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1 hour ago, DisneyJen said:

For those of you on the next sailing, Prez is scheduled to leave tomorrow for a two-month break.

 

Yuksel, Andy, Moniek and Joana, all in Luminae, have provided incredibly warm and professional service.

 

As a matter of fact, we have had a rough two days with not being able to use our balcony in the way that we wished. The crew in Luminae saved each evening for us and the quite  possibly the cruise.

Yuksel is by far my favorite Maitre'd.  And I cannot say enough good things about both Moniek and Joana.  Moniek is such a sweet young lady and is #1 in service, in my opinion.  She's the best.  Joana was also top notch - always prompt and pleasant service.  We've had the pleasure of sailing with all three of these stellar individuals quite a few times.  I don't know Andy as he never waited on us but if he is led by Yuksel I'm sure he's stellar.

Prez was our cabin attendant when we sailed in July.  Unfortunately half-way through the cruise he became sick - tested negative for Covid but was put in quarantine nonetheless.  We really missed him as for the remainder of the cruise we were taken care of by the "B team" (as I called them...a young man and a young lady from the Housekeeping Department!)  We wanted to make sure Prez was properly rewarded for taking such good care of us so we gave an envelope to Tanja, the Housekeeping Supervisor on Deck 10 (who was previously our stateroom attendant last year on SM) to give him.  

Enjoy your last day onboard my favorite ship.

I am looking forward to reading your "live from" postings.  Here's wishing you and your wife a happy and healthy trip.  And thank you so much for not posting "food pictures" as any of us who sail on Celebrity frequently pretty much knows what their food presentation looks like.

Thanks, all.  I obviously have not been keeping up with the new “rules”.  

Hi,

I'm not sure if everyone is aware of the change to the Best Price Guarantee program effective April 1st so I thought I would pass it along.  

June 30 2022:  I booked an Aqua Class cabin for September 10 2022 sailing (made final payment at that time)

July 26 2022:  I upgraded the Aqua Class cabin to a Sky Suite and paid the price difference

July 27 2022:  Sky Suite decreased in price

I submitted a "Best Price Guarantee" form to get a non-refundable OBC for the price difference and received the following reply:

Good Afternoon,
Thank you for your interest in the Best Price Guarantee. We are unable to fulfill your request because your reservation is more than 48 hours old. As of 4/1/22 all bookings made after that date have an eligibility window of 48 hours from the creation of the booking to request the Guarantee. If you would like assistance taking advantage of other deals and offers that may be available to you we recommend contacting our customer service team by phone at (800) 556-8209 .
Kind Regards,
Best Price Guarantee Team
Royal Caribbean Group

I disagree that all Zeniths know each other.  I'm Zenith and on my last few sailings there were other Zeniths onboard. I only know this because the shoreside concierge gave me this information.  I have no clue as to their identities.  I could have been sitting next to one of them in the theater for all I know!!

When I am in the Retreat Lounge, not only do I not know if the other folks in there are suite occupants, Zenith members or Blue Chip members, I personally don't care. 

Happy Birthday, Charla.  Enjoy your time on the Summit.

On 7/21/2022 at 4:21 PM, Denny01 said:

I know I sometimes sound like a broken record from other threads, but Id suggest you get a good TA, tell them what you want and see what they can work out of adding another SR that allows your 3rd person to be part of your group in the Retreat. 

 

Doesn’t sound as if you can just book an Inside/standard SR even if you book them ‘simultaneously’ that would allow that.

 

A good TA may find a way of getting a standard type SR but work the Retreat connection.

 

We are Elite+ and our daughter could only join us in the extra things for it If she shared our SR, and that situation is a lot less than being allowed to use the Retreat and not having a Suite.

 

Someone else may help you who has pulled this one off.

 

den

You're preaching to the choir regarding getting a good TA.  I book ALL my travel though my excellent TA!

On 7/21/2022 at 4:43 PM, goofysmom99 said:

OP, if your TA is able to pull this off in advance of boarding, please come back and let us know.

