Sky suite-comments and questions

[Im A Happy Cruiser]

We will be in our first suite next month on the Equinox. We chose a sky suite for several reasons, the main one being that we needed 80 more loyalty points to be at the elite level and any cabin less than a suite would not get us there. We chose an aft S1 to have the larger balcony and bath and the porthole for a side view.

 

Please give us any feedback on your experiences with the aft S1 location as we have previously always been mid ship.

 

For you previous suite level cruises, suggestions on how to make use of the services of a butler to make this a great cruise would also be appreciated.

 

One last question deals with the free espresso and cappuccinos....are lattes also available free of charge and are you limited to only one day?

[ClaudiaB]

We have sailed in those aft S1 suites five times and they're our cabin of choice. We don't mind the long walk to stairs and elevators, because we have no mobility issues (and it burns a few extra calories!). We are very independent and although the butler is nice, we don't use him very often. The butler is there to take care of YOU, so if you get room service and tea service in the afternoon, that's who you will have. If you need anything at all, he'll be there. Last cruise we met some lovely couples right here on CC and we set up a little "let's share our wine that we got in Barcelona" party. He had cheese and crackers, fruit, nuts and some other things all on a beautifully decorated table and had wine glasses and such all set up. It was so nice. Every port day we always have room service breakfast so we don't have to go back and forth in the morning.

Some people tip the butler a few extra dollars with each service. We tend to give him (over and above the gratuities) some money every few days in the cruise, a larger amount rather than two dollars here and there.

 

Your room steward is still the same, although you might not interact with him as much as in a non-suite cabin, as he will tend to the cabin only.

 

We have had no problems with motion or soot or any of the little things I've read about on here. The view from the corner aft is superb. You will love it!

 

We aren't coffee drinkers at all but you can ring anytime for your espresso, etc. Once on a trip coming in from a very cold, wet excursion in Alaska we we met in the hallway by our butler and he came 5 minutes later with hot chocolate and warm cookies!!

 

Enjoy your suite, your cruise, and all the rest of it!!

[ClaudiaB]

If you happen to have Felix on Equinox, you have the best of the best of the butlers. We had him on Penthouse deck in Oct/Nov for our TA and he was amazing.

[SunnyAJ]

We will be in our first suite next month on the Equinox. We chose a sky suite for several reasons, the main one being that we needed 80 more loyalty points to be at the elite level and any cabin less than a suite would not get us there. We chose an aft S1 to have the larger balcony and bath and the porthole for a side view.

 

Please give us any feedback on your experiences with the aft S1 location as we have previously always been mid ship.

 

For you previous suite level cruises, suggestions on how to make use of the services of a butler to make this a great cruise would also be appreciated.

 

One last question deals with the free espresso and cappuccinos....are lattes also available free of charge and are you limited to only one day?

 

Please report back after your cruise! I've posted the same question on here and after many responses, now very excited for our S1 Aft Sky Suite. Our cruise isn't until next year, but I booked this when on board since I've heard they sell out quickly as a desirable suite. I've also only been mid-ship before as well, but I haven't talked to anyone that said the motion was an issue.

 

I have been in a Celebrity Suite before and the service is wonderful! I can't say that we used the butler so much, but he always seemed to be available and accessible for anything that came up. We did enjoy the tea service and he even brought extra of the items he overheard us say that we enjoyed.

 

I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time!

[sunshine nana]

We love the size and location of the S1's. Our first was on the Equinox and our butler was wonderful. He brought us ice tea every day and scrimp cocktail for me every day with non-sugar treats for DH. He made sure we had wine glasses and ice and escorted us to theatre seats on the formal nights. He set up the table with linen for breakfast each am. He got a nice extra tip.

Our next cruise was in Sept. on the Equinox and the butler was clueless. He only brought ice tea once and had to be asked repeatedly to bring wine glasses. He never offered to do anything extra. He got no extra tip.

The point is, if the butler does not do what you have reasonably asked, complain. I wish we had. Others must have because one day we had a different butler who did every thing right and twice officers came to our cabin and asked if the butler was doing his job. DH would not complain and said he was ok.

We are booked in a suite for March and I will complain myself if we do not get a good butler.

[Longhorn-ED]

We were on the Equinox in 2013 on a Med cruise. Our cabin was an S2 aft # 2148. It was great and also our first cruise. We did not know what to expect from the butler and it turned out that it was his last cruise. It's funny because we did not know how bad he was until the cruise was over when I read reviews about other butlers. The suite and aft location was just amazing. If I had it to do it over again we would not think twice about switching butlers. My DW and I are easy to please but at least get close to giving us what we paid for. Don't hesitate asking for what type of snacks, how much ice you want and don't forget you can eat in Blu as a suite guest. Enjoy your cruise, the Equinox is a wonderful ship.

