Eliminating Butlers - Spoke to Celebrity. Here is conversation.

[zitsky]

36 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

That is waaaay overcooked.

[NMTraveller]

3 hours ago, zitsky said:

That is waaaay overcooked.

Is this one better?

[zitsky]

8 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

Is this one better?

I’ll wait until I see it on the MDR menu.

[terrydtx]

5 minutes ago, zitsky said:

I’ll wait until I see it on the MDR menu.

Isn't a Crow just one evolutionary step below a Vulture? 

[TeeRick]

14 hours ago, terrydtx said:

That is part of my plan, based on the butler service for our 5 previous SS retreat cruises.

Terry, I do look forward to your comments on the change.  You said you have a plan to test it.  If it were me (and its not) I would be very much trying to enjoy that great cruise on APEX and not be too focused on this change to the point that it disrupts my vacation experience.  But again, a dedicated butler is not usually a thing that I use very much and it would not distract me from my cruise if I had to use a Team.

[NMTraveller]

I believe that the issue is that they reduced the number of butlers available by almost half.  Yet another Celebrity cut.  So many cuts since January I have lost track.

[C4HCG]

47 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

I believe that the issue is that they reduced the number of butlers available by almost half.  Yet another Celebrity cut.  So many cuts since January I have lost track.

I am sure you have a list somewhere 😁

[chemmo]

3 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Terry, I do look forward to your comments on the change.  You said you have a plan to test it.  If it were me (and its not) I would be very much trying to enjoy that great cruise on APEX and not be too focused on this change to the point that it disrupts my vacation experience.  But again, a dedicated butler is not usually a thing that I use very much and it would not distract me from my cruise if I had to use a Team.

Totally agree don’t let it spoil your cruise, Terry…

 

Also Terry, bear in mind the service you have described on CC far outweighs the listed Sky Suites perks…Indeed you seem to have had better service in a SS than we have had sometimes in a RS or PH!

Edited August 17, 2023 by chemmo

[LMHSRN]

On 8/15/2023 at 7:20 AM, zitsky said:

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

I wonder?

[LMHSRN]

On 8/15/2023 at 9:47 AM, terrydtx said:

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.

You mean because you will not be able to call your butler 2-4 times each day like before?

I'm sure cruisers that over utilize the butlers are the reason for the change.  Folks that only call once in a while or even as little as once a day get cheated by those that call several times a day.   Know what I mean?

[LMHSRN]

On 8/15/2023 at 11:25 AM, terrydtx said:

Yes some of the lower rated butlers are being let go for their low ratings the better ones are being reassigned to the Celebrity Suites and up as dedicated butlers. But, I would take the information I have received firsthand from Celebrity over what a butler tells you. And for the last time Celebrity Suites are not affected or included in this new team of butler/retreat hosts for ONLY Sky Suites.

OMG and your posting is the only one for real.  Noting anyone else has been told by X is creditable?   You would think with the history of misinformation direct from X you would know better.

[sixpackeddie]

On 7/30/2023 at 5:56 AM, jelayne said:

This isn’t on LLP’s watch.  This is one of many changes unannounced since Laura Hodges took over.  
One that hasn’t hit the boards is now if you reprice an onboard booking you lose the OBC for booking on board.  No ship, sail date, cabin category change just a price drop. 

Bingo you are correct.

[C-Dragons]

5 hours ago, TeeRick said:

Terry, I do look forward to your comments on the change.  You said you have a plan to test it.  If it were me (and its not) I would be very much trying to enjoy that great cruise on APEX and not be too focused on this change to the point that it disrupts my vacation experience.  But again, a dedicated butler is not usually a thing that I use very much and it would not distract me from my cruise if I had to use a Team.

👍👍

[LMHSRN]

On 8/16/2023 at 12:44 PM, terrydtx said:

I will know first hand next month, in a SS on the Apex, and I fully intend to test the limits of what we can and can no longer get through our butler.

Oh know.  Now how many times a day are you going to be calling them?

[weregoingcruising]

27 minutes ago, LMHSRN said:

Oh know.  Now how many times a day are you going to be calling them?

Great question.

[sixpackeddie]

On 8/15/2023 at 6:25 PM, terrydtx said:

Yes some of the lower rated butlers are being let go for their low ratings the better ones are being reassigned to the Celebrity Suites and up as dedicated butlers. But, I would take the information I have received firsthand from Celebrity over what a butler tells you. And for the last time Celebrity Suites are not affected or included in this new team of butler/retreat hosts for ONLY Sky Suites.

