On Equinox in a Sky Suite (after butler change)

[jelayne]

16 hours ago, Lastdance said:

So, all over the ship...Sky Suites included?  I guess we will find out when w board and go by the rules that are onboard, at that time...change is the name of the game!

The OP is in a Sky Suite,  so yes.

[Plato123]

On 8/25/2023 at 8:47 AM, Georgia_Peaches said:

Ok, so maybe that's what I'm remembering...yes, I think if the butler stocked it then it was complimentary but if it was there before you arrived, then it was a charge.  Talk about bass ackward.  

 I agree this is dumb.  I think they should stock the fridge with a few bottles of "house" water for no charge and leave it to you to get and add anything else.  No counting work for the room attendant nor any work to add charges.  That would save time and money.

[George C]

Last November on beyond everything in fridge was free and they restocked it , all we had was a few waters and maybe one beer. Curious how is the outside retreat on this ship. 

[DingoMom]

Okay, I’m back, and I sincerely appreciate the well- wishes. I feel much better today. Here is what I found out … at least, on the Equinox.

 

First, we are very frequent X cruisers and have been on all classes of ships. We usually sail in Sky Suites, and this is our 4th this year. I am generally in the camp of “stop cheapening the product once I have paid for it.” I also was up in arms about all the ‘experiments’ … vaping, anyone? … that X has been throwing out after final payment.  
 

The Sky Suite ‘ transition’ has been seamless to me. Our Retreat Host is our room attendant and also does what we ‘used’ to have a butler do. Ice, removing used glassware / dishes, and laundry come immediately to mind. We don’t get canapés and we don’t have any ‘standing requests’ for certain services. Our wonderful Host takes care of seven cabins.

(As an aside, we emptied out the mini-fridge of water, wine, and some soft drinks when we boarded and stored the contents in the large cubbie next to the fridge.)

 

I asked about the structure that is being implemented. Each Host also has a Head Butler that backs them up and ensures that Sky Suite guests are taken care of. When I inquired of the Concierge, I was told that yes, you can request certain items from either the Host, your Head Butler, or the Concierge. I specifically asked about room service (breakfast), a pot of coffee in the mornings, or a specialty drink from Al Bacio. For the coffee, I was reminded that one must have the proper drink package to avoid a charge. (Lest anyone thinks that everyone in Sky Suites has a premium drink package, please note that casino players, as well as any other comped programs, and ‘move up’ bids into Sky Suites do not necessarily have either the Classic or Premium packages.)

 

The Retreat Lounge is staffed by 3 concierges, and it is staffed for at least 12 hours per day. The bar is open from something like 9 a.m. - 11 p.m. There is also a Retreat Manager. We never had to wait for anything, and we did our future cruise booking by appointment in the Retreat Lounge.
 

One night I got a single (beautiful) long-stemmed red rose. (I think I recall in the past usually  getting a small vase with a rose and baby’s breath sometime during the cruise - none this time.) We haven’t received ‘extra wine’ during our cruise…we used to get one or two bottles in our room during each cruise.

 

Right now, the only folks in Luminae whose names I can remember are Antonio, the maitre de and the sommelier, Arnold. The service there has been impeccable. Some of the recently added entrees make me shake my head; but have nonetheless, I am sure I have gained the requisite weight for this length of cruise. (Except 3 sick days says maybe no weight gain!)

 

Evening chic nights have butlers at both sides of the 5th floor theater entrances to escort Retreat Guests to the middle section of the 5th floor balcony.

 

 One morning I ordered Room Service for breakfast (but only so I could report back to y’all 🥰) I didn’t coordinate with my Host, but I filled out the tag and hung it on the door that night. I chose a delivery time of 9 to 9:30. It was delivered at 9 on the dot, piping hot, thoroughly delicious, and it was someone other than my Host who brought it. He offered to set the whole thing up, but I declined. Not a single item that would enhance the meal was forgotten.

 

On the cookie note, the only chocolate chip cookies I have seen are the ones for sale at the Gelato place. Although it is a stone’s throw from Al Bacio, Al Bacio has had No. Cookies. At. All. He ice cream station in the OVC has put out some cookies, but no chocolate chips.

I will answer more questions later…if you have any. Right now I need a drink so I can begin my preliminary packing!!

[DingoMom]

28 minutes ago, George C said:

Last November on beyond everything in fridge was free and they restocked it , all we had was a few waters and maybe one beer. Curious how is the outside retreat on this ship. 