 

Regards

Ed

[Project_gal]

For you previous suite level cruises, suggestions on how to make use of the services of a butler to make this a great cruise would also be appreciated.

 

Your butler is there to make YOUR cruise special. Please do not make the mistake of collecting a list of services that made someone else's cruise special. It is unlikely that your needs/desires/wants are the same. The other mistake people make is presenting your butler with a solution. Just explain what would make you happy and, often, you will be surprised with a way of doing that you could never have dreamt up yourself.

[gw2fll]

This is great information. We just booked Equinox for an S1 (1663). We previously sailed Equinox in an S2 (1667) and really enjoyed the aft cabin location, size of the room, excess storage, not to mention the Butler service.

 

One item I am struggling with - and I seem to recall reading somewhere a reference around this, but can't seem to locate it - is there logic to how many poles an S1 has?

 

I thought the S1's on one side had 2 poles and the other had 1 or am I mistaken or it is just the luck of the draw?

 

To the OP:

 

Do leverage your Butler. One item we found very helpful - we asked our Butler on Day 1 for a copy of the menu's for the week. That helped us plan accordingly which nights we wanted to dine in one of the speciality restaurants since for a 7 night cruise you get 2 nights free. Your Butler can make the speciality restaurant reservations - and can get some tight times for otherwise "booked" timeslots.

 

Another request we made, we hosted a "Sail-Away" from our cabin for a few friends. Out Butler set-up a table with appetizers (including a huge array of shrimp, etc.) an amazing spread. Our guests were very impressed. (We did not receive a charge.)

 

Also, breakfast on your balcony is wonderful, especially on a sea day. We did not dine in cabin for dinner; however, a friend of ours did host a dinner party from their suite that we participated in. The Butler served the meal course-by-course, just like in the Main Dining Room.

 

I think the Butler is one of the main benefits that is driving us back to Celebrity from RCCL. We did tip our Butler separately from the standard gratuity for the wonderful service - hopefully, we will get the same Butler for our next cruise.

 

We were also invited to a special Sail-Away on the helipad with champagne. I believe it is for Suite Guests - don't miss it. Lastly, on Formal Night, your Butler will escort you to the show. (You get reserved seating.) Another way Celebrity makes you feel special.

 

(We did not use the packing / unpacking service, but found any issue, request we had was quickly handled leveraging our butler. Much better than the Concierege on an RCCL ship.)

 

The Butler and the Steward work very closely together. (We had two Stewards - a Lead and an assistance.) Our experience has been this trio created one of the best combinations of service we have experienced.

 

Hope this helps...

 

PS Not necessarily a suite perk, but don't miss the Wine and Cheese on the Lawn. That was very neat. (First come, first served.) Go to the Lawn where the ship spreads out towels, provides wine and difference chesses as the ship departs port. Wonderful way to end a day. (Assuming they still do this, based upon our experience in April of this year.)

 

Doug

[Im A Happy Cruiser]

Thanks for answering my questions about an aft S1. I Also appreciate all your suggestions about how to make best use of the services a butler.

 

Doug, I have also heard that there might be one or two poles in these cabins. We will be on the port side (cabin 8345) so I don't know if that makes a difference. Surely they are not located where you might run into them if you get up in the middle the night!😱

[gw2fll]

Thanks for answering my questions about an aft S1. I Also appreciate all your suggestions about how to make best use of the services a butler.

 

Doug, I have also heard that there might be one or two poles in these cabins. We will be on the port side (cabin 8345) so I don't know if that makes a difference. Surely they are not located where you might run into them if you get up in the middle the night!😱

 

The following threads might be of use regarding the pole positions. Not too bad, love the window on the side, can't wait to grab the table, crawl into the window to read.

 

Thread 1 (

Click Me

) or:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1640341

 

Thread 2 (

Click Me

) - love the photo on post 4 also don't miss the photos starting on post 9:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1385831

Enjoy:

 

Doug

[gw2fll]

One item I have never been able to figure out is if the S1s are the same size on all decks. Looking at the Deck Plans, the S1s appear to get larger the higher up the deck. It could just be the drawing, but it seems odd - all the other cabins appear to be the same size as their counterparts / other cabins on other decks.

 

Interesting...

 

Doug

[KW Cruisers]

One item I have never been able to figure out is if the S1s are the same size on all decks. Looking at the Deck Plans, the S1s appear to get larger the higher up the deck. It could just be the drawing, but it seems odd - all the other cabins appear to be the same size as their counterparts / other cabins on other decks.

 

Interesting...

 

Doug

 

I've been wondering the same thing. We are booked into Suite# 1663 on the Solstice this coming August. What is the square footage of these suites?? The site says 300 Sq Ft., but everyone says the S1 Aft suites are larger.

 

Does anyone know how much larger?

 

Thanks,

 

Shawn