Is anyone on a cruise in a Sky Suite that can comment about the changes instead of speculating.

[aml3679]

We have a Sky Suite booked in November on the Silhouette.  Our first suite ever and maybe our last since we are retired and live only on social security.  We are celebrating our mutual retirements.

 

There are many people up in arms about not having a dedicated butler.  Some are even canceling their cruise.  Some say they are done with Celebrity.

 

It would be nice to hear from someone who is actually on a current cruise and can comment.

 

 I am sure that I am not the only curious person.

 

Thanks.

 

 

[gizmodog]

Very curious

[micruiser2002]

I also would prefer to hear what it is like in another month.  I think this change is too new to understand the long term effect.  I am sure there are probably going to be a bit of growing pains initially. It will also be interesting to see how much this may negatively impact the remaining crew and if it causes internal issues.

[zgscl]

4 hours ago, micruiser2002 said:

I also would prefer to hear what it is like in another month.  I think this change is too new to understand the long term effect.  I am sure there are probably going to be a bit of growing pains initially. It will also be interesting to see how much this may negatively impact the remaining crew and if it causes internal issues.

Totally agree. The roll out will probably be messy and both crew and guests will not be happy about it. The reports I have seen elsewhere are that the room attendant is now basically the butler, there is a head butler to oversee everything, and they absolutely cannot bring you water or restock your mini fridge but feel free to do it yourself (the mini fridge was never a Sky Suite perk, but I know a lot of butlers would stock it anyway). 

 

I have seen a few different numbers - one room steward/butler to 12 sky suites to do everything for, and 2 butlers for all the sky suites serving as the "team." I don't know how reliable either of these reports are. 

 

What I have seen reported fairly consistently is 3 butlers for the upper suites on a  Solstice class vessel and 4 on Edge class. I think that gives a ratio for upper suites of about 1 butler for 7 or 8 suites. Not sure how this compared to before. 

[wineoclock]

We will be in a magic carpet suite in October so I can report back then. I’m hopeful that any issues would have been sorted out by then.

[Georgia_Peaches]

On 8/21/2023 at 9:00 PM, aml3679 said:

There are many people up in arms about not having a dedicated butler.  Some are even canceling their cruise.  Some say they are done with Celebrity.

First, congratulations on your retirements! 🍾 I just wanted to ask what was it about the SS that led you to book one?  Was having a butler a deciding factor or was it the complete package of perks?

 

I am considering canceling but it’s not just about the butler situation, it’s the overall perception of the diminishing of the SS product that is leading me there. I will be interesting to see (read about) people’s experiences in the coming weeks and months. 
 

[karmamule]

On 8/21/2023 at 9:00 PM, aml3679 said:

We have a Sky Suite booked in November on the Silhouette.  Our first suite ever and maybe our last since we are retired and live only on social security.  We are celebrating our mutual retirements.

 

There are many people up in arms about not having a dedicated butler.  Some are even canceling their cruise.  Some say they are done with Celebrity.

 

It would be nice to hear from someone who is actually on a current cruise and can comment.

 

 I am sure that I am not the only curious person.

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

Congrats on both your retirements, that's great! Mine is next year and it cannot get here soon enough.

 

We'll be in an Aqua Sky Suite this October on the Summit and, if still of interest, will report back here on how that went.

Edited August 23, 2023 by karmamule

[Georgia_Peaches]

58 minutes ago, paulh84 said:

Most of the frequent commenters on the topic here have gotten themselves worked into such hysteria that actual useful reviews will be hard to come by. 

Personally, I think the hysteria is more about paying $10k for a magic carpet SS only to learn that the benefits of such have/are being cut back...

 

This is a screen shot of the current price on Edge for next May, 7 nights to Alaska.  We are booked on this and fortunately, the fare we are paying is about half this rate...or the current rate of an A2 category for the same cruise.

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[terrydtx]

10 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

Yes we definitely used our butler for delivering and setting up breakfast on our balcony a few times a cruise.  That will be a big negative if the Team does not do that.

