bigbenboys

1 minute ago, micruiser2002 said:

From everything I have seen the CS butlers have not changed.  You should have a dedicated butler as in the past.  Only Sky suites have had a change in the dedicated butler.

For now.

I'm pretty sure our butler in our CS will be getting their next tip. Most likely not for our June cruise in a sky suite. Time will tell.

On 8/31/2023 at 11:54 AM, RLM77 said:

I find it interesting that new-to-cruise and new-to-brand bookings have apparently increased.  I wonder if that is because they have managed to chase away some previously loyal customers?  As an example we are Elite+ but have put X on long-term hiatus after some really terrible food in AQ.  I wonder if some of the other X veterans have done the same?

Rich

We are Elite+ getting close to Zenith. I'm not looking to book any X until things settle down. I'm thinking 2025.

On 8/31/2023 at 5:49 AM, TeeRick said:

I question now if the people in Sky Suites will not feel inclined to tip the butler team (extra) like previously tipping a dedicated butler.  

We mostly book sky suites. This month we are in a CS. Overall we tip $240 extra for 7 to 12 night sailings. Of that amount the butler get $100. We tip extra to staff we interact with daily. If Luminae moves us around to different sections then less tipping of staff. If we dont have the same butler each morning then no extra $100 tip. We are sailing with Princess in Feb. We have one more X sailing in June on Apex in a sky suite. That will be the test for us. 

I just book a Princess cruise in a Penthouse Suite with Premium packages. Back after 12 years. Do you have to sign for drinks if you dont have a plus or premium package? For us it is about convenience of not having to sign and for the 2 SD, wifi and Unlimited casual dining meals. Already booked our SD for the days and times we wanted, again convenience. Looking forward to the 360: An Extraordinary Experience.

• Alcoholic drinks are limited to 15 beverages per 24-hour period (6 a.m. to 6 a.m.). Alcoholic drinks requested above the daily limits are at the discretion of the shipboard management and crew and charged at regular menu prices.
• Non-alcoholic drinks do NOT have this limitation, nor do they count toward this maximum.

I did you see the video of Crown Princess owner suite A752 on cruisdeckplans. Your on starboard and A752 is on port side.

18 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

 We went every night it was held on the Ruby recently!  It was excellent … they served samosas (so yummmy) and spring rolls (again, so yummmmy), raviolis, sliders, quiche, etc as their hot dishes and always had an array of cheeses, dried fruit and nuts (one night there were macadamia nuts), as well as crudities with dressing and some kind of vegetarian salad.  We only made it into the MDR once as the tapas were our dinner most nights.  
Plus, one of the bar supervisors, Frank,  was super talented … played the ukulele and sang songs for the guests!  It was a don’t miss event as far as I was concerned.  

 

We will be Elite after our next cruise in Feb. We have been cruising with Celebrity the past 12 years. We are booked in a suite with premium package. What I'm hoping is to meet others that cruise a lot. Hear their stories, thoughts, where their next cruise is going. Their favorite boutique hotel. While the food is great and I will be eating appetizers with my glass of wine.

We are sailing on Celebrity Apex next June. Thanks for the info. Duke of Wellington looked very nice. I looked into booking 3 nights at Pig on the Wall, but to early to book for June. Great photos of Osborne house. On our list of things to see while in Southampton.

Looking forward to your thoughts. Us Celebrity Suite in Sept and Princess Aft Penthouse Suite next Feb. Then Sky Suite next June on Apex. 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/captains-club/tiers-and-benefits

3 hours ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

Right. Totally different experience. There is one particular 9 night Croatia cruise on Azamara Journey that I am interested in. No sea days, average of 10+ hours in port. 4 tender ports. The port-intensive schedule makes up for the lack of anything to do on the ship. However at that point we end up doing lunch and some dinners in port. Not much drinking so that is null. Then I have to question why I am paying $9k to use my shoebox cabin as a taxi and having to shower with the door open since I don't even fit in there.  

The only Azamara cruise we did was Rome to Venice with stops at Taormina, Dubrovnik, Split might have been a couple more stops. I did enjoy the white party bbq out at the pool deck. I will add that I was in my 40's when I sailed on Azamara.

It is also time for us to look at places that Celebrity does not cruise. Like the Black Sea or Seychelles Islands.

I think Celebrity was a Premium brand. Time will tell if it still is. We over 50 cruises and 36 of those with Celebrity. I do like Celebrity suites. With Celebrity moving away from Al. It make me think of a budget airline, everything is ala carte. Celebrity's dress code has been the one big reason not to try higher end cruiselines. Also no smoking inside. We tried Azamara once while the cruise was nice. The ship was boring, just not to much to do. I love the glassblowing. Already booked 2 glassblowing for next month on Eclipse with OBC. 

We have sailed 4 times since X started back up. The biggest problem I see is in lack of returning staff.

20+ years sailing with X and 12 years since we have sailed on Princess. Trying Princess next Feb in a suite. Feb I'll see how Celebrity compares to Princess. Is a 7 night cruise in a Celebrity Suites next month worth $3k to $5k more than a aft Penthouse Suite on Princess. I might be ready for smaller high end cruise ships in 5 years when I turn 70.