Hi George!

 

we are in a Sky Suite, and I was told nothing in the mini-fridge was free. 

Also of note…you can’t grab a beer out of the big refrigerator in the Retreat Lounge. I used to snag two to drink later in my cabin. Now the Retreat Lounge refrigerator only has water, Club soda, and soft drinks.

 

Looking forward to our March music cruise!

Edited August 26, 2023 by DingoMom

[mac_tlc]

8 minutes ago, DingoMom said:

Hi George!

 

we are in a Sky Suite, and I was told nothing in the mini-fridge was free. 

Also of note…you can’t grab a beer out of the big refrigerator in the Retreat Lounge. I used to snag two to drink later in my cabin. Now the Retreat Lounge refrigerator only has water, Club soda, and soft drinks.

Thank you so much for your reports. While some parts are comforting, the limiting of what is in the Retreat Lounge fridges seems petty. They are really going to make it hard for someone to have a can or two in their stateroom. 

 

Looks like I'll have to order a couple beers, either in the Lounge or at a bar, and bring them back. Yeesh. 

 

I guess it will be important what the SS guests say on their surveys, or at least I would hope it matters. 

 

Thanks again and glad you are feeling better. 

 

 

mac_tlc

Edited August 26, 2023 by mac_tlc

[George C]

23 minutes ago, DingoMom said:

Hi George!

 

we are in a Sky Suite, and I was told nothing in the mini-fridge was free. 

Also of note…you can’t grab a beer out of the big refrigerator in the Retreat Lounge. I used to snag two to drink later in my cabin. Now the Retreat Lounge refrigerator only has water, Club soda, and soft drinks.

 

Looking forward to our March music cruise!

I would love to try a S class ship my first cruise on Celebrity was Solstice in sky suite but that was before there was a suite lounge and Luminae. What music cruise we are doing our 6th rock and romance in march, we splurge on this with a royal suite. 

[bjahil47]

So it seems that the room attendant has been “promoted” to part time Retreat Host 

Or the butler has been “demoted” to part time room attendant.  In either case it’s more work for the now Room Attendant/Retreat Host.  
 

@DingoMom happy you are feeling better and hope you got to enjoy some of the cruise.  Thank you for all your reports!  We will follow up as we will be on Equinox 9/24.  Safe travels home!  

[kwokpot]

On 8/25/2023 at 10:51 AM, jelayne said:

We were not charged for soft drinks or water pre Covid.  Post Covid we were not charged for soft drinks water or beer.  Wine and liquor we were told would be charged.

 

EXACTLY our experience post Covid in SS on two different ships classes, Reflection and Apex. 

[shirazcruiser]

49 minutes ago, DingoMom said:

 We haven’t received ‘extra wine’ during our cruise…we used to get one or two bottles in our room during each cruise.

 

Did you receive the complimentary bottle of wine/sparkling wine on embarkation day?  Thanks for all the info as we're sailing on the Reflection next month. 

[wrk2cruise]

51 minutes ago, DingoMom said:

Also of note…you can’t grab a beer out of the big refrigerator in the Retreat Lounge.

 

Not all of the self serve fridges in Retreat lounges have had beer or other alcoholic beverages.  You can certainly get what you want from the bartender in the lounge.  We were on an Edge sailing right after the restart and they were having problems with teens helping themselves to beer in the self serve fridge.  Yes teens were Retreat guests but parents weren't overseeing their actions.

[39august]

Thanks for taking time to report. Sounds like the lack of dedicated butler is not a problem. Can you tell us who is in the Retreat lounge, please? And am I understanding correctly that there are 3 Retreat hosts? 

[Silkroad]

50 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

Looks like I'll have to order a couple beers, either in the Lounge or at a bar, and bring them back. Yeesh. 

That’s exactly what we did. On our b2b ending 8/21, our mini fridges (we had to move on turnover day) were stocked with random sodas & beers. The beers were not those DH prefers, so we went to bars together to obtain his “Premium” beers for our mini fridge. Because we book SS only half the time, we’re used to hunting down “Premium” beers and waters when necessary. On the plus side, we do burn a few more calories while hunting😂

[mac_tlc]

1 minute ago, Silkroad said:

That’s exactly what we did. On our b2b ending 8/21, our mini fridges (we had to move on turnover day) were stocked with random sodas & beers. The beers were not those DH prefers, so we went to bars together to obtain his “Premium” beers for our mini fridge. Because we book SS only half the time, we’re used to hunting down “Premium” beers and waters when necessary. On the plus side, we do burn a few more calories while hunting😂

Slightly OT but how was your trip?

