Royal suite perks?

[chemmo]

Also once on board make sure your butler has received your requests. We have boarded sometimes and found all our requests have been sorted and on other cruises our spirit and minibar requests have been forwarded but our dining requests haven’t. 

 

We tend to take a copy copy of our email to the shoreside concierge with us and pass it to the butler as a ‘check list’.

 

 

[2NHcruisers]

We just got off Silhouette, RS;   There were was a noticeable number of hiccups, which I wrote off, but seeing this thread perhaps they are more systemic...  

- No RS/PH luggage drop off, though we were given specific instructions and pictures

- shoreside requests were confirmed before we left for the cruise, but on board we found the butler requests were incomplete, and in fact different.  eg, "You only requested one bottle of liquor so thats what I brought".. uh no...

- we then requested the champagne to be swapped out, for a bottle of moscato, which we were told the moscato now counted as our second liquor..  we have never had swapping out the champagne counted as the 2nd liquor bottle... Told butler to take the moscato, and the champagne(which he had put in the fridge) and get some macallan scotch...  

- dinner reservations - they got the first night correct, as to restaurant and time. But celebrity got creative and decided we needed to eat in the other restaurants that we hadnt requested....  Fortunately the butler asked if we liked qsine since he saw we were dining there (we werent), and that alerted us to the fact our dinner reservations were botched.. We got it corrected...

- getting cappuccino delivered by the butler in paper cups is definitely a step backwards (Last Nov we noted the change, before it used to come in real coffee cups); but this time it just seemed watery; I switched to a pot of coffee which actually tasted better, was hot and strong.

 

While I always have the list of items we requested on my phone, I can see I'll now be bringing three copies printed out so there is no doubt about what we requested... The ironic part is we are really low maintenance, and dont ask for a lot of stuff.. 

 

 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We always request Tattinger Champagne in lieu of 2 bottles of liquor. Never a problem until our last cruise when we got nothing.  Really glad I had a printout of the Email to give to the MC Concierge and Suites Manager who got it sorted out by the 2nd day. Our dinner reservations had the right restaurant but some times the wrong time, which was not a problem since it was only 30 minutes.

Edited April 7, 2019 by CHEZMARYLOU

[travel1light]

6 minutes ago, CHEZMARYLOU said:

We always request Tattinger Champagne in lieu of 2 bottles of liquor. Never a problem until our last cruise when we got nothing.  Really glad I had a printout of the Email to give to the MC Concierge and Suites Manager who got it sorted out by the 2nd day. Our dinner reservations had the right restaurant but some times the wrong time, which was not a problem since it was only 30 minutes.

Hi,

 

What email would this be? I thought requests were relayed via a phone call.  Is there an email you can send them to as well?

 

Thanks 

 

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, travel1light said:

Hi,

 

What email would this be? I thought requests were relayed via a phone call.  Is there an email you can send them to as well?

 

Thanks 

 

I usually get both a cal and e-mail from the shoreside concierge.     Each ship usually has a dedicated SSC and I use that e-mail address for requests.  

[Jim_Iain]

On 4/5/2019 at 11:03 PM, chemmo said:

Also once on board make sure your butler has received your requests. We have boarded sometimes and found all our requests have been sorted and on other cruises our spirit and minibar requests have been forwarded but our dining requests haven’t. 

 

We tend to take a copy copy of our email to the shoreside concierge with us and pass it to the butler as a ‘check list’.

 

 

 

Good suggestions.   I have to admit that often 1 or 2 of my requests are missed but when brought to the attention of the Butler and/or Stateroom attendant they are quickly fulfilled. 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

1 hour ago, travel1light said:

Hi,

 

What email would this be? I thought requests were relayed via a phone call.  Is there an email you can send them to as well?

 

Thanks 

 

We were sent an email and  given 2 email addresses to reply to since there was going to be a change to the shoreside concierge before our cruise.  I replied to both and waited until after the change to call the replacement.  Glad I did since she had not gotten my email. Sent it again and again she did not get it. I prefer a phone call, with a follow up email if available but everything worked out, including the area for RS guests for special delivery luggage.  BTW, in Ft. Lauderdale at T-25 it was called the "Suite Retreat" area, just outside the entrance doors.

 

[jagoffee]

Carrie was the shoreside Conceirge for the Silhouette in January.  She did a great job with all the reservations and requests.  I was impressed she already knew some of our preferences from a previous cruise.  I like to communicate via e mail, so I have a good record.  It helps me not to get confused.  But she provided her phone number if I needed to call her.  I make my Speciality dining reservations in advance, but after I get on board, I review the menus for the cruise and adjust them significantly.  Tuscan Grill has become our traditional “sail away” first night dining tradition,

 

2NH, were you in a terminal other than T25?

