Butler Team Service in SS - Please Post Current Cruisers Comments on your Experience.

[spectres]

When I wrote that I was thinking it was in December, but I got it confused with one of the Regent cruises. It’s actually 09/12/24 on the Millie- 12 night “Best of Japan” cruise.

[Slidell_Cruiser]

Just another bait and switch to get more money…

look here $2.00 for a cookie plus 20% tip, but don’t look here as we removed gratitudes and OBC from ALL inclusive package, which is now basic drinks and WiFi, plus we raising the price to provide you with more options…

RUBBISH…

[Lena11033]

6 hours ago, Cap_D said:

I'm hoping someone will take some video of how ridiculous the cutbacks are with the price paid and post it to social media like Celebrity's Instagram feed where the cutbacks don't appear in their publicity shots. 

 

I know a vlogger is in the retreat right now so will be interesting to see what he puts up because I know he has talked about the changes a little because he booked before the changes happened.

[OysterD]

On 9/4/2023 at 6:58 PM, Cruiser_Steven said:

If I was paying for 30 days Internet and there were transient issues, I’d agree. In this case, they were advertising premium Internet (specifically suggesting suitability for streaming) throughout the 7-day voyage which was unsuitable for its advertised/intended purpose for the entirety of the life of the product. If the product wasn’t what they intended to offer, they would have helped maintain their reputation by communicating their “standard” and that this was a “miss”. Yes, they have “defense” from a legalistic view, but most of us choose the products/services we spend our dollars on based on a company’s reputation.

 

I think the frustration many of us feel is that we thought we knew Celebrity’s standards and reputation and were willing to pay for the product we expected based upon past experiences and reputation. Obviously, there is a profit motive. Instead of simply offering the same product at a higher price, they’ve moved the bar and now offer an inferior product. If they had maintained the product-level and raised the price, we could make a fair decision if it was worth paying for. If I don’t know their new “standard”, I’m not willing to pay for it at any price.

 

McDonalds may have a crap product, but they’re wildly successful because everyone knows what to expect no matter where they visit a McDonalds location. Celebrity spent decades building their reputation based upon a consistent service offering that we were willing to pay for repeatedly (this was my 23rd cruise overall [I’m 54 and retiring this year, so most of my cruises are yet to come], 8 of my last 11 were on Celebrity). It was easy choosing Celebrity before because I knew what to expect. My next cruise will most likely NOT be on Celebrity because I believe there are better service offerings at Celebrity’s price level and I really don’t know what their product is anymore.

Internet access on a ship is a very different kettle of fish to any other product or service, they're not really comparable. 

 

Even though its 2023 I wouldn't expect an ideal Internet connection anywhere, anytime at sea. If it works well it's just a bonus. Ignoring the fact I just don't care about having great Internet access while on holiday anyway, I wouldn't blame any cruise line who charged me for Internet access and then only received a spotty connection.

 

There are so many factors at play from how many people are on the ship, how many people are using the connection and for what purpose (one cruise you might have half the passengers barely using it and the other half just using it for basic browsing, while another cruise you might have a significant chunk of passengers trying to stream music or video...you can guess which of those 2 scenarios will result in slower speeds/spotty service), and then you have issues like where on the planet the ship is cruising and also, importantly, what the weather is like. Satellites don't like cloud and rain. Nothing can be done about that, it's just physics. 

 

You cannot expect Celebrity or any cruise line to try and price Internet service differently on every cruise taking into account all the factors that might affect service. Quite simply, it is what it is. 

[Mark_T]

9 hours ago, zitsky said:

Your Japan 2024?  How late is it?  Husband wants to do that but we were thinking spring.  Not sure about weather.  Thanks.

We are booked on Millennium for Japan in early April 2025, with some hoped of seeing the cherry blossom, but we know it is mostly a matter of luck on the timing.

 

Worth noting that there is hardly any availability on the Japan cruises out to 2025 due to the cancellations and dramatic over booking during 2023/4, our cruise is down to a few 'Ocean View' or inside cabins now being sold for more than we paid for Concierge...

Edited September 6, 2023 by Mark_T

[DaKahuna]

12 hours ago, Mark_T said:

We are booked on Millennium for Japan in early April 2025, with some hoped of seeing the cherry blossom, but we know it is mostly a matter of luck on the timing.

