Eliminating Butlers - Spoke to Celebrity. Here is conversation.

[terrydtx]

44 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Well as far as I know, there is no Michael’s Club anymore.

Still Michaels Club on non-revolutionized S and M class ships.

[terrydtx]

Just now, abbydancer said:

I know it's Michaels, the question is what does the App say about who can go in?  I'm trying to figure out if the screenshot is current.  It's under dining either in Bars & Lounges or Loyalty and Suites.  

Solstice just says Suites, and doesn't break it down to Celebrity and above.  Many thanks.

Same on my App for our Apex cruise next month, just says suites.

[terrydtx]

24 minutes ago, SunnySunflower said:

Currently on the Eclipse heading to Alaska.  In a sky suite in the Retreat. We just have a butler and a stateroom attendant.  No mention of the new team approach.  

The change is effective on all cruises departing Aug 15th or later, that is tomorrow.

[abbydancer2003]

Just now, terrydtx said:

Same on my App for our Apex cruise next month, just says suites.

I just found it on the Eclipse.  That said, it's on the description for the current cruise, and the couple of forward ones.  I then looked at Solstice for October, just says suites.  Looked at Infinity for October - just says suites.  Reflection October - has the exclusion wording, but so does the cruise starting today.

Constellation - October - Exclusive for Retreat guests.

 

So it appears that maybe it's a holdover wording on a couple of ships, since if sky suites were removed this week there would be a major thread about it. 

[SunnySunflower]

Sorry I misunderstood your question.  I don’t know the answer to what you are asking. No one has asked us to self identify but I have been wearing a badge holder with my color coded room key/sea pass.

[terrydtx]

11 minutes ago, abbydancer said:

So it appears that maybe it's a holdover wording on a couple of ships, since if sky suites were removed this week there would be a major thread about it. 

I agree, this would create more dissatisfaction and comments than the Butler fiasco. We should be hearing from CC on cruises that are departing tomorrow about the butlers change. The other outcome would be the Retreat and Michaels Lounges would become ghost towns.

Edited August 15, 2023 by terrydtx

[abbydancer2003]

2 minutes ago, SunnySunflower said:

Sorry I misunderstood your question.  I don’t know the answer to what you are asking. No one has asked us to self identify but I have been wearing a badge holder with my color coded room key/sea pass.

No worries.  I was able to look at the description.  If the concierges know who you are, they know your room and you're allowed in (just to confirm, you're in a sky suite?)

 

[MamaFej]

13 minutes ago, SunnySunflower said:

Sorry I misunderstood your question.  I don’t know the answer to what you are asking. No one has asked us to self identify but I have been wearing a badge holder with my color coded room key/sea pass.

The concierge in Michael's Club on the Eclipse earlier this year told us that she has everyone's (security) pictures when I told her, several days in, that I was surprised neither she nor her colleague ever asked us to identify ourselves. 

[jbcallender]

Confirmed by our butler last week.  Takes efffect August 18th..

[Veinless]

1 hour ago, abbydancer said:

I just found it on the Eclipse.  That said, it's on the description for the current cruise, and the couple of forward ones.  I then looked at Solstice for October, just says suites.  Looked at Infinity for October - just says suites.  Reflection October - has the exclusion wording, but so does the cruise starting today.

Constellation - October - Exclusive for Retreat guests.

 

So it appears that maybe it's a holdover wording on a couple of ships, since if sky suites were removed this week there would be a major thread about it. 

Thanks for the deep dive on this. I’ve become pretty cynical about Celebrity and the direction it is heading. 

[bjahil47]

1 hour ago, jbcallender said:

Confirmed by our butler last week.  Takes efffect August 18th..

What was confirmed and what takes effect August 18th?

[zgscl]

13 hours ago, sixpackeddie said:

Just boarded the Reflection today. In an upper suite. Speaking with our butler regarding the change in sky suites to a team vs individual butler has reduced the butlers on the edge class from 16 to 4 and on the solstice clears from 12 to 3. In my opinion the decision made was purely to reduce operational costs. How it will affect sky suite guests will be remain to be seen. 

The big question is how many are on the new "Retreat Team" that is servicing Sky Suites. Presumably the 3 or 4 butlers are just for the upper suites and then there are a number of people on the team.  

[Northern Aurora]

3 hours ago, MamaFej said:

The concierge in Michael's Club on the Eclipse earlier this year told us that she has everyone's (security) pictures when I told her, several days in, that I was surprised neither she nor her colleague ever asked us to identify ourselves. 

 

And this is a surprise for you?  The photos have been standard operating procedure for years.  Michael's Club/Retreat concierges have them both on their computers and photos are posted in the pantry area.  On S-class ships (Eclipse is an S-class ship) they are also posted in the pantry area behind the bar.  They are also posted in the pantry area on M-class ships.

[zitsky]

7 hours ago, bjahil47 said:

What was confirmed and what takes effect August 18th?

There is so much back and forth that I don’t what  “IT was confirmed” means anymore.

[zitsky]

5 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

 

And this is a surprise for you?  The photos have been standard operating procedure for years.  Michael's Club/Retreat concierges have them both on their computers and photos are posted in the pantry area.  On S-class ships (Eclipse is an S-class ship) they are also posted in the pantry area behind the bar.  They are also posted in the pantry area on M-class ships.

Why does my picture have a big red circle with a line through it???

[terrydtx]

2 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Why does my picture have a big red circle with a line through it???