I heard from staff on our current cruise on the Reflection the cut from 9 butlers to 3 butlers on this ship was determined by seniority. The Butlers that had positions that were eliminated were moved to other departments. Not sure if this had any layoffs further down the line as a result of this change.

[chemmo]

2 minutes ago, sixpackeddie said:

I heard from staff on our current cruise on the Reflection the cut from 9 butlers to 3 butlers on this ship was determined by seniority. The Butlers that had positions that were eliminated were moved to other departments. Not sure if this had any layoffs further down the line as a result of this change.

So how is your service going? Is your bar being replenished? Quick response to requests? Have you tried to order anything else from room service?

[sixpackeddie]

5 hours ago, chemmo said:

So how is your service going? Is your bar being replenished? Quick response to requests? Have you tried to order anything else from room service?

Everything is great, excellent service all around like usual. Yes bar is being replenished daily and have been receiving a nice Charcuterie Board daily with fresh cut flowers. Have not ordered anything from room service after trying to order from a speciality restaurant. 
We are in an upper suite so have not been affected by the changes noticed by sky suites guests. 

[SusieAV8R]

On 8/17/2023 at 12:34 PM, chemmo said:

Totally agree don’t let it spoil your cruise, Terry…

 

Also Terry, bear in mind the service you have described on CC far outweighs the listed Sky Suites perks…Indeed you seem to have had better service in a SS than we have had sometimes in a RS or PH!

You concisely voiced my thoughts, Chemmo!! 

[chemmo]

7 hours ago, sixpackeddie said:

Everything is great, excellent service all around like usual. Yes bar is being replenished daily and have been receiving a nice Charcuterie Board daily with fresh cut flowers. Have not ordered anything from room service after trying to order from a speciality restaurant. 
We are in an upper suite so have not been affected by the changes noticed by sky suites guests. 

Thanks for that…Just a couple more questions if you don’t mind.
 

Is there still an afternoon tea in the Retreat Lounge? If so is it still being serviced by butlers or ‘Team members’. 
 

Was the Charcuterie board your request or simply what was delivered?

[sixpackeddie]

2 hours ago, chemmo said:

Thanks for that…Just a couple more questions if you don’t mind.
 

Is there still an afternoon tea in the Retreat Lounge? If so is it still being serviced by butlers or ‘Team members’. 
 

Was the Charcuterie board your request or simply what was delivered?

Yes, there are 2 retreat team butlers in Michael’s Club including the amazing bar tender Cranston.

Yes, afternoon tea is served daily in Michael’s Club. The Charcuterie board was send without us asking. Upper suites have not been affected from the cutbacks other than being able to order from specialty restaurants to your stateroom from our experience so far. Not a big deal for us but was nice to have as an option to order in  when you don’t feel like going out.

[chemmo]

26 minutes ago, sixpackeddie said:

Yes, there are 2 retreat team butlers in Michael’s Club including the amazing bar tender Cranston.

Yes, afternoon tea is served daily in Michael’s Club. The Charcuterie board was send without us asking. Upper suites have not been affected from the cutbacks other than being able to order from specialty restaurants to your stateroom from our experience so far. Not a big deal for us but was nice to have as an option to order in  when you don’t feel like going out.

Sincere thanks for taking time out of your cruise to keep us updated!

 

 

[bnurick]

1 hour ago, sixpackeddie said:

Yes, there are 2 retreat team butlers in Michael’s Club including the amazing bar tender Cranston.

Yes, afternoon tea is served daily in Michael’s Club. The Charcuterie board was send without us asking. Upper suites have not been affected from the cutbacks other than being able to order from specialty restaurants to your stateroom from our experience so far. Not a big deal for us but was nice to have as an option to order in  when you don’t feel like going out.

Appreciate the information. We have 1 SS, 4 CS and 1CC booked currently. Cheers!

[SunnySunflower]

On 8/14/2023 at 6:28 PM, 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 last night on our cruise our butler in the Retreat confirmed that he was being asked to move back to housekeeping or retire. 15 years as a butler and now will have to relearn his new role in housekeeping.(If Celebrity reads my post the butler took great care of us. He was careful not to say he was being demoted and was not negative in any way. ) We did not dig for more information so I cannot comment beyond what he told us.

[t18c97]

8 minutes ago, SunnySunflower said:

The last night on our cruise our butler in the Retreat confirmed that he was being asked to move back to housekeeping or retire. 15 years as a butler and now will have to relearn his new role in housekeeping.(If Celebrity reads my post the butler took great care of us. He was careful not to say he was being demoted and was not negative in any way. ) We did not dig for more information so I cannot comment beyond what he told us.

That sucks.