CruisinShips

Customer service response letter aside, isn't it likely Celebrity believes most people who book Sky Suites do so for reasons that are more important to the cruiser than just the dedicated butler? In other words, that those who book Sky Suites do so primarily for the overall Retreat perks and experience, and for the cabin itself, and don't really use the dedicated butler very much? I can say from personal experience I used to book Crown Loft suites on Royal's Oasis class ships because I loved the Suite Lounge/Coastal Kitchen, the suite sundeck, the cabin itself, and all of the other suite perks...and never once even thought about having a butler. The concierge took care of most of my requests. I assume this algorithm factored into their calculations before making the changes.

We had Ronald (in a CS) in early October and he was very accommodating as well.

For my cruise this past October, my bids showed pending right up until my sail date. No upgrade, no rejection. Has that happened to others?

We stayed at the Majestic...very nice and great location.

Why do we expect people to be less rude on cruise ships than they are on land? What the OP described is unfortunately no different than what we see on a daily basis in a coffee shop, in a mall, in airports...wherever. We can't change the behavior of rude people...more rules likely won't work anyway.

Thanks all! Very helpful. The "Ocean Crossings" link in particular!

This is likely a dumb question...but when I search Celebrity's website and click on Repositioning (under Destinations) and leave the dates, duration, ships, etc. open, I only come up with 2. Am I missing something?

Curious...when did you learn your moveup bid was rejected?

Agree. I've stayed at the Riverside Hotel several times...never had a bad room. And the location is what makes it very special.

Because it's simply a nice thing to do for kind and hardworking people, perhaps?

Well thanks for "not caring" enough to reply! 🙂

I give them this at the beginning of the cruise:

what did they say? 😉

Good post and perspective. It' funny, it wouldn't occur to me that someone in the service industry (and depends on tips as a big supplement to their income) would every be offended by a tip regardless of when it came. It can also be looked at as a way of saying "I am someone who wants you to know from the start that I value your time and efforts." Or not lol.

I was reading an interesting thread on FB on this topic and thought I'd bring it here. I was surprised at the disparity in POVs on this topic. It was written with respect to tipping Butlers at the beginning of the cruise (but it can really be applied to stateroom attendants for non Retreat guests). Replies were as diverse as "Yes, I always do it", to "why would you tip in advance without knowing what kind of service you'll get", to "it's basically a bribe", to "it's insulting to the recipient in that it suggests to them that you don't expect them to provide good service without it." I am on the fence...I have actually done it both ways and I am not sure pre-tipping had much of an impact either way. Interested in your takes.

It's funny, when I started this thread I half-expected for most people to tell me I must be hypersensitive to smells (I'm not) because I've always read how popular the Solarium was.

😉

I'm not big on this chemistry stuff, but I sincerely hope the dihydrogen oxide isn't the urine you guys were discussing earlier....

And I was squeamish about swimming in public pools before this thread lol! And who knew a simple thread starter about a smelly solarium experience would turn into a duel between chemistry experts…and another chemical reaction: my eyes glazing over when reading the posts lol.

We were on the first week of October...the pool music wasn't particularly loud. No Retreat sundeck is a negative for sure, but as I said in another thread this morning, we didn't have much problem finding chairs by the pool.

Thanks! I was wondering if it was just us.

Ummm...sign me up for a dive into that! 😉

Silly question, I know, but the first time we ventured into the Solarium on the Eclipse, which I know so many people love (and we have enjoyed them on other ships), we encountered a very strong chlorine smell in the air. So much so that we didn't stick around. I'm pretty sure the pools are salt water, so I guess it must have to do with some periodic cleaning process? Has anyone else experienced this? And no, I am not one who is overly sensitive to smells.

On our October cruise on the Eclipse, the WCB seemed relatively quiet most of the time. The bartenders are very talented and each drinks is made with care and detail. The alcohol selections were more limited than other venues. The Martini Bar was a different story.

So we were on the Eclipse in a CS in October. We had a great cruise and had very few complaints...except for two things: 1) Michaels was a dark, kind of depressing dungeon feeling room, with no snacks at cocktail hour and really no vibe whatsoever, and 2) as stated, there is no Retreat sundeck. Those (a nice suite lounge and a sundeck) are typically very important aspects of the suite experience for us. We didn't let it ruin a great time...the Martini Bar made up for Michaels to some extent, and we had no problem finding chairs near the pool...but given we only sail it suites these days, it would make me reconsider the value of booking a suite on one of the older ships again. Hope that helps.