C-Dragons

6 hours ago, baggal said:

I guess I'm one of the few people here on cruise critic who are just happy to be able to cruise a few times a year, with or without pillow chocolates.  

Oh, you’re not alone.

We may have paid for the chocolates but we never eat them. Same with the canapés. They are nice touches, but there is plenty of food to eat on board, we just don’t need them.

@chisoxfan and @zitsky  mom says it's time to sit on opposite sides of the room for a time out. 🤦‍♀️

4 minutes ago, hcat said:

staff getting the ax,  sky suite pax getting the shaft!

Yes, but for how much longer?

 Albert Einstein said, “ the definition of  insanity was doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.

40 minutes ago, hcat said:

Not many of us have butlers or full time  staff at home.. but it's a premium price for a a short term fantasy many enjoy! Too bad X took it away and staff getting the ax!

 

We are happier in AQ..spa life fantasy!

Yes, the the staff is getting the ax but Suite guests still have to pay the premium price for reduced service.

(Glad you are happy in Aqua!) 👍

2 minutes ago, Baggy178 said:

A 20% tip is already included in the price of your drink.

Bar staff are not part of the ship's normal gratuity system.

And your point is..?

Guests can tip anyone they choose. 😎

10 minutes ago, hcat said:

but who will deliv it?  in reg staterooms it is often your  cabin attendant or asst..but not always?

Quite frankly, I don’t care who delivers it as long as we can receive it. 😊

With the amount of $$$ that Suite Guests are being charged now, (yes I know everyone is now paying more) the least X can do is keep enough staff to take care of all of their guests in the manner they have always done, which in our case has been over the last 20+ years.

X's new management seems to have forgotten that Loyalty is a 2 way street.

2 hours ago, sixpackeddie said:

I’m sorry to report that since there are no longer dedicated butlers for Sky Suites the only room service available will be from calling room service from your stateroom. 

So basically, if we want breakfast in our Suite, we will just call room service to order?

5 hours ago, Joker54 said:

We did the TA this past April on an EV on the Apex. The perks were typical of the high end suites and we had no complaints - service was excellent - except for 2 things

 

there is a sliding shelf in the bathroom the slides left or right allowing an opening to see out from the bathroom, nice touch, however there isnt anyway to "lock it in place" so if you get in any weather it will slide  in both directions with a rather loud noise when it hits the end of the track. We just shoved wash clothes into the grove to hold it in place. Also the glass door to the bathroom, is very heavy and held in place by magnets. The magnets are not strong enough to hold it in place - bad design. Since the EV is forward and high any ship motion is amplified. If the she heads into a sea then that door will open and close, in our experience on the TA it did so rather violently until it jambed in the open position.

 

That said we would book that suite again just not on a TA

We had the same experiences in our Aft suites on the Edge.

For the bathroom door I placed the bath mat across the threshold which kept it from slamming.

For the sliding shelf I used a hand towel.

It's a shame X didn’t fix the problem when building Apex. I wonder if it will still be happening on Beyond.

43 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

Except unofficially.  Many times I've hated the Lumine menu and asked for a filet mignon.  Never had a problem.  If I have to start paying $20 to get one after paying thousands for the suite I will not be a happy camper that's for sure!

And will they also charge those with allergies who can’t eat the main protein offered on the menu and would normally choose the filet instead?

1 minute ago, bigbenboys said:

We also ate on Millie at the RSD. Us from Seattle and friends from England were fine with 70°+ F. But friends from Tampa had to go get their jackets. X blankets were not enough. It was an port day in Ketchikan. We had walked to Totem Heritage Center and walked back via Married Man Lane to Creek Street.😲 The food and drink were good. It was an nice change. I think the staff were happy to see us 6.

Unless it's raining we will usually be outside on the RSD.

We've enjoyed many cool weather days sitting out there wrapped up in X blankets. 😎

5 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Terry, I do look forward to your comments on the change.  You said you have a plan to test it.  If it were me (and its not) I would be very much trying to enjoy that great cruise on APEX and not be too focused on this change to the point that it disrupts my vacation experience.  But again, a dedicated butler is not usually a thing that I use very much and it would not distract me from my cruise if I had to use a Team.

👍👍

49 minutes ago, George C said:

Not every ship has a retreat although I am sure the majority does.

We prefer to sail on Edge class ships now. 💜 They have Retreats.

52 minutes ago, bigbenboys said:

Yes, we had lunch on the Retreat sundeck and it started raining. At list on the Edge there was not a covered area to eat. Food even more limited than Luminae. Portions are smaller. Not all cruise locations are in a climate that you can eat outside. 