My wonderful travel agent worked with someone in the Miami office and was able to pull this off for me.  My name is currently listed on both the suite and the inside cabin across the hall.  I have retained all the Retreat benefits.  The ship has been "looped in" on this so they are aware that this is not a duplicate booking.  

I don't know the "ins and outs" of how this was accomplished and I don't really care.  I'm so happy that I work with an excellent travel agent who is worth her weight in gold.

I have a good travel agent and I will call her tomorrow with this inquiry.  I was just wondering if anyone here had done this in the past.  Thanks for all your comments and suggestions.

40 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

There are a few options to connect a suite with a suite and non-suite cabins on Beyond. On decks 7 through 11 there are category 11 inside cabins connect to S3 (Magic Carpet) Sky Suites on Beyond for exactly this purpose. On decks 8 and 9 there is also a S2 connected to the S3. You can also do a Concierge or Aqua connected to a S3. 

 

Call a TA or Celebrity and they can look into it. 

 

 

Thanks.  If only I had thought of this when we made our initial booking.  As I explained to Jim at this point in time suite availability is extremely limited and there are no options available for connecting.

56 minutes ago, emmas gran said:

I don’t think you can expect that to happen on your next cruise, it was probably an exception if not full capacity 

Hi emmas gran

I'm certainly not expecting to get a complimentary cabin.  I realize that when we got the additional cabin it was a "one-off" and we were extremely lucky.

I'm more than willing to pay for an additional cabin.  I'm just inquiring as to whether a person can book and pay for 2 cabins simultaneously.

1 hour ago, Jim_Iain said:

How about one passenger see if they can book a SS with no single supplement.  It would even be better if yo could get one with a connection one.   Would be like a CS at a much lower price

Thanks, Jim.  The problem is that at this point in time Suite availability is extremely limited.  We booked this when the Beyond bookings first opened up and have a triple price for a S1 of $10K.  To book another sky suite right now the price would be $9K for single.  However, there are tons of inside cabins available and some are a few doors down from our current SS.  I'm kicking myself that I didn't think of this when we first booked because at that time I'm sure there were connecting sky suites available.

Has anyone had any success in booking and paying for an "extra" cabin?

Here's the situation:  three women are booked in a Sky Suite on Beyond.  From previous Edge cruises we know that the Sky Suite is not really suitable for 3 adults to share (the couch is not really a very comfortable bed, sharing the bathroom is problematic, closet/drawer space would be tight, etc.).  In a past E-Class sailing, once onboard the Retreat Manager offered us an Infinite Verandah cabin to be used in conjunction with our sky suite and none of us lost Retreat privileges.

We've noticed that there are quite a few available inside cabins just steps away from our Sky Suite.  We would ideally like to book and pay for one of these inside cabins to be used for:  a person to sleep in there at night, an extra shower, additional storage space.  BUT we don't want to lose Retreat access (i.e., Luminae and Retreat Lounge) for any one of us.  So ideally we want the three of us still booked into the Sky Suite and then have the additional cabin a "second" cabin for one of us (similar to the concept of one person booking 2 seats on an airplane for additional room).

Before I even approach our travel agent with this idea, I'm just wondering if anyone was successful in booking an additional cabin to be used as an "extra"?   The option to book a bigger suite is not available to us as the only suites that are available in inventory are sky suites.  Thanks so much for any input.

Thanks for posting.  I am sailing in September on in Aqua Class on Deck 9 so I am glad to hear that you feel the ship is in pretty good shape.  One question:  are you able to order off the main dining room menu if you are dining in Blu?  Thanks again for providing any information you can.

9 minutes ago, kstetser said:

So if we have one omnivore and 2 vegetarians in our party, do you think it's worth doing since 2 meals will not sync?   (We enjoy dining experiences, smaller venue restaurants and cooked to order food.)

My meal did not sync with the animation......but I still enjoyed the animation very much....and the food was excellent.

Thank you so much for posting these.  "Those were the days, my friend.  We thought they'd never end."  But they certainly did end!

