.

Yes you misheard. The Head Butler wouldn't be seen because "he works in an office." The Retreat Host/Stateroom Attendant services 17 cabins, only one of which is a suite.