Maybe you are confusing the picture of you hanging up at your Post Office?😎

Edited August 15, 2023 by terrydtx

[Whinenowine]

Given the size of the Retreat Lounge/Sundeck on the E-class ships, I find it hard to believe X would limit that valuable real estate to only 60 people (30 non-SS suites).  Not unless they carved it up and used the excess space for non-suite purposes. 

[TeeRick]

15 hours ago, hcat said:

too complicated for X to handle.. if Team approach  is the way..then lower level suites will get the Team.

Why too complicated?  Seems pretty simple.  Small number of suites overall.  Most non-suite passengers have to choose between two individual MDR times or Anytime dining before every cruise and Celebrity handles choices like that.  I still believe that many suite cruisers will choose the Butler Team anyway.

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

There is so much back and forth that I don’t what  “IT was confirmed” means anymore.

Pretty much just like "they say".

[Bluewake]

On 8/12/2023 at 9:01 AM, TeeRick said:

 I think perhaps once in a 7 night cruise I might actually call my Butler.  Not 1-2 times a day.  I see my butler when he/she stops by on occasion, perhaps to check our mini-fridge.  Or when they deliver our breakfast after leaving the card on the door.  I actually have very little need for them in reality.   We never have them meet us in the theatre on Chic night- and we don't like the reserved seat area.  Anything related to guest services, reservations, etc. I will go to the Retreat Lounge and use the Concierge there.  Our room steward takes care of us more than our butler including taking an occasional laundry bag.  That is my case.  Frankly I struggle finding what to do with the butler on most cruises.  So most of my needs would be easily met by a dedicated on-demand Retreat Team approach when I really think about it.  So I am willing to try it.

Same here.  We have tried the "Butler thing" and - for the most part - it just didn't work for us.  Admittedly, we've appreciated priority boarding and debarking with a Butler escort but that's about it.  I am a "do it myself" person and actually sometimes find having to work through an intermediary to be a challenge or a disadvantage. For example, a Butler once asked us to wait for a group to assemble to take us all to an excursion meeting point. The Butler had the entire group wait for the late-comers to meander in and by the time we arrived at the excursion area, we were at the far end of the line...got the worst seats, etc.  That was the last time we used a Butler for excursions.  Like you, we prefer a different seating area in the theater so we go on our own.   In fact, on the cruises on which we've had access to a Butler, we've used the Butler so infrequently that we feel guilty about not using them when we pass ours in the hallway....and then we struggle about how much to tip someone we've seen only once or twice and whose services we haven't utilized.  I do understand that some people see the Butler as a great advantage. It's just not for us.

[terrydtx]

17 minutes ago, Bluewake said:

Same here.  We have tried the "Butler thing" and - for the most part - it just didn't work for us.  Admittedly, we've appreciated priority boarding and debarking with a Butler escort but that's about it.  I am a "do it myself" person and actually sometimes find having to work through an intermediary to be a challenge or a disadvantage. For example, a Butler once asked us to wait for a group to assemble to take us all to an excursion meeting point. The Butler had the entire group wait for the late-comers to meander in and by the time we arrived at the excursion area, we were at the far end of the line...got the worst seats, etc.  That was the last time we used a Butler for excursions.  Like you, we prefer a different seating area in the theater so we go on our own.   In fact, on the cruises on which we've had access to a Butler, we've used the Butler so infrequently that we feel guilty about not using them when we pass ours in the hallway....and then we struggle about how much to tip someone we've seen only once or twice and whose services we haven't utilized.  I do understand that some people see the Butler as a great advantage. It's just not for us.

The issue with the changes has nothing to do with whether or not you use your butler, but that Celebrity is making a change to an amenity that was advertised when we booked and now it may not be what we booked.

[jbcallender]

9 hours ago, bjahil47 said:

What was confirmed and what takes effect August 18th?

Eliminatioin of butlers for Celebrity Suites and below.

[terrydtx]

1 hour ago, jbcallender said:

Eliminatioin of butlers for Celebrity Suites and below.

Again misinformation not true. going to a team of Butlers confirmed multiple times by Celebrity. Only effects Sky Suites not Celebrity Suites too.

Edited August 15, 2023 by terrydtx

[jbcallender]

4 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Again misinformation not true. going to a team of Butlers confirmed multiple times by Celebrity. Only effects Sky Suites not Celebrity Suites too.

I was in a Celebrity Suite last week.  My Butler said his job was being eliminated and he was offered another position, effective 8/18.  That's all I can report.

[hcat]

1 hour ago, Bluewake said:

Same here.  We have tried the "Butler thing" and - for the most part - it just didn't work for us.  Admittedly, we've appreciated priority boarding and debarking with a Butler escort but that's about it.  I am a "do it myself" person and actually sometimes find having to work through an intermediary to be a challenge or a disadvantage. For example, a Butler once asked us to wait for a group to assemble to take us all to an excursion meeting point. The Butler had the entire group wait for the late-comers to meander in and by the time we arrived at the excursion area, we were at the far end of the line...got the worst seats, etc.  That was the last time we used a Butler for excursions.  Like you, we prefer a different seating area in the theater so we go on our own.   In fact, on the cruises on which we've had access to a Butler, we've used the Butler so infrequently that we feel guilty about not using them when we pass ours in the hallway....and then we struggle about how much to tip someone we've seen only once or twice and whose services we haven't utilized.  I do understand that some people see the Butler as a great advantage. It's just not for us.

same for us we are self starters!

..but our Butler was always knocking on our door... wanting to do for us..Truthfully, she was a pest.

 

folks at the Retreat desk were very helpful. often with.instant results

 

sorry for those who will miss the Butler in Sky Suites , esp if they booked with that perk

 

We are happy to go back to AQ Class..we missed BLU and thermal suites!