True.

But when it was raining, we would pick up lunch from the Retreat to eat on our our verandah.

And when portions were smaller, we could take a little extra, if necessary.

22 minutes ago, Cap_D said:

Exactly why boards like this are so important. Before I commit to vacationing on a boat (at sea) with prepayment, I would like to know generally what I'm going to be getting or I may go somewhere else setting aside contractual obligations and reservations.  And, if the cruise fare doesn't include the 4 lunches previously included, then that is relevant and material to my decision, and possibly others, too.  And, considering this community is a good source of information, and observations, and Celebrity is not or conflicts with its own information, plus has the reservation to change, it's worth sharing what we all know. 

 

Similarly, I'm very appreciative of those that do share what they see and experience. 

 

And, at some point, the effort and angst, and actual post reservation service and product changes, will lead me or others to simply opt out of cruising.  

Different strokes for different folks…

We've been cruising with X for over 10 years and never had any “angst” over changes that they have made during that time.

FYI, No one is losing four lunches. They are available out on the Retreat Sundeck. 

8 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

It’s true they can change everything but it’s the way that they have gone about doing so that makes everyone jumpy.

Since this topic concerns what may be happening in March of 2024 

I'm just saying perhaps everyone should wait and see how this plays out. 

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

Some people here are quite apprehensive now after the continued unannounced changes (most for the worse).  There perhaps would be less angst if Celebrity would be transparent about the changes and communicate them in advance instead of having them leaked.  They caused this angst in their customer base!

Respectfully, I have to disagree with you. IMO, X has not caused this angst.

Perhaps everyone needs to read the T&C's on X's website. They have reserved rights to change everything without announcements.

52 minutes ago, hcat said:

we do not use the app at all..our devices are yoo old and  we hear it has many errors overall

We do not use the App either, never have.

2 minutes ago, clojacks said:

Has anyone ever not had a steward tell them they send every penny home, or that they have 5 kids, or that the family depends on them, or…. My point is, the cabin attendants are not stupid, and they know how stretching a story will quite possibly work to their benefit tip wise. So yes, I might be cautious about what a butler or steward tells me, staff or work related.

Actually we haven’t heard any comments regarding tips for several years.

The usual request is for a rating of 10 on the post cruise survey.

5 minutes ago, Fly and Sail said:

Meh I don’t buy that story. For one, they (X) would have simply told the guest to return the items, if he refuses then yes police will be called.

 

Customs doesn’t care about bringing plates into the county and law enforcement wouldn’t care if the company knew about it but didn’t ask the customer to return the stuff first.

Believe it or not, your choice.

The reason for the arrest was because of the total dollar amount of what was being taken.

14 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

I can't believe someone would steal plates!  I mean they could easily break and put you over the weight limit for airline baggage 😅

I believe they were “locals”, going home by car.

4 hours ago, C4HCG said:

Gobsmacked! That much for used water bottles acquired for nothing!

They could be considered as “collectors items” since X is replacing them with plastic water bottles. 😉

2 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

Some other items of interest

X branded used dinner plates

Slippers

Tote bags

Credit card holders/Wallet

Domino set with cards and wooden box

We were told by the Hotel Director on a X ship a few years ago that a room steward came into a passenger’s cabin to clean and found their suitcase open on the floor. Inside the suitcase was an entire set of X place settings for 12 people. The local authorities were notified and were waiting for him at the Terminal at debarkation. He was arrested.

So be careful if you're pinching the plates. 😉

32 minutes ago, Kelownadon said:

 

3 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Terry now I kind of understand why you are peeved at this change.  You actually use your butler a lot vs. my use of them.  I think perhaps once in a 7 night cruise I might actually call my Butler.  Not 1-2 times a day.  I see my butler when he/she stops by on occasion, perhaps to check our mini-fridge.  Or when they deliver our breakfast after leaving the card on the door.  I actually have very little need for them in reality.   We never have them meet us in the theatre on Chic night- and we don't like the reserved seat area.  Anything related to guest services, reservations, etc. I will go to the Retreat Lounge and use the Concierge there.  Our room steward takes care of us more than our butler including taking an occasional laundry bag.  That is my case.  Frankly I struggle finding what to do with the butler on most cruises.  So most of my needs would be easily met by a dedicated on-demand Retreat Team approach when I really think about it.  So I am willing to try it.

Our main request of the Butlers is for breakfast on the verandah every morning. We're pretty much low maintenance, so the Team approach won’t be a major change for us.

2 hours ago, DCPIV said:

 

In fact, we've always had excellent service.  That's why I don't care.

I totally agree.