 

Worth noting that there is hardly any availability on the Japan cruises out to 2025 due to the cancellations and dramatic over booking during 2023/4, our cruise is down to a few 'Ocean View' or inside cabins now being sold for more than we paid for Concierge...

 We’re on the May 2ns, 2024 Best of Japan on Millennium and there are a lot of Interior staterooms available but nothing above the Deluxe Interior category.  There was a Penthouse suite available for a long time but even that is showing as booked now. 
 

[susanrobert]

Just off the Equinox 9/2/23.  Our experience mirrors the others. 1 head butler, 3 retreat concierges and 1 retreat host (cabin attendant).

 

First thing we were advised by, I believe our cabin attendant, aka retreat host, was that "the butler was taken away".  He said that it would be a team, etc.  Well, first request we made was declined.  All we wanted was a cocktail in our cabin for sail away.  We were told by the head butler that drinks were part of the butler removal.  They could deliver food but not drinks. 

 

The 3 retreat concierges work in the lounge.  We didn't need to call often but you couldn't always get through. Once it took 3 tries.  The calls would get rerouted to room service.  When you could get them, they were VERY friendly and efficient.  But, they are stretched WAY too thin.

 

Cabin attendant did a great job, he was always nearby if we needed anything but didn't do anything over and above as a butler would do. He has 14 cabins to take care of.  I don't know how Celebrity thinks that someone who has to tend to 14 cabins has time for anything else.  When we ordered room service, it was brought by room service, not anyone from retreat.

 

Mini bar was a no-no.  He did empty it for us but we had to lug waters from the lounge to the fridge. Hint-take a tote bag and load up!  

 

Staff in Luminae were fantastic.  Also, even though this ship is older and doesn't have a pool or bar on the retreat deck there were servers constantly coming around to see if you needed anything and had a light lunch menu that they would deliver to you.

 

This was our first Celebrity cruise in a long time and our first retreat experience.  We typically sail in MSC Yacht club.  This was our experience YMMV.  

[terrydtx]

48 minutes ago, susanrobert said:

Just off the Equinox 9/2/23.  Our experience mirrors the others. 1 head butler, 3 retreat concierges and 1 retreat host (cabin attendant).

 

First thing we were advised by, I believe our cabin attendant, aka retreat host, was that "the butler was taken away".  He said that it would be a team, etc.  Well, first request we made was declined.  All we wanted was a cocktail in our cabin for sail away.  We were told by the head butler that drinks were part of the butler removal.  They could deliver food but not drinks. 

 

The 3 retreat concierges work in the lounge.  We didn't need to call often but you couldn't always get through. Once it took 3 tries.  The calls would get rerouted to room service.  When you could get them, they were VERY friendly and efficient.  But, they are stretched WAY too thin.

 

Cabin attendant did a great job, he was always nearby if we needed anything but didn't do anything over and above as a butler would do. He has 14 cabins to take care of.  I don't know how Celebrity thinks that someone who has to tend to 14 cabins has time for anything else.  When we ordered room service, it was brought by room service, not anyone from retreat.

 

Mini bar was a no-no.  He did empty it for us but we had to lug waters from the lounge to the fridge. Hint-take a tote bag and load up!  

 

Staff in Luminae were fantastic.  Also, even though this ship is older and doesn't have a pool or bar on the retreat deck there were servers constantly coming around to see if you needed anything and had a light lunch menu that they would deliver to you.

 

This was our first Celebrity cruise in a long time and our first retreat experience.  We typically sail in MSC Yacht club.  This was our experience YMMV.  

Thank you for your honest review.  It is evident that many of the things butlers provided in the past, whether they were in the rules or not, have gone away and the SS Retreat experience will be a down grade.

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, susanrobert said:

Just off the Equinox 9/2/23.  Our experience mirrors the others. 1 head butler, 3 retreat concierges and 1 retreat host (cabin attendant).

 

First thing we were advised by, I believe our cabin attendant, aka retreat host, was that "the butler was taken away".  He said that it would be a team, etc.  Well, first request we made was declined.  All we wanted was a cocktail in our cabin for sail away.  We were told by the head butler that drinks were part of the butler removal.  They could deliver food but not drinks. 

 

The 3 retreat concierges work in the lounge.  We didn't need to call often but you couldn't always get through. Once it took 3 tries.  The calls would get rerouted to room service.  When you could get them, they were VERY friendly and efficient.  But, they are stretched WAY too thin.