 

[chemmo]

6 hours ago, jagoffee said:

Carrie was the shoreside Conceirge for the Silhouette in January.  She did a great job with all the reservations and requests.  I was impressed she already knew some of our preferences from a previous cruise.  I like to communicate via e mail, so I have a good record.  It helps me not to get confused.  But she provided her phone number if I needed to call her.  I make my Speciality dining reservations in advance, but after I get on board, I review the menus for the cruise and adjust them significantly.  Tuscan Grill has become our traditional “sail away” first night dining tradition,

 

2NH, were you in a terminal other than T25?

 

 

We also had Carrie on one cruise she was really thorough.

 

Like you we like the phone call and then follow with an email. I think a written record stops all of us getting confused. We usually have a draft mail ready about a month before we cruise.

 

Re dining, we also make preliminary bookings for the cruise and then modify after finding out the order of menus in Luminae etc (we ask the M’D for copies for the cruise). Tuscan is also our favourite spot first evening, so nice to look at the menu, glass in hand looking out of the window and seeing the sea!

 

[chemmo]

8 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Good suggestions.   I have to admit that often 1 or 2 of my requests are missed but when brought to the attention of the Butler and/or Stateroom attendant they are quickly fulfilled. 

 

We are always surprised when some but not all of our requests make it on board (you would have thought it would be all or nothing!).

 

It must be really frustrating for butlers to stock and then restock minibars, swap pillows etc twice instead of once. When we have boarded and not all requests have gone through it is never a big deal for us but it does create extra work for staff...

 

When we give the butlers a copy of our email they seem to appreciate having it as a ‘check list’.

[2NHcruisers]

jagoffee - we were at the right terminal I double checked the map and pictures;

at least one PH and another RS had same issue of no drop off area.

 

I agree Carrie was great and thorough. Our butler said the issue wasnt shoreside it was onboard the ship..

I'm hoping it was just a set of hiccups that hit at once. We really love Celebrity and are looking forward to our next cruise in the fall.

 

 

[Covepointcruiser]

I agree with the charge for canapés for a gathering in you RS or higher suite.   If you can afford to pay for those suites, you can definitely afford to treat your friends to a party in your suite.   Laundry for higher level suites may be limited to once per week.   Understand that some suites guests were abusing the privilege by having laundry done for children, relatives or friends in other cabins.

[Jim_Iain]

48 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

I agree with the charge for canapés for a gathering in you RS or higher suite.   If you can afford to pay for those suites, you can definitely afford to treat your friends to a party in your suite.   Laundry for higher level suites may be limited to once per week.   Understand that some suites guests were abusing the privilege by having laundry done for children, relatives or friends in other cabins.

Have you actually be restricted to laundry once a week?   We have never had a problem sending out laundry about every 3 days.  

[jagoffee]

4 hours ago, 2NHcruisers said:

jagoffee - we were at the right terminal I double checked the map and pictures;

at least one PH and another RS had same issue of no drop off area.

 

I agree Carrie was great and thorough. Our butler said the issue wasnt shoreside it was onboard the ship..

I'm hoping it was just a set of hiccups that hit at once. We really love Celebrity and are looking forward to our next cruise in the fall.

 

 

2NH, sorry, I was not clear in my question.  I was not implying that you were at the wrong terminal.

I do not know all the terminal numbers.  For our cruise, the Edge was in port.  Therefore we were in a different terminal.  (Where I could not find the special area for the luggage).

Were you using Terminal 25?  I was hoping that the area was more obvious in Terminal 25.

[jagoffee]

2 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

I agree with the charge for canapés for a gathering in you RS or higher suite.   If you can afford to pay for those suites, you can definitely afford to treat your friends to a party in your suite.   Laundry for higher level suites may be limited to once per week.   Understand that some suites guests were abusing the privilege by having laundry done for children, relatives or friends in other cabins.

We have never had a limit of once per week, although that is roughly our schedule.  Since we are also Elite plus, it should never be a problem.

 

I would think the issue with the snacks for a group is probably related more to the drinks.

[2NHcruisers]

5 minutes ago, jagoffee said:

2NH, sorry, I was not clear in my question.  I was not implying that you were at the wrong terminal.

I do not know all the terminal numbers.  For our cruise, the Edge was in port.  Therefore we were in a different terminal.  (Where I could not find the special area for the luggage).

Were you using Terminal 25?  I was hoping that the area was more obvious in Terminal 25.

jagoffee no problem; we also had edge in port for embarkation, so we were at terminal 29; I think when we came back we disembarked at 25.. 

I'm not familiar with the Fort Lauderdale cruise terminal since most of our cruises have been out of Miami.. 

We did look around for an area and finding none I did the unthinkable and asked a guy with a walkie talkie where the luggage drop off was; he didnt know, but he called a guy who said he didnt know either  (thus I gave the luggage to a porter) and then he escorted us in...

 

 

 

[2NHcruisers]

2 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Have you actually be restricted to laundry once a week?   We have never had a problem sending out laundry about every 3 days.  

