My take on new Suite Perks - Swing and a miss....

[Cindy]

While I'm not going to get into what Zenith or suite passengers are allowed or not allowed to do because it's none of my business:D, I am going to stick up for solo passengers a bit.

 

I got to be friendly with a solo passenger on a recent Royal Caribbean cruise, and they really get the raw end of the deal. Aside from taxes and gratuities, since they are paying for two people, I think it's reasonable for them to expect that they would be able to bring a guest to Luminae or Michael's Club. After all, they have paid the fare for the non-existent person!

 

Although I sailed in AQ on my only Celebrity cruise so far and am booked in AQ for my next Celebrity cruise, I always get a suite on Royal Caribbean and so I am watching this thread with great interest. Something I know from my RCI suite cruises is that there is little consistency across the fleet, or even between ships within a class, and that causes a lot of confusion. It sounds like Celebrity is guilty of the same thing. IMO, some clear expectations of benefits that are followed by all would go a long way!

Edited April 29, 2015 by Cindy

[CruisingChick]

It sounds like Celebrity is guilty of the same thing. IMO, some clear expectations of benefits that are followed by all would go a long way!

 

Correct, the only thing consistent about Celebrity is the inconsistencies which happen sometimes even on the same sailing never mind different sailings and different ships.

[Cruise a holic]

So I'm just of Connie's TA to Rome, its first official sailing with Suite Perks in effect.

 

I sailed

• in a Royal Suite
  
• as a solo traveler
  
• on the M-Class Constellation
  
• for 13 nights
  
• I relied on the Suite Perks FAQ as to my expectations
  

 

As with most things Celebrity, implementation, training and misunderstanding of the program among many levels of staff seemed to rule the roll-out.

 

1. Butler one day said wine was included from mini bar, next day said no, next day said Hotel Director had yet to decide. I did not expect the wine included, so was curious when he let me know the wine was included.
   
2. The bottled water in the suite still had a price tag for $5 per bottle. I explained to Butler that Suite perks said all was complimentary. 2nd day he came back to let me know he asked and true the water was complimentary and removed the price signs.
   
3. Butler was unaware that the mini bar was to be specialized to my liking, and had to seek permission to reload with my preferred brand of beer. he came through, but seemed odd he was not already trained on this fact.
   
4. Butler had never seen the official "Suite Perks FAQ" Celebrity has had posted for the last year. He learned a bit from it.
   
5. Luminae was not open for embarkation lunch as was stated it would be
   
6. Luminae was not open in port for lunch as it was stated it would be
   
7. Luminiae served Brunch just one day, despite the Suite Perks FAQ indicating it would be a daily offering - this was kind of a big one for me, given the near-daily time-zone changes on this TA crossing.
   
8. As a Solo Traveler, I requested of the MC Concierge to bring a guest in, as I had paid for 2 people. He said there was simply no way those without eligibility could be admitted. I took him at his word and accepted this knowing this was the likely outcome of the request. Mid cruise, come to find a Zenith Member, not in a suite even, though as a Zenith they did have access, would regularly bring in family and friends without eligibility (overheard them talking about cabins, and noted the standard blue keycards on table, as well as other travelers from MC with similar issue as mine observed same) was allowed to bring in guests. This PI$$#* me off. Note to self, next time just barge in with whomever I want to, they really don't care. "It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is permission"
   
9. Enhanced toiletries are gone, asked specifically for the Bulgari products and was told by Steward and Butler, they were no longer being used.
   
10. Afternoon delivery of the "savories platter" is no more, still received Tea Cart service
    
11. Did not receive pre-cruise suite email. 3 days prior to sailing I emailed using the email address I inferred, and got service. MC Concierge claimed they had a bad email address for me....really? I get all other emails, my profile hasn't been updated. Seemed like yet another lie by the concierge to me.
    
12. The promised "wellness program perks" were nowhere to be found
    

 

What I liked

1. Unlimited internet - and it seemed fast enough most times to get something done. I Use Windows Remote Desktop Connect to connect to my businesses, and was successful 95% of the time in connecting and working at a reasonable pace. As to number of devices, each person in a cabin gets a unique access code, so only 1 device at a time per account (not per cabin, per individual seeps account) can be connected, so if wanted to use iPhone, had to log out the desktop. Not a big deal, just putting it out there for those who may be interested.
   
