Eliminating Butlers - Spoke to Celebrity. Here is conversation.

[ChucktownSteve]

1 hour ago, hcat said:

staff getting the ax,  sky suite pax getting the shaft!

Who's getting the gold mine?

[weregoingcruising]

On 7/29/2023 at 1:02 PM, LMHSRN said:

On-Line chat with David today at 13:50 eastern time.

Question:  Have you done away with Butlers in Suites?

David:  I'm not sure I understand your question.  Please provide additional information.

Question: Have you eliminated Butlers to Suite Guests?

David:  We still have Butlers for our Retreat suites.  However, as of August 15th, butler service for all Sky Suite butler's will be replaced by the Dedicated Retreat Team.

Question:  So will be be getting a refund if sailing after August 15th in a Sky Suite?

David;  For that, you would have to reach out to our Service Department.  They can be reached at 1 (800)556-8209 and Select Option #2

Question:  What is happening to Celebrity Cruise Line?  Are you becoming Carnival?

 

NO ADDITIONAL RESPONSES FROM DAVID!

After you spoke to David did you call your lawyer to verify if Celebrity can make these changes without giving you some monetary compensation? 

[bnurick]

We use for breakfast on port days only (including al Bacio coffee), handling small items while we are on excursions and having canapés we actually like. Usually, they do a number of small touches throughout a cruise. Our last two cruises they were so personable and made things like wine decanting before supper so perfect. We usually tip $500 cash on a 10 night itinerary when they do such an outstanding job. Cannot say enough positives how they have made our X experiences incredible memories.

[Mark_T]

1 hour ago, C4HCG said:

Very often we will leave the deep sleep sign on the door all day, gives the stateroom attendant one rooms rest.

If you plan to do that again it would be a courtesy to find them (usually easy to do) and just tell them to skip you that day, or the result will be them having to check multiple times to see if the sign is still there...

[Ex-Airbalancer]

The biggest difference I saw and read about having a butler is if you were locked in covid prison 

if you didn’t have a butler you were lucky to get any service at all 

2 hour wait for anything was the norm with cold terrible food 

or you would phone room service and tell you to call back later they too busy 

If you had butler, he still bought you very thing ,

Service was like night and day 

[hcat]

40 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

Who's getting the gold mine?

no one we know..not sure abt stockholders..we are not among them..

[Covepointcruiser]

Hard to believe any qualified butler would be without employment.   Silver Seas and Cunard are hiring.    There is a general shortage of employees for all cruise lines.   Doubt that Celebrity would let good employees go when so many other cruise lines are short of employees and eagerly hiring.

[ChucktownSteve]

41 minutes ago, hcat said:

no one we know..not sure abt stockholders..we are not among them..

I'm up 85% since June '22 on my paltry 100 shs. really bought it for the OBC. Not a good investment imo. But now that they're doubling down on the revenue cuts, who knows?

[shirazcruiser]

On 8/19/2023 at 3:16 PM, 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.

Unrelated, but would you be able to post the current Reflection menus for Murano, Tuscan Grill and Lawn Club Grill? If you're too busy, I understand...we're sailing B2B next month and I want to surprise DH with an anniversary dinner. Thank you and have a great cruise....I'll report back after our cruise regarding our butler experience.  

Edited August 20, 2023 by shirazcruiser

[jelayne]

53 minutes ago, shirazcruiser said:

Unrelated, but would you be able to post the current Reflection menus for Murano, Tuscan Grill and Lawn Club Grill? If you're too busy, I understand...we're sailing B2B next month and I want to surprise DH with an anniversary dinner. Thank you and have a great cruise....I'll report back after our cruise regarding our butler experience.  

You can find them in the app.  Murano and Tuscan menus are the same on all ships with those.  Lawn Gill is only on Reflection & Silhouette.  If the menus are not showing in the app for your sailing then go to a current sailing of the Reflction  or Silhouette and you can see the menus. 

[shirazcruiser]

10 minutes ago, jelayne said:

You can find them in the app. 

Thank you. 

[OfficerKrupke]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

no one we know..not sure abt stockholders..we are not among them..