 

mac_tlc

[Silkroad]

3 minutes ago, mac_tlc said:

Slightly OT but how was your trip?

 

mac_tlc

Wonderful! We had a splendid time. We enjoyed enchanting scenery, interesting architecture, fabulous street art and a beautiful ship. The staff and crew were excellent, as always. Yes, we experienced a few glitches on the journey, but no more than one would expect on a four-week trip.

[terrydtx]

On 8/24/2023 at 6:36 PM, 39august said:

Is waiter Antony in Luminae and who is the sommalier please?

Antony was our Luminae waiter in June and he was excellent.

[Silkroad]

1 hour ago, DingoMom said:

The Sky Suite ‘ transition’ has been seamless to me. Our Retreat Host is our room attendant and also does what we ‘used’ to have a butler do. Ice, removing used glassware / dishes, and laundry come immediately to mind. We don’t get canapés and we don’t have any ‘standing requests’ for certain services. Our wonderful Host takes care of seven cabins.

(As an aside, we emptied out the mini-fridge of water, wine, and some soft drinks when we boarded and stored the contents in the large cubbie next to the fridge.)

 

I asked about the structure that is being implemented. Each Host also has a Head Butler that backs them up and ensures that Sky Suite guests are taken care of. When I inquired of the Concierge, I was told that yes, you can request certain items from either the Host, your Head Butler, or the Concierge.

First, I’m so glad you’ve recovered in time to enjoy the end of your cruise! Second, thank you so much for clarifying how things work after the transition. Based on your experience, those of us who have future Sky Suites booked shouldn’t anticipate any substantive differences in services (excepting the newly stated mini bar charges). I hope you enjoyed your cocktail. Cheers! 🍹

Edited August 26, 2023 by Silkroad

[39august]

Terry, glad you got to meet Antony. We've enjoyed conversations with him for the past couple of years. What a cool guy. Hope he is still on board Sept. 24 for the first of our b2b2b. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

Thank you for the update DingoMom!  It's a shame you weren't feeling well for three days!! of your cruise but I'm happy to know you are up and at'em for the tail end.  It seems from your experience that things are pretty much as they were.  I thought I read here somewhere that they were also charging SS guests extra for ordering more than one entrée.  Is that a nasty rumor or is it true?  Sometimes DH and I will order an entrée for the table to share.  Enjoy the remainder of your cruise and safe travels home!

[aml3679]

Feel better and thanks for taking your valuable time to post.  In a Sky Suite in November on the Silhouette.

[RichYak]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I thought I read here somewhere that they were also charging SS guests extra for ordering more than one entrée.  Is that a nasty rumor or is it true?  Sometimes DH and I will order an entrée for the table to share.

DW and I did exactly that a couple times in Luminae on Summit last week. No extra charge.

[abbydancer2003]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

 I thought I read here somewhere that they were also charging SS guests extra for ordering more than one entrée.  Is that a nasty rumor or is it true?  Sometimes DH and I will order an entrée for the table to share.  Enjoy the remainder of your cruise and safe travels home!

What read was that someone in a sky suite ordered the upcharge lobster from the MDR, and was charged for it at a slight discount.  

[Mark_K]

3 hours ago, bjahil47 said:

So it seems that the room attendant has been “promoted” to part time Retreat Host 

Or the butler has been “demoted” to part time room attendant.  In either case it’s more work for the now Room Attendant/Retreat Host.  
 

@DingoMom happy you are feeling better and hope you got to enjoy some of the cruise.  Thank you for all your reports!  We will follow up as we will be on Equinox 9/24.  Safe travels home!  

If the room attendants only cover seven cabins, I don’t know that their workload has increased as much as shifted.  I’m pretty sure they handled more than seven cabins when they were “just” room attendants.

[micruiser2002]

What I would like to know if the upcharge lobster is actually a decent lobster tail and not the one they normally serve in the Main dining room. 

[terrydtx]

7 minutes ago, micruiser2002 said:

What I would like to know if the upcharge lobster is actually a decent lobster tail and not the one they normally serve in the Main dining room. 

From what I have seen posted by recent cruisers on another site the upcharge lobster is advertised as a cold-water rock lobster tail. Also, the tableside flambéed lobster in Murano is now a cold-water lobster, I saw that when someone posted the menu this past week. They said the lobster was excellent.