One post I saw said on E Class ships with over 130 Sky, Sky Aqua, Sky Sunset and Sky Magic Carper suites now only have 5 butlers to service all of them. I see no way they will be able to deliver our RS breakfasts.

[terrydtx]

5 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Personally, I think the hysteria is more about paying $10k for a magic carpet SS only to learn that the benefits of such have/are being cut back...

 

This is a screen shot of the current price on Edge for next May, 7 nights to Alaska.  We are booked on this and fortunately, the fare we are paying is about half this rate...or the current rate of an A2 category for the same cruise.

 

Is that per person or total for 2?  

[Georgia_Peaches]

11 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Is that per person or total for 2?  

Good question...I should clarify...the SS fare is the total for 2 passengers.  The A2 fare is a screenshot of the PP rate before taxes...I got a little lazy and didn't take it all the way to the total page for the A2 category.

 

My apologies for causing confusion 😇.

[emmas gran]

7 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Good question...I should clarify...the SS fare is the total for 2 passengers.  The A2 fare is a screenshot of the PP rate before taxes...I got a little lazy and didn't take it all the way to the total page for the A2 category.

 

My apologies for causing confusion 😇.

I have B2B2B on Edge and each leg is over £8000 for 14/12/14 days in a Sky suite, it will be my last!! Booked Oct 21 sailing 30th October

Edited August 23, 2023 by emmas gran

[hcat]

23 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Personally, I think the hysteria is more about paying $10k for a magic carpet SS only to learn that the benefits of such have/are being cut back...

 

This is a screen shot of the current price on Edge for next May, 7 nights to Alaska.  We are booked on this and fortunately, the fare we are paying is about half this rate...or the current rate of an A2 category for the same cruise.

 

i would not cancel at those rates.. Enjoy the cruise...  pethaps you can find other ways to get pampered. . 

 

a nice thing to do is have mimosas on the Magic Carpet..grab some pastries and fruit from  the Solarium Cafe..I loved doing this...no crowds, great views!   like your own  really big balcony!

[paulh84]

25 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Personally, I think the hysteria is more about paying $10k for a magic carpet SS only to learn that the benefits of such have/are being cut back...

 

This is a screen shot of the current price on Edge for next May, 7 nights to Alaska.  We are booked on this and fortunately, the fare we are paying is about half this rate...or the current rate of an A2 category for the same cruise.

 

 

 

My point is there is very little if any reliable information about the impact to the overall experience. There is a lot of "I saw on Facebook" and "I heard from unnamed sources" which hold no weight. I want real, actual verifiable facts before making a decision and I want those from someone who isn't determined to share their misery with anyone whose attention they can get. 

 

 

 

[dateacher]

I guess I am low maintenance.  We were on a B2B in a Sky Suite on the Beyond in January and never used the butler.  I met him when we boarded and don't remember any other contact with him.  Whatever we needed was provided by the room steward or the Concierge in the Retreat.  

 

I guess to some a butler is important but just wanted to add my 2 cents that it probably won't impact your cruise much.

[patty1955]

3 minutes ago, dateacher said:

I guess I am low maintenance.  We were on a B2B in a Sky Suite on the Beyond in January and never used the butler.  I met him when we boarded and don't remember any other contact with him.  Whatever we needed was provided by the room steward or the Concierge in the Retreat.  

 

I guess to some a butler is important but just wanted to add my 2 cents that it probably won't impact your cruise much.

The one time we booked a Sky Suite, the butler did nothing more than we normally receive in a Concierge room. We got afternoon snack and  that's it. We didn't know what service we could ask for and he didn't tell us. We were not impressed.

[George C]

48 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Personally, I think the hysteria is more about paying $10k for a magic carpet SS only to learn that the benefits of such have/are being cut back...

 

This is a screen shot of the current price on Edge for next May, 7 nights to Alaska.  We are booked on this and fortunately, the fare we are paying is about half this rate...or the current rate of an A2 category for the same cruise.