I was told once by a cabin steward that they (or a supervisor or a butler) must enter the cabin once a day just for "safety and security" reasons (i.e., to check for illegal drug usage/abuse, "proof of life" for all occupants, etc.).  So I don't think you can get away with never having someone enter your cabin on a once-daily basis (so, while they're there......why not drop off and pick up towels???)

10 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Thanks -   We have never met neither of them before but look forward to it.   I've heard some really good comments about them.    If you find out who the Retreat Manager is would love to know who.   Many of the Retreat Hosts get promoted to this post.     He will probably introduce himself as in addition to the Retreat he also manages the Butlers. 

Jim,

The Retreat Manager is Dragos.

Jeanne and family,

I am so sorry for your loss.  While I never met your husband, I did enjoy his posts on Cruise Critic.  May he rest in peace.

1 hour ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

I have no clue about his schedule and people have been banned from cruising Celebrity for discussing officers' schedules.  I only know he is the captain because I am currently on the ship.

 

If you are in a suite, all will be good.  If you try to dine in the MDR, your life will be hell.  Service is horrendous.  The rest of the cruise has been fine, even with all the itinerary changes.

 

Get to know Inna and Herma in Bacio--they are awesome.  And do not miss the Uptown Boys if they're on your cruise.

I was on the repo and totally agree with you regarding Inna and Herma.  Also Lobo and the entire Luminae team was great.

Re Uptown Boys…while I enjoyed their show their behavior onboard left a lot to be desired.  They were in Rendezvous one night standing near the bar listening to the band and every other word out of their mouths was the “F” word.  I know they are young but there’s a time and a place for that type of language.  The Rendezvous had “middle-aged to elderly” folks in there.  The Uptown Boys need to acquire some class and know what is inappropriate behavior while out in public.  I’m certainly no prude but I was shocked at their “quite loud” language.

44 minutes ago, canderson said:

I, for one, am not a "recent" Celebrity cruiser, and I often enjoyed time in Michael's before it was any sort of 'high level suite' club, if it was indeed ever that before it became "Retreat" territory.  I enjoyed many a cigar and scotch there, even on those rare occasions when we were sailing in a Cat 2A veranda cabin.

 

One Michael's was in fact a VERY public venue, not just a relaxing lounge, but rather, hosting Perry White each night for the SRO crowds who seemed to adore him (Constellation).

 

So you'll need to help me out with a proper Michael's timeline.  My recollection differs.

Your recollection is correct.  Michael’s Club was originally a cigar lounge, open to all who sailed on the ship.  I remember being in Michael’s Club on a lot of ships (Mercury, Galaxy, etc) when the guys in our group wanted a cigar.  That’s way back when cigar bars and smoking in general were popular.  And then Michael’s became a “piano bar” after the “cigar bar” became less popular and did indeed host Perry Grant.  (I think his name was Grant not White.). But in 2014 Michael’s Club began to convert to the Zenith/Suite Lounge much to the dismay of Perry Grant followers.

Currently on non-revolutionized ships Michael’s Club still exists but it serves as the “suite lounge”.  

6 hours ago, C-Dragons said:

I agree that X needs to provide a place (Zenith Lounge) for loyal guests to socialize. But the “Retreat” lounge  was designed for paying Suite guests and in reality isn’t large enough to accommodate all of them, at certain times, let alone other groups on board.

Just one point:   The "Retreat" lounge (formerly named "Michael's Club) was NOT designed for paying Suite Guests.  It was designed for Zenith Members PLUS upper level suite guests.  And regarding being large enough -- whenever I'm on any ship the lounge is DEAD (i.e., nobody in it).  I think the only time it might get crowded is when the senior officers come in for 30 minutes to shake hands with everyone (this, mind you, was pre-COVID!)  The Retreat Outdoor Deck, however, is jam packed with suite occupants.  But the lounge is NOT packed. 

