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

[Gracie115]

4 hours ago, waterbug123 said:

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.

 

 

I can do all those things too.... but THAT's not the reason I wouldn't book a Sky Suite.  I wouldn't book them because they aren't worth the price being charged. Period...

 

The lack of dedicated butlers and other cuts that have been happening are just additional reasons.  

[sixpackeddie]

5 hours 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.

Correct, upper level suites are not affected. We are in an upper suite on the reflection and there are now 3 butlers servicing 27 suites. Sky Suites are now being taken care of from 2 retreat butlers that are stationed in Michael’s Club.

We are doing another upper level suite on August 26th on the Edge and will let you know if there are any additional changes.

[JDPCruisers]

12 minutes ago, sixpackeddie said:

Correct, upper level suites are not affected. We are in an upper suite on the reflection and there are now 3 butlers servicing 27 suites. Sky Suites are now being taken care of from 2 retreat butlers that are stationed in Michael’s Club.

We are doing another upper level suite on August 26th on the Edge and will let you know if there are any additional changes.

Do you feel like you are getting good service from your butler and the rest of the staff? Not sure how 2 butlers for ~80 Sky suites actually works and would be nice to hear from those currently on board in a Sky suite. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

5 hours ago, hcat said:

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

Agree!  We snagged our SS for $5600 all in...a bargain by today's standards.  So the new butler team vs. old dedicated butler doesn't really bother me....Had I booked at current rates, I wouldn't be happy, though...in principle, not because we use a butler much.

 

6 hours ago, hcat said:

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!

Thanks for the tip!  Sounds lovely!

[hcat]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Agree!  We snagged our SS for $5600 all in...a bargain by today's standards.  So the new butler team vs. old dedicated butler doesn't really bother me....Had I booked at current rates, I wouldn't be happy, though...in principle, not because we use a butler much.

 

Thanks for the tip!  Sounds lovely!

It was my daily treat while dh  relaxed in the solarium .. hope it works for you

[waterbug123]

4 hours ago, swigso said:

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.

Don't get me wrong, those things are certainly nice.  But if you ask me how much more I'd pay to get them, the answer would be not much.  But how much more would I pay to have all the extra space, plus included drinks, wifi, and gratuities?  A whole lot more.  That's where the real value is in a sky suite, in my opinion.

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, waterbug123 said:

Don't get me wrong, those things are certainly nice.  But if you ask me how much more I'd pay to get them, the answer would be not much.  But how much more would I pay to have all the extra space, plus included drinks, wifi, and gratuities?  A whole lot more.  That's where the real value is in a sky suite, in my opinion.

Would you be upset if after you booked and paid (which we have)  they took away the  beverage package?  It’s not whether you use a inclusion a lot or a little it was part of what you paid for.

[miched]

12 hours ago, karmamule said:

 

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.

Don’t wish your life away.   
 

Many think and I was one that retirement was not having to got to work and everything would be the same.
 

Wrong.   I was really physically fit.   My wife and I did many of the Beach Body program.  P90X , Insanity, Focus, and etc.   We are in very great shape.   BMI of 20.     Problem is other issues.   All of a sudden our bodies started to fall apart.  I have had both hips replaced.   My wife had skin cancer.  
 

We still try to bike 20 miles per day during the warmer months and other activities during the winter. 
 

My back and knees have deterioration.  

Our hearing is deteriorating.   We need to use CC on the TV.  
 

Many of our friends have died.  
 

DON’T WISH YOUR LIFE AWAY 

 

The cruise will come fast enough and will be gone faster.  Enjoy ever day as tomorrow may never come. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

 

[sixpackeddie]

6 hours ago, JDPCruisers said:

Do you feel like you are getting good service from your butler and the rest of the staff? Not sure how 2 butlers for ~80 Sky suites actually works and would be nice to hear from those currently on board in a Sky suite. 

We are disembarking shortly, we have had excellent service from our butler and the entire staff for the past 10 days.
The only change that we noticed is not being able to have dining from a specialty restaurant to your cabin via your butler which we have always been able to in the past when sailing in an upper suite. 

[buncosquad]

52 minutes ago, sixpackeddie said:

We are disembarking shortly, we have had excellent service from our butler and the entire staff for the past 10 days.
The only change that we noticed is not being able to have dining from a specialty restaurant to your cabin via your butler which we have always been able to in the past when sailing in an upper suite. 

Can you please identify your exact suite type? TY

[sixpackeddie]

1 hour ago, buncosquad said:

Can you please identify your exact suite type? TY

Signature suite deck 14.

[swigso]

14 minutes ago, sixpackeddie said:

Signature suite deck 14.

Hi  

the changes to the butler services are only for sky suites at the moment. I think there are no changes to the service for Celebrity suites and higher categories.

 

[sixpackeddie]

9 minutes ago, swigso said:

Hi  

the changes to the butler services are only for sky suites at the moment. I think there are no changes to the service for Celebrity suites and higher categories.

 

Correct, the changes are only for Sky Suites and Aqua Sky Suites.

[karmamule]

7 hours ago, miched said:

Don’t wish your life away.   
 

Many think and I was one that retirement was not having to got to work and everything would be the same.
 