 

I wouldn’t pay 8k for a sky suite, we have a royal on a music charter in March for 11k on a M class. We paid 6k last November for aft sky suite on beyond this November it’s more than 8k so we booked suite on rccl for 5k , might book MSc yacht next year , prefer yacht club perks to celebrity.

[jelayne]

52 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

One post I saw said on E Class ships with over 130 Sky, Sky Aqua, Sky Sunset and Sky Magic Carper suites now only have 5 butlers to service all of them. I see no way they will be able to deliver our RS breakfasts.

The 5 Butlers are only for the  Celebrity Suites and above, roughly 35 suites.  Service in those Suites should not be impacted.

[OysterD]

8 minutes ago, dateacher said:

I guess I am low maintenance.  We were on a B2B in a Sky Suite on the Beyond in January and never used the butler.  I met him when we boarded and don't remember any other contact with him.  Whatever we needed was provided by the room steward or the Concierge in the Retreat.  

 

I guess to some a butler is important but just wanted to add my 2 cents that it probably won't impact your cruise much.

I have a sneaky suspicion that most people are probably in your camp. When debating the pros and cons with friends of placing a move up bid from AQ to a SS on our upcoming cruise the availability of a butler or butler team didn't factor into our decision. We would make use of one. 

 

I've mentioned it previously, but who knows better about how much butlers are used - Celebrity with piles of data on butler requests and time they spend on xyz, or anecdotal posts on here about how an individual uses a butler several times a day. I've definitely seen more individuals post on here saying they don't use a butler versus those who have said they do. 

 

There have still been no first hand reports on here from anyone so who knows whether those who do make use of a butler will notice any changes or not. For their sake I hope they still receive the expected level of service they desire, and to probably most other people no difference will be noticed. 

[terrydtx]

11 minutes ago, jelayne said:

The 5 Butlers are only for the  Celebrity Suites and above, roughly 35 suites.  Service in those Suites should not be impacted.

No it was reported that all the sky suites only had 5 butlers as their team.

Edited August 23, 2023 by terrydtx

[terrydtx]

24 minutes ago, dateacher said:

I guess I am low maintenance.  We were on a B2B in a Sky Suite on the Beyond in January and never used the butler.  I met him when we boarded and don't remember any other contact with him.  Whatever we needed was provided by the room steward or the Concierge in the Retreat.  

 

I guess to some a butler is important but just wanted to add my 2 cents that it probably won't impact your cruise much.

Again, whether you use a butler or not is NOT the issue here, people who have booked and paid for cruises prior to the butler change, are NOT getting what the booked and paid for.

[waterbug123]

I must be in the minority.  We are on Apex beginning of next month, and were originally in a concierge class because there were no sky suites available.  A week or so ago I noticed a sky suite had opened up and jumped on it.  The main reason?  It's a bigger cabin and we want the additional space for our 12 night cruise.  Secondary reasons were the included tips/wifi/drink package, and additional onboard credit.

The potential lack of a butler didn't concern me in the least.  I would never consider spending the not insignificant amount of additional money just to make sure someone was setting up my breakfast table; I'm not so special that I can't pour my own coffee.   Is it a devaluation?  Sure.  But to swear off ever booking a sky suite again because you won't have a butler to set up your breakfast table?  And ignoring that fact that that means you're also giving up a lot of extra space and other benefits?  That's a classic example of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

[PTC DAWG]

I can set up my own breakfast…

[swigso]

3 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

I can set up my own breakfast…

I too can set up my breakfast but it is so nice to be brought to my cabin at the time I want. We were really spoiled by our butler on our last 2 cruises on the Reflection and the Edge. Both brought us wine and water. A once a day visit with some bottles of water and a bottle of wine with clean glasses was all we needed. 
breakfast on the balcony was another treat we will see in March if we see a difference.

[jelayne]

4 hours ago, terrydtx said:

No it was reported that all the sky suites only had 5 butlers as their team.

We must have read different reports.