15 hours ago, the penguins said:

Regretably for some not all countries permit kettles in the cabin for "safety" reasons - the USA is one such.

Personally our kettle is immediately moved to the bottom of the wardrobe, we keep the tray and cups everything else is removed by the Cabin Steward.

We always have a cabin on Deck 7 central, for easy access to the Al Bacio and the Hideaway. Our day starts with an Al Bacio latte and ends at the same venue.

We sailed on Millie out of Seward Alaska last year and friends did not have any problems getting a kettle in their suite. 

On 8/25/2023 at 8:42 PM, jelayne said:

There was a pic posted.  So they try something, not well received and they reversed, is that a bad thing?? To me if they didn’t reverse it would be bad.

No, but why would Celebrity think their customers would want a double cheeseburger at dinner.

7 minutes ago, hcat said:

I cringe at Quail.. we have them wild in our backyard in Fl..also known as Bobwhite.  They are in decline..

For awhile X was on a bird binge! Not sure they ever served pigeon..

Thank you, I also wont eat Quail or any young animals. Blu did does serve pigeon (Squab). Never saw Squab on Luminae menu.

I did a google search. I thought it was only European ports. This was dated 2020.

Celebrity Cruises is offering their guests an excellent option for enjoying their cruise experience for a few extra hours when the majority of passengers have disembarked. The Extend Your Stay disembarkation provides the flexibility many cruisers appreciate, especially those who drove to the port and those who have a late day flight. This exciting option can be purchased onboard and is available only on cruises that sail roundtrip from Port Everglades, and a handful of European ports.

HAL upgraded both cabins to nice suites. We were not happy as our cabins were not next to each other. It has been 20 years now and we still wont book HAL.

I did fine the following. Four things caught my eye. "You won’t even have to give a thought to your suitcases, neatly tucked away, until you debark from the ship. We will also pack for you at the end of your cruise. Whether you want to reserve a table at Luminae, the private restaurant exclusively for Retreat guests, or wish to dine in your suite, your Retreat Butler and team will act as your personal reservationist throughout your cruise. When dining in your suite, we’ll set the table, serve the meal course by course, then clean up afterward, while you enjoy a freshly made coffee or a glass of wine while gazing at the stars from your veranda."

Glad to see Celebrity has not stop us from having parties in our suites with Butler help.

"Inviting guests to join you for cocktails? Want to host a get-together to celebrate a birthday or make your anniversary cruise extra special? The services of a trained Retreat Butler and team for these special occasions are invaluable. We can provide advice on what to serve and arrange every detail, from canapes and cocktails to flowers and music, even rearrange the suite to host your guests."

Last updated: August 14th, 2023

https://www.celebritycruises.com/blog/cruise-butler

16 hours ago, memoak said:

If everyone who posts here that they were gone did it I would be sailing on half empty ships

We have the same thing happening over at Celebrity. Others are checking Oceania or the higher end lines. I've canceled 4 Celebrity cruises this year all in suites. We have a Celebrity cruise next month and another in June. Hopefully the cruise industry will settle down by next June. We have not cruised Princess in 12 years. I booked a penthouse aft suite for Feb on Discovery. Going to see if the grass it green over at Princess. I do know my pocket is greener. 🤑

3 hours ago, abbydancer said:

I guess I'm lucky as I don't like Evain water.  The ones that are in the room when we get there stay there, and we've had the butler bring the regular bottles that everyone can get. (In Luminae we have them bring ice water from a pitcher.)

I ask for a glass of ice after they pour my water. This way I can top off my own water. Now is it 3 glass of wine to 1 water. 🤪

I'm new to Princess. Our cruise is in Feb with Premier Package. I tried to make SD reservations on the app and they wanted to charge my CC. I tried through the website today and was able to book both SD without charging CC. 

On 8/25/2023 at 12:33 AM, TopofWorld said:

Thanks ev1....my point actually was that a customer should NOT have to delete/reinstall an app, reboot the tablet, clear cookies and cache, try it on different devices etc etc etc. Life is complicated enough without shoddy apps....

Celebrity's app is not any better.

21 hours ago, Dolebludger said:

And, oh yes, another question for the OP and all. Do higher level suites include use of the mini fridge at no cost?  I’m doing a comparison of Celebrity Retreat with a couple of lux lines, and the info will help. 

On the M Class ships. The Penthouse Suite has a full size refrigerator in the pantry.

I have canceled 3 X cruises this year. Only doing one X cruise this year. I'm spending more time on the Princess CC board. I booked a 7 night cruise with Princess in a nice aft suite. Yes Princess has made changes also and people are pissed off. I see myself as new to Princess as it has been 12 years since my last cruise with them. On the Princess board I pass over the negative post. 

I'm sure we will enjoy our next 2 cruise with X as we are traveling with family or good friends. I will ask some questions about butler service changes and upcharges for food from the MDR while dining in Luminae. MDR menu that now allows purchases of lobster $16.99, Filet Mignon $19.99 or surf and turf for $34.99. Will we be able to order surf and turf from the MDR while on the Edge class ships. I should be able to order surf and turf if I give them 24 hours notice. 

Drinks from the elite happy hour menu are now $9.99 plus 20%