Wrong.   I was really physically fit.   My wife and I did many of the Beach Body program.  P90X , Insanity, Focus, and etc.   We are in very great shape.   BMI of 20.     Problem is other issues.   All of a sudden our bodies started to fall apart.  I have had both hips replaced.   My wife had skin cancer.  
 

We still try to bike 20 miles per day during the warmer months and other activities during the winter. 
 

My back and knees have deterioration.  

Our hearing is deteriorating.   We need to use CC on the TV.  
 

Many of our friends have died.  
 

DON’T WISH YOUR LIFE AWAY 

 

The cruise will come fast enough and will be gone faster.  Enjoy ever day as tomorrow may never come. 

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry to hear you've had all that hitting you. That sort of possibility is one reason why I'm retiring as young as I am (62). I'll be giving up some of the swankier things (e.g. suites will be a rare exception rather than the rule) in order to afford it but we'll still live comfortably and, more importantly, I'm more likely to have more healthy years ahead of me than if I retired in my late 60s.

 

On the other side of the anecdote coin I have friends who are retired and going strong and absolutely loving life. One of the key reasons I'm looking forward to it is the chance to dive more deeply into some hobbies and activities I just haven't had time for in the past couple decades. We're also looking to get a dog which we didn't want to do while both of us were working. 

 

I'm certainly not wishing my life away, we have lots of day-to-day joys, but I'm more than ready to finish the day-to-day office grind.

 

 

[Mark_T]

5 hours ago, swigso said:

Hi  

the changes to the butler services are only for sky suites at the moment. I think there are no changes to the service for Celebrity suites and higher categories.

 

... other than this one it seems...

 

7 hours ago, sixpackeddie said:

The only change that we noticed is not being able to have dining from a specialty restaurant to your cabin via your butler which we have always been able to in the past when sailing in an upper suite. 

 

[verizon]

I just get onboard Reflection in a sky suite not seeing any butler 

but I do have a Head Butler name card left in the room

i think his name is John.

[DaKahuna]

21 minutes ago, verizon said:

I just get onboard Reflection in a sky suite not seeing any butler 

but I do have a Head Butler name card left in the room

i think his name is John.

 

 I wonder if the "Head Butler" is the same as the Retreat Host in the Retreat Lounge/Michael's Club. 

 

[Silkroad]

6 hours ago, swigso said:

Hi  

the changes to the butler services are only for sky suites at the moment. I think there are no changes to the service for Celebrity suites and higher categories.

 

Correct. The changes affect only Sky Suites, which include Sky Suite, Aqua Sky Suite, Sunset Sky Suite and Magic Carpet Sky Suite categories. 

Edited August 24, 2023 by Silkroad

[verizon]

5 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I wonder if the "Head Butler" is the same as the Retreat Host in the Retreat Lounge/Michael's Club. 

 

No it is different 

There are two in the retreat 

sorry one of the retreat name is John and not the Head Butler’s name

[verizon]

28 minutes ago, verizon said:

No it is different 

There are two in the retreat 

sorry one of the retreat name is John and not the Head Butler’s name

Heat butler name is Sumit

Retreat iConcierge is John & Mudit .

There  is also a Retreat host name Fatkur

Edited August 24, 2023 by verizon

[jelayne]

1 hour ago, verizon said:

Heat butler name is Sumit

Retreat iConcierge is John & Mudit .

There  is also a Retreat host name Fatkur

And of the group who does what?  

[JDPCruisers]

1 hour ago, verizon said:

Heat butler name is Sumit

Retreat iConcierge is John & Mudit .

There  is also a Retreat host name Fatkur

Thanks for the real-time feedback. I believe from another thread that Sumit was a dedicated suite butler before the change? If you are game to provide any updates to what you are experiencing with the level of service, I for one and, not to speak for others, likely some that have future cruises booked in Sky suites would be most interested!  

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, verizon said:

Heat butler name is Sumit

Retreat iConcierge is John & Mudit .

There  is also a Retreat host name Fatkur

 

If the Retreat Concierge John is a young gentleman from the UK please tell him John from Reflection says hello and that I am still using the iPhone case he so graciously gave me. 

 

[verizon]

16 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

If the Retreat Concierge John is a young gentleman from the UK please tell him John from Reflection says hello and that I am still using the iPhone case he so graciously gave me. 

I have in suite most of my Celebrity cruises.

the big big diferent I have seen is no more greeting from the butler.

I think I know each John you were talking so far I haven’t met him yet

when I went to the Retreat there were only four passengers excluding me and Clackston in the bartender there.

I have never seen so quite in the Retreat on embarkation day.

Saw two young gentlemen they must be the Concierge.

 

Edited August 24, 2023 by verizon

[sixpackeddie]

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I wonder if the "Head Butler" is the same as the Retreat Host in the Retreat Lounge/Michael's Club. 

 

Yes John and Mudit, saw them on our way off the ship this morning. Both very busy and hard working, they certainly have there hands full.

I you experience a problem with your sky suite while aboard the reflection reach out to the Retreat Manager Bartosz extension 5430 he was very receptive to us and hope you have the same experience.