2. Luminae - only ate lunch there 1 day, ate all other meals elsewhere as those I was traveling with were not in suites. I enjoyed the lunch, and looked at a few dinner menus. If I had friends in suites, I'd have eaten there more, but did enjoy the unlimited specialty restaurants option. I did not not any lines to get into Luminae at any time, and when I'd pop by to visit with some people I met on ship for desert, always found several open tables.
   
3. I ate most meals in MDR, didn't notice lines being any longer than normal even now that there was only a single entrance to the dining room. 1st night, as always, being the exception to that rule.
   

 

So overall, but for Luminae, and the unlimited perks for RS and above, I don't really think there is much excitement to the program similar to the Concierge Class program, where most perks are "marketing fluff" and can be had by anyone just by asking. In fact, if in a Sky Suite, It appears that the suite program has downgraded (exception being Luminae access), in that the special amenities are now gone.

 

I felt Like I as there training the staff on the program, and not being allowed to enjoy the perks of the program. My Butler Nilesh "Nesh" was my favorite one to date, so I don't even blame him, he said He's been with X for over 9 years, and was even pulled to do the training for the butlers on Reflection when it was new, so he's properly trained, to the best that X has trained him. Shame they failed to roll out a proper Suite Training to the line-level staff.

 

Will these things stop me from booking s suite in the future, no. But It does kind of shine a light on X's inability to roll out a program, train staff, and communicate program details to its ships from the land-side.

 

Hi Curt,

We enjoyed Michael's club which is also a perk with the higher level suites. We had this level on our last summit cruise. We also enjoyed the priority boarding and disembarkation. Some of the other perks weren't so great- but the main reason for our staying in a nice suite is the space. You pay dearly for that space!

[cle-guy]

I think it may have been a non issue on your cruise but that may not be the case on every ship on every itinerary. On busier Eclipse ex UK school holiday sailings for instance.

 

Its a two fold issue, space taken away from the club dining area of the MDR forces more onto Select Dining then if Suite guests choose to eat in Select rather than the Suite restaurant then there is an additional pressure. I've read many reviews over the last few years where Select passengers have had a wait time so any additional pressure on spaces can only make the problem worse on those cruises.

 

They have extended select dining seating times by 30 minutes on each end (an extra hour total) since Luminae opened, so they have in essence added almost an additional full seating in Select. On Connie (and read on other ships as well) it's been opening at 5:30 and last seating is 9:30 now, rather than 6 and 9.

[gimletgal]

They have extended select dining seating times by 30 minutes on each end (an extra hour total) since Luminae opened, so they have in essence added almost an additional full seating in Select. On Connie (and read on other ships as well) it's been opening at 5:30 and last seating is 9:30 now, rather than 6 and 9.

 

This practice has been going on for at least a year now, so it really had nothing to do with the opening of Luminae. On my April, 2014 cruise on the Connie, 5:30 - 9:30 was in effect for Select Dining.

[kevinyork]

They have extended select dining seating times by 30 minutes on each end (an extra hour total) since Luminae opened, so they have in essence added almost an additional full seating in Select. On Connie (and read on other ships as well) it's been opening at 5:30 and last seating is 9:30 now, rather than 6 and 9.

 

 

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately we would never choose to eat at 5.30 or 9.30. There will always be peak times and any additional demand will lead to wait times on busy ships at busy times.

 

 

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[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Correct, the only thing consistent about Celebrity is the inconsistencies which happen sometimes even on the same sailing never mind different sailings and different ships.

 

Yup! Maybe they want to give us something to talk about on Cruise Critic. :) Mostly I think they haven't a clue.

 

[C 2 C]

They have extended select dining seating times by 30 minutes on each end (an extra hour total) since Luminae opened, so they have in essence added almost an additional full seating in Select. On Connie (and read on other ships as well) it's been opening at 5:30 and last seating is 9:30 now, rather than 6 and 9.

 

That was true on most nights but on the last formal night it opened just before 6pm. Celebrity does not realize that many senior cruisers have been trained by Dr Pavlov and the lines for traditional dining were quite long. Our Celebrity Suite friends preferred the MDR menu that evening and joined us at our table while our daughter and SIL ate in the Oceanview Cafe for a more relaxed experience. ;)

[SunnyAJ]

Hi Curt,

 

As a suite guest you mentioned that you only ate in Luminae for lunch (and dessert?) but ate other places as well. We are in a suite, but traveling with 2 other cabins non-suite - one with our kids in it. As a suite guest, do you also have the option to eat in the MDR with other reservations you are linked with? I've read the BLU guests can't change and this is a huge problem for us. What was your experience? Thanks!