As of today my RCCL stock is up 218% since I bought it in 2020. It's been as high as 256% but has been sliding, so these cuts aren't affecting shareholders in the slightest.

[sixpackeddie]

12 hours ago, shirazcruiser said:

Unrelated, but would you be able to post the current Reflection menus for Murano, Tuscan Grill and Lawn Club Grill? If you're too busy, I understand...we're sailing B2B next month and I want to surprise DH with an anniversary dinner. Thank you and have a great cruise....I'll report back after our cruise regarding our butler experience.  

It’s a pleasure.I really need an excuse to get moving as the pants are getting a little tight. We just had lunch at Lawn Club Grill and the burgers were delicious! 
Our favourite is still Murano!

[bnurick]

29 minutes ago, sixpackeddie said:

29 minutes ago, sixpackeddie said:

Our favourite is still Murano!

Ours too, love the table side lobster. 🦞 

[TeeRick]

18 hours ago, Duanerice1 said:

Don't take this the wrong way, but does anyone really need a butler?  Never booked a suite because we take 4 or 5 decent vacations a year and don't want to spend that kind of money for a cruise.  But if I did, I think I'd book for the Retreat, drinks, dining, bigger room, etc.  a butler would never even enter into my thoughts.  What do they actually do?  Out of, probably 20 cruises I can't think of anytime I would have needed a butler. 

 

Again, nothing wrong with it but is a butler really necessary? 

Have  great cruise!

Your post is similar to others here asking that same question.  Outside of the initial complaints about the change in benefits after booking/payments, it seems that this thread (and others recent threads on this topic) break into a couple of "camps".

1) Retreat cruisers who use the Butler a lot and call them up to several times a day.

2) Retreat cruisers who don't use their butler much and at times struggle to find things for them to do.

 

From posts here, IMO the second camp has perhaps more members than the first camp.  And the Butler Team might be all they need.  In general I am a member of the second camp.

 

 

[shirazcruiser]

1 hour ago, sixpackeddie said:

It’s a pleasure.I really need an excuse to get moving as the pants are getting a little tight. We just had lunch at Lawn Club Grill and the burgers were delicious! Our favourite is still Murano!

 

Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to take the photos! Murano it is!  And I have to try a burger since you recommended it...I love burgers!.  Hope you're pants are a little looser and enjoy your cruise! 

[DaKahuna]

On 8/20/2023 at 1:45 PM, Duanerice1 said:

Don't take this the wrong way, but does anyone really need a butler?  

 

Again, nothing wrong with it but is a butler really necessary? 

Some of the things we have had butlers do for us include:

 

  Sandwiches (late lunch) and drinks on the balcony after returning from being ashore 

  Saving two seats at the high rail at the back of the theatre on evening chic nights (we prefer those seats to the reserved suite guest seats

   Shrimp and or cheese plate in the afternoon 

   A bowl of potato chips 

   Shining my dress shoes 

 

 

[abbydancer2003]

27 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Some of the things we have had butlers do for us include:

 

  Sandwiches (late lunch) and drinks on the balcony after returning from being ashore 

  Saving two seats at the high rail at the back of the theatre on evening chic nights (we prefer those seats to the reserved suite guest seats

   Shrimp and or cheese plate in the afternoon 

   A bowl of potato chips 

   Shining my dress shoes 

 

 

I really hope we can get the potato chips.  (and I'm not being sarcastic - a butler recently brought them because he thought we'd like them.  And kept bringing them after he noticed that we ate them).

[chemmo]

3 hours ago, abbydancer said:

I really hope we can get the potato chips.  (and I'm not being sarcastic - a butler recently brought them because he thought we'd like them.  And kept bringing them after he noticed that we ate them).

I think it is the little things butlers sometimes do that adds to your cruise pleasure! I remember us once returning to our suite saying we were shattered and going to watch a film. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and our butler had a big bowl of popcorn for us!

[DaKahuna]

7 hours ago, abbydancer said:

I really hope we can get the potato chips.  (and I'm not being sarcastic - a butler recently brought them because he thought we'd like them.  And kept bringing them after he noticed that we ate them).