While the butler on this cruise didnt say it, We've always been told we can do laundry as often as we want;  We usually do it 2-3 times in a 2 week cruise. It comes back 2 days later.

[jagoffee]

4 minutes ago, 2NHcruisers said:

jagoffee no problem; we also had edge in port for embarkation, so we were at terminal 29; I think when we came back we disembarked at 25.. 

I'm not familiar with the Fort Lauderdale cruise terminal since most of our cruises have been out of Miami.. 

We did look around for an area and finding none I did the unthinkable and asked a guy with a walkie talkie where the luggage drop off was; he didnt know, but he called a guy who said he didnt know either  (thus I gave the luggage to a porter) and then he escorted us in...

 

 

 

The exact same thing for our cruise.  Out was probably 29 and return was 25.

We had the exact same experience as you with the Luggage Valet.  The program does not seem to work in terminal 29. 

[CHEZMARYLOU]

We've never had a problem sending out more than one bag of laundry, even on a 7 day cruise.

[chemmo]

We have never had a problem with the laundry we send in. As many of our cruises are world wide we often board with quite a lot of pressing but laundry is usually within our E+ allowance anyway. Never had any charge.

 

We did board one cruise soon after the descriptor for RS/PH laundry went from ‘unlimited’ to ‘twice per cruise’. We did ask our butler about it and he did say it had been in response to a few extended families who had abused the system (one couple in RS and several more family members in a range of non suite cabins).....I can imagine this scenario. I don’t think the focus was on limiting the laundry of top suite guests just ensuring the perk wasn’t abused...

 

 

[Covepointcruiser]

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Have you actually be restricted to laundry once a week?   We have never had a problem sending out laundry about every 3 days.  

On our last crossing the Butler let us have a second bag of laundry but he did inform us of the new rule.   In other words, he did us a favor.   By the way we are Elite + may have been handled differently if we were Zenith.

[JaneStarr]

On 4/6/2019 at 12:35 PM, wrk2cruise said:

Usually 2 to 3 weeks out but it really can be anytime up to a few days before.  If you don't hear from them you can call Captains Club and ask to be transferred to the Shoreside Concierge dept.

 

Honestly, I much preferred when the actual concierge from the ship contacted you directly. 

I understand why it’s better for Celebrity to use shoreside concierges, but there is much less chance for a “disconnect” without the extra layer in communications.

 

The shoreside concierges have all been lovely, but things used to go smoother when we had direct contact. What is done on the ship often varies from what has been told to the shoreside folks.

 

We are currently in Sydney to board a B2B RS on Friday the 12th. Arrived 2 days ago using Celebrity air. Haven’t spoken to shoreside concierge since we spoke to her about a fiasco with the Celebrity air booking department back in mid-January.

At that time, I was told we would be contacted a few weeks before the first cruise.  I have emailed twice with a few different questions but decided to just be patient and wait for a call.

 

We did receive 2 identical generic email contacts from a different shoreside concierge on 1/31. I was told that Tanji was just helping out our original concierge, Melissa, and that they hadn’t switched staffing. 

Oh, well; I sure everything will work out once aboard the ship.  It’s just a bit of a disappointment when trying to plan logistics for 29 nights. I realize that this is a good “problem” to have.

 

Does anybody know if there is a special suite luggage drop off spot in Sydney and what time luggage drop-off commences?

That’s really the only thing that can’t wait until after we board. (We are rolling our luggage from the hotel and figure it’s best to drop-off early and then come back to board after breakfast.)

 

Jane

 

 

[wrk2cruise]

We had a call from Eric for our January cruise on summit.  I have to say every one of our few requests had been handled prior to our arrival by Pavel the MCC including an appointment setup for Future Cruises as the current promo ran out the day after we boarded and wanted to make sure we were able to book under that promo.

[CruisersTimesThree]

10 hours ago, jagoffee said:

2NH, sorry, I was not clear in my question.  I was not implying that you were at the wrong terminal.

I do not know all the terminal numbers.  For our cruise, the Edge was in port.  Therefore we were in a different terminal.  (Where I could not find the special area for the luggage).

Were you using Terminal 25?  I was hoping that the area was more obvious in Terminal 25.

We sailed in the PH on the Silhouette out of terminal 29 n March (the Edge was in port at T25)

Carrie also gave us instructions about the “special” drop-off area, but lo and behold, it was nowhere to be found! No one knew what we were talking about and finally one porter had our driver pull to the side of the terminal and unloaded our luggage and told us he would make sure that it was brought directly to our suite. 

We arrived at 11:30, the luggage showed up after muster, 3 hrs later.

[jagoffee]

It is becoming very clear that the expedited luggage benefit when using terminal 29 does not work and no one seems to know anything about it at the terminal.

I thought it might have been caused by the fact that we arrived early, but everyone seems to be having the same issue.

 

I wonder if anyone has ever been successful using it out of terminal 29.  Anyone?