 

Cabin attendant did a great job, he was always nearby if we needed anything but didn't do anything over and above as a butler would do. He has 14 cabins to take care of.  I don't know how Celebrity thinks that someone who has to tend to 14 cabins has time for anything else.  When we ordered room service, it was brought by room service, not anyone from retreat.

 

Mini bar was a no-no.  He did empty it for us but we had to lug waters from the lounge to the fridge. Hint-take a tote bag and load up!  

 

Staff in Luminae were fantastic.  Also, even though this ship is older and doesn't have a pool or bar on the retreat deck there were servers constantly coming around to see if you needed anything and had a light lunch menu that they would deliver to you.

 

This was our first Celebrity cruise in a long time and our first retreat experience.  We typically sail in MSC Yacht club.  This was our experience YMMV.  

So what is your conclusion?  Would you do it again?

 

Thanks.

[susanrobert]

26 minutes ago, zitsky said:

So what is your conclusion?  Would you do it again?

 

Thanks.

Hmm. Good question. We really weren't happy with how Celebrity handled the removal of the butlers.  Felt like a real bait and switch.  I guess it depends if the right deal and sailing came along.  But, based on current retreat pricing, I'm thinking it's unlikely.

 

[sixpackeddie]

It’s also important to post your experience positive or negative in the post cruise survey.

[wineoclock]

These reports are fairly damming on the new retreat experience. I’m not blaming the staff but management. While bookings are currently doing well I’m not sure they really care tbh. 

[Midsomer Madness]

I’m so disappointed..we booked a SS for my 60th birthday in January, we booked believing there would be a butler, ok it’s not the be all and end all but it’s pretty poor that Celebrity still haven’t informed us of this change.

 

I have emailed and got the usual rubbish in response, I’ve replied but heard nothing more.

 

Had we not already booked and paid for our flights to Sydney I think we would have cancelled and booked Queens Grills on Cunard.  At the time we booked the Celebrity package was better value.

 

A cabin steward with a different badge does not a butler make.

 

We were looking at Celebrity for our silver wedding anniversary in 2025 but we’ve already scrubbed them from our list.

[TeeRick]

12 hours ago, susanrobert said:

Just off the Equinox 9/2/23.  Our experience mirrors the others. 1 head butler, 3 retreat concierges and 1 retreat host (cabin attendant).

 

First thing we were advised by, I believe our cabin attendant, aka retreat host, was that "the butler was taken away".  He said that it would be a team, etc.  Well, first request we made was declined.  All we wanted was a cocktail in our cabin for sail away.  We were told by the head butler that drinks were part of the butler removal.  They could deliver food but not drinks. 

 

The 3 retreat concierges work in the lounge.  We didn't need to call often but you couldn't always get through. Once it took 3 tries.  The calls would get rerouted to room service.  When you could get them, they were VERY friendly and efficient.  But, they are stretched WAY too thin.

 

Cabin attendant did a great job, he was always nearby if we needed anything but didn't do anything over and above as a butler would do. He has 14 cabins to take care of.  I don't know how Celebrity thinks that someone who has to tend to 14 cabins has time for anything else.  When we ordered room service, it was brought by room service, not anyone from retreat.

 

Mini bar was a no-no.  He did empty it for us but we had to lug waters from the lounge to the fridge. Hint-take a tote bag and load up!  

 

Staff in Luminae were fantastic.  Also, even though this ship is older and doesn't have a pool or bar on the retreat deck there were servers constantly coming around to see if you needed anything and had a light lunch menu that they would deliver to you.

 

This was our first Celebrity cruise in a long time and our first retreat experience.  We typically sail in MSC Yacht club.  This was our experience YMMV.  

So did you order breakfast by hanging the tag on the door the prior evening?  Or is that service gone too?  One of the only things we had our butler do was deliver breakfast and set it up on our balcony.  Not much else really.

[terrydtx]

30 minutes ago, Midsomer Madness said:

I’m so disappointed..we booked a SS for my 60th birthday in January, we booked believing there would be a butler, ok it’s not the be all and end all but it’s pretty poor that Celebrity still haven’t informed us of this change.

 

I have emailed and got the usual rubbish in response, I’ve replied but heard nothing more.

 

Had we not already booked and paid for our flights to Sydney I think we would have cancelled and booked Queens Grills on Cunard.  At the time we booked the Celebrity package was better value.

 

A cabin steward with a different badge does not a butler make.