6 minutes ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

On my last cruise prior to the shutdown on an S class ship, you could have shot a cannon off and not hit anyone in the Retreat Lounge.  And the alleged "service" was nonexistent.  I was not impressed.

Yes, I agree.  I've sailed 4 times since cruising "started back up" (twice on Edge and twice on Summit). On all 4 sailing the Retreat Lounge was DEAD ---- BUT Zeniths have been kicked out because "they didn't pay for the privilege of having a drink there".  Give me a break.

I sail quite regularly on Summit and usually the only people IN the lounge are the 2 or 3 "Zenith couples" that are on the sailing.  

4 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Just did a quick check, looks to me like Zenith members are recognized.  Just some (not all) of what they get...

 

-Free laundry/dry cleaning

-Free internet

-discounts on a whole host of things like pictures

-charitable donation on the Guest's behalf

 

There's a whole litany of other things, too.

 

So, what Zenith's are saying is that those perks aren't enough.  They also want access to the things that those of us who paid for Suites have, but they don't want to pay for a suite?

 

The suite guests would have a legitimate beef about allowing non-suite passengers into their exclusive areas.

I believe you are a "recent" Celebrity cruiser therefore you probably do not know the history of the "Retreat" area on Celebrity.

The "Retreat" area was established on Celebrity in 2014, however it was called "Michael's Club" and it was a lounge area that  high level suite cruisers  (i.e., Penthouse, Royal, etc.)  and Zenith cruisers could utilize.  Sky Suite occupants were not allowed to access Michael's Club.  In 2014 the only "Retreat" area on any ship was the lounge -- there was no special sundeck area.

As things progressed at Celebrity, sky suite occupants were given use of "Michael's Club".  At that time "high level suite occupants" were not too happy that Sky Suites were allowed into Michael's Club!!!   Once a ship was revolutionized (or a new ship was built) "Michael's Club" became "The Retreat" and areas were added (sun deck, Luminae).  However, Zenith members were not given access to any of the other  newer "areas" but retained the privilege of sitting in the Retreat Lounge (Michael's Club).

So....I think the big beef with Zenith cruisers are that they were allowed to access "The Retreat Lounge" right from its inception in 2014 and now all of a sudden that "perk" or "privilege" or whatever you want to call it has been taken away from them.

You need "3000 points" to become Zenith.  Some of these Zenith members have over 9000 points and do not sail in suites......so that tells you exactly how many times they have sailed with Celebrity.  Now you can become "Zenith" by sailing a few times in a PH Suite (in my opinion, that doesn't make you a "loyal" cruiser).

I, myself, am a Zenith member who recently (within the past 4 or 5 years) started sailing in Suites so this change doesn't affect me in the least little bit. (But I've been with Celebrity since the first year they were in business - starting out sailing in inside cabins, and eventually "moving up" the outsides, balconies, etc.)   I would definitely call myself a LOYAL Celebrity cruiser.   HOWEVER, I can see why folks are upset.  I will say just about 95% of the time the "Retreat Lounge" is far from capacity (as a matter of fact most days and evenings it is EMPTY) so I don't believe there is any harm in letting Zenith members use the lounge (which they have had access to since its inception).

But according to you (who have sailed 3 times in a Sky Suite) you don't feel that Zenith members have paid for the "privilege" of sitting in the Retreat Lounge.  I think the fact that many of them have sailed over 200-300 times with Celebrity Cruises they have "more than paid for this perk"! 

Remember.....the "Retreat Lounge"/"Michaels Club" was not originally a perk for ALL suite members - only the upper echelon suite occupants and Zenith members.

But everyone is entitled to his/her opinion -- that's what makes the world go around.

During the revolution a lot of the storage in the Royal Suites was eliminated too.  There used to be tons of cabinets in the walls of the living room to store things in.  But now those cabinets are gone.  It's a "tight squeeze" to get all the belonging of 3 women stored in the Royal Suite.....LOL.....but we manage!  Plus the small amount of cabinet storage in the living room area is now "floor level", which makes it difficult for elderly folks (or folks with bad knees!)  to use those cabinets.