 

 Me too.  They use to have small cans of Pringles at the mini-bar and we would get the 'drinks & more' package that included the mini-bar.  They stopped so I asked our butler, Hilario, for some potato chips and he brough me a bowl of them with our afternoon shrimp cocktail.  

 

4 hours ago, chemmo said:

I think it is the little things butlers sometimes do that adds to your cruise pleasure! I remember us once returning to our suite saying we were shattered and going to watch a film. A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and our butler had a big bowl of popcorn for us!

 

 I agree 100%  It's the little things more than the grand gestures that we appreciate.  

 

 Hopefully, we'll soon start seeing post about what it's like for those sailing NOW in sky suites without the butlers.  

 

[Older Sister]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

Hopefully, we'll soon start seeing post about what it's like for those sailing NOW in sky suites without the butlers.  

I’ll report back next week.  We board the Eclipse on Sunday and will be first-timers in a Sky Suite.  Thanks for all of the suggestions as to things the butler team can (and hopefully will) do for us!  

Edited August 22, 2023 by Older Sister

[shirazcruiser]

9 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

Some of the things we have had butlers do for us include:    A bowl of potato chips 

 

 

 

Never thought of asking our butler for potato chips when we watch a movie...we usually try to fill a plate at the buffet and cover it with a napkin so they don't fall. 

 

5 hours ago, chemmo said:

 . A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and our butler had a big bowl of popcorn for us!

DH is a popcorn fanatic and always misses his popcorn on a trip and when we watch a movie...I hope on our trip next month that he can get some delivered so he won't go through withdrawals...it's not a pretty sight. Thanks for the hints!

[JDPCruisers]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 Me too.  They use to have small cans of Pringles at the mini-bar and we would get the 'drinks & more' package that included the mini-bar.  They stopped so I asked our butler, Hilario, for some potato chips and he brough me a bowl of them with our afternoon shrimp cocktail.  

 

 

 I agree 100%  It's the little things more than the grand gestures that we appreciate.  

 

 Hopefully, we'll soon start seeing post about what it's like for those sailing NOW in sky suites without the butlers.  

 

My perspective, I am agreement in that's it's not that fact that we use them every day but, in our experience, they will not only ask what your preferences are but suggest if they can do certain things, i.e. appetizers and drinks as you get ready for the evening, cookies at turndown, supervising unpacking of the luggage (which my wife did want this done the first couple of times but then after a hectic travel schedule getting to the ship I told her to try it, did, and truly appreciated it ever sense), etc. We don't do room service as we really enjoy Lumanie and meeting with new friends, but a well-made pizza after a late night in our suite was always welcomed! And, most importantly we got to know, appreciate, and like our butler after having the same one for multiple voyages (with him replacing another assigned butler at his request to be with us), including a 21 day voyage this April and were scheduled with him again in Dec, so very disappointing to have that taken away from us now. Knowing him, he will stop by our suite to say hello even if he cannot provide his services. Like others, look forward to other current SS guests' thoughts on their experience. 

[terrydtx]

We had one fantastic butler on a previous cruise, and we have stayed in contact with him. I got an email over the weekend from him, he is now servicing only the higher suites and happy he kept his job. He did say that the passengers in sky suites currently on his ship are not happy and expressing many complaints with the Retreat Manager about the less service they are receiving from the Butler Team. I do not want to say which ship he is on so that he doesn't get into any trouble with Celebrity. 

[JDPCruisers]

2 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

We had one fantastic butler on a previous cruise, and we have stayed in contact with him. I got an email over the weekend from him, he is now servicing only the higher suites and happy he kept his job. He did say that the passengers in sky suites currently on his ship are not happy and expressing many complaints with the Retreat Manager about the less service they are receiving from the Butler Team. I do not want to say which ship he is on so that he doesn't get into any trouble with Celebrity. 

Thanks for the update. We are the same with ours, have kept in contact with him. I'm sure SS guests are not happy, I anticipate that will be the same on our Dec cruise and I'm sure the Retreat Manager and Hotel Director will be getting an earful, though it is not of their doing.