 

We were looking at Celebrity for our silver wedding anniversary in 2025 but we’ve already scrubbed them from our list.

We are booked on the January B2B Edge cruises in January, too late to cancel with already paid $9000 airfare. We feel the same as you about losing the butler srvices.

[Whinenowine]

27 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

So did you order breakfast by hanging the tag on the door the prior evening?  Or is that service gone too?  One of the only things we had our butler do was deliver breakfast and set it up on our balcony.  Not much else really.

That is what we did on the Edge last week....of course we had no tags in our room, so we called the Retreat Team number to have some delivered.

[Whinenowine]

38 minutes ago, Midsomer Madness said:

I’m so disappointed..we booked a SS for my 60th birthday in January, we booked believing there would be a butler, ok it’s not the be all and end all but it’s pretty poor that Celebrity still haven’t informed us of this change.

 

I have emailed and got the usual rubbish in response, I’ve replied but heard nothing more.

That's because in their opinion there is no difference--they've just replaced a singular butler with a team of butlers....which is CLEARLY not the case. We booked our two Edge SSs the last week of July, less than a month before sailing.  Just over one week later they made the (non) change;  when we called the 1-800-RETREAT number the onshore concierge assured us in no uncertain terms that we'd still have a butler point-person, and that there would be no change to the services provided.  I wish that were true--but we assumed as much so had properly adjusted our expectations before boarding.    Had a great cruise nonetheless.

 

But this was just a summer vacation for us, not a big birthday or anniversary.  Sorry you're dealing with this for your 60th.  I've a big birthday next year and have already ruled our Celebrity.  Found pricing on the RSSC Grandeur for LESS than a SS on the Ascent....silly time. 

[Midsomer Madness]

They’ve lost our custom for our silver wedding, we will no doubt book Cunard,so it’s their loss…if people vote with their feet then Celebrity might start listening 

[karmamule]

Thanks all for this very useful thread. We'll use this to temper/adjust our expectations for our upcoming cruise next month. I find it's much easier to "go with the flow" when you have a more realistic picture of what the flow will be like. 🙂 

 

In switching this out for already existing bookings Celebrity has guaranteed an unpleasant surprise for many people who don't use CC or other places to stay up-to-date on the latest twists and turns to service levels.

[39august]

Unpleasant is right. It's as if I ordered a dress in size medium and was sent a size small instead. I won't miss the butler much, but I resent buying one product and getting something else instead. And no bottled  water in the suite? That is madness. 

[The_Big_M]

On 9/5/2023 at 1:11 AM, hcat said:

wonder if the grat may eventually be reduced. Seems it is not the same level of service with the team plan. 

 

( We  were one and done with the SS..before the changes..did not suit us yet we paid the included suite grats plu$)

 

Although you're right that it's a degraded level of service, there's no way Celebrity will reduce the gratuities.

 

There are multiple reasons, but not least is that it would mean they are admitting the service is less than before, which would also mean they would have to offer refunds for those existing bookings who wanted to cancel - which there is no way they are going to do.

[zitsky]

I talked to my husband.  He doesn’t care about the butler.  He wants the other perks.  So we won’t go to Aqua and lose our deposit.

 

Do you think I can get the Retreat “team” to all wear tuxedos?  😂

[JaneStarr]

29 minutes ago, zitsky said:

Do you think I can get the Retreat “team” to all wear tuxedos?  😂

Maybe one of these:

[JDPCruisers]

We have been lucky for the last three cruises, with one being 24 days, as we had the same dedicated butler who was wonderful, and we liked personally. We do not request much, but he would always ask us if we needed anything and after he got to know us and what we liked would do things without our asking. He was friends with some of the chefs and would bring us pizza after a late night out that were the best we've ever had on a ship and in many restaurants. Cocktails while getting ready for the evening, cookies, and hors d'oeuvres. So, we will miss that level of service and most importantly him! We just hope we get to see him again on a future cruise whether he provides a to us or not. We'll just have to wait and see how the Retreat Team is in Dec in a SS, knowing that it very likely will not be what we experienced with him.

[zitsky]

I’m not sailing for a while so I hope this change is canceled and butlers restored.  I’m fighting with my husband because he doesn’t care but he likes the other perks.

 

I think the only way to deal with this is to politely insist on the service you paid for.  I intend to call every time I need something.  If that makes me a pest then so be it.  There is a reason I pay extra tips.